It was mid-July when I took my first steps out of the United States and into Quito's airport. With a shakey hand, I completed my forms for customs, leaving a few spaces blank. I didn't understand the Spanish and my dictionary was packed in my checked luggage. My heart again raced after picking up my baggage a few minutes later. I was here to volunteer at a school near Otavalo, but the volunteer coordinator wasn't there at the airport to collect me. There was a mix-up concerning my arrival, and I found myself alone and lost in this world where I didn't yet speak the language. It was to be only my first adventure of many.

Nine months later, I stepped off the plane and into Quito's airport a changed person. After volunteering and travelling in Ecuador and Peru, I visited a friend in Honduras. This second flight into Quito was from Honduras. I completed my customs forms with ease and, when my luggage failed to take its turn on the turnstyle, I laughed and spoke to the airline's baggage clerk in Spanish. This time, I knew that nobody would meet me. I hopped into a taxi with my carry-on and found myself a hostel. I wasn t worried about my luggage. I knew just where to go to get the things I needed most. Returning to Ecuador felt like returning home.

Throughout my travels abroad, I met lovely people, helpful strangers, and life-long friends. I've seen amazing views and visited magnificent historical sites. I've taught children of all ages, laughed with them, and hugged them goodbye, hiding my tears. However, it is Ecuador that stands out as my favourite experience.

In returning to Quito and later to Otavalo, my heart filled with a sense of happiness, comfort, and endless joy. A small, indigenous boy with a braid running down his back smiled at me. I bought a bunch of bananas from a street vendor at the market and chatted pleasantly with her about my travels and her family. My former host family welcomed me "home" and celebrated my belated birthday with their daughter's ninth birthday, pushing my face into the cake in the traditional South American way. I returned to my babies at the school where I taught for four months. The children's smiles were bigger than I remembered and I wanted to stay and teach them indefinitely. Even the other tourists and current volunteers dined, laughed, and swapped traveller's tales with me.

This is why Ecuador is such an incredible country. Not only does it have a diverse landscape including the Galapagos, coast, mountains, and jungle, but it has some of the friendliest people. Here, even the poorest of the poor will welcome a visitor with open arms or put a little "yappa" (extra) in your bag at the market. There are endless smiles, polite greetings, and genuinely interested questions. It's no wonder this feels like home!

Tomorrow, I will return to the United States for the first time in nine months. While travelling in Peru and Honduras, I often looked forward to my return to Wisconsin. Now that I'm back in Ecuador, I'm sad to have to leave. Nevertheless, I feel fortunate to have spent so much time here and met so many friends. I shall look forward to returning to customs in Quito's airport a third time. Perhaps, I'll bring a friend when I return to Ecuador. I want to share my love of Ecuador with as many people as I can. For those of you currently travelling and working in Ecuador, enjoy the country a bit for me. Talk to the street vendors and cafe owners. Go for a walk and smile at the children. Relax, and I'll be happy knowing that you are enjoying my favourite country for me.