The fumes of disel fuel and cigarette smoke asault my senses and I walk through the terminal. The surrounding landscape is blotted out my the darkness of night, and illuminated only briefly as the lightening sillouettes the mountains against the sky. I am in Quito. It would be unfair to characterize a visit to Ecuador as a step back in time. Ecuador is a land of contrast and change. Old traditions coexist with imported vehicals and internet cafes. The high altitudes of the Andes fall down towards the sealevel of the coast. A land rife with continuous political upheavel and yet the conversation rarely turns towards politics. Politically charged graffiti covers many of the side streets and building walls near our hostel in the Historic District, accusing both of Ecuador’s recent presidential candidates of being corrupt ... read more

The head must bow and the back will have to bend, Wherever the people may go; A few more days and the trouble all will end In the field where sugar-canes may grow; A few more days for to tote the weary load, No matter, 'twill never be light, A few more days till we totter on the road, Then my old Kentucky home, good night! Our last day here in Lexington before we offically become homeless citizens of the states. Amid the endless rush to pack, we broke ourselves away long enough to walk through campus one more time so that I could take pictures of places that I would like to remember. It's peaceful here once all the students are gone--trafiic lets up, no more crowds chattering away on their cell-phones clogging up the ... read more