A Hard Goodbye

Sunday, July 9, 2017  The Ecuador Journals: #7 Final Part  “No, I haven’t tried quimbolito, but I want to,” I said to C in Spanish. “You haven’t tried it because you haven’t come to my house”, she replied in more fluent Spanish. What followed was an invitation to her house which we regretfully turned downContinue reading “A Hard Goodbye”

Clear Blue Skies

Sunday, June 25, 2017  The Ecuador Journals #6 On some mornings, very rarely, the skies up here in the mountains are an almost crystal clear shade of blue. On days like this, if you’re in the right spot, you can see the peaks of mountains and snow-capped volcanoes. But every day isn’t like this; onContinue reading “Clear Blue Skies”

La Vida Ecuatoriana

The Ecuador Journals #5 Monday, June 19, 2017 L & C had invited friends over to their home for pizza, drinks, and dessert. As we ate, I tried to follow along with the conversation that eventually became so rapid and filled with novel words that I struggled a bit. Before I could translate a phraseContinue reading “La Vida Ecuatoriana”

Ecuador: The Country of Love

Sunday, June 11, 2017  The Ecuador Journals #4 I had just hit my toe on a rock while trying to say hello to some kids on the street. Note to Self: Look where you’re going. As I sat at the bus stop trying to stop the bleeding, an older man walked up to me findContinue reading “Ecuador: The Country of Love”

The Stretch Zone 

The Ecuador Journals #2  Sunday May 28, 2017 C drew three circles on the white board.The innermost one represented the comfort zone, the next one was the stretch zone and for when you’ve gone too far, the outermost circle represented the danger zone. Okay I can’t remember if she called it the danger zone, butContinue reading “The Stretch Zone “

Altitude Changes Everything 

The Ecuador Journals #1 Nerves and excitement built up as the airplane’s tires lifted up from the ground. Everything hit me at that moment; for the next two months, I’d be living in a new country and speaking a different language most of the time. It didn’t matter whether or not I was ready, it wasContinue reading “Altitude Changes Everything “