Not bad, just different.

I'd like to share my on-going list of things, some very small, that I've noticed about living here in Ecuador.

1.) TP is thrown in the trash can, not flushed down the toilet. Sewer systems here can't handle it.
2.) You don't ever go barefoot... not even in the house.
3.) Rice is eaten with every meal.
4.) Freshly made fruit juice is eaten with every meal.
5.) Milk isn't always kept cold. It sits on regular shelves in the stores.. and it only comes in boxes or bags, no jugs.
6.) The tap water isn't okay to drink. Families either: have huge jugs delivered, boil their water, or have a different faucet with drinking water.
7.) There isn't hardly any grass at all. Cement or dirt is pretty much everywhere.
8.) There are stray dogs wondering almost all streets. I've asked about shelters, and I've been told that there are some, but there is no where near enough room for all of the dogs and cats.
9.) There are traffic suggestions, not laws. The lines on the roads to separate lanes, are never obeyed, and I've never actually seen someone stop at a stop sign. Automobile crashes are the #1 cause of death here.
10.) The majority of children live with their parents until they get married... even if they've already graduated college and everything.
11.) Girls dress up to go to college every single day. No rolling out of bed for them.
12.) Girl-girl greetings and girl-guy greetings consist of touching cheeks and kissing the air. Guy-guy greetings are just usually shaking hands.
14.) There are tons of street vendors at stop lights and on the side walks... and even some who will sneak on to public buses to give you a speal about their product... (usually candy or gummies).
13.) Social classes are huge here-- if you have even a little money, people do anything to make it seem like they're rich... and if they're rich, you definitely will know it. And they aren't afraid to say that others are at a different level.
14.) Along with that, there are maids here. The majority of all middle-class and upper-class families have maids. They may live there or just come during the days, but the labor is incredibly cheap, so most families can afford to have them.
15.) Patience... almost unheard of here. They don't wait in cars, they don't wait in bathroom lines, they'll form a line at each stall... even if that means passing you right up.

I'll keep this list going as I think of more... Just a little food for thought!

xoxo,
Jenna

Coincidental? Not if you ask me...

I think that God has a great way of making this huge world seem so small in order to comfort and take care of his own. :)

The following are some totally random occurences that have happened to me in Ecuador, where I've been blown away... In a good way, of course!

1.) My first night meeting my host family, I was so nervous that I was shaking. My host mom was there to pick me up, and she didn't speak any English, while I didn't speak any Spanish... my thoughts? I'm doomed. I get to the house and they bring me into the kitchen where there's about 15 people waiting for my arrival. They all started to speak to me and I couldn't understand anything, nor say anything back, and I just stood there as tears welled up in my eyes. There was a girl named Lauren sitting at the table, who was a former student of theirs just in for a visit, who started talking to me. She helped me feel better, and as we kept talking, she had told me she was from California. I told her that I was from Orrville, Ohio, and out of all odds possible-- her dad was born and raised in little old Orrville, Ohio, and he is a Bowers... also related to many Linsalatas.  I know SO many Bowers & Linsalatas! How insane?

2.) I was in the hospital the second week I was in Ecuador, which was the first week in Guayquil. I was with my host family, who'd I'd only known for about 2 days, and my Spanish speaking was awful! My host mom had to leave for a little bit to go pick up Arial and Jose from school, so I was in my room with just Claudia (the director of the KEI program that sent me here). A minute later, this woman walks in the door, speaking great English, saying, "Is this Jenna's room?!" She comes in to tell me that she passed Mami Francia going to her car, who she knows because they go to the same church and had asked her why she was at the hospital, and Mami Francia said that her student from Ohio was in here. The lady (Martha) asked which room, and she came up to visit me. She just so happened to be from Dover, Ohio! Whom we play in football every year, and she drives through Orrville all the time. She also is a professor at UEES (my university here in Guayquil!)

3.) I was walking home from the bus one night, and it's a little more than a half-walk to my house, when I said good-bye to some gringa friends, as my house in the farthest away. This boy who was up ahead of me had heard me say good-bye and sort of stood there waiting for me to catch up. I was a little nervous until he started talking to me in near-perfect English, and introduced me to his huge dog. He asked me where I was from and we happened to be walking the same way, so it wasn't a big deal at all. He told me his name was David, and somehow we ended up talking about where he learned such good English. And of all places, he did an internship in Charleston, SC, while he lived in Mount Pleasant. I told him I'd been there a bunch, because my boyfriend lived there, and we talked about all of the good places to eat!

4.) I'm on the plane to the Galapagos Islands with my friends, and I ended up having the seat open beside me, which was right by the isle. A boy came up to me and asked (in awful broken, attempted English) if he could sit there to talk to his friend who was sitting across the isle. He sat down and they started talking. He started speaking to me in Spanish, saying something like, "I hope your boyfriend isn't coming back for his seat... I might have to fight him for it." Oh my, I knew the rest of the plane ride would be interesting, but I was thoroughly impressed with myself to understand and try to respond to these Argentinian goof-balls going to the Galapagos. They asked where I was from, and I told them, and they said that one of their friends had been to Ohio. They called him over, and come to find out, he spent his senior year of high school studying at McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio.


*It's a small world after all. :) I hope to add more to this before I head back home.

xoxo,
Jenna

You know something is a little corrupt, when....

Yes, you know that there is something corrupt going on when a police officer wouldn't protect you from excessive cat calls, because they're taking part in them.

i'm going to have to say this is NOT my favorite thing about Ecuador.