Lucky Me!

I try so hard not to focus on the days I have left until I have to return to the U.S.  When I first came here and was miserably sick I took out my calendar and wrote how many days I have left here.  I wish I would have never done that because now it makes me sad.  Well a little about my week so far...Monday night was quite interesting I got to catch up with my mom a lot about what has been going on.  My mom is one of those people you can talk hours to and not even notice the time.  She warmed me up some soup and made me a grilled cheese!  While I was eating she had this antique grinder hooked up to the table and she was grinding up soybeans!  I thought oh no I'm sitting here and you could kill me.  Luckily she didn't and she got to explain to me about the machine and why she prefers to buy the natural beans and grind them herself.  She also puts them in a beverage she drinks every morning, apparently it's suppose to help with metapause.  Interesting.  Tuesday I got to sleep in a little but I did a lot of organizing my stuff for my new classes.  Then I had ecuador Experience.  We talked about our book and watched a movie on Mexico.  After class we started cooking class today.  I wasn't really to thrilled because I knew if I was involved with anything in the kitchen it wouldn't turn out.  Our instructor made each one of us help cut everything and mix things.  First thing I had to get over was cutting the pork.  That was tough.  We ended up making loca papas soup and I foget the name of the main dish but it had pork, motte potta, ensalada of onion and tomatoes, it was so filling, and out dessert was boca (fruit) that we cooked in cinnamon water.  After cooking class I went home, my mom was still clearing up from lunch and she had left over juice, so I got to drink good juice and not nastey tomatoe de arbol.  My dad went to get my backpack fixed because it had a huge hole by the zipper, and it only cost $2!  then I went for a run down by the river!  It was beautiful I'd go there everyday, I have a free weekend so I'm going to do a little exploring and taking pictures!  When I got back I had to shower quick and look professional because the president of St. Ambrose was coming to meet my host family and then take the Ambrose girls out for dinner!  Of course I was the only one who really dressed up, but I want to leave an impression, and I think I did.  The maestro was here fixing my ceiling when Sister Joan came over.  We saved the tour for the end of the conversation because  it was still being fixed.  We talked a lot, actually sister Joan and my mom talked a lot; Dunia, my sister, and myself did the translating.  One question Sister Joan asked me was if I enjoyed my host family and how it is to come into another family.  That was easy!  My family here treats me like their own daughter, we all eat, watch movies, talk, do chores, and everything else as a family.  We never have meals where anyone is alone, and we are just very close as a family.  I told Sister Joan that I love my family here almost more than back home because here I have a "real family" by meaning we are all together, helping eachother, and never complaining; well just my dad when he wants more dessert. lol.  But then she made me translate it to my mom and it was interesting, I started crying especially when I told her about my dad walking me to school the first days of classes!  Sister Joan said I probably feel this way because I have only known them as an adult and don't have a past, It's the person I want to be.  After talking for easily two hours, she got a tour of where I live and then we were off to La Vina.  It's our favorite restaurant!  There we met Kim and Erin.  We all ordered and it was a good time.  It was really nice getting to know Sister Joan and listening to all her advice and stories, and even wanting me to be in this political group, which I am so excited for!  After we took pictures and said our goodbyes we got in a cab and took everyone home.  I went with Kim home to see Andres!  So exciting because I really missed him, when I was in the Galapagos.  I only stayed about an hour because I wanted to get home and see my family.  Then it was time for bed.  Wednesday already?  My busy day I had an education class at 8am, espanol at 10:30, and another education class at 3pm.  In between I went home to eat lunch with my family.  Our lunch was really good!  We had vegetable beef soup and really good chicken and cheesey potatoes, and vegetables.  After class I worked on homework. One of our books is called Out of my Mind and I suggest everyone who wants to be a teacher or anyone with a special needs chil, friend, or sibling to read this book!  It is about a little girl named Melody who has cerebral Palsey and a photgraphic memory.  We were only aloud to read the first quarter of the book and that was simple, now I want to finish it, but I have to wait a month.  Its okay because I have observation and four other books to read for his classes!  For dinner we had soup and salchi papas, which are frech fries and hotdogs covered in a mayonaise and ketchup mixture.  I did some more homework and went to bed.  Thursday, today we went to the CEDEI school for little kids.  I got to be with the kindergarteners, but usually I will be with preschoolers and kindergartners.  I will probably go an extra day to be with the Speech Pathologist.  After Erin and I went to a Salon to get our hair done.  Well I let Erin go first and she only wanted highlights, but the woman was doing a full color with brown!  It was horrible luckily we caught it in time, got it washed out and left!  Needless to say we aren't returning there, I told my mom and she said she would go with me sometime to her salon.  But after today, I think I can wait for Tammy to do my hair in May!  It was just my mom and myself at lunch today, we had my favorite, filling Pea Soup!  We also had a new pasta dish with chicken and mushrooms,  I really liked it!  The rest of the afternoon has been spent doing homework and catching up on rest.  Don't get me wrong I do really miss my mom back home, I'm just growing as a person and anxious to see how it will be when I get back to the real world.  Chau mis amigas!