This Past Week

This past week was a pretty crazy and busy week. It started with me having tons of homework for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, all of which I had put off until then (including a paper that was due Wednesday. Ay!). But Wednesday at 1:00pm I was pretty much done with all of it, though it wasn't fun, and as normal, when I get stressed, I also get homesick. But everything worked out.

Also, I figured out what I'm going to do for my ICRP. We have to do an Integrative Cultural Research Project while we're here, which is why we're staying until February instead of just December (when the semester ends). Basically, we have to write a huge paper in Spanish at the end of this whole experience about some sort of cultural aspect of Ecuador. But we have to volunteer with some organization for the next four months. I was having trouble finding an organization (I'll spare you all the details of my troubles) and was really frustrated. We had to know by yesterday where we wanted to work, and I was quickly finding out that I couldn't work at any school because of my schedule with classes. We have to start volunteering right away, and I totally don't have time in my schedule to get back to Quito after classes before a lot of organizations close.

Finally, I talked to this guy Kleber who runs a program at USFQ for indigenous students who come to the University on scholarship. He has a Conversation Club where he pairs these students with international students so the international students can practice their Spanish and the indigenous students can practice their English. Basically, I'm going to be helping him with the club and tutoring other students in whatever they need help in. I'm only allowed to speak English 25% of the time for my ICRP, so I can't just teach people English. But I am working with this one guy, Jorge, who is from an indigenous town north of Quito. He really doesn't know a lot of English, so when we met yesterday we talked almost completely in Spanish (good for me. Started my day off with more Spanish than I'm normally used to). He's actually a really great guy, and has already invited me to his Pueblo to visit his family. Plus, all three of his brothers live on the Galapagos, and he was inviting me to travel with him to see them. He's just really nice. Plus, he taught me a little Quechua! I don't remember it, but it was pretty cool. I think I'll ask him to teach me more.

So what else happened? Hmm...my madre's sister had a baby! I haven't gotten to go see her yet, but it is pretty exciting. Because of that, my abuelita was around this week, too. And she's just so sweet. Plus, it was my madre's boyfriend Jorge's (I know a lot of Jorges here...) birthday. We had a really good conversation at dinner on Thursday with the whole family (because we were celebrating, and Jorge likes to ask me tons of questions in English and Spanish). It was nice.

Last night I went out with Alison, Thom, Peter, Katie and my good friend Karla (she's one of the Ecuadorians that was at K last year) to Karla's sister Lu's friend's house. Ha. Long chain of relation there. But it was nice. We just sort of hung out and made pizzas, and the girl's house (Belen's) was beautiful. I feel like I'm making more Ecuafriends. I hope so. Although I didn't really know anyome last night at Belen's and we didn't really get introduced, it was still nice to be sitting in a group of people and talking (though we did a lot of Gringo Ghetto English speaking in our own group...). It's nice to feel like I can have conversations in Spanish, which is how I felt last night with everyone and with my Conversation Club partner Jorge in the morning. It makes me less scared of speaking.

So yeah. That was my week. I'm going to get a group together sometime today or tomorrow to go to Quicentro (a mall here that we frequent) to go bowling. Apparently it's only $2 a lane, and $1 for shoes! YAY!

Hope everyone is well!