It´s twenty-thirteen

...and I´m almost 23. On Saturday, I will complete my twenty-third year of life. That´s wild. I know it´s young in the scheme of things, but it´s 100% of my life...so it feels like sort of a long time. And, I´m nearing a quarter of a century. Weird. I clearly remember turning thirteen. A decade ago.

In another news, this will officially be my last cycle here at CEC! It´s bittersweet. Some days, mostly sweet. Though there are times I realize the many things I will miss: good friendships, teaching--I think--, the wide variety of things to do in the city, the volcanoes, pescado encocado, batidos de coco, etc. And the view from Guapulo, the winding, stone streets there, and Quito´s cool neighborhood: la Floresta. Oh, and mercado Santa Clara.

Let´s see, what else...Things I won´t miss: I got super sick again on Friday and just sat around moping...I mean, recovering, over the weekend. It was such a super welcome back to Ecuador after Christmas break...I almost bought a ticket home on Saturday afternoon. Five days after getting back.

But, vacation was wonderful! Michigan was every bit as beautiful as I had dreamed, and midnight Mass at Christmas was a totally new, glorious experience this year. New Year´s was fun with friends from Hillsdale. It was worth the quick trip downstate. And I had missed driving, anyway.

Back to Quito. In my free time, I´ve been doing some number crunching, and the stats on my life thus far helped me understand why I´m feeling utterly rootless at this point. In the last two years, I´ve lived on a different continent every six months! Blech.

2011--Seville, then Hillsdale
2012--Hillsdale, Marquette, then Quito
2013--Quito...then Marquette/Michigan/Midwest, as far as I can tell. At least for a while.

When I´ve told people this is my last cycle--even students I´ve just met--I get the "ooooooh"-sad face combo. When it comes from the people I´ve known for some time, it´s a sweet reminder that I´ll be missed. This is either selfish on my part or evidence that I´m not always sure when I´m valued. Most likely both. I´m genuinely surprised at times. It also shows me the genuine friendships I´ve discovered here. Then I think, "oh gosh, maybe I could stay longer." But...

NOPE.

I´m peacin´ out of here, and I know it´s for the best. And in the remaining two months, I´m determined to enjoy all I can of this country!

I don´t have much else to say for myself. I hope this is a swell year. And I´m glad it´s starting off here: there´s no doubt I´ll better appreciate the US because of it, as well as have fond memories of my Ecuadorian life--walking the line.

And I still have to go to the actual equator, anyway. And see more of this stunning country.

So much to do, so little time!