uninvited guests

Sometimes I forget that I live in a third-world country. Then something usually happens to bring me back to reality. My latest reality check has been in the form of a not-so-pleasant health issue. I'll spare you the details, but for the last three weeks, I had intestinal flare-ups that left me eating next to nothing and feeling lethargic. It would last 12-24 hours, and then I would feel better. By the third incident, I decided I should probably talk to the doctor. Thankfully, we have a doctor on-site at school, which is extremely convenient. I went to her this morning during my prep and explained my situation. She replied that she was 70-80% sure that I had parasitic amoebas living in my intestines. Now if I remember correctly, this is more or less one of the "deadly diseases" from The Oregon Trail computer game (yes, I'm sure you played it too.) Now I have my parasipack of drugs that promises to kill anything and everything inside of me. For some reason, I find this all rather humorous--it's not everyday that you can claim to have amoebas!

p.s. Here we say that if you have amoebas, tu tienes mascotas, which is Spanish for "You have pets." Go figure.

take a picture

For some reason, the stares are really annoying me today. As a blond-haired, blue-eyed, pale-complected gringa living in a Latin American country where most people have at least some indigenous background, I knew I would attract a little attention. Most of the time I do a pretty good job of ignoring the stares, whistles, hisses, and comments, but today for some reason I am agitated. For example, on the school bus ride home today I sat next to a window as usual, but this time, when we had stopped for traffic, I noticed one man sitting outdoors at a nearby restaurant start to stare, and then the other two members of his party turned around and stared as well. Later on, when I hopped on the public transit bus to go to my Spanish lesson, the man standing directly in front of me stood there staring blatantly. I understand that I'm an oddity, that it is considered a compliment to whistle and make comments, but the staring is just leaving me a little unnerved.

orquideas

Yesterday my friends and I went to the Orchid Show here in Quito, which was at the Palace de Cristal (Glass Palace) on top of a hill in Quito. The whole area around the palace is a park, and yesterday was a beautiful sunny Quito morning, so we had a great view of the city. The orchid show is pretty popular, so we had to wait in line for 40 minutes just to get in, but it was worth it. Florists and greenhouses had set up displays of orchids, and they were absolutely amazing.They also were selling orchids and other orchid souvenirs, so I decided to make a purchase and try my hand at orchid-growing. Now I did not inherit my grandparents' green thumbs, but I was told by a fellow colleague that it's not as difficult as it seems. Here is my new challenge:I'll keep you posted on our progress.

quite lovely

I haven't posted any of these for awhile--it's amazing what one can do with an abundance of roses and a decent vase. Did I mention I purchase four dozen roses for $3.00?

i h(ate) football

Please note: The following opinions are strictly of the writer, and she is in no way, shape, or form attempting to force these opinions on other people or passing judgment on other people's opinions. This is to serve purely for rant purposes. Please bear with us.

I hate football.

There, I've said it. I HATE football. I do not get it, I do not understand it, and I do not see the enjoyment in watching it. And on this, the supreme day of football in the United States, I am coming clean.

Now, I used to attend the football games in high school, but that was only for the social aspect. I have also attended many Super Bowl parties in my past, usually for the food and the commercials. However, now as an adult, I no longer see the point in pretending to be a part of this culture that I do not understand. Living out of the US, I was sort-of hoping to escape this day. However, I log on to Facebook and see a million status messages about the game. I have even been invited to a Super Bowl party here in Quito. I feel as though I am being haunted by football.

Now, I understand that the majority of the US population loves this sport and considers it a high form of entertainment. I consider opera to be a high form of entertainment, but I'm not going to expect the majority of people to feel the same way about it as I do. I think I am asking for just once to not feel like an outsider on this hallowed day of football. I'll respect your feelings if you'll respect mine.

And if anyone wants to watch Die Zauberflöte this evening around 6:00, give me a call.