I spent the past 5 days at a Spanish camp in a town called Bahia de Caraquez, more commonly known as Bahia. Bahia is soo nice. It was such a nice change from Portoviejo. In Portoviejo, everything is dirty, dusty, busy, loud and you can't walk around at all, especially not alone. In Bahia you can see the water from almost every spot in the town, you can walk around without feeling unsafe, there are hardly any cars on the street, and it is semi-clean. I wish I lived in Bahia for my exchange year because I felt more like I was at home in Westhampton. The only problem is that there are only 3 exchange students there, and in Portoviejo we have over 20, which is really nice. Also, Portoviejo has Supermaxi, which is like a giant supermarket, and a huge mall with a movie theater, so there are actually things to do on the weekends.
I have started to get really close with the other exchange students, especially in Portoviejo. Your friends during your exchange year end up becoming your family, and I can already see that happening. I can't wait to meet all of the other exchange students in Ecuador on the Manabi trip in October. I am also happy because now I have a lot of houses to stay in when I travel around the world. ;)
At Spanish camp, I honestly did not learn one thing because I knew every single thing that was being taught. I was hoping to learn a lot and be able to speak better, but at the same time I guess it is a good thing that I already knew everything. It was so boring for me but luckily I had my blackberry and was playing with it the entire time. ;)
Another cool thing is that I was crowned La Reina del Campamento (The Queen of the Camp). I got a special sash and a little crown. It was nice to be recognized for my skills in Spanish. Everyone wanted to take pictures with me and all of the Rotarians were coming up to me and hugging me and kissing me. Oh yea, the people here are very touchy. When you greet someone, anyone from your best friends to complete strangers, you give them a kiss on the cheek. This is something I am still getting used to because in the United States, I neverrrrrr do that. Also, sometimes it is very awkward because you don't know who you should give a kiss to and when you should do it.
I learned how to dance Salsa at Spanish camp too. That was quite an experience.
I didn't know how tiring it can be! It was fun though, and a reallllly good workout. I don't remember the last time I sweat so much!
I took a hot shower for the first time in 3 weeks. That is one thing that I reallllllly miss. I am used to burning hot showers, and here, they are ice cold. I DREAD showering because it is torture. I don't know when I will get another hot shower any time soon. :(
At the Spanish camp, everyone started getting sick. One girl had to return to Portoviejo early because she was so sick, and another girl had to get an IV in her arm. I am also sick now. My throat has been hurting the past few days and I am getting a bad cough. I never get sick at home so I am really mad about this. I did stay home from school today which was nice. My parents gave me some medicine so hopefully that will work.
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