Group Stays in Agualong-History day- Beginning of homestays

Hey everybody,
Just updates on whats been going on in the last two weeks

In Quito we had a really sweet coffee house where we made collages and everyone showed of their talents. We also went to a really cool art museum by a guy named Guayasamin about suffering. That night Lizzie (one of the girls) fell out the window and through the roof! it was so scary but shes completely fine, she escaped with only a scratch. We all make fun of her for it now.

Then we arrived in an indigenous Kichwa village to a mass of screaming children ready to play and learn english. I think I had the most fun I have had in my entire life playing with these kids. Then we taught and english lesson full of songs and games and everyone loved it.

That night we walked down to meet out host family who welcomed up and showed us the room that they had given up so that we could sleep in it. Susanna is our host mom who was shy at first about speaking english because her native language is Kichwa. The father is Manuel, he works almost all day but he is always home in time for dinner. Tanya is their daughter, she is 12 years old and incredibly smart, she never forgets the new english words we teach her and she tried to teach us a little Kichwa. Hernan is the 11 year old boy who is quiet and very artistic, he puts me to shame in drawing. Elvis and Sai Dee are the little boys who are so cute and affectionate, Sai Dee doesnt speak any spanish and is something of a Devil child but I love him anyway.

Our host mother Susana taught everyone to make bread and the whole town came to help make shapes out of the dough. I learned how to feed the pigs and chickens that surround out house and we passes a lot of time coloring and playing with the children. The whole town basically took us on a hike in the woods to pick blackberries and look at the beautiful view. We also took everyone out to a huge volcanic lake which was extremely beautiful and they all enjoyed it soooooo much. Many people had never been out of the town before.

It was so hard to imagine that these people were living in poverty, they were so generous and happy. But it was heart wrenching when one of the host families 10 year old sister carried a baby on her back because her mother had died from lack of medical attention, the baby becoming malnourished. It was so hard to leave these people knowing they had no acsses to doctors.

On saturday and Sunday we helped work on a community service project, carrying countless amounts of cinder blocks infront of about 10 soccer teams... yea. I learned how to mix cement and we all helped in some way to create the new kindergarden bathroom. We played volley ball against the local guys... and got out butts kicked. And then we watched soccer cames-- routing on the local team. We make speghetti for our family for dinner that night, im not sure they liked it but they pretended to.

On Sunday we had a going away ceremony, it was the sweetest thing they ever could have done for us. We were honored with a meal of Cui (ginea pig) and soda , they played live music in our honor. The farewell speech had everyone tearing up, they explained how even though they were poor and couldnt give us much they were going to give us everything they could. They also reiterated how they hoped we would come back, and when we did we would always know we had sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers in Ecuador. It was so hard to leave the people we had gotten so close to after one week. I will miss the family a lot and im sure they will miss all the gringas running around.

Then we went back to Quito and had a history day in old town Quito (very similar to old town Quebec where we went into a lot of different museums and cathedrals. We went to a wax museum and another one where there was a secret spot to communicate throught the wall. We visited the most beautiful cathedral i have ever seen in my life, it was covered in gold. There was also a really interesting number of indigenous Incan backround to it because the Incan laborers had left secret remnants of their own religion when they were forced to build it. One was that on the solstace, the sun goes from this painting of heaven, down through hell and disapears into the devils mouth... for those of you who have read the Davinci code it was similar to something that would be in that.

Now we are in a completely different type of homestay, in a city with people who have more than enought money. It is a hard transition but i man having a blast. Our host family is just a mother and a 20 year old daughter. They have taken us to a beautiful cathedral and made us some amazing food. I got to watch normal Tv on vanessa (the 20 year old) ´´s boyfriends projector screen and worked out in his private gym. It was so bizarre after all this time to sleep in my own room and have a house and a car and a tv! We also have classes.... in a actual school......I can barely remember being this normal!

Tonight we are going to watch a movie and tomorrow we are going to a volcanic hot spring and having dinner with our host families relatives. Everyone greets with hugs and kisses here, they laugh at me when I shake hands. But at least im getting better at spanish.

Hopefully ill write soon... gotta get back to class.