Galapagos day one!

This morning I left the cool air and altitude of Quito for the salty air of the Galápagos Islands. The day started off with so many little miracles. Last night I was supposed to receive my conformation for my flight, but it never came. My grandma left with our cousins and I stayed with pastor Izquierdo so he could take me to the airport. The Izquierdo family had the pastor's families from the area over for dinner to celebrate Dia de Los Pastores, which is this sabbath. At one point another pastor asked what time my flight was and when I was getting there. When I told him it left at 6:50 and the pastor wanted to get there by 6 he quickly suggested we arrive at least 2 hours ahead because of the special Galapagos fee I would have to pay and stand in line for. 

So this morning at the lovely hour of 4am we headed to the airport. I had a nice talk with the pastor and he asked if I had ever lived in Ecuador because I had an Ecuadorian accent! If he was just trying to make my day, it worked. 

I was the first to get in the long line to pay the fee for the Galapagos. The man tried to make me pay twice but pastor Izquierdo caught him and the man apologized and said he was still waking up...When I checked in the first question was "how many. Aha are you checking in" I told her two and she said I was only allowed to take on since it was a national flight. She said I'd have to pay and then asked how many I was taking as carry ons. When I told here three she said no way. I explained they were violins being donated. She gave me a bit of a hard time then said if they stopped me at my gate that wasn't her problem and let me go. With my carry ons and without paying for the extra bag. 

Long story short my huge duffel bag, filled with three violins made it safe and sound along with my fourth violin in the other hand. No one ever stopped me or even asked what they were. 

My next challenge was getting picked up at the airport in Galapagos. You have to land on a separate island, Baltra, and then take a bus to the water and take a boat to Santa Cruz before driving to the school on the other side of the island. Because I didn't have wifi I wasn't sure who was picking me up, if anyone.  

But as soon as a stepped out of baggage claim Alexander, the chaplain, and Marco, the treasurer, waved me down and ran to grab my suitcases. They were so welcoming and explained that I was coming at a great time because next week is the school's anniversary and they have celebrations all week. They'll especially need my help since the pastor and his wife are dealing with some major health concerns on the mainland and another American missionary is about to leave. 

On the drive over there were huge Galapagos tortugas on the road!! Just chillin. I was freaking out and the guys just laughed. They see them all the time. 

We ate lunch with the teachers around 1:30 and I hadn't had breakfast so I was famished. As we ate the teachers all seem to have great chemistry. They teased and laughed their way through lunch. Lunch consisted of a broth soup with noodles and then a plate of rice with potatoes and veggie meat on the side. When I say a plate of rice I mean a huge mound of rice. I'm the type of person who'll take beans over rice any day so I struggled to make a dent. The teachers laughed and some were slightly offended because apparently I'm not the only one. The other missionary from Brazil, Juliana is known for never eating her rice.

After lunch I left with Jessica and Ronald the directors of music who recently came from Colombia two months ago. I'll be staying with them until Pastor Mark and Maricela return from the mainland. 

Their house is very cute. The inside is tiny. There are two bedrooms squeezed next to each other, a bathroom and a kitchen. 

Not long after settling in I found out there's no wifi. Without wifi I can't download new books, listen to music, blog or communicate with people at home. I was so disappointed. The combination of lack of sleep and water was making me very light headed and two months here seemed like an eternity. But the reality is I came to engage with the people. I came to give 100% of me and having limited wifi might be one way to help me do that.  

The main mode of transportation is biking. Jessica, my hostess, took me grocery shopping (and to find a phone charger, since I left mine in Quito, brilliant). 

The streets are filled with tiny open markets with fresh veggies and fruits in very small quantities at a very high price. Biking from market to market putting the food in my bike basket was so fun and a great way to see the town. 

After we finished our errands we headed to a church members home for small groups. One of the ladies from church took the lead and made sure everyone shared how God had worked in their lives that week. I was no exception. But I had felt his presence so strongly during my trip so far I eagerly pipped up in Spanish and tried to share my experience bringing the instruments on the plane. The group laughed and expressed their amens. At the end of the meeting the hostess passed out arroz con leche and a piece of bread with cheese to everyone (forget being vegan, I'm happy if it's vegetarian). There was just enough for the large group and it made me realize how spoiled we are with the abundance of food we have at home. 

As we rode our bikes home on the cobble streets in the cool crisp air 

I was filled with a mix of emotions. But over all I'm just so thankful to God for bringing me this far and giving me this opportunity.