Living The Good Life

Banos. I go virtually speechless when I think about the weekend Dave and I recently spent at this small town that is located on the base of the mountains as well as a hop, skip, and jump away from the jungles of Ecuador. It was incredible, the kind of weekend that makes you stop and gaze around in absolute wonder, saying "I can't believe I am in Ecuador!" Teaching at an American Academy in a different country has all sorts of perks, one of them being that you are given days off for American holidays as well as for Ecuadorian holidays. This past weekend our small little school celebrated Thanksgiving while the rest of the country of Ecuador did not. It is a perfect time to travel because the rest of the country is working and you have your destination of choice almost entirely to yourself. So was the case with Banos. The trip did not start out as one would hope. Twelve teachers and loved ones loaded up into the school van for the eight hour drive to Banos. About hour thre...

I know, I know--it has been quite awhile since I have posted. This is partly due to life being crazy on the Richert Ranch, but also because life in Ecuador seems more and more normal each day and that is definitely limiting my blog material. I am not entirely sure how I feel about being totally comfortable with seeing a family of five zipping around Guayaquil on the back of a motorcycle, or of seeing the boy painted in gold doing back flips in front of cars stopped at one of the busiest intersections in the city. But there you have it--part of everyday life here in beautiful Ecuador. Christmas vacation is coming up soon (just three more weeks) and Dave and I will be headed back to the states to visit family and friends. Talking about our encroaching visit, we realized that we will probably experience a bit of a culture shock when we step off the plane in the states. Taxis will seem overpriced, as well as food (what? meals are going to cost more than $3.00?), the air will smell differe...

This past weekend, Dave and I travelled to Ecuador's premiere surf beach with a group of friends. It was the first three-day weekend we have had for awhile, and we were all looking forward to lounging on the beach and playing in the warm water. Alas, it was not to be...it never stopped raining the entire time we were there. But no worries, we still had a wonderful time in the muddy (and I mean muddy) streets of Montanita. We stayed in this wonderful hostel, Charro's, that was right on the beach. The rooms were clean and actually had hot water, something Dave and I are lacking in our apartment right now. Our room faced the beach and had a hammock on the patio that looked over the ocean. We were able to go to sleep to the sound of crashing waves outside our window. Well, the first night we got crashing waves; the second night there was a party going on next door until the wee hours of the morning so we went to sleep with the sound of the thumping bass from all the greatest 80...

My husband. Yeah, that's right. Dave is a working man now. The art teacher at IA has left on maternity leave and Dave has become the art teacher extraordinaire . He will be filling this position until mid-February (Ecuadorian law provides three months paid maternity leave). Our conversations now deal with lesson planning, rubrics, and when grades are due. What does Dave say about this change in his Ecuadorian lifestyle? "Finally! I can join in on the conversations with you, your mom, Aunt Juli, and Aunt Sherry this Christmas!" Oh, let the fun begin. :)

One could say that the past few weeks have been a bit of a struggle for me here in Ecuador. The realities of life have caught up with me and the fact that this is not merely an extended vacation has settled in. To put it simply, I've been homesick. I miss my family, my friends, and my city. Each day thoughts of everything that I have been missing ran through my head on a constant loop cycle (see previous post) and this list of things that I can't wait to see and do have become a sort of mantra, repeated over and over for anyone willing to listen (thank you Dave). I was walking to my classroom building last Thursday as I glanced up from the memos I had just received and caught a glance at the hills that surround the school. They are beautiful and beginning to flourish with new growth. Imagine my surprise as the thought, "I love it here," ran through my head. I stopped, stunned at what I had just been telling myself in light of the homesick tune I had been singing for w...

David and I bought our tickets to the states for Christmas vacation yesterday. Needless to say....I can't wait. Things I am counting down the days for: * Maxi's Pizza * Java's Bowl of Soul * A consistently hot shower * The ability to wear a sweater every now and again * Tillamook Cheddar cheese (preferably accompanied by frito's and chili) * A meal at the Falcon Tavern * Blake to show me "somefing" * Small group catching-up * Actually being able to flush toilet paper down the toilet * REI and Target shopping extravaganza * Laughing with the Miller/Silvers/Hall/Damon ladies * Pretzels * Ice cubes * Not seeing even one ant within in a 24 hour time span. * Road Rides on Ronnie ahhhhh (deep sigh of anticipation) Only 72 more days...

Dave and I are going into our third month of living in Ecuador. It is hard to believe that the months have gone by so quickly, but the evidence is everywhere. Parent-teacher conferences are next week, Christmas decorations have already hit the stores throughout Guayaquil, and Dave and I have established routines that have made us realize we actually live here and are not just visiting. The fact that life in Ecuador is beginning to feel "normal" is comforting and unsettling at the same time. Do ants crawling along the edge of my plate, or through the dessert I am about to order at the nearby bakery, bother me? No-that is just life in Ecuador, you flick and move on. But on the other hand, when and how in the world did I get used to that ?! Ants back home would ensure the food would be in the garbage. See what I mean? Comforting because I no longer lose my appetite when ants want to have their own little nibble. Unsettling because I can't believe how wasteful I tended to be ...