Adios Ambato

So my final week in Ecuador has come and gone. It was full of many more goodbyes and of course many bus rides as well. The visits started with my good friends Annie and Hilary in the town of Riobamba, about an hour from Ambato. Though it's only an hour away, I had never spent more than a few hours in Riobamba, sadly. I guess you always take for granted what is right in front of you. So I decided I must go for a better visit, especially since my friend Annie is extending her time in Ecuador for another year and she has her own apartment! So she took me for a fabulous walk all around the town, which I loved, especially because Riobamba has much more Colonial architecture than Ambato. Then we met up with Hilary for dinner and a sleepover. The next morning, Annie took me to the main church of the town with an incredible view of the buildings below, the surrounding mountains, and Volcano Chimborazo in the distance. Little did I know how well I would get to know Chimborazo in the coming days!

From Riobamba, I headed on a bus to Quito to visit my good Quiteña friend Andrea. That night at her family's house we all watched the all-important Liga game (one of Quito's teams) against Brazil's team Fluminense. In the first half Liga scored 4 goals...incredible! So we came out victorious in the first of 2 games of the Copa de Libertadores, and the entire country could not have been more proud. Aubrey was actually lucky enough to go to the game in person, and said it was an experience she'll never forget. Besides spending more time with Andrea the next day, I also got to meet up with some volunteer friends, Mark and Ava, and had to say goodbye to them yet again. Then after some shopping and lunch at Andrea's house, I was back on a bus to Ambato.

Friday morning brought a lot of excitement as I went with Marco to my elementary school in Pillaro for the last time. Marco also brought his new teacher, Peter, the summer volunteer. It was great to meet Peter, but also a bit strange at the same time! I don't know if I like sharing all my beloved students;) No, I know Peter will do a fabulous job with the conversation classes...though he is only 18 years old! I know, it sure made me feel old. So we arrived to Pillaro and I made my rounds to say goodbye to the administrators, teachers, and of course all the kiddies. And it wouldn't be an Ecuadorian despedida without more speeches and gifts! Marco had all the students of the school come sit in the courtyard to say thank you to me...and they presented me with a plaque and flowers. Again, I couldn't have been more humbled. Then they brought out the traditional Pillaro diablos, or devils, that are present at all the Pillaro festivals.  They danced just for me...and of course they made me dance with them!  I was happy that I could then give the school some gifts as well- I donated many English children's books that I  had brought from the States, grammar books, holiday decorations, markers, and other teaching supplies that I didn't need any more. Of course that didn't compare at all to all that school has done for me this past year. So it was great to share the Pillaro experience with Peter, and I hope he and other volunteers continue on the tradition of volunteering there. Finally, after the ceremony, the administrators took Peter and I out for my last fritada experience, and fittingly, Peter's first. Later that night, Aubrey and I took Peter out downtown, and ended the night on a search for Ambato's best cheeseburger. Not a bad way to spend my last night out in Ambato.

I had planned to go to Baños Saturday morning for some last-minute souvenir shopping, and it turns out that Peter had planned to go there to meet up with some other summer vols from Quito. It was fun meeting with Peter and showing him around the town before the other volunteers arrived. At one point he asked me how I learned everything I know about Ecuador, and I just laughed to myself because I guess I have learned quite a lot, but that just comes from experience. And as I told Peter, he'll be surprised how much he'll know when he leaves Ecuador in 7 weeks. But it was great as I head back to the States, to be able to share a little of what I know with a newcomer...just as Dan guided me when I first arrived. Gotta keep the cycle going I suppose:)

Sunday morning, I headed with my entire host family and Aubrey to Volcano Chimborazo at 6:30am. The peak of Chimborazo is the point furthest away from the center of the earth. Though Mount Everest has a higher elevation above sea level, because Chimborazo is a degree south of the equator, where the earth bulges, the peak of Chimborazo is further away from the center of the earth than Everest's peak- 3,968 miles to be exact. So we arrived at the volcano early in the morning, parked the car at the first refuge at 4,850 meters, and hiked for 45 minutes to an altitude of over 5,000 meters, or over 16,404 feet above sea level (phew!). It was incredible what an altitude like that does to the body. We would hike about 20 feet and be completely out of breath with our hearts racing. But the views were incredible and it was so much fun to be in snow again, especially because I hadn't seen any in over a year! So we spent some time taking photos, and making snow angels of course, before making our way back to Ambato. It was a wonderful last Sunday activity to enjoy with my host family, and it just proved to me again the grandeur that Ecuador has to offer.

That night, I went to Aubrey's house for my goodbye dinner there. We made tropical fruit curry (delicious) and had a gift exchange (see the photo of Aubrey and her host niece Emily). Aubrey's host mom hand-knit me a beautiful scarf...though it's a shame I'll have to wait 6 months to be able to wear it! Then we watched a wonderful Ecuadorian movie called Qué Tan Lejos, which I will definitely be watching again when I am Ecuador-sick. It has beautiful scenery from around the country, and Aubrey and I couldn't stop laughing at all the typical "Ecua" things that the movie showed- arguments about not having small change, bus adventures, people dancing in the street after a soccer victory, crazy nights at the beach, and more! So if you would like a view into life in Ecuador...I hope you will watch the movie with me at some point in the future.

On Monday, Aubrey and I finally got ourselves to Ambato's famous Monday morning market...after 9 months of living here. We met my student's mom at 6:15am outside the entrance, and entered into a crazy world of vendor stalls of everything you can imagine- clothes, shoes, blankets, curtains, purses, food, potatoes, veggies, hanging dead chickens, you name it! It was the first major market of it's kind in Ecuador, though now you can find similar markets in all the major cities. People arrive very early to this market to buy goods at a cheap price, and then take them to their stores downtown to sell and make a profit. So though we didn't buy anything, it definitely was an incredible experience and a window into a whole different way of shopping. Then we met up with Dan and his mom, Carla, Kat, and Peter for our last traditional Ambato breakfast. I had the famous Ambato llapingachos, or potato tortillas, with sausage and avocado...yum! Then I walked around downtown with Dan and his mom a bit before I had to say goodbye to Dan for good...well at least for a good while.

Those goodbyes are just so strange. I don't think my mind has really processed that I'm leaving. I just feel so comfortable here now, that saying goodbye to my friends here just doesn't feel real. I also think I have just known this day was coming for a long time, and I am so excited to see my loved ones back home and to begin the next chapter of my life. But I know the sadness will hit harder once I am back in the States, yet again in a routine...and all I will want to do is hop on a bus to the beach or the jungle, or just share memories about Ecuador. So while these goodbyes are hard...I think the hardest is yet to come.

And then the goodbyes just continued. Yesterday morning Aubrey and I went to say goodbye to our friends at the gym. Then I went to say one last goodbye to 10 of my night students at SECAP, which got me all choked up. Then I went out to my favorite restaurant in Ambato for kabobs with Aubrey, Carla, and Aubrey's student Rosie...only to have to say my final farewells to all of them afterward. But goodbyes are a part of life, and I guess I should just be thankful that I have been touched by so many incredible people on this Ecuadorian adventure of mine. It’s terrible to say goodbye, but how terrible instead to have no one to say goodbye to. I am blessed to have met all these people and I know I will continue to stay in touch with those who have made the greatest impact on me.

So this is it! This is my final full day in Ecuador. I am going to have one last lunch with my family before they drive me up to Quito. I bought them all goodbye presents, which I am excited to give them...and I just hope they know how appreciative I am for all they have done. Then when I arrive in Quito I'm going to run by the WT office for some last minute business, shop a bit, and then watch the final game of the Copa de Libertadores with some volunteer friends. Go Liga! Then tomorrow morning I fly out at 9am to arrive in DC at 6:15 pm. Appropriately, today is the 10-month anniversary of when I first arrived in Ecuador...and I will be home just in time to celebrate the 4th of July with friends and family. Quite a great homecoming party if I do say so myself. I will definitely be wearing my red, white, and blue proudly.

So thank you to all of you who have been there for me throughout these 10 months...it's been quite a ride! And I certainly couldn't have done it without all your love and support. This has been an experience that I will never forget and that has taught me an incredible amount...hopefully lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. So thank you so very much....and here I come USA!!!