Some Sad Goodbyes

Today is my last day in Riobamba. Yesterday was my last day of classes at UNIDEC, and it could not have been a better send-off. We had a party in both of my classes, and all of the students were extremely generous. There was so much food! Everything from pizza to cake to bologna (it´s like a delicacy here). I took tons of pictures of my students to put on here as soon as I can. However, my camera and flash drive are not cooperating, so I need to use someone else´s computer to put everything up. That´s why it´s been taking so long with the other pictures of the school and whatnot. Anyways, during my second class the guys brought in a guitar and sang a bunch of songs for me (in Spanish, plus some Titanic so they could hear my not-so-lovely singing voice) as a small Despidida (going away party). It was amazing and they actually have great voices. I recorded them on my camera so that I could have it later. After the parties, Sarah and I were whisked downstairs to this board room full of UNIDEC administrators. That was definitely one of the most intimidating experiences of my life. However, the Director of the university gave a little speech and presented Sarah and I with certificates and gifts to show their appreciation for us working at the school. It was really sweet and I definitely started to cry towards to end of it, which is of course when the newspaper man decided to take pictures of me. Oh well. But then I saw my students again outside and definitely had a little breakdown. They were really sweet and told me that they were very sad that I was leaving and some of them even started to cry too. It was extremely humbling and it made me realize that I really did make a difference while I was here in Riobamba. I will take the gifts that the school and students gave me back to the US with pride knowing that it was such a good experience. (And no one will second guess where I´ve been when I walk into the airport with two Ecuadorian duffel bags, one given to me last night).

It is definitely sad knowing that today is my last day in the city where I´ve spent my whole summer. My host family is making my favorite foods for lunch today (pan-cooked fish, rice, lentil soup) and I am gathering up the last of my things here, trying to figure out how to stay under the weight limit for two different airlines in two different measuring systems... all without a scale. Haha we´ll see how this goes. Thankfully I´m able to leave a lot of stuff here that took up a lot of weight coming down to Ecuador. Yet I have also fully taken advantage of the cheap prices in this country and the markets in every city, hence my needing to buy another duffel bag to use as a carry-on.

I have one more week in Ecuador before I head back to the States. Saying goodbye to everyone here is really hard, but I´ll agree with my mom who said that that just means it was a really successful trip. Despite the goodbyes, I am definitely ready for a hot shower, moist baked goods, a meal without potatoes, and being able to communicate freely in a language that I´m fluent in. And I know that I´m going home to a lot as well. I can´t wait to see all of my family and friends and show everyone all of the pictures from this amazing summer. This trip has been the experience of a lifetime, and I would not have been able to do it without all of the support from back home!

I´ll write again before I go home, but I will see everyone in a week! :)