Less than two weeks?!

It is hard to believe that I have less than two weeks left in Cuenca.  Cuenca has been my home away from home for the past four months.  Well I registered for all my classes next semester.  Got in them all!  I will have only one class on Thuesdays and Thursdays and no classes on Fridays.  This will be good for work and observation hours.  Friday was Cuenca days so from Thursday night to Sunday night Cuenca is crazy!  It has been so much fun.  With only two weeks left its hard because you don't want to miss anything.  Friday morning I was told to sleep in by my mom so I did till 8.  I couldn't sleep in any longer.  Friday morning I met Erin and Teresa at CEDEI because we were going to Banos.  Banos is a town built on a valcano.  It was so bautiful is was only about a 30-40 minute ride on the public bus which only cost $0.25!  So worth it.  I was due for some relaxation as well as the other girls.  We walked around for a while to compare prices at different spas.  We found one that was absolutely beautiful.  It was like a resort from the states.  It reminded me a lot fo Arizona which I'm sure is why I enjoyed it so much.  I have never really done a spa day so I was glad I got to with my friends!  Check out where I went here... http://www.piedradeagua.com.ec/instalaciones  I did a package with the girls for $30.  First you change, then shower to rinse off, then sit in a sauna type thing with vicks smoke for fifteen minutes, then go to the red mud bath, which is good for skin, then you dry, wash off, and shower then you go to the blue mud bath and repeat.  After you sit in a hot pool for 10 minutes underground then you sit in the cold pool for 2 minutes.  By cold I mean freezing.  Then we went to the boxes.  The boxes are like a personal sauna, it was crazy!  After we had lunch.  We could have repeated the whole day but we were going to the soccer game at six.  I finally got to go to a soccer game!  It made me miss playing soccer.  I think I may have to play when I get back to Iowa.  Good workout.  Well before we went to happy hour I got two Vodka with limon drink for a $1.50 each.  Everyone else got a Pilsner grande but I'm allergic.  We arrived at the game and sat in the front row on the Cuenca side.  It was kinda boring at half time I was feeling my drink so Teresa and I went to get food.  Of course in line I met a guy named Alejandro, who happened to be a drummer for Loja, the team Cuenca was playing.  I guess it's a big deal for Cuenca fans to go in the other teams section but I payed the same price and I had a white jacket on, I blended right in!  He invited us over so I went to tell the other people and it ended up being Teresa, Erin, and I standing up next to the drummer on the bleachers.  I had so much fun!!! It was a blast.  Loja ended up winning so it was even better!  Well turns out the other three from our group were ready to go because they didn't win.  Unfortunately there are fights and it gets crazy so they don't let anyone from Loja out until Cuenca has left.  Well because we were three gringas and two of which were blonde they let us out.  Then Candy took us to an awesome hamburger restaurant.  the best hamburgers in Ecuador have ham on them with the burger.  This one had a special pinneapple sauce!  So good!  I have a feeling I will be using Jelly on everything when I get back home.  After, I went home because I was really tired.  I went straight to bed.  I had to wake up at 7 the next morning to be at CEDEI by 8am to go to Churute.  Yay the coast!  We were all hot because we had to wear pants becuase of mosquitos.  Well first we had a two hour boat ride through mangroves.  Yep we sat in a canoe and rode through this river and looked and trees.  Fun!  haha Well once we started scouting birds the whole group cheered up and we talked the rest of the trip.  My group is so different but yet we all get along so well!  Then we had our lunch and went for a 30 minute hike through the dry forest looking for monkeys.  I found the first ones mainly because I connect with animals. lol  We listened and watched these monkeys for awhile and went back on our trip.  We stopped and picked a cocoa bean off one of the trees and we ate the fruit of the cocoa bean!  It was so cool!  It tasted like a mango.  So you open up the shell and the meat of the small beans is what you suck off.  Then you roast the beans and you have chocolate!  So cool!  We went to a mini fruit market stand and bought fruit.  I bought two pinneapples for $1 each.  They were so good and juicy.  When we got back to Cuenca we went to Candy's house for a barbeque.  We had hotdogs, baked macaroni and cheese, pinneapple, and brownies.  It was so good.  We talked for awhile and we went back home.  I was exhausted again so I went straight to bed.  My family was out of town this weekend so I was home alone.  It was different, but I got to make an egg this morning for breakfast instead of just toast and fruit.  I cut my other pinneapple as well and enjoyed some of that.  I wrote a paper and watched the Iron Lady, terrific movie!  After I made easy mac for lunch since nothing else sounded better.  Then I met up with Zoe and Teresa to go visit some of the markets for Cuenca Day.  We got to see fireworks and different stands.  I bought cotton candy!  Yum!  It was spun and made right in front of me.  Then we headed back home.  My mom was waiting for me when I returned.  I missed my family!  It was so sad at dinner we were talking about how I only had two weeks left in Cuenca.  My dad said I couldn't leave and that I didn't pass and needed to take more classes.  I said I would take more spanish classes.  I am really going to miss my family the thought brings tears to my eyes.  My mom told me she is going to give me everyone's email and I have to keep in touch.  My mom said I am not aloud to leave without promising to stay in contact because they will always be my Ecuadorian family and family for four months.  No one can believe that it is almost over, especially me.  My family has been awesome and I'm not going to be able to leave them without crying.  I will never forget them and the experience they showed me.  Love, Jillian