I don't know why you say goodbye I say hello

So here I am-4 ½ months after leaving the comfort and familiarity of Wisconsin for a foreign country that half my relatives thought was in Africa (in case you are still wondering, it’s in South America) reflecting on what a crazy ride it’s been. Looking back now I can honestly admit I was scared to death to come down here, live in a culture completely different from my own and be away from my family and friends for so long. Now that it is nearly over, however, I have absolutely no regrets. It seems so surreal that it really happened—and that I survived to tell the tale. Not only did I survive, but I thrived.

I did things I never imagined I could, saw things I never thought I would, and made some amazing friends along the way. I zip-lined through a cloud forest canopy and had a blast dancing the night away to salsa and reggaeton music in a discoteca (and if you know me, you know dancing is not really my thing). I swam with sea lions and rode a horse near an erupting volcano. I hiked until my legs couldn’t move any more just to reach that mystical place called Machu Picchu. I ate guinea pig, enough rice to feed a small African nation, way too much ice cream, and tested the stretchability of my jeans. I stayed with an indigenous tribe in the middle of the jungle and found out just how much mutant jungle mosquitoes hate me. I repelled down waterfalls, drank more varieties of fruit juice than I knew existed, and learned enough Ecuadorian curses to shock even my brother. I saw my fair share of telenovelas (Ecuadorian soap operas) and learned that Enrique Iglesias is apparently still pretty hot. I probably spent more time on a crazy bus praying that I would live to see my 21st birthday than actually studying and yet finally managed to read the pride and joy of Spanish literature, Don Quijote.

And all of these memories I shared with people that came to be some very dear friends. We laughed together about the latest host family happenings and complained about USFQ eliteness and not being able to breathe when walking down the street. We spent countless hours on busses and even more pouring over our Lonely Planet guides to find the cheapest hostels to stay at or the best restaurants to eat in. We danced together, shared a few glasses of wine and protected one another from creepy Ecuadorian guys. It’s crazy how close you can get to some people in so short a time. Maybe it was this crazy country on the equator that brought a bunch of like-minded people together to study and travel that made us bond so quickly. Maybe it was partly because we were all foreigners and were going through so many of the same things. Maybe it was the fact that sometimes only another American could truly understand your frustration with eating mounds of rice everyday or getting whistled and hooted at relentlessly. C.S. Lewis said, “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too? Thought I was the only one." Whatever it was, it brought me some amazing new friends with whom I made some unforgettable new memories. I know that my experience here would have been a lot different, and probably would have sucked royally, without them and I’m so thankful that we shared these few months together.

We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend - Robert Louis Stevenson

"Cruising" the Galapagos

Oh mi gato, it’s been nearly a month since an update. Terribly sorry friends – it’s been crazy down here lately and my internet access has been pretty touch-and-go.

I’m sure a ton has happened over the past few weeks that I’m forgetting about, but here are some of the highlights:

A few weekends ago I made another trip down to Baños with a big group of friends. Baños is definitely one of my favorite places in Ecuador. It’s small enough to walk around safely without getting lost, yet big enough that there is plenty to do. This time around we tried out canyoning—basically repelling down waterfalls in a way that would never in a million years be legal in the United States. Even one of my good friends that I was with, who does repelling in the states, said the way were doing it was not the way she had learned. That aside, it really was a lot of fun and I’m still alive so I guess it couldn’t have been too dangerous.

One of my friends canyoning in Baños - tons of fun

The highlight of the past few weeks was hands down our trip to the Galápagos. Last Thursday I left Quito for Baltra Island, one of 16 main islands in the archipelago located about 600 miles off of Ecuador’s coast. Surprisingly about 40,000 people call the islands home, but only 4 are inhabited. The majority of the islands are free from human pests and full of gorgeous flora and fauna. I’ll let you read up on them more if you are interested, but most of you know they are famous for contributing to Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection and are home to a number of endemic species (species found only on the islands).

We spent four days cruising the seas and visiting various islands. “Cruise” would be a stretch for what we did, however. Being a group of poor college students we found the absolute cheapest boat we could, and we definitely got what we paid for. Quarters were cramped and hot, the boat was small, and our guide wasn’t that great. We had expected all of that, however, so we still had a really good time. The boat’s faults became jokes and memories that made the whole experience worthwhile. A few of the crew members were younger as well, so we managed to have a good time with them too throughout the trip. One night the barman even made us some special drinks (for free!) and we sat up on the top deck under the stars talking and sipping away. He told us he rarely makes free drinks for passengers and even more rarely drinks with them. We asked him if that meant we were “chevere” (cool). He laughed. I think that detracted from our cool factor a little bit. That night we ended up sleeping up on the top deck as well, which was pretty cool. The stars were gorgeous, the gentle rocking lulled us to sleep, and the cool breeze sure beat our hot rooms below deck.

Me with my favorite blue-footed booby! They have this really cute dance they do as a mating ritual that shows off their blue feet.

Pretty much every day we would walk around for a little bit looking at the various animals and vegetation on an island followed by a couple hours of snorkeling. The water was amazing and we snorkeled with sea lions (which my friend told me later apparently eat penguins…good to know since one nearly took my head off when we were swimming), sharks (don’t worry, vegetarian sharks), penguins, sting rays and of course tons of fish. I think the snorkeling was my favorite part of the trip. We had perfect weather the whole time, but it did get quite hot at times, making the water all the more refreshing.

After our cruise we had one more day on the main island, Santa Cruz, before our flight on Monday. Our friends who had gone to the Galápagos over Spring Break told us to head to Tortuga Bay, which one of them described as paradise. They weren’t lying. It was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen in my life. Pure white sand, gorgeous turquoise water, and very few people. Add in a full day of sunshine and it was the perfect way to end our stay in the Galápagos.

I’m getting near the end of my stay here—only eight more days. This means friends are starting to leave, and I’m trying to squeeze in all I want to do before I go. One of my good friends left last week, one leaves today, and the rest leave on Saturday. Since I don’t leave until next Thursday, I’ll probably be wallowing in my own bored depression for a few days next week, and will most likely provide a number of more reflective blog entries. So my friends, until then, you will have to sit in anxious anticipation of hearing my deepest thoughts and feelings. Or something like that. :)