And That's a Wrap!

   And so my exchange comes to a close. Sometimes I look back and think to myself, "How did I get here and how did time go by so fast?" Of course there are times when I just sit there and watch the seconds tick by on the little green clock that sits beside my bed, but I suppose that's life! To tie up my 9 months of blogging, I wanted to kind of sum up my year now that it's over (well, I have 3 days left- so basically over) as well as show the pictures of the last week.

   This year was, by far, one of the most intense years of my life. While I successfully avoided the ever-dreaded "Senioritis" that all the Seniors go through in their final year of high school, I did get my fair share of homesickness, culture shock, sadness, anger, adventure, surprise, happiness, joy and fulfillment. To top it all off, I got a new set of experiences and friends, neither of which I will forget for the rest of my life.

   As much as I got out of this year, I know I could have experienced even more. Rules are made for a reason, and I have never been one to push them (mostly...), but sometimes I wish I did push them or at least ask more. There are so many places even just around my area that I would have loved to see, but for fear of being told "no" or out of sheer laziness, I didn't get out there and look. I had an excuse for everything here, "It's too hot", "It's too dangerous", "I'm tired" and I feel like I missed out a lot on my exchange. I sometimes feel like it wasn't worth it- but that's where I stop myself. I know for a fact that these last 9 months were worth it, even if I didn't get to do all the things I had come into the exchange wanting to do. I learned a language, made life long friends, and did something that not a lot of kids my age get to do. I have been to the Galapagos Islands, I have seen some of the most rare animals in the world, I have seen things that people wait their whole lives to see.

The closest thing to a goodbye/birthday party I got.
I love these sweet kids. The kids from Taiwan
made us typical food. 

Just my best friend, Maria and I being goofs on the roof! 

Exchange Students Santa Maria style!
(Left to Right: Vicky (Taiwan), Me, Deborah and Maria (Both from the US)

My class! They take a picture like this
daily! haha Silly Ecuadorians! 

   So now the year is over and I now go back to life in the United States, but it will be far from life as I knew it. I have changed and the people I knew have changed. While it will be challenging at first, I will slowly begin to reintegrate with those I was once close to, as well as make new friends! College begins in the Fall and even more new experiences are just right around the corner.

   Thank you to all who have helped me in my adventure abroad. Without the support I have received, I would not have made it through all those hard times. Thank you for keeping up with the hizhaps of my exchange, I really enjoy writing these blogs and I only hope you have enjoyed reading them just as much! I hope to continue informing you all about my life Post-Exchange as it will most likely be just as interesting as like on exchange, what with all the moving around and newness.


PS- I threw together an interactive map of all the places I have visited here in Ecuador. If you have a minute, check it out. (:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=213165373003073349500.0004c02e9d4b4ea8a0073

Lots of amor,
Marlee

The Last Stop

   Why hello there Friends, Family and Rotarians! Howdy do on this fine May morning? I apologize for not getting to the computer earlier to update you all in my never ending adventures, but here I am, ready to write the next addition to my life.
   A surprisingly grand amount of events have occured since I last posted and even as things are winding down, little things seem to keep popping up. Firstly, and probably most significant, our exchange students had their final trip a couple weeks ago. Why Rotary made our last trip in the middle of April, I will never know, but it did allow me to leave as early as I needed to. Having to say goodbye like that, but knowing you will be seeing them again, was still all too hard and it was only a mere fraction of what it will be like saying goodbye to my regional friends. Those guys have kept me going this whole year. But as they say here, all the time, "Asi es la vida" (or, That's just the way life is). So why don't we get into those trip details!

   Our final trip consisted of countless hours in a bus, 140 exchange students, and the wide open (totally narrow and sketchy) Ecuadorian road. We started our trip in the capital city, Quito and traveled from there. Everyday went as follows: Wake up, pack your things, eat breakfast, leave for the next city, do your city thang, get into the city of the day at 8pm, eat dinner, sleep, repeat. It was quite the adventure! Hitting 8 of the country's main cities, we got to see the REAL Ecuador. The Ecuador that wakes up early in the morning to wash the clothes on the outside washing block. The Ecuador that walks on the side of the highway, up the mountain passes to get to their destination. The Ecuador that produces hard, honest workers. It was a refreshing site.

   One thing I have talked to my host parents about, and one of my biggest upsets about the Rotary here is the fact that we do not get to experience that "real" Ecuador. The exchange students here live in mini mansions, with maids, their own bathrooms, indoor pools and there was even one girl who had her own bodyguard! We are not put into the typical Ecuadorian home, which also means that the typical Ecuadorian is not being sent out on exchange. Here in my city, the typical home consists of one bathroom, water that decides when it wants to turn on, modest furniture and one TV, at most- yet the house of my peers are these extravagant wonders. I know not everyone agrees that we should be put in normal houses, as I'm sure they've grown accustomed to having someone make their bed, wash their clothes and make their sheets, but it just seems like the alternative would yield more life changing results. But hey, okay. That's that. Back to the trip!

   The details of the trip are not as important as the pictures. We had one day that was particularly profound though. We started the day off in Riobamba, nicknamed Friobamba for the cold days, and made our way up to Mt. Chimborazo, which, due to its location on the equatorial  bulge, makes it the furthest point in the world from the earth's center! It was approximately 44 degrees up on the mountain and I was wearing leggings, yoga pants, wool socks, boots, 2 shirts, a jacket and a llama sweater on top and I was STILL so cold! But it was so nice to be in that cold environment again. To be wearing all of those layers and not be sweating! It was an absolute miracle. After we had taken our pictures and caught our breathe (due to the extreme elevation, we coastal kids had a kick in the pants) all 140 of us crammed into the small lodge for some delicious hot chocolate. Again, I was able to drink a hot drink in front of a FIREPLACE no less, without blasting the air conditioner nor sweating. Bliss. When the hot chocolate ran out, we packed up and headed to our next destination: The Middle of the World.

It says 'Ecuador' (: 

   At the very center of the world lies a kind of amazing monument where were able to take pictures. Due to our hectic schedule, however, we were only able to stay for a half hour, but we made the best of it! The actual monument is not where the real middle of the world is. We saw the real thing on our first day, and it was really nothing special. I guess they made a mistake in the planning, oops! But, like I said, the real monument was really great! There's a whole little town inside the gates where people sell trinkets, as is very common every where you go in Ecuador; a spot for people to enjoy live music, there are almost always performers there; and of course, the monument itself. Just a quick couple of pictures and we were off! But this time to the costa: to Guayaquil!  

   Here's where the profoundness of this day comes into full view. We headed to Guayaquil which is most certainly the hottest city in Ecuador. We all got off the bus and were immediately assaulted by the wave of heat and humidity that is all too common on the coast. Yet despite the fact that the heat is the melting kind, and makes me sweat 100 % of the time, it was kind of nice to be home. We took a night walk in Guayaquil to the lighthouse there called the Malecón and it's a whopping 444 stair steps to get to the top. We teenagers tackled those steps like champs and the view from the top was amazing! After the lighthouse, we walked the short walk back to our hotel and went to bed! But I think out of all 10 days we were out, it was the most interesting day for sure. 

  It's so hard to give light to every single day we were out, but here is a picture review of what we did: 

This is my best friend Maria and I in Baños

Day #3 we headed to hike some waterfalls and explore the
infamously hippie town of Baños

In Cuenca, which was near the end of our trip, we visited
Inca Ruins where we got to learn about the lifestyle of
the Incas that lived there and play with llamas! 

This is at the llama farm we went to (we actually got to EAT llama!).
The view was gorgeous and the flowers were perfect for making flower crowns! 

This. This is my city. Machala got flooded the night we were
there, so naturally we did nothing on that night. 

In Guayaquil, we visited the historical museum where we got
a feel for how it was to live back in colonial days in Ecuador

This was our last day and our last goodbye. Everrryone was crying! We're
pictured with the District Chairman in the center with the black suit. 

    Other than the Big Trip, there's nothing too important to report. We have since started school up again and that just brings up the same dread for the day that I felt at the beginning of the exchange. School here is more miserable than anything else I've had to tackle here, but I will say that this year's class is wonderful and I kind of love them! On the bright side of everything, ever, I have two weeks left and then I head back home to the states! I'll make sure to write again before I leave!

Until then,

Marlee the adventurer.

 

Traveling, Traveling and the Dengue

   Shame. That's the word that comes to mind when I write this, on account of me not writing about some pretty major events that have occurred! I have been to Quito, the Galapagos, Peru AND I nearly contracted a tropical disease known as the Dengue Fever. So much to tell! I only help I can put my experiences into words.
   Firstly, my trip to the incredible, stupendous, amazing capital city of Quito. Since being here, I have always known that Quito would capture my heart, but never in a million years did I imagine that it would have swallowed my heart whole leaving me empty without it. Sounds dramatic to you, but I'm serious. I fell so in love with Quito. The cold weather, the cloud cover, the hills, the history, the scenery! It was just all so amazing and after being in Machala for the last 7 months, I couldn't picture myself ever leaving it! That's one thing, if I had the chance to redo my exchange year, I would have really pushed for living in the Highlands, but oh well. What's done is done.
   A week before I headed off to the Galápagos, my mom, sister and I boarded a big charter bus to embark on our 12 hour trip up to Quito. Ecuador is a small country, but getting from point A to point B in any part of the country takes a tremendous amount of time due to their lack of an advanced road system and getting up the Andes. I didn't sleep a wink the whole way there, but mostly because I was so excited for what was in store!

The mountains of Quito, wishing me a "good trip"

Actual Green Grass! I was amazed! 

   While in Quito, my mom and sister took me exploring. Our great aunt, who we stayed with, lives right in the center of the Historic Downtown and getting around to explore was very easy. The first actual day we were there was mostly sleeping since none of us really got a good night's rest. The second part, we woke up and went all around downtown. They showed me churches, the President's Plaza (since it was the capital of the country), historic buildings and the cute little stores the neighborhood had to offer. We ended the day perfectly with cappuccinos (hot, and I didn't break a sweat while drinking it!) and humitas (which if you're familiar with mexican tamales, these are just like that except for with just corn. Sooo good!).

La Bacílica: the most famous (and one of the most impressive)
churches in Quito. Modeled after the French Gothic style,
architects put fauna local to Ecuador in lieu of gargoyles.
Behind the church is where all the late presidents are burried.

My host sister and I at La Bacílica

The historical streets of downtown Quito

Señor Presidente lives here! 

It was a solid gold church! Absolutely gorgeous!
But photos inside were prohibited! 

 Our second day was spent trying to look for a hospital for my sister because she had a fever and... well that's just what the Ecuadorians do. But the third day my sister was feeling better and together we took a funky tour bus all around Quito to see the sights. It was just a good recap of everything we had seen before and a good bonding experience for my sister and I!

Having Subway is a joke within the kids in my city because
we're all so obsessed with it and it is GREATLY missed! 

Getting ready to head out! 

The streets of historical downtown and an
adorable VW Bug to top it off! 

Coming down the mountain from seeing some of the most
incredible views! I was a HAPPY camper! 

The ominous Bacílica in the rain clouds

Early my last morning, I woke up to head to the airport and meet the rest of the kids going to the Galápagos! There were 8 kids going from Quito. The other kids came from Guayaquil, Machala, Loja and Cuenca and we met with them in the Galapagos. The first part of our day was travel, but it didn't end there. Once we arrived at our hotel on la Isla Santa Cruz, we headed out to look at tortoises, where we got to see the most rare animal in the world (or at least they claim it to be!). His name is Lonely George and is the last tortoise of his species, I thought he was pretty cute! After looking at George and his friends, we went exploring in the small town where we were staying. See, 3% of the islands are reserved for commercial and residential areas and that's where we were staying! 

Just arrived and ready to explore! 

Old George himself! Cute as can BE!

These scary looking things were all
over the islands! 

Our second day, we got up nice and early and headed to Santa Isabela which is about 2 hours away from where we staying in Santa Cruz. The first thing we saw were pink flamingos and after we went to the Charles Darwin Research Center to look at more tortoises! From babies, to teenagers to mating adults. Later, we headed out to an open space to go snorkeling. There wasn't too much to look out in this place, but we were promised some incredible sights the next day. We did find big shells and some large fish though! After we got in from snorkeling, we headed over to look at the island's penguin population. We saw a small family of penguins and they were absolutely adorable! We then got out to take a look at the "tide pools" that are created by cooled lava flow. We found Manta Rays and white tipped sharks and then a lot of the black iguanas pictured above. We headed back for lunch after that and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and taking the local flavor.

The pink Flamingos grazing in the water for their bacteria!

The Manta Rays flying in to meet with the
sharks. It was MAJESTIC! 

Our "third" day was a water day. We woke up early and took the short boat ride over to a lagoon on an unknown island (at least I forgot...) to go snorkeling. I don't think any of us were really expecting to see what we saw. The colors, the fish, the sharks, the reefs, it was just incredible! We swam through countless numbers of fish and some of us even got stung by little jellies! I got stung on my lip and my friend got stuck on his arm, but we were both fine! We saw sharks, sea turtles, more manta rays and countless numbers of fish. We even got to swim with sea lions! One of the first things I saw was a bright yellow puffer fish! The whole cast of Finding Nemo was there, it was just incredible. After lunch, we headed back out to go cliff diving where we felt the thrill of throwing ourselves off high cliffs only to be saved by crystal clear ocean water.

Even Crush came to say hi! 

Bombs awaay! 

Our last day was a little more relaxed. We headed out for a hike and ended up at a beautiful beach. We couldn't swim in the beach because the waves were too dangerous, but there was a bay just on the other side that we all swam in. It was refreshing after the nice long hike! We spent all morning swimming in the bay and after hiking back for lunch, most of us fell asleep. We were all getting little to no sleep, but we were okay with that! It was for fun! After everyone's nap, we all headed out again to explore the 2nd longest tunnel in South America. It was created by a certain lava bubble that's created by making little tunnels. This, happened to be a really big bubble! It was a great end to our days. Our last night, we headed to a ranch where we sang karaoke, danced and played pool! It was great and the pictures were amazing!

A week after we got back from the Galapagos, we were out and about again for vacation with my family and this time to Peru! My parents took their first host daughter, from Austria, too, which was great because I had a buddy the whole time! We stayed at this suuuuuuper nice hotel in Punta Sal, Peru. The weather was perfect and the sun was strong. We spent our stay there swimming, and hanging out with the other people staying there. It is getting to be the end of the busy season down here and so there weren't a lot people staying with us, but we made friends none the less. One of the days, we went into a really popular gringo town called Máncora. Here, a lot of tourists come to surf, party and who knows what else! It was fun though and I got a lot of great goodies for my friends. It was also fun to use a different kind of money! I don't know if I've mentioned it, but here in Ecuador, we use the US dollar. In Peru they use Sols, and it was different to be able to use a different form of currency. The vacation lasted 3 days, but it was quality family time none the less. 

The sisters in Máncora! 

The pool side bar at our Hotel

The Girls in the pool at sunset! hahaha 

The baby owl I bought for my momma!

That's about it! As far as the Dengue Fever goes, I obviously didn't get it- but I almost did! The only thing that differentiated my sickness to Dengue was that my fever dropped, but I got pretty darn sick! Next on the bill is our final trip where we'll go all around Ecuador. I'm sooo excited for this trip, as we'll spend the majority of the time up in the highlands, which means we'll be in the COLD! After the big trip, we will all have to return to school :( School officially starts April 16th, but since we'll be out and about, Rotary kids don't start school till the 25th! Whoo! Alright, I'll be back to update soon enough, I promise! 

Until the next time, 

Marlee the Traveler.

  

Summer Blues and English Courses

 Can you even believe it? I'm updating, JUST to update! It's a miracle, but here I am, typing away to give you pictures and more pictures! As I mentioned in my last post, I have started teaching English to the kids that live in my neighborhood. My neighborhood has it's fair share of poverty and the need for English was great, so a couple of friends and I geared up and took on an English course. It has been a challenge at times, given between the three of us there are nearly 100 kids, but we have managed to get through it and these kids have learned some English, even if it is just a little. It's been a month now and with Galapagos next week, we decided to take the rest of the summer off. 

THE CUTEST LITTLE KID EVER! His name is Robert.
Bob and Marlee. We're best friends! 

   To any teachers of mine who read my blog, I am sorry. Ever since pre-school I have been the "ring leader" or the "agitator" of the class and I know realize what a pain in the butt that must have been like to deal with. I have one kid in my class who does just that and it's almost impossible to keep him under control.  I have a new found respect for people that work with children. Before going into this teaching job, I didn't like kids all that much and coming out of it, I just know that I will never have the patience to work with children. It takes a special kid of person to work with kids and I am just not one of them. I really prefer older people, if you ask me. So a HUGE thank you to all the educators out there who have lasted through the years. I tip my hat to you! Now, pictures! 

My friend Rachel who teaches the 12-14 year olds

My class room and some of the kids in it! 

Working working! 

My classroom from the outside

My crazy kids! 

My friend Rachel's class

The playground

Some of the boys from my class, they're crazy! 

Maria (the white one..) and her little class

Maria and a little girl from her class

   In other news, Rotary took us on another little adventure in our providence. We headed to the "cascadas" or waterfalls to hike all around and to stay cool. It was so much fun and the waterfalls were so gorgeous! We basically spent the told day swimming and hiking. I'm sore today, but that's always a good thing to be! I forgot how much I seriously love hiking! Can't wait to get back and to hike all around my beautiful city!

It's just simply gorgeous here! 

Another view, this time from atop a mountain we had climed

Our attempt at a group picture, haha

First waterfall, WHOO!

Hiking, Hiking, Hiking! 

My goofy exchange friends! 

Scaling a mini mountain! haha

Fresh and ready to hike! 

More scaling! 

   Anyways, as the year winds down, I find myself more and more eager to just get home and start my post-exchange life. It's a big problem with a lot of my friends here. I really love Ecuador as a whole, but my city has been hard to live in. With not much to do here, we do a lot of sitting around. So all of us here are just twiddling our thumbs waiting for school to start up again just so we have something to do to occupy all of our time! I will be home in T-69 days and I am pumped as heck! Our Galapagos trip is next week and "excitement" doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about it. Can't wait to update you guys on the hizhaps of the Galapagos! Toodles for now (: 

Marlee!