Adios Primer Ano

Who woulda' thought
while in Iowa

We are close to wrapping up the end of the year at school (10 school days left but who's counting) and we have our flights back to the states booked and ready. As we are approaching that time, it seemed like an appropriate time for reflection. I don’t want to go into a summary of our experiences and adventures because we have detailed all of those on this blog as they were happening, (volcano hiking and camping, llama fights, pink bedrooms, Amazon treks, Galapagos swims and trips to the beach) I would rather go into the mindset part of things for a moment. I have pictures from all the fun stuff but if this blog is about capturing the most accurate representation of our time here then I have to write these experiences down before they’re out of my memory for good.

Ughh. the pink room.

This whole thing was about experiencing new things. We wanted to experience new culture and we did. Sometimes that’s pretty and idealistic as you talk to a local about the differences between your food and theirs. Other times it’s a messy string of unrelated moments where you can’t explain to a taxi driver where you live or where you can’t eat dinner because no matter how hard you try you simply can’t tell a person what you want. We’ve been boxed into the cereal aisle of a grocery store by people too inconsiderate to notice the presence of other beings.

House hunting seemed
so long ago

This year has seen us drop our jaws in awe at the majestic views of the Andes Mountains, glistening white sand of the South American Coastline, and fear while standing on the cap of a volcano. We have met incredible people. We have experienced food that takes your breath away. We have made lifelong friends and seen them grow from party people to parents. We’ve seen people break down and find strangers willing to lend a shoulder. We’ve learned so much about this country, this lifestyle (the good and the bad), and redefined our previous conceptions of life outside of the US. It wasn't easy to get here. We had to argue with the Visa offices, send countless mail on behalf of Howie, pack up our lives to ship them, and say some very tough goodbyes to great friends and family.

I'll take all the victories I can
get, little or big

When we got here we had some struggles. We didn’t have a home at first and two days to find one with the help of the school which was a cascading avalanche of pressure. Once we found one, we were without hot water and our possessions for about a month and a half. We were cold, frustrated, and hopeful. We have had our hard moments where we’ve had friends robbed at gun and knife point and car dealerships that made me want to bring the weapon into the picture. Putting the pieces in place for us to live the kind of life we expect and need has been arduous and long. I mean, we’ve been here since August 13 and we are just this weekend having a washer and dryer installed and we just got an oven last week! I’m sure there’s a ton of work to be done in the future but in the meantime I’ll take my little victories and enjoy them.

If this post is a bit scattered between the good and the bad…then good. That’s what life was like here. That’s what our lives have been for the past 9 months. But the fact of the matter is, through the difficulties and through the frustrations a fog lifted and we began to navigate our way around a strange new place. We carved a life out of the thicket of tangled confusion. That’s one of the most valuable lessons I can take from this first year. We had many tough times. We had many experiences that we couldn’t have had anywhere else in the world. We learned a lot about our students, international teaching, a new country, a new language, and most importantly ourselves. We realized that while this transition was huge, it is something that we can handle and we had a blast along the way. I look forward to our trip to the states. I look forward to real BBQ sauce, M&Ms, music I understand, and the guarantee that I will not see a pig’s head or a flame thrower on the side of the road. But at the same time, I can’t wait until we come back next year and do it all again without the transition and culture shock. It’ll be time to sink our teeth into Ecuador. We’ll be busy planning a wedding and all of that but we won’t have to go through the house hunt, car search, language barrier, laundry hikes and cold water nights. I will always look back on this first year fondly with memories of struggle and triumph that I appreciate equally. 

It hasn't all been hard but I'm looking
forward to coming back.

End of Year Reflection

As I sit here at our dining room table on the morning of departure, I am feeling triumphant. We have made it through our first year abroad and we’ve done it gracefully if I may say so. I remember that when Justin and I first accepted the offer to come teach in Ecuador, we were only just months into a romantic relationship. Justin had never travelled beyond the territorial United States, and neither of us had any idea what to expect. That’s a pretty big burden on a new couple if you think about it. And when you think about the stress and anxiety and culture shock that would come along with a move like this, you would expect there to be some strain on the relationship. And yet, I’m proud to say we hung tough together. And all of the hardships and adjustments we had to make we went through together and are all the more strong for it. I remember breaking into sobs one night the first month here, yet another cold water shower that just finally broke my spirit and sent me into weeping mixed with teeth chattering, complaining that I could feel the cold in my knees and my knuckles. And Justin grabbed every blanket we had and wrapped me up tight like a burrito and actually laid on top of me to try to warm me up with his body heat. Like we were on goddarn Survivorman. And that actually pretty sums up how we handled the rest of the challenges we faced this year. We just bundled up, huddled together and got through it.

And apart from our personal triumphs, we jumped professional hurdles as well. Justin became a Language Arts teacher for the first time ever – and killed it! I navigated my way through the world of sticky little people – otherwise known as Early Childhood. And while I can now say more confidently than ever that I am definitely a Secondary Education person, I am thankful for all I learned in just this one year about child development and literacy and just the really weird, funny things that little kids do all the time. I learned about self-stimulation and sensory needs. (Insert raised eyebrow here). And I learned that for some mystifying reason, even though I don’t have the feathery adoring voice of an elementary teacher and I don’t pretend like everything they say is profoundly interesting, little kids love me, man. And I know I’ll always be welcome in that world.

And now we’re going home for the summer. Home to our families and our friends. Home to the land of convenience and variety in shopping. Home to craft beers! Home to fast food chicken sandwiches and reality TV and traffic laws and personal injury attorneys and exorbitantly priced medical care. And I’m feeling happy and accomplished of how far we’ve come in a year. And relieved that next year is going to be so much easier.

Construction

Here is an update on the construction in front of our apartment.

Cyclista

We live on a road that is one of the exits of a round-a-bout at a major intersection known as El Ciclista. It is called “The Cyclist” because of it being next to the side of Parque Metropolitano that features a BMX bike park, and because of the unique and unmistakable marionette-like unicyclist statue sitting in middle of the circle. About one month after moving into our apartment, crews began a major construction project that, sadly, saw the cyclist removed and the roads torn up into a tangle of chaos, blasting horns, and traffic cop whistles.

New University

Well, in the last 9 months there’s been quite a lot of progress. A university is being built across the street. It’s going to be a 7-story building that unfortunately, blocks almost our entire view of the Parque Metropolitano. And to ease the already stagnant clog of traffic that is constantly drudging through the Ciclista round-a-bout, a tunnel is being constructed. The tunnel should divert the Cumbaya traffic and take some of the volume away from the round-a-bout. The exit of the tunnel is directly under our bedroom window. And much of this construction has been occurring late and through the nighttime. Let’s just say we’ve had to break into our Nyquil reserves on a few occasions, just to manage a few hours sleep. 

New Tunnel

And though I would have much preferred the view of giant eucalyptus trees of the park rather than a looming university building, I do give the planners credit for laying a beautiful brick sidewalk, grass! (quite a luxury in this city), and even a few sapling trees. And while we literally unable to use our car for a few days, due the garage being inaccessible as the road was torn up, we have been treated to a freshly paved, painted, and now clearly designated two-way street in front of our apartment. You can see a few pictures of the current state of construction as it is now. Our hopes are that the majority of the road construction will be completed by the time we return in late August. Who knows, maybe even our Ciclista statue will be back!

Blue Box of Comfort

Certain foods will always remind us of home and give us that warm, contented feeling. I’ve come to grasp that this year when I realize there are foods that just aren’t available here, or if they are they’re imported and extremely expensive, or they’re a knockoff brand and just aren’t as good as the original. Take Oreos for example. I’ve never like Oreos. I’ve always shunned them as a cookie choice but Oreos are all over the place here. And I see them and go “Aww, Oreos! Just like at home!” And I have probably eaten about a dozen mini-packs of Oreos this year. I think it’s totally an emotional fix. Popular candy bars like Snickers, Twix, and Reese’s Cups are available here – in certain posh tiendas, for $2.50 each. So if you really want an American candy bar fix, it’s available to you, at a premium.

So Happy!!!

 But one of my most treasured comfort foods of all time is Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I know, it’s disgusting. But there is something about that little envelope of orange powdered cheese that just makes me feel happy and full and safe. It probably has something to do with the fact that this was pretty much a staple lunch during the summers of my childhood. Parents are at work for the day + kids left to make their own meals = mac & cheese. Were there other options in the pantry? Of course. But mac & cheese is easy, it’s ready in 10 minutes, and it’s always delicious. ALWAYS.

Sadly, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is one of the American junk foods that didn’t make the import cut. It’s unavailable here. Sure, there are other brands of macaroni and cheese. Dubious imposters all of them! I have tried all three brands available here and none of them can hold a candle to my treasured Blue Box.

Flash forward a few months. Justin and I are with my family in New Jersey to mourn the passing of my beloved Aunt Bette. And it was during this time when I finally got to meet my second cousin, Ann. Conversation turns to our experiences in Ecuador and what we miss about home, etc. Naturally food comes up. So I mention how much I miss Kraft Mac & Cheese (or KMC as it will now be referred to). Well of course she is understandably horrified and teases me for liking such a processed, junky food. She jokes about shipping me a box of KMC down to Ecuador. I explained to her how unreliable the mail system is, and that it’s a long shot and I may never get the package.

Well Ann takes this a challenge and decides she’s going to mail me a box of KMC. And sure enough! I got it! The package was post-marked April 23rd. It arrived to my school on May 19th. The postage required to mail a single box of KMC was $14.30!!!!! But by golly, she did it! And I got the package! What a sweetheart! I was elated to shake the package and hear the dry little elbow noodles moving around. The box was a little smashed up and some of the noodles had escaped the box and were loose inside the envelope. But I didn’t care, I gleefully brought my package home from school that day.

I waited for the right moment to enjoy my treat. Unable to decide on a proper wine pairing, I treated myself to an imported Stella beer ($3 for the single bottle). The perfect Saturday afternoon arrived. I cooked up my KMC, cracked open my Stella, found some old reruns of CSI on the TV and sat down to a lovely, comforting meal. And for that afternoon, I felt like I was at home again. THANKS ANN!!

Unrest

Earlier in the year I made a brief post talking about having a day off from school as a precautionary measure due to political protests. Well, they're back again. As someone who lives in this country but still considers himself a guest of the country, I will refrain from making or expressing my own political opinion on the issues taking place but you get the gist of what's happening here, here, or here.

One thing I do know is this, things got real last night. We were told by a few friends that the President would be returning from Europe last night and protests were planned at the airport to meet him, and all along the roads to his home. According to this person, the President was passing an unfair tax and while he was in Europe, he was purchasing a 3 million dollar home in Belgium with tax money. People were very upset. I don't know about the purchase of the house, but I do know he was there are an international meeting among leaders of various nations.

I've mentioned that we live close to the President, and we also live close to the highway that links the President's house to the airport. We took the extra precaution of walking the dog early so we were inside before anything went down...just in case. Well at around 7:30 we heard a lot of this:

The audio isn't great but you can tell that there were people in the street banging on pots and pans, whistling, chanting "Down with Correa", beeping horns, wearing black and other demonstrations of general unrest.

This went on for about a half hour and Shannon and I speculated that the President would be coming through shortly. So we did what anyone in our position would do, we pulled up some chairs to the window, got a drink, and sat own to see the show.

Riot Police Setting Up Shop

Next came the riot police. Yes, riot police. Outside of our apartment there were about 20-30 armed riot police complete with shields and what appeared to be guns, although it was hard to see since it was dark out. They stationed a handful of them down the street which was the entrance of the gated community the President lives in, another handful of them across the street from us, and the rest at the end of the street where the majority of the protest noise was coming from. The result of their presence was instant silence. People stopped banging on pots and went inside. It turned to a ghost town.

Army Truck Number 1

When the riot police set up in their formations, we started seeing two army trucks driving up and down our street with armed soldiers in the back of the truck. The soldiers never got out of the truck but the mere presence of an army regiment was enough to deter any violence.

After about 20 minutes we stopped watching due to the inactivity but for a while it felt like we were on the edge of some bad stuff going down.

Either way, we're safe and it luckily diffused before anything bad went down outside of our apartment.

Only in Ecuador-2

Seat belts are made of tires. In order to be safe on a motorcycle, one simply loops a tire around the waist of the person in front of you and holds on tight. That way they get a seat belt and you get handlebars. (Don't worry, I took the photo at a red light) Only in Ecuador.

Only in Ecuador-1

There are some things that happen here that require no additional words. They are things that only happen here in Ecuador. I'll post these from time to time with nothing more than a picture and an explanation of what's happening. The reasons, well I have no reasons.

Only in Ecuador will you walk the dog at 4:15am and see a flame thrower. When passing it I thought perhaps it was some sort of late night construction project that would be picked up in a few moments. Instead, when I came back down the road 40 minutes later I found the flame thrower still sitting there...facing the road and walkway. Still lit...Only in Ecuador.

What's Up Doc?

I came down with a cold “el gripe” a couple of weeks ago that turned into a sinus infection. And while it was a miserable two and half weeks, I did get a funny story out of it. Our school provides us with a list of preferred doctors and medical professionals, but only very few of them speak English. So I went to the one guy on the list that I knew I would be able to communicate with fully.

This certain doctor, I’ve noticed, after several visits to his office that week has a little ritual before he begins his exam. He opens up the little cabinet door in the exam room, retrieves a large rectangular glass bottle of ginger-scented cologne and rubs it on his hands and neck. He then proceeds to check your eyes, ears, and mouth – all while you are enveloped in the aroma of warm, fresh, clean ginger. It’s nice.

He took one look at me and diagnosed me with acute sinusitis. No surprise there. But rather than prescribing me antibiotics and sending me on my way as most doctors would have done, he started my treatment right away. First he gave me a breathing treatment with a bronchodilator solution. After that was finished, he sent his nurse in with a sinus irrigation bottle. Now, I’ve used a Netipot for years to flush out my sinuses and I regret not bringing it down here with me. But I have never had someone else actually operating the pot (or in this case, bottle) for me. I won’t go into graphic detail, but let’s just say that having your sinuses irrigated by a stranger is a very intimate, and extremely messy process. Once I got past the initial embarrassment, I was able to appreciate the instant relief.

And just when I thought my treatment was over, Dr. Ginger Hands repositioned the exam table and instructed me to lay down flat, face-down. Okay…this is weird, I thought. Dr. Ginger Hands walks out and now I’m alone in the exam room. A few moments later, I hear the door open again and then, much to my surprise I am being karate-chopped and slapped all up and down my back by the tiny, vigorous hands of the office cleaning lady. I am not joking, this was the same woman who was sweeping the floors and cleaning the windows when I arrived. And now she is attacking my back with a gusto and strategy. With cupped hands, she proceeds to pound and smack my back up and down, side to side. And this goes on for quite a while. Finally, she finishes working on my back and I’m allowed to sit back up. She smiles at me and leaves.

When the doctor returns, I ask him what the back-slapping was all about. He chuckles and explains that that treatment is meant to loosen all the mucus from the esophagus so that it can be swallowed and doesn’t reaming hanging on in your respiratory system. Gross. But effective.

So after an hour of treatment, I’m able to leave to pick up my antibiotics and start recovering. I do appreciate the hands-on experience as I feel it did a great deal to boost my recovery. And while I appreciate the nurse’s efforts, I think I will be bringing my own NetiPot back with me from the United States this time.

Cotopaxi

One of the things that makes our country and our city so unique is the beauty that surrounds it. Quito lies nestled in the Andes Mountains and is surrounded by a half dozen or so active volcanoes. Most of these active volcanoes are technically active but not usually doing stuff. The geological makeup of the area means that in any direction you look, you see cityscape. Everywhere you look the city slopes either up or down towards the side of a mountain. In the distance in every direction the horizon is broken by  massive rock mountainsides or rolling steep hills. It’s incredibly unique. However, the thing that makes living here so awe inspiring is the same thing that makes this place a potentially dangerous place to live.

Ring of Fire

Ecuador lies on the eastern portion of the “Ring of Fire.” Surrounding the Pacific Ocean, there are countless trenches and tectonic plates shifting and moving and making the Pacific Rim a seismically charged region. Most of the world’s tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes lie on the edges of this ring. When one thing happens, there usually tends to be a chain reaction. An earthquake leads to tsunamis which lead to volcanic eruptions in some cases. Now as I say that, I must also make the disclaimer that most of these seismic moments of activity are relatively calm and benign. However, danger exists and caution should be practiced.

One of the largest active volcanoes in the world, Cotopaxi is relatively close to Quito. You may recall when I posted earlier this year about camping at its feet with 31 middle school kids. Well, the majestic beauty known as the neck of the moon is getting restless.

This week, we all received this email from the US Embassy:

U.S. Embassy Quito, Ecuador

Security Message for U.S. Citizens

Increased Activity on the Cotopaxi Volcano

The U.S. Mission in Ecuador advises U.S. citizens living or traveling in Ecuador that the Cotopaxi volcano, an active volcano near Quito, located within the Cotopaxi National Park in the Cotopaxi Province, has recently experienced a rise unusual activity.  According to the Ecuadorian Geophysical Institute, since mid-April 2015, Cotopaxi has experienced an unusually high level of seismic activity, more frequent movement of magma inside the volcano, and an increase in sulfur dioxide emissions, resulting in periodic sulfur smells and visible vapor emissions (fumarole activity).  While the Ecuadorian government has not announced any alerts for the Cotopaxi volcano at this time, U.S. citizens are advised to take precautions and monitor the news for updates. 

U.S. citizens are also reminded that the Tungurahua volcano, near the tourist community of Baños in Tungurahua Province, and the Wolf volcano, located on an uninhabited area of Isabela Island in the Galapagos Islands chain, are currently undergoing eruption cycles, along with other volcanoes in Ecuador.  For more information on current activity, visit the Spanish-language website of the Ecuadorian Geophysical Institute, which monitors volcanoes and earthquakes.

My Old Friend

 So…there’s that. After talking to a few locals and science people I was assured of a few things.

First, I heard if Cotopaxi blew, it would be so large that even though it is very far away, we’d be relatively guaranteed of imminent death due to the amount of ash. A much smaller volcano erupted nearly in 2000 and the city was coated with 2-3 inches of ash for weeks. If the mammoth Cotopaxi blew it would be catastrophic to the people living nearby due to lava flow and environmentally catastrophic to anyone who likes the sun, plants, or breathing.

Second, I heard it was nothing to worry about. If Cotopaxi blew it would likely be a small eruption that would spew some sulfur and a little bit of ash and likely be it.

Third I heard that even though seismic activity has been increasing, the chances of living near a volcano that produces life-ending results is about 1/3,000,000,000.

Hold tight big girl, don't lose your cool

Who knows what to believe? We leave to go back to the states in a few weeks so I can only hope if something happens here it is mild enough not to destroy the city that I call my home or the residents who I call my neighbors. We were told that if it happens and it's bad that it would be best to drive north to Colombia. The roads in and out of Quito are pretty small and there aren't many ways in and out so if anything happened we'd need to be ready. We're hoping all is good, and in all likelihood it will be, but in true Boy Scout fashion we are prepared anyway. We have a backpack with blankets, batteries, flash lights, water, canned food, cash, matches, dog food, an extra leash, and some medicine waiting in our apartment just in case something happens. Not likely that we'll need it but I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Cotopaxi is nothing to be trifled with and while I will be monitoring the progress of the upset belly of this beast I will be hoping and praying that it is closer to indigestion than an overdue explosion.