Ecuador Update!

Hello Everyone! I am so sorry that it has taken me a long time to update with photos and pictures. Over the past few weeks, I have been very busy and also was sick for a week but I am feeling great now.

First, I am officially with my homestay family for the next month! I am super excited and we have had a great time already. We play a lot of Rummikub, talk, laugh, and break bread together. They are absolutely amazing and I am so blessed that they are part of my Ecuador Journey.

Next, is a picture from when my friends and I went salsa dancing which was a lot of fun and also a lot more challenging than I thought it would be!

In my Spanish class, we made Colombian Arepas as we learned about a specific tense in Spanish that instructions come from. My professor is Colombian so she helped us learn about her culture as well as the new tense in Spanish.

Next is a picture of me in the middle of the world on the equator. I learned that some of the information from the tour was not totally true but it was still fun to participate in these activities and be on/near the equator.

I had the opportunity to go to a fútbol game at the stadium in Quito. Liga de Quito won which was such a fun time and I really enjoyed the entire experience.

The next picture is from when we had to say goodbye to José who is following his dreams of being a pastor in the States. The United States is so blessed to have him but we do miss him here in Quito. Also in the picture is the wonderful crew of people who are my family for the remainder of the trip.

The next picture is of one of the famous churches in Quito that we will go and visit soon but drove past on our way somewhere so I took a picture.

The next picture is of Stathi and I, my brother in the homestay. We went on top of the Virgin Mary statue in Quito and saw an amazing view of the city. I am so grateful for the adventures we have gone on already both in the homestay and the apartment and I am excited for all we will do throughout our time here.

The final picture is of the view from my homestay. This city is absolutely beautiful and I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to explore part of Quito that I would not have gotten the opportunity to explore if I lived closer to the apartments.

Some other adventures I have been on: Going to a butterfly farm where I witnessed a butterfly coming out of its cacoon. Ziplining in the cloud forest. Shopping at the artisan market and bartering for ponchos.

Also, I live about 45/50 minutes from my school now and am an expert at the public transportation system. If you want to be up close and personal with 50 of your closest friends I definitely recommend riding the Metrobus at 4 pm when people get off work :)

Prayer Requests: Next week I am going to the Amazon Jungle to work with a school for 5 days. Prayers that everything goes well, that no one gets malaria, and that the Lord would be protecting us throughout the trip!

More updates after the Jungle!