Photo of the day, 3/18/2010: Manta from a balcony.

Taken from the dorm balcony at the Spanish school.

Manta, Ecuador, continued.

Tonight I stood on the board for approximately 3 seconds, for the third day in a row! Think good thoughts around 5:40pm EST on Friday evening and M-F of next week. If experience from this week holds, that seems to be when it all comes together and I can get up for 3 seconds. My knee bruises are healing slowly and my respect for surfers has never been greater.

I continue to face communication challenges with my host family but nothing unexpected or spectacular... Although the confusion that arose Tuesday when they thought I´d been mugged (when in actuality I just smashed my knees and elbows on the surfboard repeatedly, and by choice, for 2 hours) was screenplay-worthy. We have our wonderful moments though. This evening Tia (who I especially have trouble understanding but who is the sweetest woman) stopped in my room to ask me something and I nodded and smiled as usual and invited her to sit with me and watch a little TV, and she did. We nodded and smiled together at the meal the chef on the cooking show was making... And at dinner Sra helped me finish a sentence which had taken me approximately 5 minutes to get through, and we shared a laugh. So it´s awkward at times but it´s a great experience overall. Their patience and kindness is most appreciated.

I am learning a lot about Ecuador from my Spanish teacher. She and I share similar tastes in entertainment and have similar views on life and politics so we have had good conversations. Well, good ¨conversations¨ - I understand 95% of what she says but can´t say much in return. I carry my dictionary everywhere and try to study at night but it´s so hot and I´m so worn out by 9pm usually. Anway, very interesting stuff.

On Saturday another student and I are going to attempt to go to Machachilla National Park about 2 hours south of Manta, and maybe check out the famous Panama hat place on the way back on Sunday. It will be an adventure!

Hasta luego...

Photo of the day, 3/17/2010: do it again, Daddy.

sunset over Murcielago beach where we had our surfing lessons... um... "surfing" "lessons"

Photo of the day, 3/16/2010: why Manta has the Best. Ceviche. Ever.

from the pier down the street from my host family's flat

So the surfing lesson yesterday consisted of...

... five minutes of practice with a surfboad drawn in the sand, then to the ocean where the instructor yelled ¨swima swima swima!¨ when the right wave came along. What part of ¨primero tiempo¨ did he not get?, I wondered at first, but it seemed that was instruction enough and after about an hour and a half I successfully got onto my knees and rode a wave. With that success I attempted to stand on the next wave. Did not go as well. But it was fun! My knees are purple (purpura) and I expect they will go to black tonight or tomorrow, but the water was heavenly after sweating in this heat all day. The beach is small and not like any other beach I´ve been to. After the lesson we looked for my flip-flops, and I was convinced they´d been taken (one does not leave things on the beach unattended here, I learned once we got to the beach) and then lo and behold, there they were. Bueno! So still no casualties in this trek.

Spanish lessons are under a similar methodology but I think this will be good overall. My host family is very nice but does not speak English, and communication is muy dificile and meals are awkward right now. I don´t think they knew what they were signing up for, but they have a 3 yr old grandson in another city so I need to learn ¨pretend I am your grandson and talk that slowly¨ and I think we will be OK. I did buy a dictionary yesterday and that helped at dinner, or at least created some smiles as I would start a sentence, hold up my finger, find the word, continue my sentence - which was something ridiculously simple like ¨where can I buy a new t-shirt?¨

Found an Aussie yesterday and was able to have an actual conversation. It´s amazing how interesting the most mundane discussions are, when one hasn´t had a complete one in approximately three days...!

Hasta luego.

Photo of the day, 3/15/2010: spelling fail.

on the way to Spanish school

Photo of the day, 3/14/2010: there is a little bit of green to be found in Manta.

Just a little bit, though. My host family lived in the flat to the right of the church at the top of the stairs.