Has it really been three weeks since my last post?! Sorry! I guess I have a lot to talk about...where to start? I think I'll start with Jesus. I have been learning the hard way here that my life really is not about me...not my desires, not my problems, not my worries...none of it. My life is about living for the one who died for me so that I could live this life to the fullest, free of the burdens and condemnation of this world. Learning to love an entirely new group of people here over the past two months has been challenging because I continually find myself making comparisons to the unbelievable community I was blessed with at VT. On the other hand, I am so grateful for the people God has placed around me here and the opportunities I have to live out His love in those relationships. I was having trouble paying attention in church yesterday and as I was flipping through my bible I came across Colossians 1:3-14, and was really just blown away by what God has given us through his Son. I'm challenged by this verse to truly live, speak, think, and love like a man called by God to be a light and give glory to the kingdom of Heaven. Please read it if you can, it is an incredible message and I'm even considering memorizing the book of Colossians in Spanish!

As far as school goes, last week was loco. I had three midterm exams, two papers, a report, and a presentation within two days of class. Needless to say I was a little overwhelmed because I didn't come to Ecuador to do stinkin' homework! I'm eager to see some of the results from last week this coming week, it could be pretty funny. Luckily, as long as I just pass the classes I need for Spanish I will get the credit and graduate as planned in May. In my international relations class, we received our country assignments for the Model UN in November and I dare you to guess who I got...whatever you're thinking is wrong. My country is Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso. Really? I can't tell you the first thing about this place so it should be an interesting project.

Last weekend I was supposed to go on another Volcanology field trip which didn't really go as planned. I hadn't paid for the trip beforehand so technically I shouldn't have gone to the bus on Satuday morning but I thought I'd try my luck and turned out I had none and got kicked off the bus along with my friend Cody from App St. We decided since we were up and about already to just go to Baños for the day and meet up with the group there that night. We got a bus at 9:30 from the farthest terminal in the south of Quito and took us about three and a half hours to get there. I used good ol' LP (Lonely Planet) to find us a sweet hostel followed by hawaiian pizza for lunch. We decided to rent bikes for five bucks and ride down to a waterfall about twelve miles away called Pailon del Diablo. The ride was incredible, filled with amazing views. The waterfall was also breathtaking, and freezing cold. We got a ride back in the back of a camioneta (pick-up) and went directly to the hot springs just a quarter-mile from our hostel. This was one of the best experiences I've had in Ecuador. There are three pools, a super-heated 118-degree hot tub, a warm pool, and a cold bath as well. We were freezing from the rain so the hot pool was actually too hot, but we eventually figured out if you alternate between the really hot pool and the freezing cold one your body gets this incredible sensation that is actually kind of addicting and made it hard to leave.

We met up with Dan (VT guy) and his roommate for the night Diana and headed out to get some food around town. After eating we went to check out this bar with a pool table. We rented the table for a two dollar per hour rate and played a combination of Ecuador and England rules because Diana had lived in England for most of her life. We ended up hanging out with two other English guys and a German guy who were traveling and went with them to a club called Leprechaun which was really a cool place. This place had two dance floors, one downstairs and one upstairs and then an open-air section with a fire pit...and all three of these locations had their own bar. I started dancing with this Ecuadorian girl and we ended up dancing for like three hours, with some salsa and merengue thrown in there which was good practice for me. The next morning Cody and I were able to get on the bus with our class somehow and finish the trip with Theo talking about the volcano Tungurahua which is just outside Baños and is still very active.

The soccer season has officially started for my team and we are 1-1 on the season. Our first game was bogus because for most of the second half the other team was playing with an extra man but we didn't notice until they scored the winning goal and saw seven of their players on the field. What is the referee being paid for anyways? We won our next game easily and play again this Wednesday. I've also been playing once a week with my pastor Aldo and some of his friends at a huge complex called Fútbol City with four or five turf fields which is so much fun. I've yet to attend a soccer game here in Quito but I hope to soon. I think I've decided to pledge my allegiance to Liga, one of the popular teams down here, simply because I really like their jersey.

This weekend's volcanology trip is to Crucita, which is on the coast! Honestly, the beach doesn't do it for me but I have never seen the Pacific and I'm sure beaches here a step above what I've experienced before. I'm going to stay at a friend's house instead of paying for whatever hotel Theo has lined up, so that should be fun. It's hard to believe there's only two months left in this semester...time is going by quickly. Thankfully, I have another seven wonderful months in this country! I'll try not to let three weeks pass before the next update, hope you all are enjoying them!