Adventures at the Consulate, Or, I’m Not Leaving This Lobby Without a Visa

EST, CST, MST, PDT. These are some of time zones that exist in North America. Yet there is an additional, less known time zone and that is LAT (or Latin American Time). Turns out, the Ecuadorian Consulate in Miami runs on LAT. Latin American Time is best calculated by taking the time zone you are currently in, adding anywhere between 2 hours and 4 days, dividing by the number of people in the room, and then multiplying by 3. This is the approximate time frame it will take you to get paperwork done in a LAT time zone. Just know that going in, cancel your plans for the day, bring a book to read, and you’ll be fine.

I’ll say this, at least no one in LAT ever gets “stressed out.” There is definitely not a real epidemic of multitasking, rushing, stressing or worrying here. It’s a pretty laid back environment where things get done when they get done. 

I could write paragraphs detailing the frustration we experienced at the Miami-based Ecuadorian consulate, but I won’t. Because, as I tried explaining to my mom and Justin at the time, “Soon, we’ll look back on this experience and laugh.” And that’s exactly where I am now. So they don’t answer their phone, so their website hasn’t been updated in 4 years, so they don’t take appointments. No biggie. At the end of the day (and it was actually, the very end of the day) we left Miami with our visas and Easter baskets from my mom. And I even got a “Happy Easter” from the agent before we left. So all in all, it was a good experience that taught us a little humility, and how to slow down and smell the roses when you’re living in LAT. 

I heard about this cultural difference before going to the consulate and it sure is true. We made the decision to teach overseas and to move to Ecuador knowing that we were going to experience differences in lifestyle and culture. It's one of the main reasons we made the choice to go. This was our first experience with it and it will take some getting used to. I think I'll have a better time adjusting to those changes than Justin and he agrees, but we are ready to embrace the differences and the opportunity to learn about the new culture. We're ready.

Llapingachos

Llapingachos, (yah-peen-GAH-chos) or stuffed potato patties are a traditional Ecuadorian dish. To finally celebrate our new adventure (which was postponed due to the plague we both contracted in Iowa), we wanted to eat Ecuadorian food. Justin, the one of us who cooks in the relationship, found a recipe for these lovely little stuffed potato balls. Little did he know that such a seemingly simple dish would require a great deal of grocery shopping and hours (5 of them to be exact) of preparation. I will now simplify this process for you: First, mash potatoes and season. Next, shape mashed potatoes into balls. Then, stuff the potato balls with shredded white cheese and chopped green onions. Finally, fry them in a skillet and drizzle with homemade peanut sauce (this part sounds weird, but trust me it’s a nice pairing). Oh yeah, and then serve it with a side salad and fried egg. Fried eggs, potatoes, and cheese. What’s not to love here??

When I arrived home from work, I found Justin in the kitchen, wearing his Ecuador World Cup t-shirt, slaving over a hot stove while Ecuadorian street music, yes that’s actually a station on Pandora, played in the background. Two hours later the llapingachos were finally ready to eat and we sat down to our authentic Ecuadorian celebratory meal. We gorged ourselves on these warm and cheesy potato patties, toasted with glasses of Andre, the finest $7 champagne this side of the equator, and shared some of our hopes and wishes for our new home and jobs. It was indeed a lovely meal and a much overdue celebration.

Turns out, llapingachos also make a great breakfast the next day. And a pretty nice lunch the day after that. The recipe is enough to feed a family. For those of you playing at home, I’ve included a recipe so you too can make your very own llapingachos. Salud!

http://southamericanfood.about.com/od/saladssidedishes/r/potatocakes.htm

http://laylita.com/recipes/2008/04/07/llapingachos-or-stuffed-potato-patties/

UNI Fair Day 2

Well…we know where we’re going. Shannon and I are going to be teaching in Ecuador. After having a second interview with a school in Ecuador, we sat down and considered our two offers. We had one offer on the table with Colombia, and we just received one in Ecuador. I don’t want to give too much information regarding our compensation package but from the salary, to the shipping of our stuff, to the relocation stipends, to the housing allowance, to the specific positions this is the right fit for us.

We will be teaching in Quito, Ecuador for the next two years. We will be in a perfect area. It is an area that is relatively free of crime and danger with some exceptions that are always associated with living in the city. We will have the option to live in the city or the valley outside of the city. We will be teaching in positions that fit perfectly for the jobs we want. We are within traveling distance of the Galapagos Islands, volcanoes, jungle, beaches, the Andes Mountains, and something called a cloud forest.

We can't wait to live in the beautiful city. From everything we've read about it, it has gorgeous old Spanish Colonial Sections, sprawling modern city amenities, endless culture, and a lot to do indoors and out.

I can’t express my gratitude and happiness for this opportunity. I am thrilled with the job, the location, the package, the school, the administration, and the fact that I get to go with Shannon. We both realize this is a gigantic step for us but that doesn't scare me, it makes me about as happy as I could be. As I do more research on the country and the school, I will update this blog accordingly but I am thrilled about everything. I feel very blessed.

UNI Fair Day 1

Well a teacher job fair is one of the most interestingly unique things I’ve ever been a part of. After getting virtually no sleep and getting dressed up in our finest we set off to downtown Iowa (term downtown loosely used) to the Convention Center to figure out our future. While we experienced some trouble on the way there, we were both still very excited and optimistic about our prospects. 

Excited, cold, but ready to impress.

Dressed and ready to go.

On our way there, Shannon became enamored with the snow. I wrote down some of my favorite Shannisms about the snow here.

• "Does it make noise when it falls?"
• "Stuff is flying into my face! What is it?"
• "When it lands on me, will it be wet?"
• "Oh my God! Look at that one. It's snowflake shaped! I didn't know they were really that shape. I thought that was just a rendering!"

Someone was very excited about the snow...

When we arrived (in a car that works mind you…we’re fancy like that) we walked in to a makeshift lobby surrounded by hanging file folders with various candidate names. We found our folders and opened them up to see who was interested in us. It was kind of like a grown up valentine’s Day setup. Schools had the opportunity to view our online profiles and put little Valentine’s in our mail box with requests for interviews. I expected to only get a few as there is a limited demand for Social Studies and American History teachers across the globe. What I found aligned with that thought. I had three total invitations. Two of them were from schools that I had already interviewed with and the third was from a country I don’t remember and certainly couldn’t spell. Undeterred I met up with Shannon as she was nursing a series of paper cuts from the cascading avalanche of interview valentines she received. I believe I counted 143,078 invitations although she will tell you it was only 14. She understandable had quite a bit of interest given her experience in years and versatility. 

These were our contact sheets we found in our folders. This is how schools contacted us.

We then were funneled into a room where a panel spoke to us about what to expect. It was actually pretty informative. After the speech we were unleashed into a room where hundreds of tables were setup with schools from all over the world. We were expected to line up at tables, sell ourselves in 14 seconds or less and hope that we intrigued the collection of principals, superintendents, and others allowed us an opportunity to sell ourselves in later 30 minute interviews. Teachers can be one of the most well-educated, polite, adaptable, and gracious of all people…or they can be jaded, blood-thirsty, and conniving. It was an interesting experience to see hundreds of teachers put on polite smiles and make small talk, only to elbow someone out of their place in line and go for the throat. It was an understandable but interesting set of moments.

After selling ourselves to a variety of schools we had previously targeted and one or two we hadn’t heard of before, we were granted interviews with seven schools. Our first interview was scheduled for later that day.

When the time came for our interview, we found out that the interviews were to be conducted in the hotel rooms of the principals. It was very interesting. There were piles of recruitment folders, pictures, and packets. After interviewing for about a half hour we left our first interview feeling pretty good. We went through this process with all four of our first day interviews and felt very confident in our performance.

During our last interview of the day on the first night, we received an offer to teach in Colombia on the spot. It seemed like a decent opportunity but there were some incentives that didn’t match some of the other schools we were interested in. We told the principal we could give her an answer the following day.

We were confident in how we did in all of our interviews and satisfied that we received an offer but we also saw the hundreds of other candidates and realized that we would have to be adaptable and patient if we were going to get an offer we felt was right for us. 

We eventually got back to the hotel the first night at about 9:00pm and collapsed into bed knowing that wherever we ended up, we would know by the following afternoon. 

Travel Issues

Well…there’s a lot to catch everyone up on. The last post I made included the information that while sitting in Orlando at the airport we received information that our flight to Waterloo was cancelled. Well that was the start to a very rough day. I am not nearly eloquent enough to describe the frustration and difficulty we faced but I am going to try. After we received that call we made phone calls to figure out our next step. We ended up calling the airline and arguing with them to get us on various connecting flights. Orlando to Dallas to Chicago to Des Moines to Waterloo to Cedar Rapids. It was a mess. Since there were two of us traveling, every single time they found a solution they’d go through the process of putting one of us on the plane’s manifest and by the time they got to enter the other, there were no spots left. This same thing happened three times. We eventually ended up on a flight to Des Moines where we would rent a car to Waterloo. We ran into quite a bit of difficulty with Hertz trying to charge us $400 as a fee for adjusting our $79 reservation. We decided to book a separate rental from Des Moines to Waterloo so we wouldn’t be charged. That worked out well in theory until our new flight was delayed AGAIN. This would have put us in Des Moines by 9:00pm and in Waterloo by 11:00pm. At the latest he could help us by midnight because that’s when the Hertz system would automatically count us as no-shows and charge us another $400. The problem was the Waterloo branch shut down at 9. It was a mess. We did a lot arguing with Hertz and after quite a bit of arguing we found a very nice Hertz manager named Andrew who was willing to come back to his store and reopen it when we landed. 

We finally got on a plane and landed in Iowa. Let me just say while I grew up in an area that gets cold and I always enjoyed snowboarding and sledding…Iowa has a whole new level of cold. It was the kind of cold that will change your whole outlook on life. I’ve admittedly been a bit spoiled from a weather standpoint living in Orlando but to go from 70s to -15 will make you question everything you know from global warming to the perseverance of the human spirit. 

When we first got to Iowa and got into a car, it felt like we were making some nice progress..little did we know.

When we finally landed in the Des Moines airport we checked out our car and tried to quickly get across the frozen plains of Iowa. About 3 minutes into our journey I noticed the transmission was having trouble picking up from gear to gear. The RPMs kept varying from 2 or 3 to red lining to normal. I have rented cars before and I realize that many people drive them like the valet drove Cameron’s Porsche in Ferris Bueller’s Day off, so I thought it would just be a little quirk along the way. Well eventually the car just had enough. It quit on the side of a highway in Northern Iowa at about 11:30pm…in 15 degree weather. We coasted to the side of the road and tried to get it started again.

At this point, Shannon thought it would be an awesome time to talk about a Stephen King book where a car attacked people. To give you a proper image of our mindset at this time, we had woken up around 5am this day, been in an airport or plane for about 18 hours, struggled with car rental people, and then when we finally had what we thought was a rope of hope to climb out of our own despair, it turned out the rope was as brittle as a single piece of uncooked spaghetti. It was frustrating. This is the point where Shannon started to cry. I think at least one of her tears froze as soon as it hit her cheek, which luckily for us, the cold on her cheek constricted her tear ducts eliminating her body’s function to cry. I don’t know if that’s true but I imagine it is because after a short while crying she was back to being a trooper. We got the car started again, drove another 15 minutes and then it died again. This repeated for the next two hours. After doing this, coasting (unable to stop for fear of never starting again) through red lights in the ghost town Iowa landscape we eventually ended up at Hertz at 12:00 exactly. The manager ended up getting us a nice car (personal qualifications for me calling it a nice car include but are not limited to the ability to work, and access to heat) and sent us on our way. We ended up at the hotel and ready for bed by about 1:45am. We had a scant 3 hours or so to sleep before we had perhaps the most important day our careers would ever see. But what was most important…we made it there. Will update with fair information later.

Paperwork and Preparation

It’s been a little while since our last post. We’ve been so busy with preparations for our trip as well as making sure we are getting everything done that we need to do during our final year at FMS. We have been busy with FCAT tutoring,  End of Course Exam Prep, meetings, teaching, and the like. It’s going to be very refreshing to go to a new place. Both Shannon and I have about had it with this FCAT stuff. It seems the entire focus of teaching in Florida has gone from educating and moved towards testing. Then testing our testing. Then testing the testing of our testing. Teaching is a largely thankless job, but we knew that when we signed up for it. A lot of the reason we did it was the opportunity to truly make a difference in the lives of young people, mold the values of students in their most impressionable ages, and hopefully along the way inspire a few if possible. The reality of public education at the moment appears to me to be straying further and further from those opportunities. I agree with promoting good teaching and accountability to ensure it, but not at the expense of good teaching and what education should be. I really hope to find my next opportunity to be refreshingly different.

As far as our preparation for this trip, it’s been a long laundry list of to-do lists. We were expecting all of it and it is about as difficult as we anticipated.  So far this has included getting a written letter from our doctors to prove to the consulate that we won’t be bringing cooties to Ecuador (I got my cootie shot in 1994), updated passports, obtaining transcripts, copies of our teaching degrees, hunting down our birth certificates, preparing to sell our stuff, getting background checks to prove we aren’t a modern version of Bonnie and Clyde (we aren’t…yet), and we still haven’t gone to the consulate to get our visas. Shannon has done a lot of shopping to prepare, and as a result we have a new favorite Shannism that resulted from this conversation.

Shannon-"I need a lot of boots and clothes to go with the seasons. For winter."
Justin-"I don't think there is much in the way of seasons there. It's on the equator. They said it would be between 45-75 almost all year round."
Shannon-"Yeah, well even if there aren't any seasons, you still have to...you know dress for seasons."

To be fair, I want to make clear that while I found the comment funny, in no way am I trying to make fun of her. I am crazy about her and couldn't do this trip without her. I just like to find humor in everyday conversations.

I don't think Howie has been introduced in this blog yet. This is Howie:

He's an 8 year old St. Bernard-Australian Shepard mix. He and his fur are greatly looking forward to moving away from balmy Florida and towards the cool climate of Quito. I have taken Howie to a few vet appointments to get him squared away with his shots and to prepare for him coming with us. We did find out that there are some difficulties in bringing a dog to another country. There are two options, each with their own set of unique complications. 

Option 1:

Bring Howie as baggage. If we can bring Howie as baggage, the fees are considerably cheaper. He would be stowed in his crate beneath the plane with food and water. He would need a health certificate, up to date shots, and an airline that accepts pets. This would be the least painful of the options but there are some restrictions. He can’t come with us if the temperature during our departure is above 85 degrees, which it will almost certainly be in Florida in August.

Option 2: We ship Howie as cargo. If this is the approach, we need to get his shots up to date, bring a health certificate, bring paperwork saying we are bringing him as cargo, get additional paperwork certifying he is well enough to travel, and the fee is substantially more. In addition to that, we would have to hire an Ecuadorian customs agent to inspect and approve of his arrival. He would also be held in a quarantine-like situation for 24-48 hours.

We ended up settling on Option 1. IF we are able to find a place before we move down and IF the temperature is suitable, we will be bringing him when we go. In all likelihood, he will be staying with Shannon’s parents while undoubtedly being spoiled with cookies and belly rubs until they are able to come down for a visit a few months after we move in. It makes the most sense financially but it’ll still be odd not having him around all the time for those few months. He’s been at the door every day when I got home for the past 7 years or so. It’s all for the best. We’ll get him down there and he’ll be frolicking in the Andes Mountains with alpacas in no time.

There seems to be still so much more to do, but as we get closer and closer I am getting very excited.  Last week we received our flight confirmation so that is booked and we are all excited.

Anyway, we venture off to the consulate this Thursday and hopefully we won’t run into any more issues, although if our past difficulties experiences have any indication for us for some reason it won’t be easy. I'll be sure to update how that went as soon as possible. 

Airport-Shannon

 We are at the airport nearly four hours early – because that’s how Justin rolls. I forgot my extra pair of gloves and the pillows on the couch were not straightened when we left the house. That’s been bothering me for the last two hours. I’m also fairly certain that Howie has chewed a hole through a window at this point. He was not pleased to be left so unceremoniously this morning. He’s also upset that the couch was straightened.

I’ve been thinking of teaching overseas for a while now, and it was at about this time last year that I learned about the UNI Fair Of course it was too late to register, but I resolved that I would attend in 2014. It was a blessing that I had to hold off a year, which allowed me to begin relationship with Justin. I wonder if he had any inkling that in a mere eight months later would be agreeing to abandon his life as he knew it and embark on an unknown journey with me. (Why is it that all boarding agents have heavy Spanish accents? It’s very distracting).

I’m looking forward to a fresh start somewhere new. While I love my Freedom Middle School family I’m afraid I’ve grown cynical towards our public education system.  I feel my spirit is in need of reinvigorating and I’m hoping that an international school, without the overbearing influences of political agendas and superfluous testing upon testing, will provide an ideal setting to renew my choice in education. (Also , I’m a little alarmed at how easy it was to bring needles through security. Like, I don’t even think they noticed I had them. Too worried about suspicious baby formula and hazardous hand lotions I suppose…)

Airport-Justin

I’m sitting at the airport about to leave for Iowa for this trip. It’s crazy to think that in two and a half days, I am going to know what country we will be moving to. I think teaching abroad is a great opportunity to see the world and practice my craft on someone else’s dime. In the meantime I feel like my current state of mind is refreshing as well. I think everyone should have a chance to just press the reset button on their life and take a chance. I have been a planner my whole life. I have always had specific goals and milestones ahead of me. First I was going to graduate high school, then college, then a graduate degree, and then start my career. Now that I have accomplished all of that, I am fully embracing the idea of allowing myself to enjoy a life curveball. I feel like a lot of my life has been part of a plan. I have worked extremely hard to accomplish my goals and follow my plan and I’m proud of it but it’s time to reset that and just go with it for a little while. I have no regrets about the way I have lived my life but look forward to the chance to live with some uncertainty. I think being out of my comfort zone is going to be an adventure…even if that sounds a little corny.

So while I’m sitting in the Orlando airport where it’s been in the balmy 70s for the past few weeks I am equal parts excited to see what comes next in this process, and also dreading the forecasted -15 degree weather. I hope things go well at this fair and have faith that they will. I will check back in after I have done some interviews and have a better idea of where things are going.

*Update: We just got a lovely automated phone call saying our connecting flight from Chicago, Illinois to Bumbledunk, Iowa has been cancelled. We're in the process of figuring that out now. Oh the joys of winter travel to the Ice Planet Hoth.

Interview

Yes, that's me doing an interview on Skype with a school in Mexico. Yes I am wearing a shirt and tie, basketball shorts, and socks. It was quite a unique experience. Not going to lie, I had to ask Shannon for advice weather I should tuck the shirt or not. I'm a classy fella like that.

First Post

The point of this blog is to help us both connect with our friends, family, and any other future potential teachers who plan on teaching abroad. If you have stumbled across this please feel free to comment or communicate any other way possible. When Shannon and I discussed teaching overseas as a possible option for ourselves we really saw it as an opportunity to do a variety of different things. If things go well at the fair coming up soon, we will be teaching in another country for the next year or two. We wanted to create a little space where we could share our experiences with loved ones and strangers alike but we also wanted to have something for ourselves. This blog will serve as a way to communicate with people but also as an outlet for our frustrations, a journal of our experiences, and a way to connect the lives we've built over the past two plus decades with our present and future. I hope you all find it enjoyable.