This is an email letter I wrote to a friend but I figured why write the same thing twice!

You wouldn´t believe all the stuff I have crammed in the last two weeks. Just this past weekend I went white water rafting, and rode an ATV up a mountain that was so high there were literally clouds brushing over me. I don´t know if you have every done anything like that but I recommend everyone kiss the clouds before they leave this earth. The views here are beautiful, they have flowers, fruits and plants so different than the states. Since I am a juice crackhead I´m loving all the juices. They don´t do like processed juice, its always blended right on the spot for every meal. Everything is so cheap. I got a 2 hour massage for 35 bucks and yes I said 2 hour. Buses are 18 cents an expensive cab is 5 bucks. We are living with families half the time which is good because it really helps to reinforce the spanish. I always end up in a house with kids which is even better because they talk your head off in spanish and one boy prided himself in correcting us. He honestly has been the best professor of spanish I´ve had. The trip has been more of a vacation than anything else.

On a more serious not the clinic have been interesting. They have been kids and some of the kids were 8 years old seeing a doctor for the first time, which is sad but its also interesting how for the most part the kids were healthy except horrible dental care and stomach parasites which I know sounds bad but can be easily cured with a few days of mebenidzole. They don´t really trust western medicine they have a lot of traditional shit that you wouldn´t believe. Like they use guinea pigs as diagnostic tools. How you might ask? I watched this in disgust and dismay with my own eyes. They take a live guinea pig and rub it all over the person, you can hear the critter squealing, until its dead then once its dead the healer skins it, then cuts it open and looks at all the organs, and whatever is wrong with organs is how the healer determines the ailment of the person and decides how to treat it. All of this happens in the room in from of the person and well us that were also in there.

The country is also very poor, I´'ve seen more children beggars than I care to ever see. In some areas the kids work as early as 8 years old. There is a lot of petty crime. One of my classmates almost got robbed on the bus, and one of my british roomates got his wallet stolen at a bar. Enough about my adventures.

Ecuador 2

Okay so its my fourth day here in Ecuador and I figure I'll give an update to the 2 readers I have. I live with the Rosales family. There is a mother, father, daughter and son in the house. They also have two other sons. One lives in Quito and come to the house almost every morning. The other is currently in New York. According to Ecuador standards my family is ballin, they have a car, and an apartment that over looks the park with at least 4 bedrooms, and hot water. Which one I found out the trick of the shower realized is a great thing I took the coldest shower ever the first night. I went to visit the Panecillo and the Virgin de Quito. The virgin was is a statue that can over see all of Quito, I'll upload pictures as soon as I get to an internet cafe that allows access to the usb ports. The view was amazing we only had one problem. Cabs drop people off but don't pick them back up. So once we were done taking pictures we were then left with the task of getting back home or at least out of the area before the sun set. So since there was seven of us we did something stupid. We walked down the hill in probably one of the poorest areas of Quito until we found a major road and then hit up the bus. It was dumb but we made it in one piece. Last night we went to a club in Gringolandia which is Gringo land and gringo is white man I think. We went to this club that was cool but for it to be the land of Gringos my group of about 13 seemed to be the only non locals. It was cool everyone had a great time med students always loosen up with a few drinks. Then we came home. Today I was with Abby and we went to a market and talked to herbalist and then to the old town near the presidents house. What interesting is that the president's house is bordered by a courtyard full of beggars but its right there. No expansive mile lawn separating him from the people. While on the bus a lady atempted to rob Abby. She literally cut through her skirt to try to get to her under the close money pouch. How could this happen? These buses are so crowded you are literally pinned next to the people you are around. Other people can get to your things easier than you can because you cannot move your arms. Luckily she didn't get anything because Abby realized she was trying to do something but it wasn't until we got off the bus and saw the cut in her skirt that we realized what she was trying to do. Crazy right!! The art here is great. With exception of the thieves the people are super nice. Okay thats enough for now, until next time Adios!!!

In Ecuador!!!

So I arrived in Ecuador yesterday. I will be here a month and plan to keep the site updated about my exploits. The family that I am staying with are great!! We have dinner with them every night (cada noche). So the family I´m staying with is a mother father and two kids one is ten years old. His name is Juan Sebastian and then Gabriella and she is 16. They have two more kids but they are out of the house, one is studying in manhattan. There are also other students in the house. Two super cute youngsters from London. They have the best accents, I love the way they say Barack!!! And another female from NY that is just studying abroad. The weather is nice. I have on a skirt and flip flops!!!!!! We had our first day at the school and got a minor run down of the next two weeks. This weekend we go to the market hopefully I will get some good Trinkets. Well thats it for now. Until the next time ADIOS!!!

If I never get married.

A couple of weeks ago I had a profound thought. While despite my continuous disappointment in my dealings with men I still feel like ultimately I will find the right one for me. But I realized that if I never get married, God has blessed me with some much love in my life I would not be able to complain. I have the best friends that a person could ever have. I actually have a posse. If I were only friends with one of them I would have more than most but I have 5. These girls are the best people I know and I am so thankful for them. They all came to visit me and it was laughs from the moment we all got together until we went our separate ways. Now don't get me wrong we are all certifiably crazy in our own special way and it is a mystery how we all come together but it works. I love these girls and they just keep me full. Thank Ya LAWD for great friends.

Never been so glad to be THIRD!!!

So this is exciting. I guess I will give you some background for all of the one person that reads this blog. Every year instead of making resolutions I have themes. My theme for 08 was emancipate in 08. I really liked this theme because it could encompass what ever facet of your life you want it to from finances to love. So for one of the items on the to do list for emancipation was read at an open mic. I have been going to open mics since my freshman year of college 1000 years ago. I love them, the vibe always makes me feel better, I never regret going, I can't get enough. I will say something positive about KC(REMEMBER THIS). They have some really talented poets here and the poetry scene is pretty good, the teenagers in KC are literally out of this world. So anyway since I am about to leave today was my last open mic in KC, so I went thinking maybe I would do one but probably not. I had already decided on an extremely short one to ease me in. So I did it, palms sweating I signed my name to the list and then waited rating how my poem would compare to the rest before me, sad I waited so long to sign up and would be one of the last to go. Then my name was called and I got up there and told them about my yearly themes and why I was there and how what they do has really uplifted me when I needed it. I tell them that my poem is super short. Then I go I look into the mic and say 18 words. Thirty minutes later my name is getting called for 3rd place. WHAT!!! I was like.... ME? And as I was waiting to collect my little 25 dollars people were coming up to me telling me how my poem was so good. One lady was like it almost made me cry which was touching but I though it would take you longer to form a tear than the poem actually was. Poets that have almost brought me to tears on many occasions complimented my brief profoundness. So for the one reader I am going to post my winning piece.

How can I forget him
If when I close my eyes
The darkness reminds me of his skin

Moral:
Set goals and complete them you may get out more than you expect
God always provides you with a blessing from the pain you go through
(the inspiration of the poem has brought so much drama to my life but tonight brought me 25$)

OUT!

You too can be Vice President!!!!

So of course I just watched the Vice Presidential debate. I am now listening to the feedback and people are really giving her credit for not royally screwing up. IS THAT ALL IT TAKES to be VP just not F&*# up to have a good debate. That Alaskan heffa didn't answer one question. Sometimes I wondered if she even heard the questions being ask. Not only that but she was clearly reading answers off her little paper, and trying to locate her probably color coded speaking points while Biden was speaking. I'm sorry America, but hell, the girl is Governor so she cant be a complete idiot. So the fact that she can read and memorize talking points isn't good enough for me. When McCain kicks the bucket she will be the president. She gave no facts!!!!!!! I have no idea about any concrete plans on the McCain ticket. And you know what Neither does SHE!!!!!! Biden killed her on Foreign Policy. She gave no specifics and he played her ass about the definition of the VP. Anyway America, while love her style (those suits are fly) Palin knows less than I do about anything except Alaska and I don't think I am qualified to be VP. So Sarah between now and November I want you to practice on answering a question and getting a clue.

I heart NE-YO

So Ne-Yo put out a new album on Tuesday. While I don't like this one as much as the first two, I still love the album. Because I am a avid hater of current R&B which I have re coined Rap&B, due to the fact that every rapper has some singer on the hook and every singer has a rapper on the track making Lloyd's album sound just like Young Berg (i honestly don't know any songs by him, I just know him as the house negro that stated that he doesn't date dark butts.) I am a lover of the R&B album that was a good mix of ballads and upbeat tracks with one track that had a guest appearance by the hot rapper of the moment and the one classic remake. This is why I LOVE Ne-Yo because he has continued to give me a R&B album every time. He always has that kinky nasty track that makes you wanna call up SWAG and ask him to come over. He puts it down on the upbeat tracks and he touches you will the ballads. People sleep on him but this boy is the truth. He is one of the only artists right now that is still putting out a R&B album that doesn't have a rapper and isn't called Neo Soul. What the masses don't realize is that now to get real music it has to be categorized as neo-soul, and you have to go to websites like www.dustygrooves.com. to find it. Now groups like pretty ricky are making remakes of Knocking the BOOTS!!!! SHUT YOUR MOUTH. You can't think of a skeezy song of your own that says the same thing as knocking the boots. Even perv R-kelly remade Stevie Wonder. Why because its hard to remake lyrics like ribbon in the sky. H-town!!!!WHHHAATTT!!!!! The path that music is going down is a whole nother what could be a blog series. Back to Ne-yo

I love him because I think he is true to the art that once was music. Get the Album! Support real Artists!!!