The 'honeymoon' period is coming to an end....

Soo, as I start my last week of living in Quito with my host family, and taking spanish classes, and not having to think about, well, much of anything, many emotions are starting to flow!  I am extremely anxious to move into the Manna House in Conocoto to finally really get settled in and start to make a life here for the next year.  But at the same time I am nervous because moving into the house means we actually have to start taking over these programs from last years PDs and start working and making connections within the Ecuador communities! Nerves!  For the past week and for the following week, we have been meeting and will meet with each of last years PDs as they give us the run down on everything about the program each have been in charge of and their past successes and failures and where they would like to see the program go.  My main interest, the Health programs, seem absolutely amazing.  I was nervous to begin with because there is 5 of us that are interest in Health mainly and so I was worried about how much I was going to be able to contribute to the Health Programs.  But after the talk it seems awesome that we have 5 people because there is sooo much to do within Health field and so many projects going on at the same time that it will be awesome for each of us to focus on one part and really really advance our respective programs fast and also unitedly open a Prevention and Awareness Clinic in building space that we have above the Manna Library!  There is so much potential that is should be amazing. I am completely stoked!  The Health people are getting more details later this week so it should be really interesting.  

So as for learning spanish, learning the Manna Programs, and a little weekend traveling, my time here so far has been awesome! I can't believe I have already been here for 2 weeks, but at the same time it feels like it has been so long!  2 weeks down, 55 more to go! :)

Hope summer is treating ya'll well!

Peace + amor

Krysta

Life, Love, Community

Hey all!
Soo, I just wanted to put up a quick post of a picture of a chinese proverb that was written on the wall of the Guayasamin museum (Ecuadors most famous artist--we went yesterday :) ) that I thought was amazing and gave me goosepimples....yes I am nerd. But I just thought it was a great way to think about life, especially in times like right now...so enjoy and hope everyone is having an awesome start to their weekend!

"I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a boy who had no feet"

peace + amor

Krysta

oh and PS...

The awesome new Manna Ecuador group!

My first few days in Ecuador!! :)

Hola todos!

I just want to put this out there first thing: I have never written a blog before or know how it should be done so I am just going to ramble and be informal and dish about my life down here ok! So after much anticipation and preparation, I am finally in Ecuador!! I am soo excited! I am currently in the capital, Quito, staying with an Ecuadorian host family while we take language school for 3 weeks to either learn for some or improve our Spanish. Then we will move out to Conocoto and move into the MPI house and pick up where the current Program Directors (PDs) left off in helping the communities!!

It has been an adventure thus far I have only been there for two days! Our flight from Miami to Quito required us to where masks the entire 4 hours because of the swine flu. Many Ecuadorians believe that it is running ramped, like seriously everyone has it, in the United States. So after that, I finally reached my host family and they are the sweetest ever. I couldn’t ask for a nicer family. And no surprise to me they treat me like a true child of theirs. I just love the culture and warmth down here! US has so much to learn ;) On our first day we went out to the MPI house in Conocoto and had a BBQ with the current PDs (program directors) that will be leaving soon and got to know them and more about their life here for the past year and what to expect. The house is awesome and I can’t wait to move into it! The view of the Valley where the communities are from our house is amazing. Mountains surround Quito and Conocoto and they are beautiful grassy green knolls almost. Amazing. So anyways, then today we visited the HUGE market that we will be doing a lot of our shopping. I have never seen such an amazing market. The fruit and veggies down here are to die for and they have some of the craziest fruits and veggies you have ever seen. One of the other PDs bought some fruit (never got the name of it so I will get back to you on that one) that was red and spiky and you peeled off the outer layer to expose this oval, clearish, almost gummy eyeball textured fruit center. You just popped the whole thing in your mouth and gnawed on it. I am so glad I have grown out of my “it if looks weird I’m not eating it” phase. It is so fun to just sample anything and everything here (well to some extent, I think I will be leaving pigs skin and feet and cows skin off my list ;) ) In the market I tried some of these circular pancake looking things that they were frying up right there in front of you. I had no idea what they were but come to find out it was a mix of potato and onions and they were amazing. The meat market was insane. Any part of cows, pigs, chicken, its all there. I will spare you most of the details since I think you can imagine haha.

So yeah. That has pretty much been my first 2 days! I feel like I have been here weeks already. I am already starting to forget how to say words in English and my Spanish is coming back slowly but surely. I cannot wait to move into the MPI house and start working with these communities and start making a difference. Even though this site in Ecuador has only been here 2 years, they have made so much progress and it has sooo much potential I just can’t wait to see where it all goes and how I am going to play a role in it all!

I will write again soon and I will post a few pictures of my first few days (if I can figure out how)! And these were the only pics I have so far but I will post more when I get them from other people and take some more!! I will post one of me and my Ecuadorian family because well they are adorable. Thank you again so much for your support!! Finally being down here and seeing everything makes me so happy and grateful that we can provide for these communities and make a difference for those who truly appreciate it!

Hope all is well en Los Estados Unidos!! Until next post!

Besos!

Krysta