Jacque-imo's (too cold for me to stop, so pic from Google images) |
The best part of my trip was that I got to stay with my old friend Christine and her family.
When I was 16 years old, I participated in the AFS exchange program and traveled to Ecuador. I lived for the summer with a family in Ambato, a city of about 200,000 people. Most of the students were assigned to Ecuador's two big cities, the capital Quito or the port Guayaquil. There were only three of us sent to Ambato. We traveled to Quito as a big group, then the three of us were put on a bus to Ambato. The bus was right out of the movies -- loud salsa music playing, chickens running up and down the aisle, red tassel decorations and passengers (?) hanging off the sides. Despite studying Spanish since 7th grade, I did not understand a word anyone was saying. How were we going to know when to get off? How were we ever going to get our luggage down from the top of the bus? I was overwhelmed, jet-lagged and felt incredibly out of place. Amazingly we arrived alive and with our possessions.
I soon learned that my host family lived around the corner from, and were good friends with, the host family of one of the other AFS students, Christine Carbin from Wisconsin. This was a huge relief. The third student, Jeremy, left with his family and was never heard from again. (I jest - we met up with him a couple of times and I did see him on the return journey.) Christine and I spent most of the summer together. We were both living with strange families, speaking in a foreign language and experiencing a new culture for the first time. It definitely a bonding experience.
At the end of the summer, the whole group traveled back to the U.S. through the Miami airport. We arrived late, and everyone missed their connections and were put up at the airport hotel. Flying to New York, I was the only one able to get on a flight that night. I remember leaving just as the group figured out how to have Domino's delivered to the hotel room. Jealous of their 'American' pizza after a summer of eating chicken feet soup, I said goodbye and headed to my gate. That was the last time I saw Christine.
We kept in touch for a couple of years, but eventually and inevitably fell out of contact. Through the miracle of Facebook we reconnected. (Btw, I just saw The Social Network, and I think we all need to quit FB so that Mark Zuckerburg doesn't end up ruling the world. You first - I promise to quit right after you do.)
I sent Christine a message that I was heading in her direction and suggested that we have dinner to catch up. She immediately replied and offered me her guestroom! Wow -- this was pretty brave since she hasn't seen me since we were 16. I have become such a cheapsake that I had no such hesitations. Sure I barely know her, but this was a free place to stay in a fairly expensive city.
B-ball has a new fan! |
Despite the cold, New Orleans was great. I really did make a lifelong friend that crazy summer in Ecuador!
(Sorry, no Ecuador pictures on my computer!)
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