Living The Good Life

Whew...D and I leave for Ecuador in 14 days. We have only two more weeks before we are immersed in a totally different culture, living a completely different life. Actually less than two weeks because we fly out at the crack of dawn...give me a moment, I just need to breathe into this paper bag for a few minutes. I have been alternating between massive excitement and hyperventilation for the past couple of days. Oh, who am I kidding? It's been the past couple of months. Mostly experiencing the fear and exhilaration within moments of each other. I'm pretty sure that I have my husband convinced that I have multiple personalities with all the back and forth of emotions. Not to mention, the odd little tick I have picked up of resting my head on the table anytime Ecuador, or anything relating to Ecuador, is mentioned. "Would you like a banana Danielle?" No response because my head has hit the table. My indecisive nature is also kicking into full gear. Dave and I have pack...

Okay, D and I really are trying to get everything in order for the "big move" in July. I'm not even participating in my usual procrastination techniques, you know the one--denial. Mostly because the government seems to be doing that for me. I am getting increasingly bogged down by the insane amount of paperwork that this process involves. Each time I think we are on the right track and are getting everything under control, I find that I have one more thing to get. Not to mention that I am still waiting on my passport, D already received his. I contacted the passport agency for a status check and they told me it was being processed. Yeah--I got that late-breaking news already. I know the paperwork side of things really is a bit beyond my control, I can't force them to process my paperwork any faster, but it is still a bit stressful. Ecuador just isn't going to seem real until I have the visa and plane ticket in hand. On the brighter side... D's mom and ...

D and I received a wonderful surprise via the librarian at the InterAmerican Academy in Ecuador this week. Pictures of our new home, school, and city! I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but the reality of the situation greatly eased my mind. No grass huts, no bars on the windows or doors, and no rats scampering across the floor in clear view. The apartment that we will be calling home actually looked pretty similar to apartments across the nation, we will even have a dishwasher! What a luxury... The school campus is beautiful, well kept and modern. The classrooms are what really surprised me. They are so spacious with tons of natural light. It is quite a difference from my current classroom that has low ceilings, limited space, and only one window. The campus also has a couple of athletic fields and a pool. The best part might just be the two main classroom buildings, one is pink and the other is blue. Fancy shmance :) Liz also sent pictures of Guayaquil, Puerto Azul (where...

As a middle school teacher here in Idaho, it is not uncommon for me to wish and hope for the annual snow day. The magical time when the phone rings in the dead of night (a.k.a. 6:00am) and an inspiring voice tells me not to come into work today because the world is covered in snow and ice. I love these days. Sometimes, the hope of a snow day is really what gets me through the long winter months of teaching squirrely eighth graders. Deciding to teach in Ecuador for the next two years, I have realized that I will be giving up the possibility of snow days. What I didn't fully realize is that they might be replaced by Volcano Days. Today, the ever-temperamental volcano Tungurahua, which means "throat of fire" in the Quechua language, began to erupt south of Quito, Ecuador. Hundreds of people were evacuated from the village below the volcano. It really is an amazing sight, you can view video of the eruption at http://news.bbc.co.uk/ . Just another adventure waiting for us!

D and I have been reading up like crazy, trying to prepare for our huge move to Ecuador. I have started to share little fun facts with my students each day about the customs and the food. I have found that the more disgusting the fact, the more the kids love it. Some of their favorite facts: * Guinea pig is considered a delicacy in Ecuador. It dates back to the time of the Inca's and is referred to as cuy. The Ecuadorians call it cuy because of the sound the guinea pig makes when it is roasted. * You never flush your toilet paper down the toilet in Ecuador, you place it in the trash cans next to the toilet. * Hot showers are a rarity, with many showers requiring you to connect the electrical heat wires inside of the shower stall yourself. This gives you about three minutes of hot water along with an electrical shock. * Animals that might be living with you include iguanas, bats, snakes, rats, various bizarre insects, and of course, guinea pigs. * The celebration beverage...

Well, we broke the news to our family this weekend about the big move to Ecuador. The reactions were much better than I anticipated and D and I have the official and complete support of our loved ones to begin on this crazy and huge adventure. A few of my favorite quotes from the weekend: * With tears in her eyes and a forced smile, Kira responds to our exclamation of excitement with, "Oh, okay. Good." pause, "Why are we excited again?" *"Do they have guerilla's with guns?" -Mom (actually comment made last week, but I still love it.) *"Where is this? Africa?" -Grandma * "Oh! That will be so much fun! Good for you!" -Mammer * "Oh man! I was hoping you were going to tell us you were pregnant!" -Kira All in all it was great time being able to finally share our big news. We are so excited for the major change that is taking over our lives right now. I can hardly believe it is happening.

Well, the next two years for D and I will be filled with sandy beaches, exotic animals, a new language, and a whole lot of adventures. We survived the overseas fair (and the Iowa weather, negative 8 for the whole weekend)! The whole experience was absolutely amazing. I have never seen, met, or talked to so many wonderful, dedicated, and encouraging people before. All of us were in the same stressful state of mind that we seemed to emphasize with each other immediately. Instead of there being the atmosphere of competition, there was a feeling of "we are all in this together." It was incredible. The fair started on Friday morning. The first thing we had to do was check our mail folder for the ever-elusive interview request slips. Because of our special situation, where I am the only teacher in this marriage, there were no interview requests to be found in my mail folder. To say the least, we were discouraged but not all together surprised. We were then given a brief orientation...

This past week as been a complete whirlwind. I feel like D and I have been going non-stop to get ready for the overseas fair while trying to stuff in as much fun as well. It feels like we have been going a hundred miles a minute. I just hope we haven't forgotten anything. Monday we were able to go hear Al Gore speak on Global Warming. It was amazing. This seems to be such a controversial issue for some reason, but I really believe it only has the place in the political world that politicians have put it in. I don't think my stand on environmental issues has anything to do with what party I associate myself with. Instead, I think it has more to do with the responsibility I have to the world I live in. The things that we are being asked to do--using energy efficient light bulbs, limit the use of your air conditioner, carpool--are not things that are time-consuming, expensive, or that will drastically change our lifestyle. They are simple things that help to reverse the damage we ...

Okay--I only have about two more weeks until we are off to Iowa and possibly a whole new adventure. I find myself avoiding the very things I know I need to do; e-mail prospective schools, complete my portfolio, research the different cultures and societies. Instead, I am wasting as much time as possible by checking postsecrets.com, reading the various blogs I have suddenly become addicted to, and finishing up one of the many baby blankets I have to knit. And yet.... I really am optimistic about this possibility for D and me. I feel like no matter what happens, whether we go overseas or not, something wonderful is going to come out of this. Maybe it will give us the courage to go seek jobs and a life in Boston, Portland, or New York. Maybe it will give me the courage to find what I am really passionate about and go after it, knowing that where we are now, nice as it is, is not a glass box I have to spend the rest of my life in. I think whatever comes out of this exploration, will be goo...

Each day I am making more and more progress towards being ready for the overseas teaching fair this February. As my to-do-list gets shorter and shorter, my nervousness and anxiety grows more and more. I think when we started this whole "livin' the dream" business, there seemed like there was so much to do. We couldn't possibly get it down in time, no way was it actually going to happen! But, now, as I am getting ready to e-mail the director of the American School in Poland, sending him my resume and trying to set up an interview, I am realizing that this is actually going to happen. D and I will be traviling in a few short weeks, putting on our best smiles, and trying to find a future home in a different part of the world. I'm excited, I'm nervous, I'm scared. It feels exactly the same as when you are standing in line for a roller coaster you have never been on before. I love it.

There is one more week of class before Christmas vacation officially begins and you can definately feel the buzz of anticipation in the air. The kids are growing restless, finding it difficult to focus, and delving into the drama of gift-giving, or not giving as the case may be. I'm just trying to keep my head above water, trying to grade as many of their assignments before the start of break, keep their attention and interest in class, and try not to daze off into the daydream of what it will be like not to be teaching for two whole weeks. D and I have a lot to get accomplished during the break though. We are flying down to Iowa in February to go to the overseas teaching fair. Yep, I'm trying to hook a job overseas for next year. My profession offers so many opportunities to see the world, and it seems like people rarely take advantage of them. D and I decided that if we were ever going to take a risk and experience life in another culture, now would be the time. We don't ...