Ambato It Is!

So it's official...I will be living in Ambato next year!!! I am very excited, to say the least. Two other girls from my program will be going to Ecuador with me, but they will both be teaching at the University. I will be teaching at SECAP, a quasi-government sponsored adult community center. I am thrilled that I will be teaching working Ecuadorians who hopefully will continue on to use their English skills in their daily lives! My classes will be Monday-Thursday (three-day weekends!) for 5 hours each day in the afternoon/evening. So I will have the mornings to get to know Ambato and to get involved in other activities! I know my eyes are already bigger than my stomach because I hope to frequent the gym, take salsa lessons, maybe volunteer with kids, and join a hiking club. Maybe I should worry about getting teaching down first!

I am excited about the city of Ambato as well. Though it wasn't my very first choice, it was definitely up there...and I am up for anything! Ambato is 2 1/2 hours south of Quito and is smack-dab in the middle of the country- so it will be relatively easy to get anywhere around Ecuador. It is known throughout Ecuador as the "City of Fruits and Flowers," which sounds pretty good to me! I can't wait to try all the wonderful fruits. Unfortunately because of an earthquake in 1949, much of the Colonial architecture of Ambato was destroyed, so Ambato has a more modern feel. It's nice that I can just hop on a bus to some local towns, though, if I feel like I want to go back in time a bit one afternoon! The nearby town of Baños is a well-known gem...so much exploring to be done! Also, the Tungurahua Volcano is close by to Ambato and shoots ash all around the city, which might take some getting used to, but when am I going to live next to a volcano again in my life?! And it's been active sort of recently, haha...so that should be interesting! But Ambato offers restaurants, bars, internet cafes, parks, a river...and apparently really fun and engaging people, and really, what could be better? So I am thrilled! I will get to visit Ambato within my first week of being in Ecuador...so I will definitely have more to report then.

Other than that, I am finishing up my two summer jobs and trying to get ready for the move. I can't believe it is only 2 1/2 weeks away! I remember when I first applied in January and September seemed years away...but not so much any more! It's really starting to hit me that I am leaving, and I am definitely not looking forward to all my goodbyes. But thank goodness for all the technology of today, it shouldn't be hard at all to stay in touch at all. More contact info to come soon.

It's also been great hearing from some of the other volunteers! They all seem like such fun, adventurous, and exciting people...so I know I will benefit a lot from getting to know them all. And hopefully I will make many lasting friendships! I am also looking forward to getting my host family information soon, so I will post again when I do.

I am just going to try to enjoy the next few weeks as much as I can before departure because I know September 2nd will be here all too soon. 17 days to go...

Love,
Katie