What I've learned and what I'll miss

I learned a lot during my stay in Ecuador, but not at all what I expected to learn. I came here expecting to learn the subjects I would be taught in class... about development and related inequalities, etc. What I found out, is that if I gleaned what I understood from all the lectures, the important take-aways were things I had already known from my time at Lawrence, as an anthropology major and as a member of GlobeMed. While it is a bit disappointing that I can't really think of anything new and important I have learned from my classes here, it does make me thankful for the education I have had and get to have more of at Lawrence.

But let's see, what HAVE I learned from the large amount of time I spent in class those first 8 weeks. I learned how to be a little more confident in asking for clarification, even when I'm not sure I even know enough Spanish words to make my question clear. I learned how to be honest about who I am and what kind of experience I want with myself and with others. I learned that I'm more of a day person; I'd much rather wake up at 6 than stay up until then! I learned how to find what I want in an unfamiliar city by just going and asking questions along the way if I get lost, even if that meant walking around for an hour (and getting lost) to find a church I saw online just because I thought it would be a better way to learn than to take a taxi. I think the biggest thing I can take from this experience is that as long as I make safe choices, I'll be fine on my own. I can figure it out, and strangers are more willing to help me than they might seem at first.

When I moved to Otavalo, I learned that I definitely am an introvert because my time alone there, either reading in my room or walking around the city, was the best re-charge I could have had. Though, I did eventually get a little lonely and realized that friends are a huge blessing as long as I know how to ask for some time alone when I need it. I learned a couple of other things about myself and what I want to pursue in the future from my time in Otavalo as well. I learned that public health might not be my thing. After two 6-week internships in foreign health organizations, which I definitely did enjoy, I realized that this is not how I want to serve God and his people like I thought it was. I tend to forget the purpose of what I'm doing if I'm just seeing many people go by each day, or not even meeting the people I'm working to help, and I think I need to find something where I can build real relationships with individuals rather than do something for the masses. I want to look into some other volunteer/intern opportunities in Appleton when I get back to explore some other options, but something I really hope to get into is the Fox Valley Warming Shelter, because I'm pretty sure they help the homeless people who come through with job searches, and that really strikes me as a good idea and something I could get into. The other thing I realized while in Otavalo is how important music and the arts are to me, which I always took for granted until they were not at all easily available to me. I miss being able to really get into my flute practice. I miss hearing other people play, and I for sure want to go to more artist and world music series performances when I get back. One of my favorite things about Otavalo is Kinti Wasi, which is that big bird-shaped arts/culture building I found, and I wish I would have had time to go to more of their events. That's something I realize I'm going to have to work harder at keeping in my life once I leave Lawrence.

These are just a few of the things I learned, and I'm sure if we're talking sometime in the near future I'll come up with/remember others. Now onto some of the random, daily things I'll definitely miss about this place:

• All the dogs! Strays included... they're really nice here and probably happier than the house dogs

• The mountains, of course. I could stare at them for hours.

• CHEAP food and markets. Just the fact that I bought 50 bananas or $3... and my favorite pizza place sells a huge slice plus a glass of soda for $1.50 (though, I will not miss the soda. I hate soda and people drink it like it's water here...)

• Speaking Spanish. I'll still be able to do that in my Spanish classes, but nothing beats having to explain something in the strangest way possible because you seem to have forgotten any word that actually has to do with your subject!
• Adding "ita" to everything. I'm not sure how it translates into English, but I think of it as prefacing your subject with "cute little." Like tecito (tea - té), aguita (water - agua), and of course adding it to most names (Sarita, Martita). It doesn't work with mine, unfortunately :/ 
• Cows EVERYWHERE. There don't seem to be farms anywhere... people just give their cows a tour of the city and drop them off in a random green patch by the road to graze for the day. As I strangely said on the bus one day, I like the cows so much because "their color scheme goes well with the grass." But really, I think cows on a grassy mountain side is the perfect scenery.

• And of course, I'll miss my host families and MSID friends!

Well, I'll be home Sunday so I guess this is sort-of my good-bye post! I can't wait to be home and see everyone! I may post once more after we go to Mitad del Mundo (the equator) but it's more likely I'll just be putting pictures of that on facebook. Ciao, Ecuador!