ecudorian problems...

well, to leave the country..i must have a salida, which is a little peice of paper that says i can leave the country...so, i went with a few ladies yesterday to get it...easy, right? wrong. another document a foreigner needs is a censo..which is an ecuadorian ID card...but no one from HCJB, my mission, ever told me I needed one! and if they did, they were really laid back about it...saying i could just get one whenever i had time...so I too had that attidude..
well, when i was giving the police guy my passport..he was looking at my visa and asking when i got into the country....and i told him july..etc, etc...so then he had a problem because he said i should have gotten my censo a long time ago...and i will have to pay a fine of 200 DOLLARS! mind you, this is only a 30 day old rule..which says you have to get a censo within the first 30 days that you are in the country....so i should be under the old rules, right? the old fine was only 40 cents! now, they are jacking everything up...so today, i am going back with a friend to 1st...maybe try to see if theres any other way around it...2nd to pay the fine, get my salida and censo so i can get out of here for christmas!! :)

on another note...right now in shell, there are tons of activities going on...im not sure exactly for what..but there are 33 activities occuring in 3 days...there was this parade in town that was really neat...the ecuadorians really put a lot of work into their dances and costumes!
last night, me, rachel, elizabeth, dan, rodrigo, and denisse went to puyo to get some dinner...to go..which consists of putting your food in a really small plastic bag! you dont get a large styrofoam container with everything separated...the chicken, fries, lettuce, sauce, and miniature fork goes all into it :) an experience...we also rode to puyo in rodrigo's truck...which was fun becuase us girls rode in the back of the truck..i felt like i was on a motorcycle..it was fun!
well, i am looking forward to going home..whitney davis( one of my best friends from high school/growing up) set her wedding date with jon macafee for september 1, 2006! crazy...maybe the 1st from NEWD to get married...really crazy to think about :) but its exciting too!

have to go to school and prepare for the next couple of weeks...trying to get on top of things so when i get back from break...wont have too much to worry about :) all of the teachers can understand...

hope all of you are well! its weird being in the christmas season here..because it is hot...no feeling of the season really..but it will hit me when i get in to chicago!