¡feliz año!

So new year´s here...it was definately different...but it was also definately one of the best New Years´ of my life! i had a completely fantastic time. The night started off with my mom and me going to a square close to my house, where there were literally lots of people. jajaj. it was near impossible to even walk around because it was so crowded! we did manage to get around and look at everything though. There were these big painted figures everywhere, of random famous people. They were really cool and life-like! Also, there were people everwhere walking around in costumes. We ran into someone dressed up as Shrek, and the simpsons, and all kinds of stuff! it was so funny! it was just like halloween, only not. There were a lot of cross dressers around too, apparently that´s an ecuadorian tradition for new years eve.

After we´d looked at everything there was to see in the square, we went out to eat (at like 9, for a traditional ecuadorian dinner) with my brother Paul and his girlfriend Jenny. We ate so much that my stomach hurt! then they informed me that we were going to eat a TON more later that night. jajaa. After that, we went to pick my brother (from the US), Noell, up at the airport. I was so happy to see him! He later came to a new year´s party with us at a friend of my mom´s. I didn´t know like any of the people there, so it was slightly awkward at first, but after that, thing´s loosened up and it was a completely good time! We danced a lot, as we always do in ecuador. and as my family promised me, we ate a tonnnn of food. It was soooo delicious though! everything was! i wish i could tell you what we ate, so you could be jealous, but i honestly don´t remember!

That night (or morning...?) at midnight, we burned these HUGE dolls. We made them. These dolls were made of wood, paper, cloth, and firecrackers. And they were made to look like actually people, which was really kind of freaky, but also pretty funny. So, at midnight, we through them in the fire and the fire was enormousss! it was a scary sight, but an amazing one too! Also at midnight, there were lots of fireworks. And the fireworks are NOT like the ones in the US. They´re sooooo incredibly loud, it sounds like they just blew up in your ears, which isn´t a pleasant sensation in case you were wondering. But these fireworks were so fantastic! there were sooo many of them all at once, it was llike the sky was all of a sudden ignited it fire, but colorful, gorgeous fire! It was just so spectacular, i know that my descriptions aren´t doing them justice, but it´s just one of those things that is soo hard to explain. I really wish you could have seen them!

After that, we continued partying. until 6 am. we were pretty much dead by the time we left! and i slept the next day until 2 in the afternoon, which like never happens! Jajaja. but even though i was sooo tired, and by the end of the party, could barely walk, i enjoyed myself so immensly and i know i´ll remember this new year´s for my whole life. So it was totally worth the fact that i´m STILL tired from that night!