Dia De Deportes

Hey Everyone!!!
For those of you who don´t know spanish Dia De Deportes means day of sports. This past saturday i had the opportunity to participate in Home Coming...Ecuadorian style that is. Saturday morning started early for us at Benelcazar. We had to arrive at 730...on a saturday! how crazy is that¿? anyway...the day started with a huge parade! Each class was dressed in matching jerseys and divided into classes. Each class also had a mascot. my class the sexto B.I. (Sixth Course) had matching white t-shirts with penguins on them. and so our mascot was a penguin. well who do you think was a penguin? yours truly! ME! i wore a cute little penguin hat and then we all waddled like penguins around in the parade. The parade also had marching bands, color guards, pets...and lots and lots of students! Well after the parade we all sang the national anthem, and then we lit the torch and let the games begin! Because i am in the sixth course we were in charge of selling food. the whole patio was set up with tons of vendors. we sold Hordanado, which is pork along with corn, potatoes, rice, etc. etc. it was so delicious. The one thing i found really interesting about this school function was...the amount of alcohol sold. i helped unload case after case of beer, which was sold to anyone who wanted it. There was no drinking age limit, everyone was buying and drinking beer like it was soda! (at least the teachers were a little loosened up that day! haha) 

also in the Dia De Deportes they crown a queen. this process was alot like a junior miss pageant. The participants had to have a talent, a sport, a formal dress, a casual fitness routine etc. etc. and then on Saturday the queen was announced. My friend Lorena participated in this, it was fun to be a part of!

This day was so much fun, because i had an inside view of the fact that even though Ecuador seems a little wierd at times they are able to and have fun participating in regular kid activities. and once again i am grateful i am able to be a part of it. 

Before i came here i had this whole idea about the meaning of "culture". I defined culture as different food, different clothes, and a different language. Never had i ever imagined that culture also was a way of thinking, a different way of mentality. I never thought about how a whole country of people could think the same way. That the idea of right and wrong could be so different. That honesty was seen as a dream, and not  reality. This has been such a big struggle for me. Almost more than the language. Learning how these people think. Mr. Abbott my high school speech teacher would go crazy here, trying to decide where everyones minds are! haha. I love the people, language, food, and sights of Ecuador. But coming here has made me appreciate SO many things that i was just blessed to have my whole life. 

most of all i will never take my family for granted again. There's so many things our moms, dads and brothers and sisters do for us that we don't realize until we don't have them. i am so grateful for the way i was raised, and for the country that i was SO blessed to be raised in. 

Things have been a little crazy here lately as i have been shuffled around from family to family, but i know things will start to look up shortly. And as President Hinkley would say, "Everything will be ok!" (that's my new motto). 

Hasta Luego, 

Emmy Ann