Life in Ecuador

I have now been living with my host family for almost three weeks, and today marks one month exactly of being in Ecuador! I do not even know where to begin with this update. There is so much to say and so many stories to tell. First I´ll just tell you about the community where I live.  I live in a very rural town called Cariacu.  Everyone who lives here is indigenous and lives either on a farm, or next to farm land.  The closest town is about a fifteen minute drive on the bumpiest road ever, and every time we drive it I feel like I am on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. I actually love it. In every direction I look from my house I see endless green hills, small cement houses, and huge mountains.  On clear days I can see the Cayambe volcano that it just beyond some of the hills and it is so beautiful and covered in snow! I always wish John Steinbeck were with me so he could describe the beauty since the only way I know how to describe things is "it´s sooooo pretty" or "it´s soooooo cool." When I walk down the dirt roads in my community I pass herds of cows chillin in the middle of the street, dogs, goats, horses, llamas, and other animals.  Everyone in the community is indigenous and really value their indigenous heritage. Being here makes me realize more and more each day how much I love learning about cultures that are different than my own. It is such a unique experience living in one place for a long period of time rather than just hopping from city to city. I am experiencing the culture in such a different way and really adapting to it and trying my best to become a part of it, even though I could never fully be a part of the culture no matter how long I lived here. I am learning so much about living with the poor and about Jesus´ heart for the poor. While I miss home a lot sometimes and sometimes feel so weak because of how challenging it is to be here, I am loving it all and am so thankful that I am able to do this. I am thankful for the challenges because they are bringing growth, new understanding, and new strength. 

Some highlights from living with my family:

Witnessing the slaughtering of a goat in the middle of our kitchen because it died from getting attacked by bees ... and then eating the goat throughout the next two weeks.

Plucking feathers off of dead chickens every single day.

Building things. Lots of things. I´m so tough now.

Participating in a spiritual ceremony where I did not understand one word and people were throwing up around me. i started crying in the middle of it, but it was explained more to me the next day and then i didn´t feel as weird about it. It was some sort of cleansing ritual.

Getting my cell phone service shut off because my bill was so high ... that´s what happens when you give me an international plan when my boyfriend lives in another country!

Peeling the hair off of guinea pigs and then BBQ-ing them for dinner.

Eating chicken for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Going to the biggest celebration for the community of Cariacu where I had to dress from head to toe in all traditional indigenous clothes and dance from my house to the center of town, and then not stop dancing for hours into the night.

Hanging out with nuns from Ecuador and Belgium and wishing they were my best friends.

Living with an amazing, hard working, beautiful family who never stops laughing together.

(End of highlights)

This is the craziest experience I have ever had. It is so challenging, fun, and amazing. I am really learning what it means to persevere and truly rely on God. I feel like I could write for days about all that I am learning and the ways I am growing. But I am going to have to save that for another post when I have more time. I love you all and would love your prayers!