This month began with a Rotary meeting on 4th March when we celebrated Roanna´s (new exchange student from Australia) birthday which was 1st March. She was shocked to see that the Rotarians remembered and blew out her 18 candles with pride.

The following day I went with my host mother to the doctor´s office to have an ultrasound scanning because I hadn´t seen my menstrual cycle in 2 months. My host mother suggested that I went to see the doctor. It turned out that I had a cyst that was stopping me from menstruating. Immediately I went to see a female doctor who explained everything to me very clearly and told me that I shouldn´t fear or panic because it wasn´t anything serious. She also told me that all females have cysts but that mine was a little bigger than normal and was interfering with some body functions. She recommended 2 types of medication - one being for the infection that I also had. We agreed that if I didn´t see my cycle a month from out appointment, that I would need treatment in order to get rid of this cyst.
 

That Saturday, my host mother´s mother reached another milestone and so we had to celebrate. At 6 pm family & friends met a local inn where we rented a room for that night. While some played cards to win money, others conversed, and yet others assembled puzzles. The audience didn´t dance much that night, but we did EAT!
The following weekend started when our car tire went flat in the middle of nowhere. At least that´s how it seemed. We were on our way to a little town named Jama. My aunt, 3 daughters, my younger host brother and I left at 10am from Portoviejo to travel to Jama where my Aunt Letty had a house. It´s a good thing that some farmers were in the area. We got lucky that day when the men changed the tire for us. After 4 hours of driving we arrived to the hospitality of the people in Jama. Unfortunately, we still had to drive to the house which was 3 minutes away. HAHA!! It goes to show how tiny the town is. FINALLY we arrived to the mansion and I was thrilled when I saw the inside of the house. EVERYTHING was made of wood; the walls and all. I made myself at home with the DVD player and comfy bed that I shared with one of my cousins. We visited 2 beaches: "Paraíso" & "El Matal". IN the afternoons we´d play Monopoly or go driving because 2 of my cousins are drivers already. During the night we either went to the discotheque or to converse with family members and have a milkshake. One night I met a sailor from Jama who told me so much about my country that I wasn´t sure I was from there anymore. About 10-15 years ago he had sailed the seas and found himself visiting Bahama Islands, Key West and the Canary Islands. That night I also for the chance to speak in english with a 40 year-old lady from Jama who was married to an Englishman with close relation to the Royal family. Unfortunately he passed away a few years before. I had an amazing time in Hama and got the chance to ride in my first Ecuadorian barge.

Galapagos: A Natural Utopia

The payment deadline arrived and everyone was so thrilled for the day of the trip to come. We knew that we still had about a month to wait and kept saying that it was "so far away". The day finally came and the ´Super Six´of us drove during wee hours from Portoviejo to Guayaquil which took 4 hours. We arrived at Simon Bolívar airport in Guayaquil where the other exchange students from the Coast awaited us. It was great to see the other exchange students (old and new) - all 34 of them.
 

We arrived at the airport in Baltra (one of the Galapagos islands). From there was a 30-minute boat ride to Santa Cruz where our inn was located. We visited the Charles Darwin Foundation where we watched a video about the National Park of Galapagos. Afterwards, we got the opportunity to take pictures with turtles (close up) and of baby turtles. We chilled out on the beach where I met a tourist from Miami there on vacation with her husband who was repairing a yachts that is from Miami. During the night we hung out in the dicotheques or in the pard to enjoy the nightlife. The following days we spent split into 2 groups. I was put into the ´Sea Lion Group´. We visited the National Park (about 90% of the Galapagos Islands). We saw pelicans, gulles, iguanas, blue-footed boobies, sea lions, fragatas, penguins finches and land turtles. While snorkeling and from the yachts we saw bull, white-tip and hammerhead sharks, manta rays, sea urchin, clownfish, eels, sea lions, sea turtles and barracudas. We got the chance to kayak fitting 3 persons in a 1-person kayak. One evening a few of us, along with the chaperone and some guides went to visit the "Love Tunnel" which was formed by cooled lava. We were lucky that none of the rocks fell while we were inside the tunnel because earlier that day rocks had fallen from the roof of the tunnel. Bartolomé island was the most beautiful of all even though we had to climb a million stairs just to get halfway to the top. The day we were leaving we were to taken to see the Twin Craters which were split by a road. The night before we left, a band dedicated their time to give us a little Galapagos taste of the culture.
 

Being away from that environment left me nostalgic for about a week and I still felt like I was on the yacht because of how much sailing we did. Not only my mind will stay on Galapagos but my heart also remains there.
 

Our Rotary meetings are held on Thursday night beginning at 9 p.m. and most times ending at midnight. During one of our most recent meetings, the Club President´s son took us (exchange stuents) for a spin in the avenue where everyone goes during the weekends. Unfortunately we didn´t go during the weekend therefore there wasn´t anyone there, but we still had a great time. The President´s son (Max) is in his 2nd university year and he told me that where he was studying in Missouri, he had a few Bahamian friends.
 

Right nowm I have about 2 months since I started taking guitar lessons. In that short lapse of time, I have learned 8 songs: 1 Waltz, 5 Ballads, 1 Traditional Folk Song & "La Bamba". I´m coming along very well in the class and the best part is that I have made friends who I will stay in contact with. A journalist from ´La Hora Manabita´(a local newspaper) visited our guitar course one day to put together a little review and take pictures of some of the students. It´s amazing how many people want to know about my traditions and my country. On 25th March I attended a requiem mass fro my host dad´s father who passed away 10 years ago.
Finally, I started walking to exercise with my host family and a friend (April). We walk/run 4 1/2 km down the Avenue Manabí. I guess we all finally realized that we need to exercise. Therefore we will be walking to exercise every night at 7:30 p.m.
Walk with my to find destiny!