back in the USA

Tobey and I landed safely in Miami on Monday! Tobey survived his trip in cargo, and I managed to not have a nervous breakdown anywhere along the way. I was a bit concerned that they weren't going to let me out of the country: the day before my friend was turned away from emigration and had to make a quick trip home to retrieve her Ecuadorian residency card before they would allow her to leave the country. My card is lost, and so I went to the airport Sunday morning not knowing if they would let me out, and had therefore concocted a very long and detailed story that started with me stating that I had been robbed the night before (not true) and ending with me offering to pay a "fine" (bribe) for not having the card. Fortunately, the lady at emigration did not ask for my censo, and so I was able to fly.

Tomorrow we're off to Disney, so I'll be sure to post lots of pictures of Gabe and me in Mickey Mouse ears!

ocupada

Today consisted of but was not limited to:

• A 6:20 a.m. trip to the airport so I could pay the $14 fee and receive the receipt that I have to present at the airport tomorrow so that I can get Tobey's export paperwork completed. (Tobey has to accompany me on both trips.)
• Three cab rides before 8 a.m. Airport, back home, school.
• A day spent running around school handing in various paperwork and getting various signatures in order to be able to collect my summer paychecks.
• Another cab ride home because I missed the 2:10 school bus.
• An end-of-year party tonight at my friend's house. A nap is definitely in order before this can (and will) happen.
  

the good, the bad...

The good:

Chess in Concert the album (featuring my future husband, Josh Groban) is now available for purchase on iTunes! I have been awaiting this release since I first found out about the concert version of this highly underrated musical last fall. It features an all-star cast including Idina Menzel (original Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked), Adam Pascal (original Rodger in Rent), and of course the always-fabulous Josh Groban.

The bad:

I just found out that Tobey cannot fly with me in the cabin when we travel back to the States this weekend--he'll have to go in the cargo hold. I am very very very nervous about this--I can't imagine handing my baby over to someone else and not being able to check in on him for the entire flight. Good thing alcohol is free on international flights...at least on this airline...

And how it might get really ugly:

Okay, I can't even begin to think about what might happen to my poor baby in cargo hold...and so the ugly will be me next Sunday as I'm trying to cope with entrusting my Tobey to other people. Let's just say I'll be pretty crazy...

as promised

This past weekend was girls' beach weekend--thirteen of the female international teachers from my school went to Manta to spend a relaxing weekend at the beach. We arrived Friday night, had dinner on the boardwalk, and then woke up Saturday morning to perfect beach weather. As the beach in Manta is more of a city beach (translation: dirty) we decided to hire a taxi to take us to a more secluded beach 15 minutes outside of the city. We spent all of Saturday on what was nearly a private beach, enjoying the sunshine and warm waves. We stopped for lunch at one of the two hostels on the beach, where we enjoyed fried seafood and beer out of teacups. (Side note on the beer: this weekend was Ley Seca, which means alcohol was not supposed to be served due to the election being held on Sunday. However, we managed to find a few places that would serve us, and this restaurant would serve us beer in teapots so as to keep it low-profile.) Our taxis returned at 4:00 to take us back to our hostel in Manta, and so we spent a relaxing evening hanging out on the hostel's porch and ordering pizza. On Sunday, a few friends and I decided to make the 10 minute trek to Montecristi, a small town outside of Manta that is famous for making Panama hats. We stopped first at the government building where the latest constitution was written, and which also is home to Eloy Alfaro's mausoleum. (Eloy Alfaro was a very famous president in Ecuador. The street I live on is named after him.) There was also a train on the grounds, and so we had a good time snapping pictures with the train. We then walked through town, stopping in plenty of shops selling everything made out of straw. We tried on lots of hats, though didn't buy any, and made a few small purchases. Then it was time to return to Manta, have one last lunch on the boardwalk, stroll along the beach, and enjoy the hostel's cable tv until it was time for our flight. It was, in all, a nearly perfect beach weekend.
p.s. Special thanks to Carrie for all the great pictures!

drinking our "tea"

the mausoleum for Eloy Alfaroplaying damsel in distress (I couldn't resist)this is not a good look for me!one of my purchases--you never know when you'll need a fan!

excuse my tardiness

Pictures and updates from a great beach weekend will follow soon. I am currently waiting on pics from my friend Carrie, but I will post them as soon as I have them!

try again

I'm off to the beach for the weekend, and am hoping this trip is better than the last one. I'll post updates on Sunday when I return!

beautiful day

On the bus ride home from school today, I had a fantastically clear view of Cotopaxi, one of the snow capped volcanoes here around Quito. It's pretty rare to have that good of a view so late in the afternoon, and it reminded me of the beauty of this country and how fortunate I am to live here.

five things

I'm headed back to the States in less than a month for a visit, and while I've been very happy this past year in Ecuador, there are a few things that I'm looking forward to experiencing back in the US. They are, in no particular order:

1. Diet Ginger Ale. (Any ginger ale for that matter.) Our soda varieties here are limited to Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, and a local fruit-flavored soda called Flor de Vanta.
   
2. Not being stared at constantly for being blonde and pale.
3. Blueberries. We can get every type of exotic fruit here, except there are no blueberries. I'm dying for blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup.
4. Not having to greet everyone I see or walk past. Yes it's nice, but there are sometimes when I just don't feel like being friendly.
5. Getting to spend quality time with all those near and dear to me that I've missed over the past year. I especially can't wait for quality time with my nephew and (faux) niece, Gabe and Libby.