Center of the World!

Day 6: Our Last Day in Quito

For those who think that the world does not revolve around Jenny and I, well…..today it did! Hahaha This morning we loaded a bus and went to the center of the world…we were able to stand on both sides of the equator and they had this challenge where you had to balance an egg on a nail…and if you did, you got a certificate….well, Jenny did it first and then I of course HAD to do it too…we got certificates and got our passports stamped that we had been to the center of the world.



There were some huts there that were examples of how the indigenous people lived and they reminded me a lot of the Hopi and Navajo huts that you see at the Heard Museum. After that we went back to the center for Mass. This mass was much more lively and fun! We left the center and Jenny and I went with Madre Cindy to the airport to get our tickets to Guayaquil tomorrow. When we got back we went on 3 home visits of the families in the center. This was really eye opening…it is incredible to see how these poor people live and yet, they are so proud and happy to be part of the center because it’s giving them hope for a better life.



I fell in love with a little 11 month old at the one house named Christopher. He was so cute and snuggly. I could definitely bring him home….he had the sweetest little face and the biggest eyes you have ever seen. After the home visits we went to Calderone which is a little town that sells bread dough figurines. Apparently it used to be the tradition that when someone died they would make these bread babies to go in their coffins so that they would have food in case they got hungry on their journey to the after life, and the city of Calderone decided to turn it into a tourist attraction by making smaller figurines for people to buy. After that we went back to the center for our closing group. This was very emotional as everyone was sharing their experiences on the journey. Yes, I cried. (SHOCKING!) I felt really sad to say goodbye to Father Hallighan, Madre Miguel, Madre Cindy, and Pat and Jim Parks. They feel so much like family and I was just really sad to say goodbye to them. Jenny and I came back to the hotel and started to begin the process of packing our suitcases. That was definitely a process. We are having dinner in a few minutes and then getting to bed. We have an 845 am flight to Guayaquil in the morning. The flight is only 30 minutes and then we will spend the next two days with Sister Annie at the Damien House. By the way, Jenny got a crazy sunburn today at the equator! Her poor little nose is red like Rudolph and her arms are really red too…poor girl!