Whirlwind wedding weekend.

This past weekend I actually made in appearance in Illinois for the wedding of a good friend from college. Although it was a splurge to fly in for literally just the wedding (to understate it a bit!) it was totally worth it for me. AJ left work early to drop me off at the airport and even stayed so that we could have coffee together before I went through security. My flight was delayed, so we even had a little bit of extra time. Of course, AJ didn't come because of the expense of flying and because it would be too hard for him to get a pass to leave post.

My beautiful friend and her hubby!

And then...things got a little rough. Long story short, my plane was over two hours late taking off because it was overweight. They took seven passengers off, and I suspect all of our luggage because they were carrying something else. After I got into Chicago things got even crazier, when no one's luggage showed up from our city and no one could tell us why. We waited for over two hours because we were told our bags would show up in 20-45 minutes. Finally, someone tells us that our luggage "is not at this location", meaning it was all taken off the plane in our departure location and was never sent. I didn't get to my parents' house until 1:00am. Needless to say, rough day.

Saturday made up for it, though. I got to watch my beautiful friend get married after a two year engagement and enjoyed some coffee with two friends I haven't seen in a very long time (one is from Kansas and transferred after the first semester, so we only see each other once a year). At the reception I got to see even more friends. The whole wedding itself was absolutely perfect, as I knew it would be--that's exactly how my friend is, and she had two years to plan after all! I couldn't believe how nice it was and it was a blast for us guests. Most importantly, though, my friend has begun her marriage solidly rooted in Christ, and their faith was so evident in the whole day. I, meanwhile, am so excited to gain a married friend, even if she does live 2,000 miles away!

Me, Kaitlyn, Megan, and Meg. Freshman roomies. <3

On Sunday I woke up and drove back to the airport with my mom. Although I didn't get to see anyone besides my immediate family (because I slept in their house!), it was nice to see them in person if only for a brief moment. And lucky for us, next week they're coming down for a family vacation!

So here I sit, back in the desert and missing my family and friends again. My visit was way too short. Being an Army wife is still a lonely gig, and I would still rather have had a choice about living near everyone I love--or at least somewhere that is appealing to me. If nothing else, though, I will be busy with school next week, so I won't have time to be lonely (fingers crossed).

A visit to the zoo.

This past weekend we finally got out and did something interesting. We found out that the zoo has a great military discount, and the elephant festival was going on. So, to the zoo we went. We had a great day, as long as a great view of Mexico from the Africa exhibit ;) Seriously though, when we drive along the highway in that part of the city we actually see much more of Mexico than we do of the U.S. 

In other news, AJ just told me that he's about to get a new job. A captain just recently PCS-ed (moved, basically) to AJ's unit, so it makes more sense for this captain to work AJ's XO job (executive officer, which means AJ's been the second-in-command). AJ's pretty excited about it, as he's ready to get some different experience and be relieved of some of the pressure that comes with being the XO on the rear detachment while the unit is in Afghanistan. He's gotten a lot of great feedback since October, so he's leaving the unit better than he found it. Proud of my man, as always. I'll keep you updated as to exactly what position he'll fill next.

My first FRG (family readiness group) meeting is tonight, so we'll see how that goes. I've been doing some things with PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel), a group of Christian Army wives stationed here. The great thing about the Army (and also the sad thing) is that someone's always new and someone's always leaving, so it's easier to get plugged in on post than in the civilian world. Although AJ and I make a point of spending time with the local civilians, having Army wives to relate to is also very important. I love being able to tell our story and having women just nod and not look at me funny, as if being away from my husband for nine months is nothing special. Because in the Army, it's not! I love how we automatically understand each other's lives and even speak the same language (seriously, take a look at my husband's work email and you will see more acronyms than actual words). Still working on meeting other younger, childless wives though--so far all of my Army acquaintances are older women with children who aren't career-driven like me. I told AJ to keep networking with other married 2nd lieutenants. :)

And now for our zoo pictures:

Settling in--in the Southwest.

Us with our anniversary cake in IL.

Today officially marks three weeks since I've been in our new home. Hard to believe! Since AJ's week of leave life has continued as usual, without anything terribly new or exciting to report. I've been doing the stay-at-home-wife thing, since I'm waiting for graduate school to start on June 28th. I'm slowly getting to know the area, although once in awhile I still panic and think I'm going to accidentally leave the country. I'm also getting acquainted with some of the people AJ knows, both Army and civilian. So far we've been invited to dinner with two different families, which was nice. One of the families is an Army family, so I now have at least a couple Army acquaintances. I've been invited to the main park on post with them and their kids, which means we get to hang out, play with kids, and get a tan all at once ;)

Chester the Friendly Cactus, a gift from my mom.

I've finally registered for graduate school classes and have finalized my field placement for this fall and spring. Yay! After two interviews, both of which accepted me, I've chosen to work with an agency that provides services to children. I'll be working within the foster care program, which means my clients will be children with complex trauma. I'll provide counseling services, manage a caseload of children, train foster parents, and work with a team of professionals including a psychiatrist, psychologists, social workers, teachers, the court system, and foster families. I'm going to learn a ton, and I've been told that they already have a project for me to work on! I'm really excited to take the next step in my career.

Last week was our anniversary, which we spent quietly by going out for sushi, one of our favorite treats. We dressed up in the same clothes we wore to leave our wedding, had dinner, and then celebrated with some cake purchased by my mother-in-law :) Not super eventful, but nice enough for us.

View from our apartment complex.

So that covers the basics of life down here. AJ and I are still getting reacquainted as husband and wife after nine months of being apart. To clear up what seems to be a common misconception, we never felt like we got a "second honeymoon" after being together again or during AJ's week of leave. For many military families, living together again is often just as hard as being separated. Things change when you're apart from your spouse for almost a year, especially if you've only been married a year and lived together for just two months of that year. Many Army couples find themselves working to rebuild the intimacy necessary for marriage after being apart. So, although we agree that being together is wonderful because that's how it should be, it's not quite as romantic as many people seem to expect. ;)

Greetings from the Desert.

Well, after coming back to North America, saying hello and goodbye to everyone I'm close to, and graduating from college, I've finally landed in my new home. And this time, we don't know when or where we will be moving next--so although this isn't our last stop, it's at least the last one on the calendar.

I'll admit, moving out of Illinois was not easy. I had just one week to see everyone I love and graduate (not to mention pack) before I was on the move again. This time, I'm not even sure when we'll have a decent amount of time in Illinois again. I'll be coming to a couple weddings and of course we want to visit for Christmas, but you just never know if that'll happen in the Army. In short, it's very strange to know that I'm in a place semi-permanently, and that this place is about 22 hours from the people I've known for my entire life.

I also definitely feel like "the new kid" these days. Growing up I was fortunate to live in the same place, keeping the same friend group from my elementary years through high school. And of course, everyone's new in college. While we lived at Fort Lee, we were part of a group of 2LTs and their wives who were all young, new to Fort Lee, and often new to active duty. All we wives had was each other, and we became really close. My best friend from Virginia saw me through some really tough times. Since getting here, though, I definitely feel like the new girl in town, and even my own husband already knows everyone and has his own group of friends. We went to a church barbecue for Memorial Day, which was great but overwhelming--I can't tell you how many people I met, most of whom said, "Oh, I've heard so much about you!" Meanwhile, I can't even remember their names! So, still working on the whole making-friends thing. 

Although the first week or so was pretty tough, there are good things happening too. I finally organized our apartment, so it feels more like our space now. I've used the commissary and PX (which are way bigger and better here, and as a result they're stricter about doing 100% ID checks), had lunch with AJ while he was at work, and applied for a public library card. I've now been on my graduate school campus once, and I've already had one great interview for a possible field placement. Two couples from church have invited us over for dinner, although I have yet to meet any Army wives more my age. AJ says I'm expected at the FRG meetings (Family Readiness Group; it's run by the Army to keep families informed and prepared) anyway, so maybe I'll meet someone there...maybe.

The last few weeks have definitely been a bit of a shock. This city does not look like anything that I'm used to, and I feel like I'm starting over completely here. To add more complexity, AJ has already established a life here that I've felt pressured to fit into. Still, I'm starting to feel like God has a purpose for my life here, not just for my husband's, and I know that things will get better and better. I miss family and friends a lot these days, but ultimately we're called to be here right now, and so we might as well embrace it. I keep telling ourselves that we're going to have lots of adventurous stories later on.

In other news...our couch comes tomorrow! Looking forward to actually having some furniture in our living area. :)

Beach debrief.

On Sunday morning we left for the Ecuadorian coast, specifically a town called Canoa. Canoa is a tiny, remote town much like any other on the Pacific coast of Ecuador. For once, we didn't have a ton of activities planned--just sun, surf, and good food! In the mornings we had some devotional time together before hitting the beach. Canoa is known for surfing, so several students tried their hand on the waves. I got plenty of sun and went in the water quite a bit, because it was so, so warm!

For lunches we went to a little place right on the beach, where the seafood is great. I had fish, rice, and fried plantains on the first day, and chicken on the second because I don't like shrimp. I spent the afternoons in a hammock on the roof of our hostal because I didn't want to chance getting burned on the beach (the sun is so, so strong on the equator. I wore waterproof 50 SPF and reapplied several times--still got a little burnt). The hammock was perfect for some great conversations, naps, devotional time, and more. 

After dinner we spent some time debriefing as a group. On our first night we recalled some of our highlights from the semester, as well as the challenges and what we thought God was teaching us. The second night was a little heavier on some reverse-culture culture shock and re-entry material. We learned about the 5 F's, which depict the stages of reverse culture shock. They are Fun, Flee, Fight, Fit-in, and Fruit--pretty self-explanatory. We also talked about some symptoms of reverse culture shock, just like when we talked about culture shock at orientation. It'll be interesting to see how I react to coming back to the U.S. Honestly, I've become so accustomed to Ecuador that I can't even fully remember what's different about the States. That's really weird!

Some other great memories of the beach were participating in dance therapy (bailoterapia) with the entire town on night outside our hostal. Once they played an American song we all just did our own thing and stopped paying attention to the man leading. It was so fun. That same night we went out for batidos (fruit juice blended with ice and mixed with condensed milk). I got coconut, just to be exotic. After we finished them the owners of the restaurant put on some music for us, which meant an impromptu salsa dancing party started. I'm still working on my salsa dancing, but I have the steps down so it's getting more natural. 


Well, that's about it for the beach! We got back to Quito around 5pm on Wednesday, and Thursday is a packing and cleaning day for most of us before we fly back to the States. We're having lunch at an amazing Italian restaurant as one last thing to do together before we go our separate ways. I definitely can't believe I'll be in the U.S. tomorrow.

I miss you, America.

This post is going to be about some of the things I've learned to appreciate about the States since I've been living in South America. And here they are:

1. So, let's talk about toilet paper. Although I got used to throwing it in the trash can pretty fast, I will admit that it might be kind of cool to flush it again. Also on that note, it'll be pretty cool to be able to assume that a public bathroom even has toilet paper. And that it won't cost you anything. In this country you often have to bring your own TP or pay for it. And if you forgot...you better hope a friend is in the next stall with some extra!

2. I'm looking forward to a safer environment in general. Here we can never walk around or take public transportation after dark, except for taxis (and I've even been warned against some taxis). This means that all my business pretty much has to be done by sunset each day, and if I didn't leave field exactly on time I'd get into trouble. There are also streets in our neighborhood (which is really nice) that I should never, ever take because they're known for muggings (except I do that anyway because otherwise the walk is too long). Basically, you always have to be watching your things in Ecuador, and even then you can get robbed. Being a foreigner makes you an extra large target. So, I'm excited for safety.

3. Food. I'm definitely looking forward to some American restaurants and dishes that I couldn't make here. But more than that, I'm excited to not have to worry about how everything is cooked here. I've been in several situations where I had to eat with Ecuadorians and I wasn't sure if what they gave me was safe (but I was always fine in the end). Here you have to be careful with things like ice, produce, and even meat because it may not be handled properly. If you're not careful you could end up with diarrhea or a parasite, and those are not fun. So, although I've avoided all the bad stuff, it'll be nice not to worry.

4. English. Okay, I know I said I'd really miss speaking Spanish, and I will. Still, it'll be nice to communicate fluently wherever I go and actually feel like I know things. Sometimes living in a second language can be super embarrassing and frustrating, so I'm kind of looking to being an expert in my own language and culture again.

5. Warm showers, the ability to control the temperature in my apartment, baking at normal altitude, driving a car, and all those other super awesome little things that I've been doing without here. No, they're not essential or important (well, heat and a vehicle actually are in the States). But they are nice.

6. Not sticking out like a sore thumb because I have white skin and light brown hair. Although there are some foreigners living in Ecuador, it doesn't seem like there are many. Normally, wherever I go, I'm surrounded by people with black hair and dark skin. This means that it's obvious that I don't belong, and that attracts unwanted attention. This could mean being stared at or gaining the affections of men, or being a target for a robbery. I get whistled at a lot, and not long ago one young man kissed his hand and then quickly grabbed my arm. And then stared at me as he walked away. Most Ecuadorian men are super polite, but being a foreign woman just means I'm exotic to them. Some people also assume I can't speak Spanish and speak to me in English, which is frustrating. However, this doesn't happen a ton because the people who know English are definitely a small minority.

These are just some things Ecuador has taught me to appreciate about my home country. Don't get me wrong, though--I love this country and I could definitely live here long term. There are things I like about Ecuador more than I do the States, and vice versa. I just wanted to be honest with all of you about what it's really like to live here, because it's not all fun all the time. It's not realistic or honest to say you love absolutely everything about the culture in which you live, whether it's you native culture or a foreign one. Overall, though, I'd say that I've been super blessed to live in Ecuador this semester and would highly recommend it to anyone! It's a tiny country that not many Americans have heard of, but it is 100% worth a visit. I wouldn't have chosen any other place to study abroad! This amazing country has so much to offer, and I only hope more people can experience it while keeping Ecuador as unique as it is.

I'll miss you, Ecuador.

As my time in Ecuador is coming to a close, I've been thinking about all the things I'll miss about this amazing country. Here's my list of things I'm reluctant to leave behind in South America:

1. Speaking Spanish all the time. I know, I haven't always been so thrilled about having to speak Spanish, especially in homestays when I never spoke English. However, my Spanish has grown by leaps and bounds in just three months, and I know I won't see that kind of dramatic change once I'm back in the U.S. 

2. The natural beauty of this country, no matter where you go. Ecuador is a breathtakingly beautiful place everywhere you look. I've been living in the Andes mountains, which are guaranteed to provide stunning views of green peaks and snow-capped volcanoes. The Oriente (or the Amazon) possesses its own kind of beauty, with exotic plants and animals and untouched landscapes. The Galapagos is a paradise all its own, with pristine light blue waters, white sand, black volcanic rocks, and bright green plants. The Coast, of course, offers plenty of stunning Pacific beaches and even lush, green hills. I have honestly not been to a place in Ecuador that did not have some remarkable natural beauty, and I have not just been spending time in all the pretty tourist spots. It's just that great of a country.

3. The culture. Ecuadorians are so, so warm and friendly. I have always felt so welcome with my host family, the staff at my field placement, and other places where I spent a lot of time. Even strangers will go out of their way to help you and say hello to you. Priority is always given to older adults and people with children, everywhere you go. Ecuadorians have also preserved their culture so well, even with outside influences. It's very common to see indigenous men and women dressed up in their traditional clothing, just because that's what they wear every day. I've heard Quichua spoken on the bus and the food has remained much the same over thousands of years. I hope that never changes. 

4. The weather. Although I've heard Ecuadorians complain about how unpredictable it is, it's almost always great! Sure, you have to be prepared for rain at all times, but even then the temperature is usually fine. And although it can be rainy here, it never gets humid in the Sierra region (where Quito is), which means my joints are very happy.

5. Shopping at little tiendas. I love walking down the street for some fresh-baked bread, walking over to the fruit and vegetable tienda, and then stopping by the one with all kinds of things on our corner. Sure, it's more stops, but it's easier in a way because you can pick up only what you need on your walk home from work.

6. The slower pace of life. Although it can sometimes be mind-boggling for us North Americans used to things happening on time, Ecuadorians definitely have their priorities straight. They always take time for family and friends, no matter what else is going on. Ecuador is "The Land of Mañana" so things don't often happen on time, but after a few months in "Flex-ador" it's really not a big deal.

7. Not being so distracted by materialism. Ecuador is a developing country, so life is much simpler than it is in the States. I walk or use public transportation everywhere I go. I don't get caught up in wishing I had nicer, more fashionable clothes. I don't freak out about cool showers (although the icy cold ones are awful). I don't think about television anymore, because I haven't seen it since I left the U.S. I'm used to having less choices at restaurants and in grocery stores. Heat and air conditioning are non-existent, but that's okay. And safety standards...who needs them? ;) Seriously, though, the consumer culture of the U.S. is going to be one of the hardest parts about going back. I'm scared I'm going to lose the attitude I had in Ecuador and will get caught up in materialism again.

These are just a few things I'm going to miss. These days when I walk around Quito I come up with more, but there are too many to list here. I got you the biggest ones though. :)