Week 27--

SORRY! My internet was not working yesterday on my computer. Therefore, I was not able to post my blog. But… drum roll please… the moment you’ve all been waiting for… week 27! (insert Space Jam voice)

Week 27--

Where to start describing this week? I feel like so many little things happened that I simply don’t know where to begin! I’ll start with the week and end with the weekend… porque 1. that’s the order in which they happened 2. the weekend was more fun/more things happened that you may be interested to hear about, and I like to end on a good note.

Week--

The big thing in my week has been work, which is good because that is precisely what I came to Quito to do. The Academia in which I am working has its very own tourism office which helps to plan weekend trips and weekday outings for the students. All week I have been working on redoing most of their promotional materials for said trips. I’ve been striving to make these materials more eye-catching, readable (both in terms of organization and translation), and concise. I’ve enjoyed my work, as it provides an outlet for my creativeness. I hope that this week I can sit down with the “media man” at the Academia to learn more about Photoshop and Illustrator, for my work would be so much easier with these programs.

I also spent more time with my Japanese host-sister, Saya, this week. She showed me photos of her family and friends in Japan. We still need to use a little translator sometimes in order to communicate, but her Spanish is improving every day. Here is a photo of the little translator…and a little bit of Saya:

Ladies and gentlemen, Saya and translator.

Three more exciting things happened during the week.

1.       I got to Skype my cousin, Laura, at the beginning of the week when the internet was still functioning properly. We laugh just as hard via Skype as we do in person. Love her for that (and more).

2.      I found ice cream that costs 25 cents. Of course I bought it! Is that even a question?!

3.      My friend asked me if I wanted to do a Bible study with her these next two weeks that I am here. The Lord has seriously been looking out for me in terms of sending wonderful girls to South America. We are just going to play it super informal and alternate picking passages and the talk about them. A great way to make Christ a more real part of our daily life…

Weekend--

On Friday it was my REAL mom’s birthday (happy birthday, mom!) and ECUADORIAN HOST-mom’s birthday (happy birthday Ecuadorian host-mom!). My Ecuadorian host-family had the whole family over to celebrate: aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. The little cousins are too cute, and I loved spending time with little kids again. They are just so fun and simple, that’s all! We had cake, candy, chips, and tea for dinner—delicious!

"Photo with a photo" was a huge hit with this little one.

Little Lu.

¡Feliz Cumple a ti, Yoli!

After the party I made my way over to my friends’ house for a movie night-sleepover, complete with popcorn and Chex Mix. We watched Bridesmaids, an obvious pick... aka it’s the only DVD we have down here, it’s hilarious, and Mercy hadn’t seen it yet. It was a nice, relaxed, fun-friend-filled (say that part 8 times fast) evening.

On Saturday we woke up semi-early, ate breakfast, and then hailed a taxi, to get to a bus, to take us to the bus station, to take another bus to go to the North Terminal, to take another bus to arrive in Otavalo. Lots of buses, but worth it. Otavalo is a little city and home to one of the largest indigenous markets in America. I read that while doing an advertisement for Otavalo  at the Academia, and it seemed to be true. The market is enormous. A little overwhelming, but in kind of a good way? We spent the whole day wondering around, looking for/buying gifts for the family and treating ourselves to a thing or two… I bought myself this awfully warm and comfy, cozy blanket:

Comfy, cozy! Awkward pinky.

Please don’t ask me how I am going to get all my stuff home in July. I haven’t quite figured that out yet...

 

 

Onwards to Sunday! My Uncle Rahl is a permanent Brother in the Church in The Brotherhood of Hope. The Brotherhood of Hope belongs to an ecumenical Christian community called The Sword of the Spirit, which has little communities all over the world. These communities are a great way to surround oneself with spiritual support and accountability. “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20) This is where I’m going with all of this… There is a Sword of the Spirit community here in Quito, and my Uncle was kind enough to spend a good hour connecting with some of the leaders/members down here with whom I could then connect. Which I did! A lovely Ecuadorian couple picked me up Sunday morning, and we drove to the little town of Machachi. As we drove, they further explained their community to me. From what I understand, the community is broken up into even smaller, more specific communities in order to surround oneself with people who are walking along similar paths of life: married people, single young adults, university students, adolescents, and kids. They have different meetings and get-togethers to worship/pray/sing together, have very real talks about very real things, and simply enjoy one another’s company. When we got to Machachi, I was introduced to the parochial priests, seminarians, and young people from the “university students” group. The students were in the process of planning talks for their upcoming retreat, so I got to learn how they structure the talks and more or less about the material that goes into each one. It was really interesting, and I loved seeing so many people my age with a passion for living and sharing the Gospel. I found myself thinking a lot about Young Life, as the talks seemed to be set up in a similar fashion.
 

We later had a big lunch with all of the leaders, priests, and seminarians. When a say big…I mean big. We started with chicken soup, then had a plate with SO MUCH food on it (more than half of which I had no earthly idea what I was eating… but it was good), and to top it all off, strawberries and cheese for dessert. It was one of those moments where I felt like if I ate one more bite, I would burst. I used to get that feeling a lot which the Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich. I could never finish the very last bite because I would be so full. Emphasis on used to… I can eat a whole one now, no problem. Gosh, anyone want to send me a care-package filled with Chick-fil-a? If you do, you will be my favorite person on earth.

The priests were hilarious during lunch. At least, I think they were… it’s still kind of hard for me to understand every joke in Spanish. But everyone else was cracking up, and the handful of jokes I did understand were really funny. Good ol’ witty Ecuadorian priests! I can’t wait for the moment when I can understand the majority of jokes.

Sunday night was full of family in two ways:

1. I was about to go to 6 pm Mass (it was 5:30), and my Ecuadorian host-dad says, “I think Mass is at 5 pm…” Oh boy… I was bummed out, but decided to walk to the church anyways, just to see. As I was walking, a Monarch butterfly flew past me. The sign of Nama—everything is going to be okay. Sure enough, I got to the church, asked a woman for the Mass times, and she pointed to the church and said “6 pm!” Woo! After Mass, as I walked outside, I was welcomed with a baby-shower...a mixture of a baby-blue sky with baby-pink clouds. Hello again, Nama.

2.Although my internet was not working on my computer, I was able to connect with my iphone/ipod in the corner of my Japanese host-sister’s room in order to non-video-Skype-call my Uncle Rahl. We talked for hours, and it is always a pleasure catching up with him. I was once again, as I always seem to be, reminded of how thankful I am for my family. They are all truly blessings in my life.
 

Speaking of family, I found this on my computer this week. It makes me smile, and is now my desktop backround. I just have to share it…

 

Three cheers for family!

Alright, this blog post has become quite lengthy. ¡Perdón! I just like sharing!

Millones de abrazos--

Courtney



Week 26--

 

I've been in South America for 1/2 a year TODAY! Holy Shhmokes!

 

This past week was a million times better than the last. I just felt soo much better. I really think it was the sickness that got me down last week. But this week I was the same ol' Court!

 

A liiitle change in my plans here-- I am now only interning at Academia Latinoamericana instead of at the radio station and at the school. The work at the academia relates more to my majors, and I am actually so excited for the work to come. I will be helping improve/create new options for the Academia's social media, as well as helping with promotional materials, translations, and relations with universities in the U.S.A.

 

This weekend, my three friends and I got out of the big city for a bit and headed to Baños, Ecuador. I loved my time there, which was filled with outdoors-y things, many laughs, and quite a lot of adventure. We went thermal bath bathing, biking through the Andes, zip-lining, and canyoning (which is repelling down waterfalls! woa!). Although after all of that, I may need a vacation from our mini-vacation, it was so worth it and so much fun. As always, I was fascinated with the nature surrounding me... reminding me of God's artistic hand. How does He do that?!

 

In other news: I have a new house-mate! Her name is Saya, and she is from Japan! She knows basic Spanish and no English, so communication is a little difficult... BUT with the help of hand motions and a little computer-ish translator, we make do just fine! I am excited to get to know her over the next three weeks.

 

Alrighty, off to bed I go! Time to start a brand new week!

 

Little pause from our Andes bike ride.

Amigas.

Weeee!

JA!

Floritas.

Pailon del Diablo.

Tanto agua.

!

 

Saludos,

 

Court

Week 25--

¡Hola de Quito, Ecuador!

A little painted picture for ya of my airplane travels to Ecuador…

I leave my house in Montevideo around 9ish in the A.M. to leave the country at 12 noon. I fly to Santiago, Chile, hang out in the Dunkin’ Donuts for 6 hours (the only place with wifi), fly to Lima, Peru, spend the night in the airport, and then finally fly to Quito at 6 in the morning on Sunday. I feel pretty rough. But I make it to Quito safe n’ sound, and I find my new host-padre waiting for me with a sign, COURNEY WALKER, in block letters. Welp…here goes nothing…

Ok, I’m putting the brush down, done painting. I’ll just explain the rest of my week to you regularly:

My host-family here is quite nice: Eugenio, Yoli, two daughters, and a dog. They have been hosting students from the school Academia Latino America now for about 6 years. They’ve had students from Japan, Germany, Switzerland (I think), lots of other places, and now little old me from Georgia/North Carolina/Uruguay. Although I think my Uruguayan accent annoys host-padre a bit, we get along just fine. He even showed me karaoke, which we apparently have in the house… First I rocked along to the song Todo Cambio, by Camila, and then paid tribute to my youth with the ‘English ballad,’ As Long As You Love Me, by the one and only Backstreet Boys. I got a better score on the Spanish song… what does that mean!?

I can see a volcano from my house!

The garden.

Cute little mirror! Note the penguin lamp in the backround.

View from my house at night.



Karaoke en casa-- video to come later.

I speak the truth—this first week has been pretty tough. As you may or may not know, I am here for 5 weeks working about 7-9 hours a day in a sports radio station called ‘La Red’ and also at la Academia Latino America (which I didn’t know I was doing until I got here, but that’s is A-OK). That being said, I don’t really have a lot of time to build friendships with people my age. Thanks be to God, I did meet a few friends on my first day of orientation at the Academia. Since they will be taking classes there and I will be working there, some of the professors took us all on a little city tour and laid down the ground rules for us. Anyways-- I guess what I am trying to say is… it is just a very different situation than my situation in Montevideo, or when I went to college for the first time, or when I moved to GA when I was eight… I don’t have a ton of time here, and I don’t have very many interactions with the other students.

Ecuadorian time is the classic ‘Latin American time.’ You say you’re meeting someone at 12…be there at 12:30. You’ll be early. This made it a liiiiitle bit difficult to get my internship up and running. Despite what my last paragraph described, which is how the rest of my days will be, I had a lot of free time by myself on Tuesday and Wednesday. Since my new friends were in class and I was in a brand new city/country, I was just feeling really alone. Typing it out now I’m like, “Ohhh, buck up, Court! Tuesday and Wednesday? That’s only two days!” But trust me, it felt like much longer. Ya see, I was starting to come down with something. Like ‘sickness’ type something. Like ‘I’m pretty sure I’m getting strep throat’ type something. I was just not feeling like myself. I think this made Tuesday and Wednesday harder than they should have been. I guess I lied a little—* on Tuesday on my out of a bookstore, I ended up running into two of my friends. We ended up making a day out of eating Baskin' Robbins (!) and finding them a cell phone--it was fun! Annnd on Wednesday afternoon I met up with a few girls and we went up the teleférico, which is like a cable car that brings you up to a mountain to look out at all (most) of Quito. It was beautiful, and I will be returning later during these five weeks with my camera and with warmer clothing. When I got home I was grateful that I had gone, but I also felt like I had been hit by a bus. I was definitely sick. But Thursday was my first day on the job! I couldn’t miss my first day at the radio! <--Like I said, the beginning of my week felt worse than it actually probably was. I think I was just sick...*

On Thursday morning I got up at 7:30 (breakfast is at 8) and left the house at 9 to get to the Academia by 9:30. I actually really enjoy my work at the school. I am helping with translations, promotional videos, and articles for universities in the United States. I have my own little space, and I even get to listen to Pandora Radio (which somehow works in the Academia and nowhere else outside of it?). Around 1:30, after my lunch break at ‘12’ (12:45), I made my way to the radio for my very first day of radio-interning. It is very different than I thought it would be, but I think it will be something that I grow to really enjoy, as I learn how to make it my own. Right now I am translating fútbol news from English into Spanish for the radio’s website. If you go to Google and type in ‘Radio La Red, Quito, Ecuador’ and then search my name—Courtney Walker—my articles should come up! I’ve only done two… but still. At the end of the day, my semi-boss brought me down to the broadcasting room. Right before I left, one of the broadcasters motioned me over to the microphone. “He’ll just ask your name,” they told me. The ‘on air’ light was shining above the broadcasters. Welp…here goes nothing…

It went a little something like this: (Remember this is all in Spanish)

Broadcaster 1: Annnnd we’re here with our North American/Uruguayan friend (don’t remember what else...) and what is your name?

Me: Courtney Walker

Broadcaster 1: Courtney! And why are you here Courtney?

Me: I’m here working for 5 weeks here… blah blah (I don’t remember again)

Broadcaster 2: (Something about Uruguay)?

Me: Yes, I am studying there (there in Spanish= allá—pronounced a-sh-á in Uruguayan Spanish) for the year at La Catolica.

Broadcaster 2: Jaja (haha), ‘a-sh-á’… you have the accent now.

Me: Yes, soy Urugua-sha! (little joke for all my listeners out there…)

…and so on and so forth.  

They even gave me a soccer ball! That was really cool—could’ve been my big break. I knew I should’ve broken out into song!

On Friday I was really feeling awful. I asked my boss at the Academia if she could call the school’s doctor, and she kindly did so while also notifying the radio that I would not be able to make it during the afternoon. The doctor said it could either be a virus or bacteria (aren’t those really the only two options?), so he gave me medicine for both. I was just thankful for anything that would make me feel like Courtney again. Out of self-pity, I went to the MegaMaxi down the street and bought myself ‘Bridesmaids’ in Spanish—o sea ‘Damas en Guerra’: the perfect way to relax and start to feel better.

On Saturday I really did feel a lot more like myself. My throat still hurt a little, but a million times better than before. I did not want to miss out on any ‘friend-time,’ so I decided that I would join my new friends Mercy and Becky (from Michigan and Wisconsin, respectively) in the old part of the city to go to a museum. I figured it would be pretty tranquilo, and I wouldn’t be pushing myself too hard. We ended up spending hours in this museum/convent/church which was beautiful and so full of character and art! I loved it. Definitely a good, peaceful activity to do while my health was on the rise!

Some interesting little statues in the historical section of Quito.

Peachy-keen building amidst a storm.

Today I went to Mass with Mercy and Becky because they were joining their host-mom at a church near their house. It was so nice not to have to go sola. Their host-family invited to me to stay for breakfast, which was very lovely. Afterwards, the two girls and I planned a little trip outside of the city for next weekend. Baños, Ecuador… here we come! Then came the best part of the day: we went to ‘la mitad del mundo!’ Or shall I say… the middle of the world! The equator!

I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

La Mitad del Mundo!

Handstands en la Mitad del Mundo.

0-0-0.

I obviously thought this was hilarious... Ps. We accidently match.

Two girls. Two hemispheres.

Perdón que este blog post es muy largo.

Abrazos para Uds. de Quito!

O sea—hugs for you all from Quito!

Courtney

*'d parts = edited after more thought and reflection



Weeks 23 & 24--

HAPPY NEW YEAR! WOO! 2013!

Sorry for the late blog post! My parents'/my friends were in Buenos Aires and invited me to spend New Year's Eve with them and their family, so... this blog post is late. ALSO, surprise twist! I am going to combine last week and this week together although this week is not yet over.  Saturday marks the day I leave for Quito, Ecuador, and I don't actually get there until Sunday, so... this blog post is now a blog post...s.

Christmas Eve/Christmas-- Christmas Eve, la Nochebuena, was a scorcher. Let me re-phrase for emphasis. So. Hot. ...Like To Kill a Mockingbird, Maycomb County summer without air conditioning type of hot. Early that morning, I learned that the buses stopped running due to the holiday and the family asado was beginning during Mass, so I would not be able to go to Mass on Christmas Eve. However, my host-family agreed to bring me Christmas Day, and all was well. To get out of the house a bit and avoid thinking of Christmas at home, I decided to go on a 10 mile bike ride. Casual. Despite the heat, it was nice to be in the fresh air, exercising and stopping for a bit to reflect/pray.

At night my host-family began the asado. Like I mentioned in my last post: total. meat-fest. On Christmas Eve I tried the following: 1) cow tongue 2) cow intestine 3) blood sausage. Surprisingly, the cow tongue wasn't so bad... the others were not too yummy. I know it may be childish, but I don't think I could eat any of that type of meat again simply because I know what it is. But the rest of the meat was delicious! My host-brother, Adrian, did a fabulous job grilling all of it. The poor guy was practically baking himself, with the heat of the parrilla and the heat of the air surrounding him. At midnight we all made our way outside for fireworks and some bubbly fruity drink called Fizz (or Frizz?). When the fireworks began, I felt like I was in the middle of a battle! The whole sky was lit up, and the 'BOOMs' came from all directions. I hate to admit it, but it puts the L.B.I. Bay Village 4th of July firework show to shame... Then it was time for presents! The Beloqui's kindly gave me a mug with a family picture on it and a lovely necklace. After a quick Skype call with my family, a conversation with my host-family under the stars, and a quick Skype date with David later, I was snuggled in bed ready for sleep.

I awoke Christmas Day early-ish to go to Mass. I love Christmas Mass in any language in any country--well... really I've only spent Christmas Mass in the USA and in Montevideo, but I'm assuming I would love it just the same. After Mass I tried to text my host-sister to pick me up, but my Uruguayan phone had run out of credits. I waited for her to call me, as I can only receive texts and answer calls when I don't have credits.  She sent me a text saying, "Call me when you're out of Mass" (in Spanish), soo I had no way of contacting her. I didn't know my Uruguayan number to put credits on my phone (dumb of me...you'd think after 5 months of being here...), nor did I even know if any stores would be open so that I could put credits on my phone, so I had to ring the bell of the nuns around the corner to use their phone. Embarassing, kinda. Yet another reminder of how thankful I am to have the ability to simply call in the United States, without thinking of credits. I can live without that ability (obvio), but I'd be lying if I said I don't enjoy the convenience. Is that bad? I feel weird typing it...

The rest of Christmas day was pretty much a normal day in Montevideo! Luckily it had cooled down a bit, so Sabrina and I went on a nice walk along the rambla. We were blessed with a beautiful sunset--a mark of God's presence. Before bed, I was able to Skype with my family and my friend Sarah and then later with my primas-hermanas (cousins). What a wonderful way to end Christmas Day--admiring God's beauty in nature and with the ones I love abroad.

La Nochebuena--mucha carne, familia, y fuegos artificiales.

New Year's Eve/New Years-- A few days before New Year's Eve I made my way to Buenos Aires. I was so excited to see my friends and meet more of their extended family. When I got to their house, I was welcomed by so many people! SO many kids! I loved it! I felt right at home. There was a 'no English rule,' and it was cool spending time with these friends, with whom I used to speak English in the United States, in Spanish.

We spent two nights and three days at a family farm about 2 hours outside of the city. We rode horses, ate asado both nights, and had real, profound conversation. El campo (the farm) is so peaceful. No hay prisa, las estrellas son espectaculares, y la naturaleza es hermosa--o sea, there is no hurry, the stars are spectacular, and the nature is beautiful.

Quick little story: On Sunday we went to Mass at the town's Cathedral. It was a lovely church with a very pro-family priest (it was the celebration of the Holy Family that day). At the end of the Mass we were chit-chatting with him about the homily, different statues in the church, when he had arrived to the parish, ta, ta, ta... As we said goodbye he put his hand on my head and said, "Que tengas paz." That you have peace. I will never forget that. A small blessing that made a big impact on me. That you have peace.

We rang in 2013 back closer to the city. Extended family came in and we had yet another asado (I've had 4 asado's and many a left-over-asado in the past week and a half!). An uncle brought out a guitar and we (they) sang to classic Argentinian folk music. They even threw in 2 or 3 American classics for me! The solid sense of family was so comforting. At midnight the sky was once more filled with fireworks. We watched from a balcony and hugged each other tight as the New Year arrived. As the fireworks finshed up, we made our way downstairs for a family Rosary. What a wonderful way to start the New Year.

Quick little sidenote: Their 101 year old grandmother was visiting, and boy was she a hoot! She didn't want anyone to help her stand up, she danced a little jig to the guitar, and she told us stories about the economic/social state of Argentina in the past. When we prayed the Rosary, I could not stop watching her. I could really tell that she truly believes. She was so reverent. So sure. How I pray for that type of faith! What a gift. Better than any Christmas gift I could ever receive, that's for sure.

I am so thankful for my time spent with the Solanet's and for their welcoming and generous hearts.

Mi tiempo con la familia Solanet--muchos caballos, discusiones, y paz.

 

Welp, it's off to Quito, Ecuador. I don't really know anything about my Ecuadorian family except for their names, address, and professions. I haven't been able to communicate with them because the Organization I'm going with is not authorized to give me their email addresses... imagine my face when I read that email... But, apparently they will be at the airport waiting for me with a sign! That being said, I don't know how the whole 'internet-situation' is at my house (apartment?) there. I'll update everyone as soon as I can! 

 

I am a little nervous but excited for the adventure that lays ahead. Please keep me in your thoughts and/or prayers throughout the next five weeks (or the next 7 months if you want...)

 

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

 

Hablaremos pronto--

 

Courtney