My host brother had a piano performance and received a diploma for participating in a 2-month Piano Course. He played like another Chopin. HAHA!! That same night I went out to this Avenue where EVERYONE and their dog goes on the weekends. We had a great time in the restaurant named Mac`s. We ate and conversed. The following day I went to the movies with a few friends (Nidisa, Crystal, Roanna, Mike, Ben) to watch the WORST movie that I have ever seen in my life. Before going to the movies we went to Ben`s house to play pool and after the movie we spent a few hours playing pool again!!

That Sunday my host family and I had lunch in Crucita which a touristic beach in Portoviejo. Afterwards, my host parents were going to play cards at my aunt`s house so my host mother (knowing how much I got bored watching them play cards) dropped me off by another aunt`s house where I spent some time with my cousins (Letty and Gigina).
On the 5th of April I started a new school - San Francisco de Asìs. It was a big change for me because the time schedule is in the afternoon from 1pm - 6pm. It also really strange being back in school after I`d been on vacation for about 3 months. I have made a lot of friends and unlike the first school, this one is a mixed school. That same week (beginning on Thursday) began Holy Week and therefore I didn`t have to go to school. That Thursday I left at about 2:00p.m. to go Jama with a Rotarian family that is hosting a friend of mine named Crystal from New York. I stayed in their house until Sunday afternoon when we left that town. We visited 4 beaches (Cohimies, Pedernales, Mopiche and Salimas). One night we visited a town called Canoa which is also the name of the beach that surrounds it. It was party night there so we did PARTAAAY!!
My host family, April and I continue to walk even though they are becoming QUITE lazy..sometimes April and I are the only ones that want to go walking.
I spent a Friday night with my first host mother and my sister (Jessica). We went to give out my sister`s birthday invitations because she had celebrated her bday on 11th April. Meanwhile, I got to converse with schoolmates that I hadn`t seen in ages because of switching schools. After giving out the invitations we went to an outside restaurant named Zona Frìa where a lot of teenagers go on Friday and Saturday nights.

Like most Saturdays, I went with my host family to our farm. On the way, we stopped to a new restaurant to eat lunch. When we (my host mother, brother and I) arrived at the farm my host father was watering the lime trees. My host brother, Paùl went swimming in the river and my host mother went to get the eggs from the chicken coop. I stayed in the farm house in the hammock reading a book that a friend of mine recommended me to read. I fell asleep 1 hour into the process..like always!! The farm house is so comfortable..I don`t know what`s inside there but when you step through the door you get this sensation of going to sleep; and I had just eaten so that was worse.
That Sunday we went to a family oriented restaurant called ¨La Felicidad¨which translates to ¨Happiness¨. I didn`t enjoy the food so much that day. Afterwards we went to Crucita; the touristic beach about 15 minutes outside of my city Portoviejo. That same day my family was invited to my house to play cards. So, 2 aunts and my grandparents came over to play cards. My cousin (Letty) accompanied them so she could keep my company. She looked at ALL of my pictures that she hadn`t seen before that night.
Monday, 19th April 2003 was the BIG DAY. I was going to perform in a recital after taking a guitar course for 2 months. That was also a sad day because I wouldn`t see all the faces that I did every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on the same schedule. A 13 year old boy played and sang as a special guest. He impressed me a lot..and to think, HE ALREADY HAS HIS FIRST CD!!

School started and that meant Homework and Tests..That also meant I had to study in order to give lectures. I walked home from school EVERY DAY. I`m not making a fuss or anything because from my school to the house is a 10 minute walk.

ROTARY FAMILY DAY

It was supposed to be a WELCOME NEW GIRL FROM MAINE DAY..but she hadn`t arrived as yet. She was scheduled to arrive that morning that we had the Rotary Family Day. It was held in Colòn where April (friend from Oregon) lived before she changed host families. There were contests like the Egg and Spoon, etc. There were also contests that got you pushed into the pool if you had lost. I didn`t know Rotarians could be so fun!
I went to the movies with 2 cousins who would leave the next day (Letty and Marìa). We watched an Eddy Murphy film. That night they were packing to leave for Canada (an 8-month exchange). Well did I go into a sobbing fase!!
One school night my host mother refreshed my memory on "How to Crochet" and showed me how to embroider.

MAY

8th - Went to a party with a lot of exchange students and classmates from Peter`s (Belgium) school. The party was OFF DA CHAINS!!
9th - MOTHER`S DAY..My host family and I went to visit my grandmothers where we dropped off flower bouquets and ate breakfast. I visited my first host mother who wasn`t at home but called her later on to wish her a Happy Day. I also called my counselor to wish her a Happy Mother`s Day. Later on that day my family (host mother`s side) came to my house and didn`t leave until 11pm because of ALL the food and Playing cards.
10th - Happy Birthday Merly!! A friend of mine from the Guitar course celebrated 17 years of birth this day. She had a little gettogether and I went to visit her and drop off her gift.

14th - Happy Birthday Junior!! One of my best friends celbebrated a 19 year birth anniversary.

15th- At 5am I left Portoviejo to travel to Guayaquil where there would be a Rotary conference. I had to present my "National Wear" of the Bahamas and so did all the other 95 exchange students. There were about 400 Rotarians; maybe more. There were foods from all over the world. I did go wild.

16th-22nd - This week took us on our last Rotary trip. It started in Guayaquil the day before when we visited a Historic Park, had lunch in a Rotary Club, visited Las Casas Peñas where we had to climb 444 stairs and had a Panoramic view from the lighthouse at the top, Malecòn 2000 which is a touristic jetty. The night of the 15th we had a SAFARI TRIP PARADE throughout Guayaquil and that led us to the Rotary Conference.
The 16th we had breakfast in Guayaquil and left for Loja. we had lunch on the way there seeing that it was a very long ride. We arrived in Loja and had dinner in the hotel. We lost that day for so much traveling.

The 17th we had breakfast in the hotel in Loja and left to visit a National Park Podocarpus where we had a 1 hour walk up a mountain. We visited Vilcabamba; a town nearby where there lies a legend of the FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH..the people there drink the water from that fountain and they live long. There is a "young lady" with the age of 125. Later on we had another walk but obviously after we had lunch. That evening we went for a City Tour which took about 30 minutes and afterwards the tour guides allowed us 2 hours of free time to go shopping or just to relax. We had to meet in the hotel to go to a lookout so that we could take pictures of Loja at night. The Rotarians had a party in a dicotheque planned for us so we danced until our feet hurt.

The 18th we ate breakfast in the hotel in Loja and headed out for Cuenca (the third most important city in Ecuador). We had a Camp Lunch..a roasted pork that was STARING right at us!! Some of the crazy exchange students ate the pig`s eyeballs and other ate the brains. Some went on a 2 hour walk, others on a 1 hour and others yet stayed on the bus or took pictures from ground level. I went on the 1 hour walk because I get altitude sickness very quickly. I thought I`d take it easy. We had lots of fun and walked through a lot of mud and so I got my pant legs dirty. We also visited a 100m drop waterfall. That evening we had a City Tour (those who wanted to know more about Cuenca) and later we had 2 hours of free time. I spent my free time with my Brazilian friend Francielen. We ate native ice cream and went jewelry shopping in a market that we took an hour to find because of getting different directions from every other person. That night we had a party.

The 19th we visited the Old and New Cathedral in Cuenca, the Flower Park and the Panama Hat Factory. We also visited a park "El Cajas" with glacial forms and flora and fauna. We went on another 2 hour walk. AHHH My feet hurt!!

The 20th we visited Ingapirca ruins which are complex archaeologic systems constructed during the Century X and XVI. We learned about the Cañari and Inca ancestors. That afternoon we rode on a train which was like a roller coaster. We went up and down a mountain in zig zag motion. Scary huh? We headed out for Riobamba where we had a party that I didn`t go to because I stayed in the hotel to catch up on some sleep.
The 21st we left Riobamba unfortunately to go to Baños (a touristic city). We had a city tour visiting churches and a waterfall. We were allowed free time to go shopping. We had a Last Night Farewell Party.
The 22nd was Goodbye day. It was so sad to say goodbye to all the other exchange students knowing that you probably wouldn`t get another chance to see them, and if so, it would probably be in several years. It wouldn`t be the same. Everyone spent the last day together signing shirts, flags, books, etc. I didn`t cry but everyone else did. I guess it was too cold for the tears to drop from my eyes because my heart felt full.

THAT`S ALL FOR NOW!! Waiting for the arrival of my family and looking forward to going back to THE BAHAMAS!!