Hello world. I am writing this blog on the Tuesday, the 15th of December. I have exactly a week more to my exchange here in Ecuador. I cannot say how sad I am to have to leave this beautiful country. I love it, and every single thing that is a part of it. I already miss my Ecuadorian life so much, and just thinking about leaving tugs on my heartstrings. I have lived the vida extranjero, seen much culture, and really found myself along the way. This is going to be my last journal entry. So this one goes out to my beautiful, second, home. Ecuador.
Querido Ecuador, In my short time here of 4 months, you have taught so much, and I will never stop thanking you for that. I have learned to be independent; getting myself around in a relatively large South American city, I have learned to speak your beautiful language (s) of Spanish and Kichwa, and I have also learned who I really am. This experience really has been a "once in a lifetime" one. I am so grateful that I persuaded my parents to let me come on exchange last year, and I am so happy that I picked you Ecuador. As I pack my bags, getting ready to go out on my last adventure through your beautiful lands, I realize that I will never see all of your true beauty, because there is just so much to see. But I do know that in my short 4 months here, I have seen you, in many different shapes and forms. In the little indigenous woman who sits a block from my house, selling homemade tamales that smell of sweet choclo (corn), in the beautiful nature that I see whenever I step outside of the house, and in myself, as I teach my friends back home all that I have learned from my time here in my other home. I need to tell you Ecuador, that you have shown me a different life. A life full of adventure, culture, people, love. A life where anything and EVERYTHING is possible, if you just take a step out of your comfort zone and look to the beautiful bright sky. Nunca te voy a olvidar, te amo mi Ecuador.
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Hello world of whoever reads this,
I am writing this blog with 2 more weeks left to my exchange here in Ecuador. Right now I am experiencing many emotions of where I feel I most belong. Honestly I am very torn. In the United States, I have an amazing life, my beautiful family, friends, tons of mountains to explore. But here I have a life as well. It is very hard to be leaving right now, because this is when I am really starting to fit into life down here, am establishing every aspect of my life here, and feel like I belong here in Ecuador. Recently, my "Hermana" de intercambio Naemi and I have really connected. It is really amazing when I think about it, but we have been really experiencing so much together. Traveling around a beautiful country together, meeting new people, making mistakes, all of this brings us so close, and now we are faced with the fact that we have to say goodbye, until when, we will never know. I do know that our relationship started internationally, and will continue to be like that. I am so grateful for that. Another part of my life that is really starting to click down here, is my language skills. Now, I am surely not fluent, just ask any of the Ecuadorians down here. But I am very happy with my Spanish. I am at the point where I understand about 95% of all conversations, and can say whatever I want. It is a really rewarding feeling, sitting in school, and you realize that you have understood everything from the civil rights of the Ecuadorians to the equations for Chemistry to the analysis of the Greguerias (poetic phrases). I am very happy with my language skills, and now I must return. I really don't want to lose my Spanish skills though, so I will take Spanish when I get back and practice whenever I can. I love my Ecuador, and am extremely sad to have to leave. I hope everyone gets a chance to visit this beautiful country. It has so much to offer, and has a heart of gold. Te Amo Ecuador. |
Author: DanaThis is a blog I kept through my journey as a student in Ecuador. . ArchivesCategories |