preparation

Ways that summer camp prepared me for living in Ecuador:

1. Getting up early: At camp we had to get up at 7:15 am every morning. In Ecuador we have to wake up at 6:30, BUT the time zone is an hour behind PA time, so it's really like waking up at 7:30. I'm actually sleeping in!

2. Not having a cell phone. No texting? No problem! I didn't have service in Lake Como, PA, and I don't have service in Cuenca, Ecuador. I'm used to it.

3. Inconsistent showers in terms of water pressure, hot water, and regularity.

4. Sleeping on uncomfortable mattresses with blankets that are not mine.

5. Strange bathroom rituals: At camp it was "poop, flush, whip, flush." In Ecuador, it's "wipe, throw toilet paper in garbage, flush." In other words, the plumbing in a developing country and the plumbing at "Camp Summer" are strikingly similar.

6. Tempermental internet. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and no one is ever online when you want them to be anyway.

7. The weather: it is cold in the morning and at night and hot in the middle of the day. Hmmm... living in the Andes sounds a lot like living in the Poconos...

8. Living with upwards of 15 other girls, all younger than me.

9. Planning activities by looking through the the piles of supplies we already have? Easy. The hard part is that it's for 1-5 year olds instead of 7-15 year olds. Their skill set is a little different...

10. Eating the same thing over and over and over again. Rice, anyone?