Computer-less Adventures

Well, it's been a long time since I've written anything, but that's mostly because I haven't had a computer for the past month. As soon as we arrived in Ecuador, my laptop stopped working. After being in the shop for a couple weeks, it worked for about a week and then stopped again. This time they said that the hard-drive is damaged and they have to replace it- hopefully I'll have it back in less than two weeks! I'm absolutely loving Ecuador and my classes are going really well. I'm learning a ton in my Spanish class and I'm able to use everything I learn outside of class. I'm getting a lot better at speaking and listening to Spanish, but I still have a long way to go. Latin Dance is a blast, but it's definitely a workout. I'm still trying to figure out how to move like I'm supposed to since I'm not the most coordinated person in the world. I got to celebrate Carnaval at the end of February, which is a big holiday here right before Lent. Everyone sprays each other with water and foam, even when you're walking around in the streets. My family went on vacation to a town nearby where my host grandma has a vacation house. There was a pool and an amazing view of the mountains. We had a great time eating delicious food and playing Carnaval together (I got thrown in the pool with my clothes on every day). After we got back from Carnaval, the Taylor group took our "spring break" trip to the Galapagos Islands. It was AMAZING! We snorkeled with sea lions, sting rays, sea turtles, and a small reef shark and got to enjoy the sun. Everyone in the group got lots of sunburn, but it was totally worth it! I managed to get lost again, but God sent help in the form of two small country children. It's a long story but a good one! Two weeks from today my mom, dad, and Aunt Karen will be arriving in Cuenca to spend a week with me. I can't wait! I've done well with homesickness so far but I miss my family a ton. I'm so excited that they're coming. :)