England to Ecuador: Were the last 2 weeks a dream!?

A trip to the Jungle

I don’t know if you have ever woken up and wondered if you were still in your dream or reality? The last 2 weeks I had 2 friends come and visit me. It was crazy! We had such a funny 2 weeks together that now I am sat back in Santo Domingo, living my “normal” life, the past 2 weeks don’t feel like they really happened!. To be honest, just before my friends arrived I felt really guilty for taking the time off to spend with them. I worried about what people would think me having some more “holiday time”. I didn’t come here to “travel” but came to work with the children and get to know the culture. Almost immediately after spending a short time with my friends did I realise what a blessing they are to me and maybe some of the reasons why they came. I hadn’t realised how nice it was to spend real quality time with people who knew me well. Even though I have some great new friends and a sense of family here, it isn’t quite the same as those good friends who pretty know you inside out and who have travelled large parts of their lives with you. The time with these great girls was full of laughs. There were a couple of times where I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

On a trip down an Amazonian river, in a canoe in monsoon rain.
Possibly the funniest moment of the trip

I was constantly reminded of the verse in the bible that instructs us to “live life to the full” (John 10v10). The time gave me space to relax, switch off from “normal” life here and have some quiet time. I always wanted my time here to not only impact/change my life but also others too. I think my friends learnt lots and were challenged in new ways too. They learnt more about this culture and definately had many new experiences. I have realised how much I have got used to the Ecuadorian culture here and the past 2 weeks has increased my desire to make the most of my last 6 weeks here. I realised how much a blessing friends can be. In my quiet times, I didn’t have a flash of inspiration about what I should do when I return to England. To be honest I am not worried about it. I came here knowing I should be here for this year. I will return certain that I should be in England definitely for the next few months and just wait and see what the next step should be after that.