with arms outstretched

dear friends, its been awhile and i feel its about darn time we rekindle the ol´flame. i have to be honest, its hard to remember all thats happened since we last conversed. funny how time is, i always liked to think of it as water, if you try to grab it it slips faster from our hands. let it be :)

school is strangely coming to an end. and good news! i will be switching from school to an internship next quarter. it definitely feels more in line with my goals for this trip and im really ready to be outside of quito. its great but i could seriously use a break from all the concrete structures and pollution. i just about finished up my final essay, of which i wrote about the destruction of mangroves on the coast. did you know they are the most diverse areas only after the rainforest and coral reefs? they are incredibly important on so many levels, and are being destroyed at a back-breaking pace because of shrimp farms. the implications are devastating for the earth, the people, and the cultures they are trying to sustain. much of the shrimp is exported to the US, so if you care at all i recommend checking into where your shrimp comes from.

this past weekend i finally made it to the cloud forest! the town is called mindo and the minute i stepped off the bus i felt at home--a feeling i havent had until then in ecuador. it is surrounded by the lush green hills with clouds lingering always. because it is so humid, it has an ideal climate for all of my favorite things in the world: orchids, butterflies, and hummingbirds. we stayed at the hostel of a friend of a friend who happened to be starting up an organic farming project. to make a very long story short i think i will be able to do my internship here! ive been searching for weeks for the opportunity that feels right, and finally it has arrived...we will just have to see if it can really happen!
one of the many highlights of the weekend was ziplining! for a barato 15 dolars, we got to go on 13 ziplines, soaring above the forest, with arms outstretched, breathing in the life all around. it was nothing short of incredible, but to be honest i never thought i would do so much ziplining in my life. definitely had my fill. the next day we wanted to go hiking to these 7 waterfalls, and as the storm clouds rolled in we actually got more excited about the prospect of a rainy cascada adventure. the best part was that you have to take a tiny cable car (something i thought was straight out of jurassic park) across a valley to get to the trails. turns out we only had a few hours before we had to catch the cable car back, so we found ourselves soaking wet, skipping through the forest, splashing in the waterfalls. im pleasantly surprised no one broke an ankle :)

been feeling like i really need some time to just be quiet, and before my internship i have a week break. been trying to find some place i can retreat to, but ecuador is especially lacking in spiritual centers (as far as i can tell, but please prove me wrong). might just find myself a small place in the forest to relax in...or the other option some compañeros have been dreaming up is all pitching in on a tent (no pun intended) and just camping out somewhere with no plans or schedule. we will see what this pájaro libre decides in time.

i know ive been promising pictures forever, but en serio, it takes about 45 minutes to upload 5 pictures so ive been avoiding it. soooon :) :) :) there are pictures other people have posted on my facebook if you so desire.

i am so grateful for all of you beautiful people en mi vida!

paz y amor siempre,
lauri