Ok I know it’s been awhile since I have really updated this but I am now going to catch everyone up!
I had a really rough start with traveling and being homesick but it just had to pass out a couple of days, I have made a lot of friends, learning a lot of Spanish, and learning my way around the town. Riobamba is like a Rock Hill it has all the basic needs and there is a University right down the road from the Seminary. I have to take a bus or taxi if I want to go somewhere which is pretty cool! It’s only .25 cents to ride the bus and its $2.00 to take the taxi. It’s a lot cheaper than driving a truck around!
(This is a Quichua Man and Woman)
The people here are very personal and caring. There is the Hispanics and the Quichua. You can tell the difference between the 2 groups. Not only how they both dress but there customs and their personalities. The Hispanics even if you have never met them before will shake your hand and kiss you on the check; while the Quichua will just shake your hand. Also Hispanics will most of the time approach you first or talk first while the Quichua are very shy and will hardly talk to you the first time. Also the Quichua are discriminated it is almost like how in America during the discrimination of black people. There is hate towards the Quichua and they aren’t mean or hateful people! Most of the people here look the same they have black hair and dark skin, or they are black, or even Chinese! So when I am walking down the street with my pale skin and red hair shinning I get some unwanted attention. For example EVERY SINGLE TIME I ride the bus after I sit down almost the whole bus turns around to look! It is the weirdest and most uncomfortable thing ever. I was talking to Donata about it and she said that I will get use to it because that happens to her a lot too. Hopefully I will get over that part soon. Luckily I have my friends who I walk around with.
My closest friends are Pastor Ruben, Gloria, and Pastor Laurice. We watch movies every night in our little “movie theater” and we work together pretty much the whole day. I do work around the seminary or prepare things for my English Classes so far. The more I get comfortable and learn Spanish, the more I will do. <--(Gloria and Laurice) (Ruben)-->
Yesterday was my first English classes! It was a success for the 1st day! I had a small group of children and we played games like Duck, Duck, Goose and Red Light, Green Light. Then it was the teenager/adult class which I had 16 students! PTL! How I teach my classes is I talk almost the whole time in English but I do a lot of signing moving so they understand a little bit what I am saying. I was nervous that they wouldn’t like my class since over ½ of them were older than me but everyone didn’t want to leave! That is just confirmation that I’m doing Gods call. The people in the church are starting to be a little bit more open to me because most of them said they were nervous to talk to me! Anyways I am doing really good and I am very happy to have the opportunity to live here and follow God’s call on my life, which is teaching and use it as an evangelism tool to draw people to the church.
Love yall!
