Learning "poco a poco"

So, we've been in Cuenca over two months now, and have established quite the routine.  I try so hard to rebel against establishing routines, but for some reason, it's the first thing I want to do when I get to a new place.

To be honest, my life isn't too much different than normal, aside from the fact that every day is sunny here and most things are 1/4th of the price in the US.  And oh yeah, I have a kitten named *Perrito, meaning "puppy" in Spanish (well, a temporary kitten-- we're cat-sitting for 3 months)!

*Just so you know, I did not choose that name.

Some other differences that I have noticed: 

- When on the bus in Ecuador, the window seat is often left open, while Ecuadorians sit in the aisle.  This might be considered rude in the United States, but here it's apparently normal.

- Restaurants advertise food using pictures outside of the restaurant.  However, the picture is not of a meal they have created in their restaurant, but rather, a completely random picture.  Once Dan ordered an ice cream sundae that was shown in the picture to have nuts, chocolate, and crumbled cookie toppings.  When it arrived, it was a plain cup with sprinkles.

- Lighter skin is admired in Ecuador.  It probably doesn't make sense to them why Americans would go tanning.

- Ecuadorians often interrupt bus rides to try to sell items to you.  First, they will walk down the aisle and give everyone an item, which those unfamiliar with this trend might assume to be free.  Then they will advertise.  After they finish their advertising spiel, they walk around to either collect back the item or to collect your cash in exchange for the item.  This forces you to directly reject their item, rather than just politely look away in an attempt to avoid eye contact (my usual technique).  The odd thing is, at least 25% of the bus always buys the item for sale!


Some Interesting Facts about Ecuador:
- Ecuador exports more bananas than any other country in the world.  That's probably why you can buy 16 bananas here for $1.

- Ecuador is a little smaller than the state of Nevada.  That puts things into perspective a bit.  And now it makes a little more sense why Ecuador has won only one Olympic gold medal (the Men's 20km walk in 1996).

- Panama hats are of Ecuadorian origin.  Not sure why they are called "Panama" hats.

- Ecuador is home to the highest active volcano in the world, Cotapaxi Volcano.  I hope to visit there before I leave!

Cuenca, Ecuador

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been over a month already since I last updated. I am currently in Cuenca, Ecuador as I write this, and have been here for the past two weeks.

We decided to move away from Canoa; the major reason being the lack of reliable Internet. There were several times where the entire town of Canoa lost electricity for hours for no apparent reason. During these times, no one seemed to be the least bit affected as they continued about their normal lives knowing that the electricity would come back…eventually.

My online business has been growing more quickly than anticipated and the random electricity outages were putting quite a damper on it.  In our three weeks on the coast, we learned that the coast of a third world country in a town of 600 people might not be the best place for me to work on my business.

So, here we are in Cuenca, the third largest city in Ecuador and one of the cheapest cities in the world. If you google Cuenca, you will come across a ton of websites with advice on how to retire here. There are tons of over-65 year old ex-pats roaming the city (and tons of businesses that cater directly to them!)







Just to put things in perspective a bit: we are living in a 1 BR apartment in the center of the city, within walking distance from everything we could possibly need for $350 a month ($175 each).

A typical lunch or “almuerzo” costs about $2 and consists of a small appetizer (typically a bowl of popcorn or roasted maize kernels), a hearty soup, a meal of rice and meat, fruit juice (my favorite!) and sometimes a small dessert. Dinner is not much more expensive. At the market I can buy 18 bananas for $1 (I have become obsessed with plantains), or 4 mangos or avocados for the same price. And did I mention that the market is right across the street? Dan and I have even joined a Cross-fit gym for $35 a month (the same gym would cost $200 a month in the US!)



Luckily, Ecuador uses the US dollar, but nobody ever seems to have change for anything larger than a $10. It’s almost impossible to buy something with a $20 bill that costs less than $18.

The bus costs 25 cents, so collecting change has become a hobby of ours. However, I have noticed that it is common for passengers to pay with 50 cent coins and then stand in the front of the bus awaiting the next passenger who will give their 25 cent coin directly to them. Quite a system. 

The weather here is the same every day: about 60-65 degrees in the morning, and 65-75 degrees at noon. We came during rainy season so it usually rains for about an hour from 3pm-4pm. Not the best weather for the wardrobe I packed (which consists of bathing suits and sundresses), but I’ve made due. 

Cuenca is a very colonial-esque town, with cobblestone streets and tons of cathedrals. Apparently there are 52 churches in Cuenca, one for each Sunday of the week. We happen to live directly across from the largest Cathedral in the city, which provides for gorgeous views and terrible 6am Sunday church bell alarm clocks. For some odd reason the church enjoys playing the Titanic theme song, and for some even odder reason, I can never seem to stop humming it.

The city is surrounded on all sides by mountains, which make hiking pretty convenient. El Cajas National Park, a national park in the highlands full of mountains, lagoons and hovering clouds is just 40 minutes away by bus.



Other things I’ve learned:

In Ecuador the soap used as laundry detergent and the soap used for bathing look almost identical. Yep, we’ve been washing ourselves with laundry detergent...

The search for Internet...

Our first week in Ecuador has definitely been different than anticipated.  After Carnaval the hostel we were staying at almost cleared out and the population of Canoa dropped by at least 50%.  The streets have quieted down and the true beauty of this small town has begun to shine through.  However, so have the downsides.  The main downside being the lack of Internet.

I had originally thought that I could live anywhere in the world.  I have recently learned that that statement should be clarified-- I can live anywhere in the world that has a working Internet connection.

Dan and my first few days here were spent traveling around the town to every hostel to check the Internet speeds.  I feel like a spoiled American endlessly searching to find an Internet connection equivalent to the one I had in the States.  Ecuadorians here don't seem to understand the importance of Internet since most of them or either vacationing or don't rely solely on the Internet as their source of income.

A few of my lessons had to be cancelled and others tested not only English skills, but also the patience of my students.  After a few days of searching, we decided that we'd have to pay up for our own connection, or leave this town.

That's when an opportunity was offered to us.  The couple managing our hostel told us that they were leaving for a month and asked if Dan and I would run the hostel while they were gone.  They told us that they'd try their best to get a router and Internet connection installed before they left.  Our sole responsibilities would be to tidy up the rooms, refill the water jugs, empty the trash, and feed the dogs.  In exchange we'd have a free place to stay, and the pretty cool experience of running a hostel.  At first this idea sounded great...but soon we began to learn more.

The hostel was not registered and not legally allowed to be operating.  No wonder all Ecuadorians were turned away!  The owners were drug dealers.  Last year there was some sort of fight in the hostel that led to things being set on fire.  After doing some research and learning that the punishment for being caught with drugs could be twelve years in an Ecuadorian prison and that Ecuadorians were guilty until proven innocent, Dan and I decided to decline the offer.

Instead we moved into a beautiful condo complex 15 minutes down the road with Internet already installed.  We're renting the condo for 2 weeks until we decide what to do next...

Our current home...

Things I've learned so far about Ecuador:

Getting about 20 small bug bites on each elbow is a normal occurrence and something not to be worried about.

The drug trade is quite rampant on the coast.

It is normal for giant lizards (slash miniature crocodiles) and fist-sized crabs to run around hostels.

It is possible to eat a meal containing shrimp for $2.

I've learned the definition of the slang term "square" and that Dan and I are as square as they come.

Salt-water showers don't do wonders for the skin.  And salt-water teeth brushing isn't so great, either.

I can tell almost the exact humidity level by the curliness of my hair.

I have no self-restraint when it comes to itching my mosquito bites.  This has and will continue to result in scars developing on my legs.  But at the time, it's worth it.

Wi-fi is pronounced "wee-fee" and I love to say it.

We made it to Canoa, Ecador!

We made it. And it was definitely a blog-worthy journey.

We spent our first day in Quito wandering around aimlessly trying to take as much of the city in as possible in just one day. I learned that Quito is the highest elevated capital city in the world, making me feel a little less embarrassed about how out of breath I was walking up the stairs to our hostel room.



Quito was oddly similar to how I imagined it would be: a typical South American city surrounded by mountains partially hidden by clouds.

Most of our afternoon was spent in an attempt to find Terminal Terrestre, what we thought was the main bus terminal in Quito, and where we would need to get a bus to Canoa. After several people gave us different directions, we came to the realization that “Terminal Terrestre” was in fact not a bus-hub, but rather the name of every bus station in Quito. After hours spent searching, we found the bus we needed and discovered it only left once per day, at 10:45pm.

We decided to buy a ticket for that night and by 10:45pm we were on the bus headed for Canoa. The person who sold us the ticket told us that we’d arrive to Canoa at 6am, so you could imagine our surprise when the bus came to a stop at 4am and everyone got off. “Canoa,” the bus driver announced. We had arrived…at four in the morning…to a town we knew nothing about…without any place to stay for what was left of the night.

Everyone grabbed their backpacks and went off on their way while Dan and I stood there in a half-awake state of confusion. Turns out this weekend is Carnaval in Ecuador and Canoa just happens to be one of the places where Ecuadorians flock to celebrate. So, the streets were bustling with people.

As Dan and I wandered around, we might as well have had “GRINGOS” stamped across our foreheads. If our huge backpacks didn't give us away, Dan's baseball hat and my yoga pants sure did. We knocked on some hostel doors and were met with the same response, “No hay habitaciones.”

And just when we thought we were out of luck, a man dressed in all white, with a Ecuadorian style hat (which I will most likely think is stylish in a couple of weeks) approached us.

“Hola,” he said with a large smile.

“Hola,” we replied.

“No hablamos,” (“We no speak”) Dan replied.

(For some reason Dan always forgets to include “Espanol” at the end of this statement).

We made our best attempt at a conversation with this man (in a terrible mix of butchered Spanish and English), who we later learned was named Christian.

Pretty soon he was calling us his "amigos."

He told us that all of the hostels were full because of Carnaval and offered us his car to sleep in. We took him up on his offer and spent the early morning sprawled out in his car (Sorry mom, but I was surprisingly more hesitant than Dan!) We slept about 3 hours before the sun was glaring through the windows.

We decided that it was best not to wait for Christian to return. We left him a “thank you” note and were on our way…

Walking down the streets carrying all of our belongings and dripping sweat, we were lucky enough to run into some English speakers who offered us a place to stay for the rest of Carnaval. The rates are a bit higher than usual ($40 a night) because of the holiday, but they told us they'd be dropping once the holiday was over...

Ecuador, here we come!

So, a lot has happened in the last two months.  I quit my job.  I said goodbye to Chicago.  I started my own online English teaching business (with the help of Dan designing my website).  I got stuck in a blizzard in the middle of Pennsylvania.  And I packed up all my belongings into a backpack, and booked a one-way ticket to Ecuador with Dan.  Gosh, it seems crazy when I write it out.  Then again, maybe it is…

I’m traveling once again so my blog will be updated regularly.  For some reason I only think my life is interesting enough to write about when I am traveling.

Our flight leaves today at 5:35pm.  I could choose any place in the world to move to, so how did I make up my extremely indecisive mind?  I’m glad you asked. 

My primary goal is to learn Spanish and to live somewhere inexpensive, so my choices were quickly narrowed down to South American countries.  From there, I relied upon Google.  My Google searches were phrases such as, “Cheap places to live in South America,” “Best surfing towns in South America,” “Best beaches in South America”…And one place seemed to match up quite well: Canoa, Ecuador, a small fishing village on the coast of Ecuador, about 7 hours west of Quito (the nearest airport).

According to Internet sources (which oddly haven’t been updated since 2007), Canoa is a peaceful village where you can go fishing, surfing, hang gliding, mountain biking or horseback riding.  All while living in an apartment on the beach for $350 a month (split with Dan!) and eating seafood dinners for $1.50.  The weather varies from 70 to 90 degrees all year long.  How had I not known that places like this exist? 

It seems too good to be true.   We’ll see if it is.

"I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list"

Okay, so it has been a year since I last wrote...I have spent the last two years teaching at an international language school in downtown Chicago. During those two years I have met some amazing people from all around the world.

So what have I learned? Well, I've learned a ton about English grammar.

I've learned a lot about different cultures...I've learned that Chinese people don't actually eat fortune cookies, nor do they even know what they are. And they like to make hardboiled eggs, marinate them in gravy and preserve them in plastic as a snack. I've learned that Saudi Arabians have licenses that they must carry around declaring whom they are married to. And that in the Middle East, it is unethical to eat with the left hand. I've learned to never write a Korean student's name in red pen, because it indicates that I want something terrible to happen to them. I've learned that in Russia an odd number of flowers is bad luck, and that a nod of the head actually means "no" in Bulgaria.



In addition, I've learned that first impressions are almost always inaccurate. And that different perspectives can be fascinating, and people open to hearing them are the best type of people. I've learned that teaching is one of the most life-consuming, but satisfying jobs there is. I've learned that there is so much more of the world left to see and experience firsthand.

And...I've learned that no matter how many times your brain tells your eye sockets not to cry, tears are not something that you can control.

It's been awhile...

I know I haven't updated in a while. So what have I been up to for the past six months? Well, I'm still living in Chicago. For almost nine months now...

Oddly enough, it still feels new to me, and strange when I talk about it to other people. I guess because I never expected to spend even a small part of my life in a city colder than NYC. But aside from the weather, Chicago is a pretty great city, with blue water, clean streets, affordable rent and space to move around on the streets (four things that I'll be honest and admit NYC does not have...) I'm stuck in that awkward time when I go to New York and the people I know in Chicago tell me to have a safe trip "home." And then I leave New York and my family and friends tell me the same exact thing. It's hard for me to consider Chicago "home," but that's probably because I know I won't be here forever. In fact, I probably won't be anywhere forever. (The travel bug is a sickness that never seems to go away...) And you know what? I'm alright with that...



I am still teaching ESL. Yes, I know, it's hard to believe that I have stuck with the same job for a year and a half now. Quite the accomplishment.

The past seven months I have spent teaching at Education First, an international language school in downtown Chicago. My classes consist of students from all over the world. I spend three hours a day with each class, teaching them English (sometimes teaching myself before class), and in exchange learning about the customs and traditions from all around the world. That's more time than I spend with my family, my friends, and even Dan, who I live with.

Yesterday, my students graduated.

My speech to my students went something like this, "I am going to make this short and sweet, because I am trying not to cry. This was my first group of students...(first teardrop begins formation), and I'm going (trying so hard to contain myself)...to miss (oh no, I can't stop it)...you all (full on tears)." Due to an inability to call each student up by their name I gestured for the entire class to come up to the front of the room to receive their certificates. I have to admit that this was my first time crying in front of a group of 100 or so people. Embarrassing? I'd say so.



It might be because it's that time of the month, or because in saying "goodbye" to this group of students, I was also saying "goodbye" to a part of myself. Over the last seven months I have seen these students grow from timid foreigners with only a beginner's knowledge of English, into confident English speakers that I now consider to be friends. At first, they could barely understand a word I said. But by the end, we had shared stories about our lives, our passions, and our opinions on almost every topic imaginable. They know almost everything about me, and I know a darn lot about them too.

Some of my students live up to their stereotypes (some of the South American students are affectionate, the Asian students are studious, and the Russian students seem a bit cold), but what is amazing is that fact that so many don't.

Tomorrow I start again with a new class. A new group of students, who I'm sure will be much different than the first...