Dream Job

It’s been awhile since my last post, but for those of you following my blog, I’d love to share about my new job and just how wonderful it has been!

Our group of study abroad students + staff (top). / Student Life Staff (bottom)

For years, I've dreamed of what it would look like to work as an Resident Coordinator. I've always loved the idea of living with and walking alongside young women as they deepen their relationship with the Lord, wrestle with difficult questions, face challenges, and enjoy the sweetness of life. I've conjured up a million different ideas of what I thought it would look like, but now that I'm living it, I can say that it exceeds my wildest expectations.

As an RC, I get the opportunity to pour into the lives of these young women while at the same time, learn from them as they navigate through the questions of life. Each week, I take the girls out for a 1:1 where I get quality time with 1 of the 7 girls from my house. This could look like going out to coffee, taking a walk, playing basketball, having lunch or just sitting and drinking tea while we talk about life. During these times, I get to learn more about these incredible women. Their conversations and presence have made my life significantly richer and they have easily made me the most cheerful morning person in Ecuador (if you knew me growing up, you know what a drastic difference that is for me)! These ladies are hard-working students that enjoy studying side by side, which has been one of the sweetest things for this “RC Mama” to see. If they’re around, I am most likely sitting with them, doing my best not to distract from their responsibilities (most of the time ;) ). I’ve enjoyed time with them so much that I’ve made it a weekly tradition to walk them to class on Mondays and join them in their Community Development class on Wednesdays. I love learning and getting to learn by their side has made it so much more enjoyable.

The lovely ladies I get to live with for an entire semester. Our apartment is named Paxi (after Cotopaxi), so naturally, they go by Foxy Paxis :).

Aside from building relationships within my house, I’m in charge of house maintenance. This means, I make sure everything is running smoothly in our cute little apartment. If problems arise, I find ways to fix them. This includes making weekly phone calls in Spanish (woo!) to make sure our gas tanks and botellones (water bottles) are filled. In addition to the house maintenance, RCs are in charge of collaborating with one another and other staff to plan student events. This can be anything from ziplining, to white-water rafting, to jungle trips. For these trips, students and staff are all together, which create the much needed break from work and school. They also provide opportunities to better get to know one another, and that’s always needed in a group of 40+ people.

One of our first outings included giant cheese empanadas. Don't worry, I shared with 5 other people ;)

I decided to overcome my fear of heights and zipline through the Cloud Forest...10 times.

This semester, we have a group of 30 study-abroad students, 4 RCs (3 girls, 1 guy), and multiple other staff, including our teachers. The students take classes throughout the week for college credit and have internships here in Quito that connect with their major. To get a better taste of cultural norms, students live with an Ecuadorian family one month out of the semester. Our students are currently in homestays with their Ecuadorian families, but will be returning to our apartments within the next week (YAY)! During this time, RCs don't have students in their apartments , but still meet with them on a regular basis. We also spend more time getting to bond with the staff and work on miscellaneous work projects. For some, it can feel like a time of relaxation, but for me, I’m counting down the days until my house is full again!

If you can’t already tell, I. love. my. job. It's truly a dream. I love the students, the staff, and the oh'so beautiful Ecuador. I've enjoyed traveling with the students, defeating (and more often than not, being defeated) in Spikeball, laughing until I cry and sitting with my girls as they do homework. I love the challenges of learning a new language, building friendships in a completely new place, and being shaped in my role; but most of all, I love that God is choosing to use me in the sweetest, most fulfilling way!