Hello America!
I have been in the States now for 8 days and it has been quite the whirlwind! Little blurbs of blog ideas have been going in and out of my brain lately but I think it's all finally clear enough to write down... enjoy!
The goodbyes...
Leaving Ecuador was hard! The whole last week was full of hugs and notes from my 21 students! My last day at school was very eventful from a birthday party to game day to a surprise goodbye party. Each student wrote me sweet words about my time there with them and gave me little gifts that I hold so dear! I also had to say goodbye to most teachers and staff on that Friday - a very odd feeling. I realized as I looked into each face that these are people I love whether the custodian I talk to after school each day, our cook, or fellow teachers. How quickly friendships and relationships can develop. My last day in Quito was spent with friends - going out to brunch, going to the market, spending time together, and going out to dinner. Mentally I knew how sad I was to be leaving everyone but it was so hard to make it all feel real. In a sense I still feel like tomorrow morning I am going to wake up, walk to school, and be right back with my first graders.
Travel adventures...
Leaving early Sunday morning should have been very smooth but... there was a marathon going on in Quito and so lots of roads were closed! It took us over half an hour to get out of the city and we were getting pretty nervous we wouldn't be able to get to the airport on time but we made it!
My second bag which was supposed to cost me $70 actually turned out to be free which was a pleasant surprise! Smooth travels with an inevitable delay in Miami but all went well.
Getting to Wheaton...
Two of my friends, Emily and Maddie, picked me up from the airport and took me back to Wheaton where a little surprise party was waiting. How good it was to see so many wonderful people that I hadn't seen for 6 months!
Transitioning back...
Well I still delay every time I go to use the sink water to brush my teeth and I get a little uh-oh feeling when I through my toilet paper in the toilet hoping it will flush smoothly! I am still so happy when I can easily read everything in the store and can answer all the cashier questions without second-guessing myself. It was a whirlwind of a week when I got back. I had two days off before classes started and I had to jump into the swing of college life. My brain was foggy and overwhelmed by everything going on. As each day goes by the transition is smoother. I am less surprised to wake up to suburbia instead of car horns, barking dogs, and screeching cats. I still catch myself looking at all the pictures trying to soak in each memory I have.
Thank you for being a part of my time in Quito. Thank you for reading my blogs, praying for safety, and encouraging me along the way! I could not have done this all alone.
More blogs? who knows! Feel free to unsubscribe as future blog posts will be more on the ponderings inside the mind of Laura Copeland as opposed to Ecuadorian adventures!
So grateful for each one of you!
