Most of the week was pretty relaxed. I was in class 12-2 for most days and taking Spanish class from 2-4pm. In Spanish it was usually just Sarah, Jacquie, and I so I got a lot of individually attention. That class was immensely helpful. I was able to learn a lot and now I need to work on memorizing words. I have the ability to make basic sentences but not always the vocab to say what I want. Still, I feel like I've come a long way from the middle of August.
On Friday night we celebrated Sarah's birthday (her actual bday was Sat but our plane for Galapagos left at 7:30am on Sun morning). We went into downtown Quito with several friends and headed to the Mariscol, a typically touristy area in the city with lots of bars, clubs, restaurants, etc.
At Amy's house getting ready for a night of dancing and celebrating!
The next day was our last day on the mainland. Sarah and Jacquie invited me to go with them to their host family's farm about an hour and a half from Quito. I squeezed in the car with them and their three host sisters who are all really nice. On the way we stopped for the most delicious popsicles. I had a coconut one and it was so amazing!
Upon arrival to the farm the first thing we saw was this little adorable baby goat just two weeks old! We all took turns holding him - so soft and light! When we brought him near his mom his bleating was super cute!
The baby goat
It was suggested we go horseback riding before lunch so Jac, Sarah, Moni (their youngest host sister) and I all went. Moni rode on the back of my horse for a time and was really helpful when our horses got a little persnickety. We were out for about an hour and despite a little rain it was a great ride with wonderful views!
On the trail
We returned back and had a wonderful lunch and some time to relax. We got to take a tour of the farm which included horses, miniature horses, 2 sheep, a cow, a donkey, the goats, and 2 dogs. There were also several ducks and birds wandering around. It was beautiful and the sun even decided to come out making the afternoon pleasantly warm.
"Keep your ducks in a row!"
To end the day we had the most delicious cheesecake to celebrate Sarah's birthday. It had a passionfruit topping that was incredible. We even got to have seconds at the polite but insistent encouragement of Jac and Sarah's host mom.
Birthday cake! Those black things are edible seeds from the passionfruit!
I headed home around 7pm to put some laundry in and pack. My host family got home and decided they wanted to take me out for our last night! At 9:45pm we all got in the car and headed to downtown Quito. There were fireworks over the town (maybe they were celebrating all the gringos leaving :D) and we saw all the churches and town squares lit up. It was so pretty!
We continued to La Ronda street which I'd only seen in the daytime. It used to be a dangerous area but now it's an area with many shops, restaurants, and music where both locals and tourists go. We wandered around for a quite a bit enjoying the evening and then decided on a little place with live Ecuadorian music. We ordered empanadas to share and mochas to drink.
At the cafe at the end of the night - My host Dad (Xavier), my host Mom (Janeth), my host brother (Juan), and me!
After relaxing for a bit we finally headed home. It was a great way to spend my final evening! I got home around 12:30am packed up all my stuff and collapsed into bed at 2am. Even though I had to be up at 4am (to get to USFQ at 5:15am) it was absolutely worth it to stay up! My family even gave me delicious sweet bread (they know how much I like it) and a baggie full of treats for breakfast in the morning.
I've really enjoyed my stay on the mainland and I can't believe the month went so fast! I wanted more time to see a little more of the countryside - I finally just felt like I knew were things were and how to get around!! However, I know the Galapagos will be a brand new adventure and I'm excited for that also!!!
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