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 really at home. I’m doing my absolute best to focus on one thing at a time and be present where I am. I’m trying to enjoy every moment left in Cuenca, be content with leaving, enjoy Peru, and be content when it’s time to fly home. I keep catching myself getting caught up in what’s happening next, and it’s hard not to do so, but ultimately I don’t think that’s the best way of going about it. One method I’m using to capture and appreciate my last days in Ecuador is by taking pictures of things I see every day around Cuenca, so I’ve intermixed a few of those photos in this post!

It’ll be tough to say goodbye to the people I’ve spent my time with this semester. The girls in my group and I have become really close friends and we see each other every day. It’ll be weird not being around them anymore, especially because we’re at a point where we feel like we’ve known each other a lot longer than we actually have. It will also be hard to say goodbye to my host mom. Her kindness and generosity have really shaped my experience here into what it was. I’ll miss our conversations about what wild things come up on the news about the US each night at dinner and the way that she tells stories. I’ve come a long way from feeling like a slightly out of place stranger in her house! She treats me like an actual member of the family, and I truly cherish that.

It will also be nice to be home, though. I’m looking forward to hanging out with my sister and my boyfriend again. I’m also excited to have some of my favorite foods that I haven’t had in months. I’ve already decided that I want to go to Chipotle for my first meal back, which wouldn’t come as a shock to anyone who knows me, though I am aware that it may sound ridiculous to others!

It’s strange how I simultaneously feel like we got here yesterday but I also feel like I’ve been here forever. I’ve gotten so used to the way of life here, and it’ll be a rough adjustment back to the US (even though I’m trying to not worry about this yet!). I’ve learned so much here and I’ve gotten so much from this study abroad experience. I’m still not fluent, but my Spanish has gotten a lot better. I’ve learned a lot about a culture I knew nothing about and have a completely different view of Latin America than I did coming into this. Considering how little I knew about Ecuador before coming here, I was taking a leap of faith coming here and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made!