Arriving in Ecuador - My Story

Arriving in Ecuador - my Story

Today I want to start to share with you guys my experience living as a foreigner in Ecuador. This part is only about arriving in Ecuador and my first feelings.

I also have written this story in Spanish:
https://steemit.com/spanish/@thethiesfamily/llegando-a-ecuador-mi-historia

I was born in Augusta, Georgia, USA in 1999. I am the first of 8 siblings, 6 girls, and 2 boys. In 2014, before the birth of my last sister, my parents decided to move the family of 7 children to Ecuador. The reason is very long to explain. But to make it simple, my parents wanted a life more natural and simple for their children.

I have beautiful memories of the flight to arrive in Ecuador. Everything was very calm, and it surprised me a lot because it never is like that when you are apart of a family as big as mine.
The flight was during the night. Me and my siblings were looking at the thousands of city lights that were so far from us. We felt like as if we were in a haven of perfection, and that nobody could destroy this perfect moment.

When we arrived at the airport we understood for the first time how it feels when you cannot understand the language and when nobody can help you understand. It was a big shock for me.

After the security, my parents called the hotel where we were registered for the night. Some people came with a van to take us to the hotel.
I remember that it was very late at night, like 12 or 1 in the morning. Very late, or early depending on how you look at it.
I remember I couldn't see anything but the lights of the city. By night everything looked like the States, minus the language I didn't understand.

We arrived at the hotel, and everything was very nice and calm. We slept until 7 in the morning.
The people at the hotel had made a big breakfast for us. It was really good.

After the breakfast, a van was prepared to take us to Macas. Macas is a small city that my dad liked a lot during his time visiting Ecuador. It is the capital of the province Morona Santiago. And it's close to the Amazon.

During the trip to Macas, which was 7 hour by car, I realized for the first time that Ecuador really is very different than the States.
For the first time, I saw banana trees, waterfalls and mountains with snow on top. I saw families of 5 all riding on one motorcycle. I saw the jungle for the first time. And I was very excited that finally, I could live in a country where there were banana trees.

Finally, we arrived at our house in Macas. We rented a house in a gated community and we lived there for only 6 months. But those 6 months were the start of it all. In that community, I experienced the shock of the language and I learned that the people were very nice. I met a lot of people, that today are my best friends. From the beginning they were there, and they are always supporting me.

All of that was just the beginning of my big journey in Ecuador.
Next time I'm going to talk about the shock that I experienced with Spanish and all of the mistakes I made, It's going to be very fun!

Photography
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/47217496071431406/