Sunday Reflection

Today was one of those days that come by on rare occasion. A day where you almost feel outside of your body, almost as if you’re observing the world from some celestial body hovering above Earth.

I was on a bike ride (with my new front tire) cruising through the old city, along the rocky uneven streets. The sidewalks provide a somewhat safer route, but there’s always the chance of running over a foot or running out of sidewalk (that happens here, unexpectedly.)

Traversing the town, I noticed how hot the sun was beating on my back, and realized  that today was the first day of spring. I smiled, acknowledging that I slipped from summer to spring, but not without some chilly-weather nights in between. With it being a Sunday, the shops were mostly closed down, and I marveled at how unrecognizable things seemed when everything was all shuttered. I still have to orient myself, I guess.

I decided that I would take a break from lesson planning and get some more reading done in The Kite Runner. It’s an excellent book. I stopped at Parque Calderon, which is probably the most popular plaza in the old city. The environment here was different from the rest of the town: vendors selling ice cream, teenagers lounging in their rebellious “American” clothes, old men stealing a smoke from their cigars, street performers entertaining the children. I took a seat on a bench, in the sunlight, but out of the sunlight. Cracked open my book, and became immersed in the storyline of the novel.

A very young boy walked up to me. Sat down next to me on the bench and muttered something. All I could make out was “choclo”. I looked down. He was lugging a big bucket of choclo, large corn kernels, selling it to the parkgoers. “No gracias” I replied, and returned to my book. The boy remained seated, shuffling his little sneaker-clad feet. I watched his feet swing back and forth, back and forth, and after a few moments, he got up and walked away. Milled about the surrounding area, repeating his line, and an older man dug in his pocket for a bag of choclo. I kept my eyes on this little boy…he was no more than 3 feet tall, donning baggy jeans, a T-shirt, and dark brown hair. His scrawny arms clutched the bucket, his walk a little lopsided from the weight of the goods in it. In the States, I’d probably never see such a sight. But here, it was completely normal. A kid selling goods on the street.

That’s when the culture shock hit. I wasn’t in the States. I was in Cuenca, Ecuador. I looked around, saw the polleras, the hats, the shawls, but also the baseball caps, the skinny jeans, the cell phones. It was surreal. I felt the sun again, it felt so good. I wondered what the weather was like in Philadelphia now. I heard it was getting cooler, fall was in the air. I wondered what I’d be doing now if I were back there.

But I wasn’t there. I was here, sitting on a park bench, listening to the police on every corner blowing their whistles, wearing their florescent vests and monitoring the plaza. Suddenly, I hear “hola.” I don’t move. “Hola.” I look up. A girl with blonde hair and sunglasses hands me a flyer. I look at it. It’s advertising belgian waffles. “Muy rico” she tells me and goes on her way. I watch her leave; where’s she from?

Where am I from? Where are any of us from? Does a country of origin really define us? Does this Phillies cap on my head or the visa in my passport truly differentiate me from the other people in this plaza? That little boy with the choclo, does he need the same things as me? Or are we worlds apart? I’ve been thinking of how I love celebrating my differences, of how I like to pay attention to what makes me unique. But I’ve been reminded that as humans, we really aren’t that unique from each other. Maybe if we all stopped thinking about what makes us different, we would see that we all are essentially in need of the same things. We all want to be at peace, we all want to have friendship and we all want to feel love. Most of the Ecuadorians here accept me into their culture and society. Back at home in Philadelphia, I see residents who get all into a tizzy over someone from Central America or Asia who can’t form a perfect English sentence. I’m not trying to preach anything or delve into anything political, but aren’t we all pretty much the same? Could this realization, if everyone had it, put an end to all the turmoil the world is facing?

So I reflect this Sunday afternoon, sitting here in Ecuador. And maybe somebody in China, or Norway, or Kenya is reflecting on the same thing.

Teacher Life

Welcome to teacher life. The first week of classes is in full swing!

I received my teaching assignments on Sunday, and much to my dismay, was assigned a ninos (kids) class. Anyone who moderately knows me knows that I am not kid-friendly. My first instict was to swap this class immediately. However, I realized that sooner or later, I'm going to have to deal with kids. Especially if I want to keep teaching. So, the ninos class has stayed. I was also assigned two 201 (Pre-Intermediate) classes, one for Monday-Thursday and one for Saturday mornings. Three classes total, not bad for a newbie teacher such as myself.

So, my first day was 1-for-2. Kids were a total miss. My 201 (teens) were a hit. With my kids, I have two girls, ages 11 and 10. They are extremely timid and I feel like some scary monster when I'm with them. They literally run out of the room at the end of class. I play games, do activities, and try to move around and be fun. But then it was brought to my attention that maybe they don't like that kind of stuff; maybe they prefer working independently and in the book. So, I let them do that, and things got a bit better. They still run out of class though. One of the teachers suggested I reference One Direction and stuff like that. I almost puked. But I might have to. They did perk up when I mentioned Monsters, Inc.

My teens in 201 are great. Of course, they're still teenagers, so sometimes they just stop caring. I can usually use my sense of humor to get them more animated, and I've found that competition works very well to get them revved up. I so much prefer working with this class because they can vocally tell me when they're struggling or bored or actually into the material. That helps a lot, especially for me. Sometimes it's as if I'm just drowning and begging for someone to throw me a life preserver.

Saturday will be my first Saturday class, which goes from 8:30am-12:30pm. That's pretty intense, but I'm hoping I can use my material from my regular 201 class for the Saturday 201 class. All I know is that I no longer have those days of Hmmm, what shall I do today? It's plan, plan, plan. And it's so eerie to be the teacher this time, and not the student. Also strange (and kind of funny) how I'm only a few years older than some of my students, but I am THEIR MASTER (sort of.) For one hour and 15 minutes every Monday through Thursday, I am the boss of these teenagers; I can threaten them with their participation grades, I can make them groan when I assign homework, I can make them laugh at my silly antics. It's a weird thing, but I like it, and I'm going with that.

I'm tired. Teacher life.

Teaching Assignments

Well, I've received my teaching assignments! Not bad...at least that's my thought right now! I have a kids class (ack!) Monday-Thursday from 4:30-5:30pm and a 201 level class Monday-Thursday from 6:00-7:15pm. Also, a Saturday 201 level class from 8:30am-12:30pm. That's not bad at all. I've signed up for doing tutorials so I can make some more money, and I'm going to try doing odd jobs around town on the side. Things like pet/house sitting, dog-walking, watering people's plants, whatever.

Luckily the first couple of days are for review and games. So for the kids, I'll definitely need to be ENTERTAINING. I'm thinking lots of movement...dancing, singing, games, being silly, pictures (hey, there's where that BA in Art comes in handy!) I'm excited; more excited than nervous. The classes are small as well, so I won't be up there sweating with a million pairs of eyes staring at me. Another good thing is that all this teaching stuff is new in my head from my course in Barcelona. Time to put it to work!

In Spain, I was teaching adults, and I have a feeling I'll have a lot of teenagers. Ick. Here's my plan: be a jerk the first few days to put them in their place, then warm up to them. Heh heh heh, let's see how they like being bossed around by me. Actually, I'm not very bossy, but I will be firm. And if I see a cell phone in class, I may just erupt. People who know me well know my cell phone policy.

I've been placed in the school location that nobody really wants because they think it's far away. But it doesn't seem that bad. Plus, I have a bike. I'm more concerned with how dangerous it is for me than how far. To sum it all up, everything will be learned as I go. Little by little I'll get my footing, and I'll develop my own teaching style and the students will love me and we'll live happily ever after. Of course!

On another note, I've received news that my grandmother is ill. Seriously; the doctors found a tumor in her pancreas and she's scheduled for surgery on Friday. Please, I hope and hope that she doesn't leave us like this. Not like this. And with me being in a foreign country...I feel that I'd need to get back to the States should anything happen...

All we can do is wait, I suppose. It's a reality check, even though in a rather harrowing way. I'm here doing my thing, but I need to remember that life is still going on elsewhere. My friends and family are moving forward too. We're all doing things, living life, being us. New things are happening in my life, but that's doesn't mean things are static back at home. New situations are popping up back there as well. Sometimes it's incredible to think of how the world works. We'll never really understand how it works...we're all students too. Learning each day from Life, the toughest teacher!

New Teachers Welcome!

Today I had the chance to meet the new teachers at the CEDEI (Centers for Interamerican Studies.) Everyone seems really nice! I was relieved to discover that some of the teachers like myself, have no teaching experience. So I’m not the only one jumping into this.

We received information about the different types of classes (regular, intensive, Saturdays, niños) and the new books that the school is transitioning into. As teachers, we’ll have our manual, and the students will have their textbooks and workbooks. We also received a sample class schedule for the whole cycle, so we can use it as a guide to keep on track with the course material. This cycle will go from September to December, and as teachers we also get to take Spanish classes. I placed in the Advanced Level (glad to know my college degree in Spanish paid off!) and I will have class for 4 hours a week. I’m excited for this because it will keep my Spanish in good shape, and I hope I will meet more locals to chat with. It can get tricky when you become so entrenched in your own little group of English teachers. Sometimes you need to remind yourself and shout, “Hey you’re in Latin America! Speak more Spanish!” 

I’m also glad that I’m newly certified, so all of this English grammar stuff is fresh in my head. It’s incredible how little we recognize grammar points in our native tongue. Present Perfect? Heh?

During our new teachers meeting, we went on a tour of all 3 school locations. The most convenient for most of us is the Centro location, which is situated in the city center. It’s about a 10 minute walk from my homestay. Another school is located across the river, which is a nice walk, but nothing strenuous. The third location is pretty far out and would require the bus, a taxi, or a bicycle. Sunday will be the big day when we all receive our teaching assignments; times, locations, levels. It’s difficult to wait!

Aside from the meeting, today was an absolutely gorgeous day. Blue skies, very mild, lots of sunshine. Oh, just one of those fantastic-weather days that you never want to end. It was VERY nice for Cuenca, where year-round one can expect cold mornings, midday rain, and afternoon sun peeking through the clouds on a typical day. I’m exploring more parts of the city, and finding Cuenca to feel small, but filled with things to see. And I can’t get over the mountains that loom in the distance. And I thought the mountains around my college were big!

Another little anecdote: last night I was invited to see a local band with my housemates. We were told the show started at 8:00pm, but things here usually get underway later, so we expected the show to actually start around 8:30. In true Ecuadorian fashion, the show truly started at 10:00, with the band taking a break about 20 minutes later. Being a morning person, I was pretty beat, so some of my housemates and I headed for home. The performance was very good though. They played music that was in the genre of pop rock, although the songs seemed on the slow and mellow side. They were enjoyable, and the atmosphere was cool. It was nice to be in a place where almost everyone else was local. I find myself being very eager to converse with the Cuencanos, but finding it harder than I expected. For some reason it seemed easier in Spain. Perhaps it could be that here the people are more reserved? I’m not quite sure, but I do know that I am looking forward to meeting my new students!

Don't Hassle Me, I'm Legal

So in case you didn't realize, I have authorized and registered my visa and everything is all set! I have completed the obstacle course of visa registration. Woohoo! Glad that's done.

Every day is a good day, with yesterday being no exception. I did some prep work for my visa with a couple of other teachers. That basically involved going to a notary and waiting a bit for an old man to stamp my papers and sign them, then paying $2. After that, we headed to Movimiento Migratorio for another fancy stamp and signature. We then headed back to our school to hand in our authorized documents only to discover that one of the teachers had the wrong visa! She was issued a tourist visa instead of a cultural exchange visa! I wanted to cry for her. She now has to go to Guayaquil to correct this. I sincerely hope that she gets everything straightened out. She's fabulous, so I know she'll be okay, but it's just another thing to worry about that I know she doesn't need right now.

On a positive note, we got some lunch at a vegetarian-friendly spot serving Indian-style food, which was right up my alley. And at $2.75 for the menu del dia, it was a far cry from the lunches in Barcelona. This I could actually do and not weep for my wallet! Even $2.75 is a bit much, as the typical almuerzos go for about $1.25-$1.50. But this was fine, very good and tasty...juice, soup, veggies, rice. Mmmm. We all got to talking, and I mostly listened. Just listened to the other 3 teachers talk about their experiences...with travel, with relationships, with life.

I felt so.....................young.

I realized that we had 4 different decades at the table...50s, (almost) 40, 30s, and me, the young 22-year-old. The baby. The one with so much to learn/discover/experience/etc. And while I genuinely enjoy hanging out with people older than me, sometimes another teacher will pinch me on the cheek, and it's just...really? Could I be aging myself too quickly? Good thing I have 20-somethings back at my homestay!

Anyway, later on, I accompanied my friends as they bee-lined to their newest obsession in Cuenca: Tutto Freddo, an ice-cream joint. Which must have extremely good ice cream, because one the teachers has been there 5 times this week. Hey, I don't judge, but I'm much too cold for ice cream! We got the frosty treats and sat in the Plaza Calderon for a bit, which happened to be hosting a little dance recital from the Juventud de Azuay (Youth of Azuay.) It was wonderful! The young dancers wore beautiful traditional clothing...the girls in colorful skirts, ribbons in their braids, vibrant shawls, and crisp white blouses. The boys were in brown trousers and wool sweaters and jackets. And they danced barefoot. I watched in awe as they hopped, skipped, and twirled across the stage in harmony to the cheery Cuencana music. I wanteed to jump up there and dance with them! It was such a goregous thing to watch, and somewhat surreal...another one of those moments where I needed to take a breath, sit back, and realize that I'm in a foreign country, watching this new sight and taking it all in. The colors, the noise, the people, the energy...

So beautiful.

The day continued to be enjoyable, with an afternoon bike ride down by the river. Still getting acclimated to the altitude and those hills! Ugh, I'll have thighs of steel after this trip! Heh heh heh...

I arrived home to be greeted by one of my housemates, and fellow teacher. She's my age, so it's nice to have someone close by that's on a similar age-wavelength. I'm glad that most of the people living in my homestay are in their 20s; sometimes I need that youthful naïveté we all have about life. I'm really glad that I'm choosing to do this (teaching abroad) while I'm so young. Fresh out of college, just got certified, I have so many hardships and challenges coming, yes, but also so many lessons. Funny, I'll be a teacher here, but I'll be learning as well. We're all always learning. If you're not learning, you're not living. No matter their age, everyone is discovering new things. About themselves, about others, about the world. This crazy world we live in. In this crazy universe. And I love it. Look where it's taken me so far.

Cuencana Days

Spending your time in Cuenca before you delve into teaching for the first time is...wonderful. This charming city has a lot to offer, and I just don't have enough time (or energy) to do it all! Luckily, I have 9 months!

Recently, I've been taking bike rides around town. Dangerous? Yes. But down by the rivers there are nice bike paths that allow for safety and enjoyment. It's during these bike rides that I notice how polluted the air is. Maybe it's just me, but the buses excrete so much exhaust, the air behind them is black for a good thirty seconds before you can see through it. I'm totally used to city smells, so it's nothing new to me. It is markedly different from Barcelona though. Even though some of my friends over there said the air in Barcelona seemed really dirty, I didn't notice it; it seemed rather clean to me! Here, I notice it, but it's one of those things that comes with a busy city. If I want my city life, I must pollute my lungs. Combine that with the altitude, and I feel like a sedentary couch potato on my bike. Ten minutes in and I already feel as if I've been overexerting myself. It really is going to take some time to get used to this air (or lack thereof!)

Besides bike riding, I've been trotting around with some fellow teachers, and now friends. We celebrated someone's birthday last night. Just a quiet night in with a movie, some wine (I'll pass!) and an attempt at baking. The end product resembled a giant oreo more than a cake. Hahaha!

It's nice to go visit everyone else's homes now that we're all starting to settle into accommodations. I personally love where I'm staying. I have my own bedroom, and share everything else, which is just fine with me. If I need my alone time, it's there. If I want to socialize, there's almost always someone hanging around.

Just to backtrack a bit, my Friday was pretty sweet. A friend and I attend "First Fridays Art," which featured a local artists' work. This month's artist was a local who used oils, and most of his works on display retold Cuencana life. A little surreal, which I liked. Thick applications of paint and vibrant colors. I particularly liked his nature scenes and fish, which my friend commented would look right at home in a cafe in California. I could see that.

On the way home, we found another vegetarian-friendly joint, which we both found very exciting, being wannabe-veggie-foodies (if such a thing exists.) Even though my dining out will be limited, it's exciting to discover these potential lunch spots.

This morning, I chatted with some teachers at the CoffeeTree, which was less gringo than I thought it'd be. It's a typical place for foreigners (North Americans) to hang out, and there was a television screen showing American football, but one showing soccer as well (by the way, Colombia defeated Ecuador on Friday night, 1-0.) Even with the North American atmosphere, the waiters still spoke Spanish to us, and we sat ourselves at a table on the sidewalk, among the old buildings and rocky streets. It was a nice way to start the day.

Now, I'm off to the Museum of Modern Art (!) with a friend. I'm very excited, especially since I've been wanting to go deeper into my own art. It's tough because I'm limited to a number 2 pencil and a sketchpad right now. Couldn't bring all of my supplies with me, and can't afford any right now. But even so, I can do some sketches for future works! I'm feeling very Kandinsky right now, just letting my positive energy, enthusiasm, and gratitude come out and express itself. I'm getting tired of drawing representational objects that already exist...I'm asking myself why I'm doing that, and I can't find a reason. Because that's what people want? But it's not what I want right now, which means I need to redirect my art. I'm feeling colorful, I'm feeling free, I'm feeling that I just want myself to explode on a sheet of paper or canvas or whatever.

Sounds like a plan.

Bikes, melons, and washcloths

A bike…a giant melon…ah, life in Cuenca.

I woke up today in my new home stay. It was nice. I spent the morning walking around the city, getting lost, then getting unlost, then getting lost again.

I love doing that.

By the time I finished lunch, I was very tired. Could’ve been the food, but I think it is jetlag finally catching up. My new friends marveled at how I was so go-go-go after so much travelling, and said it was because I was 22. Well, I told them I’d crash and here it comes!

I really wanted to go exploring though, so I rested for a bit and then headed out again. I have to spend my free time wisely, while it lasts! I start teaching soon!

I was out and about once again, the tall girl in the clothes that slightly stand out amid the wool sweaters and shawls. I had been asking the folks in my home stay about bikes, and wasn’t getting much of a lead as to how to go about getting one. I was desperately going through bike withdrawal, after all, I was known on my college campus as the girl with the bike. And as much as I loved my Mongoose, I was just fine with picking up something cheap here. Then, I recalled a bike place near my old home stay from last winter. I stopped by and made a semi spur-of-the-moment purchase. Used bike, gets the job done, does okay on the hills, not super-expensive, I’ll take it! And now I have my “gringa mobile” so I can be the tall girl riding the ghetto used bicycle. What a sight. I will just never be normal (that’s too boring.)

So now I’m really happy to end my bike withdrawal. Just need to acclimate myself to biking in Cuenca. After all, the altitude is higher here, so I’ll take it easy. Even so, with that bike, I found discovering the city easier, and thrilling. I think I’ve mentioned before the crazy traffic here…

Maybe I should invest in a helmet as well.

Anyway, I was greeted by a peculiar sight when I entered the kitchen tonight. A GIANT PAPAYA. I knew I chose the right place to live! I swear, this thing is about 70 times the size of a normal papaya. We were all taking photos of it, it was that spectacular. Jeez, I haven’t found a reason not to really like Cuenca yet.

Although I went on a wild goose chase for a washcloth today. It would’ve been easier to find a goose here. I went around, store to store, asking in Spanish for a washcloth, which I still don’t know how to say in Spanish. I tried “toalla pequeña,” among other things. Someone handed me a loofah, but I didn’t want that. Why was it so hard to find a washcloth!? What do people wash themselves with around here?! I finally went into some “everything store” and was charged $1.00 for one. I told my cashier that was expensive, it’s just a rag. She told me it was cheap. Sometimes I wish I could put on a mask or something so people can stop overcharging me. Or makes quick friends with the locals and have them do my shopping for me. I needed this stupid washcloth, so I bought it.

…And now, the jetlag is definitely kicking in. I’m beat. I need my rest if I’m going to tackle the day tomorrow. I need to get a passport-sized photo so I can get my visa authorized. So I can be LEGAL! How thrilling.

That reminds me of a quick side note…I met some more North Americans today; a Canadian couple with permanent residency here. I keep finding old people who move here for good, which I guess makes sense, considering it’s cheap here, but it’s still Ecuador, and let’s be honest, people my age aren’t exactly topping their to-do lists with living here. But you never really appreciate or fully understand the magic of being here until YOU ARE HERE. I love it here. I’d come back. And not when I’m ready to retire either. I’d certainly visit this place again. Ecuador’s such a small South American country and doesn’t get the attention it deserves. People sometimes ask me “why are you going there?” To which I respond “why not?” Sure, I never really thought of coming to Ecuador in the past, but once I came with my college, I learned that there are probably so many other places in the world that are worth visiting. Just because you’re visiting doesn’t mean you’re going to stay there. It doesn’t mean you have to live the same exact life as the people here. It doesn’t mean you need to abandon your life and adopt some new lifestyle. But you should learn about the place, experience it, and give it a chance.  Some countries don’t allow women to leave the house without a man, but I’d still like to visit these places. It’s an experience I can learn from, and it can give me more perspective on my life and others’ lives. Kentucky doesn’t allow people to keep ice cream cones in their back pockets, but it might still be cool to visit it. Maybe I can have my first run-in with the police there. Then again, would an ice cream cone even fit in a girl’s pants pocket? They don’t make pants like the used to…some pockets are even sewn closed!

…Clearly, I’m very tired. I need sleep. I’ll probably dream about ice cream now. But hopefully not, because it’s kind of cold here and ice cream thoughts wouldn’t help me warm up. But my alpaca blanket will.

Waking up in Cuenca

It’s my second morning in Cuenca, and I’m excited to get out of my hostel and onto the streets. Yesterday I explored a little before being drawn to my bed, where I slept for about 14 hours. But before that, I wandered the immediate surroundings (I’m not quite sure exactly where I am, but I’ll figure that out today.)

I’m in a town where at 5’5” I’m the tallest person on the street. Where the fashion is stuck in the 90s (hooray, no more trying to fit in with the chic Europeans!) Where there are no traffic regulations, and if there are, they are not enforced at all. My senses are awakened and my mind is challenged. Even though I’ve been here before, I feel as if Cuenca is brand-new again. Yesterday, I found myself just smiling, walking down the narrow sidewalks, roaming through this world where 2013 hasn’t quite arrived yet, but where the people are as warm as the sun on the equator. And not once did I feel stared or glared at or judged. Unless of course, I’m happily lost in this wonderland.

Which could be quite possible. I love being somewhere new, and let’s be honest, I’m honey-mooning right now. I feel that there is so much to explore! Walking down Gran Colombia, I noticed that most stores don’t have doors, just an open storefront where passersby just meander along and stop in for whatever the store is offering…DVDs, shoes, or pollo, pollo, pollo. As a full-out vegetarian, I worry a bit that I’m going to have difficulty finding a suitable diet to sustain myself. The smells of carne-filled humitas are common here, and the $1.25 almuerzos would be more tempting if the main dish didn’t feature a hearty helping of chicken. Still, I’m not too worried, as I know I can find food for myself here. The markets offer great produce and other things, and if I need something more substantial, I can always resort to the SUPERMAXI (or as I like to think of it: gringo-land.) As much as I want to integrate myself as much as possible into this culture, I know I will never be diving into a plate of cuy-ever.

Still, my wallet is definitely much happier here. I bought an agua sin gas at a shop for a whopping 29 cents, and then gave my mother a treat, since I knew she was off from work that day. I slipped into a cabina, and called her. She was ecstatic that I was able to call her from Ecuador and asked how often I could do it. I laughed, and told her while it’s no trouble to do this, I’d rather have us email each other. I assured her that I was safe, I have a place I’m staying at, and yes, I’ll make sure I take care of myself.

After that I thought it’d be wise to get some sleep. Not to mention I was sweating pretty badly (it somehow was now comfortably in the 70s and I was wearing some heavy clothing for that kind of weather) and I remembered that Cuenca was the city of 4 seasons in 1 day. Well, I was just in 3 continents in 27 hours, so there! And with that, I crawled into bed at 12:30pm and slept. And slept and slept and slept. And had a dream about a talking dog, and slept some more.

3 Continents Later...

Today is Labor Day. That seems fitting. I feel as if I've had a laborous day, although I was sitting on my butt most of the time. I just got through 27 hours of travelling, and actually, I'm still not quite done. I'm sitting in the airport in Cuenca, Ecuador, just chilling out until noon, when I can check-in at my hostel. It's chilly here (in the 40s) but the people are warm. I'm in Cuenca, I can feel it.

I've just gone through 3 continents in a matter of hours. Whoa. Left from Barcelona at 7am (Spanish time) Sunday morning, landed in Miami 10 hours later. Layover there for about 3 hours, then about a 5 hour flight to Quito, landing there at 10:30pm (Ecuador time.) Layover overnight, and a flight at 6:15am, landing in Cuenca a little after 7am, and somehow it's Monday morning (I think.)

I slept only about 3 hours this whole time, yet I'm pretty awake. I think I'm running off of excitement right now. Show me a bed and I'll crash! But the Universe works in odd ways, and I think it brought something to me during this travelling adventure...

I met this guy in the airport. He was about my dad's age, and this wasn't a creepy thing or anything like that. He was very kind and we were on the same flight to Miami. We got to talking, and found we had interests in spirituality and paying attention to the Self and all that. We had different seats on the plane, yet the one empty seat was next to me, so he took it. Coincidence? My gut wants to tell me otherwise.

Long story short, he talked a lot and I listened a lot, but he didn't talk at me, he talked with me. He asked me my opinion on things, my feedback, and my experiences. He also shared his. He told me lots of "adult" things that my parents wouldn't tell me, but that are good to know. I learned a lot, but he also learned; it was a two-way thing. I didn't feel like a child, I felt treated as an adult. A 10-hour flight was never more enjoyable or quick for me, and that was the highlight of my airport excursion.

I met some nice folks in the airport in Quito heading to Cuenca. They were older, and one of them was coming here to retire! And, he was coming from Hawaii! So...if that's the case, Cuenca must be pretty kick-ass, eh?

I've gotten 3 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours, but I'm not very tired. I just feel very excited. Of course, I'll see a bed, and I'll just go die for a bit. It's just that something in my gut is teling me that I'm moving in the right direction. Things just feel right. THINGS JUST FEEL RIGHT. Huh, this sounds like the Universe working something up...