in america.

in case you don't already know, i am back in dallas. i got in late tuesday night after a long day of delayed flights and missed connections. 

it has been great to be home so far. i've gotten to do laundry at home, eat good mexican food, and flush toilet paper down the toilet... little things that you take for granted until you don't have them for six months. 

so glad to be back! 

morgan elena stallings.

i have literally been trying to upload photos to this thing for two days. i've finally given up, so now this post is not only two days late but also pictureless. i blame it on the third world. luckily, she deserves her own post any day of the year and not just on her birthday...

over the past six and a half years, morgan (also known as gans, djganner, morghanne, morgie-poo) has become one of my favorite people to be around and one of my best friends. i met her over six years ago on bid day (i think... it was sometime around then). although i am fuzzy on the exact day, i remember one thing clearly: i immediately like her. she was easy to talk to and a lot of fun. that has not changed. 

throughout college i enjoyed attending countless date parties with her, living next door to her in the chi-o house, and taking the occasional SB trip to destin. she always brought the party... trucker hat on head and diet coke in hand. i also loved how people would always mistake her for that jcrew model. i love the memories i have of her from college. 

but i am most thankful for the past few years we've had... the dallas years. by nothing other than providence, we both moved to dallas after graduation, and instantly became what we like to call "DBs." in the sometimes rough post-college/pre-ready-to-be-an-adult phase, morgan was always there for me. i was always amazed by her ability to work long hours, then come out in her work clothes, and then go do YL stuff for a few hours. and by her ability to drive a standard while texting. she's pretty hard-core. 

i'll never forget our countless roadtrips, living room dance parties, OTH marathons or the time i made you sing to me on the beach. in the words of fall out boy: thanks for the memories. 

 you are the best, morgan. lovies. gypsies fuh life. 

"never shall i forget the days i spent with you. continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours."    --beethoven

for my sister, on her birthday.

my sister has been, without a doubt, one of the most influential people in my life. to quote my good friend jane completely out of context, "it is a truth universally acknowleged" that growing up with an older sister has a profound effect on a girl. 

i'll start from the beginning. our history is kind of funny. kerri was the model baby. not only was she born with good hair and a mild temper, she was literally a baby model. at age 2, i think. and as i imagine it, she basked in all her 4 and 1/2 years of only-child glory. 

enter: me. now, i don't really remember the early years, but as I'm told, Kerri was highly disappointed with my arrival. always good-natured, she liked the thought of my coming, but later complained that all i did was "poop and cry." 

i can't blame her. she was the first child, and the first grandchild - an experience that could only reinforce that to someone so young and influencial that she is, in fact, the shiz. then, with no one consulting her first, comes a crying, screaming, demanding baby. 

i'm afraid the following years didn't improve the situation much. i think it was at the age of 3 when i realized that i liked the spotlight. and that i caused a lot of trouble. and that i wanted to be just like paula abdul. and that i liked to make my sister make up dances to amy grant songs and teach them to me. 

i have no excuses. 

but she soon learned, and it wasn't long before she was saying, "hey, crawl through this gutter and we'll be right behind you!" only for me to look back and see no one. 

but enough about that. what i really wanted to say was thanks - to my sister, that is - for putting up with me for all those years.  thank you, for so may things: 

thank you for feathering by bangs everyday for kindergarten. who knows how i would have turned out without some decent feathered bangs. 

thanks for pushing play on the tape player all those times i demanded the family to watch me perform. and thanks for choosing quality music including wilson philips and ace of base. 

thanks for setting a fashion example by shopping at gap from the age of 12. 

thanks for keeping your room clean because it was easier for mom and dad to deal with just 1 completely out-of-control bedroom. 

thanks for getting your own phone line when you were 15, and letting me use it when I was 11. because we know i needed it.  

thanks for helping me set up my first email and IM account. I owe my middle school social life to you. 

thanks for letting me rollerblade with you and your friends when you were in high school and i was just an 8th grader. that must have been annoying. 

thanks for always supporting and loving me, no matter what kind of shananigans i was into. 

thanks for always bringing some perspective and making me laugh, when my type-a perfectionism got the best of me.  

thank you, most of all, for loving and following christ with your whole heart, and showing me how to do the same. you are the best sister. 

all of this to say... 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! last year of your twenties! woooooo!

"children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply."

-jane austen, mansfield park

this time of year.

first, i apologize for my absence from the blog (as well as for pissing morgan off - see comment on previous post. i'm sorry dear. this post is for you). while things have slowed down a bit here, the lack of updates has not been so much because of inactivity here (i still need to update on my trip to the jungle and melissa's visit), but more so because i've had so many different thoughts in my head the past month or so, and i don't know where or how to begin expressing them in pixel. 

the month of november marked month 5 of my time here. it was a tough one, but also full of saving graces. in november, the ache of missing people reached new places. the luster of all this adventure began to fade and i noticed more and more the inefficiencies and annoyances of living in a third-world country. i started to feel a little resentment in my chest as i thought about missing engagements, birthdays, baby showers and funerals these past few months. my heart had already gone back to Texas. 

on november 23, i noted in my journal that the concept of home seemed so distant. the holidays were approaching and i was missing home, or more accurately, the people who are there. three days later, a great friend arrived to spend thanksgiving here, bringing a piece of home (and pumpkin!) with her. it was just what i needed, and suddenly i realized how much i had to be thankful for. 

and now this season of advent seems so appropriate. it is a season of waiting, of anticipation, and of hope - the exact feelings i have in relation to my return. just the thought of it makes me smile. 

So here's to the waiting that brings hope, and the hope that brings life.  

I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope

For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, 

For love would be the love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith

But with the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting. 

Wait without thought, for you are not ready for though: 

So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing. 

- T.S. Eliot

mateys, beware.

you think america has problems? 

that rapidly decreasing DOW is nothing. yesterday, i received an email from the quito consular with subject line "warden message: piracy concerns off ecuador coast." 

that's right, pirates. who even knew those still existed? 

the subject line is usually as far as i get on these warden emails, but i figured this one was worth the read. and i was right.  

The U.S. Consulate General and U.S. Embassy Ecuador wish to inform American citizens visiting or resident in Ecuador to use extreme caution when sailing near the coast of Ecuador, as there was a recent incident of armed robbery at sea off the coast of Ensenada de Pedernales, Manabi by modern day pirates. Recreational craft, merchant vessels and fishing boats are all at risk of attack by pirates. This incident highlights the continuing danger of maritime travel of the coast of Ecuador.... Before planning a trip at sea, research anti-piracy measures.

oh, ok, good to know. i will be sure and do that, warden. pirates? seriously? 

futbol.

and by that i mean soccer. and by that i mean south american soccer.

this past sunday my roommates, along with some ecuadorians, and i went to an authentic south american soccer game. deportiva quito vs. barcelona (which are both ecuadorian teams - i don't get it either). all the people i was with were going for barcelona, and they informed me it would be beneficial to my livelihood if i rooted for barcelona as well. little did i know it would be beneficial not only for my livelihood, but also for my actual life. 

i decided to go along with it since i thought barcelona's black and yellow uniforms looked cooler. 

we arrive to the stadium to find the fans seated in entirely different sections, separated by tall fences. that's interesting, i thought. 

go barcelona.

i knew soccer was a big deal here, but i had no idea just how big it was. i have never seen anything like it... streamers, flags, horns, puffs of team-colored smoke. and cheers to the tune of "llora, quito, llora." meaning, "cry, quito, cry." it was like an aggie game on crack. and that's saying something. 

the game ended in a supremely anticlimactic tie. this non-even, however, did not stop the fans from throwing pilsener bottles, trash, half-eaten hot dogs and anything else they could find over the 12-foot partitian. never had i felt so grateful for chain-link, and never had i made such an effort to exit so quickly from a jam-packed stadium. 

"some people believe soccer is a matter is a matter of life and death. i'm very disappointed with that attitude. i can assure you, it is much, much more important than that."      --bill shankley

take heed.

my sister sent me some advice on how to act now that Obama has been elected. i guess she thought i could use some help? huh. 

5 things white people shouldn't do. 

she also sent me some advice for black people. just in case i decide to become a black person, maybe? i do like fried chicken and rap music. again, huh. 

5 things black people shouldn't do. 

"see, it's not about races, just places, faces. where your blood comes from, it's where your space is. i've seen the bright get duller, i'm not going to spend my life being a color."   

-L.T.B. rap performance from MJ's Black or White

pro-life.

I just saw this video this morning on Randy Alcorn's blog. His blog highlights some critical points about Obama's stance on abortion. The video is extremely graphic but sheds light on an issue that has been somewhat overshadowed this election.




I hope you go vote today... and think and pray before you do.

elsie in ecuador: the rundown.

*i wrote this blog yesterday morning, and i have been trying to upload pictures to go with it ever since. i guess blogger just doesn't want you to see them. for now, check out my picasa albums for illustrations. 

as you know, LC came to Ecuador last week to visit. it was a week of firsts in more ways than one. it was the LC's first time out of the country, first time to throw toilet paper in the trash can instead of the toilet, and the first time that she's ever realized that international travel is c-o-o-l. she was my first visitor in ecuador. for both of us, it was the first time to climb to the top of the basilica, bike down cotapaxi, and hike through the andes. here are some highlights of the trip, in somewhat of a chronological order.

day 1: LC's bday. we spent the day exploring quito's artisan market and old town. LC started off the week right by making me pose with her for a ridiculous number of self-timer pics, buying a ton of ecuadorian crap, and mocking tourists. it was a hella good time.

one of our many self-timer pics inside the basilica.

day 2: cotapaxi. who wouldn't think biking down the world's tallest active volacano isn't a brilliant idea? apparently, LC, among others. but i thought it sounded like fun and i was planning the trip. to our surprise and delight, this idea was a winner. we both loved the ride, and we met some crazy continental airline employees who are hopefully going to hook us up with some sweet buddy passes if we send them our millions of amazing pictures.

after the bike ride, we hitched a ride with out guide (bikingdutchman.com) all the way to quilotoa. we arrived to quilotoa, a small indigenous village in the mountains, around 5:30pm. we were somewhere around 15,000 feet and it was COLD. i mean, we layered on all 5 pieces of clothing we had in our backpacks, hats and gloves included. we did, however, get to see some quilotoans practice their dances and songs for some sort of upcoming indigenous festival. very authentic.


day 3: hike from quilotoa to chugchilan. you might be wondering why we would go to some random, tiny indigenous village in the mountains to freeze our buns off in a ghetto-fabulous hostal. just look at the pictures... that wouldn't load! ugh.

laguna quilotoa is an old volcano that now has a lake in the crater and it is absolutely breathtaking. we hiked around a portion of it in the morning en route to chugchilan, our next destination. my lonely planet book recommended hiking from one village to the next, siting it as one of ecuador's most "enchanting experiences." enchanting it was, easy, or even moderately difficult, it was not. that hike was straight up hard. my legs are still a little sore. but i LOVED it. it was probably my favorite part of the whole trip.

LC loved it to, just had a slightly different way of expressing it. (will try to post pictures again later... her expressions were priceless). 

"are you kidding me, ecuador?!... screw the andes... if only i were in america, i could call someone and tell them to get their ass and their car over here and pick me up...."

after 4.5 gruelling hours, we made it to our destination: chugchilan's black sheep inn - our splurge for the week. a bit pricier than your average $10 a night hostal, but well worth it. it is an eco-friendly lodge with amazing food, comfy beds, and warm rooms. we met lots of interesting people here too, which was fun.


day 4: travel back to quito. this day was pretty low-key, which was good considering neither of us could really walk. nothing much to speak of. our driver did stop on the way home to let me go to the bathroom "a natural." that was neat. and, we went to dinner at one of my favorite places, vista hermosa (which means "beautiful view"). it's on a rooftop and has great views of the city. the clouds were pretty.


day 5: papallacta. still having trouble walking, we decided to head to papallacta, a little town about 1.5 hours from quito that has natural hot springs. we thought it would be good for the muscles. it was. then, we hitchhiked home. oops. turns out, hitchhiking isn't so scary after all! roberto was really nice, and even bought me lunch at an ecuadorian truck stop.


it was such a great trip, and we had so much fun. not only did we get to explore ecuador and hike through the andes, but i got to see my bestie and have a little piece of home here for a week.



"life gives us brief moments with one another... but sometimes in those brief moments we get memories that last a lifetime."

elsie in ecuador.

i know you are all dying to hear about LC's big trip. we had a b-last. so much fun. i will try to post some funny stories later, but for now pictures are better than nothing! i've been playing around with a new online gallery... click the picture or the link to view.





Click here to see my whole gallery of photos

feliz cumpleanos, elsie.

lauren-nicki is 25 today. and here are 25 of the reasons i love her. 

25. she is in ecuador today. 

24. she loves politics, america, arkansas and wal-mart. 

23. she can always make me laugh. hard.  

22. she has great hair. and will tell you about it. 

21. she can recite the presidents in chronological order. 

20. she loves to take pictures and document everything.

19. she recorded every episode of SYTYCD for me, and brought them to ecuador!

18. she wears really cool glasses/sunglasses.  

17. people often stop us on the street and ask her if she is nancy mckeon. 

16. she has great taste in music. 

15. she burns great CDs. 

14. her dance moves are outta-control bad-a. 

13. she has 1,479 friends on facebook. and claims to have a "personal relationship" with each. 

12. she is helping write this blog... JK! kinda. 

11. her skin is really, really clear. 

10. her fashion motto is "you can't go wrong with a polo and pearls." and she doesn't shop at abercrombie and fitch. 

9. she is friends with my sister. and pat. 

8.  one of her love languages is facebook wall-posts. 

7. she has a dog named susan. she's also had dogs named jennifer, shannon michelle, robert, and jason. 

6. she likes to watch documentaries with me. 

5. she "trained" to come on this trip. 

4. she calls or skypes me an average of 3x per week. 

3. she's well-endowed. and she puts up with me trying to making her uncomfortable. 

2. she is the most loyal friend i've ever had. 

1. she loves jesus and others so well, and with her life, challenges me to do the same. 

love you LC!!! thanks for being my BFFAE. 

this is my confession.

sometimes, i just want to look people in the face and scream, I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU! 

in english. 

scussi?

*this post had to take a short hiatus due to the fact that my mom was surprising my dad with this puppy... or, in my opinion, not telling him so that he wouldn't say no. the puppy is now home, and the blog is back. 

so, i got an email from my mother today informing me that she is getting a new puppy. one to be friends with kaiser, our current dog. i can´t even explain how jealous i am. i mean, puppies are my FAVORITE. look at this lil punkin. mom, why do you have to get a puppy when live in a different country?!? i just can´t wait to meet this lil guy.


in other news, i just got my fancy new multiple-entry visa. i am officially a resident of ecuador. whoop.

brilliant sunday.

sundays have become somewhat traditional here in quito... brunch followed by a soccer game in the park. a bunch of the people at work play on a team together. i am, of course, the full-time cheerleader. this sunday, though, we mixed it up a bit and went to quitofest after the game - quito's version of ACL. we were only there for a few hours on sunday afternoon, but we heard some great hip-hop reggae. it's all the rage. 

the classic self-portrait with heads cut off. from top, clockwise: faruq (top), me, milton, malena (she's suisse!). faruq and milton are our star soccer players, and make for excellent spanish conversation partners.

milton took one for the team in order for us to get a "real" picture. 

view of the stage and park. lots of people.

the sky looked cool. notice the bowling pins flying through the air. there were jugglers.

view of quito from the park. bottom center is the basilica, and that big hill is pichincha.

"a sunday well-spent brings a week of content."  --anon. 

thoughts from joe.

seems like coffee always provokes good conversation when accompanied by a friend, and clear thoughts when alone. i was just thinking about this the other day over my cafe con leche, and today i decided to blog it. 

for the past six years of my life, i have been surrounded by people who love jesus. it has been such a blessing... the lord gave me the most solid friends and loving family i could ask for. now, for the first time in my life, i can count the number of christians i know (here) on one... finger. one of my students, geovanna. she is probably in her forties and is married with kids. i don't think we'll be hanging out much. 

the point is, the people i spend time with day in and day out do not believe in jesus, and probably think i'm a little crazy for doing so. they don't understand why i don't get drunk, never want to smoke pot with them, or why i'm the only one who hasn't "hooked up" with anyone yet. 

this aspect of life has undoubtedly been challenging, but completely refreshing at the same time. when faced with peopled who do not understand your lifestyle, it makes you consider, really think about, why you live your life the way you do. when "that's the way everyone around me does it" is no longer an option. that was never really the reason, but now i know it, and i am reminded of it daily. like my alarm clock reminds me to wake up in the morning, i am reminded of it. 

now, i know that i'm okay with being looked at differently, with being somewhat of an "outsider" for the cause of christ. and i am certain that the momentary struggles here will not, cannot compare with what is to come. 

there's joy in that.

"in this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith --more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:6-7

chocolate chip cookies and football.

i'm watching monday night football right now. dallas v philadelphia. and i'm into it. like, i am loving it. it's weird. 

but i think i know why. 

as much as i'm enjoying this adventure here in ecuador, there are a few things i miss. some things that have surprised me, and some not at all surprising. like, this week, i started to really miss football. aggies. cowboys. china spring cougars. my thoughts have been with them all. 

i also realized tonight that i haven't had a chocolate chip cookie since i got here. that's two and a half months. has got to be some kind of record. in my dallas days, i was at JD's chippery weekly, if not bi-weekly... ok maybe every other day for a fresh semi-sweet and regular one-pump vanilla dc.

those days are gone. 

the weird thing is, i just now noticed it. just today. it is funny how some of the little comforts of home are not really comforts at all. what has comforted me here has not been chocolate chip cookies, but something much, much richer. 

but, at least for tonight i can enjoy some good ol' texas football, even if i am sitting on the most uncomfortable futon-couch ever made. comfort is mine. 

"if you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair."     -- c.s. lewis

listen to this.

this song not only not only tells the story of the incredible journey the larsens have gone through the past few months, but is a great reminder of what a precious gift we have been given - life. 

life's song.

"more things are wrought in prayer than the world dreams of."    --alfred lord tennyson

just some random details concerning my life in ecuador.

it seems like my blog posts are getting fewer and far between, and i apologize. it is not for lack of happenings. life has picked up a bit lately. i finally have an actual routine, complete with three hours of spanish class a day. and while nothing super significant has happened, some little funny things have happened. after all, life is in the details...





that makes me uncomfortable.

i´m not that easily embarassed, but a few things have made me really uncomfortable in the past few weeks.


first, we don´t have a washer/dryer in our apartment. this is normal. it is also completely normal for one to take their clothes to a lavanderia - a laundromat, of sorts, where they do the laundry for you. well last week was the first time i had to take my laundry... literally all of it. i was confident in my choice of lavanderia because i had gotten a recommendation from a friend - near the apartment and has the low price of 35 cents per pound. not bad. i hauled, i think, 15 pounds of laundry there, almost all of my clothing, and definitely all of the *neccessities. i handed my massive laundry bag to the hombre and, to my detriment, he proceeded to count out every single peice of clothing before placing it in the scale... every shirt, every sock, and every pair of underwear. just a little uncomfortable, but i´m getting used to it.

also, it´s pretty obvious that one of my students has a crush on me. he likes to make little comments about it in class. i´m not saying this out of conceit. believe me, you do not want an ecuadorian 19-year-old to have a crush on you.



bus stories.
we take a lot of bus trips in ecuador. they realy aren´t too bad. usually pretty ghetto-fabulous with fringe hanging from the windows and orange carpet on the ceiling. if you´re lucky, sequins and at least one virgin mary figurine.



on many of these bus trips, however, there were three of us (leah, dani, me), forcing one of us to sit alone. naturally, i found myself sitting by ecuadorian strangers more than once. this is where you have to try to play your cards right and not end up beside someone who doesn´t value personal hygiene or drools and/or snores while sleeping.



my favorite stranger to share a seat with so far was santos. santos is a preshy little indigenous man who wasn´t afraid to strike up a conversation with a gringa. he was the first indigenous person i had a real conversation with, maybe because most of them speak only quichua, but also because i had always been afraid to talk to them.



in our short time beside each other, i learned that he had eight kids, five girls and three boys, he lived a little ways outside of quito, and that he taught quichua, among other things. he also looked out for my belongings when i dozed off. it was just a neat experience to talk to someone who clearly came from quite a different world.




and another neat thing happened.



on these buses, it seems at every stop, at least a few people get on to sell their good of choice. usually food of some sort. they walk around and offer samples, and make another round for people to purchase.



so on one of these particular bus rides, we were famished. like, probably about to just waste away. finally, a man gets one selling some type of nut, or chip, or little fried thing. i don´t know. as he walked around offering samples, dani waves him over, ¨she wants one!¨she says, pointing to leah. so naturally starving leah takes the sample. i tasted it too.



tasted like a mixture of burnt peanuts, lard, and... hmmm... dirty gym sock juice.



he comes back around and when leah politely declined to purchase, he was not happy. he gave her a good, long glare, and under his breath uttered a certain spanish superlative, ¨puta.¨



that´s spanish for bitch.





home.

i finally have a home! we moved in two weeks ago, and wasted no time getting settled in. after nearly two months of living out of a suitcase and hopping from host family, to hotel, to hostel, having a place to nest could not come soon enough.

and now that i´m here, in my nest, reality is setting in. my life here is real, and semi-permanent. i´ll admit that the first month or two felt somewhat like a vacation, or at least like an extended study abroad program. but for three weeks now, i have gone to a real job, bought things like sheets and towels, and got my own set of keys to my apartment. i really live here. it's still a little unbelievable, but i like it. i like it a lot.

banos pictures!

baños!

a is for adrenaline. b is for baños.

i'm kind of a homebody. i mean, i love to travel and go on adventures, but i also love resting and staying in for a night of sex and the city and takeout. that is why last weekend, i almost did not go on our last group trip, to baños. it had been a long week - the first of work, complete with two days of puking my guts out and sharing a tiny hostel room with two other people... i wasn't exactly a walking mountain dew ad. not to mention that we had been on multiple-hour buses for what seemed like the past 67 consecutive weekends.

but, everyone else was going. and i'm 24 and still a sucker for peer pressure.

friday night, we got on a bus around 10:30pm. four hours later, we're in banos. not to worry - breakfast wasn't until the ripe hour of 8am, to be immediately followed by some sort of outdoor adventure. do they have red bull in ecuador?

the next day, somehow, i'm up at at 'em right on time for coffee, juice and bread (a typical ecua-breakfast, a sorry excuse for one, if you ask me). at breakfast our options were presented to us: repelling down waterfalls in t minus 20 (a 3-4 hour feat), or a leisurely hour-long horseback ride up the mountain, taking off in an hour. most of the group chose the latter.

naturally, i chose the former.


and i was so glad i did. repelling down waterfalls is f-u-n. we went down four, the last one being about a 150 foot drop. we also made friends with our guide, paolo, who proceeded to invite us to go climbing with him (for free!) that afternoon.

um, ok.

we hiked to a wall that looked just like the one from princess bride. amazing. i had so much fun, it made me want to start climbing regularly. the funny thing is, i didn't once feel tired or notice my fatigue that day. adrenaline is real thing, my friend. and while red-bull is hard to come by here, there is a strikingly similar knock-off that tastes pretty good. pretty, pretty good.

that night we had a typical ecua-night... dinner and dancing, which was a mix of regular and salsa. by 12:30, i was having to prop my eyelids open with toothpics. i finally called it a day and hit the pillow, maybe harder than ever.

in the end, i was definitely glad i chose to forgo a little rest to experience a once-in-a-lifetime kind of weekend.

"those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music."

--angela monet

colombia, in pictures.

colombia

bureaucratic. backwards.

in a place where there are Ms on women´s bathroom doors, and a Cs on the faucet knobs that makes hot water come out, a girl can´t help but think that this country is a little, well, backwards. my experience today confirmed this theory.

let me start from the beginning.

about a month ago, i ordered a pair of shoes online. about a week ago, i received a slip in the mail that told me my package was at a nearby post office. i expected this part. so today after class, i finally had time to go pick it up. or so i thought. i arrive around 11:30. the first office i went into directed me down the street - for international packages.

i walk into a warehouse that has several workers and customers, but it is absolutely unclear where i should go or who i should talk to. in my best spanish, i explain my situation to a random worker. he says something back to me that i didn´t understand, but sends me to another worker. i explain again, and she helped right out! she even went and found my package! i fill out some paper and think i´m getting to take my shoes and go. nopers. she proceeds to take my package into a little room filled with other packages and a line of people standing at the door. ok, i think. this is just how it works in ecuador.

after 45 minutes, the line has not moved. finally, the people in front of me start questioning the workers. they were speaking muy rapido, so i didn´t pick up everything that was said, but the next thing i knew mrs. postal worker looked at me and said, regresa a la dos y media. or something like that. claro, gracias, i said, happy to get outta there.

dos y media, yo regreso. i wait a few minutes, go back and forth between two desks a few times, fill out another paper, wait a little more. i even watch them open my package to make sure it´s really zapatos and not weed. finally, mrs. postal looks at me and hands me a slip of paper. necesita ir al banco de guayagil a pagar.

lord have mercy. ok, going to the bank. donde esta? i asked. jibberish was the reply. perfecto. i proceeded outside to ask the guard. he at least pointed, and i at least got the gist of what he said.

after a few blocks, i decided to ask another guard where it was just for good measure. besides, guards are usually good sources considering they stand on the sidewalk all day, doing i don´t know, looking around? they generally know their stuff. oh, not this mr. man. as certainly as i asked him where the bank was, he pointed in the opposite direction i was going, mas debajo. seguro? si.

the journey continues.

so, when i get to exactly where mas debajo is, i ask yet another good samaritan where the damn bank is. to my detriment, he points up. straight back up to where i came from, but on the other side of the street, he said. alrighty.

still walkin. four more blocks arriba, i peer across the street, and i see gloryland - el banco de guayaguil... directly across the street from mr. man. he sees me again, and i told him where the bank was.

i pay, return to the post office, wait a little more. what do you know, by 3:30, i have my package in hand... four hours to pick up a package from the post office. four freakin hours.

all for a pair of $35 shoes i bought on clearance.

the significant part of this insignificant story is that this is how everything works in ecuador. if i want to make copies at work, i fill out a form, give it to a secretary, wait a few days, go back and check on it, wait a little more, check on them again, and then maybe get the copies. í´m big on efficiency, and this is just inefficient. i´m not sure what to do yet, but i am working getting the system changed.



"bureaucracy is the death of all sound work." -- albert einstein

colombia, colombia.

colombia has always been a place that brings up thoughts of danger and drug wars. a place that only reporters and world leaders dare to venture (hyperbole, LC). it is understandable why one should think it terribly bad judgement to travel there. but as usual, i went against that better judgement and took the risk of visiting colombia.

and although we ran into one or two situations*, i am very glad i took the risk. beyond the surface of cocoa fields and violent crime, colombia is a vibrant country with so many hidden treasures. crowded streets lined by brightly colored buildings, intricate, ancient architecture, rich tradition, and some of the most beautiful countryside i've ever seen.

we crossed the border on a sunday afternoon, and decided to stay in ipiales, the first town across the border to avoid travelling at night. the town was sleepy on sunday afternoon, but we managed to find some dinner and hostel, seedy as it may be. the next morning, we strolled around impiales, dipping into lots of tiendas and using all of our brainpower to convert pesos to dollars.

it wasn't long before we noticed a certain picture that kept reappearing. it was painted on the wall of our hostal and photos of it hung in restaurants. as we checked out of the hostal, we asked the manager about it. he said it was a church about 15 minutes away by taxi. no question where our next stop would be.

the cab pulls into what seemed like a little parking lot for the town. all we could see were descending cobblestone streens lined by little panaderias and textile shops. the cab drier pointed down, and motioned us to walk down the path to the church. raindrops fell as we walked to the secret church that spanned a beautiful ravine.

the church had amazing intricate details - you will have to look at the pictures to see what i mean, which are coming soon. we continued to hike to the other side of the church. olga, danielle's host mom, was a little misguided and thought we were supposed to catch our taxi on the other side. it was a mistake - about a 45 mintue detour - but for me, a welcome one, as i enjoyed exploring a little more of the countryside.

las lajas cathedral

next, we headed to pasto, a town about two more hours into colombia. pasto is larger and much more bustling than ipiales. we checked into a much nicer hotel - $30,000 pesos a night per person, which comes out to about $18 dollars a person. a welcome change from our $6 run-down, mold-infested hostal from the night before.

we spent a day in pasto mainly shopping. kind of an odd thing to do in colombia, but the peso is weak, and there were some great deals. our favorite store we found was sicily... check it out.

although our stay was short, and we didn't really see the "best" parts of colombia, it was evident the country has a lot more to offer than cocaine. it is a beautiful place and one of the largest manufacuturers in south america... made me think about how political unrest, violence, poverty have such a strong effect on a society. the governement there is making progress, but still has a long way to go. a good reminder of what makes the world better, and what terminally cripples it... spurs more thought on how i want to use my life on earth for good.

i am glad to have had the opportunity to go to colombia, and i am even more thankful for the lord's provision while we were there - how he watches over us in our naivety.


and one last thing. we were happy to get back to quito, where we felt safe and comfortable. where, for the first time, felt like home.



"though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." -- ralph waldo emerson



*another story, for another time.

updates.

it's been nine days since my last post, and i have absolutely no idea where to start with this one... a lot has happened! i'll try to keep my thoughts in order...

last monday was a rough one. it was the first day of the last week of the TESOL course, and everyone was exhausted. i was looking forward to finishing up and getting setteld into the apartment the following weekend. since our lease was supposed to start friday, august first, we called our landlord on monday to see when we could get the key. turns out that he accidentally wrote down september first on our lease instead of august first... so come friday, we had no place to live. a little stressful, made worse by the fact that my host family forgot about me that night and didn't feed me dinner. monday, monday.

syd, leah and I on the last day of class, on the terrace of the *experimento, where we spent many a coffe break.

fast forward to the weekend. leah, dani and i had a fun day saturday. now officially homeless, i packed up all my belongings and headed to dani's house. her host mom, olga, graciously let leah and i sleep there for a night. we had a good day, made pizza with pedro (the man who lives in dani's backhosue, and has a pizza shop), watched movies, and even got facials from olga, who is an esthetician.

we had plans to go to the beach the next day, but after a long hard week of class and a full day of moving, 6 hours on the bus did not sound fun, especially considering we only had three days.

but for some reason, the next morning, 4 hours to colombia sounded perfect. so sunday morning, we headed out with olga on a whim (sorry mom). interesting to say the least. and it definitely deserves its own blog, which will come soon.

fast forward again to wednesday. we are back from colombia. with no place to live, leah's mom has generously used her amex points for us to stay at the nicest hotel in quito... it is amazing! we are in a suite with a fully kitchen, living room, huge bedroom and two bathrooms. my favorite thing has been the showers. after six weeks of hit or miss showers with little to no hot water, absolutely no water pressure, or water that just stops running right when i am soapy and hot, high-pressure shower is pure bliss. we have had a great time, taking full advantage of the jacuzzi, room service, and cable.

speaking of that, i have some things to get back to right about now. colombia blog coming soon.

oh, and, i'm thinking of adding a spanish word of the day. slash word of the blog.

today's word:

chevere = cool; banging; tight. to be used in informal settings.

*the "experimento" is where we took our TESOL course. it is officially called "the experiement in international living." you can check it here.

otavalo pictures!

Otavalo

mindo pictures... finally!

Mindo

i finally got around to posting pictures of our trip to mindo!

the story of otavalo.

have you ever had one of those weekends that seemed like everything was straight out of a movie? the past 24 hours have been exactly that. 

yesterday, 6:15 couldn't come fast enough. it had been a long week and we were more than ready for our weekend getaway. when we (finally) got out of class, we headed straight to the supermaxi (that is the name of the grocery store here, not to be confused with a feminine product) to get some snacks before our departure. there were five of us - leah, danielle, sydney, juilan, and me. if you're a regular reader, julian is a new character. he is a bloke from sussix, as i like to say, and he takes classes at the same place we do. he definitely wins the best accent award. 

anyway, after we stocked up on goodies for the trip, the five of us piled into the cab, which took us to the estacion ofelia, the one at the north of the city where we were told to catch the bus to otavalo. friday night traffic, plus six deep in a cab, plus ecuadorian drivers do not mix well. our relief to be out of the cab was stumped when several different sources at the station told us we were not in the right place... we had needed to go to the other station to catch the bus to otavalo. hmmm. that would mean another 30 minute cab ride back south. we decided to take our chances, and somewhat randomly got on a bus that was heading north, in the general direction we needed to go. 

after about 45 minutes, we start chatting with the people next to us. they look at us like we're crazy when we tell them we're trying to get to otavalo, and tell us that we need to get off where the road Ys, walk to the left, and get on a different bus. perfect. clear as mud. we hop off the bus in the nick of time. 

as we're getting off the bus, i just start laughing... the thought that we are in the small-town ecuador in a somewhat deserted town in the middle of the night, trying to catch a bus that we know nothing about, was just funny to me. that, and the fact that the first thing i saw when i stepped off the bus was a man peeing. just out in the open. 

so we walk about 100 meters down the road, to the left. 

hmmm. we were not seeing any buses. after a while, i just start waving down any vehicle that looks tall enough to be a bus. i figured they wouldn't stop if they weren't interested in giving us a ride. luckily, after about 15 minutes we see the bus! we were gonna make it. 

we made it! we are in otavalo and all we have to do now is get to our hostal. we grab another cab and direct him to drive to "la casa luna," our hostal. 

we knew our hostal was off the beaten path, but after ten minutes in the car and our one-off cabby, carlos washington, driving into what seemed to be oblivion, i was sure we were done for. we've made it pretty far guys, but this is the end of the road, i thought. 

to my surprise and delight, carlos washington came through! we really did make it! we settled into our two bedroom suite, built a fire and soon called it a night. 

the next morning came early. otavalo is known for its extensive markets, and we had heard that early morning was the best time to shop. we woke up around 7am, took a few minutes to enjoy the gorgeous view from our hostal and then headed to town. 

the market was incredible. after five hours of wandering through a maze of stands, i don't think we even scratched the surface of what was there. we picked up some great finds including jewelry, clothing, art and other home decor. 

we were exhausted by 12:30, so we decided to call it quits on the market. after grabbing lunch at the hostal, we called a cab to take us to the bus station. brace yourself, this is when the story turns tragic. 

as i've mentioned before, ecuadorian drivers are all bats-outta-hell, and yield to nothing. up until this point, however, i've been surprised by the lack of serious collisions. so, we're driving to the station. suddendly, we see a puppy run out in the road... the driver doesn't slow down, but this is normal. hurry up, puppy, i'm thinking, hoping it will make it across before we come close. before i know it, i can no longer see the puppy... oh no, i hope it got across... wait. what is that noise... oh no... this can't be happening... oh no! oh no oh no oh no!!!!! 

oh my gosh, we all gasped in disbelief. our heartless cabby just ran over a puppy! and we were in the car! i wanted to cry. then i wanted to punch the driver when he started laughing about the whole thing. it was one of the saddest things that has ever happened to me. 

i hate to end on a downer, but there is nowhere to go after the puppy. stupid cab driver. 

"in view of the fact that god limited the intelligence of man, it seems unfair that he did not also limit his stupidity." --konrad adenauer

speak to me.

for those of you who don't already have these, my ichat name is laura.l.brittain@mac.com and my skype name is lauralynnbrittain. add me, please and give me your info!  i also have a cell phone that you can call me on, but i'm not going to post that number on the b-log. muchas gracias. 

nuances and charm.

transportation:

1. ecuadorian drivers honk every 4 minutes. reason or not. most of the time, not, it seems to me. 
2. there is no rhythm, rhyme, or reason to the bus system. you just wave it down from wherever you're standing and hop on. 
3. my host mom averages 7-near-fender-benders on any given 12-minute drive... generally followed up by her saying, "mi manejando es muy mal. muy, muy mal." comforting. 

food & weather: 

1. potatoes and rice are acceptable for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. ecuadorians love their carbs. 
2. i might have a parasite. cool. 
3. although there are only two real season (dry and wet), four seasons are generally experienced throughout the course of one day. cool, misty morning, sunny and warm midday, afternoon shower, chilly night. 

money: 

1. people get in a huffy is you hand them anything over a ten. 
2. the other day, i had to get $300 out in cash from the ATM... came out entirely in tens. had this money not been intended to pay rent (actually, deposit and rent), it would have been helpful, in light of #1. 
3. speaking of rent, mine is $167 per month, all bills included. and i have my own bathroom. 

miscellaneous: 

1. have you ever bought animal crackers from a woman who was breastfeeding? oh. i have. 

to be continued... 

prayer for a friend.

i came home early from class today because i wasn't feeling well. i've been laying in bed since about 1:00, falling in and out of sleep and listening to my ipod. the pain in my body is made worse by the heavy heart that i have for a friend at home, as her mother is struggling to fight a deep, deep cancer. a song comes on that is as true today as it ever was: 

we love you, jesus

for so many reasons

for death and life and freedom

EVEN NOW, we love you

we love you, jesus

in and out of seasons

in valleys and on top of mountains

even now can we sing

what manner of love is this that you would say

your sin is mine - i'll take it to the grave (then rising)

death, o death, where is your sting today? 

death is swallowed up in victory. 

 

comic relief.

this is a really important video to consider when planning your trip to ecuador.



just kidding!

mindo: a bangin little town.

sorry for the lack of updates... life has gotten busy! we started our TESOL course last week and it is pretty intense. full days and homework on top of that... i feel braindead at the end of each day and usually too tired to do much of anything. it is a lot of work, but definitely enjoyable. 

this past weekend we went to Mindo, a little town about two hours west of Quito. it is a super chill town and although it is literally one road, there is lots to do there. we got there saturday around 10am and immediately went to "the canopy" for ziplinig. the views were amazing...a mix of mountains and jungle and we did tricks such as la mariposa and the superman. i will post pictures soon, but check out this site for pictures of what we did. 

after lunch, danielle, sydney and i walked to the butterfly garden and on the way back to the hostal, we stopped at a bakery for coffee and treats. as we were sitting there, i happened  to look up and see zac coventry (a guy i knew from college) just walking down the street. i knew he was doing peace corps in ecuador, but i had no idea where... such a small world! it was fun to see a familiar face. 

the next morning we went on a hike up a mountain to this waterfall where several of us jumped off a considerably high cliff. it was bangin.  i didn't have my camera, but here is a video of exactly what we did. 

although i felt exhausted and sore today, Mindo was a great discovery... a perfect weekend retreat from the city. 

"life is either a great adventure, or nothing." -- helen keller

pictures from the equator.

equator

pictures!

first saturday in quito

run #1: comical.

this morning, i went for my first run here in quito. let's just say that 9,3oo feet is a major detail. after five minutes of continuous running, my lungs felt like they were about to pop. like a balloon that you just keep blowing up until it bursts. after five minutes. i somehow managed to run/walk for another 25 minutes. 

i am supposed to run in a 10K in august... this could definitely get interesting. i'll keep you updated. 

i am, however, committed to keep up the habit for two reasons. first, it is a great way to see the city. this morning, i came across this big park in the middle of the city with lots of trails running through countless playgrounds and jungle gyms. i also discovered that there is some sort of market in that park on saturdays - along one of the pathways, i saw rows of green tents with people setting out their crafts. 

and, as if i needed another reason, they say that one of the ways to deal with culture shock is to incorporate the old and new. meaning, you should incorporate things that you loved in your previous lifestyle/culture into your new one. running has always been a release for me, and i don't see why it should be any different here. 

the main thing is, i'm finding out that while so many things are entirely different, the things that are important remain... or at least can be maintained with some dedication and maybe a little creativity. 

"ask yourself: can i give more? the answer is usually yes." -- paul tergat

praise him.

this morning, i took my first hot shower. not my first shower, just the first hot one. 

yesterday, i got home all by myself without getting mugged. 

everyday, there is nutella on the breakfast table. 

praise him. 

journal entry #2: linguistic imperialism

again, this assignment is for class. these are simply my thoughts and reflections on language/linguistic imperialism. i have not studied the topic and this is by no means a thesis. 

the idea of language imperialism, at it's core, could mean two things: 

1. that one language (and subsequently culture) is superior to the other and therefore threatening. 

2. on the other hand, the spread of the hegemonic language could be extremely fruitful for the less affluent country. 

as a future TESOL teacher and a culture-lover, i could argue, to a degree, either point. bringing english to a developing country, for example, is generally a very positive thing and a step in the right direction toward economic development. the ability to speak english often means more business opportunities, access to greater technology and the option to communicate with countless more people groups. it is well-established and functional all over the world, and essential for working in many industries. 

on the contrary, the transfer of dominance of a certain language can easily become a transfer of power and culture. this is obviously threatening to any valued culture, whether it has a strong global presence or otherwise. 

in the context of what i am doing here, i hope to teach english as a means to equip people for a better lifestyle - simply furthering their education and widening their span of communication. while doing so, i think it is important to be respectful of their culture and embrace it, being careful not to press my own norms on them in a demeaning way. in my goals journal, i said i wanted to embrace the culture. this means letting go of some of the things i am used to and accepting that my life now is here. 

"when in rome, do as the romans do."   --st. ambrose

this is where i live.

kinda boring, but haven't taken many photos yet... this is something that will change soon. 

mi dormitorio.

view from my bedroom window.

this is the view from my host family's living room... not too shabby.

 

goals.

one of our assignments for today was to journal about our goals for this year. why not make it a blog post, thought she. 

the decision to move abroad, for me, has been a long time coming. from the moment i set foot outside of my native country when i was 19, i could appreciate the value and see the importance of understanding and embracing other cultures. after two years of working in corporate america - a place that i am thankful to have lived in, but happy to be out of - i knew it was time for me to move on to something different completely. 

my reasons for coming here are endless: for an adventure, to learn spanish, to get out of my bubble, to just experience something new, to name a few.  but when i sit down to think about what i really want to get out of living here, in quito, ecuador, for eleven months, the list becomes quite different. yes, i want to learn spanish. yes, i am excited for the adventure. but there is much more i hope to accomplish while i am here, and while the list is shorter, the weight is much, much greater. my goals, if you will, are: 

1. to gain a true and deep understanding of the culture: to live among the people and live like them; to embrace all aspects of their culture while i am here, including the ones that i adore (a lackadaisical concept of time and a completely flexible schedule), as well as the ones i may never get used to (adults living with their parents until they get married, even if that means age 42). 

2. to stretch myself: if anything, living in a foreign place and speaking a foreign language will be challenging. it's one of those things that you can only prepare so much for, and eventually just have to go for it. kinda like diving into a river you've never swam in before... there's no telling what's below the surface, but your instinct tells you it is marvelous so you jump in anyway. 

3. to find more direction: my hope is that this year will help me to more clearly define what it is that i want to do with the rest of my life. part of the reason i came here was because i am interested in international affairs, relations and development and possibly want to pursue a graduate degree in one of those fields. i think spending some time internationally will push me in one way or the other, either feeding the passion or starving it. 

4. lastly, to make a difference: if i could help better just one person's life while i am here, i will be happy. 

"sometimes life just leads to the next thing and the next thing, and each one of those things brings us a little more to life, taps into a few more parts of us that were previously untapped. but every once in a while life opens up wide and drenches us, like getting hit by a wave and tumbled, and when we come up for are we see that it is offering to us something extraordinary."  -- shauna niequist

day one.

i just picked up a wireless network, so i am taking advantage! i wrote this on my first night.

6/28/08

i have arrived! my host family - Rocio and Ernesto - have been so great so far. Rocio, the mom, is a little bubble of joy and Ernesto is just as nice as can be. I got to their house about 8:00 pm tonight. About an hour later, two more American girls arrived. In hindsight, I'm positive that both Rocio and Ernesto explained this to meat the airport on the way home... one of the many statements i smiled and nodded to, simply responding with, "ah. si. ok." while having no idea what they were saying. 

i'm relieved to know that the two girls speak english, but also happy to see that they are speaking almost exclusively spanish to each other and even to me. their names are lauren and amanda, and they have both just finished their freshman year at Yale, both pre-med. I do not feel unintelligent. 

after making some conversation with them, fluttering in and out of spanish, i slide back into my room to rest for a few minutes. i feel slightly awkward, not knowing whether to continue chatting to leave them alone. one thing is certain: i have to get over looking or feeling stupid in my novice attempts to speak a language i do not know and just do my best. talk about swallowing your pride. 

later, Rocio popped into my room to ask if i would like a sandwich, but was immediately onto more important matters - what kind of perfume was i wearing?! she said she liked it and asked what it was called. i told her "gucci" and showed her the bottle for good measure. she even asked me how much it cost and i think where i got it... i did my best to explain: appriximo cincuenta dolares y tienda de departamenta tienen. i realize that i am totally giving away my ignorance here,  but i think it will be funny to look back on. pride has been swallowed. 

besides, i have already memorized a few key statements NOT to say. so far, estoy embarazada, which sounds strikingly like i'm embarassed but means i'm pregnant. 

anyway, she asked me what i like, offering "jamon" as an option. figuring i probably wouldn't recognize any other sandwich fillings and not wanting to be high-maintenance, i immediately said, "si, jamon. gracias." who am i to be picky?

as we eat our sandwiches and sip on hot tea, Rocio and Ernesto are the perfect hosts. the five of us have a lovely conversation, even if i only understood every fifth word and contribute even less. before the evening is over two more girls are introduced: Linda, a senior at some college in Idaho who has been studying here since february and leaves this week, and Ana Maria, Rocio and Ernesto's youngest hija, around 19. both greet us with the half-euro kiss - one cheek only. 

i like it here. i like the ivy-outta-my-leagues, Linda and Ana Maria are very sweet and Rocio and Ernesto could not be more hospitable. i can already see that Quito has a lot to offer and i cannot wait to explore it.

"the purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

gratitude.

tomorrow at 8:20 a.m. my flight will take off for quito. i cannot believe its here! the past week has been a whirlwind of packing, moving, organizing, and preparing, and I have had little time to actually process what is happening tomorrow: i am moving to another country. i am super excited and could not be more assured in my decision to move... an assurance that i owe in part to my friends and family who have been incredibly supportive. 

i'm not sure that i can think of another time in my life when i have felt more loved and valued by the people around me. i have received scrapbooks, dvds, and letters from friends commemorating some really great times we've had together so far. thank you, friends, for making me feel so icnredibly loved. i love you too. 

the sched.

I work on 8-week cycles, with time off in between. These are the weeks I'll be working:

August 11—October 3, 2008
October 13—December 10, 2008
January 12—March 10
2009March 23—May 19, 2009

Meaning, I want to travel in the off weeks. Here's what I'm thinking:

October 3-13... LC is coming! Peru?
December 10-January 12... going home for Christmas. Come back early for Argentina?
March 10-March 23... spring break in the Galapagos? yes please.
May 19 on... going somewhere before I come home. Chile? Brazil? hmmmm.

Clearly, I will need some travel companions. Interested?

relatively speaking...

the inaugural post.

the obligatory explanation of this blog: to share with anyone who is interested about my life in ecuador. i'm moving to quito on june 28th, where i will teach english, travel the continent, and attempt to learn to speak spanish with some sort of fluency. could get interesting.

why relatively speaking?

well, i'm pretty sure there is going to be a lot of relativity in the next year of my life. i'll have a relative idea of where i am, relatively know how to ask for something, have some sort of relative plan for my future, and have reasons for moving abroad that are relatively applicable to that plan.

the decision to move abroad, for me, did not make complete sense. but i never really was one for logic (i'm a feeler rather than a thinker - thank you, briggs-meyers). over the years, i've noticed a pattern in the way God works in my life: he shows me the next step, maybe the next few steps, if i'm lucky. i just can't see the whole road. and i like the adventure of not knowing what's next. it keeps life interesting and faith active. a familiar phrase comes to mind:

the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

so, i'll happily let my plans be relative, and pray that the Lord will establish each and every one of my steps.


“It's like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” -E.L. Doctorow