Despedidas

It is a bittersweet weekend as we said goodbye to our Quito host families and each other and ventured off to our service placements. Our study portion in Quito culminated with a despedida (farewell) fiesta on Friday to thank our host families for their generosity and hospitality. We also performed various presentations to demonstrate everything we’ve learned these first six weeks, including a prayer in Kichwa, a comparison of Ecuadorian and American Sign Language, and skits or songs from each Spanish class. It was a beautiful evening filled with heartfelt words of gratitude for our families, who have given us so much love and truly welcomed us as members of their own families.

Saturday morning, we said goodbye and departed for various cities across Ecuador: Ibarra, Otavalo, Mindo, Latacunga, Pujilí, Salinas, San Simon, Riobamba, and Puyo. Our new host families welcomed us with open arms, and service placements begin on Monday. We are nervous but ready for this next part of the journey!