It’s truly crazy how fast this time has flown by. I only have a few more days left in Cuenca, and it’s starting to feel real that I’m leaving. I definitely have a mix of emotions about it. I’m really excited to get home and see my family, my friends, and my boyfriend, and I’m also excited to spend a week in Peru before returning to California, but I’m extremely sad to leave Cuenca where I have grown to feel…
I’ve been in Ecuador just short of 3 months now, and I noticed a shift recently that I feel less like a tourist, and more like someone living abroad. When I first arrived, everything felt new and foreign, but now I feel very comfortable in Cuenca, and it has become my new normal. I don’t have the same anxiety talking to new people here anymore, and for the most part I feel like I’m home. I have a community here…
Tuesday of this week was my 20th birthday. Last year was the first year that I didn’t see my family on my birthday, but my boyfriend came and visited me at my university, so I was still with someone close to me. This year was the first time I celebrated a birthday without anyone I’ve known more than a month. I thought I may feel a bit homesick on my birthday, but I was surprised that even though I haven’t…
Life here in Cuenca is quite different than my life in the United States. I’ve been here in Cuenca for about two weeks and Ecuador for about three weeks, and while there are undoubtedly some major adjustments, I’d say the transition into a different culture has been going smoothly. There are actually a few differences that I really like about life here. One is the eating schedule. In the US dinner is the main meal of the day, where it…