My last day at the school in Muenala, Ecuador was amazing. It was one of only two or three days where the skies were clear in the morning and we had a full on view of Volcan Cotacaxi and the surrounding mountains around Otavalo. It was an amazing morning and I took tons of pictures before I left the school. I'm gonna try and post some today and hoping it works. I feel closer to these kids than any of the other kids during my travels. This is not saying I didn't love the other kids from previous countries, only we had the opportunity to spend more time with the kids at Muenala and we were the first volunteers in this school in over two years and it was a special context. On my second to last day of school, the kids made me cards and each child lined up and gave me their card and a hug. It was sad but it was brilliant to see the creativity of these kids and the words they wrote which included phrases like, "please come back again one day," and "thank you for being our friend and a great teacher," and "we will miss you so much." I will miss these little buggers and told them I will be back one day to visit, I plan on making good on this. For my last day, no local teachers were there and my buddy Troy deemed it Fun Friday. Therefore, we went for a hike with the kids (incredible views), made necklaces/bracelets with beads (they love this), and had an extra long lunch to play and visit with the kids. The kids we walk to and from school with everyday each gave me a hug and we each held on a little extra longer given it was my last day. So, as is the norm, I rushed around on the Saturday we left Otavalo: gifts for my host family, saying goodbyes to my local friends (peanut shop guys), checking the Internet, etc. Mission accomplished. I said goodbye to my host Mom and the kids and thanked them for their kindness. Then...we left for Quito and the airport! Sad to leave but also pumped up to visit Peru. Ecuador officially has a special place in my heart. All right, gonna try and post some pics!
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