Greetings from Ecuador!!! After traveling to the U.S. during our December break to spend Christmas with my family, I have finally returned to start the new cycle at CEDEI.  December was definitely a great month, but it sure feels good to be back.

Just after finishing our first cycle with CEDEI, I headed to Guayaquil to fly out.  As I was sitting waiting to board my flight to Fort Lauderdale, a wave of emotion came over me.  Although airports aren’t exactly the pinnacle of accurate cultural representation of a place, I noticed small details that I realized soon would not be present in my daily life as they had been every day for the past five months.  From alpaca sweaters and empanadas to soccer on every T.V. and a constant buzzing of Spanish conversation and announcements, in that moment I was sharply aware of how many small pieces of life here had become so normal to me. I started crying, realizing how much I was going to miss it all being my norm, and thinking about how much I was going to miss Jhoseline, as we hadn’t spent a single day apart since the day we met in the Cleveland airport to embark on this journey together. Of course, though, I knew that this trip was only a vacation, and that I would be returning soon. 

Another huge bright side was that my first stop in the U.S. was Orlando, to visit my best friend Paige for her birthday! We have spent every birthday together since we met our freshman year of college at Ohio State, so I was extremely grateful that we could be together for another one.  What an incredible feeling it was for us to pick right back up as we were after spending so long apart! I couldn’t think of a better “welcome back” to the country than spending a week with my best friend and her family, some of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Now that we have graduated it was so cool to see the life that she has built for herself in a new place. Even though it was Paige's birthday, I felt spoiled too! We got to spend time together at the parks and even got to volunteer at a welcome event at Magic Kingdom for families of fallen soldiers, hosted by Gary Sinise.Our time together went way too fast, as it always does, but we know that no matter how much time or how many miles come between us, we can rest assured that we will always have each other. 

Paige and me before graduating!

Splash Mountain- one of our favorites

Couldn't be more grateful for our time together

Magic Kingdom at Christmas

After a week in Florida that felt like the blink of an eye, I was finally on my way back to Ohio! My family all picked me up at the airport, and I couldn’t get to them quick enough.  I cried (of course) and got lots of hugs. Both of my parents recently moved to Columbus, so it was great to see how they’ve adjusted to the change (although for me it meant couch surfing for a couple of weeks)! My sister just started high school there and my brother is in his second year at Ohio State, so checking in with them was something I couldn’t wait to do! We had a wonderful Christmas and got to do all of our Christmas traditions, like decorating, baking, listening to our favorite Christmas songs, going to see lights, and fitting in as many Christmas movies as possible! Christmas is a very special time for all of us in my family, so I felt very grateful to have been able to spend the time with them- I couldn’t imagine it any other way!

Meeting the newest member of the family, Max

Sister hugs at the airport

The loves of my life!

Christmas traditions with Dad!

Beautiful Mama

After having lived in the U.S. my whole life, I didn’t expect to experience much culture shock upon arriving, but I was wrong! It took way more adjusting, both mentally and physically, than I anticipated.  My body was totally breaking down- I got a cold, my mouth became irritated, and my stomach didn’t do well with the food change. I had to readjust to eating 2-3 large meals a day, whereas here I tend to eat one large meal and other smaller snacks as necessary.  The pace of life in the two places is very different, so being back in Columbus was a bit overwhelming at first! Finally- it was so hard to remember that you can actually flush toilet paper in the U.S.- for so long I was constantly looking for the little trashcan in the bathroom until I remembered! Overall, of course, it wasn’t a large adjustment to return after 5 months, and I was always with friends and family helping me out, so it was more interesting than it was painful! Most of all, I missed hearing Spanish music and language, especially the Spanglish (with a few Quichua borrow words) that Jhoseline and I are used to speaking in the house. 

I got back on December 30th, just in time to spend New Years with Jhoseline and our friends.  I couldn’t wait to get back to see everyone! The feeling of going out and seeing so many people I know, having a warm reception back into a community I had just entered 5 short months ago, was extremely special.  Though I have traveled before, it was really the first time in my life I was coming back to an established place, life, and community that would still be there for me, rather than just visiting. Though only for a year, this experience has an element of permanence that continues to allow us to create truly meaningful bonds with people and to get to know the country in ways we never could have otherwise. 

Jhoseline even decorated the house for the day I got back! It was so sweet, you already know I cried!

On the 31st we cooked dinner with a friend and some of their family, and went out to the street to enjoy the festivities after. There were fireworks popping off everywhere around us, and at exactly midnight people were burning their Años Viejos, or dolls reminiscent of a scarecrow, representing undesirable things from the old year that will be left there as we transition into the new one. It is also said to be good luck to jump over them as they burn! Some people wear costumes and others dress as widows and dance as cars pass in the street.  It was definitely my favorite New Year yet, and in that moment at midnight exactly I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to be here, and for the chance to get to know the community and its traditions. I continue to be in awe of its beauty! 

Example of an Año Viejo from google!

At exactly midnight, another common thread was people calling the loved ones that they could not be with for the holidays.  This year after having had the great pleasure of meeting many people from different backgrounds I was sharply aware of the reality that many people were unable to spend Christmas with parents, siblings, or children because of the quest for a better life.  For this reason, the magnitude of my privilege- having the financial ability to fly between continents during a month of unpaid vacation, an identity that is often allowed to pass freely through borders, and the privilege to be living apart from my family as a personal adventure rather than out of necessity- is not lost on me.  I continue to be grateful every day for this experience, and especially to Mark and Linda for choosing me for this grant. December was interesting because though at first it pained me to leave Ecuador for vacations, I became more aware of just how much it has become a part of me- and how, in some small way, through the connections I have been able to build- me a part of it. I look forward to the next few months of this experience with a renewed awareness of all of it has been thus far and an openness for what it will continue to be. 

If you made it this far, thank you for reading! Until next month!