Farewell Ecuador...USA, Here I Come!

Well, my bags are (almost) packed and I am (almost) ready to go. Just four more hours, and I will be on my way! The last few days have been such an overwhelming mixture of emotions that I almost feel numb at this point. I don´t want to say anymore goodbyes. I don´t want to try to shove another thing into my suitcase. I don´t want to check one more thing off my to-do list. I don´t even want one more agonizing hug from my beloved children. I do, however, want to take this one last chance to reflect on the past 49 weeks.

I came to El Centro del Muchacho Trabajador to make a difference, to help, and to contribute to the world. Naturally, I have come away with so much more than I could ever possibly have given. These people, living a lifestyle you and I cannot begin to imagine, have shown me daily what it means to truly give, to love unconditionally, to trust without doubt, to have patience and understanding, to be selfless, and to find joy in what really matters.

I have experienced emotions to extremes that I never thought possible. I have never felt joy and love and happiness like I have here, and I have never felt frustration, exhaustion, and uncertainty like I have here.

My sister sent me this quote after I first arrived in Ecuador, and since I am struggling to find the right words at this moment, I will borrow Alan´s...

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting. For in movement there is life, and in change there is power. - Alan Cohen

I left the comfort and familiarity of Minnesota and came to Ecuador. I have experienced the adventurous and exciting, and I have felt the movement and the change. I have fallen in love with the people, I´ve become part of the culture. Now Ecuador has become home, and it´s time to return to the life I once knew, to embrace what will no longer feel so familiar, and to look ahead to what is next.

My year in Ecuador has come to a close. I am leaving a family behind, some of the most wonderful people I have ever met. I know for a fact that the memories I have gathered here...the feeling of Luz Clara´s little arms around my neck, the tears in Ana´s eyes, the sound of Jenny´s giggle, the agony in Rosa´s voice as she wonders how she will make ends meet, the voice of Vicky screaming my name when I walk in the door, the sounds of each unique set of my housemates´ footsteps that I have come to know so well...they will be with me forever. And I pray to God that I have left just a fraction of a memory with each one of them.

Thank you all for the endless support you have shown over the past year - the letters, the phone calls, the packages, the emails, the thoughts and prayers. I truly am one blessed girl.

See you tomorrow.

The End is in Sight...

Classes are done, Emily is gone, the despedida is over, grades are turned in, and goodbyes have been said. A beach trip, Patrick´s birthday, a few more goodbyes, lots of salsa dancing, and 12 more days until I am home!!!

Last Friday, we had a HUGE 4th of July party here, complete with watermelon seed spitting, bean bag toss, mini hotdogs, flag cake, 3-legged race, and face-pieing! I had tons of 4th of July-ish prizes, thanks to Jill, so the kids had a blast...even if they didn´t exactly understand what we were celebrating. One of the highlights of the party was USA trivia - which, I have to say, for being poor little street kids who don´t know the countries that border theirs, they did ok! My favorite answer was to the question "How many states are in the United States?" In true overly-excited CMT kid fashion, one girl confidently yelled out "TWO!!!"

The next day, both centers combined to throw us an even HUGER going away party. It started at 8am with breakfast, followed by a volunteers vs. Ecua-staff soccer game (they barely won 10-8, with the highlight being when one of our volunteers took out a little girl innocently watching from the sidelines), then mass, lunch, and the big program. The program involved lots of songs and dances, a skit, and a poem. It was really nice, and just Ecuadorianly funny enough that I didn´t have a chance to cry. Flannery and I somehow got roped into doing a traditional Ecua dance with our adult students. Despite long, disorganized rehearsals that resulted in a not-so-spectacular dance, we got to wear beautiful outfits and it was good time (look at the pictures on Facebook, if you can).

These last few days have been filled with more parties, dinners out, field trips, and gift-giving. Yesterday, one of my favorites since day 1, Celia (she´s 4), started asking me all kinds of questions...When are you leaving? Where are you going? Why are you leaving? Are all the gringitas (direct translation: little white females) leaving? When are you coming back? Can I come with you? Will your dad be there?

God, I´m going to miss these kids.

See you soon,
Keely

Let the Countdown Begin...

I will be back in MN one month from today! According to mom, that puts us at 29 days and counting. I´ve been getting the "what´s next?" question a lot lately, so this is the plan for now: go home, live with mom and dad in good old Chanhassen, eat delicious food that I´ve been deprived of for the last year, spend major quality catch up time with friends and family, make some money at Deer Run golf course for a few months while I sort through the many opportunities out there...non-profit jobs, other kinds of jobs, jobs involving communication and nutrition, interesting jobs where I feel like I´m positively contributing to society, jobs in Minnesote, jobs elsewhere...the options are endless at this point. As our current favorite spanish phrase goes, vamos a ver (we will see).

I completed my third and (probably) final race at 10,000 feet yesterday. Two of my compadres and I ran a 15k, while one crazy volunteer opted for the longer marathon distance. Despite cramps, coughing and vomiting (oh yes, and the 5:30 AM start time), I ran my best per mileage time yet, thanks to Patrick and Chi running! I really hope to continue running back in the states, so if anyone knows of fun races or good running buddies, let me know. I did petition to get into the Chicago marathon in October, but we were not successful - very possibly a blessing in disguise. Maybe next year...

This morning, I stumbled upon a piece of paper tucked in my notebook titled, "Computacion Class: Day 1 Introduction." Needless to say, it was a full paragraph of what I was going to say to my very first class on my very first day of school. I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions as I glanced over the words...amusement and laughter, embarassment and shame(did I really say THAT?), and a good boost of self-esteem and pride at how "far" I´ve come. Really, I have to sound at least a little bit better than that today, after 10 months of agonizing spanish "oopsies." I´m not going to mention any names, but at least I didn´t argue about the bill with the chinese restaurant owner (turns out $2.50 times 5 IS $12.50, not $7.50) AND confirm our assignment to write a play full of jokes by saying "Sure! We will write a play full of sadness and have it ready for you tomorrow morning!" all in the span of 24 hours (payback time).

On that note, thanks for reading. I´ll be back soon. Love you all, and see you SOON!

Keely

Feliz Dia del Nino!

To all you kids out there, turns out they have here in Ecuador exactly what we've always dreamed of in the United States...Kids Day! And here I thought it was such a long shot when Mothers and Fathers Day would roll around and I'd whine about how there isn't a Kids Day. That's one thing I love about this country - they celebrate EVERY holiday, and they celebrate it good.

On a more serious note, I hope all you "faithful" readers notice that I'm writing for the second time in five days, despite the lack of comments on my last entry.

Here is a list of observations I've compiled over the last month or so, titled "Things that still take me surprise after living here for 10 months." Enjoy.

1. Kids sharpening pencils with a straight-edge razor in the middle of class.
2. I am not sick of rice and beans, even though I eat it for at least 1 meal a day.
3. The view of snow-capped volcano, Cotopaxi, that can only be seen on the clearest days.
4. I regularly get by, even function, on 5 hours of sleep.
5. I dislike most of the chocolate sold in this country.
6. I'm a teacher, I have students, and they still consistently show up for my classes.
7. People never fail to greet everyone in the room when they walk in, even if it means interrupting a meeting they are a half hour late for.
8. I like running, and do so regularly despite the altitude, hills, and pollution, and I've missed it a lot since taking a break due to illness.
9. The sun is SO hot, and when it's not out, it is SO chilly.
10. People who get on the public bus to sell ridiculous things like cookbooks and make-up. And people actually buy them.
11. I suddenly love coconut after despising it for the last 22 years of my life.
12. Seeing our shoe-shine boys out on the streets actually shining shoes.
And finally...
13. I am surprised that I was not surprised to find a bottle of ketchup in my goody bag from a recent 15k race.

I will officially be home July 23rd. I am getting pretty darn excited to go to twins games, hang out on the lakes, ride my bike, and shop at target. On the other hand, the reality of how hard it will be to leave here is really setting in.

The past few weeks (or months?) have been busy as usual. Mom and Jill were here visiting in April and we had a spectacular time relaxing in the rainforest, climbing to the top of the basilica, hanging out with the center fams, and salsa dancing! They were big time troopers and fit in just perfectly. Miss you, moms!

Classes are winding down (kind of), the first volunteer leaves Friday (love you Davey-baby), our last weekly reflection is tonight, and the discussions of everything we want to do "one last time" are taking over. I can´t believe a year (almost) has come and gone so quickly. On that note, before this becomes a big sappy mess, I´m going to sign off.

Sorry I don´t have anything interesting to write at the moment...I´ve been sick for the last 6 weeks, and that´s the only thing I can think of right now (but I´ll spare you the ugly details). I promise, I´ll be back.

Love,
Keely

I Should Have Stayed in Bed Today/Welcome to the Jungle

When I was in 2nd grade, I recited a poem for the school talent show titled, "I Should Have Stayed in Bed Today." I can´t help but think that phrase over and over again this afternoon, as I just had the worst morning I´ve had since coming to Ecuador (even worse than the time I woke up with a migraine, or the time I woke up thinking it was Saturday, only to find out that it was in fact Tuesday).

To make a long story short, I found out that I am supposed to be teaching computer class on Tuesday mornings still - I´d had them free for the last few weeks because, I swear, my course had ended. Then, in an entirely unrelated matter (I was already feeling bad about the miscommunication regarding before-mentioned Tuesday class) I got yelled at for about 20 minutes by the head of the sales and marketing department (under which I teach my computer classes) because, apparently, I have not been teaching my students anything and/or they have not learned anything (the verdict´s still out) for the past 7 months. Not only was this done IN FRONT OF 2 of my classes, but I was so frazzled (think: shaking, sweating, on the verge of tears) that I could hardly spit out a word of spanish in my defense. To put it bluntly, it was a situation that made me a. not want to stay here for another year, and b. want to quit today and never walk into that computer room again. Let´s just say that I am, more than ever, grateful to have pretty f-ing amazing friends here who 1. listened to be bitch for an hour afterward, 2. defended me to no end (i shouldn´t go without mentioning here that many of my students also lovingly came to my defense), 3. bitched with me before suggesting logical solutions, and 4. did not hesitate to crack open a few beers in my honor...at noon.

On a lighter note, I survived the jungle, FARC-less and anaconda-less! It was an absolutely incredible trip from start to finish...we saw tons of monkeys, beautiful birds, a red snake (from far away, thank God), and huge turtles. We also fished for piranhas (then cooked them and ate them), did lots of hiking (even in the middle of the night), ate dinner by candle light, went swimming at sunset every night, made yuca (potato-like root) bread, met a shamman, canoed, and got temporary (although mine has yet to even start fading...) tattoos from our guides with ink from a berry bush. I was challenged and uncomfortable at many points during the week (no electricity, no showers, lots of bugs, lots of humidity, lots of strange jungle noises at night, etc.), but I am so glad that I went and it´s an experience that I will not forget anytime soon.

Other tidbits...I am running another 10k this Sunday - pray that my knees hold up! My mom and Jill will be here a week from Friday - I am so excited to see them and show them around! It was brought to my attention that I made a few mistakes in my last blog (so it´s caRAbeener, lay off...and I think it makes more sense for rainforest to be 2 words anyway) - my English is suffering at the hands of learning Spanish (which is also suffering, oddly enough). Despite the negative tone of the first paragraph of this entry, I´ve had quite a few "I love my life" moments recently...which is probably why I deserved to have a wicked horrible morning today. Karma´s a bitch.

(Sorry for saying the b-word 3 times in this one, mom...like I said, my English is suffering. I´m not quite the human thesaurus that I once was. Take what you can get ;)).

Love you and miss you all,
Keely

This is more of a "don´t worry, I´m alive" sort of update. My sister was here for the last 10 days, and we had a blast hanging out and participating in all that Quito Holy Week had to offer. I left the morning she left (yesterday) to take a quick trip to Mindo, a village in the rain forest about 2 hours west of here. Emily and I spent 2 crazy, yet relaxing, days hiking, biking, running, butterfly watching, laying in hammocks, eating delicious food, and doing a zip line course. And by zip line course, I mean we soared over the canyons and tree tops of the rain forest by way of a wire cable, harnass, and cabeener hook! For those of you who are not aware, I am severely afraid of heights. I try not to let that get in the way of kick-ass adventures though, and I´m so glad I didn´t pass this one up. It was amazing! I leave in the morning for a 5 day jungle tour. We are headed to the northeast part of the country (bordering Colombia - keep me in your prayers!). I´m a little nervous about the snakes and spiders, but I can´t wait to see the monkeys and pink dolphins! I promise to write again before a month from now :)

Love,
Keely

I know, I know...

...it's been far too long, and I should be ashamed. Feel bad for me though - I'm the one who now has the job of trying to recap the last month in an exciting and entertaining manner.

My parents and auntie Peg were here visiting the last week in January (that's my excuse for the lack of blogging...I needed recovery time after they left ;)). It was so good to finally be able to show them my life here. It's nearly impossible to describe what this place looks like and what all we do, so you really do have to experience it for yourself to understand. It was also fun for them to finally meet all of the people I've been talking about for the last 6 months - staff, volunteers, and especially the kids. I'm pretty sure dad left with 3 little girlfriends (all under the age of 6), and everytime I've talked to him since they were here, all he does is ask about Catherine, Celia, and Rosita! To say the least, the fam hit it off with the kids, and I've felt as though my popularity has been steadily decreasing since then (both with the kids AND with my parents, actually).

Last Friday, we took about 50 girls to a park near the Center. We frequent this park often, and it's always quite amusing to observe how our rough and tough street kids are too good for the actual playground equipment. They would much rather climb trees, climb walls, run through the weeds, pick the weeds, play in the mud, or play with the drinking fountains than swing, teeter-totter, or go down the slides. Our little outing became even more interesting when a group of students from a "normal" (ie. not for poor street kids) school showed up at the park. The differences between the two groups were astounding. As previously mentioned, our kids do not prefer to use the equipment designated for playing, and if they do, they sure as heck do not use it in the manner that was intended (for example, one little girl thought it was much more fun to put the gymnast rings over her head and around her neck, rather than using her hands to hang or swing from them). The teacher of the "normal" kids was constantly hovering and cautioning her students (and ours....poor lady got so many dirty scowls and nasty remarks in response!), while we simply let our students go about their business, with complete confidence that they would be fine, would take care of themselves, and would magically return from all corners of the park (it's a big park) when it was time to leave. Colleen and I both agreed that the cleanliness and matching outfits of the other kids made them not nearly as cute as our dirty, disheveled children (who would have thought?).

In my English class, we are working on writing and saying sentences as of late. The other day, the girls were doing a worksheet where they had to write a sentence next to the picture (ie. "This is a blue shirt"). When Johanna came to the picture of purple pants, she asked me how to spell the word purple. I had already written it on the board for another student, so I pointed to the chalkboard and said "it's right up there." She mis-interpreted my point and verbal direction (it's also a very likely possibility that my verbal direction was not all that clear said in spanish), and when I went to look at her paper a few minutes later she had written "These are Welcome pants." Turns out, the "Welcome" sign in the classroom hangs right above the chalkboard and, when confronted about this, she was absolutely positive that that's what I had pointed to.

As much as I am not generally a fan of Valentine's Day (because it's comercialized and silly...and I deserve chocolates and flowers any day of the year, not just on February 14th ;)), I warmed up to the holiday a little bit this year. We had a pretty good time making valentines all day long, exchanging valentines the next day, and I even received a few roses from students and other teachers. I caved in and bought flowers (you can't beat $2 a dozen) for all of the females in the house....on February 15th, of course. And on that note, Happy President's Day (the holiday of this month that I prefer to celebrate).

As of February 17th, I've been here for 6 months! I can hardly believe how time flies by - depending on when exactly I book my return flight for, I only have about 5 months left in Ecuador. This realization saddens me, makes me nervous, excites me, and scares the shit out of me. Mostly, I cannot imagine leaving my kids come July, and I have NO idea what I will be doing/want to be doing next year (and by next year, I mean, in 5 months). Suggestions welcome.

On that note, I must sign off. Hopefully this little ditty has fulfilled your needs and desires that I have been ignoring for the last month. I also truly hope that you are all doing well, and I look forward to hearing about the happenings back in the good old United States of America!

Hugs and Kisses,
Keely

10 kilometers at (almost) 10,000 feet!

I know it's been a while, and I am currently pressed for time, but I wanted to update you on a few quick things...

1. Most importantly, 4 of us ran and successfully completed a 10K race last Sunday here in Quito! I felt and did better than I expected....next up: Chicago marathon???
2. We have had TONS of visitors in the last 2 weeks, and it's been fun to get to know people and share my experience here with them (special shout out to the Philp family - glad to hear you made it home safe - we miss you guys!)
3. My family will be here one week from today! I. Can't. Wait.
4. Life is good here at the CMT....everyone was excited to be reunited again after Christmas break, and now we're back in the full swing of things.

Hope you are all well!
Keely

Home Sweet Home

As most of you know (and sorry if you don't - it was a last-minute-rushed-spur-of-the-moment-surprise kind of deal), I am currently writing to you from the comforts of my home in MN! About two weeks before Christmas, as Ecuador break plans were still up in the air, I stumbled upon a very affordable flight and decided that I could use a little friend/family time in the good old US of A. So despite my feelings of hesitation and slight guilt for not taking advantage of travel time in Ecuador, I booked the flight and have not regretted my decision for a split second since.

Although it was nearly impossible to keep such a huge secret for 12 days, and the flight home was probably the longest day of my life, it was all worth it when I saw my mom's huge grin at the airport (she and college friend Katie were the only two people who knew I was coming back!), then the shocked, excited, frightened (I'm pretty sure some of them thought they were really actually seeing me in ghost form), overwhelmed, astonished, confused, ecstatic,(insert other adjectives of that nature here) faces of my dad, sister, brother, aunt, neighbors, and best friends! Once I convinced them that it was really me, they cleared their schedules and we've spent the last 8 days catching up, making snow angels, sitting at Caribou, watching movies, eating out, going to plays, cuddling, drinking tea and bloody mary's, playing games, and just spending quality time together.

The week has flown by, and it has truly been wonderful and rejuvinating and comforting to be here, but I am ready to return to my "other" home. I miss my kids, and my fellow volunteers, and the warm weather, and the mountains. One of the first things people here have asked when they see me is "will it be hard to go back?" Oddly enough, there was never a doubt in my mind that I wouldn't want to return to Ecuador... Not because I won't miss you all tremendously, but because I was once again reminded over the last few days of the incredibly strong, loving, supportive relationships that I am a part of here, and that will still be here when I return in August.

Until Later,
Keely

Feliz Navidad!

The last thing I should be doing on Christmas day is sitting in the internet cafe, but I thought I´d take a quick second to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! My Christmas has been filled with lots of church (7 masses in 4 days, to be exact).

Although we are all a little "massed" out, the services have been really special...on Saturday we handed out the bags of clothes that we compiled for each family after a mass in both Centers...Yesterday we went to a gringo mass (first time I´ve been to mass in english in 4 months - very strange), then immediately to a very traditional Ecua-mass out in one of the barrios - it was interesting to so closely observe the differences between the two services. The gringo mass was the typical sort of Christmas Eve mass that I have been going to in the U.S. for the past 23 years - beautiful chapel, nice carols, nativity story, pretty but tasteful decorations, everyone dressed to the nines in their new christmas outfits, etc. The Ecua-mass, on the other hand, was absolutely crazy! I wasn´t all that surprised since I´ve learned by now that Ecuadorians know how to celebrate holidays better than anyone else in the world. We walked in (the last ones to arrive, but a benefit of travelling with the priest - mass can´t start until you get there so you´re never actually late!) to extremely loud, exuberant singing and clapping. The church was decorated with tons of flowers, colorful banners, a live nativity scene, candles, and little baby Jesus´dressed up in gold, lace, and sequins by every family. The place was packed! And by place, I mean shed, more or less. Most people stood the entire time because there weren´t enough seats. It literally felt like a party in there. I could go on and on, but I have a feeling that no matter how hard I try to describe every detail, words just won´t do it justice! The final two masses today included the First Communion of our second graders. Three of my students are second graders so it was fun to see them all dressed up and so excited to take communion for the first time - I felt like a proud mama!

Although it´s been wonderful to spend Christmas in Ecuador this year, with these people who have become such an important and special part of my life, it does definitely feel different. First of all, the weather (which I won´t even describe for you because if you´ve been reading, you know what it´s like, and, well, I feel like I shouldn´t rub it in anymore!)...but mostly, it´s strange to not be with family and friends in Minnesota. I miss you all so much and you are in my thoughts and prayers. I hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas!

Love,
Keely

I ended up staying here last weekend and enjoying 4 days of doing NOTHING...and that included blogging. oops. I have been busy, as usual, though preparing for the end of my first trimester!

Speaking of which, I cannot believe Christmas is one week away! The lack of snow and presence of warm weather in December has made it difficult to get into the Christmas spirit...but the last week has been full of Christmas decorating, cookie making (mom, you´d be proud), and singing carols by the fireplace, so it´s starting to feel a little more like Christmas time in Ecuador! We are teaching our english classes a few holiday songs and it might be the funniest thing I´ve ever heard..."way weeeeesh you a merrrrrrrrrrry chreeeeeeestmas!" They love it though, and we do too (mostly because it means less actual class planning to do...haha).

Six of us are taking salsa dancing lessons on saturday afternoons. It is so fun, and hilariously awkward at the same time. White girls (and boys) were just not made to move their hips! We´ve already learned a lot though in 2 lessons...so much so, that we thought we were good enough (after a few margaritas) to show off our moves at an actual club after our lesson on saturday night. haha. The best part was that our instructor ended up coming to the same club and probably felt like it was his duty to dance with us. That´s when I realized I wasn´t as good as I thought.

Well, I´m out. Thinking about you all a lot lately, and wishing we could be together for Christmas...

Much Love,
Keely

It´s December 4th...

and I´m wearing flip flops (my current most "favorite thing about life in Quito").

I have also recently come to appreciate the lack of organization, timeliness, preparation, and prompt communication in this city, and particularly, at the Centro del Muchacho Trabajador. Tomorrow is the Center´s 43rd birthday, and this week is Fiestas de Quito, so we´ve known since September 1st that we would not have school Wednesday (birthday party) and Thursday (national holiday for the founding of Quito). Naturally, we all thought it was slightly ridiculous that we have 2 days of school, 2 days off, then 1 day of school, then 2 days off, and were hoping that they would just cancel classes on Friday as well. Rumors have been circluating for the past week...school/no school/school/no school/school/nobody really knows what´s going on at all ever. Last night it was "confirmed" that we would indeed "for sure" be having classes on Friday. A mere 12 hours later, they announce that, oops, actually, we´ve come to our senses, and there won´t be classes on Friday! Woo hoo! Now, you can imagine the skepticism that came with this announcement (especially because it was relayed to us via the 2 most sarcastic, joke-sters in the house), but it has been CONFIRMED by the Madre herself - I have a 4 day weekend!!! (Tomorrow doesn´t really count since we´ll be up at 6am to cook breakfast for all 2,000 members, then organizing and helping (and eating, dancing, and playing) until 10 tomorrow night). Now the question is...what to do with all this free time? Hang out with the kids? Take a trip to the beach? Sleep? Stay home and get some work done? Go climb a mountain somewhere? The options are virtually endless - It´s like Christmas 3 weeks early! Seriously, you should see us, walking around like we just won the lottery or something (or as Stuart much more bluntly put it, "we all have those shitty I-just-got-laid grins on our faces" - sorry if that´s not blog-appropriate).

Anyway, it´s looking like I will have PLENTLY of time to fill you in on the details of the birthday party, fiestas, and free time in the coming days :). Until then, I hope you are all having shitty grin kind of days as well, and please go outside and make a snow angel for me! (As much as I love my flip flops, I do miss the snow a tiny bit).

Love Love Love Love Love,
Keely

What. A. Weekend.

I could not have asked for a more memorable Ecua-birthday! The celebration started on Friday night by celebrating one of my student's and her brother's birthday at their house - their mom works at the center and invited 7 of us to join them for the party. After a long week, none of us really felt like doing anything but going home, however, it ended up being a really fun night of eating delicious chicken curry and cake, dancing up a storm, and meeting lots of cool people.

Saturday morning, Emily and I went to the salon below our house (literally - it's part of the center, and run by students who have graduated) to get pedicures - $3 for an hour and a half of scrubbing, massaging, scraping, and polishing...I could get used to this! It was wonderful! Saturday night, we all headed out to Secret Garden, a restaurant set on a garden terrace overlooking the city. It could have been the breathtaking view, or maybe the fact that I was on the verge of turning a year older, or it very possibly could have just been the wine, but I was overcome with emotion for the majority of the evening. It was an odd feeling...to have such an intense longing to be at home, with my friends and family, celebrating the way I've always celebrated...but, at the same time, to feel an overwhelming sense of contentment and joy to be where I was...and to realize that this place now feels like home, and these people are my family.

We were walking to our favorite dance club in gringoland, when everyone suddenly stopped, started singing happy birthday, corked a bottle of champagne, and showered me with chocolates and cigars...I realized, after a few minutes, that it was midnight - officially the day of my birth! It was a pretty special moment - one that I won't soon forget! We proceeded to consume more than enough tequila (my liquor of choice) and dance the night away. Sunday included all of my favorite things - soccer, thanksgiving dinner, football, good company, naps, and lots of laughing.

And the birthday celebration didn't even end there! (As Aaron put it, "apparently you need to clear your schedule for 4 days to appropriately celebrate Keely's birthday."). The birthday tradition in the house is that you get to pick dinner and dessert on your birthday, and since thanksgiving dinner fell on my day, I got to pick dinner for Monday (although, I would have been completely content with considering thanksgiving my birthday meal as well). So, Monday night included fajitas, chocolate cake, and another round of singing and celebrating.

It was a pretty special birhtday indeed, but I owe most of that to my friends and family in Chaska who organized and attended the "Keely's not so in America birthday party." When everyone here found out that my birthday was being celebrated at home, despite my absense, they knew they had A LOT to live up to! Thanks again for all the b-day wishes, cards, and packages! Love you all.

Feliz Dia de Gracias!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was filled with trying to explain why exactly we eat turkey on this day in the U.S. and translating the cute stickers my mom sent me (still trying to figure out how to say "gobble gobble" in español...). I also found out why I have been feeling so crappy...well, pretty much since I arrived in Ecuador! Turns out I have parasites and a urinary infection (sorry if that´s too much information, but I know some of you wanted to know what was up as soon as I found out). Both are curable with medication, so hopefully I will be feeling as good as new by the end of next week.

It´s been a great week, but I am pretty excited for this weekend...I will save the details for after the fact, but plans include birthday dinner on a balcony restaurant overlooking the city, football and futbol, thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, and lots of chill time.

That´s the quick update for now. Thank you so much to those who have already sent birthday cards and packages! Not only does your thoughtfulness and generosity mean the world to me, but you helped me win a bet too! Jeff bet me that I wouldn´t get more than 5 packages in the 10 days surrounding my birthday - I´ve already received 7, and it´s only been 4 days! He obviously has no clue what kind of amazing family and friends he´s dealing with here...

Please know that words cannot express how thankful I am for your many forms of support, prayers, thoughts, and generosity over these last 3 months. I would not be able to do this without you.

Love,
Keely

My favorite things....

...about life in Quito:

1. I just ate a huge bowl of encebollado (delicious fish/yuca soup) for $1.30.
2. waking up every morning to the view of the mountains out my bedroom window.
3. prefect weather - sunny and cool with no humidity.
4. you can buy wine in a box for $3 and it´s still considered classy (not to mention, delicious).
5. my laundry is done for me.
6. putting ahi (sort of a homemade hot sauce) on EVERYTHING.
7. drinking tea all day long, everyday.
8. sitting on our patio every night, drinking (before mentioned) wine, looking at the stars, chatting with my compañeros, and relaxing.
9. fresh-baked bread is delivered to our door every morning (from the bakery below our house).
10. NO BUGS. (seriously. my windows don´t even have screens).


And that´ll do for now. For those of you who know me well or have ever lived with me, I am a huge list-maker. I make lists constantly, for everything and anything. Thus, I´ve acquired several different lists of several different varieties since I´ve been here, and I´ve recently determined that it´s time to share some of them with the world...hence, the first installment of "my favorite things about life in Quito," with a promise of more to come later.

The last week has been tainted by this odd sort of dizziness/nauseousness/light-headedness/splitting headache/short of breath/you get the idea. I´ve been having dizzy spells and feeling faint off and on for a few weeks, but it would come and go so randomly that I didn´t think much of it...until I was experiencing the feeling last Monday, and it didn´t go away...until, well, I´m still feeling a little "off," to be quite honest. It got so bad by the middle of last week, that I ended up taking a day off (unheard of and nearly impossible to do around here), spent all of my free time in bed for a few days, and had blood tests done last Friday. The doctor I talked to thinks it may have something to do with suddenly having a different diet here than I do at home (ie. anemia, high cholesterol, or something like that), parasites, or just plain emotional and physical exhaustion with the added factor of...dun, dun, dun, ALTITUDE! I am starting to feel much better, but I should find out the test results by Tuesday, so we´ll see...

The hardest part about being sick is feeling like I am seriously letting down my students. One of the most important things we can give our students is a consistent, stable environment, so it´s frustrating when I can´t physically be there for them. Oddly enough, I miss them too when I don´t see them for a single day! (proven by the fact that I would dream about them every time I slept for those few days). Even when I was able to go to class, I did not have the energy or desire to put a whole lot of effort into planning and teaching, causing me to feel quilty and easily irritated by their antics...probably caused, in the first place, by my lack of planning! It´s a vicious cycle, I tell you! Haha, anyway, I am so lucky to have amazing fellow volunteers who take great care of me and cover my responsibilities without hesitation, and students who love and forgive so unconditionally.

Please think of me this week as you all eat your turkey and mashed potatoes! I will be educating the minds of young ecuadorian children, just like every other day of the week :). We do get to have our own little Thanksgiving on Sunday though(which also happens to be the 23rd birthday of yours truly), so you don´t have to feel too bad! I know that this is the beginning of a month or so that will be filled with lots of mixed emotions...as I miss my family and friends during the holidays, remember the traditions that are going on at home, but still get the pretty special opportunity to celebrate here, in a different way. Miss you all.

Love,
Keely

Baños, etc.

No, I´m not going to write about Ecuadorian bathrooms, for those of you who know Spanish (that´s what baño literally means), but just in case you are curious...they are generally disgusting, cost 10 cents to use and 20 cents if you want toilet paper, don´t usually include a toilet seat, and never have soap or mirrors.

Anyway, my trip to Baños (in this case, meaning baths) last weekend was excellent, even though I did not set foot on a bike - what I so looked forward to doing while I was there. Instead, we opted to spend Saturday white water rafting! I had never done it before so I couldn´t pass up the chance, and I´m so glad I didn´t! I was a little bit nervous (especially after the 20 minute SPANISH explanation of what to do if you fall out), but it turned out to be a very cool, trilling experience. We had a few close calls (I think everyone ALMOST fell out at one point or another), but luckily I was really good at the "inside!" command and flew into the middle of the raft before our guide even finished yelling the word every single time. For you experienced rafters out there, we mostly took on class 4 rapids...and for those who have no idea what that means, our guide told us at the end that he was "pretty impressed with our skils, since the majority of rafts flip at some point on that course." Good. Thank you for not telling me that beforehand.

Other than that, we spent our time in Baños eating really good food, taking in the nightlife, and riding chivas (open air bus type things that also have "seats" on an attached back platform and the roof), and enjoying the beautiful mountainous scenery. Although it was a really fun trip and I´m glad I went, it was surprisingly nice to be back in Quito on Sunday afternoon. For the first time, I got that feeling that I remember so distinctly after returning from one particular weekend trip in London as well...It´s good to be home.

I´ve been sitting here for 5 minutes trying to determine what to write about next and nothing is popping out in my memory as extrememly blog-worthy, so I´m going to spare you and leave it at that for now. Thanks for reading though. Miss you and love you all!

P.S.

The madres returned last night, and as much as we enjoyed the freedom of having Padre in charge, it´s great to have them back. Order has been restored and the house is complete again!

I know, I know...

...it´s been forever! And I currently have roughly 16 minutes until I have to catch a bus to leave for the weekend, so here goes nothin...

Happy Halloween/All Saints Day/Day of the Dead! Since they don´t celebrate Halloween in Ecuador, it was up to the 17 of us U.S. born volunteers to bring the holiday of ghosts, goblins, and, most importantly, candy to the Centers´ 2,000 kids and adults. This required lots of planning, hours spent in the kitchen, multiple trips to the mall (a place we all try to avoid!), and way too many spanish explanations of the Historia de Halloween! This resulted in approximately 8 parties over two days, not including individual class parties, and tons of hyper, excited, rambunctious kids! It was really fun though to celebrate Halloween like I never have before, with people who never have before. I have to say, I didn´t miss trying to think of a costume that fits the unique, cool, creative, and slutty college requirements! Instead, I put together my best "teacher dressed from head to toe in black and orange for Halloween" outfit and called it a day.

The focus of celebration here is today, November 2nd, Dia de los Funtos (Day of the Dead)...AKA, day off! and that explains why I am currently at the internet cafe, racing to write this blog before I leave for the weekend. About 14 of us are heading four hours south to Baños - a touristy town known for its natural hotsprings, beautiful waterfalls, and hiking/biking trails. I plan to spend most of my weekend doing the latter (biking) since I haven´t ridden in 2.5 months and I miss it tremendously! As much as I feel like I should spend the weekend at home, resting and preparing for next week, I´m pretty excited to see another part of Ecuador.

Last weekend, three of us took about 10 kids to the big city park to ride paddle boats. It was cool to hang out with some kids I don´t know very well, but the highlight of my day was when one of them spotted a group of gringos across the park and yelled, "Kay-lEE! Kay-lEE! Mire! Otre voluntarios!" (Translation: "Keely! Keely! Look! Other volunteers!" Yep, they think that all white people in this city are volunteers, and that we all know each other. :)

Whew, well, times about up. Hope this will do...at least until next week. I enjoy blogging and receiving comments so much, and I truly wish I had more time to spend on it! I´m constantly thinking of blog ideas and things I´d like to write about, it´s just a matter of finding enough time to do an adequate job. Thanks to all you avid readers who keep me consistent!

Lots of love,
Keely

Padre's in charge!

You know when you were a little kid and mom would be gone for the weekend, leaving dad in charge...resulting in hot dogs and baked beans for dinner...and a little more freedom (along with slight choas)...and eating while watching wheel of fortune???

Madre Miguel and Madre Cindy both abandoned their flock this week for bigger and better things (the US and Ireland)....haha, just kidding. But the Madres are indeed gone for the next 2 weeks, leaving Padre Juan, also fondly known in our house as "The Dude," to call the shots! And by call the shots, I mean he will not be doing a darn thing, since he usually just does what the Madres tell him to do, and well, since they're not around......for example, at reflection last Tuesday, when the Madres reminded us that they would be leaving, Padre said "So that means I will be, uh, collecting, you know, what are they called....those lesson plan thingys ya'll are supposed to do." When we all laughed, he pretended to be surprised and said "What's so damn funny?" Anyway, I wish I could capture the Padre/Madre complex in words and paint a better picture for you, but I could never do them justice. Nonetheless, the Padre is in charge, and it's pretty sweet. (Don't get me wrong, I love the Madres, but...you know what I mean...).

We had last Friday off, so Thursday night, 6 of us got on a bus around 11pm for the 8 hour drive to the coast! We had a spectacularly relaxing weekend of playing in the ocean, napping in hammocks, napping on the beach, reading books, walking barefoot in the sand, drinking pina coladas (the real kind with pineapples and coconuts picked from the backyard), eating cheap seafood for every meal (the real kind...fished out of the ocean moments before it appears on your plate), and playing beach volleyball/soccer. Since it was a national holiday, we chose the tiny coastal "off the beaten path" town of Muisne to avoid crazy crowds and obnoxious gringos. and avoid we did. We spent 2 days literally "on the beach" - the actual town was a couple miles down the road. The beach was lined with about a dozen hostels and little family-run seafood restaurants. Although it was a little more cloudy than we would have liked, it was much warmer than Quito, and the perfect place to chill out and re-energize.

Even though I teach for 12 hours everyday, I have spent a lot more time actually with the kids in the past 2 weeks. I am at a point now where I can converse well enough to get to know them and connect with them outside the classroom. I have some free time in the evenings and, even though I am usually exhausted and cranky by then, I am surprised to find that dancing, playing, singing, coloring, cuddling, and laughing with the kids is the best way to end my day. Last week, I spent my break from 6-6:30 (usually reserved for a catnap in the break room) sitting on the front steps of the Center. The steps are a pretty important gathering place, always packed with families coming and going. The second I sat down, I had kids on my lap, kids grabbing my hands, kids yelling my name, kids crawling on my back, kids pushing other kids out of the way so they could give me a hug or kiss, kids wanting to introduce me to their moms and dads, and kids telling me to have a good night and they would see me tomorrow. For the first time, I occured to me that I'm getting rather attached to this place and these people and it is going to be very difficult to leave them 10 months from now.

While Tuesdays are my least favorite DAY of the week, they have become my absolute favorite NIGHT of the week. First of all, it's Italian night, which means either pizza, spaghetti or lasagna for dinner - not normally my absolute favorite cuisine, but it's nearly impossible to find decent Italian food in the city of Quito, so I have come to really appreciate the delicious grub Maria and Antonia cook up. Tuesday also happens to be my dish night. Again, not something I would normally look forward to, however, the TLNDB (Team Leave No Dish Behind) has a pretty kick-ass time doing the dishes. Not only do we have a sweet team name (although, not such a time-efficient philosophy, we're finding out...), but we have a team cheer, team slogans, and we're in the process of designing team aprons...AND we have team commradery (not sure hot to spell that) like you wouldn't believe! Dish time is followed by spirituality/reflection with all the volunteers, madres/padres, and any guests we have in the house. It's a nice bonding and sharing time, and always leaves me inspired and motivated to take on the rest of the week. Finally, my favorite night concludes with a bang - literally. It's a thing we like to call "Flaming Plane Tuesdays." Don't ask me how it started, but it has evolved into a select few going up onto the roof of our house and throwing paper airplanes lit on fire at the people sitting on the patio down below. Sounds silly, I know, but it's actually quite fun and entertaining (and don't worry, the planes rarely actually make it near the people sitting on the patio). We predict that it will continue to evolve into a competition of sorts...different roof tops (we have a big house), moving targets, gasoline (haha), "flaming desk tuesdays" perhaps...the posssibilities are endless!

Wow, I think that's enough for this one. I had to make up for not writing for a while though. If you made it to the end, congratualtions! Lots of Ecua-love...

Keely