One Year in Ecuador

The 21st of April marked one year in Ecuador. Anniversaries or birthdays always make me introspective, and this anniversary was no different.

Initially, we only came to "visit" for 7 weeks. Now, 52 weeks later, we're still here! It's amazing to me that so much time has passed. At times, it feels like it is impossible that it has been that long. Other times, last year seems like a lifetime ago.

Much of the time here has been frustrating for me. In Bahrain, we had the advantage that almost everybody spoke English. Here, almost nobody does. So, the first and biggest hurdle I've had to face was learning Spanish. I'm happy to say that I would classify myself now as a good solid intermediate, but I know I still have a long way to go to achieve the fluency I desire. Poco a poco.....

The morning of the 21st, I was thinking back over the past year as I went about my daily activities and then the reality of all we've actually done and accomplished hit me.

Thursday I woke up and said goodbye to Shawn as he headed out for a weekend guy's camping trip with Casa Gabriel. Later, I got up with the kids, waited for our babysitter to get here and then walked to the bus stop closest to our house. I took the bus into Quito, grabbing an empanada from a street vendor along the way. There's this one guy along our bus route who sells the absolute best empanadas I have ever had, so I always try to pick one up when I can.

I changed buses upon arrival to Quito, then took another bus to a second station. There, I crossed a pedestrian bridge to arrive at my Spanish tutor's house. My Spanish tutor and I were covering the subjunctive, one of the most difficult aspects of the Spanish language for many non-Spanish speakers. It, in my opinion, is one of the "final frontiers" of my study of the language, so I am thrilled to be reaching such an important milestone.

Two hours later, I left and walked to yet another bus line and took the bus to Mitad del Mundo. A guy on the bus saw my Spanish book and felt the need to start a conversation with me, trying to convince me that I should be practicing my Spanish instead of listening to my iPod. In reality, I suspect he just wanted to have a conversation with this gringa, but hey, it was good practice. At Mitad del Mundo, I negotiated a price with a taxi driver to take me out to a hotel nearby where I needed to make reservations. Some friends of ours are getting married next weekend and as a wedding gift, we booked them their first night in a hotel.

I made the reservation and paid, then got a brief tour of the hotel. It overlooks the most amazing valley, with beautiful green fields and quaint farms, nestled in the middle of steep Andean mountains. On the way back toward Mitad del Mundo, we passed the mountain I climbed with Casa G and the Douce family a couple months after I first arrived.

The taxi driver took me back into Quito, where I caught a bus to take me back out to our place again. And I started thinking about the last year.

Thursday, I navigated the city and outside-the-city bus system. I had Spanish lessons. I spoke to strangers. I made hotel reservations. I negotiated prices. And I did it ALL in Spanish. To see that really showed me how much good our time here has done as far as growth.

I've gotten over so many of those little things I used to let bother me. God has given me lots of opportunities to step outside my little comfort zone and really feel, taste, live and experience life. Though I have not always been as grateful the last year, I do feel grateful today for all of the hard things God has used here to make my life richer in the end.