It’s been in insane 5 weeks. Let’s start with the madness that started on October third. The government passed some laws, the president did some things, basically all you need to know is that the gas prices more than doubled. So the entire country protested. Cab drivers weren’t working, the buses weren’t running, there were just huge masses of people gathered everywhere starting street fires, starting street fights and just screaming! The cab drivers would blockade intersections with theirs taxis and just stay there all day so no one could go anywhere!
Now, where i was, in Cuenca, we were completely safe as long as we stayed inside the gates of OSSO. The president declared a national emergency so the military was involved and it was just really crazy. It was really violent and unsafe in Quito and Guayaquil. That’s where people were being hurt, taken hostage (mostly police officers,) tear gassed and such. In Cuenca it was mostly peaceful protesting. But we were on lock down and couldn’t leave our compound for almost 2 WEEKS!! We all went really crazy, it was so hard. We could work at our orphanage that we live at and that was all. So all of my roommates and i were really on edge, we were fighting, we needed a vacation, it was just BAD.
Peace talks and such happened and we were allowed to leave after two weeks of lock down. There still have been very minor, sporadic protests on some random Wednesdays but nothing like before. It was just CRAZY!
So while i was locked in my house, i started feeling really sick. But it would usually come in waves so i never missed work or anything because of it. It was really bad nausea and stomach pain. The day we were told we could go back out into town, was when it got really bad. And i spent almost the whole next week laying on the couch. I went to the doctor and had a bad reaction to the medicine he gave me, so my body basically had to heal on its own. I still have waves of sickness and days that are really bad. I hope when i go back home, it just goes away.
So here’s a thing: My first three weeks here were super hard because of adjusting and such and then the next three weeks were a BREEZE and i didn’t want to go home AT ALL! Then i hit my 6 week mark... and man oh man those three weeks were crazy hard! I was anxious, i was homesick, i was trunky, i was physically sick, i missed my dog, i missed my mom, i missed my brother, i missed my best friend Savannah and i missed Joey. It was a really emotional three weeks and i could barely get out of bed most days. The days were very long. I wasn’t doing anything differently, my schedule was the same, my routine was the same. It was just hard. I felt like if i could get through those weeks, my last three weeks would be wonderful and much easier and i was right. So far.
This week has been great! I’ve been so much happier, way less homesick and way less physically sick! I am trying my hardest to enjoy and make the most of my little time left here, but i am also really ready to come home. But i am taking it day by day and making sure to be in the present as much as possible.
It’s been both the longest and shortest 10 weeks of my life! I don’t know how that’s possible, but it is haha! Here are some highlights from the past few weeks.
•A 16 year old orphan girl named Maria taught me how to crochet and that experience was really special to me. I don’t know how to explain why.
•I worked at The Children’s Cancer hospital last week and played Uno with the most precious, kids I’ve ever met. A kid named Junior helped me with my Spanish conjugation. He wore a hat because he had just a few thin strands of hair left. I could tell he was really self conscious about his hair or lack of it and I just wanted to give him mine so bad :’(
•I’m in Ecuador over Dia de Los Muertos! How cool is that! I threw a Halloween party for the disabled adults and kids at OSSO and they loved it! I wish i could show you all pictures of them in their costumes! We went into town yesterday and it was CRAZY how many people were out. There were hundreds of shops up and down the river and cotton candy on every corner and we went to the carnival and rode a bunch of rides! (I know sounds sketchy but we were all good.) It has been such an amazing weekend! Experiencing the culture and seeing how they celebrate Day of The Dead here has been so cool.
Last thought: I didn’t know how much i would come to love these people who can’t talk or walk. I mean i guess it’s the same with babies but i wasn’t expecting to feel this much love for the disabled adults. The people i take care of are so special. Literal angels. When i feed them, bathe them, and even when i change them is when that love and bond grows. It’s so crazy. I walked into the orphanage last night after going into town and i went to check on Martin Brito, a 21 year old who has CP and is in a wheel chair and can’t talk or communicate at all. He was just sleeping in his bed and i just started crying because I love him so much! Taking care of these people has made me love them more than i ever thought i would. They are so special and i think they have done more for me than i have done for them.
That’s all. I probably won’t write another update cause I’m coming home in a couple weeks. But thanks for reading all of this if you did! I love you all! Here’s some pictures!
Taxis barricading the intersection right outside our house!
A cute kid from the day care. I don’t know his name, i only met him once.
I climbed to the top of a giant cathedral!
We like cuy. Cuy is good.
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