Saturday June 6

We went horse back riding and then pent the afternoon at the home of Colegio Iberoamericano's headmaster, where we had a delicious lunch. We swam, played pool and relaxed. A great time was had by all!

Delivering Backpacks and Sports Day

We left the host school around 9 to deliver the backpacks to an elementary school in need. We arrived and lined up, taking turns handing backpacks to the kids. After each kid was handed a bag, they smiled and gave us a huge hug. It was a really rewarding experience, and the kids were all really cute. Seeing the looks on the kids' faces as they opened the backpacks and saw brand new school supplies and toys inside really made it worthwhile. We got to play with them and take pictures. We all wanted to stay longer, but we had to get back to the school for the sports games and Rock Band competition. First was basketball, where Trevor, Kenji, Thomas, Evan, Nick, Nia, and Rim represented CA against a team of Ecuadorians. Partway through the game, Senor Alvelo joined our team. Soccer was next, and many of the girls participated. Then we went back to our room for Rock Band. Overall, we all had a lot of fun today. One of our favorite parts of this trip has been delivering the backpacks.
-Erica and Lauren

University Day

Today, we took a bus to the Universidad Technica de Loja. While there, we also toured the nearby museum and pottery factory. The museum consisted of natural and man made artifacts found in the Loja area. All the pottery made in the factory was hand painted, and almost everyone took the opportunity to purchase a few souvenirs for family back home. There was a wide range of products available, ranging from bowls and cups to boxes and ducks. In addition to the various models available, there were several distinct patterns from which to choose.

After the pottery factory tour, we familiarized ourselves with the university campus, finishing our visit at the administration office, where we each recieved a complimentary CD and pen for our time there. Kenji and Helen were interviewed for a radio program. We returned to the school at the end of the day and hung out with our students.

Amy and Trevor

June 4 2009

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Yesterday the group arrived at the school and chillaxed on the computers for about an hour. After that we all loaded on to the bus and began the 2 hour journey to el Cisne (a different town). After a not-so-fun bus ride up a mountain, we reached our destination of el Cisne. The group got off the bus and immediately saw a huge blue church. Around the church there was lots of different market stands. We took time to walk around and buy a few little souveniers. Then we hung out, talked, then finally got back on the bus and headed for the water park. 30 minutes later we arrived in the water park. Our group ran off the bus and sprinted straight toward the slides. After a few hours of playing around in the water, we gathered for lunch. The offered vegies, chicken, and beef. The meal was delicious! After we ate, we all walked back to the bus and began our adventure back to IberoAmericano. Most people caught a few z's on the bus. Upon arrival to the school we were greeted by the friendly faces of our host students. A big group of us hopped into the back of a pick-up truck and drove to our houses. After we got ready we all went to a restaurant and ate some dinner. YUM! The group of us stayed there for a really long time, we just talked and had a lot of fun. After that our host students had to go home to do homework, so we left the restaurant and went back to our seperate homes.

-Haleigh McFarland & Thomas Kweon
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International Day of The child at Colegio Iberoamericano

Today the International Day of the child was celebrated at our host school Colegio Iberamericano. We spent the day visiting classes. At the end of the day there was a festival and there were many games. We participated in the "Musical Chairs" game and Thomas Kweon won the event. A great time was enjoyed by all in this most festive of days.

The Weekend!

The weekend was very fun. I was nervous about being away from the group for so long, but it turned out to be just fine. On Saturday my host student, her parents and I piled in the car and we drove through the mountains and even saw some waterfalls. We spent pretty much the whole day driving and we got to hang out at a resort place to swim and eat dinner. On Sunday we went to church first. My host student's father is in construction, and so he and an Australian missionary helped build the church that we went to. I got to speak English to the Australian man and his wife! It was nice. The man even let my text home on his cell phone. After church we went to lunch at a family member's house, and then we visitied Vilcabamba for awhile. There's a neighborhood there where people from Hollywood vacation, so we drove around and looked at the houses (and horses!). We then went back to the house where we had lunch and had a snack and played cards. They taught me a few new games (Spoons, for example, and a game where we made animal sounds). It was hilarious and I had a great time. That was my weekend! I didn't get to see any CA students, but it was fine because I was having fun.
-Rachel McNeill

Que pasa chicos! so, pretty this weekend was awesomeness in a bottle. It all started off with a late start to Saturday. After a night of relaxation and rest, I awoke at 10 to get ready for Jose's sister, Odalis', first comunion. The church and service were beautiful. After meeting some of his extended familly, we walked around the city for a while, looking for a place to eat. We decided on 200 Leguas de Mar, a famous seafood establishment in downtown Loja. I strongly recommend the seafood with rice. After our enourmous meal, I went to one of Jose's friends houses to chill with his amigos. A couple of the exchange students were also there, and we all went to a park to play their version of American Football, which is quite different from our version. After serveral minutes of being puzzled, I quickly discovered that a more apt name for this game is rugby. After another night of rest, Jose woke me up so that we could go to a pool in Vilcabamba. Though we stopped in the middle of no where, we made our way to one of the nicest pools I have ever been to. After a hamburger and some fries, I made the terrible decision to jump into the freezing pool. It must have been close to absolute zero in there! After chilling at the pool for a while, a couple of the exchange students and I were lead into the center of Vilcabamba, where we walked around the town center a little. After finding our way back to Loja, Jose treated me to pizza.

-Kenji Jameel

A Day in the Life...in Quito Ecuador!

Today we woke up early in order to arrive at school by 7 am for the daily all school assembly. We then went to the computer lab and spent some time "revisiting our youth" at the lowerschool playground.

Around 9:45 we ventured out to downtown Loja where we visited a local museum featuring an Afro-Ecuadorian exhibit. Afterwards, we did some shopping fpollwed by a visit to a local park where we has a quick snack and returned to the Colegio Iberoamericano. We're now ready to spend the weekend with our host families and very excited that there's a party for the exchange students tonight. We'll be back to blog on Monday.