Shannon comes to Ecuador!

Shannon, my sister, arrived in Quito without any problems and it was amazing to have her here. She used her Spring Break holiday to travel to Ecuador to see me. This presented many challenges for her: being away from her 11 month old daughter, purchasing an expensive airline ticket, being away from Jay, and not being able to speak any Spanish outside of a few words! But, being the sister she is, she still came to visit me! We toured a local water fall, a condor park with many types of birds, and we had a great time in Quito the night before she left. I think Shannon would agree with me though that the highlight for her was coming to school with me for one day. Despite the language barrier, the kids adored her, espcially one of the special ed kids, Brian. He could read in her the patience she has and the love she shares with kids back home each day when she teaches. We had a great time with the kids that day and Shan was taken aback by the kids: their beauty, kindness, and energy! I was so happy she could share a small piece of my journey with me. Further, her fourth grade class donated materials to the kids here at Muenala: stickers, markers, colored pencils, crayons, construction paper, decoration/crafts, books, etc. The kids have since made kites that they decorated with the feathers, fuzzy colorful decor, foamy stickers, and all the other awesome supplies she brought. Further, the kids have used the glue sticks, markers, and colored pencils extensively. Thank you to the kids and to Shan for these things, they will never know how much it means to these kids who never get to have anything outside of the essentials! Shannon left on a Friday morning and it was tough to see her go. She has given me more energy though to finish off my trip. Always great to have a family member come see you let alone your best friend!