Today, I am sick. I woke up and decided that being around older people with older immune systems (let alone preparing them breakfast and lunch) was not the greatest way I could serve them. I subsequently told my host-cousin I was going back to bed and have been in it ever since. I slept until 11:30 and am on my second movie of the day. I know it might sound like I'm wasting a day, but I'd rather take this time to get better.
Last weekend, I went to a place called Baños. It was ...an adventure. I left volunteering early to head all the way to the south of Quito. I figured out how to get to the second bus station with the help of two other exchange students. I waited around for a bit; there were some scheduling changes with the folks with whom I was traveling. We got our tickets and headed out around 4. That put us in Baños pretty late, but we went out and had a great night. No Ecuadorian's asked me to dance, but that is perfectly fine with me.
We got up the next day and this began my adventure. We had a delicious breakfast at our hostel, then we went horseback riding. I had a hard time deciding if it was an ethical thing for me to do; I didn't like how the horses were dragging their feet or how they didn't get a water break the whole time we were out. I also didn't like that the guide would give them a smack on the hind legs with a thin branch to get them moving. Apparently, my horse was in a bad mood that day, according to my guide. And according to the fact that he kicked a friend's horse in the chest. We got to go see a cool waterfall, then we headed back. Some of the group went puenting, which is essentially bungee jumping without the bungee. I could never do it; I'm so proud of my friends who did.
At this point, I become super melodramatic. The wind blew some dust into my eye that didn't come out until we went to a clinic 4 hours later. More on that in a second. We went canyoning, which is repelling down waterfalls. It could have been a lot of fun for me, but I was mostly just crying and keeping my eye(s) closed because it hurt so much. It was cool to be lowered down a waterfall, but I wish I could have appreciated it more. After that, it was an adventure to the clinic for me. I really appreciate the people who were with me. While sand in the eye sounds like a pretty lame thing to freak out about, I was freaking out like you wouldn't believe. The doctor put some solution in my eye (and didn't poke me in the eye with a needle like I thought he was going to!), got a q-tip and removed the foul grain, as well as an eyelash. He prescribed some anti-inflammatory pills as well as drops (gotas) because the sand had irritated the surface of my eye. I went back to the hostel and slept until the next morning. Other folks went out for dinner, drinks, and a chiva (open bus with music) up the mountain. I was just glad to close my eyes.
The next morning, some of us went to check out the basilica in town, which was gorgeous. After that, we ran pretty late, but four of us took another chiva to see some of the waterfalls; they were absolutely stunning. We got to climb down a mountain and see a beautiful waterfall up close. The hike back up was intense, though! Our other friends rode bikes and went to a different waterfall; because of this, they arrived super close-to-late for our bus home. One of the people in our group did an awesome job stalling the bus for 15 minutes while people made their way. The bus ride home, after that, was restful. It was nice to get back to Quito.
Last night, I went bowling with my family and another exchange student who lives across the hall from me. It was fun. I scored a 44. Roughly. I got a strike on my first ball, and then proceeded to not knock down any pins for about 4 more frames. Yessss.
So, on the whole, I am tired. Mentally, physically. I am close to half way complete with my adventure here, and that scares me. It means that I have to start thinking about my future and I really don't like that. I am in a weird lull/funk and I hope to get out of it soon. Next weekend is Carnaval and so we have two days off from school; I don't really know where I'm going. We'll see! Sorry this isn't much of an entry, but it's still something, right?
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