Ecuador: Round 2

Two years ago I studied Spanish in Ecuador for three weeks with EF. I loved the country, the people, and the culture and knew I wanted to go back. When I left two years ago, I wrote this entry in my journal:
5/31/08 11:30 pm
    So here is what I learned on this amazing trip, well, some of what I learned…

• You don’t need a lot of material things to be happy. Sometimes the less you have the happier you are. The essentials are friends, family, and a roof over your head.
• Family is important.
• Scary situations can sometimes be the most rewarding.
• It can be difficult to adjust to a new culture, but it will happen.
• Cuy (guinea pig) is considered sacred by the native people and is eaten as a delicacy.
• Here, monogamy doesn’t hold much importance, but romance does.
• Belly button piercing hurt like hell.
• In life you should take risks, be open to new people and things because they just might change your life for the better, love fully, and try not to judge.
• How to dance merengue and salsa
• Sometimes you get lucky and everything works out just the way you wanted, and sometimes you don’t.
• You can get virtually anywhere in Ecuador by bus
• South America speaks to my soul
• I want to and will return.

And, well, here I am, about to board a plane, destination: Quito, EC. I am excited to go back, excited to catch up with people I haven’t seen for awhile, and to connect once again with a great country. I know this experience will be different in many ways and I know my eyes will see things differently and I can’t wait to see how Ecuador has changed and how I have changed since we last met. This time I will be there for six months, teaching English with International Volunteer Headquarters. This is counting as my second co-op so I get credits and get to live abroad, pretty cool huh?
So I don’t know that many details of what my job entails or where I am staying or what my schedule is yet but I have a few days to adjust to the altitude and everything else and figure it all out before I start on Monday. Also don’t know the internet situation but there will be updates, I will make sure of it. Until then, besos y abrazos!