Friday, June 15, 2012
Funny story...
I was coming to use the computer in the OSSO house a couple days ago and I looked at the keyboard and saw the ñ key and was so confused. I freaked out and kinda yelled, I cant use this keyboard it is all in Spanish! Everyone started busting laughing and told me that the keyboard was the same but with 2 extra keys off to the side! the ñ ad ç. Oh yeah and the words on the computer are all in Spanish too so sometimes I have no idea what to click on or where to go. But that´s cool I mean I guess I am in a Spanish speaking country or something like that lol! Good times being a blonde...
What, what! It´s my birthday!!
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday...I know I have been seriously slacking on writing but there is not much time and I am tired almost all of the time. I have described a little bit what it is like down here but the real true stories are ones that are going to be hard to describe and others to understand because so many of them are better when you know the children or one of those ´´had to be there´´ moments. I do have the amazing stories of each and everyday but for the most part the routines are not becoming habitual for me and everyday is sort of seeming the same but at the same time so different.
This morning I went on a field trip with some kids from Esperanza which is in the OSSO house. We went to hippotherapy. If you don´t know what that is, it is taking disabled kids and having them ride on horses. I am not exactly sure why it is so helpful but I do know that our kids love it. We went to a military base here in Cuenca and some of the men help walk the horses around as we are on the horse with the kids. I am not a huge fan of riding horses but this was one of the best gifts I could have gotten on my birthday. I got to ride around with Christian and later Lucy. I was scared of not only myself falling off but also them. We do not sit in saddles because there would not be enough room, so we just ride bareback with a blanket on the horse. For the first little bit I was holding tight onto the children but then loosened up when I got the hang of things. The smiles on the faces of these children were one of those priceless moments in life.
I would also like to say that I have a new man in my life and his name is Roman. He is 22 I think and lives in the special needs orphanage. We have become such good buddies and I love seeing him everyday that I can. It started when I sang the 5 little monkeys in a tree song to him. Now I sing and dance and give him high fives (more like high 4s since he wont move his thumb, he is stubborn like that). No one has seen him laugh so much as when he is with me, and I know I have a special connection with him. I also made him a bracelet yesterday for him and he loves it! I hope he wears it forever and ever!
The rest of the day I have an off to go into town and live up life!! I cannot believe I am 22 already. I am a member of a blog this lady writes for her kids and the tips she writes about are awesome! On her birthday her and her kids go around and do as many acts of service as years old they are turning. I decided to start that tradition in my life because it helps you stop thinking of yourself so much. I started this morning with giving all the girls my fruit snack smiles with little smiling quotes on them. That is 11 down and 11 more to go. It felt really good because I didn´t tell anyone I did it, but one of the girls saw me and told everyone. They were so sweet in not only telling me Happy Birthday but also in making me feel like I made their whole day from the moment they brushed their teeth. ( Everyone has a toothbrushing cup and I put them in there!) I have plans for the other 11 so hopefully I will be able to get them all done!
THANKYOU TO EVERYONE WHO WISHED ME A HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I feel so loved everyday to have so many wonderful people in my life! Gracias mi amigos!
This morning I went on a field trip with some kids from Esperanza which is in the OSSO house. We went to hippotherapy. If you don´t know what that is, it is taking disabled kids and having them ride on horses. I am not exactly sure why it is so helpful but I do know that our kids love it. We went to a military base here in Cuenca and some of the men help walk the horses around as we are on the horse with the kids. I am not a huge fan of riding horses but this was one of the best gifts I could have gotten on my birthday. I got to ride around with Christian and later Lucy. I was scared of not only myself falling off but also them. We do not sit in saddles because there would not be enough room, so we just ride bareback with a blanket on the horse. For the first little bit I was holding tight onto the children but then loosened up when I got the hang of things. The smiles on the faces of these children were one of those priceless moments in life.
I would also like to say that I have a new man in my life and his name is Roman. He is 22 I think and lives in the special needs orphanage. We have become such good buddies and I love seeing him everyday that I can. It started when I sang the 5 little monkeys in a tree song to him. Now I sing and dance and give him high fives (more like high 4s since he wont move his thumb, he is stubborn like that). No one has seen him laugh so much as when he is with me, and I know I have a special connection with him. I also made him a bracelet yesterday for him and he loves it! I hope he wears it forever and ever!
The rest of the day I have an off to go into town and live up life!! I cannot believe I am 22 already. I am a member of a blog this lady writes for her kids and the tips she writes about are awesome! On her birthday her and her kids go around and do as many acts of service as years old they are turning. I decided to start that tradition in my life because it helps you stop thinking of yourself so much. I started this morning with giving all the girls my fruit snack smiles with little smiling quotes on them. That is 11 down and 11 more to go. It felt really good because I didn´t tell anyone I did it, but one of the girls saw me and told everyone. They were so sweet in not only telling me Happy Birthday but also in making me feel like I made their whole day from the moment they brushed their teeth. ( Everyone has a toothbrushing cup and I put them in there!) I have plans for the other 11 so hopefully I will be able to get them all done!
THANKYOU TO EVERYONE WHO WISHED ME A HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I feel so loved everyday to have so many wonderful people in my life! Gracias mi amigos!
Day 4- Its a long one
Every Monday we do morning shift, afternoon shift, and then a night shift. I dont know if I have described shift yet but the morning shift is from 7am to 12pm, then we come home for a much needed lunch break. We get an amazing 2 hours until the afternoon shift which is from 2pm to 6pm. Normally we then come home for dinner but on Mondays and Thursdays we go to HML which is an all girls orphanage in town. The girls are all ages from 5 to 18 and maybe older but Im not sure. So we go straight from afternoon shift to HML and are there until 730. It makes for a long day but so amazing at the same time.
It was okay for me today because I had an off this morning. It means for morning shift I dont go to the orphanage but I can do whatever I want. I was planning on sleeping in but I could only sleep til 730 and then got up and got ready. 2 of the other girls that had an off were going into town so I went with them. We went around to some shops and bought some pretty great stuff! The sweet thing here is that everything is way cheap and they use American money.
2 funny stories from today. First when walking down the street guys always whistle or honk at the white American girls, but I have never heard them try and speak English before. This car full of guys shouted GOOOD MOOORNING. HOOOOW ARE YOOOOU TOOODAAAAY?! They tried so hard and it was so funny. We are not even allowed to make eye contact with the guys down here but we looked at each other and busted out laughing. I can only imagine what my Spanish sounds like when I try and talk to people. It is a no wonder everyone is laughing at me all the time.
Before going back to the house we stopped at SuperMaxi the grocery store down here. After we were done we got a cab and got in and told the cab driver our address. He didnt understand and then he looked in his rear view mirror and started laughing. He said AHHH la casa de gringas! Or translated the house of the whites.We started laughing way hard at that and nodded our head that yes we lived in the house of the whites. He taxis us around alot apparently and he knew exactly where to go. I have found out that sometimes it is difficult to find taxi drivers that know our address because for some reason out address is in some Indian language and most don´t understand what we are saying.
Then for second shift I was at the Cuenes house in Todaos. The cuenes are the little ones. There were about 8 infants that we took care of, and there are also about 8 very small babies in the house too. Lets just say that I changes alot of diapers today! They dont use cloth diapers here but they use cloth wipes that you just use for all the kids with a little water. It was hard at first trying to figure out what to do as I am being given instructions in Spanish. Sometimes I just shake my head and say si (yes) and the the nuns look at me like why am I not moving and then I ask them again what they said and they try really hard to show or explain it.
These kids are so stinkin cute I cant even handle it some days. They are always so excited to see the volunteers and when I get there they will run down the sidewalk with their arms outstretched to come hug me. That is probably one of my favorite moments waiting for them to run into my arms. I cant believe that people don´t want these adorable children and that makes me so sad. While I am here they have all my love that I can give and I know that the other volunteers are the same way!
It was okay for me today because I had an off this morning. It means for morning shift I dont go to the orphanage but I can do whatever I want. I was planning on sleeping in but I could only sleep til 730 and then got up and got ready. 2 of the other girls that had an off were going into town so I went with them. We went around to some shops and bought some pretty great stuff! The sweet thing here is that everything is way cheap and they use American money.
2 funny stories from today. First when walking down the street guys always whistle or honk at the white American girls, but I have never heard them try and speak English before. This car full of guys shouted GOOOD MOOORNING. HOOOOW ARE YOOOOU TOOODAAAAY?! They tried so hard and it was so funny. We are not even allowed to make eye contact with the guys down here but we looked at each other and busted out laughing. I can only imagine what my Spanish sounds like when I try and talk to people. It is a no wonder everyone is laughing at me all the time.
Before going back to the house we stopped at SuperMaxi the grocery store down here. After we were done we got a cab and got in and told the cab driver our address. He didnt understand and then he looked in his rear view mirror and started laughing. He said AHHH la casa de gringas! Or translated the house of the whites.We started laughing way hard at that and nodded our head that yes we lived in the house of the whites. He taxis us around alot apparently and he knew exactly where to go. I have found out that sometimes it is difficult to find taxi drivers that know our address because for some reason out address is in some Indian language and most don´t understand what we are saying.
Then for second shift I was at the Cuenes house in Todaos. The cuenes are the little ones. There were about 8 infants that we took care of, and there are also about 8 very small babies in the house too. Lets just say that I changes alot of diapers today! They dont use cloth diapers here but they use cloth wipes that you just use for all the kids with a little water. It was hard at first trying to figure out what to do as I am being given instructions in Spanish. Sometimes I just shake my head and say si (yes) and the the nuns look at me like why am I not moving and then I ask them again what they said and they try really hard to show or explain it.
These kids are so stinkin cute I cant even handle it some days. They are always so excited to see the volunteers and when I get there they will run down the sidewalk with their arms outstretched to come hug me. That is probably one of my favorite moments waiting for them to run into my arms. I cant believe that people don´t want these adorable children and that makes me so sad. While I am here they have all my love that I can give and I know that the other volunteers are the same way!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
That Dang Toilet Paper
Ecuador does have indoor plumbing and everything but it is very sensitive and not great. Do you know what that means....we cant throw toilet paper in the toilet, we have to actually throw it away! Yeah it is hard to get used to and I´m not sure how long it takes to get used to cause I am definitely not there yet. Another bad part about it is then the bathroom kind of stinks of bodily functions for a week before the trash is taken out. So yeah the house may start smelling like crap towards the end of the week, but it is one of those things you get used to. The worst part is when you forget and throw it in the toilet anyway and then before flushing realize that that is not where it is supposed to go so you have to fish it out and throw it in the garbage. Yeah I have had to do that multiple times so far. They even have reminders in all the bathrooms with big bright signs. The funny part is that I read them every time and I think to myself today I will get it right and before I know it it has already happened and once again I have to pull it out. Oh well just one of the many things to get used to in a third world nation.
I hope everyone reading this is greatly appreciating the fact that we can just flush toilet paper without any problems! Because you dont know how good you have it! :)
I hope everyone reading this is greatly appreciating the fact that we can just flush toilet paper without any problems! Because you dont know how good you have it! :)
Day 3- Sunday Not a Day to Rest
Sundays are different down here, it is not so much a day of rest and relaxation. Every other Sunday we get to go to church for an hour. This week I got to go so next week I won´t. It was a little hard because once again I am in a foreign country and they only speak Spanish and I do not. It was still good to be there.
After church we take clothes and got straight to our morning shift at the orphanage. I was at OSSO Milagros today. The OSSO organization started there own orphanage and there are 3 houses. Most of the OSSO house is children and teenagers with special needs. The house I was in had 8 people in it. When I got there they were bathing all of them. I helped comb hair, braid hair, and put socks and shoes on.. It was a little difficult at first because some of the girls have lice and it is just not that big of a deal. At first I was really worried about getting it and then I realized that I don´t even care. Lice will not kill me and it is something that can you can get rid of. I was not going to stay away from these kids because of something like that.
After they were all showered and dressed we went to sit outside and color. I colored a picture for one of the boys and he wasn´t too fond of it, but thats okay. Then there is this boy Eddison that loves going on walks. Oh and PS almost all of the kids are in wheel chairs. But Eddison cried when he isnt being walked or when someone brings him back. He started crying so I took him on a long walk. He loves watching cars go by so we sat by the gate for a bit watching them drive by. I talked to him as we walked and told him all about me and that I love walks to. I think I figured that he likes walks so much because he is always stuck in the same place looking at the same things. I would want to walk to and feel some wind on my face. We had a really good time, and when we got back he started crying again until someone else took him for a walk.
There was another girl who helped me alot with putting on shoes and doing other things. She was laughing at me as I was trying to help doing some tasks. The ladies working were also laughing at me as we played another game of charades. We would say a word in English and then she would say it in Spanish or the other way around. What crazy times I am having down here. I think everyone thinks I am nuts around here.
The afternoon shift was spent at Azogos. It is an off site orphanage about a half hour away. There were 6 of us that went. We were there for 4 hours and just played with the kids and it was really chill. There is this one boy who loves hitting other people. He made almost everyone cry at least once if not a few different times. I held a girl while we swung to calm her down a bit after she got hit. She ended up falling asleep on me. I don´t know what it is about children falling asleep on you, but for me it is one of those tender moments in life. It was just so precious! I also held this little boy Victor who is disabled but he is also just so precious. He sat in my lap and I couldn´t help myself but I just started doing stretches with his arms and legs. He is not mobile so his body probably doesn´t get much movement like it should. I massaged his limbs while talking to him about the house and the orphanage, why I was there and about me. These kids have no idea what I am saying but sometimes it is therapeutic for me to talk it out.
Even though it didn´t feel like a normal Sunday it was probably one of the best I have ever had! What fun it is to just spend your whole day serving others!
After church we take clothes and got straight to our morning shift at the orphanage. I was at OSSO Milagros today. The OSSO organization started there own orphanage and there are 3 houses. Most of the OSSO house is children and teenagers with special needs. The house I was in had 8 people in it. When I got there they were bathing all of them. I helped comb hair, braid hair, and put socks and shoes on.. It was a little difficult at first because some of the girls have lice and it is just not that big of a deal. At first I was really worried about getting it and then I realized that I don´t even care. Lice will not kill me and it is something that can you can get rid of. I was not going to stay away from these kids because of something like that.
After they were all showered and dressed we went to sit outside and color. I colored a picture for one of the boys and he wasn´t too fond of it, but thats okay. Then there is this boy Eddison that loves going on walks. Oh and PS almost all of the kids are in wheel chairs. But Eddison cried when he isnt being walked or when someone brings him back. He started crying so I took him on a long walk. He loves watching cars go by so we sat by the gate for a bit watching them drive by. I talked to him as we walked and told him all about me and that I love walks to. I think I figured that he likes walks so much because he is always stuck in the same place looking at the same things. I would want to walk to and feel some wind on my face. We had a really good time, and when we got back he started crying again until someone else took him for a walk.
There was another girl who helped me alot with putting on shoes and doing other things. She was laughing at me as I was trying to help doing some tasks. The ladies working were also laughing at me as we played another game of charades. We would say a word in English and then she would say it in Spanish or the other way around. What crazy times I am having down here. I think everyone thinks I am nuts around here.
The afternoon shift was spent at Azogos. It is an off site orphanage about a half hour away. There were 6 of us that went. We were there for 4 hours and just played with the kids and it was really chill. There is this one boy who loves hitting other people. He made almost everyone cry at least once if not a few different times. I held a girl while we swung to calm her down a bit after she got hit. She ended up falling asleep on me. I don´t know what it is about children falling asleep on you, but for me it is one of those tender moments in life. It was just so precious! I also held this little boy Victor who is disabled but he is also just so precious. He sat in my lap and I couldn´t help myself but I just started doing stretches with his arms and legs. He is not mobile so his body probably doesn´t get much movement like it should. I massaged his limbs while talking to him about the house and the orphanage, why I was there and about me. These kids have no idea what I am saying but sometimes it is therapeutic for me to talk it out.
Even though it didn´t feel like a normal Sunday it was probably one of the best I have ever had! What fun it is to just spend your whole day serving others!
Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as well!
Monday, June 11, 2012
Day 2- The Real Ecuador
I already talked about my flight to Cuenca and all the adventures that included! But now I am at the OSSO house after having to wait at the airport for a while before getting picked up. But they came for me, just like they said they would!
I was given a room on the, ready for this...the 5th floor! HAHA well actually I gues it is the 3rd floor and 2 stories of basements but still come on, at 8900 feet I am already breathing heavy walking around the streets and now to walk up a bunch of stairs everytime I go to my room, talk about exhausting! But I am on a top bunk bed and sometimes it seems pretty sketchy and may just fall over on of these days. Getting in and out of it is always an adventure of its own! But this place is great so far. There are people everywhere and systems to everything so the house runs smoothly. After going over the rules of the house I got to go on a city tour! This place is amazing! The drivers are crazy! We looked around at all these shops, Galapogos Artisan, Hippie Market, THE HIDDEN DOOR! The hidden door reminds me of Chinatown in New York City. You turn to this man and say Whats up? Then he lets you in this door and you walk up 2 flights of stairs into this room full of stuff!! It is so crazy. Although you dont bargin with these people like in New York, everything is already a great deal! This place is always crazy with people and cars. This week the town is also celebrating Corpos Cristi, which is the body of Christ. The town has food vendors and things all over town! It is a constant party here.Oh and then for lunch I had my first empinada! It was pretty dang good!
The second half of the day I was in the orphanage! Woot Woot! I went to Casas. The house is seperated into Casas and Cuenes or older and younger kids. When we got there they were having a fiesta. It was the sweetest thing. Some little girl turned 2 and her family brought her and a whole party to the orphanage for the kids to experience. They had food and games and a pinata! Our kids loved it and were so happy! I thought it was so thoughtful of the family to do that for these kids who dont have much. It was amazing the love these kids can have. They came up to me would ask my name and give me big hugs, and want to sit on my lap. I think they have been around enough to know that when a white girl walks in then we are all from the same program and we are there to play, have fun, and love them! That is exactly what we do.
After the fiesta we played chase around the yard and then bathed them and got ready for bed. It was hard when I was with Hermana Jessica because she was shouting out orders to me and I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. Sometimes I would act something out to show her what I meant and and sometimes she was acting out things. I literally felt like we were playing charades or something. I was just laughing at how crazy we looked and the kids got a kick out of it too! She was trying to teach me words in Spanish too but I kind of forget them already. whoops.
From a few hours on my first shift I can already see how much these kids are going to mean to me. They are orphans for what ever reason and I want to help show them that they are still loved and they are still wonderful children!
Sorry there are no pictures yet but they will come later. And I cant even take my camera to the orphanage because of certain rules and what not but I have a lot of the city and house.
I was given a room on the, ready for this...the 5th floor! HAHA well actually I gues it is the 3rd floor and 2 stories of basements but still come on, at 8900 feet I am already breathing heavy walking around the streets and now to walk up a bunch of stairs everytime I go to my room, talk about exhausting! But I am on a top bunk bed and sometimes it seems pretty sketchy and may just fall over on of these days. Getting in and out of it is always an adventure of its own! But this place is great so far. There are people everywhere and systems to everything so the house runs smoothly. After going over the rules of the house I got to go on a city tour! This place is amazing! The drivers are crazy! We looked around at all these shops, Galapogos Artisan, Hippie Market, THE HIDDEN DOOR! The hidden door reminds me of Chinatown in New York City. You turn to this man and say Whats up? Then he lets you in this door and you walk up 2 flights of stairs into this room full of stuff!! It is so crazy. Although you dont bargin with these people like in New York, everything is already a great deal! This place is always crazy with people and cars. This week the town is also celebrating Corpos Cristi, which is the body of Christ. The town has food vendors and things all over town! It is a constant party here.Oh and then for lunch I had my first empinada! It was pretty dang good!
The second half of the day I was in the orphanage! Woot Woot! I went to Casas. The house is seperated into Casas and Cuenes or older and younger kids. When we got there they were having a fiesta. It was the sweetest thing. Some little girl turned 2 and her family brought her and a whole party to the orphanage for the kids to experience. They had food and games and a pinata! Our kids loved it and were so happy! I thought it was so thoughtful of the family to do that for these kids who dont have much. It was amazing the love these kids can have. They came up to me would ask my name and give me big hugs, and want to sit on my lap. I think they have been around enough to know that when a white girl walks in then we are all from the same program and we are there to play, have fun, and love them! That is exactly what we do.
After the fiesta we played chase around the yard and then bathed them and got ready for bed. It was hard when I was with Hermana Jessica because she was shouting out orders to me and I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. Sometimes I would act something out to show her what I meant and and sometimes she was acting out things. I literally felt like we were playing charades or something. I was just laughing at how crazy we looked and the kids got a kick out of it too! She was trying to teach me words in Spanish too but I kind of forget them already. whoops.
From a few hours on my first shift I can already see how much these kids are going to mean to me. They are orphans for what ever reason and I want to help show them that they are still loved and they are still wonderful children!
Sorry there are no pictures yet but they will come later. And I cant even take my camera to the orphanage because of certain rules and what not but I have a lot of the city and house.
Day 1- Langauge Barrier
Getting from Pittsburgh to Atlanta was great but then I had to go to the international wing of the airport and wait for my flight to Quito Ecuador. I have never left the country and I was sitting there with a bunch of people who were all speaking spanish. It hit me all of a sudden that I could get really lost and have no idea where to go or how to ask for help. What the heck am I doing!? Then everyone around me on the plane was the same way. The man beside me was Rafael and he was pretty cool. He spoke some English so we had like one interesting conversation. He is a guide for jungles and mountains all over the world. He was just returning home after doing some tours through Nepal, no big deal or anything! He gave me a flier to look at if I was interested and I told him that I definitely was but I don´t know if I would ever be able to go and do it. Anyway that was about all the conversation I had for quite awhile!
Then I got into the Quito airport after 5.5 long hours on the plane, oh and my tv didnt work :( I got in around 10 pm and I was just exhausted but the most stressful apart for me was know wondering if someone was really there to pick me up! I made it through migration, baggage, and customs with relatively no problems just some of the workers laughing at me and pointing out multiple times that I was new at this! Well thanks no duh! I walked out of customs which was peaceful and quiet and then through these huge sliding doors and it was like an explosion! There were hundreds of people smashed in this rather small room, at least for an airport. They were all screaming and shouting, waving signs in my face! Finally I see this tall white guy standing with a tiny white paper that says Megan on it and OSSO. And no Nick he did not have a fancy suit on or anything but it was still sweet :) I wanted to run and hug him but I refrained. There was another guy with a sign at the beginning but I missed him in the crowd. Then the 3 of us took a taxi to the OSSO house. Yes thats right, my first taxi ride! It was amazing, I am pretty sure that is on my bucket list to ride in a cab WOOHOO check! WE got to the house around 1130, I got a bed and wanted to go right to sleep, but there was a problem. I turned my phone on to use for an alarm clock because I had to be up at 6 for my next flight, but I couldnt figure out if my phone had changed time zones or not! Everyone was already asleep and there were no clocks around. So I set my alarm for 3 different times to figure out when I needed to get up. I was so stressed out about it that I barley slept all night!
I did get up on time if you were wondering after my second alarm went off. And went back to the airport for my flight to Cuenca. The flight was at 745 and I was in line trying to figure out where to go and what to do. Luckily most of the signs have English subtitles and then they also number the signs in the order you need to go through them! That was a huge relief. So I was in line t check in and they started boarding and I started freaking out a little. I dropped off my bag and ran. I was going though security when this man taps me on the shoulder and starts speaking spanish really fast to me. I just gave my most confused look and shook my head. He didnt know English so it took a few minutes before I understood that I needed to go back to baggage for something. I was for sure I was going to miss my flight. I forgot my ticket as I was rushing, oh dear! But I made it on and was able to relax for a it. Good thing I have flown many times because all the instructions were in spanish and there was no way I was ale to keep up with what she was saying.
The language is the most stressful part so far but I have mostly been by myself the whole time so far. I knew once I got to OSSO that it would probably be better. And it was.
Then I got into the Quito airport after 5.5 long hours on the plane, oh and my tv didnt work :( I got in around 10 pm and I was just exhausted but the most stressful apart for me was know wondering if someone was really there to pick me up! I made it through migration, baggage, and customs with relatively no problems just some of the workers laughing at me and pointing out multiple times that I was new at this! Well thanks no duh! I walked out of customs which was peaceful and quiet and then through these huge sliding doors and it was like an explosion! There were hundreds of people smashed in this rather small room, at least for an airport. They were all screaming and shouting, waving signs in my face! Finally I see this tall white guy standing with a tiny white paper that says Megan on it and OSSO. And no Nick he did not have a fancy suit on or anything but it was still sweet :) I wanted to run and hug him but I refrained. There was another guy with a sign at the beginning but I missed him in the crowd. Then the 3 of us took a taxi to the OSSO house. Yes thats right, my first taxi ride! It was amazing, I am pretty sure that is on my bucket list to ride in a cab WOOHOO check! WE got to the house around 1130, I got a bed and wanted to go right to sleep, but there was a problem. I turned my phone on to use for an alarm clock because I had to be up at 6 for my next flight, but I couldnt figure out if my phone had changed time zones or not! Everyone was already asleep and there were no clocks around. So I set my alarm for 3 different times to figure out when I needed to get up. I was so stressed out about it that I barley slept all night!
I did get up on time if you were wondering after my second alarm went off. And went back to the airport for my flight to Cuenca. The flight was at 745 and I was in line trying to figure out where to go and what to do. Luckily most of the signs have English subtitles and then they also number the signs in the order you need to go through them! That was a huge relief. So I was in line t check in and they started boarding and I started freaking out a little. I dropped off my bag and ran. I was going though security when this man taps me on the shoulder and starts speaking spanish really fast to me. I just gave my most confused look and shook my head. He didnt know English so it took a few minutes before I understood that I needed to go back to baggage for something. I was for sure I was going to miss my flight. I forgot my ticket as I was rushing, oh dear! But I made it on and was able to relax for a it. Good thing I have flown many times because all the instructions were in spanish and there was no way I was ale to keep up with what she was saying.
The language is the most stressful part so far but I have mostly been by myself the whole time so far. I knew once I got to OSSO that it would probably be better. And it was.
Its all about Perspective
On Friday I was sitting in the airport waiting to fly to Atlanta and I learned a lesson or in about looking at situations from different angles. I try really hard not to judge people when I first see them but sometimes that is hard. I was sitting in the airport waiting and this little girl was running around and screaming. I started getting annoyed and was thinking how annoying she was being and I hope she is not like this on the plane. Then everything changed when she turned around and I saw her t shirt....she had on a make a wish foundation t shirt along with the rest of her family. I then started listening on bits and pieces of the conversation they were having with a pilot. This family was going away for probably the last time together. This little girl was so happy and cheerful knowing she isn´t going to live too much longer. She wasn´t wasting her life away by being sad and depressed, but living life to the fullest. I instantly felt like a complete jerk and the worst person on the earth. I then watched her the rest of the time as she laughed and joyful played with the people around her.
It´s all about perspective.
I must really need to change my heart and truly believe what just happened because after that little girl, I was again reminded of the same lesson not 5 minutes later. There was a man and his girlfriend sitting on a bench a couple rows down from me and they were all over each other, like extreme PDA. I did not want to sit there and watch that and immediately I started judging them, but at the time I was justified in that judgment because of how they were acting. About a half hour later we were boarding the plane and I was one of the last ones to get on. I looked over and there was this man with his girlfriend crying in his arms. That is when I heard him talk about leaving for boot camp and then getting shipped off over seas. He doesn´t know when he will be back or see her again. She was in tears and he was pretty close and thats when I realize that I to have a tear running down my cheek. Again I had judged them for being all over each other and some kisses and here I had no idea they were separating for who knows how long. And with that he is serving the wonderful country that I live in. I should be thanking him greatly!
It´s all about perspective.
Who am I to judge these people when I see or am with them for a few minutes out of their entire lives. I don´t know who they are, what they have gone through, or what they are going through. Now I am better at holding back and looking at the good in every person and situation before starting my harsh judgments. Its a lesson I´m glad I learned right before coming to Ecuador.
It´s all about perspective.
Try not to judge before you know someone´s whole story, or at least part of it. I would like to say I am doing so much better know, but it is still a habit that needs breaking.
It´s all about perspective.
I must really need to change my heart and truly believe what just happened because after that little girl, I was again reminded of the same lesson not 5 minutes later. There was a man and his girlfriend sitting on a bench a couple rows down from me and they were all over each other, like extreme PDA. I did not want to sit there and watch that and immediately I started judging them, but at the time I was justified in that judgment because of how they were acting. About a half hour later we were boarding the plane and I was one of the last ones to get on. I looked over and there was this man with his girlfriend crying in his arms. That is when I heard him talk about leaving for boot camp and then getting shipped off over seas. He doesn´t know when he will be back or see her again. She was in tears and he was pretty close and thats when I realize that I to have a tear running down my cheek. Again I had judged them for being all over each other and some kisses and here I had no idea they were separating for who knows how long. And with that he is serving the wonderful country that I live in. I should be thanking him greatly!
It´s all about perspective.
Who am I to judge these people when I see or am with them for a few minutes out of their entire lives. I don´t know who they are, what they have gone through, or what they are going through. Now I am better at holding back and looking at the good in every person and situation before starting my harsh judgments. Its a lesson I´m glad I learned right before coming to Ecuador.
It´s all about perspective.
Try not to judge before you know someone´s whole story, or at least part of it. I would like to say I am doing so much better know, but it is still a habit that needs breaking.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Lingard Resort
I have mentioned before that while here in Utah I am living with friends that I first met in Pennsylvania. I went to church with them there and when I moved to Idaho to go to school, they moved to Utah around the same time. All of the vacations that I could not go home for while at school were spent at the Lingard's. They are an amazing family. And despite what they think I am not writing a book about them. Families are families no matter where you go or who you are. People fight, yell, love, hug, talk, ect in no matter what home I have gone into. The only idea of a perfect family is one with perfect love. That is what I have learned over the years. If there is love in the home anything is possible and anything can happen. But the reason for writing this is because I have learned something about myself and my future as I have known and lived with the Lingard's. I want my future home to be a place where people think they can come and have fun and hang out or feel safe. I love the people that come in and out of this home on a daily or weekly basis. Sometimes I come home and there are 7 cars in the driveway. Last weekend we had 10 people staying at the house on Friday night. It is like a constant party!
There is family over, or friends or neighbors, sometimes even people they know from out of state! I call it the resort because the Lingards are so willing to take anyone if they need a place to stay. They have a nice house with lots of room now that only 1 of their children is living at home. I had a friend who was going on a mission and flew out to Utah by herself and the Lingards graciously accepted her into their home for the night and took her to the MTC the next day which is about a 30 minute drive one way. They did not have to do this because they barely knew my friend, but because I asked and they are so kind they did it. This same thing occurs often as people stay before an early flight at the SLC airport.
People come and people go but it is the memories that last forever!
There is family over, or friends or neighbors, sometimes even people they know from out of state! I call it the resort because the Lingards are so willing to take anyone if they need a place to stay. They have a nice house with lots of room now that only 1 of their children is living at home. I had a friend who was going on a mission and flew out to Utah by herself and the Lingards graciously accepted her into their home for the night and took her to the MTC the next day which is about a 30 minute drive one way. They did not have to do this because they barely knew my friend, but because I asked and they are so kind they did it. This same thing occurs often as people stay before an early flight at the SLC airport.
People come and people go but it is the memories that last forever!
Anything new in my life...oh you know just getting ready for ECUADOR! I am so freaking excited I can't wait. I have been trying not to think about it too much because then it would come and go really fast and surprisingly it has helped slow down the time (or feels like it). I do have to think about things like getting my immunizations for a third world country and let me tell you, that was no fun day. I had the day off and decided to go and get my 7 shots (they recommended 7 but I got 4), and it ended how most of my days end with needles. I dont have a fear of needles at all it is more so the feeling of something leaving my body. When I get blood drawn I can feel it leaving and that freaks me out but not enough to make me pass out, I don;t know why that happens, just that it does. Well getting shots wouldn't be bad because they are just filling me with diseases and not taking anything. I talked to the nurse about my occasional fainting spells but I decided to stay in the chair, bad idea. I got all my shots and stood up, walked my chair back to its place and sat for a minute to relax while she put on the shimmery band aides! Next thing I know I was on the floor feeling super sick and the nurse was calling my name. Although I didn't exactly know where I was at that time, and it took me a good minute or so to focus and figure it out. Anyway now my muscles just hurt from where I got the shots but no lasting effects that I can tell. The nurse did kind of freak me out a bit on everything I had to do to stay safe while I was there. Oh well I will brush up on it all on the plane. I still can't believe it is so soon!
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