G' Day

Volcano Pichincha West of Quito

Hello. I'm heading home today and I'm excited for a lot of things but I feel as if I will miss just as much about Ecuador. For instance the number one thin I will miss are the people, especially the men on the coast that pull their shirts up over their huge bellies in order to cool down. one thing I won't miss is the feeling of insecurity. Being here has let me stand back and see that the police officers in the United States do an amazing job compared to the "police" in Ecuador. Here you can often see police wandering the streets hissing at women and sometimes drinking. where as in the US our police officers are well trained and maintain a respectable presence. I still haven't lost sight of the many downfalls of our police force but i have a new appreciation for their presence.

This past two weeks has been really nice with molly, we weren't together the entire time because she had classes but we went on a few trips to the highlands, markets, and the coast. Those times when I was left on my own while she was in class I was able to meet up and have coffee with an Australian friend from my program who is traveling South America.

Our last trip was to the Ecuador coast to a town called Atacames. here molly's friends host mother had a house on the beach where we hung out for the weekend.

It will be nice to see friends and family once again after five months abroad. I pretty sure I will be heaing to Southern Mexico on a research trip with one of my professors in August so keep an eye out for the possibility of another blog session.
Peace