{A whole month....}

 

...that's how long it will be until I talk to Hannah again....this trip sure seemed more fun when we read this: Zip-lining in Costa Rica.....planting trees in Ecuador....hiking the Inca Trail.....teaching English in China......farming in India.....seeing the Taj Mahal......working with HIV/AIDS patients.....swimming with sharks in South Africa......returning to the states and putting it all together..... and having conversations with congressmen, members of the World Bank....etc. This is what Hannah is doing for the next eight months. 

SOOOOO, she finished orientation in Costa Rica and is presently  in Ecuador. Below you will see some of what she has done since she left on September 8. She flew from Raleigh to Miami and met the group. Notice she's wearing a UNCSA Fighting Pickles shirt! I have a feeling we'll see that shirt in many pictures in the next few months! YES, the mascot of School of the Arts is a Pickle......

They arrived in San Jose and spent the night there. Their orientation took place in the village of Uvita in the Marino Ballena National Park. There are all sorts of things to do there. In the mornings they would have an "adventure" and in the afternoon they would discuss the upcoming months. They read several books this summer in preparation for this trip and they had healthy debates about each. They obviously spent time getting to know one another.

One morning they all had surfing lessons----Hannah really didn't enjoy this---she's just not a water girl---here she is pictured second from the left on the day of the surfing "adventure"! 

Here she is in the green shirt getting ready to zipline---the picture at the top isn't her, but it is someone in their group, so it's the same line she took. She LOVED this! She just had a great time!

They took a very long hike up to this waterfall and Hannah said they were all so happy to see it because they were BURNING UP---and tired!

I think Hannah's favorite activity was kayaking through the mangroves. She was in a kayak with a girl that she just had a blast with and they really enjoyed their time.

The last day there, they went on a boat ride out to see a bunch of sea creatures---whales, dolphins, etc. She really enjoyed it---apparently several people became quite sick on the boat, but Hannah wasn't one of them.

They arrived in Quito on Monday, September  20 and leave tomorrow for Los Naranjos to plant trees along the water's edge near the Equator. This will be a very isolated part of the trip for her. She may not have internet access until they leave there in late October----AGGGGHHHHHHHHH! This will be pretty difficult for me---I think she'll be so busy and tired that the time will fly by. They will plant trees from about 8:30-12:30, then they will have seminars in the afternoon about the culture and development in this area and similar areas. Her  birthday is October 2nd, so when I found out that I might not get to talk to her, I was so sad. She also told me that she wouldn't be receiving any of the mail I sent her until after they return to Quito (LATE OCTOBER!!!). I really couldn't believe that but apparently this is the way it is....so, all that mail will just be waiting for her when she returns. They will be living in host homes. They put at least one Spanish speaker in each home--so she'll have to learn Spanish as quickly as possible---hopefully that Latin will pay off!

SOOOO, this has been Hannah's trip so far. Please pray that she'll be a sweet, godly witness to her host family and all she comes in contact with in the village. Pray for her also to be a kind servant of Christ to her team mates---Pray for her to have a fantastic birthday. She will be on an excursion weekend that weekend to Bahia de Caraquez, an "eco-city" that is a big tourist destination for people in Quito. So, at least she'll be able to take a shower in a bathroom on her birthday (I hope)---and not just bathe in the river---yep, she'll be bathing in a river---WOW! She will leave Ecuador and go to Peru----to hike the Inca trail--but that's for another post!