Home Feels Good

Passing Chimborazo Volcano

Despite all the hustle and bustle of Independence Day, there is a serenity about Cuenca that we will miss. Quito is intense and loud and energetic and I could feel the difference the minute we stepped out of the airport and caught a cab. It was sunny and warm and it felt good to get home to our apartment. It is significant that it felt so much like coming back after a vacation; it is great to get away and have a break, but it always feels right to come home.

It was too late for Maya to make it to school, so we took the rest of the day to unpack and catch up and organize ourselves for our two day week. Maya had her orchestra and violin lesson, but was well prepared because we took the violin with us to Cuenca and of course she practiced almost every day!

Eric is stressed about all the work he did not do while away. I decided to skip a week of Spanish and now I wonder if I have forgotten all that I have learned. I never imagined that it would be so difficult to learn the language. I was far more confident when I did not know anything and said whatever I needed to say without thought to the grammar or my limitations. Now I am acutely aware of all the errors that come out of my mouth and I try to think more before I speak and consequently I speak less and less. I have committed to one more week of Spanish at the school, but now I wonder if I need to study regularly and intensely all year to make headway! I will try to review what I have learned over the next few days and see if anything I thought I had understood these past five weeks has registered in my brain.

Wonderful Faces of Cuenca