a lot of things to look at, chronicling the past two weeks.

I just typed a fabulous entry about the past few days, and it somehow deleted itself (read: I have no clue how to use my computer.) I have reconstructed the following from memory.

Pictures from Carnaval.

Getting "Carnavaled"

Look at that, we're some real beauty queens after our hike/shimmy/crawl up to Pailon del Diablo.

In line for Backstreet Boys... IN QUITO. (this is just before the full on pushing and shoving commenced.)

Now, onto what I've been doing with my life since Carnaval...

On Saturday, we said chao chao to our host families with a big barbecue in Tombillo. One of the host families owns a hacienda (farm) there, about an hour south of the city. Its been in their family for over 100 years and has a beautiful farm house on the property. I acted very much like my mother in the dollar aisle at Target- I stopped to look at everything I could in the house. It's a great, big (not to mention old) house filled with so much old stuff it was almost more than I could bear... 

We milked cows with our bare hands right into a glass- which we promptly drank. We were at a farm after all. I also witnessed cow diarrhea first hand. I highly recommend the experience to anyone with a strong stomach and a touch of nasal congestion. 

Some of my pals rode horses around the property- while others of us visited the baby cows and cuy (guinea pigs).  We moved from farm adventure to farm food- pinchos (Ecua shisk-a-bobs) and salads provided by each family (one of which included some sketch, Ecua potato/apple/beer/mayo concoction.) 

Sorpresa, sorpresa I shed a tear while saying good bye to my host family. Perhaps there overly attached hugs exchanged... I am excited to live with each of the other girls again, but I will miss my Ecua family and our daily cultural adventuras. I may or may not have purchased some queso fresco and pancitos at the grocery store yesterday, in an attempt to recreate my desayunos with Lil and Ive. 

I think i'm leaving little pieces of my heart here in Ecuador, the people, the language, the landscape- it's all so amazing. I can't believe we're half way done. (Now, I know what you're thinking, "Liz, we heard this before when you lived in Oklahoma City... don't even say you want to move there.") This is different, while I love it here- I probably won't live here forever... that makes me savor each experience that much more. 

And now, here we are-- in all our glory...