the adventures of grey cat

to do

2009-12-14T16:33:00.002-05:00

My mom's coming to visit next week for the holidays, and as with any guest, it's a catalyst for doing the things I've being putting off for awhile. This week (amidst the flurry of daily Christmas concerts at school) I need to accomplish the following:

Have my stove repaired so that Mom and I can do our holiday cooking. (I've been making due with an electric skillet as of late, which is fine when cooking for one, but not much more than that.)
Pick up my Christmas bonus gift card at school so I can go to Megamaxi and buy a toaster oven, new mugs, and new pillows.
Set up the Christmas tree. (This has been delayed due to the fact that fresh trees here are not placed in water EVER, and so I'm waiting until closer to Christmas in order to not burn down my house.)
The general cleaning of house, which falls to me as my bi-weekly housekeeper is traveling to visit her family. (I know you're all crying for me right now.)
Plan a Christmas menu that does not include turkey or ham, as I don't think I can squeeze either into the toaster oven I'm planning on purchasing (see #2.)

humbug

2009-12-10T19:24:00.001-05:00

Forget this job searching business. I'm just going to marry Josh Groban instead.

(Josh, if you're reading, now is the time!)

tales from the usa

2009-12-04T23:12:00.003-05:00

I'm in the States for the weekend, chasing possible job opportunities for next year. Yesterday I stepped off the plane here in Atlanta after some 12 hours of travel, and proceeded to the first Starbucks in the airport. (I've decided to be indulgently North American on this trip.) I ordered a small eggnog latte, and was immediately corrected by the girl taking my order. I forgot that Starbucks has their own sizing system, and that a small is actually a tall. Then I asked for my latte with skim milk, and was yet again reminded that at Starbucks, skim milk is called a skinny.

I guess I'm a bit out of the loop.

leftovers

2009-11-28T19:38:00.004-05:00

Thanksgiving recap:

Turkey

Marjorie's cole slaw without and with the "addition" of red wine
(we had a little spill...)
Adriana's salad
Richard carving the turkey
making the gravy
a randomly-snapped shot of Leah

thanksgiving, ecua-style

2009-11-27T09:36:00.003-05:00

I think being away from my family on Thanksgiving is more difficult than Christmas, and I suspect this is due to the fact that here in Ecuador the day passes without notice. Thanksgiving does not exist here. Yesterday, for all intents and purposes, was just another day--went to school, stayed late for musical rehearsal, went to the grocery, went out to an Italian restaurant for a friend's birthday. The school did provide a very nice semi-traditional lunch for all the staff, potluck-style, and the foreign hire teachers were responsible for the mashed potatoes. (Last year I spent a lot of time making the real deal, but cheated this year and bought the boxed instant potatoes--they dump them all into one big pot anyway.) Other than the school luncheon, no one really does anything to celebrate the day.

Today we have a half day, in honor of the North American holiday, Black Friday (kidding), and so my friends and I are gathering for a big traditional meal this evening. I'm making the turkey, dressing, and dessert (pumpkin cheesecake.) Finding the ingredients here is not always super easy, which is why I'm scrapping the traditional pie for a much-easier-to-make-cheesecake. The pumpkin puree itself is not easy to come by, and therefore I purchased some squash-like cubes in the grocery store yesterday which I cooked and pureed. I'm pretty sure it's not pumpkin, but any squash with enough cinnamon and nutmeg should do the trick. I fully expect this dinner to be much like my life here: a nod to the traditions I was raised with but with a slightly South American flavor.

glees (no glums)

2009-11-19T19:13:00.003-05:00

My future husband was named one of People's Sexiest Men Alive. That's pretty much the highlight of my week.*

*It's been a pretty bad one.

i'm late!

2009-11-16T18:51:00.003-05:00

A few days ago, I mentioned the idea of ecua-time in my post--meaning that everything and everyone here in Ecuador is perpetually late. I actually really like this, and here's why: I used to be perpetually late in the States, but here my being late actually translates to being on time. No one really expects you to show up at exactly the planned time, so being a little behind is perfectly fine. (We actually tend to set the time for events anywhere from 30 minutes to a full hour before we actually plan to begin.) And, if I'm running especially late, I can always blame it on ecua-time.

prefix

2009-11-11T21:33:00.002-05:00

There's somewhat of a widespread phenomenon among the gringos living here in Ecuador to describe uniquely Ecuadorian things/happenings/etc. by attaching the prefix ecua- to the beginning of the word. For example, we refer to the strange consistency of the cheese here by using the term ecua-cheese, the extremely laid-back time schedule observed by Ecuadorians is ecua-time, and so on and so forth. Once you begin, it's sort of ecua-addictive.

debate

2009-11-09T15:31:00.003-05:00

I've been deliberating over how much of my current job search process I wanted to document/make public on my blog. You see, I have two theories:

Keep it quiet and then you won't feel embarrassed when things don't pan out.
Talk about it all the time and maybe Santa Claus will hear and you'll find it under your tree on Christmas morning.

(Clearly theory #2 hasn't worked in quite some time.)

However, I've come to the conclusion that a limited account of what's happening is not bad, and therefore I'm going to document it, withholding a few names and locations.

Within the last two weeks, a possible job in a fabulous South American school has come available. This school is one that I have never really considered, as it's extremely tough to get hired and positions are few and far-between. My radar had been tuned into Eastern Europe, and so I was planning on attending a job fair in February where the schools in those countries would be hiring. When this fabulous job came available, I thought I'd send in my material and then just arrange a meeting with them when our paths crossed at said job fair.

I happened to speak with a friend who also would give her right kidney to work at this fabulous South American school, and she actually met with the administrators at the school and was told that they planned on doing all of their hiring sooner than later--much sooner, as in a month from now. Suddenly everything changed, and I am now making plans to attend a much smaller, all South American fair in Atlanta within a month. I understand that this is crazy. I'm only going to interview with this fabulous school, who only has one position open in my area. However, if I don't go, I'm afraid I'll be haunted by the "what-ifs." So I'm taking this huge risk, if for no other reason than to be able to sleep peacefully at night, knowing that I went for it.

drought and blackout

2009-11-07T11:40:00.002-05:00

It's really dry here. We should be well into rainy season by now, and yet we've basically had nothing but sunny, beautiful days with just a handful of rainy afternoons for the last 3+ months. While I enjoy the sunshine (it's a lot warmer when it's sunny,) the lack of water has begun to take it toll on life, especially on our electrical company. Beginning last week, the electrical company here in Quito instituted rolling blackouts--cutting off power to various parts of the city one sector at a time. Now everyone is checking the blackout schedule online and factoring that into their plans. We had a few blackouts at school this week that caused the administration to push back the due date for our end of partial grades, because people didn't have access to their computer gradebooks. As for me, I've been fortunate--my blackouts have only been during the day so far, and the next is scheduled for 11-3 on Monday, while I'll be at school. Until we receive a large amount of rain, this will probably be the new way of life.

colonial getaway

2009-11-05T19:27:00.007-05:00

Thanks to Halloween, All Souls' Day and the Independence Day of Cuenca, we had a 4 1/2 day weekend this past week. My friends and I decided to travel to the city celebrating its independence, Cuenca, which is a city in the southern Andean region of Ecuador. Cuenca is known for its colonial architecture, and it is truly a beautiful city, almost reminiscent of small towns in Austria or Italy. We spent a few days wandering the city, visiting museums and lots of shops (Cuenca is also a great place for handicrafts.) We also made a trip outside of the city to a small town named Chordeleg, famous for their filigree work in silver and gold, as well as to the Cajas National Park which is dotted with small lakes and beautiful landscapes.

The newer of the two cathedral in Cuenca, known for its blue domes.Parque Nacional Cajas

We had an amazing view of Cotopaxi on our flight home.

me, twenty years from now

2009-11-03T21:28:00.003-05:00

I just found out about this new documentary called Cat Ladies. I think I definitely have to see this, if nothing else than as a cautionary tale against what to avoid in the future. I love my cat, but definitely don't need to add any more crazy to my life.

let's do the time warp again

2009-10-15T20:20:00.002-05:00

As I passed the calendar in my classroom today, I did sort of a double-take--is it really October? Then I resolved to make sure the next place I call home has four seasons not including dry, fake-rainy, rainy, and unpredictable.

the replacement

2009-10-13T17:57:00.004-05:00

Last June I wrote about a rather important document that I had lost, my Ecuadorian residency card, and how I worried about leaving the country without it. I finally got around to replacing said document last week--I'm not leaving the country anytime soon, so it wasn't high on my list of priorities. But with last weekend's trip to the beach, I felt like I should replace my card so that I could carry it instead of my passport.

Replacing a document (or doing anything semi-important for that matter) is rather complicated here. Last Wednesday, I went to the police station and stood in line in a small back room to make a denuncio--an announcement--that my card was lost. This involved me being given a form that I had to take to the copy stand in the entry and pay to have two copies made, then returning and filling out the form with the exact events of the lost document. I started to write the wrong date on the top of the form, scratched it out, and then was told to take the mistake-free copy back to the copy stand and ask for yet another copy. (Mistakes--not even scratch-outs--are not allowed.) Then I had to present my correctly-filled-out form to another person at another desk, and wait for them to stamp my paper.

Thursday afternoon, I took my passport and my denuncio to the Office of Immigration, where I was given a number corresponding to the document I needed. I made a copy of my visa and the first page of my passport at yet another copy stand, and finally my number was called. After all the runaround, the actual replacing of the residency card was fairly easy. After two days, five copies, a lot of waiting in line, and one very unflattering photo, I finally had my new residency card.

I guess I can leave the country now.

beach take two

2009-10-11T20:58:00.005-05:00

Yet again, we went to the beach for a three-day weekend.

I really wanted to go back to the beach we visited over girls' weekend last June, and so three friends and I spent the weekend in Santa Marianita, a small beach village just outside of Manta. The beach is famous for kite surfing, in which we did not partake, but we did have beautiful weather and really nice accommodations (hostel with a pool and restaurant right on the beach.) We read, walked the beach, swam a bit, ate lots of fried seafood, and played cards. It was a wonderfully relaxing weekend.

Erica, Hannah, and Marjorie in the midst of our euchre playing

our hostel

Erica and Marjorie watching the sunset Hannah at sunset

snacktime

2009-10-06T18:18:00.003-05:00

I know, I've been a delinquent blogger. Here's a new tidbit for your reading enjoyment:

Students at my school don't eat lunch. Lunch, here in Ecuador, is the main meal of the day, and is eaten in the middle of the afternoon, usually when students return home from school. Therefore, my students snack a LOT all throughout the day, especially during recesses. Snacks can be anything from a sandwich to fruit or a salad, or the little containers of beans that are mixed with dried crunchy corn kernels (think Corn-Nuts.) Today, as I passed a group of my eighth grade students seated at a picnic table in front of the music building, I stopped to say hello and noticed they had a more unusual snack. When I asked what was in the package, they told me, "hosts"--as in communion hosts. They told me they could be purchased at the big chain supermarket (Supermaxi) but that they were better with Nutella or Arequipe (a type of caramel sauce.)

Perhaps I could petition the Pope to consider changing from communion wine to communion Nutella?

holy rollin'

2009-09-15T21:55:00.005-05:00

As I have changed residences since the last school year, I've spent the past week trying to decide which school bus is the most effective for getting me to and from school. (The school has over 100 buses that run daily routes all over the city, and students and teachers both travel by school bus.) I've spent some time riding different bus routes and timing them to see which bus gets me home the quickest. One thing I've observed on all these buses (as well as my buses from last year) is the quantity of religious items the bus drivers have on the bus. It's very common to see rosaries hanging from the rear view mirror, or stickers or figurines of saints displayed in the front of the bus. My favorite, however, were the multiple glow-in-the-dark figurines of Jesus as a child that one bus driver displayed. In a very Catholic country, these things are not so uncommon.

who turned off the lights?

2009-09-11T19:00:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I came home to an apartment without electricity. I walked in the door and five minutes later the power went out. As this is not an uncommon occurrence here in Quito, I opened the door to the hallway to see if the hall lights were on. They were, and I could hear a television playing in another apartment. I went downstairs to report the outage to my doorman, and he handed me a slip of paper from the electric company stating that my service was disconnected due to lack of payment. I was outraged--the previous tenants in my apartment had failed to pay last month's bill, and then when the bill came this month, I missed it due to the fact that I was checking the wrong mailbox. Therefore, I ran like a madwoman up to the office for the electric company (after stopping by the atm in the mall) and stood in a line that wound outside of the building to pay my overdue bill. Then I went to the customer service office, took a number, and waited to speak to someone about reconnecting my service. The lady I spoke with assured me that someone would be by to reconnect me by 7 pm that night. However, at 7:30 I still had no service. I then called the number the lady had given me in case this happened--and I called multiple times just trying to figure out the stupid automated menu--and was told that the technicians did not work past 6 pm, so my service would be restored tomorrow. By now, I was in serious need of pizza and beer, so I went out to dinner with my friends and then came home to a dark house. I had enough hot water left in my tank to take a hot bath by candlelight and then went to bed with wet hair, hoping it would dry by morning. And I most certainly took my curling iron to school with me this morning and fixed my weird slept-on-wet hair in my classroom.

only in quito

2009-09-05T13:49:00.002-05:00

This has become the school year that will not begin.

Originally, at my school teachers were to begin work on August 25, and students were set to begin September 1-3 (secondary students on the first, and primary students on the third.) A few months ago, the Ministry of Education here in Ecuador decided to mandate the date for the start of the school year as the first Monday in September, which this year happens to be the 7th. My school petitioned for an exemption around this mandate, but we found out two weeks ago that our petition was denied. Therefore, our start date for all students was moved to September 7th.

To complicate matters, we found out this past Thursday that the mayor of Quito decided to stagger the start date of students, as to avoid having some 48,000 students on the road all on the same morning. So now our beginning dates are as follows: Prekindergarten and kindergarten students begin September 7th, primary students begin September 8th, and secondary students on the 9th.

And as if this wasn't enough, due to all these changes we have now lost two days of Christmas vacation and a week of spring break (leaving us with only one week of break in April instead of two.)

Now the impending question is whether or not we'll lose days to the H1N1 virus.

It's never a dull moment here...

new place

2009-09-01T19:20:00.006-05:00

Tobey and I are finally settled into our new place. I ended up going with a previously-undisclosed third option in the same building as the apartment with the oven. This apartment has neither oven nor washer, but it does have a bathtub--something neither of the others had. It was also slightly cheaper that the other options, which helped in the decision as well. My building is located on what is kind of like the Park Avenue of Quito, and it's a GREAT location--lots of restaurants and cafes close by, plus my favorite bakery and ice cream shop are just around the corner! I'm going to try and post some pictures of the front of my building and my street in a few days, but here at least are the inside shots of my apartment.

entry/kitchenkitchen/Tobey (loving the granite countertops!)

dining area

sitting area
"Tobey's" bathroom
my bedroom
my bathroom

It's small but enough for just Tobey and me. There are still a few touches that I'd like to add, but for the most part it was ready to go when I moved in. After last year's "colorful" apartment, I'm quite enjoying the white walls in this one. It's also very nice to have space all to myself (and Tobey too!)

searching

2009-08-14T22:29:00.002-05:00

Transient is my middle name.

After an extended visit to the States during which I house-hopped and town-hopped and was constantly on the go, I was so glad to return home to Quito and finally sleep in my own bed. And now that I've done that for a solid week, it's time to find a new place to live.

(In reality, our contract for our apartment expires this month, and we've all decided to go our separate ways and live on our own.)

I began the search this week by walking around my desired neighborhood and looking for rent signs in windows. Then, my friend's Ecuadorian boyfriend volunteered to make the calls for me. This was important for two reasons: 1) I have a tough time speaking and understanding Spanish on the phone; 2) My gringa accent might very well raise the rental price of the property. After calling a list of sixteen numbers, Miguel had set up four appointments for me to view various properties. I checked them out, and as always, some were great and some were dismal. I've tentatively narrowed it down to two very similar apartments. Both are in the neighborhood I like, both are modern design and fully furnished, and both are the same price.

How am I going to choose? It will probably come down to oven vs. washing machine. While both apartments have beautiful kitchens, one has an oven and the other does not. The apartment lacking the oven, however, has a washing machine. The other has laundry facilities in the building but not in the unit. So therefore, I have to decide which is more important: washer or oven?

I'll let you know the outcome of this debate.

my summer vacation

2009-08-09T10:55:00.007-05:00

What I did on my summer vacation:

a photo essay

back in the USA

2009-06-30T11:20:00.002-05:00

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

2009-06-26T16:20:00.002-05:00

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...

2009-06-21T20:42:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-16T18:24:00.007-05:00

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 Alfaro playing 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

2009-06-15T22:32:00.002-05:00

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

2009-06-12T15:22:00.001-05:00

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

2009-06-08T18:51:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-02T18:07:00.003-05:00

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:

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.
Not being stared at constantly for being blonde and pale.
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.
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.
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.

on the bus

2009-05-28T16:02:00.002-05:00

There are numerous sights to see on my morning bus ride from my house to school everyday. These "diversions" include but are not limited to:

The lady who walks her two goats down the sidewalk in the middle of the city. Keep in mind, there is no grass anywhere nearby.
The older man who does exercises near the highway underpass/overpass every morning. He seems to have just finished a walk/run and usually is doing push-ups or something along those lines.
The interesting graffiti that provides reading material on the way to school. My favorite translates to "Weapons of mass destruction: TV, Radio, Press."

spare change

2009-05-25T18:30:00.002-05:00

One of my colleagues published this article about the dollar situation in Ecuador on CnnTraveller. It's pretty interesting, and pretty cool that I know the writer. http://www.cnntraveller.com/2009/05/13/a-fistful-of-dollars/

quite a show

2009-05-24T16:08:00.002-05:00

This Wednesday, I went to the performance of Manuela y Bolivar, an opera about the relationship between Manuela Saenz and Simon Bolivar, who both fought for Ecuador's independence from Spain. We typically don't have many operas here, and the ones that do play here are typically expensive for the quality of production. As this opera was pretty relevant to the history of Ecuador, I really wanted to see it, regardless of ticket price. Several of my friends and I met before the opera at the cafe across the plaza from the theatre for a light dinner. We had a great view out of the second floor window, and watched as a protest began in front of the theatre. The protest was quite different from what you would expect--a man dressed as the grim reaper on stilts and people playing drums. We were all very entertained by the spectacle, which we later discovered was in protest of the theatre being privatized. Then we noticed police cars coming up the street next to the theatre, which we assumed to be police breaking up the protest. No, it was the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, coming to the opera. Watching the two groups clash was pretty amusing. Unfortunately, the opera was not nearly as entertaining as the pre-show, but I felt that I got my money's worth just to see the grim reaper on stilts trying to get the President's attention.

how about a shoe shine?

2009-05-12T20:05:00.001-05:00

This afternoon I ended up in the historic center of Quito in a quest for opera tickets. Unfortunately, the theatre box office was closed, but as we were already there, my friend Carrie and I decided to take advantage of the people shining shoes in the street. The boy shining my shoes asked if I wanted him to use the paste on my shoes, and I said yes. He then removes the shoe color powder and mixes three different colors to create brown to match my tall brown boots. He used the powder and clear paste and polishes my boots. After he finished, I looked down and noticed that the lower part of my boot--the part he polished--was now a lighter shade of brown than the upper part of my boots, which had not been polished. I now have nice clean, shiny boots that I will be re-polishing with my dark brown paste before I wear them again.

to the left

2009-05-05T17:16:00.003-05:00

I just read this very interesting article about the Socialist system in the Netherlands. I highly recommend reading it--it's a good perspective from an American expat. Life there sounds pretty good: universal healthcare, government funds for every child, good public housing. Maybe Tobey and I will look for schools in Amsterdam next year...

beach weekend

2009-05-03T21:20:00.002-05:00

I went to the beach this weekend for the three-day Labor Day weekend. It rained. My camera and cellphone were stolen. The airline messed up our flight and we had to come home early (as in last night.) Great weekend.

(That last bit was sarcastic, by the way.)

don't cry for me, argentina

2009-04-21T20:55:00.010-05:00

The truth is, I never left you.

The Congressional Palace Casa Rosada, Presidential PalaceThe Obelisk Eva Peron's mausoleum at Recoleta Cemetary
La Boca neighborhood in Buenos Aires Museo Evita, in a house formerly used by the Eva Peron Foundation as a home for mothers and children.The mothers of the Disappeared, marching in front of the Casa Rosada in Plaza Mayo as they do every Thursday.

El Tigre, a charming village along the river
just outside of Buenos Aires.

and the money keeps rolling out

2009-04-14T20:59:00.003-05:00

Well, I had some success shopping here in Buenos Aires--I now have two new pairs of ballet flats, which had been pretty high on my list of wants. The shopping is not as fantastic as I had hoped (this always seems to be the case) and prices are sometimes high. It's especially difficult as pesos are 3 to 1 with the dollar, which might seem to help but instead gives you sticker shock every time. Since we are far into the Southern Hemisphere, the stores here are fully stocked with fall/winter items, but my brain is thinking summer in the States. I guess it's probably better for my bank account that I'm not loving everything I see.

Last night we went to a Tango show, which is pretty much a must-see here in BA. The dancing was terrific, but the singers (one female in particular) were not. If you know me, you can imagine my reactions, but let's just say I was making faces and groaning every time she walked onstage. Today we went to the cemetary in Recoleta to see Eva Peron's mausoleum, and then to the Museo de Bellas Artes, which had a small European collection but at least one Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and one of my favorite sculptures by Rodin.

Side note: the cafes here rock. We stop in all the time for a cappuccino or glass of wine in the afternoons. It reminds me a lot of Italy: pasta-heavy menus, always a basket of bread on the table, and bottles of agua con gas with every meal. I'm sure I'll miss that when I return to Quito.

what's new, buenos aires?

2009-04-12T10:49:00.002-05:00

I'm new, I want to say I'm just a little stuck on you--you'll be on me too.

How to describe Buenos Aires: sometimes it reminds me of Paris, sometimes it reminds me of Rome, sometimes Milan, and it is HOT and HUMID. The city is so beautiful, I forget sometimes that I'm still on the same continent. There are cafés galore, and there is a lot of outdoor dining, just as in many European cities.

We arrived at the hostel yesterday morning and crashed after the overnight flights, then after our naps we decided to explore the city. Our hostel is located on Avenida de Mayo, which is one of the major streets in downtown BA. On one end of the street is the Congressional Palace, and at the other end is the Casa Rosada (think Don't Cry for Me Argentina scene from Evita.) We explored both ends of the street, and then decided to take the bus to Recoleta, the ritzy area of the city where there are many museums and an arts and crafts market on the weekends. It was a little difficult finding the bus stop, and then we had to disembark the first bus because we didn't have change for the fare machine. Two bottles of water purchased later, and we had the correct change. We found the market, shopped a bit, and then headed back (walking) to the hostel. Later on, we went to dinner at a traditional Argentinian parillada (lots of grilled meat) and then attempted to go to a club. However, Argentinians are night owls, and even at 1 a.m. we were one of the first to arrive at the club. We stayed for maybe an hour, and then decided to retire for the night.

Today we headed to San Telmo, another area of the city famous for cafés and a huge Sunday antique market. We explored the market, tried on many pairs of vintage sunglasses, watched some Tango dancers perform in the street, and ate deliciously rich ice cream at Freddo. Tonight we went for dinner at a small cafeteria (more informal restaurant) and sat outside and drank cappuccinos at a café. Tomorrow we're off to shop, and I'm hoping to find a few pairs of shoes to take back as ¨souvenirs.¨

heading (far) south

2009-04-10T12:45:00.002-05:00

I wanna be a part of B.A., Buenos Aires, Big Apple

I'm off to Buenos Aires. As a person who relates places to movies, expect a lot of Evita quotes/lyrics to pop up within the next week. I'll try to post pictures and updates when I can.

busy busy busy

2009-04-06T23:23:00.003-05:00

So my computer's power cable died, so I am not working from my normal computer. Also, my friend Summer is visiting from the US, so posts are going to be few and far between for a while. Pop on over to Summer's blog www.2micetravels.blogspot.com to keep up. I leave for Buenos Aires on Friday, so I'm hoping to post from that great city!

unsolicited advice

2009-03-30T19:46:00.003-05:00

I had the funniest taxi driver this afternoon. I had to take a taxi after school in order to make it to the water company int time to pay this month's bill, and the taxi driver who took me was so amusing. We talked about US presidents, US presidents' mistresses, the bad luck of the Kennedy family, my family, where I came from (and what they produce in Indiana) and of course, what I thought of Ecuador. He helped me with my Spanish when I made mistakes, but in a genial manner. Towards the end of the ride, he said to me (in Spanish of course): Allison, you need to find a boyfriend. You're how old? I responded that I was 27, and he continued that after 30, where I cut him off and said, "I know, it gets more difficult." I was thoroughly entertained for the 20 minutes and $5 it took me to get to my destination.

what not to wear

2009-03-28T12:34:00.002-05:00

I just had a little scare.

My friend just returned from Buenos Aires, and when I asked her about the weather, she said that it was HOT. I am going to Buenos Aires in two weeks, and I am not prepared for hot. As BA is located well into the Southern Hemisphere, it will be fall for them when I arrive, which I rather stupidly assumed would mean cooler temperatures. I don't have cute hot-weather clothes with me here in Quito (we just don't need them.) I have hot-weather beach clothes, but BA is a cosmopolitan city and I cannot be running around in beach dresses and flip-flops. When I checked handy-dandy weather.com, they predicted temperatures in the low to mid 70s. I guess I will not be bringing all my cute little jackets and cardigans, but I can get away with more of my everyday Quito clothes. Whew--fashion emergency avoided. ;)

hot and cold

2009-03-22T19:18:00.005-05:00

This weekend my girlfriends and I decided to play nature girls yet again. We planned to hike to Papallacta, a town where there is a resort famous for its hot spring thermal baths. The hike is through a nature park, and to get there we took a bus out of Quito to this roadside altar to the Virgin, and then walked to the entrance to the park. It was cloudy and cool, but the landscape was beautiful, and so we commenced our 5 hour hike to the other side of the park, which was just above Papallacta. We were having a great time enjoying the scenery--this area of the park was at a pretty high altitude and has more shrubby vegetation. We hiked past lakes and to the top of the mountain, stopping for a small snack. As we descended into the valley, it began to mist a little, but nothing unbearable. The misting stopped and we continued onward. However, 2 hours into the hike, it really started to rain, and then it really rained. I had neither poncho nor raincoat with me (poor planning I know) and so I was beginning to get rather cold and wet. At this point, I informed my friends that in my movie, this is the part where we call for the helicopter to pick us up and take us the rest of the way. But as it was real life and not a movie, we continued on. The path started to become very muddy, and the footing became much harder. Finally we reached the road that would lead us out of the park, and my friend kept insisting that it wasn't much further. By this point, I believe I told my friends that in my story, this is the point where the handsome man rides up on his horse and takes me back to his warm cabin. As there was no such luck, we kept walking. At this point I was just concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, as I was soaked and cold. We continued down the road, and I was not in the best of spirits, when suddenly I slipped and fell in the mud. I stood up and said,"This is the end of Allison the Nature Girl. Get me a warm bathrobe and a glass of wine and GET ME OUT OF HERE!" We kept going and going, and I thought the hike was never going to end, when it finally did. We got to the lodge on the other side of the park, called for a truck to take us to the resort, and fairly ran (or moved as fast as our tired bodies could) to the thermal baths. We sat in the baths for a while, went for dinner, and then went back to the baths. At one point I decided I was ready for bed, and made my announcement, and then realized it was only 8:30. I was so tired that I didn't care and went to bed anyway. The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxing, but I am pretty tired and sore today and definitely will not be doing any more 5 hour hikes unless there is not a cloud in the sky.

equation

2009-03-20T16:10:00.002-05:00

A Friday afternoon
+
Rain
=
An extra 30 minutes tacked onto my trip home

(Quito traffic can be pretty ridiculous.)

a little advice from me to you

2009-03-17T21:00:00.003-05:00

Dear You,

Do not argue with me. Ever. Especially if you are my student.

Sincerely,
Me

in my opinion

2009-03-16T17:19:00.004-05:00

This is an open letter to Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series of teen fiction. I'm sorry, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Ecuador; I just have a few strong opinions that I want to express.

Dear Ms. Meyer,

I was not going to read your books. It's not that I thought they weren't worth the time, it's just that I didn't really think I'd be interested in vampires.

Then I saw the movie version of Twilight this weekend, and I was a little hooked. I had to find out what was going to happen next, so I started the novel, with the intention of following it up with the others.

I just finished the novel (in under 24 hours) and while I enjoyed it, I do have one strong issue with the protagonist (?) of the book, Mr. Edward Cullen: his relationship with Bella is extremely unreal. Now granted, I understand that he's a vampire and she's a human, and he is designed to be extremely attractive to lure his victims, but beyond the dazzling looks and so on, he says and does things that are not real life. Real boys/men do not behave that way--the constant compliments, declarations of love, etc.--or at least not sincerely. Once again, I get it: it's fiction, but my main concern here is the unrealistic portrayal of a "good" relationship to the millions of teenage girls (and boys) who are reading this around the world. As a middle school/high school teacher, I understand how impressionable these young students are, and while I'm glad they are reading and enjoying your books, I want them to have a clear picture of what makes a truly "good" relationship, as their judgment is already clouded by raging hormones.

So I guess I'm really saying Congratulations, you did your job well--I am completely hooked by your book. However, I'm warning you, you are now in the same boat as the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson.

Sincerely,
A Realist

my favorite things

2009-03-12T16:07:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of my favorite things about my school, in no particular order:

My school is more of a campus-setting rather than one large enclosed building, so I walk from building to building depending on where I need to go. With the usually mild weather here, it is wonderful to have the chance to be outside and in the sun so often.
We also have spectacularly landscaped grounds, with flowers and trees blooming year-round. I had never seen calla lily plants until I came here, and they are all around our campus.
The food at my school is really good, and very reasonably priced. Not only do they serve a hot, made-from-scratch lunch everyday, but they also have fresh fruit salads, all sorts of breads, sandwiches made with real chicken (not cold cuts) and vegetable salads. The food is also available throughout the entire school day, which is very convenient, and sometimes too convenient.
Our library is excellent, with lots of adult fiction (not just the teen variety.) In a country where books in English are difficult to find and expensive, this is very important.
I work with a group of really interesting, fun, dedicated teachers. We are all pretty diverse and yet still a close-knit community. It's great to work with people that you'd pick as your friends.

Cotopaxi

2009-03-10T18:04:00.007-05:00

Hiking Cotopaxi: coolest thing I've done here yet.

We drove two hours out of Quito to reach the Parque Nacional Cotopaxi. The park is absolutely huge and beautiful, with several mountains and beautiful views. The tour bus took us up to the "parking lot" on Cotopaxi, which is about 4200 meters (almost 14,000 feet) above sea level, and from there we began the hike. The hike itself was not difficult, but the altitude made it far more strenous. At that far above sea level, the air is so thin that any physical activity is difficult--we were hiking at an extremely slow pace, but we were all huffing and puffing, and I was experiencing headaches and earaches due to the lack of oxygen and change in pressure. We hiked up to the refuge, rested for a while, and then continued on up to the snow patch. At this point, I understood how easy it is for climbers to become disoriented on mountains, as the clouds were rolling in so quickly that visibility was deteriorating, and I could hardly see much ahead or above us. We hiked through the snow, which was very slippery, up to the glacier level and stopped at 5000 meters (just over 16,000 feet.) To continue on from this point we would have needed special gear, but we did get up close and personal with some of the glaciers. I've heard that glaciers seem to glow, and it really is true--the one I saw seemed to emit a blue-green light. Finally, after many many photos, we began the descent to the refuge (which was markedly easier) and stopped for lunch of chicken soup and sandwiches inside. I was seriously so hungry that I abadoned my manners and was dropping food on my lap constantly. After lunch, we continued down to the parking lot, at which point they unloaded the bikes for the ride down the volcano. This was the part about which I was the least excited, and after testing my bike out and finding the brakes less than satisfactory, I opted to ride down in the bus instead. I enjoyed the views much better that way. In all, it was a wonderful, exciting adventure, and I can't wait to go back next year and conquer the summit!

Leah and me in Parque Nacional CotopaxiThe hike up to the refuge
In front of the glaciers Magnificent Cotopaxi

what did i just buy?

2009-03-07T16:26:00.005-05:00

I am now the proud owner of the ugliest shoes ever. Okay, maybe not ugliest, but they are not cute. I had to purchase a pair of hiking boots, as tomorrow my friends and I are hiking Cotopaxi, the second highest peak here in Ecuador. Because of the high altitude on Cotopaxi, we will spend part of the time climbing glaciers, for which hiking boots are pretty necessary. This fact along with my hope/plan to do more hiking and even possibly summit Cotopaxi next year led me to the purchase that I made today. I know hiking boots are not supposed to be cute, but keep in mind that I'm the girl who thrives on cute shoes, and wears heels at least three days a week. Example of my shoe obsession: I brought five pairs of black shoes with me to Ecuador. I think shoes are a big part of an outfit, and darn it, these boots just do not match my hiking pants.

hail the flag

2009-03-01T21:16:00.004-05:00

Yes, I am still alive--I fought the battle against the amoebas and came out victorious (or at least I think I won--I still cringe at the slightest stomach rumble.) Otherwise, life has been pretty normal, which I guess is a good thing. I've somehow stayed busy with nothing of much interest, hence the lack of posts this past week.

At school last Friday we had the Ceremony of Flags. I had not yet experienced this ceremony, and wasn't exactly sure what it was, but I decided to sit in on the 5th/6th grade one to watch and learn. The Ceremony of Flags is a very patriotic ceremony in which the top students from 5th and 6th grades are honored for their academic and disciplinary achievements. The top students from fifth grade march in with Ecuadorian flags, and then the entire sixth grade marches in. The top nine students from 6th grade march in, and the top three are presented with the flags of Ecuador, Quito, and the school. They make pledges to serve and protect the country, the top student makes a speech, and then the ceremony concludes with the entire sixth grade kissing the Ecuadorian flags that the 5th graders present. It was such an interesting, unique ceremony, and I'm still not exactly sure how I feel about it. I was so excited to see students recognized for their academic and behavioral achievements, but I also felt a little strange about the extremely militaristic style of the whole ceremony. It is yet another example of the cultural differences I am experiencing on a daily basis--who can say if it is good or bad, just different.

uninvited guests

2009-02-19T15:56:00.002-05:00

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

2009-02-11T17:51:00.002-05:00

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

2009-02-08T10:36:00.008-05:00

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

2009-02-05T18:06:00.005-05:00

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

2009-02-01T12:22:00.004-05:00

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.

how things change

2009-01-29T19:30:00.002-05:00

A year ago this weekend, I was in northern Iowa for the international job fair. I've been thinking a lot about this lately, and how so much has changed in the past 12 months. The job fair was one of the most difficult weekends I've ever experienced, beginning with an 8 hour drive that turned into a 12 hour drive thanks to the weather and a small sliding-off-road incident that left me rather hysterical and extremely pessimistic. The entire weekend was a huge emotional rollercoaster, as I walked into the fair expecting a job offer from a school in Abu Dhabi only to not get offered the job. I also interviewed for a job in a Swiss boarding school close to the Italian border, which also did not pan out. At one point, I checked out of my hotel and thought I would end up heading home jobless, when I landed an interview for my school here in Ecuador. It was crazy to suddenly be considering a job on a continent that was not even on my radar, and I had a small meltdown when it came to make the final decision. Now I understand that this is the place I was meant to be, and I would not change my experience for anything. It's crazy to think all this has happened in a year, and I can't possibly imagine in what direction I'll be moving this time next year.

moving

2009-01-23T15:36:00.001-05:00

This week I moved into my new classroom at school. It was pretty exciting to get a brand-new room, especially after the room I started the school year working in. Here's the before:It was basically a walk-out basement with no windows--pretty cold and dreary. Here is (ta-da!) the after:Big beautiful windows, new carpet, built-in shelves and cabinets, and it's warm when I come in every morning! The view is pretty great, too.

en español

2009-01-20T15:32:00.003-05:00

There have a been a few times that I've particularly missed being in the States, and today was one of those days. With such an amazing, historical event happening today, I was a bit sad not to be present in the atmosphere of such a momentous and hopeful day. However, I did have my own uniquely South American inaugural experience, which was probably a once-in-a-lifetime deal. The television coverage here of course is not what it is in the States, but the inauguration ceremony was broadcast live on local television. A little before noon, the US and Ecuadorian teachers alike crowded around the big screen television in the club de profesores and watched a dubbed version of the ceremony and President Obama's (!) speech. While I had a tough time following the mixture of Spanish and English, and although Obama's eloquence just does not translate well to Spanish, it was exciting to see it live, and furthermore, to see the excitement and interest among my Ecuadorian co-workers. I spoke with my seventh grade students afterwards, and we discussed why it was important for the speech to have been dubbed here in Ecuador, as not everyone here understands English. I expressed how important I felt it was for the whole world to understand his message, and to know that even though we're not proud of some of the decisions we've made in the past, we're ready to change.

And now I'm going to watch the full speech in English on YouTube!

live in concert

2009-01-18T21:01:00.005-05:00

I was very much looking forward to the Inaugural Concert at the Lincoln Memorial this afternoon, with its all-star lineup including my favorite, Josh Groban. I had researched and knew that HBO was providing free live streaming on cable and online. However, when I went to the HBO website, I was disappointed to find that the free streaming was only available to people in the US and its territories. (This happens rather frequently--do they not understand there are US citizens around the globe trying to stay connected?) Therefore, I was only able to listen to the concert via live audio streaming on NPR (did I mention I love NPR?) This evening, however, I was super excited to find on YouTube a video clip of my dear Josh performing in this afternoon's concert!

blackout

2009-01-15T22:05:00.003-05:00

We didn't have electricity for most of this evening--actually, the entire country of Ecuador didn't have electricity for most of this evening. I'm not sure exactly what the cause was (certainly not a volcanic eruption) but we lost power twice, and so at one point this evening I was grading papers by candlelight. The best part of the rather inconvenient situation was watching the intersection just down the street from us cope with a lack of working traffic lights at rush hour.My roommate, Andrew, says that the traffic jam was a perfect metaphor for Ecuador: people are out for their own benefit and don't think about what will help the greater good, and then things get messy.

perspective

2009-01-11T19:18:00.004-05:00

Please check out my friend Emily's blog. Emily is also an international teacher whom I met at the job fair last year, and she is teaching in Cairo. Living so close to Gaza and all of the violence as well as her recent trip to Israel have given her a really interesting perspective on the events happening between the two groups. Even though I am geographically far removed from the region, there is something about living and working in another country, or perhaps being removed from the US "bubble," that has led me to a more worldly perspective on happenings around the globe. I feel more cognizant of the fact that no matter where you live, the world is made up of people just trying to make it through each day and find happiness, whatever that may be. It's incredibly sad that these people are caught up in a fight that really isn't even theirs, and where "right" and "wrong" are so blurred. In times like these, you really must stop and be thankful for the blessings and opportunities that we are so fortunate to have.

3 reasons to go to bed early

2009-01-07T20:34:00.002-05:00

New pillows=no more fluffing.
New sheets--350 thread count, compared to the 180 TC crap I bought when I first arrived.
Bath and Body Works' Lavender Chamomile Pillow Mist. It works wonders.

january blahs

2009-01-04T13:52:00.003-05:00

I'm afraid that I've come down with a case of the January Blahs. My symptoms include feeling unmotivated and preferring to stay in my sweats watching movies all day long rather than getting out and being productive. Normally I would attribute this to the weather, but as the weather here never really changes, I can no longer cite that as the cause. If I were to guess, I would suspect that this case has been brought on by a post-holiday/big event let-down (my singer friends used to call this "post-performance syndrome.") I've finished the big concerts at work, Christmas holidays are over, and the big family visit is past as well. I need something to work towards, look forward to, or a new project to consume my time. Maybe I should just start planning more movie fests for the remaining weekends in January...

a milestone of sorts

2009-01-02T07:40:00.003-05:00

This is the New Year's post I've been meaning to write, but I've been busy entertaining my dad and sister and having a great time.

Looking back on 2008, on both the grander and smaller scales, it's been quite a year:

I planned and executed a move to a foreign country.
I adapted to living in a foreign country, teaching in a new school, and getting around sans personal vehicle.
I survived what has basically been the first semester of teaching in a new school, and put on several successful concerts (and impressed my boss, not an easy feat.)
I can now converse in Spanish well enough to navigate my way through the city in normal daily life.

I typically don't make resolutions for the new year, and after thinking back on 2008, am not really sure that I can top the excitement level for that year. My hope for 2009 is to continue enjoying, exploring, and learning about this country; to work towards proficiency in Spanish; and to be so very thankful for all that I have and the opportunities and people in my life. We shall see what comes next!

christmas unwrapped

2008-12-26T12:41:00.002-05:00

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

2008-12-24T07:00:00.001-05:00

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

2008-12-21T21:20:00.003-05:00

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

2008-12-16T20:07:00.004-05:00

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?

2008-12-14T17:37:00.002-05:00

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

2008-12-12T17:43:00.002-05:00

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

2008-12-09T18:42:00.005-05:00

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

2008-12-02T21:27:00.002-05:00

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

2008-12-01T19:58:00.004-05:00

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

2008-11-25T16:01:00.002-05:00

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

2008-11-21T15:48:00.003-05:00

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

2008-11-19T17:17:00.003-05:00

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:

Give a really fantastic presentation in English and chance that most people won't understand it.
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

2008-11-13T22:59:00.003-05:00

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?

2008-11-13T19:34:00.002-05:00

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

2008-11-11T16:44:00.002-05:00

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...

2008-11-06T21:27:00.002-05:00

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

2008-11-04T17:34:00.014-05:00

Well, I survived the jungle.

It turned out to be a great time. We stayed (all 12 of us) at Huasquila l odge 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

2008-10-30T17:39:00.003-05:00

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?

2008-10-28T17:13:00.005-05:00

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

2008-10-26T12:20:00.007-05:00

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

2008-10-24T22:15:00.004-05:00

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

tgit

2008-10-23T15:50:00.002-05:00

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

2008-10-19T12:29:00.007-05:00

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 me Birthday ice cream en flambe!

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

hail today, gone tomorrow?

2008-10-17T15:43:00.002-05:00

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

2008-10-15T19:55:00.000-05:00

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

2008-10-07T15:39:00.004-05:00

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

2008-10-02T22:00:00.003-05:00

ricotta cheese in ecuador is better than ricotta cheese in the us.
head colds are not fun no matter where you are.
apple nectar=not so good. apple nectar+sprite=yummy.
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

2008-09-29T17:54:00.003-05:00

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

2008-09-24T22:15:00.002-05:00

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

weather, phones, and sushi

2008-09-23T17:37:00.004-05:00

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

2008-09-22T20:15:00.002-05:00

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

small world

2008-09-17T21:54:00.002-05:00

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

2008-09-14T20:27:00.013-05:00

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

2008-09-10T17:25:00.006-05:00

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

2008-09-08T21:20:00.002-05:00

The famously cheap, 25 for $2 Ecuadorian roses.