I'm Lovin' It!!

I love the work that I'm doing!! This was my first real week on the job and it is awesome.

I found out that on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays I get to work out in the sectors and streets of Guayquil. On Monday and Wednesday I did visits in the homes of the kids that we are trying to help. We meet with the family, played games with the kids and made goals for the families to accomplish.

The kids that I have worked with so far are great. The first day I was there they just kept touching my skin and blonde hair, and looking at my blue eyes:) I got to play games with them and listen to them talk with my companion about their goals and such. On Thursday we visited kids in the street. It was muy chevre!:) I played futbol with them (I am awful:)) and there was a group of four little kids that I played with in the park. I have had many great experiences with this work so far and look forward to the ones to come!

I love the people in my ward. I got to go to church and everyone is so welcoming, warm and friendly! There is a boy that is 11 years old (same as Matt!) that speaks very good english and helps me out a lot! He is probably one of my best buds out here:)

I still get homesick every once in a while, but now that I am meeting more new people and making the effort to talk and listen, things are much better. I am already dreading the day that I am going to have to leave! I never thought that this early in the experience I would be wishing that I could stay longer than 5 months!!

LOST!

haha, it was bound to happen, right? :)

My dear friends, gather round as I recount my adventure. It begins on a seemingly normal day after a long 9 hours of endless translations at my wonderful new workplace in the which I am serving as a volunteer:) (it is called JUCONI and it helps to keep kids of the streets). My dear sweet coordinator Nadia had shown me the bus route that I was to take in order to return from my workplace to my home a few days earlier... now, I was going to try it out...

So ya, anyway, I was supposed to get off the bus at the temple and walk to my house from there. Well, I failed to do so, and as I saw the temple fading off into the distance, I figured I might have a problem... So I got off the bus and saw a young woman with her small baby and began to ask her in my broken english if she could help me:)

We walked along for a bit, but I couldn't really understand her because she spoke very quietly and kind of mumbly. We ended up walking by a police station which we walked over to, and numerous people began to gather as I attempted to explain my plight... haha, there was much laughing and merriment that ensued:) there were probably about 7 people there just asking me where I was from and all that good stuff. I had my house number, so someone used it to call my brother to come and get me:) while we waited we all just laughed and chatted (mostly about how I couldn't really understand much!)

When I got home, my mom just laughed at me and kept saying, "Tu perdiste! Tu perdiste!" ("You got lost!")

haha, it was all good fun and I made lots of new friends!! Hurray for the confusing bus system!!