day one thirty five - la ultima

So i'm writing this one last post, post fifty four, a few days after day 135. i am home. since last time i posted i went to the beach, came back, packed, said goodbye, had a ridiculous two-day journey home, cried when i saw my family, and have spent the last two days adjusting to the ridiculous heat here...35-40 degrees i think, and going through culture shock as i adjust to living here in canada once again. I can't say that my life is better in one place or another...life is life. and this is just part of it. i love my life in ecuador...and i love my family and this town. i am looking forward to going back to school for my last year. life is good. but that doesn't mean it's easy. and one thing i've learned on this trip is that if i could CHOOSE between an easy life and a difficult life...i'd take the difficult one. Because the beautiful moments in our life are that much more beautiful and appreciated for all their worth. Because we learn so much more. Because we are forced to trust in our Loving Creator. Because we see the true value of the people around us. Because in the difficult times we are refined by the fire.
This is my last post for this travel blog...for now! I'm sure with many more stories to come. For now i will be posting my random, scattered thoughts on my other blog which you can get to by clicking HERE.
i want to thank everyone who supported me, prayed for me, and read my blogs. I know i will be learning things from this experience for the rest of my life. Missing ecuador already.
Chao! love Daniela

day one twenty nine - vamos a la playa

wow. time could not possibly go by any faster. didn´t i just blog yesterday? I got back from Chimborazo and slept as i said...then all i remember next is getting on a bus with Alicia and Jack to Baños. I like Baños for some reasons...like it´s beautiful, it´s small and cute, there´s tons of stuff to do. But i also don´t like it because it´s SUCH a tourist town and really, if you want to insult me, call me a tourist. I hate the stereotype and the worst part is the stereotype is mostly true of foreigners here...the huge backpacks, MEC clothes, camera at the ready, holding an ice cream cone, and looking very lost and confused. i´ll just take the ice cream thanks.
So Baños. we slept a lot, HA! like our favorite hobby. we laughed a lot. Went horseback riding....for 4 hours! ouch. it looks so comfortable on tv! maybe i just do it wrong but man oh man. im pretty sure we got suckered into a tourist trap when planning on going to a spa for massages. we paid the lady at the tour company because she said she got a ¨discount¨. I never felt right about it and really i think she pulled in a pretty good profit. oh well...still less than 50% the cost of one in canada. and now i know for next time....and i´m warning all of yall!!
It was hard to leave Al and Jack at the bus station on monday when i was returning to Riobamba. Although it still hasn´t really sunk in yet that i may not ever see these amazing girls again. nope. still hasn´t sunk in.
This morning we had our summer tutoring program again...i really dont like missing out on them! the kids are all so much fun. and now...im preparing to leave for the beach for a few days. and i am SO stoked! although...it´s so crazy because when i get back on sunday, it´s goodbye Riobamba, goodbye Ark, goodbye Street Church, and off to Quito. I can hardly believe it. trying to take this all in one day at a time and soak in my last few days here. hopefully i´ll have time to blog once or twice more before i come home.
trusting in God and resting in his peace, Daniela