Spread Some Cheer

I'm not going to lie to anyone: watching the news these days makes me sad. Every day a new horror fills my screen, either in Pakistan or Australia or even here at home. But, what the news stations don't tell you are the happy stories, the hopeful stories, the stories that warm your heart. In no way do I want to downplay the terrors that happen and my heart aches for everyone involved, but I want to flood my life with hope as well. So, below I've shared 10 things from around the web that always make me smile, and give me hope.

Student finds out about her future

#illridewithyou

These Cops

Soldiers coming home to families and pets (google it. there are a ton)

Best friends

Saving Wild Mustangs

This girl

Prank wars

She runs

And this one.


So, smile everyone. The world isn't so bad.

Spring is My Favorite Season

It's snowing again... Just when we all assumed that maybe spring was actually here. Just kidding, have another foot and a half of snow! But, in the spirit of the first day of spring, here is a list:

10 Things 

I love about SPRING

1. Green grass

2. Chirping birds

3. Sunshine

4. Blue skies

5. Thinking that 50 degrees is warm enough for a t-shirt and shorts

6. Flowers and little buds on trees

7. Freak snow storms that melt away the next day (only a few though)

8. Pastel colors

9. Sunlight at 6:30 pm

10. All the birthdays 

Happy First Day of Spring, everyone!

End of JanPlan Blues

So, JanPlan ends tomorrow, and not surprising- I'm sick as a dog. This seems to happen every year like clockwork. I tend to get sick just as spring semester is beginning, but at least I know how to handle it.

10 Things That Cheer Me Up

1. Humidifiers

2. Hot tea with lemon and honey

3. Gilmore Girls (I know I've said that one before)

4. Chatting with old friends

5. Traveling

6. Reading a good book (I'm currently reading Empire Falls)

7. Our new popcorn maker that has made residence in our room

8. Doodling

9. Warmer weather (none of this -10 degree, frostbite all the time coldness)

10. Fresh laundry

I hope everyone is healthy and happy!

Quito's Pretty Awesome.

http://www.qpqweb.com/patrimonio/

10 Quito Things That Make Me Happy:

1. The building guard saying "cómo está niña?" every time I walk by

2. Not getting lost on the bus system

3. Knowing when cab drivers are trying to rip me off and arguing with them in fluent spanish

4. The random afternoon thunderstorms

5. The first Frozen Yogurt place to open up in Ecuador: Chic-Berry

6. Being able to recognize and wave to people on the street who are not in the program (like the bakery guy who just had a baby with his wife, or the indigenous woman selling strawberries, or kids who go to the escuelita).

7. Having cars stop in the middle of rush hour to let me cross the street (probably only because I'm a gringa but I'm not complaining)

8. The mix of western and indigenous cultures

9. Everyone saying that the weather is changing, when in reality it's dropped from 67 degrees to 63...

10. Christmas trees in the windows starting November 1st. 

It's Ironic...

I find it a little bit ironic that just the other day I was talking about how these two cultures (Latin America and USA) view death so differently. I know that this blog is supposed to be about my time abroad in Ecuador, but this weekend something so profoundly difficult happened in the USA that I can't be completely present in Ecuador at the moment.

Yesterday morning my dad's cousin, Holly, passed away unexpectedly. I'm trying with all my might to view this passing as a positive thing, knowing that she is in a better place and that death shouldn't really be that scary. So, I'm choosing to celebrate her life.

Life is too short, and we should really live it to it's fullest, whether you are in Ecuador or somewhere else in the world.

Holly, we will miss you.

10 Things That Make Me Happy

1. Second breakfast at Mickey's Cabin

2. Getting to know new people

3. Family (both extended and host families)

4. Knowing that even though I'm in another hemisphere, I'm still part of a huge, interconnected support system

5. Celebrating rather than wallowing

6. Warm sunny summer days in the Aspen groves

7. Smiling (that one is psychologically proven)

8.  Fresh mountain air

9. Rainstorms

10. Knowing that Holly is in a better place 

The Pharmacy Delivers?!

Yep. You guessed it. I've gotten pretty sick these last few days. It might have been something I ate in San Clemente or it might have been a long time coming. But, long story short, I've been holed up in my bed for the last few days, and yesterday's ambitious trip to class only left me weak and exhausted.

But, in spite of my weakened condition, I learned one thing today: the pharmacy delivers! It's a grand total of 7 blocks from my house to the pharmacy, and as I am in no condition to walk that distance nor did I want to spend the money on a taxi, my host mom informed me that they deliver! That was the greatest news I've had all week. So now I'm just sitting in bed with my gatorade watching The Little Mermaid hoping to get healthier by Friday, if not tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Finally, one of my favorite bloggers does this thing called the Happy List, where whenever she feels down, she publishes a list of 10 things that make her really happy in the moment. So, here's my first...

10 Things That Make Me Happy

1. Thunderstorms

2. The Little Mermaid

3. Hot Chocolate

4. Having my Psych prof look at me when asking about an English term for Broca's Area

5. Saltine Crackers

6.  Making new friends who don't speak English

7. My host sister Sophia sharing birthday cake with me, even when I can't eat much

8. My host brother Fabricio (he's 1) blowing kisses at me. Que coqueto!

9. Country music

10. Not using an English-Spanish dictionary every 5 minutes.

Was that weird? Oh well. It made me feel better!