So my cousin now lives with me.......

It has been almost a month and a half since my cousin from Cuba has moved in with me. It has certainly has proved a challenge to live with the "ethnic" part of my family......... My cousin decided to move to Ecuador in order to obtain personal freedom and a better job in Ecuador.... Ecuador is a fairly easy country to immigrate to. Thus far, she has proven to be a very big eater- we have never bought as much food as we have this month and a half. For example, this morning at breakfast- my cousin ordered a mocha, fruit juice, and a cappucino this morning!!!!! How can one possibly eat this much sugar? All in all it has certainly been interesting. Hopefully, she finds a job and an apartment soon! Hay que pena!

Aside from that, I just spent the last week in the sun and heat on the coast for a Habitat for Humanity trip. I had a really great time and I loved the community that I was working in. The people were friendly and very generous. We had tasty empanadas for afternoon snacks and freshly oven baked corn- dogs. The children in the community were especially vibrant and friendly......  The trip was tiring because we worked in the relentless heat for around 8 hours a day- with no powertools. I have a newfound respect for the people who live and work in impoverished communities in Ecuador. It is a tough life to be poor here. It is a tough life everywhere to be poor- but wow!

I also have decided to attend the University of Pittsburgh...... in the Fall of 2009 for Public health. I am really interested in the Global Health Certificate and I am really excited about it. Right now- I am looking for grants and funding to finance my studies because I really don't have a lot of money. Hopefully, I can find a job when I get there---- and a cute studio apartment. I have also been checking out urban gardens to volunteer in and yoga teacher training programs. I probably won't have time for any of this with my busy graduate school/ work schedule, but at least I can try......... I am anticipating coming back the US and seeing people that I have not seen in almost 2 years.  It is hard to believe that it has been that long! I cannot wait to get back.

Spare Me My Life

I should blog more.......

So I have been looking at my other friend's blogs and I became envious because they have pictures and are better documenters than I. So I decided that I would blog more because I really don't want to forget my time in Ecuador, SA and someday my life in Ecuador will end! Alas alas, I am here blogging after a two hour yoga class at Kendo with a fabulous teacher named B.J. I pushed through the class with all my might because I am very sore from attempting to rock climb with my friend Emma. Yesterday, I tried the climbing wall behind my house and loved it! However, it is the hardest sport that I think I have ever attempted, but I plan to try it again........ So back to writing about today--- well today we had a series of blackouts and we have no idea why. I heard "through the grapevine" that the whole nation was out.... I will find out the truth tomorrow when I get into work. That made for an interesting day. Otherwise it is raining out and cold......(well not cold to North American standards.... and that is all that is really happening in Quito, Ecuador.....

To recap on the last few weeks/month..... December was a crazy travel month. For the first break, I went to a beach town in Peru called Mancora and had a fabulous time. It took us forever to get there. We initially flew to Guayaquil and then took a bus over the border, which was very interesting to say the least. Once we got there, we were not disappointed. The beach was so pretty and the sun was radiant. It just took forever to get there. A few weeks later I then went to the US for two weeks.... I went to Maui, Hawaii for a friend's wedding and I LOVED IT THERE. Although I was incredibly jet lagged and exhausted- I had a wonderful time. Following Hawaii, I then went to Savannah to spend some time with my family, which was also very nice.... Savannah is a lovely town with a lot to offer. After Savannah, I then went to Pittsburgh. I had a great time with my friends Nina and Amy that I have not seen for a year and a half. There is a possibility that I may move back to Pittsburgh, but we will have to see. So after all of this traveling, I think I was exhausted up until about now..... Josh and I have plans to go to the Thermal Springs this weekend and I am really excited. That is really all for now- I think I need to post pictures pronto!

Changes and the Challenges of Long Awkward Silences

I have been in Latin America for a little over a year now and I have been reflecting on how much I have changed and the sad fact that I don't have a lot in common with the people that I used to know and love......... I have had this conversation with other expats and they have experienced the same with people that they used to be friends with.......... There is no way that I will ever be able to relay this experience to the people that I used to know- with the exception of some....I cannot convey the vista from my balcony and the orange sherbet color the sky turns when the sun sets in Quito...... Or the people that I have met here that possess a perspective and vision that is so rare. I will never be able to explain my visits to the poorest parts of Ecuador and what I saw or how I felt. The smiling children and the music of the drum beats that enchant the streets at any given moment. How when there is extreme poverty- there is desperation- and where there is desperation there is crime. There is meaning behind every action that a human commits and education is one of the only ways to alleviate these problems, but for some this is a notion that is all too impossible. The fact that corruption influences every aspect of the psyche whether it is in the gov't or on the street.
My cousin from Cuba is moving here to be with me and I am happy to give her a better life............ I am aware of the challenges that this will bring. But to eliminate or alleviate one's desperation is one of the greatest gifts that one can bring another. To change someone's life for the better and to show them that you really care is all that really matters to me. Leaving the United States to live in a developing nation has taught me the value of human interaction. It has taught me to complain less and to focus on what is important in life and to experience the beauty and the determination of the human spirit that I have never experienced before.

Another day in Quito!

It's another day in Quito- and I think it may be the beginning of the rainy season here because everyday at 3:00 p.m. it rains---- and there have been gigantic lightning bolts.....- which is rare in the Andean Highlands..... This past Saturday there was also a huge storm that came out of nowhere while we were at Quito Fest (an alternative music fest) listening to "Los Nietos", which is the band that Tito is in......... Otherwise, we had a pretty tranquilo weekend in Quito...... However, the week before we went to Banos and had spa treatments at the foot of a volcano at Luna RunTun spa in the mountains of Banos. We took the trip with the group SAE and met some pretty strange people there........ One of them in particular was named S.... - you never know who is reading your blog! Well anyway S went on and on about himself and all of this property that he owned in Thailand. Last time I checked, foreigners cannot own property in Thailand. Thank goodness we were able to get away for S really fast....... We also met some nice people as well from Los Angeles, with whom, we are getting Sushi with this Friday........ I cannot wait to eat at NOE because it is some of the best Sushi that I have ever had---- and who knew that Ecuador had great sushi???? Next trip we have planned is to Bogota, Colombia and I will be sure to write about that as well.....

The First Week of School is Over!

It is finally Friday and the first week of school at Americano is over! My new students seem pretty nice and I have nothing exciting to report about work. This past week I have gone back to Yoga and to the gym after 7 short and wonderful weeks of vacation! Josh and I are planning our next trip out of Quito to Banos in a week and I am super excited because I hear Banos is a wonderful place to visit. This weekend is Fiestas de Guapulo, which is a crazy fiesta, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. There will be plenty of fireworks in close range and I have to get a mask to wear and make up a dance for the fireworks display they put in the middle of the crowd. Totally amazing! Furthermore, the strays dogs are doing well. We have three (not in the house, they live in the street, their names are Rodrigo, Negrito, y Fluffy. Rodrigo is the baby of Fluffy and I think Negrito may be related- not sure. Rodrigo was originally named Bag o' Bones- but he seems to have gained weight......... Tomorrow is the Organic Market at Shakti ( Yoga studio) where I can buy homemade brie and goat cheese! Que rico.......... Sunday I am going to do a hike with my mycologist/educator friend and I am really excited. Nothing really is going on here......... I am just happy that it is Friday!

Back in Quito!

Josh and I have returned to Quito and are ready to start the school year muy pronto!!!!! Well, maybe not........ However, we are back after 7 weeks away and ready to return to our lives. Since I have returned, I have set up my classroom and prepared myself to teach 10th grade English with Andrew again......... Last night was the new teacher party and it was really fun and today (Saturday) we have just sat around and watched TV. Right now, we are watching Josh's favorite movie Moulin Rouge - ummmm he is crying his eyes out. I am not kidding- this is retaliation for him posting on youtube me dancing like an elf. Nothing else exciting has really happened over here in the Andean Highland Region!