Wow, wow. Usually I realize after a while that I haven't written in my blog and I try to come up with interesting things to write about. But this time, finally, I have been overflowing with urges to write in here, because LOTS of AWESOME things have happened!!!!!!! And finally tonight it looks like I'll have a chance. I'm in the University computer lab; I just got out of my creative writing class and I'm waiting for Gabriel to finish his intensive English class program in order to go back to his house--I'm spending the night there tonight because NAMARA, who's visiting (!!!!!!!!) is spending the night with his host family. So! Maybe I'll start off by talking about creative writing. This has been the most intense, brutal creative writing class (or ANY class) I've ever taken--okay, maybe except for Mr. Garbarino's English class in high school, which was also sort of brutal, but in a more destructive, agonizing way. This class is actually seeming pretty fantastic right about now. I don't think the teaching method is wonderful, and I'm not convinced that our teacher is an AMAZING writer herself--but I love the other students in the class, who, as I may have mentioned, range from ages 20 to about 75, and in general I feel like it's a very pleasant atmosphere, interrupted just now and then by the teacher's occasional critiques such as (to one of the American students) "I didn't understand anything you just said, read it all again," or, "There's no soul in your poem. Where's the soul?!!!!" I find that a difficult question to answer. Hahaha. Anyway. The cool thing is that next Thursday night we're going to have a big PRESENTATION for everyone we want to invite, each of us reading three prose pieces and three poems. And, she picked me to "inaugurate" the event, I don't know what the appropriate word is, to sort of make a little speech about our work, and to in the process, according to her, link images from EVERY SINGLE THING we've written into a clever little speech lasting about 30 seconds. Wish me luck! No, but I'm really excited about this creative writing presentation...finally I can invite all my Quito friends and family to hear me read something (including GABRIEL, who's never heard me read at any kind of creative writing thing ever). Yay!!!!!!! We're going to have flowers and classical music in the background and wear matching scarves and have tasty food and a toast afterwards! You're all invited--come!!! haha.
Okay, enough about creative writing. I went to the GALAPAGOS ISLANDS!!!! It was very spontaneous. Gabriel's mom is from there, so he has official residency there--something that you basically can't obtain permanently unless you have some blood connection, so not something you want to lose. But his residency card had expired over the summer, and because this new 
somewhat socialist Constitution recently passed in Quito, they're going to 
be getting stricter on who can and can't live on the islands. Which from an ecological standpoint is FANTASTIC!!!! But obviously, it would also be great if Gabriel could have the option of living there some day, because apparently sociologists are somewhat in demand there, what with all the dilemmas of balancing environmental and social needs, tourist-resident relations, etc! So. He was going to go alone, for about three days, and stay with his grandma there and try to get his residency renewed. But then we realized that Thursday and Friday of last week were a nationwide vacation (don't remember why), so we decided to skip out on the whole week, and we spent from last Sunday to last Friday in Galapagos!!!! I went on my exchange year, but that was definitely a completely touristy experience, jetting from one island to another for five days. This time, we stayed with Gabriel's family in this building RIGHT in front of a beautiful boardwalk RIGHT on the beach!!! His grandma and lots of aunts and uncles and cousins live there, so it was a nice family scene, especially because his family there is incredibly generous--constantly inviting us out to eat, 
giving us t-shirts for free, etc! The first few days we tried to buy ice cream from their store (part of their apartment building), in order to give them our business, but then we had to start buying ice cream from the store next door, because his aunt and uncle would NEVER let us pay for our ice cream, so instead of helping them out, we felt like we were robbing them. But anyway. It was great. There were sea lions 
everywhere. EVERYWHERE!!! There was no swimming to be had on the beach right in front of their house, because it was completely taken over by the sea lions--I'm talking like 50 to 100 sea lions on this relatively small strip of beach. I got kicked off the pier one day by an angry sea lion who wanted his/her space. It was incredible!!!! We found some other beaches, though, that were more people-oriented, and that was fun too. We also got to see 
more of the island (this was the island San Cristobal, by the way), including the more mountainous part, where it just doesn't look at all like how people imagine Galapagos...it's more cloud-foresty, with somewhat jungly vegetation. People playing soccer, basketball, grilling meat...in a lot of ways it was a lot like the rest of Ecuador. So that was interesting. Oh, and Gabriel DID get his residency renewed. Hurray!
somewhat socialist Constitution recently passed in Quito, they're going to 
be getting stricter on who can and can't live on the islands. Which from an ecological standpoint is FANTASTIC!!!! But obviously, it would also be great if Gabriel could have the option of living there some day, because apparently sociologists are somewhat in demand there, what with all the dilemmas of balancing environmental and social needs, tourist-resident relations, etc! So. He was going to go alone, for about three days, and stay with his grandma there and try to get his residency renewed. But then we realized that Thursday and Friday of last week were a nationwide vacation (don't remember why), so we decided to skip out on the whole week, and we spent from last Sunday to last Friday in Galapagos!!!! I went on my exchange year, but that was definitely a completely touristy experience, jetting from one island to another for five days. This time, we stayed with Gabriel's family in this building RIGHT in front of a beautiful boardwalk RIGHT on the beach!!! His grandma and lots of aunts and uncles and cousins live there, so it was a nice family scene, especially because his family there is incredibly generous--constantly inviting us out to eat, 
giving us t-shirts for free, etc! The first few days we tried to buy ice cream from their store (part of their apartment building), in order to give them our business, but then we had to start buying ice cream from the store next door, because his aunt and uncle would NEVER let us pay for our ice cream, so instead of helping them out, we felt like we were robbing them. But anyway. It was great. There were sea lions 
everywhere. EVERYWHERE!!! There was no swimming to be had on the beach right in front of their house, because it was completely taken over by the sea lions--I'm talking like 50 to 100 sea lions on this relatively small strip of beach. I got kicked off the pier one day by an angry sea lion who wanted his/her space. It was incredible!!!! We found some other beaches, though, that were more people-oriented, and that was fun too. We also got to see 
more of the island (this was the island San Cristobal, by the way), including the more mountainous part, where it just doesn't look at all like how people imagine Galapagos...it's more cloud-foresty, with somewhat jungly vegetation. People playing soccer, basketball, grilling meat...in a lot of ways it was a lot like the rest of Ecuador. So that was interesting. Oh, and Gabriel DID get his residency renewed. Hurray! Then, there was my birthday, lovely lovely birthday. Thank you to EVERYONE who sent birthday greetings from the States, it was WONDERFUL to hear from you all!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had a fantastic birthday. I think I'll paste in here a part of an email I wrote to my parents today, because I sort of described my day: Gabriel had been being very mysterious about WHAT we were actually going to do for my birthday, and we had finally ended up saying that he'd come over to my house around 11 am that morning and then we'd see what we wanted to do. He wound up calling me at 8:30 am asking if I could open the door for him, because he was already
there with breakfast food!!! That was nice! Then, he told me that the plan was to meet up with his family in the Plaza Grande (historic center)...I asked him jokingly which museum he was going to take me to, hoping very much that it wouldn't be ANY museum at all--I've decided I really can't stand museums. We got there and met up with his parents, and it turned out the surprise was that we were going to go to these really cool swimming pools and hot tubs right there in the historic center...I'd gone once before with Gabriel and they're lots of fun. BUT, (typical Ecuador), we get to the pools and it turns out the electricity's been cut off for the entire historic center!!!!! So, obviously no way to use the pools. I said jokingly that maybe we should go to the old Hospital Militar, which has been converted into a museum...it was really supposed to be a joke, but Gabriel's parents jumped on it and we wound up GOING!!!! hahaha. I e
njoyed it for a little while and then got incredibly bored with such themes as the Spanish conquest (I'm sorry. I've never really gone for history), so Gabriel and I skipped out early and he took me out to lunch (which was another surprise). It turns out that APPLEBEES in Quito has this special birthday deal, where if it's your birthday and someone takes you out to eat there, you get a free meal and a brownie and ice cream for desesrt! And they sing happy birthday to you with mariachis!!!!! That was awesome! I got Lime Fiesta Chicken. Then, we just went back to the apartment and started getting ready for my PARTY, which was excellent. Lots of people came! And it was really cool for all these 
different types of friends to meet each other. We played hilarious card games, blew out the ice cream cake (my friend Adriana and I were both celebrating our birthdays, mine on the 11th and hers on the 12th). Namara arrived around 11 pm, and we wound up going to bed around 3 am, although I barely got any sleep that night, because I think a combination of lots of junk food and certain alcoholic beverages (all in moderation, of course) got the best of me, and both me and Gabriel wound up sick on Sunday. At least I wasn't sick on my birthday! By yesterday I was feeling a lot better, and today I feel fine. Anyway though, it was a great birthday. That's all I've got time for today!!!! But I'm glad I got this chance to catch you up and WRITE and I'll try to write again soon. I LOVE YOU EACH AND EVERY ONE!!!!!!! Take care and stay in touch,
Love,
Sara
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