Both of these pictures are from a 4 day rotary trip in Manabí which is the province I live in. Going to all the different places wasn't a big deal because I've already been to all of them but it was still fun to see all the exchange students because this trip was with every rotary student in Ecuador over 120. the first photo is of most of kids from the U.S. during the independance of portoviejo perade. The second photo is of the town we stayed in for almost the whole time called Crucita we spent a day and a half just laying on the beach and almost everyone got burn I did a little but not too bad. We also went to Montacristi where Panama hats are made. Panama hats are really Ecuarorian hats but when the U.S. was helping build the Panama Canal the Ecuadorians went to Panama to sell their hats and when the builders went home they brought the "Panama hats" with them and the name just stuck.

My Rotary Club brought me and the three other exchange students in the club to this place in some small unknown town to give the people who are too poor to afford a doctor shots. And while we were there we also gave away basket and soccer balls to the kids. And cooking utensils like pots, plates, and glasses to the adults. I don't have much to say about this picture because the rotarian who brought me there was around three hours later than everyone else. so I was only there for about an hour insted of 4 like everyone else.

I know I haven't updated my blog in a long time but that is because my computer would just stop working every time I tried to log onto my account. And I am now so that's something right? Every once in a while my family and I will go to the beach but this time we went to the country. The picture is of me at a resturant on the side of the road. You can see it in the back round across the river this one like most of the road side resturants is family owned and run. The cooks cook all the food over wood burning stoves. The stoves aren't like the cast iron stoves thought they are brick walls like three feet or so high with a metal grill that the cooks put the pots and pans on with a fire burning under. the food is always amazing and the counrty is beautiful even if everything it dry and dead right now its still cool.

teaching

I dont have any pictures for this but yesterday I got to teach 2 english classes. My teacher right before class started said that one of the teachers was gone and asked me if I would teach the class because I speek english. So I got to be a teacher for a day.

The last 6 days (tuesday to sunday) I have been at a camp for spanish classes and cultural classes. It was a lot of fun because I got to meet over half the exchange students in Ecuador. But the interesting part of the trip happen on the bus ride home. The bus was pulled over 3 times and ran off the road. But no worries no one was hurt. I personally thought it was a little funny and I think I should have been more scared then I was but oh well. What happen was a car swerved in front of us so the bus slammed on the breaks and turned off the road but then the ground dropped and we hit a sign and a pile of bricks. There were a lot of really nice local people who helped us get is out and the best part was a lady who sad everyone needs to get back on the bus before the police come. That was the funny part just because if it happen in the U.S. it would be the exact oppisite we would all have to wait around for another hour instead of just the 10 min that we did. And looking at the picture it doen't look as close to flipping as it felt. So no big deal I'm alive and happy.

The second picture is of all of us on the top of the mountain and its not foggy we were so high up that we were in a cloud. It was like ten degrees difference in the cloud than the temperature in Portoviejo which is where I live if your wondering. And the first picture is where we got picked up. Which means that some where in the top half of the picture is where we started. The biking was crazy I'm not joking that some of the slopes where like 60 to 75 degrees with rocks sticking out of the ground and mud in some parts but it was a lot of fun once you got the hang of it. And yes mom I did wear a helmet. Right after we took the second picture one a local person who lives on the mountain told us we had to be careful because there was 4 tigers around two big ones and two little ones but we never saw them and one of the boys I was biking with said there is a lot of monkyes in the cloud forest but I never saw one of thoes either.

House

Well I thought that I had to get up for school today so got up at six in the morning turns out I'm the only person awake in the house. Which means I got a chance to take pictures of my room and all those good house hold things, like the amazing half gallon or yogurt that I drink from a glass every morning and is in my refrigerator right now. yeah that is a half gallon on flavor town.

family

My family had a going away party for me and even though it took me a little while I am finally posting the pictures or picture since there is only one.