EIL Intercultural Learning

Well today is E-Day plus 38 and my trip to Ecuador is over. I'm writing this from Amsterdam airport during my 4 free hours before my last flight to Dublin and I've got alot of emotions going on now. Obviously and naturally I'm happy to be heading home but my experience in Ecuador has been incredible and amazing, something I shall never forget and will always treasure.

Today is E-Day plus 31 and I'm finding it hard to believe that I've been here for a month with only a week left. Today is also my last day here in Riobamba as after lunch I'm heading to Quito for a night before getting a flight tomorrow to the Amazon rainforest. You'd expect me to be happy and excited at the prospect of being in the Amazon (something I've always wanted to do) yet what I'm feeling at the moment is a sadness that I'm leaving my homestay.

Well it's E-Day plus 25 today and I'm having an incredible time in Ecuador. Last Sunday my group and our host families met up for a soccer match in the evening on these astro-turf pitches I've been playing at for the last couple of weeks and it was a brilliant night. Firstly we got the full size pitch and so many people came we actually had a full game with 11 on 11 with spectators also. It was a great laugh and there was a huge difference in skill levels so it made for a very entertaining match. It was the best soccer night I've had in Riobamba so far.

So it's E-Day plus 20 today and I'm already past the half way mark with only 2 weeks left. I say only 2 weeks because last night my host family and I were talking about how time has just flown by here in Ecuador. I've already been with the family for two weeks with only one more to go which we all found a depressing thought. I have to say I'm really enjoying this homestay and to be honest I was expecting to quite as much as I have.

So today is E-Day plus 14. Two weeks in and I'm having a great time here in Ecuador. I'm still waiting for culture shock to hit in but it hasn't really so far, I'm enjoying Ecuador too much.

It's E-Day plus 10 today. Sounds like a long time but it's passed me by very quickly which is a bit scary but it reflects how good a time I'm having here. Picking up the story here from the last blog (sorry for the gap between them, wrote a blog 2 days ago but internet connection broke before I had fully finished and I lost it completely!) I joined up with the second group of Americans on the Thursday night as the group I was with have gone to the Galapogas islands. But the second group have also turned out to be a fantastic group.

It's E-day plus 5 this evening and I'm trying to do this blog quickly as I'm in an internet cafe in Quito and will have to go catch our lift home soon. Monday night I joined up with the 28 strong group of Americans and have been staying with them in a hostel since. They're a great group, split into 2 groups of 14, full of friendly and sincere people, but they wouldn't be American without being loud sometimes! Since they're arrival my time is on a schedule and very group orientated with lots of team activities.

Buenos tardes!

So it's the evening before E-day and I'm pretty much organised for tomorrow and all the travelling involved. The way I'm going is flying from Dublin to Amsterdam and then on to Ecuador with two stop-overs between Amsterdam and Quito. I'm very happy with the times as I've loads of time between connections so I've been lucky enough. Feeling excited and nervous at the same time about the trip.