Things I Miss and Things I Love

Things I miss from home and things that challenge me here often go hand-in-hand.

To just ramble... I really (REALLY) miss blue skies. I also miss clean, fresh air. I miss what that blue sky, and clean and fresh air does for my lungs, my skin and my attitude. I miss clean streets and I cringe seeing people toss trash out of their cars and the bus as if Mother Nature is their trashcan. I miss vegetables and having more energy. I get frustrated when the first bus passes me in the morning and just mad when the fourth does. I miss being invisible. I miss being able to wear sweatshirts and I miss my wardrobe (who would've thought). I miss some aspects of my old concept of time, and not being cut in lines. I miss drinking water out of the tap. I get extremely frustrated at my agency every morning, which makes me miss structure, discipline and respect. I miss having control and having some power. I miss not being able to communicate exactly how I want. I get frustrated thinking about the politics here, and my own country, although I miss the steps we've made. I miss thinking that I understood a good amount.

and then there are the things that I love...

I love saying that I live in Ecuador. I love catching the bus and riding it - probably one of the most successful feelings ever. I love when my host parents play loud bachata or reggaetone music in the house. I love feeling more comfortable walking down the street and people not staring at me as much (or me not noticing). I love swimming in the pool at the university, sitting on the many beaches in Ecuador and feeling the warm air whip my hair in my face on the bus. I can't believe that I can communicate in Spanish. I love laughing with my host mom because she thinks it’s crazy that I like green salads, especially with ‘big’ pieces of vegetables. I adore my ceiling fan and often say hello to it when I walk in my room. I smile when people sing along to songs on the radio in public, when little children pass out on their mothers shoulder on the bus, and when I bargain down a taxi ride. I love hanging out with my host sister and her boyfriend, and sometimes his mom and grandma. I love learning and traveling. I love looking at the lights on mountains when traveling at night. I love the terrain of Ecuador and its transportation. I love all of the conversations I've had. I love that my friend and I wrote down 30 questions about Ecuador that we hope to answer by the end of December. I love that I still have about 20% of my experience left. I love the relationship I have with my 80 year old host dad who makes me laugh when he asks me, everyday, if I've gotten a boyfriend yet, or when he helps me with my bug bites and stomach problems, or when he makes a joke that I don't really understand but I don't want to ruin the moment so I smile anyway. I love that my 'loves' outweigh my 'misses,' and that, in the future, I'm pretty sure they're all that I'll remember.