I am way to too tired to give anything, in-depth or well detailed here. Please enjoy these small snipets of information, none of which will be remotely pedantic.
today is the day we all have been dreading. (in a nervous, sweaty palms, first day of junior high way.)
today was the start of homestays.
     Youthworld, the missions organization I am traveling with- has made connections with Ecuadorian families that are willing to host north american students. These are some of the kindest, most welcoming families I have met- and the family I am staying with is no exception. Lily y Ivanhoe are los padres and they have two daughters. One of them, Cristina lives next door with her husband and their son. The other is Gaby, who is 21 and lives down the block.
     We met our homestay families at 11 this morning at the Youthworld offices and then off we went. (That sentence was a nice way to skip over the sweaty palms, crying, freaking out, threatening bryan, etc.) Lily and Ivanhoe drove me back to their house with Melba, Lily's sister (Sharon's homestay mama.) When we arrived, I helped Lily make lunch, then it was time for more introductions. Jorge, Lily & Ivanhoe's nephew came over and we all went shopping for a dinosaur lamp for their grandson (Cristina's son, Mathias.)
     I am sure homestays will be great, but its definitely going to take a little getting used to, and a serious improvement of my spanish skills. I can't count the number of times i looked/sounded/acted like a total idiota today... pues lo es que lo es (well, it is what it is.)
**as promised photos coming soon.**