Moving2Ecuador

Despite consistent polling suggesting we move to Republica de el Salvador, we chose the Cordero and Tamayo penthouse, perhaps because of the view, perhaps because of the craziness of the place, its size, the adventure it suggests. We will meet the owners tomorrow to walk through the apartment requesting repairs and asking them to remove most of the furniture. And then we go shopping. Isabel insists she will take me to 'SuCasa' at El Jardin to buy sheets and towels. We will need to equip the kitchen, and we will buy plants, lots of them, to cover up piles of dirt in several places in the apartment. I will have to pay more attention to our plants; in Baltimore I overwater and subsequently kill all my plants, in Quito everything seems to grow well. I am relieved that we have made a decision and that we are moving forward. I expected to feel excited, but this apartment search has gone on too long and I am simply glad it is over. I am feeling overwhelmed in anticipation of all that ...

I will miss this house. Seeing Cotopaxi peeking out some mornings and again later in the day is priceless, and with the Panecillo and the Basilica in the distance, Pichincha on one side and gentler hills to the other, each time I walk across the rooftop to descend to the main floor of the house, I am amazed, delighted, entranced, recharged. Perhaps what I will miss the most however, is the warmth and generosity of Isabel and Erika. We are so well taken care of, all our needs and wishes are attended to, sometimes it is difficult to accept so many gifts and not to be able to reciprocate. Anticipating that we will be gone in a few days, and wanting to express our thanks however inadequately, we took the opportunity to take the whole family out to lunch today. Isabel and Erika, along with Isabel's ex-husband Mario, her son Junior (Mario), her other daughter Stephanie who spent the summer working at an amusement park in Sandunsky, Ohio and returned late Thursday night ( and will be o...

Eric and I have decided that we MUST make the apartment decision by Monday. The two final 'contestants' have about an equal number of pros and cons, so at this point I have no idea where we will end up. The Cordero and Tamayo penthouse is huge, has three bedrooms, has incredible views, has a fireplace, a great concierge, and is close to the Mariscal, La Floresta, the Supermaxi and a fruit and vegetable market, OchoyMedio, and restaurants and clubs. It is located in a less than safe area, is far from Maya's school, is a little less expensive, but is not fully equipped and we will be spending more money to furnish it with kitchen ware and some furniture and perhaps new mattresses. The new apartment we looked at today in the Republica del Salvador area, is only two bedrooms, but spread out through three floors and feels bigger. It is fully furnished and equipped with kitchen equipment, is closer to Maya's school by at least twenty minutes in the morning rush, is close to s...

Quito is shrinking, or at least is more and more familiar and does not feel too big or overwhelming anymore. I am very comfortable with the Trole and the Ecovia, and find myself unconcerned with the mass of humanity on the buses. It is sometimes odd to feel people pressing so hard and so close, but I am lucky to be a head taller than most and breathing is always easy. When there are too many people, Maya gets a little panicky, so we choose to wait for the next bus. It was the last day of swimming class. Despite her limitations in Spanish, Maya seems to have understood what was required of her. Her teacher seemed unenthusiastic most of the time, but perked up when he heard that she was from Baltimore and piped up with 'Michael Phelps!!!!'. I did not bother to explain that Maya learned to swim at Meadowbrook, the same pool where Phelps used to train. I have been taking advantage of the hour of swim class to finish 'Ivanhoe' and start with a novel I picked up at the book...

The apartment hunt has started anew. We focused our attention on the area around a street called Republica del Salvador. This is where we have looked before. Erika suggested the area because items far closer to Maya's school than La Floresta or Gonzales Suarez, almost midway between Catolica and Einstein. Maya and I met Eric at the Supercines, a huge movie theatre complex across the street from the Megamaxi and just down Seis di Diciembre from the Quicentro shopping centre and the 'Atahualpa' soccer (futbol) stadium. Eric and I had seen a movie at the Supercines a few nights ago (The Time Traveler's Wife, or in Spanish 'Te Amare Por Simepre", much more romantic in Spanish), and living near a movie theatre would be a plus. Maya and I took the Ecovia from JipiJapa to the Supercines, and had a twenty minute wait on the street. We were entertained by the arrival of a SWAT team in their fatigues and their machine guns held at their shoulders. A tank like vehicle was...

Today was an important day for Maya. Yesterday, Eric had received a phonecall from her teacher, who was interested in meeting her. We had planned a visit to the school anyway, to sign papers, pay our bill, talk to the doctor and sign up for her eating plan. Buying her uniform was also on the agenda, but we ran out of time, so that is a task for another day. I was up most of the night going through the pros and cons of the apartment, and decided early in the morning that we would take the one that Eric and Maya are so keen on. Part of the decision was motivated by the school, Colegio Alberto Einstein, urging us to provide them with an address so they can set up their transportation plan. Not having an address is very inconvenient for them. So I told Eric on his way to Catolica this morning to call the landlord and communicate our wish to move in as soon as it is cleaned up. I was surprised to hear from Eric that the landlord did not want to rent it for only ten months!!! They were quite...

Whew! It is cold and getting colder. I woke up with the wind howling, but by the time I peeked out from under the covers (three layers of wool blankets), the sun was shining and it was much warmer than I expected. By midday the sun was shining intensely and I discovered that I had dressed too warmly and took off every layer I could. I have been warned that winter is still coming, and that in September the rains will start, that it will be even colder for another six months. Am I not in the southern hemisphere, I ask? I guess it is only by a few degrees. The equator is just a little north of Quito, so we are not quite like Australia, where summer and winter are reversed. Eric loves the 'springlike', or rather 'fall-like' weather all year long, with cold nights and warm days and very variable conditions throughout the day. There is a wet and dry season both in the Andes and the jungle, but they are reversed. I did not bring warm enough clothing, and will have to venture o...

It is strange to be back with Isabel and Erika after a weekend of being around gringos. It took a while to get back to speaking Spanish again. Everyone at Yanayacu was English speaking and either American or European. I realize how lucky we have been to have had a very genuine and authentic Ecuadorian experience since we arrived in Quito. We have been immersed in a Spanish speaking environment, we have eaten almost exclusively Ecuadorian food, Maya's camp and swimming and ballet lessons have all been full of local people. It certainly feels like we have returned home to Isabel and Erika, who have welcomed us, fed us, opened their home and their lives to us. While at Yanayacu, everyone had a story about robberies, pickpockets, murders, assaults. Everyone in the group had had either a personal encounter with crime during their time in Ecuador, or knew someone who had. It was sobering and shocking and set off all sorts of fears for me. I am not sure I have ever felt so worried about ...

Yanayacu was entirely conceived and created by Harold. He had this vision and the perseverance and focus to maintain sight of his goal. He has been successful, both as a scientist (he has published many papers), as a teacher and organizer (he has many students come for weeks to months at a time to pursue scientific projects), as a PR man (he has a great reputation and has volunteers with Earthwatch and other organizations participate in his vision). He has recently finished his PhD, and has plans to expand and collaborate with other scientists throughout Ecuador and in other countries. Eric would like to study the wrens that live in the bamboo forests, and spent much time discussing possibilities with Harold. The research station was built section by section, is very basic and simple but serviceable. Eric, Maya and I stayed together in a room with a bunkbed and a single bed. We had wonderful thick Otavaleno blankets, which I doubled so that we each had four layers. Maya had horrible ...