divine
[dih-vahyn] adj.
- of or relating to a god
- godlike; characteristic of or befitting a deity
- heavenly; celestial
- extremely good; unusually lovely
As most of you have (hopefully) heard, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook Ecuador on April 16. The epicenter was in Manta, a coastal city about 150 miles from UPDC. The quake has taken over 400 lives, and destroyed some of the coast.
I was supposed to be on the coast this weekend, about 60 miles away from Manta in a town called Puerto Lopez. We had been planning to go to Isla de la Plata also known as “Galapagos for poor people.” When I found out my grandmother had died I tagged along with the Jonathan, Jaimie and Eva for a ride to Quito and then parted ways there. Those 3 continued to the coast and I flew back home. When I found out about the earthquake I couldn’t help but feeling as though my grandma was really looking out for me beyond the grave. The timing was impeccable. I still can’t believe it. I checked in with Jonathan to see if everyone was alright and he let me know how they were doing. No one was hurt, but Puerto Lopez had buildings collapse and several people were injured.
In my opinion, Ecuador is in the midst of a growth period. Quito built a new international airport in 2013. Along with the airport are miles and miles of new highways. Ecuador boasts the first and only complete and paved highway system in Latin America. There are parts of Ecuador that are certainly more third-world-coutryish…but which country doesn’t have some of that? I’m hoping that the earthquake doesn’t hinder the upward momentum. Driving around Quito, one sees a lot of construction of new modern buildings, new streets, bridges etc. The billions of dollars it will take to repair the damage from the earthquake will slow a lot of these new additions, but I hope that they continue and Ecuador bounces back from this.
Ecuador is a country full of beauty, culture, kindness, kinship, and history. Its an amazing little country of just 176,204 square miles – about the size of California. But for such a relatively small country it has 3 completely different sections. The coast: with gorgeous beaches, great little towns, and delicious food. The mountains: with some of the tallest peaks in South America, an artsy indigenous culture, and delicious food. And finally, the Amazon: with exotic wild life, lush forests and delicious food. So where ever you go in Ecuador you really can’t go wrong.
I’ve been blessed to have such an incredible experience in Ecuador and at Un Poco del Choco, and I’m blessed to have a grandmother who is still looking out for me.
I head to Chicago tonight and leave tomorrow at 11am for Ecuador. This will be the final leg of my trip in Ecuador. As of today I have just ONE MONTH left at UPDC, and after that 2 and a half weeks in Peru with my mother. I can see the finish line approaching…
If you’d like to help with the recovery effort in Ecuador here are a few links for donations:
EcuaCora 