Catching Up

The past  few months have consisted of traveling, shopping, meeting new friends, losing friends, practicing my Spanish, playing on the beach, getting sick, and everything in between!

I had traveled to Salinas with a friend of mine and then headed further South to Machala. Salinas was absolutely beautiful. The water was crystal clear. The nightlife was not a big hit but the feel of the town was a Miami Beach feel. We ate a lot of pan de yucca with yogurt and seafood! We did happen to meet a few people. A girl from Esmeraldas, Karina, who was nice enough to pay for a night out. She was a bit wild and talked a lot but she got to practice her English with us and we were able to practice some Spanish. The other people we met were either married, 18 years old, or wore speedos who tried to flaunt their parts to us on the beach. Was not our thing. With lots of fun in the sun and a good adventure it was time that we travel to Machala.

Machala is the banana capital of Ecuador and most parts of the South America. Not a bad bus ride from Salinas until I started to sweat and feel a little dizzy. It was not until I was on the bus I began to feel a bit sick. When we arrived in Machala at another volunteer’s apartment, I was throwing up for the next 6 hours with a fever. Food poisoning! I believe it was from a sketchy restaurant from Salinas. What do you do? This is just a part of life living in a third-world country. You wait it out, get what you need to get out and move on!

 

After a long weekend of traveling, it was time to go back to Manta. No money but just enough for a piece of pan and maybe a coffee, I was on the bus from Guayaquil to Manta. They always say…there’s no place like home. I highly believe this statement true. Every time I am out and about traveling, all I can think in my mind is “ I can’t wait to get back on the coast where it is warm and you have the friendly atmosphere.”

Some time was passing and I spent a few weeks in Manta to catch up. I had a friend from Quito visit for a week while we published the Ecua-Vista for our program. The Ecua-Vista is a worldwide magazine for people who may be interested in applying to the WorldTeach program. With losing the document three times, we finally were able to complete it.

During the few weeks in Manta, I met some new friends. As awesome as it sounds, it’s hard to keep friends in a foreign culture. They usually are passing by while traveling or they may be of the opposite sex and want to marry you. It is important to choose your friends wisely! And that is good advice for wherever you are in the world.

Travelers of Machala

WorldTeach’s End of Service conference was peaking. I packed my bags once again and traveled to Quito.