en route: the hike to the waterfall

i saw some seriously beautiful scenery on this hike.
breathtakingly beautiful scenery.
it made the difficulty of the hike [pretty much uphill the whole way complete with amateur rock-climbing] all the more worth it.

continental divide

so, we took a field trip today to giron to hike to some waterfalls, and on the way we stopped at the continental divide.
it literally took my breath away.
i'm in love with south america.

more photos from the grueling hike and beautiful scenery to come.

una llamada de emergencia, babay!

i cannot stop listening to this song.

if you want to feel like you're in ecuador, listen to this.
seriously.

ps: off to the waterfalls tomorrow! pictures to follow.
pps: if you have a flickr account and would like to view some photos from ecuador, add me as a friend so that can happen! casatawaytheclouds = my username.

a letter; parte dos

dear dad:

today was a little rough. so i put my earbuds in on the way to afternoon shift, put my ipod on shuffle, and this rascals song played.



it was just what i needed. it almost felt like a pep talk and it made me so happy you're my dad and that you raised me on great music.
talk to you tomorrow!

love kellie

ps: sorry the video is so weird.

te amo, te amo, te amo

the past twenty four hours have been the best.
want to know why?

1. crazy balcony bon boyage dance party at ten pm [gasp!] last night [complete with neighbors taking photos and climbing on their roofs to watch us--haha]
2. freezedance and pretending to be a wolf at casas
3. making paul and victor belly-laugh
4. walking into the comedor and hearing santi scream my name over and over
5. javi
6. beyonce dance party with andres and ana cristina
7. feeding a tearless baby
8. holding an infant for longer than i should have
9. the best beso ever from juli
10. getting the babies ready for bed
11. mastering the art of cloth diapering
12. writing in my notebook
13. making the ugliest face ever and laughing so hard on the way home
14. empanadas at morochos
15. tutto freddo ice cream [again--this bad habit needs to stop]
16. friends

i've never been in love like this before.

a letter

dear kirk:
i've had a few people ask me what kind of food i eat here in ecuador. we mostly eat rice, meat, bread, fruit, and empanadas.
but we also eat pizza.
with peaches on it.
and it is delicious.
love kellie

to and fro

i'm saving the best for last.
the drive was breathtakinglybeautiful.
and i'm completely obsessed with churches and cathedrals down here.

the streets of machala

two of the jorgensens most favorite things: soccer and pizza.

en route: cuenca to machala

machala pictures to come.

jambeli part two

en route to jambeli [3 hour bus ride, 30 minute boat ride].

fried plantains [disc-shaped french fries, basically]

chalae's beautifully presented melon drink

jambeli part one

this photo does not do the house justice.

the beach was wonderful
[aside from a splitting headache, a 4:30am wakeup call, and cool weather for most of the morning] and the ride there had the most breathtakingly beautiful scenery i've ever seen in my entire life [it rivals alberta and provo canyon (pictures to be posted later)].

today is a special day.

because my sister kari and my dad were both born today!!!

if i were in the states right now, i would...

1. hug them both.
2. make chocolate chip pancakes for their breakfast.
3. give them presents.
4. have a fun family dinner.
5. watch a funny movie.
6. sing them happy birthday.
7. and watch them open presents.

but i guess i'll just have to settle for talking to them on skype.

happy birthday, dad and kari! i love you both!

la iglesia de jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dias

reasons why i love church in ecuador:

1. testimony meeting.
in the states, testimony meetings are seemingly filled with travelogues, public declarations of gratitude, and longwinded stories.
in ecuador, testimonies are just that: testimonies. concise statements that testify to the congregation of what they know to be true.
also, instead of individuals going up one at a time to speak, families walk up together, each member speaks, and then they all walk back to their seats together. it's beautiful to watch and is such a moving symbol of how families can be together eternally.

2. hymns.
last week we were accompanied by a mia maid-aged flautist.
this week we were accompanied by both a keyboardist and violinist.
beautiful.

3. talks.
like testimonies, talks are concise, to-the-point, and simple yet profound. i never once looked at the clock, felt like i would fall asleep, or grew tired of the speaker.
there were monologues, no jokes to open with. just simple words strung together to form a beautifully constructed, moving talk.

i can't believe how much i've learned since i've been here.
it's hard to believe how much one can change in a little over a week.

but it's possible.

it's the same in any language.

every morning, when i wake up at 6:40 [yes, you read that correctly] in the a.m., i climb sleepily out of the top bunk and peek through the slit in the curtains to greet the day.

and every morning, when i wake up, i feel so much gratitude for the opportunity, the privilege, i have to be here.

it's kind of hard to believe. sometimes, in the van on the way to the orphanages or walking out of our house to town, i look at the beautiful view and say, "we're in ecuador. can you believe it?"

it all feels like a dream. one of those dreams that has the bad timing of entering your mind minutes before waking, causing the harsh beeping of the alarm to jolt you awake and shut your eyes as quick as you can to grasp onto the wispy ends of your beautiful, sleepy vision.

the work is hard, the poopy [cloth]diapers are gross, the kids scream and cry and hit each other, but every cloud has a silver lining and every day has enough good to eliminate the bad.

and that is what i've learned thus far.

ps: expect some funny stories in my next post [teaser = it pays to know a little spanish].

pps: tomorrow is beach day! pictures will follow!

cuenca, je t'aime.

twenty things i love about ecuador:
1. colorful houses and roofs.
2. crazy taxis [just like the arcade game crazy taxi. seriously].
3. ladies in full skirts and fedora-looking hats and colorful tights.
4. flower markets.
5. the hippie market.
6. tutto freddo [the best ice cream in the universe. hands down].
7. little cars.
8. hearing cars honk constantly.
9. the yellow van that says escolar on the side that takes us to the orphanages.
10. SWEET BREAD.
11. granadilla [aka monkey brains. it is SO DELICIOUS].
12. fresh fruit. all the time [i'll take pictures].
13. beautiful, lush, green, mountainous terrain.
14. vivid colors.
15. feeling completely at home.
16. kindness.
17. church.
18. whole pigs being roasted right on the street.
19. perfect weather.
20. hugs and kisses from the cutest kids on earth.

"tu cacapopopish!"

after three flights, two hours of waiting in customs, and three airplane meals, i am HERE!
the picture posted below is proof that i truly am in ecuador.
it's the friendliest billboard i've ever seen!

so here is my readers' digest version of my travels.

slc:
wait, wait, wait for two hours.
hop on plane.
eat sandwich.
head to....

houston:
arrive just in time.
sit down.
relax.
watch 17 again [highly recommended].
eat grossly delicious cheeseburger, salad, and two cookies.
watch race to witch mountain [dumbest movie ever].
look out the window at lights of quito.
practice spanish with a man on the plane.
arrive in...

quito:
wait in customs for almost two hours.
experience the crazy drivers of ecuador.
sleep sleep sleep.
wake up late.
drive to airport [again]
run to shuttle.
shuttle to plane.
sit down.
take off.
eat sandwich and DELICIOUS PEACH JUICE.
see cuenca from a birds eye view.
fall.
in.
love.

this is the view from my balcony.

seriously, though... i love it so much. i never want to leave.
it is HARD WORK. and there are some shifts that are so frustrating that i just don't know how to deal with it.
but loving those kids, receiving those slobbery kisses and abrazos, and knowing that they are safe and happy and loved is totally and completely worth it.

i'm hugging orphans for all y'all.
i'll post some pictures tomorrow [or probably friday] that i took of our visit to a shelter for women and girls on monday. so. fun.

chao!

alive and well

this will be very fast and pictureless.

but i just wanted to say five things:

1. cuenca is the most beautiful city in the world.
2. i feel completely at home here.
3. the weather is perfect.
4. the food [so far] is delicious.
5. i love you all so so so much.

i'll try to post an in-depth travelogue tomorrow with two [2] pictures.

until then, buenas noches from ecuador!

nerdnerdnerdnerdnerdnerdnerdnerdNERD!

after four nights of this...

i finally accomplished this...

wearing these.

this is what i looked like.

ps: did you notice the 125 max combo and amount of perfect/marvelouses??
yeah. i'm pretty cool.

"when through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply"

today was rough.
regardless of this beautifully-crafted dessert concocted [and consumed] by yours truly saturday night.

a civil war reenactment [aka a reenactment of my high school early-morning seminary days] occurred this morning.
add to that going to church with wet hair, and sitting next to a high-pitched, screaming baby resulted in the worst bad mood i've had in months.
YEARS, even.
everything annoyed me.
i was the grinch, scrooge, and oscar the grouch all rolled into one.
even after partaking of the sacrament, i was seething.

but then i listened to the first talk.
even though it's only been a matter of hours since i heard it, i still don't remember exactly what it was about. i remember him relating an experience with getting his eyes checked to having the right perspective in life and that softened me a little.

what really changed me, however, was a short conversation with an older lady who visit-teaches my mom.

i've only met her a couple times, and i, sadly, don't even know her name, but she knew all about me and what i have experienced this past year. she expressed how proud she was of me for sticking it out in rexburg for the summer even though it was extremely difficult at times. she asked me, genuinely, how i felt about going to ecuador and even though i usually just gave the same "i'm so excited" spiel to everyone else, i felt strongly to tell her how i had really been feeling. i told her how scared i was to go and how overwhelming this whole experience was getting to be.
and she looked at me with her kind, wise, electric-blue eyes and said, "you are going to learn so much and come out of this experience a better person."

i can't count how many times i've heard that since i decided to go to ecuador, but her words pierced me in a way that i can't explain.

i sat and pondered those words during the announcements and opening and practice hymns and felt a little sliver of peace.

then the lesson started. it was given by a woman from rwanda who lost everything, even members of her immediate family, and moved far away from her homeland to belgium, joined the church, got married, moved to new orleans, lost everything again in hurricane katrina, and ended up in orem for educational purposes only to pack up and move again [tomorrow] back to belgium.

she has known true heartbreak and indescribable pain. she has suffered through nightmarish trials, yet she is strong, steadfast, and faithful. her example and lesson about enduring trials with faith filled me with so much joy and peace that i felt like i could float out of the building.

and then, my mom's visiting teacher said something to me right before i left the room. she pointed to yvonne, the RS teacher, looked at me, and said "when you get back, if you use that time well and immerse yourself in service, you will be as strong as yvonne. good luck."

tears stung my eyes as i thanked her and i walked out of church that day feeling like the person who had entered the building a few hours earlier was a complete stranger [and isn't that what church should always be like?].

i am strong.
i can do hard things [as my mom always tells me].
there is joy in service.
have the right perspective.
there is love all around us.
we are known by name, watched over, love and protected by a higher power.
and, maybe most importantly, we are never alone.

these things i know to be true, and these things i know i will gain a greater knowledge of in ecuador.

"when through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not thee o'erflow,
for I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress"
hymn #85, "how firm a foundation", 4th verse

BFF!!!!

justin matthew brunson cardancing, 8 july 2009

this is my best friend, justin.

it was bestfriendship at first sight [of my hot chip album on vinyl].
i got to hang out with him today and it was hot chicken noodle soup for my congested soul.
thank you for driving like a thousand hours to see me, justin!

ps: i'm getting us these necklaces.
you can have the pink sparkly cupcake one.