DAY TWO!

My second day in Ecuador and I'm doing great. Yesterday was hard. I was a little home sck, bu after I SKYPED my mom, it was better.

My spanish is still bad, but my host family is super cool about it, and they are very helpful.

Driving to Manta from Guayquil yesterday was crazy. Ecuador is SO different then Canada. The roads are crazy, driving is INSANE, and you can drive by mountains, rce fields, cocao trees, coffee plants, banana trees!, bamboo forest, sable trees, dry forests, and practically desert all in one drive.

Last night my family taught me how to play Rummy Mexicano. Its so much fun; and difficut, but still fun.

My first night in the house wa acutally really good. My room is nice and cosy.

The house is beautiful. They have little patio and a garden out back, and my windw looks onto it, and the houses around us. It's so cool.

I Go to see both my host parents' offices today. Margarita, my mom, works at a theatre. MAAC CINE. It is sooo cool.

One difference that has got me is that thy eat a big meal at lunch, and a snac at dinnertime. It's.... odd. It'll k me some time to get used to it, and the food is sooo good.

Well, I'm going to go and, do something else.

Cao.

Mañana

Tomorrow.

Tonight is my last night in Canada for Eleven or so months.

Tomorrow night, will be my first night in Ecuador, and it will be the start of an adventure of a lifetime!

I'm all packed up and ready to go bright and early in the morning. We're driving down to Toronto, so it's gonna take a little time, and we have to be there a couple hours early. Tomorrow is going to be a long, hectic day spent in airports and in planes.

To all of my friends: I love you guys, and will miss you more than I can say! Have a great year, and I want all of you to sign the yearbook that my sister is getting for me at the end of the year. I will see you all in July, or so, until then - Live like you've never lived before, and never miss a single moment of it.

To my family: You guys have been great! All of the support I've gotten from my Parents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and extended relatives - thank you all so much!

To my new family (families): I'm glad that you've decided to take this adventure with me, and help me through the tough beginning stages. I love you already!

At this time tomorrow, I will be flying somwhere over south america, probably over Ecuador itself, less than an hour away from landing and beginning my adventure.

wish me luck, and thank you to everyone who's supported me through this! You all mean so much to me!

Lots of love!

Hasta la vista Haliburton, Ontario, and Canada!!!

Hola Manta, Manabí, and Ecuador!

<3

It Approaches.

[insert dramatic thriller music here]

6 days. A week today I will be in Ecuador... er... well, arriving there... hey, it counts.

I took my last Dukoral vaccine this morning.... bleck. But it's done, and I don't have to worry about it! Awesome.

My Host brother (in Ecuador) who was traveling on an exchange to the States left/arrived yesterday. I was kind of dissapointed that I didn't get to meet him... but maybe next summer before i leave... maybe.

I finally found skirts for my Ecuadorian school uniform the other day as well. A simple knee-length jean skirt. Now, do you know how hard it is to FIND a jean skirt of any kind? I was lucky that they were coming back into style and Reitmans had some on sale in my size. ;P

I have One suitcase left to pack; my carry-on. Tomorrow mom and I are going finish making my bottle-cap pins (we took some old beer-bottle caps and spray painted them, and then i'm gluing pin-backs on them and painting inukshuks on them in gray paint). Then we can pack them in one of my suitcases and finish packing my carry-on.

Today I'm just finishing up my powerpoint presentation. I have to finish adding some stuff about Haliburton, and my family. I still need to get a picture of my school though.

One last thing... I was talking to my host mom via email the other day, and as her closing she wrote un abrazo. I'd never seen the word before, but somehow I knew what it was. A Hug! I was so proud of myself for for knowing what it was having never seen the word before. Especially because my spanish isn't all that great to begun with, but I'm working on it.

I'm off to enjoy my last full Canadian Saturday.

Adios.

10 Days

The big One-Oh.

Ten.

Three Days more than a week.

Today, I'm spending time with my grandmother, making some last-minute host gifts. My grandma makes silk scarves (and quilts and such) for the local Studio Tour held every fall. So today, I'm helping her, or rather, she's helping me make some scarves to bring down south with me as gifts.

They're light-weight, easy to carry, easy to wear, and something original and creative. I hope that people like them.

I talked with my travel agent the other day about the airport as well, so that's one less thing for me to worry about. I now now what to expect! Which is good.

Now I have to finish my presentation, and my spanish is going to need to be cracked down.

I'm probbly going to have to make a list of important phrases... or I'll forget them.

Well I've got to go! Scarves to paint!

Peace!

Big Dreamers

Make your own free scrapbooking design

13 (full) days left

Today I had to take my first dose of my Dukarol vaccine. Its an oral vaccine that prevents travelers' diarrhea (which is nasty stuff to get, so I've been told). So they give you this little packet to mix in with half a glass of water that makes it fizz and taste like Raspberry. Then you have to mix in the vial of vaccine. After you mix this stuff you have to chug it down, and man is it gross. it's like drinking the worst raspberry flavoured drink imaginable. I mean its disgusting.

And to make matters worse, you can't eat or drink anything for an hour before, or an hour after you take the vaccine, meaning you're stuck with this horrible taste in your mouth not to mention this feeling in your stomach. Though, the not eating an hour before probably prevents someone with a weak stomach from vomiting after chugging it down.

Now, I'll happily suffer through two of these things (a week apart, thank goodness) if it means that for 3 months I don't have to worry about being stuck in a bathroom puking my guts out, and... well you get the idea. As vile as this stuff is, if it'll help me adjust to a new place, with new food, different water, etc, then I'll take the stuff.

So, I believe I mentioned that I'd taken over the living room of my house with all my stuff that needed to be packed (if not, well, now you know). I think I've got most of the stuff that's being packed out there, well clothes-wise anyways. I still have stuff like my sketchbook, and other important things like that to gather. Actually, my artsy stuff and my electronics might be some of the only stuff left to pack...
Well, that and my spanish books; which i can hopefully fit in my carry on. If not, well luckily I have my ipod full of spanish lessons to get me by. Though, I will have to leave the one behind when I leave so my sister can return it to the person I borrowed it from...

Anyways! I've got one suitcase packed, or... my mom does. I have no idea how she gets stuff to fit so perfectly! (not that that's any excuse for me not pakcing it myself.) And I'll go to do it between host families, and not be able to get it to fit just right... and I'll have both gained some stuff, and down-sized a bit too.

I think that's all I have to tell for today... though I did miss something vital the other day. The exchange student from Brazil, who stayed in Haliburton left for home on Thursday night. He probably arrived home sometime early yesterday morning... It makes me sad because Joaquim was so cool. But, I think a lot of us have convinced him to come back, and my parents offfered to let him bunk with us. haha. And I promised to visit him sometime in the future in Brazil too. It's so important it's been added to my bucket list. I always thought Brazil would be cool to see anyways. :D

14 days and we'll be on the same continent again, so... yeah.

South America, here I come!!!

Hasta Luego.

Dos Semanas

Two Weeks.

14 Days.

That's how much time I have left in Canada. I woke up on Wednesday morning and it hit me that I only had 16 days left in the country. And of course, I started to internally freak out just a little bit.

Now, I'm not nervous about leaving my home for a year. I'm so excited I have no words to adequately describe the feeling. I'm more nervous about what has to be done still. I still have a list, and the biggest worry right now is the packing. But I'll manage. I know I will.

The next worry is the airport. I've never flown before. I think I'll be alright on the plane itself, but in the airport I'm no so sure. I've been in a train station before, and I'm sure it's a similar concept, but I was eleven and just followed my mom and grandma at our stops in Montreal, Quebec City and Halifax.

But here I am eight years later at the age of seventeen setting out not just by myself, but to a different country. Now, I probably wouldn't have a problem in the airport except I have a connection flight in Miami that's going to be tough. Now true, i don't have it as bad as some of the outbounds. New Zealand had 4 connections and was on a plane for 22 hours in total. I have one, and will only be on the plane for about six.

14 days to go. I can almost count it on my fingers. So much to do so little time.

Wish me luck in my final weeks in Canada!

Hasta luego.