I'm Back..

I am in Quito and I am starting to get settled!!! Sometimes I think I am on a long vacation and I have to remind myself I will be here for a while! The first week here was spent on a farm 45 minutes outside of Quito in a town called Nono. Anthropologie needs to take their next photoshoot there.....it is pretty cool. I fell in love with the farm house....big old wooden floors covered with cow hyde rugs and vintage wall paper that was covered with black and white photos of the different generations....so cool. The first three days were a blast! we roasted marshmallows, rode the horse, and played soccer. I went on a really long walk one day and got some great pictures, which I will post later. After day three I was ready to go though....I learned that I can do many things, but taking a cold shower is not one of them. I also learned my stomach really does not like cauliflower soup.....yes, I was ready to go.

So here I am in Quito with a warm shower and feeling normal! This week I have been going to the school to plan for next week when the kids come....I will be teaching 8th grade! All of the teachers are wonderful, and have been so helpful to me.....listening to 8 hours of instructions in spanish requires a lot of skill, many of the words I do not know but It is a great way for me to become fluent for sure!! I am so excited about helping these kids, I have been thinking of creative ways to help them and I want to be a fun teacher....I want to give them a taste of American culture as I think that will inspire them to want more.

NEEDS FOR THE SCHOOL:

-English books!!!!! for all ages, they have none and reading is a very important part of learning a language. They also have a new Library but no books to fill it.

-English CD's- ranging from american music to educational.

-Teacher supplies- the teachers are so gracious and do not get payed much, having decorations for the classrooms and other items to help them would be great! (Posters, Foam letters, exc..)

I am going to put all the information for where to send things up as soon as I get it, but wanted to post these now for you all. The school wants to make English their priority, they believe English is the key for these kids to have better lives.

THREE WEEKS NOTICE

I went to J.Crew today to put in my three weeks notice...Dear 50% discount, you will be missed.

P.S....they have a pair of really pretty pumps in and great colors for fall.

I am excited about doing something worth getting excited about! I am working on getting all the information together for those of you who want to help out here, whether it be sponsoring a child or donating supplies, there is much to be done so stay tuned!

GETTING CLOSER!!!

This weekend, I made a little trip to Birmingham to meet some friends.....we had a great time! Friday night we ate at Bottega, a great restaurant and bakery that I have wanted to try for forever. If you ever go to Birmingham, you should try it!! Throughout the night I continued to run into old friends, and enjoyed catching up with them. On my way home, it hit me that I would be leaving in 5 short weeks for Ecuador--woohoo! I guess talking about it with everyone made it more of a reality, and let me tell you...I could not ask for a better reality check!!!!

All along, I have known this is what I am supposed to do... everything has fallen perfectly into place for this to happen, from my Job at CHOA (where this whole idea began) to my two nanny jobs (where I have gotten my funding) and let's not forget the wonderful people down in Ecuador whom I will be working for who have already accepted me as family. There is no doubt the big man is involved in this one!

WHY I LOVE AMERICA!

While I am so excited to travel to another country and experience a whole new culture for 6 months, I have to say, I love being an American. Tomorrow being july 4th, I thought it would be fitting to pay respect to some of my favorite American traditions.

1) Football- ok, so I admit I wasn't really into the whole idea of football until the later part of my college career. By my junior year, I had embraced this tradition... Getting breakfast at Rama-Jama's, getting all dressed up, drinking a few yellowhammers at a little bar called Gallettes, going to the game, then going back to Gallettes, then topping the night off with bbq nachos....those were some great saturdays! In the Gaddis house, we watch Ole miss, Vandy, and Alabama...Alabama being the best. I wonder what America would do if it took football out of the universities? Yikes.

2) Food- I am a big fan of food. My favorite class in college was my cooking class where, on the first day my cooking partner Susan and I ate are presentation before we knew we were supposed to present it-oops. While some of my favorite memories of food are those of me eating a Croque Monsieur in Paris, cheese fondue in Chamonix, or a cannoli in Rome....I love American food. There is nothing better to me than a low country boil at the beach in South Carolina, or bbq, or peach cobbler. yum.

3) J.Crew and Anthropologie- My 2 favorite stores. For 11 months I have folded and scanned the items in J.Crew, and I have yet to grow tired of their clothes, and jewelry, and SHOES! (we cannot forget the shoes, they have great shoes)....I will be sad when my days of working at J.Crew are over....I get a great discount. As for Anthropologie...well, I just love it.

Yes, I do love America...I am pretty thrilled to see what Ecuador has to offer though. So far I have heard that the people of Ecuador are amazing, They are very warm and and gracious. The city of Quito (where I will be living) is beautiful, and the culture is nothing short of vibrant. I also am told that there is so much potential for giving throughout Ecuador, as it is a country in great need. So, I am going to take everything that I have learned and been given in America, and give it to those in Ecuador. Anthropologie can wait....

HERE GOES!!!!!

Here it is!!!! I am finally getting my blog up and running.....woohoo! I cannot wait to share my thoughts and experiences as I travel to Ecuador to volunteer for 6 months (I leave August 14th!). I already have lots of juicy things to share, as planning for my adventure is an adventure in itself...from figuring out the best tour guide books to figuring out insurance, I am going to try to cover it all (move over Samantha Brown...). However, I feel like I should start from beginning, so here goes...

It was a cold January day about a year and a half ago, I was at home feeling a little blue and missing my old life as a college student (RTR!) when I got a phone call from the Volunteer services office at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. They informed me that I had gotten an internship there that i had applied for a few weeks earlier....YES! EMPLOYED!!! (even if it was at $10 an hour). Well, little did i know that this job just might make me want to be Better Every day. My job was to help train, schedule, and get to know the Volunteers that came through daily, as well as help with the activities for all the little patients within the hospital. To make a long story short, I met many volunteers who truly wanted to give back and had been giving back for many years, and I met many families that despite everything, were so grateful. This made me decide that everyone is capable of giving something, and we all should do what we can to help others who need it. AND, i admit, i want to travel!!! While I am young! and Single! and career-less!

So, here I am....leaving in a few weeks for my adventure! I cannot wait to see how this experience changes me...hopefully for the better.