Random Happenings Since Perú and Bolivia

Since I have not blogged in a while I will try to sum up the highlights the past couple of weeks since my return from Perú and Bolivia. In no particular order:

1) Amaru Cholango Indigenous Art Exhibit: photography, sculptures, videos, poetry, etc... first time I ever went to a museum alone... incredibly interesting.

2) Ecuadorian Darty? Yes, Patricio and I went to what we thought was going to be a Saturday rager but turned into a two hour commute to a country club of doom. Let's just say the country club looked more like a backyard of an impoverished New Jersey suburb and the only guy we knew there weeped like a small child for a good hour or so after his girlfriend broke up with him mid-darty.

3) Centro Historico View: as a required program event the BC Gringos did a night walking tour of the Centro Historico. While I am sure the information was rich in culture I could not stop staring at the outfit that our tour guide was wearing, who was trying to impersonate either Zoro or Captain Morgan... either or. The highlight, however, of this outing was crawling through the walls of a very old church, lit only by candlelight, and eventually arriving to the top of the church and seeing the most beautiful view of Quito that I have ever seen.

4) Indigenous Ballet: two weeks ago today we had the pleasure of seeing an indigenous ballet performance. I would not quite call it ballet... the style was truly unique, the music was great, and we were invited on stage to dance mid-performance!

5) Thanksgiving in Quito: while it was definitely difficult to be away from home for thanksgiving, I will admit that the thanksgiving dinner we ate was phenomenal. We went to Adam's Rib (perhaps the most American named restaurant in Quito) with the entire group, Amanda, Bonnie, Andrea, Mark, and the parents of Beth, Nate, and Tori. Perhaps the only thing I missed more than mom's mashed potatoes, however, was not going 12AM Black Friday Shopping with my sister, Melissa, like we do every year.

6) Skyping with my big italian family on turkey day: while I don't consider myself to be an outwardly emotional person, there is something so overwhelming about turning on your skype camera and seeing a herd of family members crowding around. I can say, with confidence, that my family, no matter how crazy or atypical they are, is absolutely incredible and always supportive. Perhaps it takes being away from home for an extended period of time to realize that. Also, I never thought it would be my brother to be the reason why I burst out into overwhelmed tears but, then again, I had not spoken to him since August 14th. I am so excited to go home in three weeks and see everyone!

7) Receiving the cutest thanksgiving card from my mom and sister.

8) My last day at the Macarena: today was my last day volunteering at the Macarena. Although Pat and I decided we would attend their performances on Friday, today was our last day working in the classrooms. I will certainly miss having the kids crawl all over me... I will miss Erick, Pamela, Jefferson, and Amelia (favoritism exists... sorry). The experience was absolutely incredible and one that I will certainly carry with me forever.