Hello? Is Anyone Still Out There?

I know, I know...it's been like crickets chirping at the Richert Ranch lately. I kept meaning to post, but life just kept getting in the way. School has kept both Dave and I so busy. We just wrapped up week three (even though it feels like week twenty) and we are both exhausted. Dave is not only teaching p.e. to nursery through 7th grade, but coaching boys volleyball. He has the team's first tournament tomorrow and is frantically trying to learn all of the volleyball rules of play as we speak. They are a bit different in Ecuador, for instance you are allowed to kick the ball here. It seems to be just one more way the South American culture has seeped into organized life. Don't feel like diving for the ball? No problem, just kick it over the net instead! Brilliant.

I, on the other hand, have been kept busy by the demands and antics of middle school children. They keep me running, as well as highly entertained. Here's just a couple of my laugh-out-loud moments so far:

*Said by those dear students in my sixth grade class: "Mrs. Richert, you look grouchy today. You're not acting grouchy, you just look like you might start acting grouchy." (Hmmmm....is this a sign that I need to do a little more maintenance work in the morning?)

*Again spoken by a sixth grader as we were discussing the difficulties of respect:

Student: "I don't like to be respectful."

Me: "Really? Why not?"

Student: "Well, it isn't that I don't like to be respectful. I just don't like to be respectful to everyone." Pause. "Actually, I just don't like to be respectful to him," as she points to a fellow classmate. (She's honest, you got to give her that)

*The wisdom of middle schoolers: "Listen, middle school is hard. There are a lot of things to worry about, like spelling." (What? Spelling was the last thing I was worried about in middle school)

Oh, they are fun.

Between classes, volleyball, and sanity-saving bike rides, D and I have only been able to get out of Guayaquil one time. We headed up to our favorite beach spot, Montanita, last weekend. But it is definitely not beach season right now. It rained for the majority of the weekend so we spent most of the time in little cafes, reading and playing cards. Still relaxing, just not what we had in mind.

That's pretty much all to report. I just wanted to let you all know we are alive and well, just really, really tired.

Oh yes...the new featured artist of the week is Feist.

Why, you may ask? Because she makes me happy. Enjoy!

Años Viejos, Pyromaniacs, and Fireworks...Oh My

I have to admit, it has been quite awhile since I have actually been awake to ring in the new year and say goodbye to the old. Dave and I have always been a bit more concerned about the eight hours of sleep necessary to enjoy life rather than seeing the ball drop. But this year...is different. It is 12:58 and the neighbor's hired band just started, there are rapid fire explosives (aka fireworks) going off in three minute intervals, and the car alarms throughout our block seem to be answering the loving call of said fireworks. There will be no eight hours to start off the year for the Richert's this time. Nothing about our experiences in Ecuador could be classified as typical, and New Year's Eve is proving to be no exception. The evening started out quite and low key, dinner at home with a movie. There were the occasional firework, but that isn't anything atypical. I was even contemplating continuing the tradition of snuggling into bed by 10:30. Before I called...

Yes or No?

A couple weeks ago, slipped in the far reaches of my mailbox, I found a note that took me back to the good ol' days of elementary school. You know what I'm talking about. Remember how you would just be sitting at your desk, one leg pumping back and forth, pencil eraser nudging your bottom lip, as you tried to puzzle out those mind-boggling multiplication tables? And then, out of the corner of your eye, you would see Andy passing a note to Melissa, who would then pass it on to Mark, who would then palm it off to you right before Mrs. Nelson turned around from the blackboard. Your name would be written all in cursive and curly-q's on the clumsily folded paper. Carefully, stealthily, you unfold the paper to find: Well, InterAmerican sent me a 'check yes or no' note, and it raised the same sensation of anxiety that those old love notes of yesterday used to inspire. Instead of the traditional, "do you like me?" question, it was the "will you continue...

Christmas in Colombia (The post is better late than never...)

As promised, here is the Amazing Richert Christmas Adventure 2008, with special guest star, Sherry Silvers. Bogota, Columbia. As you can see...this city and I were obviously made for each other. Bookstores, libraries, and coffee shops were on every block. Yes, the majority of the books were in Spanish which causes some slight difficulties, but I don't like to focus on those kind of details. I'm more of a cup half full kind of gal. Also, the city is bike crazy. There are hundreds of miles of bike lanes; we saw bike lanes throughout the city and even along the highway. They just created a bike/walking lane in the middle of the highway, incredible! They even close off some of the major streets every Sunday and holiday so people can ride their bikes through the main arteries of town without dealing with the potentially dangerous obstacle of cars. The city had me at hello. Dave found a wonderful place for us to stay that was right in the heart of the historic district of ...

Living The Good Life

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