The Countdown

With almost a month left until I leave Ecuador, a sort of countdown has begun. I've already finished one of my classes and will finish my other on Friday. I'll still have to give final exams and placement tests up until July 21st, however. There are still a number of things I want to do, and as such, I have to really take a look at just what I can get done. There's a town about an hour from Cuenca that is in a valley, so it's hotter and more relaxing. I want to go there if I have the chance. And I'm thinking of flying up to Quito a few days before my flight home to visit Quilotoa, a small village with a crater lake.

I don't think I'll be able to take a long trip into the jungle, unfortunately. But even with the time left, I'll be getting periods of time in the next few weeks where I have nothing to do for a few days at a time. So I've been talking with a couple of people about possibly going to the coast again, or even down to Mancora, Peru. It's about 8 hours away, and is supposed to be a cool beach town.

I also need to take care of my bank account and make sure I get an advance on my last paycheck so that I can pay my host family for July. The last thing I want to buy is a Panama hat, and maybe a couple of knick knacks for the family back home. If I can get all of that in my bag, that is. But the pinch is definitely on now that we come close to July. It's hard to believe that it's come to this, but it's reality and you just have to deal with it. I remember after being here for a month how it felt like so much time had gone by, and now with a month left I feel like there still so much left. But at the same time, I feel like I've seen and experienced almost all there is to do in this country. And that's obviously a lot of stuff. It's almost time to move on.