El Apodo

Me: Papa, why do they call you Gordo (fatty)?

Papa: I was a really fat baby, and it just stuck. Now it's more like Carino (insert cute pet name here--dear, baby, honey, pumpkin, sugar muffin, puddin', cutie pie, sweetie cakes, angel eyes, sugar puss, boo, cuddle bunny, sweet cheeks, hot lips, pookie, sweetums, precious, hunka-hunka-burnin'-burnin'...you get the idea. Sidenote to any and all future boyfriends: calling me any one of these will result in an immediate breakup...except maybe the last one.)

Me: Oh, I see.

Papa: Do you have any nicknames?

Me: Yea--T, Ty, Ty-dye, Ichibad, TP (as in Tyler Poo, not toilet paper), RTC, bug-a-boo (those last 2 are for you mom!), T-money, T-swift...but mostly people call me T-Hood.

Papa: (confused...and overwhelmed) What does that mean? T-Hood?

Me: T for Tyler, and my last name is Hood.

Papa: But does it mean something?

Me: Hood is kind of like gangsta in the states.

(Uncontrollable laughter.)

What? I'm not gangsta?

La Lluvia

I really love rain. Which is great living in Quito because it rains almost every day here for at least a little while. If it rained all day, every day, we'd have issues...but as it is, I can deal.

Now I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think there are different kinds of rains, and that each kind is a different color. I know I'm weird, but I don't care. Today was yellow rain, which just might be my favorite. (No, yellow rain is not something peeing from the sky. Stop raining on my parade. Yay for bad puns!)

Black rain: this is an intense thunderstorm, the kind that rolls in on hot summer afternoons with loud thunder and bright lightning and a consistent rain that sizzles when it hits the pavement

Green rain: more of a mist really, so light you can barely feel it, but it creates a dew on every surface and makes the world look kind of shiny

Purple rain: this is a downpour, one of the ones that makes the best puddles; this is the kind of rain you go out and play in because you're instantly soaked and there are so many good places to splash around in

Blue rain: slow, fat rain; the kind you see coming from a million miles away up in the sky that splatters into a million pieces when it hits the windshield or your forehead

Red rain: the kind that stings because its coming down so hard and hitting you from every angle

Yellow rain: its constant yet surprising; you can see it coming down, you can feel it on your skin, but you never really feel like you're getting wet until you walk inside and realize you're dripping; this rain is the best for runs and for just walking around in

Maybe I sound crazy, but I bet next time it rains, you'll be thinking about what color it is.

Also, to add to the perfection of my yellow rain today, I got El Rey Leon (Lion King), Bella y La Bestia (Beauty and the Beast), and Buscando a Nemo (Finding Nemo) today, all en espanol!! So excited...if only my teachers would stop assigning work this week. Do they think I'm here for school or something? Honestly.

Dia de Familia

This is the first weekend I haven't traveled since I got to the Dor (with the exception of one weekend I was supposed to travel and got sick). My friends all had field trips and things to do for their classes this weekend, so I decided to hang with the fam.

Today we took a trip to a town just outside of Cumbaya (which is where my university is) and ate comida tipica called orneado, which is basically slow cooked pork. It was like a taste of home--BBQ!! When we got there, you could see the pigs outside the restaurant and the food was so good!!

The reason we went to the town was to see Papa's cousin who had just had a baby. So, I spent the afternoon holding an 8-day-old baby. Be jealous. SO adorable. And as much as I loved having that tiny human fall asleep in my arms, what I loved more was that every time he pooped (or his 2 year old sister did) I didn't have to clean it up!! I got all the cute and none of the gross! And trust me, there was plenty of gross. I give the kid props--he kept everyone on their toes. As soon as a new diaper was put on and his onsie snapped up, he immediately dirtied it up. As soon as he was cleaned up again, his sister walks in reaking, and in desperate need of a change. As soon as she's cleaned up, it's his turn again. Seriously, those two were scheming!

On the ride home, Donato figured out the trumpet/fart/raspberry noise with his mouth and discovered that when you do it right, spit flies everywhere...which of course he thought was hilarious. I was in the splash zone. Not quite so hilarious.

Mostly today I was just reminded how much I love being part of a family and that even though kids can be totally gross, they are really awesome. Also, I love Donato more than ever because a of all, he doesn't scream "NO!" at me every time I try to play with him and be of all, he's never pooped on me! Got to love that boy!

Llena de Paz

"Receive my peace. This is still your deepest need, and I, your Prince of Peace, long to pour myself into your neediness. My abundance and your emptiness are a perfect match. I designed you to have no sufficiency of your own. I created you as a jar of clay, set apart for sacred use. I want you to be filled with my very being, permeated through and through with peace."

--Sarah Young "Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence"

El Gran Dia

Today was AWESOME! I did so many cool things today:

1. Finished Pride and Prejudice--what a great book. I may or may not be completely in love with Mr. Darcy. Some girls fall for bad boys, I fall for fictional characters. Classic.

2. Went to Cookie Box (a small, in-the-middle-of-nowhere restaurant) and had chocolate chip cookies. Taste of home. Lovelovelove.

3. Finally tracked down my package from my mom. You'll be happy to know I am now fully stocked with sunscreen, dark chocolate, and Converses. What else could a girl possibly want?

4. Hung out with Juliana, my only for-real Ecua friend. We went and got coffee and talked about boys...duh. Cause that's what girls do. We also talked about music and God and working and life--and all in Spanish!!! And I understood it!!! So proud!

5. I had the nicest taxista on the way home and he talked to me for the whole ride about futbol and basket (that's what Ecuas call basketball....love me some abrevs!) and living in the Dor. Again, en espanol. Have I mentioned how much I'm LOVING all this Spanish??

6. Skyped my mom. Try explaining to your friends that you don't want to go out on a Friday night because you're talking to your mom. It sounds lame, but if you know Holly, you know that it wasn't!

7. Picked out classes for next semester. I'm a nerd. And I like it!

Just another marvelous day in the Dor!

Humor Diferente

There are some people who have a completely different sense of humor than I do. And I'm always going to struggle being their friend.

For instance, it is not funny to me when you:

-make fun of my accent every time I speak Spanish to you and tell me I will always sound like a gringa. No duh. I am a gringa. I am trying here.

-make fun of me for wearing an Ecua futbol jersey that is blue instead of yellow. Seriously? I'm sorry I didn't want to buy a neon yellow shirt and stick out even more than I already do, and besides, I literally know nothing about futbol. I got the jersey cause I liked it. That's all. I'm a poser ok? And as a poser, I prefer the blue jersey to the yellow. Get over it.

-constantly speak English to me just to show off and show me that you can, when I am clearly trying to learn/practice Spanish...a language I haven't mastered yet. Guess that makes me dumber than you. Congratulations. Then again, I've only been here 6 weeks, and you lived in the states how long? A year and a half. Yea.

-constantly brag. I swear, if opposites attract, I must be the most humble person in the world, because I seem to attract the most arrogant people; especially boys. Seriously dude, get some humility--it's far more attractive.

-look at me every time I sniffle or cough and pat me on the back with a look that says, "pobrecita." Ugh. I detest pity, and I'm more annoyed with the fact that you look at me every time I sniffle than you are that I keep sniffling.

-speak in a voice louder than everyone else's to make sure your opinion is heard and constantly interrupt people.

Sorry that was kind of a rant. Do you ever just feel like some people get under your skin? But everyone is different and has different types of humor and I'm not going to click with everyone, and that's ok. I'm sure there are a bajillion people out there who don't appreciate my sense of humor either.

Speaking of, here's my favorite Spanish joke. (stole it from Alex, I can't take credit)

Que dijo un iguana al otro iguana?

Somos igualitos!

(What did one iguana say to the other? We're the same! Yea...its not funny in English. sorryboutit dawg.)

Adios Ingles

Por las proximas 40 dias, solo voy a hablar en espanol.

YIKES!! This year for lent I'm giving up English. Ok, well really I'm just challenging myself to speak a heck of a lot more Spanish and lent gives me a time frame to do it in! Don't worry, I'll still talk to friends and family in English, and blog in English, and probably pray in English. But, no more English movies, music, or conversations in the Dor until Easter. It's going to be really hard.

I don't regret speaking as much English as I have because it has allowed me to make some really solid friendships and maintain the little bit of constancy I needed to feel like my entire world wasn't turned upside down when I moved here (though it very much was!). But, alas, it is time. Time to force myself even further out of my comfort zone and make a big change. One of my goals was to leave this semester speaking Spanish fluently, and while I now realize that probably won't happen, I have so much to learn and I want to take advantage of it completely while I'm here!

For those of you considering study abroad, or living abroad, here's something you should know: the first month or so is like trying to drink out of a fire hydrant. All of these words and phrases and cultural changes are being sprayed at you with shocking force and in enormous quantity, and you're just standing there with your mouth open, trying to catch anything you can and swallow it. I've taken so much in the last month and a half, but there's even more that is spraying right past me. So, here goes 40 days of hard core Espanol!

Dear Desserts,

Roses are red.

Violets are blue.

This year for lent,

I won't stop eating you!!

This picture is the story of my life!

BEST LENT EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nom nom nom.

Carnaval en Canoa!

Carnaval is basically the Mardi Gras of Latin America. You spend 2 (but really 4 because of the weekend) days partying, getting shwasted, basically indulging in everything you're going to have to give up for lent. So naturally, the gang decided to hit the playa, where the real fiestas go down!

We got to Canoa after an 8 hour bus ride around 6am. And it was dead. No one was out. Obvi, since it was 6 in the morning. We checked into our hostel and discovered we had a pool and an entire area dedicated to hammocks. (Other than the fact that we went without water for WAY too long and the electricity was spotty, it was a good hostel.)

We got up fairly early every morning to try to get a good spot on the beach. Every day the town got a little more crowded (which wasn't hard since Canoa consists of one street parallel to the beach and another perpendicular!) so it was that much more important to get up early and get a tent/shade/make-shift-cabana thingy because without one, you wouldn't last 30 minutes in the Ecua sun. We are basically on the Equator and therefore, I have spent the last 4 days covered from head to toe in layer upon layer of sunscreen. I even showered in it when our hostel ran out of water.

We found a favorite resaurant called Saboreame which roughly translated means Flavor Me!, but I prefer our alternate translation: Taste Me! Haha. Either way, it was fantastic, and in 4 days we managed to eat there 5 times. It's a skill. Really, by the time we left, we had our own table and they waiters recognized us when we sat down! Pescado Encocado and Camarones al Ajillo were the favorite dishes--basically fish in a coconut/citrus sauce and shrimp in a coconut/pepper sauce. Nom nom nom.

Afternoons were spent napping in hammocks or hanging out by the pool. When there was water, we'd shower, but then douse ourselves in bug spray, so we never really felt clean. And then we headed out to watch the sunset every night which is so amazing. Skies in the Dor are infinitely prettier than those stateside. Plus, I'd never been to the beach and seen the sun set over the water. Wud up west coast?!!!

Also, one day on the beach, we saw a full-circle rainbow!! That's not just my camera capturing glare. That is a full rainbow!!! It was amazing.

I was, of course, sick for the majority of the trip with a stomach issue of sorts, because traveling has this cruel way of keeping you from eating the most delicious food (and making you take medicine in ways you didn't know you could). I did feel well enough to hang out with everyone, but my nights were filled with sleep rather than fiestas, and my meals (after learning my lesson the hard way) were much smaller and much less indulgent than everyone else's. I lived vicariously I assure you!

Over the course of the trip I managed to read almost 3 books (in 4 days....yea. I was missing frisbee and games in the ocean. But also these books were amazing!):

Hunger Games--SO SO highly recommend this book. Read it. Right now. Turn off your computer and go find it in the library. It is SO good.

Bossypants--Tina Fey's memoir of sorts. Hilarious. I watched Mean Girls as soon as I got home.

Pride and Prejudice--such a great movie, and though I'm not finished with the book, I'm LOVING it. Yay for Jane Austen! And Mr. Darcy. Mmmmm.

Our last night there we were going to the beach to watch the sunset when all of a sudden these 2 punk kids come up behind me and throw a bucket of water on me and then wipe ash all over me. Earlier in the trip I had been sprayed with Carnaval foam by a man on a motorcycle. Haha.

This is how its celebrated here. You throw water, ash, foam, eggs...whatever you've got on random strangers and everyone just laughs because its all part of the fun. I feel like I've experienced Carnaval to the fullest thanks to those little tykes! (minus the eggs...we were all fortunate enough not to get hit with any of those!)

Las Drugas

So, I'm sick again. Go me. It's not as bad as last time, except that this time I'm about 2 hours away from an 8 hour bus ride. That ain't gonna be fun.

I went to Tio Alex's novia (Maria Jose)'s house today after school and her family gave me some medicine, coca candy, and coca tea. Coca as in the plant they make cocaine out of. Oh yea. In the Dor, we hit the hard stuff fast. There's no messin' around.

I feel a little better but still not 100%. Here's hoping I can fall asleep and stay asleep on the bus!!

4 days at the playa here I come!!!

Tienes un novio??

When I first meet an Ecua--my family, people in my classes, taxi drivers, talkative strangers, all of the above--this is one of the first conversations we have:

Ecua: Do you have a boyfriend?

Me: Nope.

Ecua: How about in the US?

Me: Nope.

Ecua: Why don't you have a boyfriend?

(OK, pause. What is the appropriate response to this question? Seriously, what are they looking for?? I had one...but I killed him. I have gonorrhea. I prefer to stay single so I can hook up with boys on the reg without feeling guilty. I'm a lesbian. I don't have one, I have five. I like dungeons and dragons. I'm busy becoming a professional curler. I'm too perfect...committing to any boy would be settling.)

Me: I don't know, I just don't.

Ecua: You are very tall.

Me: Yes, yes I am.

Ecua: You need a tall man.

Me: Yes, yes I do.

Ecua: How tall are you?

Me: 1.8 meters.

Ecua: (staring up at me bewildered) Wow.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've had that exact conversation at least 10 times since I've gotten here. Even more so now that it's Valentine's Day.

Speaking of, here Valentine's Day is called Dia de Amor y Amistad (Love and Friendship Day). It's much more common to celebrate with family and friends than it is stateside. So, me and the girls got dressed up and went out to a fancy dinner, no boys allowed, and did secret Valentines so we each got a little something to celebrate! We ate at a restaurant downtown where you could look out over the whole city lit up. It was beautiful. It was a super chevere Valentine's day. I mean, I had 3 Valentines...what more could a girl want?

Las Unas

Since I've been in the Dor, I've stopped biting my nails. I know, I'm SO grown up!

So to celebrate, I went to get them done today at this tiny little shop down the street. It's owned by a girl named Juliana, who is 20, owns the business, and is going to school too. She's awesome. She's a Jahova's Witness (which I of course know nothing about), has a pretty big family, and wants to travel all over the world. She wants to learn English as much as I want to learn Spanish, so we've decided to help each other out. It's funny how things work in the Dor...you go into a random place, strike up a conversation, and walk out with a friend and a manicure (of course the manicure part is usually only if that's the kind of place you walk into).

Also, I will be attempting to cook for my family tonight. Prayers please!

Pichincha!

I'm an athlete. I may not be the fastest or the strongest, but I can usually hold my own, and I've always enjoyed competitive sports. So, I just assumed mountain climbing would come fairly easily to me. WRONG. I seriously overestimated my andinismo abilities. I never realized just how mental it is. Yes, it's physically grueling, but the mental endurance--knowing you have to make it to the top of the mountain no matter what--is so much more challenging. And mental endurance is definitely not one of my strong suits. I can't tell you how many times near the end I just wanted to say, "OK, I'm high enough."

But, I made it all the way to the top. Pichincha is an enormous mountain that can be seen from pretty much anywhere in Quito. There's a cable car that you ride part way up called the teleferico, which is super touristy, and on a clear day, I'm sure the view is spectacular. Today was not that day. Clouds everywhere, cold and occasionally rainy. You couldn't see the people 100 yards in front of you. When you get out of the cable car, you start climbing, and you keep climbing, and you climb some more. I won't lie to you, the way up was pretty miserable. But when we reached the top--5k and 2100 ft later (take a second and recognize how steep this was please)--it was worth it. Just to say I made it. I did it. And then it started snowing, and I (in my T-shirt and rain jacket) was like, "Get me down now!!" Haha.

Best parts of the trip:

Making new friends and meeting some Ecuas, and therefore getting to speak Spanish.

Snow. I was freezing, but it was super hermoso.

Making it to the top. Have I already mentioned this? Because I'm telling you, I've never been so proud of a physical accomplishment in my entire life.

Coming back down--we cut about 30 minutes off our hike "skiing" down a sand slope. (basically, you take a step and slide till you stop, then take another step....only you're running. super chevere!!)

My bed and my long nap when I got home. I'm gonna be feelin' sore manana!

Papallacta

Today we went on a little day trip to Papallacta.

The day started, as all days do in the Dor, on a bus. Only our bus broke down, while we were watching a scary high-jacking movie...really inspired a lot of confidence. But, on the upside, I got a front row seat!

When we got to the hot springs, it was beautiful. The water was so hot--hotter than a hot tub--so you kind of had to sit half-in-half-out, but it felt so so good! We picnicked for lunch, spent a few more hours relaxing, and then headed home in time for dinner. I know, I know. I have such a hard life.

On the way home, I stopped by the DVD store where I got 6 DVDs for $10...what a deal! Movies in Spanish are really awesome! Tio Alex and I went to the cine (movie theatre...what am I British? sorry...theater) last night and saw We Bought A Zoo in Spanish, and it was so fun because I realized just how much I actually am learning here. I understood so much more than I did watching Spanish movies a month ago. Gold star for me!

Sidenote: if you like Spanish music, check out Jesse y Joy. I think my favorite is Chocolate. Shocking I know. (also Mi Sol and Corre!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqFCFN4YUNE

Hacer Repeling

Thursdays are my longest days. I wake up at 5:30 and leave my house by 6:15, enjoy my hour commute, and get to class promptly at 7:15 (because after the first 2 weeks, I convinced my professor starting class at 7 just wasn't possible. go me!).

Then I remain at school for the next 10 hours until 5:30 when I begin my hour commute back home. Like I said, it's a long day.

But today was worth it. In my 7:15am class, we repelled from the ceiling. As in, I walked up onto the cat walk in the gym, attached my harness to a rope, and repelled down, super-secret-spy-style. It was awesome! I wish I could show you pictures, but they all came out blury. Basically, I was the female James Bond today...and all before most of you even woke up.

Las 24 Horas Pasadas

Here's what you missed in the last 24 hours of my life:

Another spontaneous display of fireworks began right outside my window (literally...they were being set off a block away) so I decided to take full advantage this time and climbed out onto my roof to watch the show.

Tio Alex came up and we took Papa's guitars up onto my roof and had a jam sesh. We were fiddlers on the roof (ba dum tis) only with guitars and super-loud-off-key singing voices, serenading the neighborhood with praise and worship music. Hey, God said "make a joyful NOISE", not "sing well."

I woke up at 5:46am to an earthquake. It was my first, and though terrifying, it was mild and over fairly quickly. If you've never experienced it, I'd compare it to being on top of a washer or dryer. Actually, it's more like 4 hulking men are each shaking a post of your bed. It kind of rocked my world. (man, I'm killin' it with the lame jokes!)

Mid-morning our electricity went out. So, that meant, freezing shower, cold dinner, sitting in the dark contemplating what to do with no TV, no computer, no light to read, etc. Then my Tio Esteban comes up and tells me there's electricity downstairs at my abuela's. And now here I am.

Last but not least, my 3-year-old cousin Estebitan (the one who had the spiderman b-day party) had really painful surgery a day or so ago (the kind he would have had 3 years ago in the US, the kind that makes me SUPER thankful I'm not a boy) and is currently drugged up and wandering around being absolutely HILARIOUS!

Just another day in the Dor.

Mi Ecua Bebe

Dear friends and family,

I have decided to marry an Ecua man while I am down here so that one day very soon I will be able to fulfill my newly realized dream of having this baby:

Love,

Tyler

El Esketchy

Ok, there are some words we have in English that just don't translate, and it is seriously the most annoying thing in the world, because some words just describe situations perfectly. For instance: awkward. The closest thing they have in embarrassing, and that's just not gonna cut it. But the word I swear I miss the most: sketchy.

Things that are sketchy in the Dor, but not in America:

1. men waving out their windows and shouting "hello". apparently, saying anything in return is flirting. it is WAY to easy to flirt in latin america.

2. water. watch yo'self. it can get ugly fast.

3. sitting in a window seat. yep, always go for the aisle. weird, I know.

Things that are sketchy in America, but not in the Dor:

1. a man sitting alone in a van on the side of the road with the motor running. perfectly normal.

2. a professor kissing you on the cheek or giving you their number. in fact, pretty much every syllabus I have has the prof's cell on it.

3. strangers asking for lots of personal information. how tall are you? how white are you? how blond are you? where are you from? what town? what do you live near in quito? who are your host parents, I probably know them? Combine a lack of political correctness and natural curiosity, and I now understand why everyone knows everyone else here, now including me.

Bienvenidos a Ecuador

This weekend didn't work out exactly as planned. I was supposed to go on a trip with my andinismo class hiking a volcano and repelling a bridge, but my stomach had different plans.

I woke up early Saturday morning, super sick, and definitely not in any shape to hike.

So, my weekend has consisted of chick flics, tea, and bed. Not quite as adventurous, but I can say I have paid my dues and can now officially call myself a gringa in the Dor!

As Tio Alex put it: "This is just your official Welcome to Ecuador"

Dear Dor,

I feel very welcomed. You needn't continue in this manner.

Love,

Tyler

El Dia Para Celebrar Quito

Today was the first day when we didn't have school and we weren't going anywhere, so we declared it: Quito Appreciation Day!

We went back to Centro Historico and went up to see the Panacillo, which is this enormous statue of a virgin in the middle of Quito. She's facing the north with her back to the south which I discovered was very symbolic since the south was always known for its poverty and danger while the north was home to more of the upper class families.

Please note my awesome tourist poses! The first pic is facing north and the second south Quito. (though from what I've just told you, you'd think it'd be the opposite.)

We then went to an awesome restaurant, went on a rather long adventure to rent a tent for this weekend, ate some ice cream, did some grocery shopping, and headed home. It wasn't the day I had in mind, one where we did everything Quiteno, and discovered everything Quito had to offer. But we did normal things, things you do at home, and for the next few months, Quito is home! We have a long time to discover everything this city has to offer, and I feel like we did a dang good job appreciating it today!

Low point of the day: I had to buy peanut butter and bread for my trip this weekend, and they don't sell JIF. (I know. I thought about returning to the US immediately, but alas, I can't afford the plane ticket. And what would I do for the rest of the semester anyway?......Eat JIF. Hmmm. No. I can't. I'm staying.) Anyway, I had to buy Peter Pan. I'm not sure you can even call it peanut butter, but here's a shout out to Mary Blonshine. Be proud. I'm eating peanut butter with Tinkerbell on it.

Cancion de Donato

I wrote a song for Donato one of my first nights here while I was messing around on the guitar. It has quickly (and understandably) become his favorite song!

Donato

Es un chico

Muy Lindo

Y Bonito

Donato

Es bajo

Y moreno

Y es

Mi hermona

Donato

Donatoooo

DOOOOONNNNNAAATTTTTOOOOO!

Thank you. Thank you very much. I know, I know, Nashville here I come!

Turns out Spanish is super easy language to write songs in because everything rhymes with a bajillion other words. Here's the translation for all ya'll spanish-illiterate folks out there:

Donato

Es a boy

Very cute

And cute

Donato

Is short

And has brown hair

And he's my brother

Donato

Donatoooo

DDOOOONNNATTTTOOOO!!

Now you see why it's his favorite song. I've also been testing the waters with some Taylor Swift.

He doesn't dance as much, but I think its growing on him.

Goals for the next 3.5 months:

1. Make Taylor Swift Donato's favorite artist.

2. Teach Donato to Dougie.

Mi Hogar

I don't know if anyone else ever has these days, but I felt completely covered in prayer today. Nothing huge happened today, nothing particularly interesting or exciting, but I just felt so blessed to know that there are people who love me that are giving me up to the Lord in prayer.

Today, for the first time, Quito really felt like home. Of course there are a lot of people I miss in the states, but I felt safe, and comfortable, and could walk and navigate the city a lot easier. I finally think I've settled in. This city, this experience, hasn't been as difficult as I'd imagined it would be. I know that this is exactly where I am supposed to be, exactly where I want to be, and the Lord has provided for me here in every way.

So thank you to everyone who has kept me in their prayers; know that the Lord is working and answering them daily!

I feel a little awkward because none of my posts have been this serious, so here's a little something to leave you with:

Why was the sand wet?

Because the sea weed!