April 5, 2009

My parents left on Thursday. I was really sad to see them go, but we had a wonderful visit. When they came, they flew into Guayaquil, which is the largest city of Ecuador and about 3 hours north of me. They didn’t arrive until the evening, but I went up early to test out the hotel—make sure the bed was soft enough, the water hot enough, and the cable sufficient enough…. Solely, of course, for my parents’ benefit. In the evening I went to the airport with the hotel shuttle to pick them up. Our reunion, as you could imagine, was very emotional.

We spent our first few days together happily wondering around downtown Guayaquil. We ate out at nice restaurants, bought a few souvenirs, and visited some museums and landmarks. My favorite spot was the iguana park—a one square block park that was full of iguanas. It also had several squirrels, which were a lot more exciting for the Ecuadorians and me. Iguanas are fairly common on the coast of Ecuador, but squirrels are not native to South America. I hadn’t seen one since I left the States. Shockingly enough, my mother wasn’t so impressed with the squirrels. She preferred the giant iguanas. Go figure.

The next stop on our agenda was the Galapagos. I must say that it was the highlight of our trip. If you ever have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it. It was gorgeous—crystal clear waters, breathtaking landscapes, and tons of interesting wildlife. We stayed on a luxurious yacht and every morning we woke up at a new island. The guide and crew were amazing. Every time we left the boat, someone would make our beds and every time we got back on there would be food waiting for us. Besides my parents and I, there were twelve other passengers on the boat. It was a good size, very intimate. Everyone was very friendly and we got along great.

My favorite part of the trip was seeing all the sea lions and snorkeling. By the way, I've decided that I want to be a sea lion in my next life. They've got it pretty good there. The snorkeling was incredible. We were able to see all sorts of colorful fish, sea turtles, starfish, and even some sharks. My only regret was not bringing an underwater camera. You’ll have to take my word for it when I say it was incredible.

After the Galapagos, we returned to my site. Let's just say it was a bit of a shock for my parents to go from these incredibly pristine islands to a town that is... well... not so pristine. I think my mom was in shock the first day. She described my site as 'depressing.' Awww :(

The next few days were better. After they got over the initial shock, I introduced them to a few friends and my host family. Although constantly translating (my parents don't speak Spanish and no one in my site speaks English) was a bit tiring, my parents really appreciated meeting some people who have been looking out for me. They were really impressed with the generosity of some of the Ecuadorians. One of my neighbors took a whole day of his time to drive us 2 hours there and back on the worst roads EVER to see a petrified forest. The forest was interesting, but definitely not worth the drive. My parents were so impressed that anyone would willingly offer to do that for some strangers. Afterwards, he took us to see his shrimp farm. Since shrimp is a major export where I live, it was definitely interesting to see the process of raising shrimp.

Overall, I think my parents had a wonderful time and got to see a lot of Ecuador. They day before they were to leave we returned to Guayaquil. Then on Thursday morning we piled into a cab. They dropped me off at the bus stop and then went to the airport. It was really hard to say goodbye knowing I won’t see them until Christmas. I think the first time was easier—I had Peace Corps, Ecuador, and a new life to look forward to. Now it is all routine and I know it will be another 9 months till I see the. Still, I am happy here and no there is no where else that I would rather be.