Jan 2007

I have the pleasure of writing to you from Quito, Ecuador where I just arrived this evening. I am currently staying in Hotel Quito and departing early tomorrow morning to Cuenca via plane. I will arrive around 8:15 AM, my host family will be present to greet and welcome me there! My travels went quite well and relatively uneventfully (this is positive) considering last week`s first attempt.
From what I can gather Quito is quite beautiful, rolling foothills, cosmopolitan, un-polluted, and incredibly friendly! I am sorry that I will not have the opportunity to further explore it--at least for now. The hotel in which I am staying is quite nice, and although I am feeling lonely and anxious with uncertainty, I am hopeful that these feelings will subside by tomorrow when I arrive into Cuenca. I will be picked tomorrow morning at 6:00 by a man who acted as a tour guide for the group of students (with whom I will be studying this semester) last week during their stay in Quito...so he is well familiarized with my program. I had the pleasure and comfort of calling my boyfriend, Mike this evening from the hotel...I wanted to also try to call my parents however, due to the time change I knew that it would be too late. It was so wonderful to be able to speak to him, I found it so settling, comforting, and put me at great ease...I can go to bed not feeling so alone.
That, I´m araid is all the update I have for you...I can`t wait to share tomorrow`s experiences, as it is sure to be an eventful day!
xoxo-Lex

Hello, Hello, Hello!!!
I am now fully equipped to go to Ecuador, I have a new passport, visa, and place ticket!
I will depart tomorrow (Tuesday) morning from Chicago at 10:35(CST) and arrive in Miami around 2:30 (EST). I will then depart for Ecuador around 5:00 PM. I will arrive in Quito at 9:00 and spend the night, wake up early and take a small jet to Cuenca. My host family will meet me at the airport and we shall go from there!
Although my time in Chicago as been a true delight, my accomodations:posh, and my experience: self-affirming, I am so ready to proceed!
Once again, thank you to all who have sent their warmest regards, it has been what's kept me going!
I love you all!
Lex

Yay Yay Yay!!!
Jubilation and elation! I just returned from the Chicago passport agency where I successfully retrieved a new passport after nearly three hours of waiting. My initial appointment to get my passport was at 1:00 but did actually receive it until around 3:40...I am so thrilled. The only unfortunate thing was that by the time I received my passport, the Ecuadorian Consulate was already closed and therefore I must wait until Monday in order to get my passport stamped with a visa. No worries, I should be able to make my flight deadline which is on Tuesday morning.
So for the time being I am just taking advantage of my time in Chicago as a "mini-vacation".
..will continue to keep you posted!

A Warm Chicago Greeting!
To continue my documentation of this story...
I arrived this morning at Jill Dodds' (a family friend) condo located directly in downtown Chicago. I took the train into the city early this morning from Suzanne's home located in Woodstock. I immediately resumed my work to re-ascertain a passport. I took a cab to the Chicago Passport Agency and was directed to a phone outside of their heavily-guarded office to schedule an automated appointment. The first available time offered was not going to be until late next week-which would've been a "no can do". I then waited on hold for about 15 minutes upon which I was able to speak to actual representative. I explained my circumstance and she was able to squeeze me in for an appointment tomorrow morning (Friday)! YAY! So, Jill and I are going to make the trek to their office once again at which point I will meet with them and present the necessary documents while Jill will be acting as my supportive witness as I no longer have a driver's license.
Additional good news: my luggage arrived from Minneapolis from where it was originally mistakenly re-routed this evening!
I finally am wearing clean underwear and a more different clothes than what I have been wearing for the past couple of days!
Additional good news: because I have to provide a proof of departure tomorrow when I go to the Chicago Passport Agency, I went ahead and rescheduled a flight for Tuesday morning at 10:35 AM!!!
So, although I am reluctant to anticipate anything to be definitive, I do feel justified knowing that there is at least moderate promise in my future!
As always, I shall do my best to keep you updated. To those of you who continue to support, encourage, love, and worry for me, I am thankful and cannot express how much I value it!
Alexandra

Greetings to All!
To those who have call, e-mailed, and sent messages expressing concern, assistance, support, and love. I thank you and cannot do so enough. For those who are unaware of my current circumstances I will provide a brief synopsis:
Approximately two hours prior to boarding my plane to Ecuador in Miami, a black camara case that was also serving as passport, money, and ID holder was stolen from possession while I went to the restroom. I discovered it missing upon preparing for departure. I immediately reported this incident and spent the next two hours canvassing all lost and found services...despite that I knew it was stolen I think I was holding unto to some hope that it was by some chance turned in. I then reported it stolen to American Airlines. I had to be re-routed back to Chicago as Chicago is the site of the nearest Visa/Passport processing agency and also the nearest site of an Ecuadorian consulate. Although Washington DC is another site for such services, I knew of no one with whom I could stay while there. I flew into Chicage around 9:15 PM Tuesday evening at which point I discovered my luggage was mistakenly sent to the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. I reported this and was informed that it would arrive at the residence at which I would be staying within 24 hours. I did and have not yet received my luggage. Upon calling American Airlines, I was informed that my luggage had not yet left the Twin Cities airport and will hopefully be delivered tomorrow, Thursday. My good friend Suzanne, an elementary music teacher who lives outside of Chicago picked me up at the airport and I have been staying with her since that time. Tomorrow, I will leave Suzanne's and will stay with other family friends who live directly in downtown Chicago. Today was spent calling and e-mailing my program coordinators, study abroad offices, visa/passport agencies, travel agencies, and airports. I am okay, really I am hanging in there and trying to keep my spirits as positive as possible. I, truthfully have never felt more vulnerable, lost, uncertain, and disheartened BUT like I said I am fine and remaining as composed and patient as possible.
I am still going to Ecuador, I have faith in this.
Once again, thank you to all of you, I love you and will continue to keep my blog updated as it was created for my travels and it will remain that way--they have not ended in Chicago!
Alexandra