I spent the weekend at a beach called Atacames in northern Ecuador. It is about 6 hours away from Quito and we took the bus. I went with some friends from my study abroad program. We spent our time laying on the beach, enjoying the sun, surfing, relaxing, hanging out in the beach bars and clubs at night, and exploring the town. We had a wonderful time! The only big downer is that my purse was stolen including my camera, my ipod, my money, my journal of over a year, my favorite reading book, and my glasses that I need to see. We didn't want to leave our stuff in the hostel because sometimes, the hostel owners will get into your room (since they have the keys for all rooms), and take your valuables. It has happened to us before and it is pretty common. So we decided to take our valuables to the beach with us and take turns watching the stuff while the others swam. My stuff was stolen while I was swimming in the ocean and one of my friends was suppose to be watching it. We're not sure how it happened. People in Ecuador are professional at stealing things. No joke, they will steal stuff from you in public with out you even noticing. Soooooo I am pretty bummed about that because there is no way I can afford to replace anything now or even when I move back to the states. I am mainly bummed about my journal which has all of my experiences from living in Mexico and Ecuador. That is irreplaceable. Also, my glasses. I have contacts as well but not enough to last me for the rest of my time in Ecuador. So I am not sure what I am going to do about being able to see. Also, my camera :( :( :( Taking photos is a huge passion of mine. I especially love taking photos of children. And now I will not be able to take any photos during the rest of my time in Ecuador . I am so sad! I know they are just material possessions, and most of the stuff that I lost can be replaced eventually, but I am still so bummed. I didn't let it ruin my weekend though and I still had a really great weekend. Stuff like that happens in life and there is nothing you can do about it. So I am really trying to just have a good attitude about it! Things were really put into perspective for me when I was separated from my best friend Raissa on the last night we were at the beach. She had been with this guy and I had no idea where they were. I was searching everywhere. I thought something really bad had happened to her because I did not trust the guy she was with. I was so upset, crying and extremely worried. After a few hours we ended up finding each other and it turns out that something pretty crazy happened and she was almost arrested. It was really frightening and scary. I sure realized that my loved ones and human lives mean a lot more to me than material possessions. So all in all, it was a crazy but fun weekend spent at the beach.
I don't even have photos to share because my camera was stolen :(
Tomorrow I am heading to a town a few hours outside of Quito where I will do a two week long internship working with a program for children. I am excited! I will live with a new host family during these two weeks.
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