I have internet access! The Spanish school has wireless internet but I was not able to connect for some unknown reason. Today I bought an Ethernet cable and all is well now. So, here come the posts I have been writing for the last three days but have been unable to send.
We are here, all are well and things are great!
We got up at 4am to get to the airport by 5 for our 6:50 flight. I bought us a one day pass to the Admirals Club, which is the private lounge for American Airlines. It cost $50 (the kids were free) and was worth every penny today. It was nice to go into a calmer, quieter area during the five hour layover in Miami. No blaring loudspeaker messages, comfy chairs, and they had juice and snacks which kept the kids happy. Because of the snacks I did not have to spend $20 on airport lunch, so really, the lounge only cost $30. A bargain! I don’t think I would do it if it was just me, but with the kids it was a real lifesaver. One bad thing: Their internet was down in the lounge so I did not get to do any e-mail.
Tate made it through the travel day with very few incidents. He has a hard time with transitions and usually has several meltdowns when traveling. So far, so good. Cora had a hard time leaving Steve this morning but got really excited when we were landing in Ecuador.
The Quito airport was about what I expected. The immigration line was long but I had hurried the kids along after getting off the plane so we were ahead of most of the pack. Good travel tip here: When you get off the plane zoom to the immigration area as fast as you can without looking like a freak. Every person you pass will then be behind you in the line. The length of the line tripled while we were waiting. Getting the luggage was crazy. The baggage claim belt only goes around until the last bag is loaded then it stops. If your bag is still somewhere on the line you have to go find it or look in a pile on the floor. It was like bumper cars. People pushing their carts every which way trying to get to their bags. Ah, Latino America.
When we came out of the customs area there was this huge crush of people behind barricades. Apparently if you are an Ecuadorian all of your family comes to meet you at the airport. ALL of them. I cannot even being to tell you the relief I felt when I saw the La-Lengua sign with my name on it. Dr. Perez and her husband (the directors of the school) came to pick us up and I swear tears welled up in my eyes at the sight of them. I am so glad we did not have to negotiate getting a taxi and getting out of the airport on our own.
We arrived at our homestay house about 15 minutes after leaving the airport. It was dark so I cannot tell you anything about it from the outside or the neighborhood yet. We met Dr. Cecilia Rivera, the person we are staying with. I would describe her as grandmotherly. She is, in fact, a grandmother. She is also a pediatrician! Perfecto! She has the top floor of a building with lots of room and I am glad we are here. She does not speak English. Luckily there is a girl here from Canada and she translated for us.
It was a little uncomfortable getting settled and the kids were very homesick and cried about wanting to go home. Tate drew up a calendar to mark off the days until we go home again. Time, a glass of water, clean pajamas and unpacking helped them a lot. I read them a chapter of On The Banks of Plum Creek and they were fine.
Now I am alone for the first time all day and am very ready for sleep. The beds are cozy and comfortable and it is raining outside so I am expecting a good nights rest. Hasta Manana
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Not as great a sleep as I would have liked. There are unfamiliar noises, a bird that makes chirps in the night and some kind of music was going on somewhere outside at 3:30am. I had a hard time going back to sleep.
After a breakfast of bread, fruit, tea and Cheetos (!) the kids and I headed out to explore. The very first intersection I took a wrong turn. I did not realize it until I had made my second wrong turn at we ended up at a dead end. Travel tradition #1. I always get lost the first time I try to get anywhere. After much walking and listening to complaints from the kids I finally found the school we will have to be at tomorrow morning. So far so good. Around the corner from the school was an internet café so we were able to call Steve. 12 cents a minute. It was good to talk to him and let him know that we are alright. We all miss him terribly but I am just not letting that come to the front of my brain so that I can cope. Tomorrow I will take my laptop to the café and see if I can get this blog updated.
After calling home we walked toward the park. About this time Cora and I needed to go to the bathroom. We found a McDonalds, which I knew would have a bathroom, so we headed there. The kids talked me into letting them get a cheeseburger and fries. Travel tradition #2. We always seem to eat at McDonalds the first time we go anywhere culturally different. I guess it is a primal need to find the familiar. Anyway, now that is over with so we should not have to go there again. We then went to the park which was across the street. It had really old play equipment, like the school playground when I was a kid, and there were people everywhere. There were stands renting out these pedal cars and of course Tate and Cora wanted to try them. $2 for 30 minutes. Tate was too big to pedal any of the cars but one of them had a ride along seat on the back so they got that one and took off. Cora pulling Tate. It was great! Cora pedaled the whole 30 minutes and has not stopped talking about it. She can’t wait to do it again. I have no pictures because my camera appears to have stopped working. I am talking nice to it now and hoping recharging the batteries will work otherwise Steve will have to buy a camera before he comes.
After playing longer at the park I talked them into riding a bus with me around town. I finally convinced them then realized I had no change for the bus. The smallest bill I had was a $10. NOBODY wants to take a $10. I tried to get change but no one wanted to do it. So we walked. About another 20 minutes to get back to our house. Now we are having a siesta and it is starting to rain outside. Good timing.
The nap was good. Dinner was not until 6:30 and it was only 4:30 when I started getting restless so the kids and I headed out to do some exploring near our home. They complained about having to do it but we all had a really good time. We followed the road down from our house and walked along the side of the valley. We found a really neat park with a small play fort and they loved it. The weather was perfect, everyone was in a good mood, we had good conversations, and we were back within an hour. It was a great outing. I was very pleased with dinner too. We had salad, tomatoes, carrots, avocado, potatoes, meatloaf and a peach slice for dessert. The kids behaved very well and ate everything happily. All those years of listening to them complain about having to eat so much fruit and veggies paid off tonight.
After helping clean up dinner I undertook the daunting task of getting the kids showered and ready for bed. Again, they did great (was there some alien switch I was unaware of) and now, at 8:15pm we are settled in for the night. Steve is very worried about the shower situation so I am happy to report that we have hot showers with a good water flow. Not as hot as he would like, but I think he will be pleased.
Update: The camera is working! I am hoping to get this internet thing worked out tomorrow and can send you all pictures and these blogs. Wish me luck!
March 31, 2008
I certainly hope I will be able to say that this was my worst day in Ecuador. We had to be at the school by 8:45 but Cora was very, very crabby at having to wake up early and made us late leaving our home. We walked down the most chaotic street I have ever been on and had to keep a constant eye on the kids and the traffic while Cora groused the whole time. We got there about 9 and I had to fill out paperwork so we did not get started until 9:15.
My teacher is Nancy and the kids have two teachers but are in a class together. They both said they had fun and were happy when it was over and they like it. The classes are four hours but we have a 20 minute break at two hours. That second two hours is hard. Your brain is tired from all the work it is doing. We all left today mentally exhausted.
I am still having major trouble getting internet access. The school has wireless but I was not able to connect and we don’t know why. I then went to an internet café but the computers are all in Spanish so I had a hard time figuring out what to do. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve to try tomorrow.
It poured rain all day here. We could not go to a park or sight see. I was so tired and wet and frustrated with my computer that I let the kids talk me into eating at KFC, or as it is said here Ka-effe-say. We then walked home in the rain and stayed in the home the rest of the day.
So to sum up the list of things I hate but dealt with today: Waking Cora up in the morning, being late, computer problems, rain, KFC and being stuck inside.
Now some nice things. The food we have at our home is great. As healthy as I could have wished for and it tastes delicious. The meals are all sit down with the people we are here with so we have conversations, more or less. The girl from Canada leaves tomorrow and she is the best translator. The girl from Holland speaks good English but not much Spanish. The girl from France is said to be fluent but I have not met her yet as she has been traveling this weekend and is supposed to be here later tonight. There is also a girl from Ecuador going to university but she does not speak English. Neither does our host, in case I forgot to tell you earlier. I am *really* going to miss Nico from Canada.
I am exhausted now and ready to go to sleep. Let’s all hope for a good day tomorrow.
We are here, all are well and things are great!
We got up at 4am to get to the airport by 5 for our 6:50 flight. I bought us a one day pass to the Admirals Club, which is the private lounge for American Airlines. It cost $50 (the kids were free) and was worth every penny today. It was nice to go into a calmer, quieter area during the five hour layover in Miami. No blaring loudspeaker messages, comfy chairs, and they had juice and snacks which kept the kids happy. Because of the snacks I did not have to spend $20 on airport lunch, so really, the lounge only cost $30. A bargain! I don’t think I would do it if it was just me, but with the kids it was a real lifesaver. One bad thing: Their internet was down in the lounge so I did not get to do any e-mail.
Tate made it through the travel day with very few incidents. He has a hard time with transitions and usually has several meltdowns when traveling. So far, so good. Cora had a hard time leaving Steve this morning but got really excited when we were landing in Ecuador.
The Quito airport was about what I expected. The immigration line was long but I had hurried the kids along after getting off the plane so we were ahead of most of the pack. Good travel tip here: When you get off the plane zoom to the immigration area as fast as you can without looking like a freak. Every person you pass will then be behind you in the line. The length of the line tripled while we were waiting. Getting the luggage was crazy. The baggage claim belt only goes around until the last bag is loaded then it stops. If your bag is still somewhere on the line you have to go find it or look in a pile on the floor. It was like bumper cars. People pushing their carts every which way trying to get to their bags. Ah, Latino America.
When we came out of the customs area there was this huge crush of people behind barricades. Apparently if you are an Ecuadorian all of your family comes to meet you at the airport. ALL of them. I cannot even being to tell you the relief I felt when I saw the La-Lengua sign with my name on it. Dr. Perez and her husband (the directors of the school) came to pick us up and I swear tears welled up in my eyes at the sight of them. I am so glad we did not have to negotiate getting a taxi and getting out of the airport on our own.
We arrived at our homestay house about 15 minutes after leaving the airport. It was dark so I cannot tell you anything about it from the outside or the neighborhood yet. We met Dr. Cecilia Rivera, the person we are staying with. I would describe her as grandmotherly. She is, in fact, a grandmother. She is also a pediatrician! Perfecto! She has the top floor of a building with lots of room and I am glad we are here. She does not speak English. Luckily there is a girl here from Canada and she translated for us.
It was a little uncomfortable getting settled and the kids were very homesick and cried about wanting to go home. Tate drew up a calendar to mark off the days until we go home again. Time, a glass of water, clean pajamas and unpacking helped them a lot. I read them a chapter of On The Banks of Plum Creek and they were fine.
Now I am alone for the first time all day and am very ready for sleep. The beds are cozy and comfortable and it is raining outside so I am expecting a good nights rest. Hasta Manana
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Not as great a sleep as I would have liked. There are unfamiliar noises, a bird that makes chirps in the night and some kind of music was going on somewhere outside at 3:30am. I had a hard time going back to sleep.
After a breakfast of bread, fruit, tea and Cheetos (!) the kids and I headed out to explore. The very first intersection I took a wrong turn. I did not realize it until I had made my second wrong turn at we ended up at a dead end. Travel tradition #1. I always get lost the first time I try to get anywhere. After much walking and listening to complaints from the kids I finally found the school we will have to be at tomorrow morning. So far so good. Around the corner from the school was an internet café so we were able to call Steve. 12 cents a minute. It was good to talk to him and let him know that we are alright. We all miss him terribly but I am just not letting that come to the front of my brain so that I can cope. Tomorrow I will take my laptop to the café and see if I can get this blog updated.
After calling home we walked toward the park. About this time Cora and I needed to go to the bathroom. We found a McDonalds, which I knew would have a bathroom, so we headed there. The kids talked me into letting them get a cheeseburger and fries. Travel tradition #2. We always seem to eat at McDonalds the first time we go anywhere culturally different. I guess it is a primal need to find the familiar. Anyway, now that is over with so we should not have to go there again. We then went to the park which was across the street. It had really old play equipment, like the school playground when I was a kid, and there were people everywhere. There were stands renting out these pedal cars and of course Tate and Cora wanted to try them. $2 for 30 minutes. Tate was too big to pedal any of the cars but one of them had a ride along seat on the back so they got that one and took off. Cora pulling Tate. It was great! Cora pedaled the whole 30 minutes and has not stopped talking about it. She can’t wait to do it again. I have no pictures because my camera appears to have stopped working. I am talking nice to it now and hoping recharging the batteries will work otherwise Steve will have to buy a camera before he comes.
After playing longer at the park I talked them into riding a bus with me around town. I finally convinced them then realized I had no change for the bus. The smallest bill I had was a $10. NOBODY wants to take a $10. I tried to get change but no one wanted to do it. So we walked. About another 20 minutes to get back to our house. Now we are having a siesta and it is starting to rain outside. Good timing.
The nap was good. Dinner was not until 6:30 and it was only 4:30 when I started getting restless so the kids and I headed out to do some exploring near our home. They complained about having to do it but we all had a really good time. We followed the road down from our house and walked along the side of the valley. We found a really neat park with a small play fort and they loved it. The weather was perfect, everyone was in a good mood, we had good conversations, and we were back within an hour. It was a great outing. I was very pleased with dinner too. We had salad, tomatoes, carrots, avocado, potatoes, meatloaf and a peach slice for dessert. The kids behaved very well and ate everything happily. All those years of listening to them complain about having to eat so much fruit and veggies paid off tonight.
After helping clean up dinner I undertook the daunting task of getting the kids showered and ready for bed. Again, they did great (was there some alien switch I was unaware of) and now, at 8:15pm we are settled in for the night. Steve is very worried about the shower situation so I am happy to report that we have hot showers with a good water flow. Not as hot as he would like, but I think he will be pleased.
Update: The camera is working! I am hoping to get this internet thing worked out tomorrow and can send you all pictures and these blogs. Wish me luck!
March 31, 2008
I certainly hope I will be able to say that this was my worst day in Ecuador. We had to be at the school by 8:45 but Cora was very, very crabby at having to wake up early and made us late leaving our home. We walked down the most chaotic street I have ever been on and had to keep a constant eye on the kids and the traffic while Cora groused the whole time. We got there about 9 and I had to fill out paperwork so we did not get started until 9:15.
My teacher is Nancy and the kids have two teachers but are in a class together. They both said they had fun and were happy when it was over and they like it. The classes are four hours but we have a 20 minute break at two hours. That second two hours is hard. Your brain is tired from all the work it is doing. We all left today mentally exhausted.
I am still having major trouble getting internet access. The school has wireless but I was not able to connect and we don’t know why. I then went to an internet café but the computers are all in Spanish so I had a hard time figuring out what to do. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve to try tomorrow.
It poured rain all day here. We could not go to a park or sight see. I was so tired and wet and frustrated with my computer that I let the kids talk me into eating at KFC, or as it is said here Ka-effe-say. We then walked home in the rain and stayed in the home the rest of the day.
So to sum up the list of things I hate but dealt with today: Waking Cora up in the morning, being late, computer problems, rain, KFC and being stuck inside.
Now some nice things. The food we have at our home is great. As healthy as I could have wished for and it tastes delicious. The meals are all sit down with the people we are here with so we have conversations, more or less. The girl from Canada leaves tomorrow and she is the best translator. The girl from Holland speaks good English but not much Spanish. The girl from France is said to be fluent but I have not met her yet as she has been traveling this weekend and is supposed to be here later tonight. There is also a girl from Ecuador going to university but she does not speak English. Neither does our host, in case I forgot to tell you earlier. I am *really* going to miss Nico from Canada.
I am exhausted now and ready to go to sleep. Let’s all hope for a good day tomorrow.
Comments
Really great to hear your voices today!! (heard you in the background Michelle) So glad you all are doing well and made it safely to your destination. Sounds like you are learning alot. Hope the rain stops soon that makes things a bit difficult not to mention soggy. Things are fine here it has been rainy and cold so you have not missed any nice weather. Will look forward to next blog! G
I'm glad you're eating healthfully!
Teri
keep learning and smiling,
Barbara
Tanya