A normal day in Cuenca.

First I wake up. My alarm goes off at about 5:50. I usually don’t get up then. Later, I get up, get ready, and mosey into the kitchen to gather some food that I can take to eat in the bus. I usually eat bread. But not just any bread, Cuencan bread. Cuenca is famous for their bread and bakeries; they’re everywhere. My family buys fresh bags of all different kinds of rolls and such almost everyday. Some bread is sweet, some is wheaty, some has cheese on the inside, and they are all delicious. The “bus” comes at around 6:30, which I am the first to get on. I used quotes, because it is actually just a large van, as most school buses are here. The bus rides are pretty fun. I’ve been taking advantage of being the first person on the bus to talk to our driver, Gabriella. It’s takes around 45 minutes to gather all the others and make our way over to the University.

Upon arriving at the University, we are consistently greeted by a man who is known to us, by request, as Janitor Man. He opens our classroom for us and usually tries to make conversation. He’s a genuinely kind man, but I have the hardest time understanding him because he has such a low, raspy voice. Dr. Toral, our professor, usually arrives precisely 20 minutes late. So, we have quite a bit of time before hand which we usually use irresponsibly for playing games and watching you-tube videos.

Class is pretty average. Dr. Toral lectures with power points and sometimes shows us these computer modules that are really slow, but kind of funny. We usually get pretty serious while he’s teaching, but every once and while we laugh about random stuff. I think Dr. Toral enjoys it; he likes to laugh along with us. He also likes to give us breaks. After about an hour of lecturing he’ll tell us we can have “about a 20 minute break.” We know now, that “20 minutes” actually means at least a half hour.

After class, I usually take bus 15 to go back to the church office to use the internet and do my Spanish homework. However, Mondays are our group bible study days and Fridays are ice cream days. Whatever the case, I usually return home for lunch with my host mom, Maria because she works at the church office (her job is actually organizing all the relations with Taylor J).

During the week, my family has a maid, Carmita, who comes in the mornings to do general house cleaning, laundry, and prepare the lunch meal since both my parents work. She is a very sweet young woman, probably not much older than me. I haven’t had much of a chance to get to know her though, because she leaves not to long after lunch. She makes a mean Ecuadorian meal though. Lunches ALWAYS start with soup. All different kinds of soup. Pea soup, ham soup, chicken, spinach, yucca, and many other delicious soups that I don’t even what to call them. After soup, in the main part of the meal. There is always some sort of meat. I am definitely not lacking in any protein here. Sometimes is beef, sometimes chicken, and lots of times pork. Pork (Chancho) is a big deal here. Good thing it’s pretty tasty! Along with the meat, there’s usually some vegetables. However, there’s never really any leafy, vitamin-filled greens, it’s always potatoes, or like one slice of tomato. I’m not complaining, but I would like to eat an entire spinach plant sometime soon. RICE. HOW COULD I FORGET TO MENTION THE RICE. Yes, we have rice everyday. That’s not an exaggeration. Sometimes, we eat it at every meal. Always, always with lunch though. I like rice. We also always have freshly made juice. It’s different all the time, but always delectable. Sometimes its pineapple, papaya, mango, tomato (from tress, not red tomatoes), or different kinds of berries. So good!!Lunch is usually ended with some sort of light dessert like fruit or pudding.

Meals are pretty family oriented, but since I have class after lunch, and my parents usually have to get back to work, we start eating before the kids get home from school. I really respect those kids, they make it through their whole day of school before they get home for lunch around 2. In high school, I could barely make it to our 11:30 lunch before I was losing concentration.

Like I mentioned before, I have really been enjoying walking to and from class. Our Spanish class is in a building right across from the church. The church is only about a 10 minute drive from my house, but when I walk/take the bus it takes about 45 minutes. It’s a nice time for me to think/pray/exercise.

I love Spanish class! We actually only have it Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, which is nice to have the afternoons on Mondays and Fridays to do whatever. Anyways, in my Spanish class (the intermediate), there are 4 of us Taylor students and one REALLY intense, dramatic, funny, but lovable teacher. Loli is a teacher at the Verbo Church’s private school, and makes time, 6 hours a week, to teach US Spanish. We don’t really have a specific schedule and she is very flexible with answering our questions and catering to what we are struggling with or want to learn. She also speaks very little English. Many times we have to look up words because she doesn’t know how to explain them, but most of the time everything is explained entirely “en espanol.” I feel like I have learned so much from her already, and can honestly say that I am getting better every day.

Side note: My host dad told me the other day (the same one who scolded me before for speaking enlgish like the first week here…) and I quote, “Entiendas todo! You are a Spanish girl!” Translation: You understand everything! You are a Spanish girl! Hahaha. He likes to practice his English. The other day when I got home, he asked me how class was, and when I replied that it had been good, he said, “Ohhh congratulations!!” hahaha He’s a riot.

Evenings are different almost everyday. Mondays, when I do not have class, I have been studying. A LOT. I don’t remember if I explained this earlier, but we are essentially finishing our physiology class in about a week. Physiology is a pretty involved subject as it is. However, we are covering the entire human body (as in depth as possible) in one month, as opposed to 4 months like any normal class would. After wards, we’ll be attending a physiology class (in Spanish) with other Ecuadorian students at the University of Azuay. I am very excited to be able to relearn everything and gain even more understating in Spanish, but this first month is what counts for our grade.

Ok. Mondays, study, or whatever comes up. Dinner isn’t usually until after 8 and is usually pretty small. Either leftovers from lunch, or something like bread and cheese. With dinner, we usually drink something hot, like milk blended with fruit and sugar or hot chocolate. Tuesdays, dinner is a bit earlier because we have house church bible studies at 8. They are very similar to the kind of bible studies I went to in high school. There is usually some singing and prayer to begin, and then a different person shares a devotional each week. I have been going with my host-brother to his “house church” which is kind of funny, because it is like being in high school again. (I will share more about house church later, because I have to finish this up.) Ok, Wednesdays, usually dinner and studying. Thursdays are our evenings with Tami. And Fridays I usually spend with my family, either at home or at Grandma’s house.

Wew!! That is quite enough for today. Haha You’re in my prayers! Much love!

Linds