christmas unwrapped

• I attended the midnight service at the basilica here in Quito only to find that Ecuadorian midnight services may include but are not limited to a real live burro carrying Mary down the aisle and Baby Jesus appearing to tightrope walk down from the choir loft while fireworks go off behind him.
  
• Everyone here goes crazy for those Italian panettone cakes at Christmas but the one I had was more like a glorified fruitcake, only more like a real cake and pretty dry.
• In case you should tire of the traditional turkey or ham for Christmas dinner, they sell suckling pig down here that you can have instead. Biology class, anyone?
• I purchased what appeared to be "A Christmas Story" at the dodgy dvd shop only to pop it in Christmas Eve and find that instead of Ralphie, I was now watching some Norweigian/Swedish/Russian movie about the history of Christmas.
  
• A Christmas away from loved ones can still be merry with the company of a friend, a good meal, a movie, and a cup of Christmas cheer.
  

it seems appropriate

The sun is shining, the grass is green
The orange and palm trees sway,
There's never been such a day
in Quito E-C-U-A,
But it's December the 24th
and I am thinking of folks up north
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
May your days be merry and bright
and may all your Christmases be white!

deck the halls

Today Tobey and I decided to participate in a little Christmas spirit by setting up a tree. I am a big fan of real trees, and a real tree is much more economical for someone like me who is only going to be here for a few Christmases. I made the trek across the street to the park, where they were selling cut trees. The selection wasn't your typical variety--I think I ended up with something more like an overgrown shrub, rather than a fir or pine. I quickly chose a tree and a base (not the regular red metal stand, but a large wooden box) and they loaded up the tree and drove it and me home. It took a little coaxing to get it into the elevator, and then I had to use the bread knife to saw a few limbs off the bottom to get it to fit, but it came together beautifully in the end. Tobey showed his approval by climbing it before I could even finish decorating.Even in a foreign country, I think it turned out quite nicely! And now I am sitting in my living room, enjoying the scent of a real live tree!

a stroll down memory lane

I have recently discovered the glories of YouTube. I have been using a variety of websites to keep up with US television shows--some more copyright-friendly than others--and I stumbled across the wealth of movies on YouTube. I have watched both Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea on YouTube (I was sick this weekend and had nothing better to do) and last night I caught up on my one of my Christmas favorites: A Charlie Brown Christmas. As I searched a little further for the more obscure Christmas shows I loved as a kid, I was extremely surprised to find this clip:
My sister and I loved Jim Henson's The Christmas Toy, and once had a video of it we had taped off of tv. These exact same commercials ran during that program. I can't believe someone actually thought to put them online. It's definitely a trip back in time, and pretty cool to watch. Next up on my YouTube agenda? Finding some Rankin & Bass programs (i.e. Rudolph) and maybe watching clips from my favorite childhood tv show, KIDS Incorporated.

christmastime is here?

I am finding my Christmas spirit to be especially lacking this year. Living in a virtually seasonless climate, where it is between 60-70 degrees everyday, I am having a very difficult time remembering that it is almost Christmas. There are plenty of reminders around me--the malls here have been decorated for a solid two months now--but none of these things fit my definition of what typically makes up the Christmas season. I keep telling myself that I need to put up a tree and play some music, but I really feel unmotivated to do so. It's not that I'm looking for snow--growing up in southern Indiana, white Christmases were a rare occurance. A nip in the air, though, might help, as would the temporary disappearance of all the palm trees outside my window.

surprise visitor

This morning, as I sat at my desk in my classroom drinking tea, I noticed something black crawling across the floor. A closer (but not too close) investigation proved my hunch to be correct: I had a rather large black scorpion in my classroom. It was probably 4 inches from claw to tail. Thankfully, I had stored a few old pots in the closet for students to use as percussion instruments, and so I threw one over the scorpion and ran outside. I found one of the school workers and explained to him what I had in my room, and he very calmly walked in, scraped it up with a trowel and a handbroom, and left as though it was nothing. I, on the other hand, looked twice before stepping foot in my classroom for the rest of the day.

peru

Rather than staying in Quito and tolerating the bullfights, excessive drinking, and chivas running round the clock (party buses that play loud music and drive past my apartment), I decided to use my four-day weekend to my advantage and get out of the country. Thursday morning I flew to Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador located southwest of Quito, and then took a 6-7 hour bus ride across the border into Mancora, Peru. This small surf town has been featured by the New York Times as one of the best surf beaches, and just general beach, in the world. It's in the middle of nowhere, and it's a royal pain in the rear to reach, but it was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever visited, rivaling many beaches in Hawaii. Some of my co-workers and I rented a house and a bungalow on top of a hill that had the most beautiful view.
The main source of transportation in Mancora is motorcycle-driven rickshaws. We used these a lot for getting around the town and helping to make our walk back up the hill not so tiring.We grilled dinner Saturday night on the barbecue at the main house, including huge shrimp that were caught fresh that morning. We had more than enough food and were able to share our dinner with the local family that lived in an adjacent bungalow and were caretakers for the house. That made us feel pretty good, too. It was a nice end to the trip, and then we packed up the next morning, and after 8 hours on a bus and a half hour flight, I was finally home again in Quito.

less is not more

When I moved here to Ecuador, I stressed very much over the small amount of things that I could bring with me, namely in terms of wardrobe. I wasn't sure of the climate, of the school dress code, etc, and those of you who know me know that my old closet was very deep (albeit because I never threw anything out and was still wearing clothes from high school!) As we do not have a change of seasons here, I am finding that the few clothes that I brought are wearing out rather quickly because I am wearing them all the time. Seriously, I've put holes in three sweaters since I've been here. I had thought that maybe it would be easier to get dressed in the mornings with fewer clothes, but no. At this rate I will have nothing to wear in a few months!

lindo mindo

We went to Mindo (mean-dough) this weekend for a little getaway, as one of the teachers at my school owns an inn there and was going to have a Thanksgiving dinner. Mindo is a small town in the cloud forest, which is similar to the rain forest except the elevation is too high to have all the rain and humidity. We went zip-lining--yes, yours truly who is afraid of heights went zip-lining and had a blast! I promise to have a pic of that soon--my friend has them on her camera. The next day we went to a butterfly/orchid/hummingbird garden, where we saw at least twenty hummingbirds and more beautiful butterflies than I have ever seen. We leave Thursday for the beach in Peru, so more pics will follow soon!

word of the day

manguera: [man gheh ra] Spanish tubing or hose

Today I went to the hardware store to buy a new manguera for my gas stove. (It connects the propane tank to the stove.) They don't teach this type of necessary vocabulary in high school Spanish class.

lost in translation

When my students ask if they can have a piece of tape, they usually say, "Can I have some Scotch?" It caught me off guard at first, but now I have to fight the urge to respond with "I have some nice vodka in my desk if you'd rather have that."

Something tells me they wouldn't get the joke.

major accomplishment

Today I had to give a workshop in the music department (we are all required to do so) and so I decided to talk about ways to incorporate writing into the music curriculum. However, most of my department speaks only a little English, and so I felt I had two options:

1. Give a really fantastic presentation in English and chance that most people won't understand it.
2. Give an average presentation in Spanish that everyone will understand.

I chose option two. I wasn't able to go as in-depth as I would like, but I felt good that everyone pretty much understood what I said. Also, I think I earned some much-needed brownie points by doing the whole thing in Spanish.

be still my heart

I should be sleeping, but I stumbled upon this and have now watched it 5 times. Had I known about this sooner, you better believe I would have sold my right kidney to be in attendance. Josh Groban singing "Anthem" from Chess--just about the best thing ever. (Even with the slightly pitchy first note, I still love him and the song!)

yum?

Here in Ecuador, the main meal of the deal is typically eaten at lunchtime, and usually consists of soup, rice, vegetables, an entree of some variety, dessert, and juice. Our school cafeteria serves a really nice lunch everyday, with all of the aforementioned items for $2.00, and the food is really good. (Note: our school cafeteria actually cooks food, unlike most of the cafeterias in the States that now just heat-up or deep-fry.) I try to take advantage of the good meals several days a week. Tuesday, when I went in for lunch, I noticed the two choices were fried fish and guatita. As I'm not a big fried fish-fan, I opted for the unknown other choice called guatita. My roommate, Andrew, was in line behind me, and when he saw my plate, he said, "You got the guatita? Do you know what that is?" I replied that I didn't, but that I didn't really like fried fish. Then I asked him what it was. He refused to tell me, but said that he does eat it from time to time, and that I should tell an Ecuadorian today that I ate guatita. Feeling a little paranoid, I ran into another friend as I was leaving who has been here before and knows a lot about the culture. I asked her if she knew what guatita was, and she replied, "um, yes, it's intestines." I did not eat my entire lunch that day.

low point

I had my ridiculously horrible class today, and they were especially bad. I told several students to stop whining, and that I would only listen to their requests to go to the restroom if they would use their grownup voices. (Imagine a 2 hour chorus of "Alleezon Alleezon" in the whiniest voice you can think of...that was my afternoon.) By the end of the class period, I surveyed the damage to the room and saw that a student had graffitied my marker board with "Addison Addison Addison We love Addison She rocks!" It took me a minute to understand that the girl was referring to me.

They can't even get my name correct. Wow.

my name is...

So I've started to forget what my name really is. Everyone here--all of the Ecuadorians--pronounce my name with a Spanish (Ecuadorian?) accent, so now my name has two parts (Allee-zon) rather than the three syllable North American pronunciation (All-i-son). I hear this all the time, especially as my students call me by my first name. (It's a school tradition to address teachers by their first names.) So now I find myself introducing myself as Allee-zon. It's kind of a problem.

tales from the jungle

Well, I survived the jungle.

It turned out to be a great time. We stayed (all 12 of us) at Huasquila lodge just outside of Cotundo, Ecuador, and the place was beautiful. We had private cabanas, and the landscaping around everything was fantastic. I especially loved the huge gardenia bushes--they smelled wonderful at night. The family who owns the lodge was super nice, and took especially good care of us (their daughter-in-law works at my school, and one of my friend's boyfriend is a family friend as well.) The food was excellent, and they were very accomodating of our wishes.
Saturday afternoon we went to an animal reserve where injured animals are brought for rehabilitation. Some are released back into the wild, but others have injuries that prevent them from surviving on their own. We saw macaws, parrots, a toucan, several varieties of monkeys, indigenous wild pigs, and even a lion and lioness who were rescued from a less-than-credible circus. My favorite, however, was the smallest monkey named Lucas. We watched him for a long time, and he would mimic our movements and "talk" to us.

photo courtesy of Ken Shores

The next day, Leah and I hiked through a cave while the rest of the group went whitewater rafting. They dropped us off literally on the side of the road, and our guide led us up a hill and showed us various natural traps that the indigenous Kichwa people use to hunt animals. We reached the top of the hill and had a great view, and then began our descent into the cave. It was steep. It was rocky. It never would have flown in the US due to liability. I was saying my prayers. We entered the cave and saw bats and several waterfalls in the underground river, and then had to cross the river at one point where it is chest deep. It was pretty crazy, and we were pretty proud of ourselves for doing it. Later that afternoon, we went to see ancient petroglyphs, which were created between 300 BC and 1200 AD. That night, a Kichwa tribe came to the lodge and performed traditional music and dances for us. The next morning, we all took off for a 2 hour jungle hike, in the rain. We didn't see any animals (we weren't far enough into the Amazon for that) but our guide showed us lots of plants that have medicinal uses, and showed us the ants that are edible. I tried a few--they tasted like lemon. The final part of the hike brought us up to two waterfalls, which we could stand under if we weren't wet enough already. We finally made it back and were soaked, tired, and hungry, but it was a lot of fun. We cleaned up, had lunch, and made our way back to Quito. On the way home, we had pretty good weather, so we stopped to snap a few shots of the view.
It was a good weekend.

trick or (traditional) treat

Today at school, we had a small fiesta in the teachers' club where they served traditional refreshments for this time of year: colada morada and guaguas de pan. These treats are specific to this time of the year, coinciding with the Day of the Dead celebration here in Ecuador. (Day of the Dead is like a combination of All Saints' Day and Memorial Day.) Colada morada is a thick drink made primarily of blackberries, with other fruits such as pineapple and flavored with cinnamon. It is usually served room temperature or warm. Guaguas de pan are sweet loaves of bread shaped liked people and decorated with icing. It was a nice treat to have today, and a great way to experience another side of the culture.*I would post recipes for both, but I can only find them in Spanish, and some of the ingredients don't translate.

wilderness girl?

Those of you who know me know that I am not a real outdoorsy kind of girl--my idea of a good hike is through the streets of Manhattan. However, this weekend I'm going with some friends to the rainforest. We're going to have a 3 hour hike through the jungle, see monkeys and ancient petroglyphs, and hike into a cave where we'll swim in an underground river. And even though I'm going to be waaaay out of my comfort zone, I really want to go and have this experience. I'm determined not to be too Troop Beverly Hills on this trip, and so I just went out and bought outdoorsy gear so that I'm not the girl in the Ralph Lauren knit capris dodging the mud. I now own two pairs of hiking-friendly pants, and a new backpack. (I figured the enormous red leather purse probably wasn't appropriate for this trip.) So, watch out wilderness, here I come!

(Did I mention that I'm probably going to need a valium to do that cave hike?)

to market to market

Yesterday my friend Carrie and I ventured out to do a little shopping at the local markets. Our first stop was the arts and crafts market in Parque el Ejido. There I purchased one beautiful sash for $6.
Our next stop was the Mercado Santa Clara, which is an indoor market that sells a wide variety of things including produce, baskets, clay pots, and plants. Here I purchased 2 avocados for $.90
a bag of butternut squash cubes for $.50and 2 dozen beautiful roses for $2.00.
It was a fun (and cheap) shopping day!

sigh

If he ever steps foot in Ecuador, we are getting married.

tgit

Thank goodness it's Thursday (and tomorrow's Friday.) I'm tired, and I'm getting a little tired of dealing with spoiled brats who can't, rather, won't follow directions. Not all of them, but there are a select few in each class who have no qualms about questioning and even refusing to acknowledge my authority. I had my most difficult group today, and to give a little background, this group is so poorly behaved that I am no longer having them sing. They are working on group projects about the different time periods in music history, and so I had signed up to use the books section of the library for the second half of class today so that the students could do some research. (In our library, you can sign up for the books, the computers, or the novels.) Another teacher was signed up for the computers, but instead worked more with the books, and then another teacher brought in yet another class to work on the unused computers. Needless to say, it was total and utter chaos, and then I had a girl get very nasty with me when I told her for the third time to stay away from the other classes' tables. It was not worth the effort, and I almost told the students to return to the classroom, but I did not have the materials the students needed to continue to work on their projects. I left school feeling very frazzled and came home and ate two chocolates, and am now snuggling with my Tobey on the bed. Cats make everything better.

On the bright side, it hasn't rained for two days! Yay for sunshine!

birthday fun

I had a fantastic birthday yesterday! My roommate Jenny took me for a massage and lunch yesterday afternoon, and then last night my friends and I went for sushi and then to this club that plays 70s and 80s music. It was a great time, and I was so excited that I had good friends with whom to share my day. Here are a few pictures:

Jenny, Marjorie, Hannah, and me at the sushi restaurantHannah, Leah, and meBirthday ice cream en flambe!

Thanks to everyone for all the well-wishes and for making my day so great!

hail today, gone tomorrow?

We had a crazy hailstorm today on the bus ride home from school that completely woke me up (I tend to doze on the bus rides to and from school.) I think it hailed pea-size pellets for 15 minutes. I'm hoping for better weather tomorrow, as it is my birthday, and I'm really hoping to go to the historic center of town for a little tourist-type action. They say some of the streets down there look as though they could be in Italy. Plus, I hear there are a lot of cafes there where you can sit outside and drink wine all afternoon!

la playa

Well, I'm back from the beach and don't know quite where to begin. First of all, I love flying Ecuadorian airlines. My flight was only 30 minutes each way, but they still fed us coming and going. It was quality food, too: little sandwiches on fresh rolls on the way out, and empanadas and kebabs on the way back. We arrived in Guayaquil (which is kind of flat and boring, compared to Quito) and hired a taxi to take us to Montanita. We drove 2 1/2 hours to get to the little surfing village, and passed so much poverty on the way there. I saw so many homes with only three walls, or homes built out of sticks. The roads were extremely bad, and often times muddy, and we had to get out of the low-riding taxi several times so that our driver could make it over the speed bumps.

The town where we stayed was cute and funky. There were lots of street vendors selling everything from fresh juices to empanadas to jewelry to clothing. My favorite, however, were the men selling ceviche from carts on the beach. Ceviche is a cold seafood soup, and the man would break open a new oyster for each bowl of ceviche. It was really fun to watch.
The weather was cool and overcast for almost the entire weekend, but we did have 3 hours of sun Sunday morning, and of course I got scorched. Being so close to the equator, the sun is definitely more powerful. We found ways to amuse ourselves even without perfect beach weather, and I hiked around the cliffs and saw some really beautiful rocks and lots of tiny crabs. Saturday night we made a bonfire on the beach, with found materials, and we were pretty proud of ourselves. Sunday morning, as Hannah and I danced in the improved weather down to the beach, we were rather surprised to find not only the sunshine out on the beach but also a small herd of cows. Yes, cows.
So, even with the less-than-fantastic weather and too-low taxi, I had a great weekend. I have a little color (red) to show for it, and I got to stick my feet in the ocean. Definitely a success!

short week

Not much new here--spent almost the entire weekend in bed feeling icky and tired. We have this Friday off from school here in Ecuador due to Dia del independencia de Guayaquil. Don't ask me what the independence is from; I just know that I am school-free that day. My friends and I decided to use the long weekend to travel to the coast, so we booked our plane tickets and Friday we will be in Montanita! I am very excited to get to someplace warm, but now I have to actually buy some warm-weather clothing--all I brought with me was spring/fall stuff. Shopping here is not easy nor fun, because all the clothing is imported and therefore expensive and usually poor-quality. I just need to find a couple of tanks and maybe a sundress that won't fall apart on me or cost me a fortune. Where's an Old Navy when you need it?

more things i am learning

1. ricotta cheese in ecuador is better than ricotta cheese in the us.
2. head colds are not fun no matter where you are.
3. apple nectar=not so good. apple nectar+sprite=yummy.
4. when your cat cries incessantly at 4 in the morning, he's not trying to be obnoxious, he just has to poop and will do so on your rug if you don't let him out to the litter box.
   

fin de semana

This Saturday my friend Yasmin invited me to her cousins' gathering at her uncle's country house. Her uncle has a farm in Checa where he grows strawberries, lettuce, and peppers. We left Saturday afternoon and made the forty-five minute drive out to the farm. Now, this is not like any farm I've seen in the US. It is exactly what you picture when you think of a country hacienda: old brick building painted white with an orange Spanish tile roof, high ceilings with wooden beams, and lots of windows to show the beautiful mountain view. Once we arrived, we decided to go up one of the smaller mountains, and so we took the atv and a few 4 wheel drive vehicles up to the top, and as the sun was setting we could see the lights from Quito and the other villages. Later on, we had a bonfire, and a few people brought guitars and played and sang traditional Ecuadorian songs. I had brought supplies to make s'mores (well, I had to substitute other cookies for graham crackers, as I could not find them here) and so I taught everyone how to make s'mores. Much later that evening we switched to English music, so I was able to sing along. It was a great night, and I really enjoyed getting to spend the evening with Ecuadorians (Hannah and I were the only gringas in the group.)

things i am learning

1. a teapot full of sake on a tuesday night is expensive and does not make for a great wednesday.
2. dancing with the primary kids during their recess is perhaps the highlight of my day
3. the pan de chocolate in the cafeteria at school should be illegal
4. i love public transportation, at least when it's not crowded
5. my nephew wants to come over to ecuador because we have bananas here
   

weather, phones, and sushi

It has started to rain a lot more lately, as I think we're entering the rainy season here in Quito.

Because of the altitude and the proximity to the equator, we only have two seasons here: rainy and dry. It's funny, though, because people will still refer to the seasons as "summer" and "winter." Having lived in a location where it was nothing to get 6 inches of snow or have the temperature drop so low that the steering wheel in your vehicle would not move, I chuckle to myself whenever people talk about how cold it gets here during "winter."

The rain so far has not been too bad. We had a torrential downpour on Saturday, complete with thunder and lightning, but that so far has been the exception. It is funny to have thunder and lightning without really having severe or threatening storms. My friend, Yasmin, says that they do not have tornadoes here. Growing up in the midwest, it is hard to separate the idea of lightning and thunder from the idea of severe weather.

In other news (I'm sorry this post is so boring), I finally rejoined the 21st century and purchased a cell phone here in Ecuador! It is a very old Nokia model that went out of style ten years ago in the States, but it was cheap and keeps me connected! While Ecuadorians love their cell phones, I have not seen cell phones as fancy as we have in the US (exception: the iPhone, which you can get here) and my friends and I speculated that probably keeping up with the latest cell phone trends is not a high priority, either due to financial reasons or otherwise.

That's about it for now. I am going with some friends tonight to check out a sushi restaurant here in the city. I went to one sushi place on Saturday that was very good and had excellent atmosphere, so I'm curious to see how this one compares. Yay for sushi!

once again, i digress

I'm sorry, it's just too funny. And he's just too cute. You know my obsession.

small world

Today at school we had a small college fair. I was walking through the assembly area as they were setting up, and I was amazed to see a table from my alma mater, DePauw University. I could not believe that a small, private university from Indiana would be at my school in Ecuador. I spoke with the representative and offered to help out as a contact person for the students at my school. I got a kick out of two of my worlds rather unexpectedly colliding. It really made me realize how small the world can be.

day trip

On Saturday I took a day trip with some of the teachers from school out of Quito to a few small towns. It was great to see more of the countryside, and the day started out clear enough for us to see the highest mountain peaks! First we stopped in Cayambe for bizcochos, which are biscuit-like cookies that are eaten with either cheese or dulce de leche. Cayambe is famous for bizcochos--every cafe in town sells them. We stopped at a small place where you could actually see them made. (Click on the photos to enlarge them.)
From there we traveled to Otavalo, a small town with a huge street market famous for arts and crafts. I made just a few purchases: a hand-knit sweater and hat set for my favorite baby Libby; a beaded necklace, and a shawl for myself. After we left Otavalo, we went to Cotocachi, which is a town known for its leather goods. We weren't terribly impressed, as it has gotten very commercial and therefore the prices have gone up and the quality has gone down.

Then we stopped for a typically Ecuadorian late lunch at this beautiful restaurant on a lake overlooking the mountains. Here was the view from our table:I'll close with some of the scenery from the drive. It was a beautiful day!

quito-isms vol. 3

If you ever wondered what happened to all those golden Sacajawea dollars, well, they wound up here in Ecuador.For reasons that I do not fully understand and therefore will not try to explain, Ecuador uses American currency. They do have some coins of their own, but everything is in US Dollars. When the Sacajawea dollar coins didn't make it in the USA, they somehow ended up here in Ecuador, where they are (pun intended) worth their weight in gold. I was not fond of them in the States--they were never popular enough to use without getting strange looks, and back then, I was always trying to get rid of singles. Here we hoard any type of smaller currency--fives, ones--for useful, everyday tasks like buying the large jugs of water or paying for the quick taxi ride. I now find myself gravitating to the Sacajawea dollar instead of the good old GW bill, as it is much easier to tuck into a pocket without forgetting it and sending it through the washer. I also think that I now prefer these because they seem like any other coin and yet are worth so much more. In an economy where a dollar goes further, that's an important thing.

que bonita

The famously cheap, 25 for $2 Ecuadorian roses.

heartbreak

One thing that I commonly see on the streets here in Quito is children selling things to make money. They will stand on street corners and wash car windshields, or carry trays of cigarettes, gum, and matches to sell. It's not considered begging, but it's a way for the kids to help their families out. Most of them do go to school, at least in the morning, and the money they make working in the afternoons often goes to help pay for school uniforms and such.

Thursday night, my friends and I went to dinner in the Mariscal district. We went to this great hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant, which is so small that the majority of the seating is at tables outside in front of the restaurant. We were wrapping up our meals when a small girl approached us trying to sell us something from her basket. We said no, and then she pointed to the remainder of the chicken quesadilla on my plate. My friend Carrie (who is pretty fluent in Spanish) said that the girl was saying that she wanted the rest of my meal. As I was finished, I grabbed a smaller plate and scraped the rest of my quesadilla onto it for her. She stood at the end of our table and ate it, picking the red peppers out of it and dumping them onto Carrie's plate, as she said she didn't like pimientos. She told us she was seven, and that she liked school, liked to read, and liked math. Jenny decided to buy two packs of gum from her, and gave her a little extra. After finishing her food, she wandered over to the next table to make an attempt there. She later returned to our table, offering to sell Carrie matches as she pulled out a cigarette. She then asked if we would give her any change larger than a 50 cent piece. It was very sad to see this girl so programmed to sell, who wasn't afraid to ask for food or money.

i just don't know

Today I had patio duty, which is kind of like recess duty, but my school is basically outside and students congregate during breaks in front of the cafeteria. I had to watch the secondary students to make sure there were no problems. There were several groups of students gathered, and many groups were co-ed. Teenagers are teenagers, regardless of the country, and so there was a lot of physical contact happening. As I watched these boy/girl interactions, I wondered: in a country where everyone kisses everyone, where do we draw the line on PDA* in the school? What is considered cultural, and what is just too far?

*Public Displays of Affection

quito-isms vol. 2

Quito is a very long and narrow city, as it is surrounded on both sides by the Andes. Therefore, entering or exiting Quito by plane is suddenly a bit more complicated. There is only a certain area of open sky away from the mountains in which the planes can make the ascent/descent. So, planes tend to fly pretty low here in the city. We live on the eighth (in the US, ninth) floor of our apartment high rise, so when the planes fly in, we have a pretty good view. They are also fairly loud, so I am adjusting to hearing planes at night (as well as the barking dogs and car alarms, but that's another story.) Being a post 9/11 American, I had that first second of fear whenever a plane was passing over during the whole first week, but now it just seems normal. Just another part of daily life here in Quito!

side note: maps of Quito always orient the west at the top of the map, the north to the right, and so on and so forth.

besame mucho

The typical way to greet people here in Ecuador is with a kiss on the cheek. Now, lips are not supposed to really touch the cheek--it's like the European double kiss, only one-sided. The thing is that EVERYONE does this--even when you meet people for the first time. Whenever you walk into a room, it's customary to make your way around the room kissing everyone hello. People kiss hello when they board the bus in the mornings. People kiss goodbye when they leave school in the afternoon. I'm even told that students will kiss each other when the walk into class, even if they were just in the same class. As an American who is used to much more personal space and formality, it's a little awkward to meet all of these new and immediately be kissing them. It's just another cultural thing that will take some adjusting...

fun fruits!

There are lots of new and interesting fruits here in Ecuador. I am slowly trying them all, but one of my new favorites is the pitahaya. It is a spiny looking fruit that you cut in half and eat the insides with a spoon. The insides don't look so great--grey with black seeds--but they are really sweet and delicious.

quito-isms vol. 1

Here in Quito, there is always someone to do the work for you.

• Everyone has a maid to cook and clean for them. We hopped on this bandwagon this weekend by hiring Olga to come once a week. She cleans our place and cooks a meal for us and only charges $10 a day. It's ridiculous.

• Most of the high-rise apartments have a doorman. Ours helps us bring in our purchases, buys the 5 gallon water jugs for us, and takes our trash to the dumpster.

• At the supermarket, the bagger will take the cart outside for us, flag a taxi, and load our bags into the car.
  

Having been raised in a family with the mindset of "why pay when you can do it yourself for free," I am having a little difficulty adjusting to this. However, something tells me the adjustment period won't be too long ;)

la vista

The view from my kitchen window as I was preparing dinner tonight:

Not too shabby!

major update

What a week it's been!

We've had meetings about safety, health issues, and culture shock, and I've looked at a LOT of apartments. Here's the rundown:

We've spent most of the week apartment-hunting. There are four Ecuadorian ladies from the school who've been our lifesavers and literally have run us all over the city looking for apartments, taking us to buy groceries and bedding, and helping to figure out why cell phones aren't working. Mabel (pronounced Mah-bell) is the mother hen of them all, and always has a smile on her face. Maria Fernanda is my assigned "buddy," and she is so sweet and always so excited to help. Daniella's sarcasm and quick wit took me aback at first, but I've gotten to know her and she's a riot. Belen is the youngest (in fact, she has to be younger than me) and I think she would be a fun friend. All of these women are very beautiful--like so many of the Ecuadorian women I've met. They take a lot of care with their appearance.

Apartment hunting was not easy with a cat, but I finally found a beautiful three-bedroom place that I'm going to share with my friend, Jenny. I know I had debated the pros and cons of a roommate, and then being here I felt that I wasn't quite ready to be isolated on my own in a single apartment. Jenny and I get along really well, and I think it is going to be just fine. (Plus, our place is HUGE!) The apartment is three bedrooms located next to La Carolina park, a major park in the middle of the city. One of the best malls is just three short blocks away, and there are shops and restaurants all around the building. We have the entire floor--the elevator opens up directly into the apartment. The view is amazing from every room.

The view of the park from the living room

the living room (that's a mural in the background)

la cocina (the picture doesn't show how big it is)

mi cuarto
(I am getting a new bedspread and repainting. There is some ugly sponge painting on one wall.)

I'm really happy with the place, and can't wait to finish moving in today. (thanks to Jenny for all the pictures.)

I'll wrap this up with a picture of more or less the whole group of new teachers. I can't believe I'm really here and this is really happening! It's been a great first week, and I can't wait to get out to the school next week and get settled into a routine.

estoy en quito

We arrived safe and sound! It was a long trip, and a lot of packing and re-packing and leaving of objects that I really wanted to take (duvet and featherbed, I miss you) but I am here. Six months of preparations are over! Tobey did very well on the flight--only cried a little at the end--and they did not even quarantine him. Ecuador is unreal, more on this later, and everyone is very nice. I am rooming with a cool girl from Canada while we're in the hotel, and this afternoon I start the apartment search. I promise to post more details later--I'm still digesting at this point.

stay tuned...

relief

When everyone asks me what makes me the most nervous about this move, I always respond that it's getting Tobey (my cat) through inspection, onto the plane, and into Ecuador. I have never traveled with a pet before, and I don't really know the rules. Plus, I have not found very specific instructions on the Ecuadorian Embassy website concerning pets (and don't even know whether or not to believe the website: exhibit A)

I took Tobey to the vet and got a health certificate, like the website said, and then had it notarized. I sent that and a $50 money order to the consulate in Washington DC, because one of my future colleagues had some luck doing paperwork with them via mail. The only point of concern was that the website stated that my certificate needed to be legalized by the USDA, and the vet told me I wouldn't received a copy of the legalized version. So I sweated it out for the last few days, wondering if I'd just spent a fortune on overnighting documents for nothing. However, today I walked out to get the mail and voila! there was an overnight envelope from the consulate with Tobey's health certificate! It now has a nice new sticker on the back, a stamp, and a cool holographic sticker similar to the one on my visa. I can rest a little easier now, knowing that he will not be an illegal alien! Now if we could only find something to make him sleep on the flight...

in the south

Hi all,
I'm visiting the fam in Southern Indiana, and internet access is not always readily available, so I will try to post next week. Right now I am at the playground with my three year old nephew!

goodbye warsaw

Things I'll miss...

• sushi at Cerulean
• the lakes
• Penguin Point tenderloins
• dinners at my aunt's
  
• summer evenings at Spike's (especially Moxie nights)
  
• my wonderful and dear friends who made the last few years fantastic and fun-filled. Without you all, I would have left long ago.

Things I will not miss:

• Wal-mart. and seeing everyone you know (but don't want to see) and fighting the crowds on weekend afternoons and feeling like it's the only place to shop if you need more than grocery items.
  

i'll miss you, harry

The new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince premiered yesterday, and it is one thing that I'm sad about missing out on while I'm in Ecuador. I've made it to every other movie, usually within the first few days of its release. (Last year I was jet-lagged beyond belief but rallied myself out of bed to see it the day after returning from Europe.) I'm sure the movie will make it to Ecuador at some point, considering that Harry Potter is an international phenomenon, but I don't think it will release anytime close to the US release date. Oh well. In the meanwhile, I will just watch the trailer over and over again...

wedding weekend

I'm kind of swamped with all the nitty-gritty packing and moving details, so posts are going to be a little sparse for a week or so. I am posting some pictures from my friend's wedding in Chicago this weekend.

My friend Kate, her fiance Max, and me at the rehearsal dinner--it was at Maggiano's and the food was excellent.

Kiel (the groom), myself, and Kiel's mom, Jill

Max and Kate at the reception

Me, Jill, and Kate at the reception