El fin

WOW life is busy and crazy and exciting for everybody huh??

Well, I officially just finished my two classes here at USFQ-- Well actually I am waiting on Chris is finish writing my 8 page paper on Revolutionary Wealth- He has 1/2 a page left and then we can turn it in and run WILD and FREEEEEE from this prison called a University!!!!!! YES- that means that I am done with school. I might have to go back though cause I'm pretty sure that I just failed that econ test with flying colors. But, PLEASE PRAY that there's still enough points and GRACE in this world for me to GRADUATE!! .. I had no idea how hard it would be to be "graduated" but not "graduated".

Thank God for Chris and his paper writing abilities. He is SO good to me. Yeah sure I'll fly to Ecuador and spend a day and a half writing your paper for you. What a man.

Anyways, I've been a wreck all morning nervous as all hell that I wont graduate- but at least now i am done for now and if I do have to take more classes I can rejoice because they will be in ENGLISH. I love that language.

Chris and I went on a fun trip with the exchange students group this past weekend and spent some time with the Maya family, They get the biggest kick out of him.

Mami susy: Gringito hasn't said very much today.
Daughter Susy: Uh it's because he's not able to!!!!
Me: hahahah it's true!
Chris: What?

hahahahhaha. I love my little spanish family. I will miss them a lot but we are not going to talk about that cause I have severe crying tendencies.

We're going to go to my favorite place to eat tonight and do the teleferico in the mountains then tomorrow we peace out to Isla de la plata and other random adventurous travels. Pray for safety and health and then we will see you all on July 23 when we arrive at teh GR airport at 8 at night. Try not to be 30 min late like I was when I picked Chris up from the Quito Airport. oops! ( and he still wrote my paperr....what a guy!)

Love you all! ( and yes some of you may have already gotten this post in e-mail form)

Chiva Bus

Well today is one of my favorite days in Quito. At least it will be come 9 o´clock when Christopher arrives :) It´s really fun because everyone here is excited to meet him and everytime I turn around another person is like Su novio hoy!!!! loca.

One of my classes got canceled for tomorrow so I offically only have 1 more class here in Quito!!!! ..an 8 page paper and 2 exams. So, it´s getting closer every second. Come Monday at 1- if alll my prayers are answered-- I WILL BE OFFICIALLY GRADUATED!

Tomorrow we are taking a trip to Guayaquil and Riobamba- doing some touring by train. It's supposed to be really scenic- and it´s out of Quito with a little fresh air !!! Then next Tuesday it is off to the beaches and an amazing trip to Isla De la Plata ( the poor man´s Galapagos).

Yesterday our large group of exchange students went on a night tour of Quito in a Chiva Bus. Basically, it´s a bus with a bunch of benches in the back and then a big deck over top with a Live Band and a bunch of crazy tourists!! It was rediculously fun! They gave us little plastic whistles and we pretty much caused a scene all over the town. At one point we passed the President´s caravan entering into Old Quito. Yesterday was kind of a big day for him- apparently he took over the two largest t.v. stations in the country and there are some upset people ( i dont really understand cause i thought he broke up a monopoly and it was like a great thing! lol. ..language barrier...) Anyways, we all yelled and someone said he even waved at us out his window. I´m not sure- I was too busy yelling ¨One more term!!!¨¨ haha. Again, one of those things I think has all the humor in the world- especially since they are famous for kicking their President´s out of office here. But really other people just are like ¨ really? Who brought her?¨¨

We stopped in old Quito to change seating arrangements and played a ¨¨King and Queen of the Chiva¨¨ game in the courtyard of a big museum. My msu friend Ashley won the Queen- it was her 21st birthday:) Not quite as exciting in Ecuador seeing as they start drinking out of the womb here- but she loved it. Before the Chiva we went to our favorite place Crepes & Waffles and got some of the best ice cream ever!!! Have I mentioned the ice cream here? They have flavors you have never even thought of--- and lots of them!! My favorite is the frozen yogurt with fruta del bosque ( its like real blackberries and raspberries and you will die after one bite!)

The bus was funny cause we had random pedestrians try to jump on with us, cars were driving by and taking pictures of us and the police actually were our biggest fans honking everytime we passed!

I got all my sparty friends to sing the Fight song with me along with the beat of the random band...lol.! We got it on video tape:) Maybe it´s just me but I think it´s so cool to sing the fight song in random places around the world.We also took a big msu group pic in front of the museum with a few MSU shirts in there so we can try to get on the website!! GO GREEN!

Afterwards the bus dropped us off at the Mariscal-which is the party district and the main gathering for white people. They call it ¨gringo-landia¨ casually. We got in some good dancing at one of the clubs called Tequila. It´s always a challenge for me to figure out as many ways as possible that I can avoid the creeper trying to teach me how to salsa. I tried the oh no thanks I´m dancing with my friends right now and when that didn´t work I would try to pawn them off on my friends claiming they were much better dancers than I. Then I got stuck because I was the shortest.....and the short little Ecuadorian man really needed a short partner. ugh. So, I tried to salsa it up as long as I could. He asked where I was from and If I had ever heard of Battle Creek. lol. Then he asked if I spoke spanish and the nice man even offered to help me practice. Long story short, that´s when I ran.

Feliz dia de libertad

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

I wish I was home for fireworks and cookouts :) It's always one of my favorite parts of summer.

Nothing exciting is going on here today- just another day. It is my host sister's 19th birthday!

She had some friends come over and break out the vodka with her earlier this afternoon- I think she invited me to go to a concert tonight but I'm not sure. Language barriers suck. Cause how do you clarify that... " Oh you want me to come?" and then she's like ohhh thats totally not what I said but now I have to invite her! lol. It sucks a little.

So, wednesday was a big day- Liga ( Ecuador's big soccer team) was in the Copa finals against Brazil. This was the biggest game in like 21-23 years! Everyone was sporting a Liga jersey that day! We all had big plans to head out to a sports bar to watch the game together.
Then, on my way home from school I was like my stomach feels a little weird. I take 3 busses to get home and by the time I got to the second one I was sweating profusely- something was seriously wrong. I almost ducked it off the bus a few times sure I was gonna lose it- but seeing as how I had no idea where I was I used all my will power to make it home. The second I got off the bus I lost all of my lunch right there on the street corner. I thought people would think I was making a bit of scene since I threw up a good 4 times there on the corner- but everyone just passed on by like it was an ordinary event. Then I remembered I was in a country where men can freely pee on the side of the road!

Long story short, I didnt make it out to watch the game. Instead I stayed in and puked a few more times. I got out of bed to watch the end- it went into PK's and Liga won!! They showed all the streets on T.V. and they were just filled edge to edge with people!! It was crazy how excited everyone got.

Today I'm just trying to regain some energy and get some homework taken care of. We only have one week of classes done and then finals!!! I want to finish everything this weekend so that I will have nothing but studying for next week. And Chris gets here on Wednesday so I'm trying to open my schedule! I couldn't be more excited or ready for him to come.

Tiputini Biodiversity Station

USFQ has it´s very own research station out in the middle of the Amazon Rain Forest. It´s really easy to get to- all you do is take a plane to the city Coca, then get on a bus through the town to the boat dock, dodge around the monkeys that will sit on the arms and head of any person that is nearby, get on a boat for 2 hours to the oil station, then go through security and load a trolly bus through the Amazon for 2 hours until you get to the little shack that reads ¨ Tienda la Rosita¨ just before the rickity bridge. There, you will load on a long wooden canoe with all of the workers and supplies and head down the tributary for another 2 hours or so until you reach the small cabana on the riverbend. That´s Tiputini. Offically in the middle of nowhere!

We were all given big black rubber boots and bunked up in some small wooden shacks. I roomed with 3 girls from North Carolina whom I love a lot! We had no hot water, biodegradable soap and electricity only from the hours of 11a-1 and 6-930 at night.

> The first night we went on a night hike to look for the nocturnal animals. We saw a snake up close and personal just sleeping right along the trail on a large leaf. There were a ton of crazy looking spiders which I did not like much and even a real walking stick or two!!

> The next day we were up and the crack of dawn for breakfast and then a 3 hour hike through the Rain Forest, up to our knees in mud!! We saw a ton of monkeys!! They were all just playing in the trees above us throwing things and making mischief. Our guide had some binocs so we could take a closer look! We also saw some tracks of a big Pig the size of a small cow. Tapier- I think the name is. ( I actually think I´m wrong cause I can´t find it on Wikipedia!) oh well. I saw a picture later and they are some real ugly things. Our Guide Jose has been living in the Rain Forest his whole life as part of an indigenous tribe. When he was 10 he was lost in the forest for 2 days with only a machete and a stun gun. He´s a tough one. He knew all kinds of things about the trees and plants. We learned a ton! There is even this one type of tree that when you crack open the branch a whole village of ants lives inside- and the ants taste like lemon!!! Yes, we tried them! I just licked one for the taste but my crazy friend Karrin ate up the whole thing!!! Sick huh!?
We did a lot of little hikes. Our second trip was to a watch tower where I saw some Toucans through the binocs and a monkey came right up close to us in the tree next to the tower! He was just chillin and eating and scratching like you seem them do on t.v. and at the zoo!!! It was nuts! We also took a little canoe in the lagoon to look at some crazy parrot species. Again, the name escapes me. But they were very colorful with big spiky feathers on their heads. That was pretty cool.

The second day was my favorite. We sat around in the morning waiting for the rain to pass ( it rains a lot in the rain forest! ) We saw a Boa curled up in the station hiding from the rain. Then we went out to anohter tower and didnt see much. THEN, in the afternoon we went PIRANHA FISHING!!! We only caught like 2 or 3- and the guide got a catfish! We fished with little wooden sticks and chunks of red meat. Comforting that they eat red meat huh? I almost had one but I couldn´t get him hooked with my little stick and he got away once he reached the surface. Also, there were sardines up the wazooo in the water and those little pesks would just nibble away at the bait!! I hated them so much. Later that night for dinner they cooked up everybody´s piranhas and we all shared. It´s actually a pretty good fish. If you can get over the fact that the teeth were still in tact on the platter!

We all jumped in the water with life jackets and floated down the river on the way back to the station from fishing. We were warned not to pee though b.c there are these little animals that climb in your urethra when you pee and expand out little barbs. You have to get them out- and the barbs dont go in!!!! yikes!! I don´t think anyone got one though! whew!!

One night we watched a slide show of all the animals in the forest. National Geographic sponsers a study with hidden- motion and heat sensored cameras which catch all the wildlife in action. they´ve been able to get a picture of almost every species in the forest. We saw some pretty cool leopards and monkeys and even some huge anteaters the size of a big dog!

The last night was my favorite! We got to go out in the boat at night and spot alligators. They´re called Caymans here and are a little bit smaller than alligators. We saw a bunch and were able to get pretty close in our boat. We saw about half a dozen- one was even albino! Then our guide, Santiago, who is like Survivorman meats Chuck Norris- just reached over the boat and grabbed one!!! It was a baby Cayman but baby or not he put that thing right in our boat!!!!!!!! Talk about a man with some balls! GEEZ LOUISE!!! So of course everyone flipped a lid and started taking photos right and left. One disturbed passenger who couldn´t see tried to yell at me to move and I jsut turned and told her if she kept it up I was gonna throw her off the boat! lol. I felt bad so I attempted to talk with her in a mature manner about the matter afterwards but she ran away from me while I was talking! haha. oops! To make matters worse she is the ¨ socially awkward¨ girl that I keep telling everyone Jesus loves too! I guess I just let the gator excitement get the best of me- but it was kinda funny!!! I think she forgives me.



On one of the many long stops on the way home we were at a hotel with a ton of animals just wandering about. These tiny monkeys would just eat everybody´s food and jump on everyone´s head. They are funny little guys! They also had an anteater, sloths, a turtle or two and a peacock just walking about! It was great!!!!

OH and!!! Turns out one of the guys from UNC had some friends who had some friends from Michigan and he was a HUGE Nertz fan!! ( its a card game we always play at state!) I thought my friends like made it up- turns out no! So, we had a nertz tournament everyday!!!! IT WAS GREAT!!!! :)

Now, it´s back to school. Only 7 days of classes left- I think there´s a small chance I can make it out of this alive.

estoy aqui, estoy contigo

Psalm 59:16 And me? I'm singing your prowess, For you've been a safe place for me, a good place to hide. Strong God, I'm watching you do it, I can always count on you— God, my dependable love. [ A David Psalm, When He Fought Against ]


God. My Dependable Love.

One of my favorite things about Ecuador is the family I live with. Susy always says, ¨ I don´t have a large house, but I have a large heart¨ ( In spanish of course). It´s so true. She radiates love and joy from the God who has transformed her life, given her hope and strengthened her to survive proudly within the midst of many trials. Life isnt easy at the Maya house, but it is always joyful! There is always respect and care for one another. Voices are only raised in the midst of excitement and hands only raised to help.

My favorite part of life here is my drives to and from the University with Mami Susy. We usually talk about God and how we see Him and the challenges he has presented us with recently. She loves her christian music and I´ve begun to learn some of the words so I can sing along ( see post title...I have a ways to go. lol). They are times that bring me great peace here in Ecuador and much understanding.

I love this verse Psalm 59:16- God. My dependable love. Dios. mi amor fiable.

I´ve had a lot of pain in my heart this last week. Not because of school or language or because I´m homesick or any of those things. But, because I´ve been lost in translation with God.
How can I tell what is TRUTH and what is LIE. I´ve always struggled in determining that. I´m so easily swayed by the opinions of those I love. But, what do I do when those opinions contradict the ONE VOICE OF TRUTH I live for? I go in circles whether it´s God´s voice that is leading me, my voice or the voice of those I love. But Psalm 59 answers that all so clearly. GOD IS DEPENDABLE. He is TRUTH! He will not leave us nor forsake us. All we have to do is draw near to Him, desire Him and strive to follow Him and He will NOT lead us astray.

Have Faith I say. He IS the GOD He says He is! He can do the things He says He can! We are who He says we are!

It still hurts to feel betrayed, to feel like your dreams aren´t good enough for the world that criticizes them. But in all that pain and loneliness I DEPEND ON GOD.

He´s the only one here in Ecuador that knows my soul. He knew all the days of my life before I was one day old! That I can trust. He is the ONLY ONE in all the world who holds and teaches the TRUTH of success for ME. To that I hold onto.

I am comforted - The road I take through life may be criticized, unsupported, hard and lonely at times. But wasn´t that the very road Jesus took? I stand alone in the eyes of the world and many whom I love, but I stand on my Dependence on God.

Sometimes I thank God for all my answered prayers

So, my life is changing faster than I can think.

Chris just bought a ticket to Ecuador 10 min ago!
We´ve been talking about him coming to travel with me my last week here for some time, but I never thought it would actually happen. But with months of praying and lots of wise counsel- He´s coming July 9.
I feel sick to my stomach I´m so overwhelmed. He will be here to join the group for our field trip through the Sierra the 10-12th. Then after my 2 finals we will head over to Isla de la Plata which is the ¨ Poor Man´s Galapagos¨. They have all the same stuff except the large turtles and Darwin plaques. lol.

Also, on the same crazy note about my life- I´m entering the application stage for a position with YL Church partnership in Grand Rapids. It´s crazy how God throws things in your lap and says HERE! I´M PROVIDING AND PAVING A WAY JUST FOR YOU!

WOW. I feel like I´m floating! hahah.

I have a ton more to say about my fun weekend at the Indigenous Market and the other crazy things I´m learning but I have to hitch a ride home with Susi!

Pray for my exam and quiz on wednesday!!!! I´m so nervous!

So far I have gotten C´s on my spn quizzes and this will be my first econ test!!!
I have to pass. There is too much in front of me to not make it through!

SI SE PUEDE!

GOOOOAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vamos Ecuatorianos
Esta Tarde
Tenemos que ganar!

Ecuador v Columbia was yesterday! They tied 0-0. We got to the game early- like 2:30 because the seats were all general admission and there were super long lines. The main streets aroun the stadium closed down and people were everywhere in Yellow, Red and Blue drinking Pilsener which is their local beer they are very in love with! lol. It was kinda like tailgating before an Msu game only everyone was a lot closer together and Latina!

I went to the game with a group of other international students and our Director, Pancho, who works at the university. He said that they love to interview foreigners and show that they are rooting for Ecuador and sure enough they ran right up to us ( mainly to me!). I was a little overwhelmed to talk spanish so i just repeated what they said- which was obviously not correct! lol. But it was fun and exciting none the less. I was also distracted by a little boy who kept calling me amiga and asking if he could shine my shoes. I was wearing brand new yellow flats ( in the spirit of Ecuador) that obviously didn´t need to be shined. lol ( remember the shoes- they will come in later)

We ended up having really great seats in the first 10 rows behind the goal. We got our faces painted for a quarter, had some snacks and enjoyed the sunshine. Then about 45 minutes into our extravaganza it started to rain. Nobody had any rain gear cause it was a really hot and sunny day up until then. The panchos went fast and it cost me $1.50 just to get a trashbag!! Some of my friends were left with nothing and are now at home sick. It rained ( cold rain) from 3:30- the second half which was about 6:30! The best part was that they had handed out huge bags of blue confetti that everyone was throwing around. Of course the blue dye from the confetti ran in the rain and stained everything from my hair to my nailpolish- INCLUDING MY BRAND NEW SHOES! Shannon is NOT a happy camper.

So despite the horrible weather, we all stuck it out and enjoyed the game. There was a lot of people faking hurt which got old after a while. It was an ok game. Ecuador did well on offense in the second half but kept heading it over the goal. It was fairly action-less. However, I did learn all the Ecuador cheers and it was a super good time to just be in the crazy atmosphere.

After the game, we decided to skip the food and just head for home- we were soaked. It took forever to flag a taxi cause the entire City was outside looking for one! However, Pancho was with us and did most of the dirty work. After a good 20 min or so he flagged me a taxi and told him abouts where to go. This was really helpful cause then we got the regular price, had we been alone we would have been charged nearly double for being gringo and it being a busy night. So, I´m riding a long in the taxi about to my house and he stops in front of the airport. I tell him its up farther and apologize cause Pancho must have said the airport without me knowing. Apparently, you are not allowed to stop where it´s yellow in front of the airport because the Policia came running and started pounding on his car. He Sped away quickly, keeping his eyes in the rearview mirror and saying ¨La Policia!¨ over and over again! I started to get nervous but wasn´t sure what to do. Then he started swerving through traffic demanding me to pay quickly ¨ Pagáme Rápido!¨ So I throw him my five dollar bill and politely ask for change. He looks at it disgustingly and scrounges for some dollar coins as he is swerving! He chucks them at me ( ok hands them quickly- but chucks sounds better) and then is yelling for directions. I tell him where to go and he swerves into the BUS LANE and turns left through un-coming traffic!!! He is now speeding at like 50mph down my tiny little street as I yell AQUI AQUI to get him to turn on my street. He doesnt use the break and quickly turns right dodging two pedestrians, a parked car and a speed bump! I then yell ¨Aqui es bien!¨ to let him know he can let me out- when he turns another corner to hide from the cops that are apparently chasing us, and he yells for me to get out as fast as possible! ¨ Sale rapído, sale rapído!!!!¨ I get out and he speeds away down the street. I laugh. My taxi driver just broke the law. hahaha. I then enter my house still wearing a trash bag and my ruined shoes only to try to explain the story to my host family! lol. They laughed so hard and said I have lots of stories to tell when I get home!!

Things just happen to me- I don´t know why- but they do! lol

This weekend I am going on a hike to 4 different lakes and then going to the Indigenous Market on Saturday. tonight the girls are going to see Sex and The City and out to dinner. I just got assigned a 250 page book to read with a 18 page paper by the 4th- so Sunday will be alll homework! oh joy!

Love you guys lots!