My time in Ecuador has been a whirl wind! Every day there is something new to learn and see. We have gone to the highest point in Cuenca, to the Andes Mountains in Ecuador, the indigenous markets, and eaten all kinds of delicious food! This experience has been nothing short of a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn and grow.
My house mom, Charito, teaches us new words everyday and shows us new customs. Each day we receive three hot meals that are absolutely scrumptious! Rice and potatoes are usually a part of our meals, but the rice always has a sauce to it which adds flavor for the meat as well. There is another type of food there is very common here called moté. Moté is kind like hominy but they cook it in so many different ways. It’s said eating this is extremely healthy and will help you live a long life. Another difference in food is having soup. Soup is almost always an appetizer for lunch. This makes lunch the biggest meal we eat during the day, which is usually opposite of our customs in the U.S. 
Sundays are family days. Everyone goes to church to pray and reflect and then they spend the rest of the time with the family. Almost everything is closed and there is hardly any traffic in the city. Our family goes to their farm that is about an hour away to be with their extended family. Charito usually has lunch already made for us and comes home on time for dinner.
The foot traffic here is phenomenal! Almost everyone walks or has a bike. Taxis and buses are also very common here too. We walk every day to and from school which is about a 30 minute walk. We also must climb this huge set of stairs to get to the Sampere schoool. By the end of the climb my heart is usually racing.
Mirador de Turi, is the church at the top of Cuenca. It can be seen no matter where you are in the city. That is where my panoramic picture was taken. You can see the entire city from up there. It is usually a small hang out spot at night and the church is light up beautifully. 
In the middle of the city is the Immaculada Concepcion Catedral. It is beautiful and enormous! I was able to go inside but only for a little while since there was some sort of service for a special occasion going on. For $1 you can go to the top of the cathedral, but I have yet to go. It’s on my to do list before I go!
nessacamacho 