Loja

A tearful day it was. For whatever reason I was emotional today. Leaving Cuenca was hard for me. I told my sister whose name I still cannot remember and it is way beyond the point of asking that “I cannot say what I want to say because I don’t have the words, but I really like you”. That was about as sentimental as my Spanish would allow. I really have a love in my heart for my host family. I don’t know how it is possible to care for these people so much despite barely talking to them because I am so limited in verbal communication. Maybe it is just because they have so lovingly and selflessly cared for me for the past two weeks. They have been my family. They have cooked me meals, cleaned my clothes, given me hugs, shared in my joys, shared in my pains. They made me tea and coffee and fruit and just loved me well. They were there to take care of me at 1am when I was as sick as they come. I feel so connected to my family and it was difficult to say goodbye.

Our group of interns has also grown unexpectedly close and formed a dynamic, tight-knit community. It is an inclusive bunch that functions as a unit and whenever people are absent their absence is noticeable and presence is missed. Hugging goodbye for two weeks was unusual and I do not think any of us anticipated it being this hard. We have only known each other for two weeks, how could we possibly feel this connected already?

Eventually our 9 person team loaded the bus and headed on our four hour journey to Loja. Having a smaller group already makes such a noticeable difference. It is possible for us to easily be seated at a restaurant, be entirely aware of where everyone is, and actually get to know every single person on a real and personal level. I am a fan of this group size number wise but would never wish for the separation of our intern team as a whole.

Once we arrived in Loja we ate a large traditional lunch at the cafeteria next to our night , hotel feeling hostel, where we may or may not be the only guests. After a brief orientation we walked around the city for the remainder of the afternoon. It is quaint and charming, being smaller than Cuenca with noticeably more motorcycle, textile, and hardware stores. It is lacking an American feeling coffee shops, restaurants or locations. The people are friendly but not as used to English speaking, foreign individuals. The streets are more narrow and a little more dirty depending on which area of town you are in. However, Loja is still nestled in the mountains and has beautiful scenery all around. After wandering we bought food at the grocery. I got 5 apples, a banana, carrots, and beans for $2.83. I still have a little celebration every time I feel like I was thrifty and then realize Ecuador is just incredibly cheap. The girls ate dinner in our room in our hostel and just enjoyed one another’s company. It was wonderful to just relax in one another’s presence. I am excited about getting to know the city and my group even more over the next couple of days.

Hasta luego,

Cate