The Coast

On Sunday our group, plus a couple of other missionaries, left for Atacames. We were so excited to be traveling toward warm weather were we could wear our shorts and bathing suits! We had a great time relaxing, swimming in the ocean, reflecting on our time in Ecuador, and soaking up some sun!

This is the view from our room!

And from the beach out front. :)

We were able to go whale watching!!

And swim with a dolphin! So fun. :)

We had such a great time and were reluctant to leave. We got back Wednesday and are doing some wrap up things today and tomorrow. I can't believe I leave tomorrow. I have had such a wonderful time and have made some amazing friends! I'm excited to see my friends and family back home, but I will definitely miss the ones I have made here. I wish I could combine the two places so that I wouldn't have to leave any behind. Thank you for all of your prayers and support, they have been greatly appreciated! 

Wonderful Wednesday!

My last week of work is going really well. But, yesterday was a really good day. :) First of all, on Tuesday afternoon maintenance figured out the electrical problem in the apartment I’m staying in…so I was able to take a warm shower in the morning and blow my hair dry without having the lights dim and the hair dryer go to half speed! So nice.

Also 1204, the account I have been spending most of my time working on, is officially balanced!! Yahoo! All the correcting entries have been made and everything ties out. Who knew that someone could love the number zero so much!

This week the accounting department for radio asked if I would teach them English. Many of the accountants in the Latin American Region accounting department know English, which has been really great for me! But the accountants for radio don’t know a lot of English and want to learn because they keep coming in contact with English speakers. I am definitely not qualified or even really know enough Spanish in order to teach them English. But they are a great group of people and I understand their frustration and have experienced it some while I’ve been down here when I try to communicate in Spanish, so I agreed to teach them. It is really challenging and sometimes I feel like I am learning just as much Spanish as they are English during the English lessons. It is always fun and at times humbling. We have had some great laughs and I really enjoy learning with them. 

After work I went with one of the other interns to a dance exercise class that a few HCJB employees go to as well. I was not great at some of the dance moves, but it was so fun! You know you’re not doing a move correctly when the instructor stands right in front of you so that you can watch his feet.  But to my credit, there were others in the class that made mistakes too…and they weren’t gringas. :) 

After the exercise class I was able to have a quick chat with my brother over Skype and then I headed off with the rest of the group to a missionary’s house for Bible Study. She made us an amazing dinner AND dessert and we listened to Christmas music while we ate. We also finished the Beth Moore Inheritance study and talked about our upcoming trip to the coast. 

Last night one of the interns said “We have the best life!” I would have to agree, life is pretty great. :)

Shell

I think I'm starting to sound like a broken record because I keep saying that every place I go is so beautiful...but it's true. Shell is also very beautiful! However, it is different than any of the places we have been so far. It's just outside of the jungle so it is warmer, very humid, rains with no warning, you are able to walk up a steep hill without having to stop and gasp for air, and you can see the stars at night.

When we arrived in Shell we had a tour of the Saint House and Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) that same afternoon. Yes, I loved seeing all of the planes!

And here I am smiling like an idiot next to one because I was so excited.

My roommate also likes planes quite a bit so I was not the only one getting super excited. :) We really wanted to try to go out with them on an emergency flight, but the only ones that would have possibly had an opening were the ones on the weekends. So, unfortunately that did not happen since we came in Sunday and left Saturday morning.

We did however get to stand in on a surgery!! So cool! One of the missionary doctors is an anesthesiologist and said that it would be a possibility for us non medical interns to watch a surgery. When we were told we could stand in on the upcoming surgery we were so excited that when we were getting our surgical garb on we put our masks on upside down. We didn't realize it until part way through the surgery when one of the other interns realized that we all at a little metal strip down by our chins and all of the other doctors had that by their noses. hahaha. Oh well, it still served its purpose. :) The surgery was to remove an ovarian cyst (which was about the size of a large avocado, or slightly larger!) and since he had her opened up already he took out her appendix as well. So, we got a two for one deal!

When we weren't watching surgeries, the three non medical or non engineering interns cleaned rooms, painted, and did a little laundry. We cleaned and painted emergency room 2, room 14, and one of the nurse's closets/storage rooms. Some of the rooms we cleaned were pretty gross. When we would run across some splatter on the wall or ceiling we would just classify it as miscellaneous debris to try to stop our minds from thinking about what it really might be. In the bathroom in room 14 we spackled, primed, painted, a maintenance guy spackled holes we thought were supposed to be there, and then we painted again. All this happened in about 6 hours. I've never painted the same space in such a short time span, but they were happy.

We had a little extra time at the end of one of our days so we helped with laundry. The washer and dryer were huge! It took the three of us about 20 minutes to fold one load.

The dirty laundry was really dirty! Thank goodness we had large rubber gloves to wear.

On Friday morning we hiked to Hola Vida, one of the waterfalls about 30-40 minutes from Shell. They told us this was a far into the jungle as most of us would be able to go during this trip. It was a nice break from painting and it was refreshing to go swimming in the waterfall.

These were some of the main highlights of our trip to Shell. I could keep writing about the other things, but then this post might the longest post ever written! So, I'll just list some of the other fun things we did. We watched a soccer game, babysat some missionary kids, toured an orphanage, went to Puyo one evening, tried a variety of ice cream, went to an internet cafe when our internet at the guest house stopped working, had a bon fire with some of the hospital employees, and walked across the bridge between the guest house and the hospital as a shortcut and a safer way to get from one point to the other. The wobbling took a little getting used to when our whole group was walking across, but the scenery below was amazing!

 Here is peak at one volcano that was pretty easy to spot.

And here is the front of the hospital in Shell.

Shell was a ton of fun and the week flew by! Many of us wished we could have stayed a little longer. :)

Papallacta

Hello all! I'm back in Quito safe and sound. The last week in Papallacta, Shell, and Banos was great! There is so much to tell, so I'll start with our first weekend away at Papallacta. This weekend was meant to be more of a relaxing weekend to spend with each other and to reflect on what has happened so far and on what we have learned. The devotions and times of sharing were really good and encouraging. The surroundings were beautiful and made it easy to relax and enjoy God's creation.

Our bus driver stayed with us since we were only there for a couple nights and since he was going to drive us the rest of the way to Shell. He was really nice and we all enjoyed getting to know him. He taught us how to salsa dance a little bit and we taught him a little swing dancing. So fun! We also went to the hot springs in Papallacta as part of the relaxation. :)

An upcoming change in scenery

Tonight we had our 4th of July fireworks. Just 10 days late...no biggy. My roommate said that they happened in perfect Ecuadorian time. :) Someone was shooting off some amazing fireworks, or if you translate the Spanish literally, some amazing artificial fire.

Things at work are about the same. I'm working on a different account while correcting entries are made on the one I started on. I'm getting to be pretty good at account reconciliations with all this practice they are giving me!

One of the interns has been sick on and off throughout the trip. She was in a lot of pain yesterday and she and her family decided that it would be best for her to go home. She is a great girl and she will be missed a ton! We're having a pancake breakfast at 3 in the morning for her farewell meal. Yes, I know, 3 in the morning sounds like a crazy time...and it is. But, half of the group is watching the premier of Harry Potter and will just be getting home and her flight leaves soon after that. It might take a little bit to get out of bed, but she's worth it.

Tomorrow morning, at a more decent hour, we leave for Papallacta for a spiritual retreat. There are hot springs and trails to hike on. People say it's beautiful there...I'm excited to find out! After Papallacta we are going on to Shell and will spend a week there. Two other non-medical interns and myself will be painting as well as keeping an open mind for anything else that might need to be done. The warmer weather will be gladly welcomed. Cool, rainy days this week in Quito that require long sleeve shirts just doesn't make it feel like summer.

I'll try to keep you updated while I'm out of Quito, but the internet might not be as dependable there.
I hope you're enjoying your summers and your 4th, or 14ths, of July. :)

Pim's & the Botanical Gardens

This weekend was a little more low key than what was originally planned. On Saturday we went to El Ejido park. On Saturdays and Sundays there are vendors there that sell their merchandise. It was fun to look around and buy a few things. In the evening we were invited to go out to dinner with a couple of HCJB missionaries. We first watched the sunset.

Walked around the statue of the Virgin Mary.

Enjoyed the view of the city.

And after many pictures we finally got into the restaurant. Pim's is a beautiful restaurant with amazingly delicious food and has a gorgeous view of the city. 

On Sunday we went to church in the morning at Dios es Fiel. This has been one of our favorite churches here and we have gone a few times. I don't catch a lot of the sermon since it is in Spanish, but the music is great and easier to understand! In the afternoon some of us went to the botanical gardens that is in Carolina park. The flowers and plants were lovely and it was pretty peaceful for being in the middle of the city.

It was a nice, lower key weekend and a great time with friends. :)

Painting and Playing with Kids

It's a little late, but I had such a fun afternoon I wanted to share it with you. :)

We got out of work at 3 so that we could go to this daycare. Kids come here so that they can do homework, play, and hangout while their parents sell food or other merchandise on the streets. The parents typically want their kids to be with them to help increase their sales, but some of the parents are out until 2am trying to earn money. I can't imagine that these kids have a very easy life.

So, at the daycare, the kids were so cute. They just wanted to hug you, hold your hand, and play with you. We played games with them and laughed so hard! :) It was a blast! They always wanted you, and made sure that you were included in the games. Sometimes the kids would come up to you and put their arms around you just because they wanted a hug. They were so animated and joyful. They melted my heart. 

We also painted a room with them. Paint got pretty much everywhere, but they wanted to help you and they loved sanding and painting the walls. For a while I had a girl on my back so that she could reach higher on the wall to sand. She thought that was such a great thing to do and continued to sand even though she could have been done.

Tonight during Bible Study we read Psalms 73. It talks about how the people of Israel are causing David to slip and how life is hard for him. In verse 23 it says "Yet I am always with you: you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and you will take me into glory." When I read about the part about how God holds us by our right hand it made me think about my afternoon with the kids. I started thinking about the other verses that tell us that we are children of God and I got a pretty clear picture of what being a child of God looks like. Full of joy and laughter. Coming for a hug and slipping your hand into His whenever you feel like it. Wanting Him, and being sure He is a part of your life because it is better with Him participating. Being dependent on Him because you couldn't reach different things without Him. I too often try to do things on my own and take life too seriously. I've known about being a child of God and depending on Him, but these kids were a good reminder and great picture for me to keep in mind as I continue to live life.

She was my main sanding and painting buddy. :) 

Mosaico & Calle la Ronda

Tonight we, the interns and a few HCJB employees, went Mosaico Cafe and to Calle la Ronda to see the city from a couple more vantage points. Mosaico Cafe has nice food, some lovely mosaic art and an even more lovely view of the city. It is in old Quito and just up the mountain a little from the Basilica. (where we had gone during our first week here) We got there before the sun set so that we could watch the city lights turn on.

From dusk...

To dark...

It's hard to capture the moment, but hopefully you get a little feel for what it was like.

During dinner a few of the employees said that we should go to Calle la Ronda. On Thursdays and Fridays there is live music throughout the street, but tonight there were only a couple groups playing in the restaurants. We looked through a couple shops and ate a little chocolate, but mostly just enjoyed the atmosphere. La Ronda makes you feel like you are in an upper class street in South America. It probably makes you feel that way because the buildings are really nice, there are no fences or walls, no graffiti, or no trash in the street.

The buildings are right up to road...

And there are potted flowers hanging outside of the windows.

Simply stunning!

El Refugio & Kid's Club

First off... a work update. The balancing act is not going as well as I anticipated. The account reconciliation is being difficult and a few previous months look like they will have to be re-reconciled. I'm hopeful this coming week will go a little better! 

On Friday we took the day off from work and went to a camp called El Refugio. The day was filled with team building activities. The grounds at El Refugio were gorgeous and had lodging, a grass field, rock wall, zip line, low ropes courses, as well as a high ropes course. We didn't have time to everything, but we did do some field games and the high and low ropes courses. Our group gets along really well already, but today taught us to trust and rely on each other in new ways. Being led around by your partner while blindfolded and needing their help to complete activities were some of the ways we were tested. The weather was great and we had such a fun time!

In the activity below we had to get across the "hot chocolate river" (or the ground) without touching it. There were stumps scattered around that we could put planks on to walk across. We only had three planks to use, so we had to move them around in order to get to the other side. If the planks touched the ground we were penalized. After starting over and not being able to talk, two of our group members were blind folded. Thankfully I was not one of them! We were able to complete the challenge, but it was difficult and took a lot of time. 

Part of the high ropes course.

Today we helped with the kid's club that Sonia, an HCJB employee, puts on once a month in an area by her house. The kid's club is like a VBS program where there is singing, a Bible story, and a craft. Some of their parents came and there was a separate lesson for them. The kids were sweet and made it apparent that they loved being there.

It was also fun to see Sonia's house. She has a really nice house and an amazing view overlooking the city and the surrounding mountains! The picture below is just one view of the mountain side...there were many more breathtaking views to be seen.

We had cafecito after kid's club and she had a cake made to thank us for helping her. I couldn't believe it when I saw it...it was so nice!

Yes, I do work

So, some of you might think I just play all day long and never work. I do get plenty of playing in, but my accounting work started the middle of last week. No worries. So far they have me working on one account reconciliation. The account hasn't been reconciled for about six months because of an audit they have been having to work around, so there is plenty to be done. I can typically work on account reconciliations for about 4 or 5 hours a day. But working 8 hours a day on one reconciliation is a new challenge along with having the descriptions in Spanish and dates that are sometimes the way I'm used to and others the opposite way. By the end of the day my head is usually spinning and I am ready for a break. Every time I talk with the other accountants they are always so helpful when I have questions and grateful for my work. All their kindness and appreciation helps keep me going the extra hour or two every day on that account when my head is about to explode.

Most of the accountants in the area I am currently in speak mostly Spanish, so communication can be difficult. Smiling and gesturing goes a long way. :) There is another accountant that has been helping me that speaks very good English, which is a nice break from only being able to understand half of what is going on. They are all very patient with me and invite me to join them for their cafecito, or their morning coffee break. I don't think they understand why I usually drink water from my water bottle. They always offer me coffee or tea and usually more than once. This is probably mostly due to the culture, but I think it is also due to their disbelieve of my preference of room temperature water over a hot beverage. 

I hope this entry has settled some of your worries. Things are getting back into balance...one day at a time.

Markets & the Middle of the World!

This weekend was packed with fun. On Saturday we went to Otavalo and Cotacachi. Otavalo is a huge market that sells mostly textile merchandise and Cotacachi is known as the leather town. Otavalo was a little overwhelming at first because it was so big! I typically don't like bartering but my Dutch blood much have been extra thick that day because I got pretty into it.

One of my favorite times there was when I was looking at buying a pair of what were claimed to be silver or platinum earrings. The vendor wanted $12 for them. We bartered a little bit and he came down to $8. I said no, $7...no more. He was staying pretty stiff at $8 so I told him $7 or nothing and started walking away. I walked down about 6 vendors and started looking at some necklaces and started bartering with this vendor for the necklaces. All of a sudden I see a man running down the aisle with his hand up in the air. He came to me and said ok $7. Do you want them? I just smiled and said ok, being so pleased at the outcome. :)

This afternoon we went to Mitad del Mundo, which is the center of the world. There's a monument where the center was originally thought to be and then there is another area about 250 meters north of where it really is. We went to both. At the actual center of the world we took a tour and learned about the original people in Ecuador and various tricks and information about the equator.

One of the tricks was that is was supposed to be easier to balance an egg on the head of a nail. I wasn't able to defeat the egg during my turn, but Rachel did! 

When we were walking from our tour to the monument we were able to get another beautiful glimpse of Cotopaxi. 

At the monument there were a bunch of shops as well as a lively concert going on. There is also a church on the equator where you can get married while each person is standing on opposite hemispheres. What a way to start out your marriage!

The views were glorious and the clouds spectacular.  The sun was setting and it was right before a quick evening shower. Mom, this one is for you. :) Enjoy these clouds!

Ecuadorian Meal

Yesterday morning the interns cooked a traditional Ecuadorian meal with two Ecuadorian employees from HCJB. We started cooking at 9 and had lunch ready at 12:30. It took a while, but we did end up with over twice as much food as we could eat. So we now have an Ecuadorian meal saved for later. The ladies that taught us how to cook different dishes were so funny and patient. We had pork, tostado, fruit (some I knew, others I didn't), a tomato and onion based salad, fried plantains, fried potato and cheese cakes (they have a name, I just don't remember what it is), one or two other items, and tree tomato juice. DELICIOUS!!

Frying plantains! Once the plantains were done I would put them in another pan. Not haphazzardly of course, neat and organized, in nice straight lines. (as any good accountant would) One of the ladies noticed, started laughing, and showed the other lady. Everyone then looked over and started laughing. Then I told them, "Hey, they were cooking with an accountant. What did they expect?" :) That was just one of many laughs for the morning.

All of the food. We are missing a dish or two at this point...but it still didn't fit in one picture!

For His Children

For the last two mornings our group has gone out to For His Children, which is an orphanage in Quito. They are able to house 45 children at one time, but only have 30 right now because of some recent adoptions. They have infants, toddlers, and special needs children up to the age of 17. The facilities and grounds they have are beautiful and the kids are very well cared for. The first morning I was with the toddlers and this morning I was with the infants. The kids are so cute and some of them are such little peanuts!

TeleferiQo

Yesterday morning we went to TeleferiQo, which is a gondola lift in the northern part of Quito.

 

It is a beautiful, relaxing, and new way to see the city and the surrounding areas. You're eye to eye with the clouds, looking down on the city, and seeing many mountains all around you. Absolutely amazing! 

You can even watch the airplanes fly in and land on Quito's airstrip! Can you see the one landing below?

It's a little bit cooler up the mountain, but the sun occasionally poked out of the clouds to help warm us up.

Today we went to a Spanish speaking church in the morning and then to Ejido park in the afternoon. It was fun to see families playing soccer together and to stop at the various vendor's booths.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!! (and to all the other fathers)