I`m Sick!

My crazy weekend caught up with me! I have gripes (some kind of cold) - sore throat and pressure in my head and ears. My host brother and sisters are taking such good care of me - getting me tea, feeding me, etc. They blame it on the weather in Quito - everyday the weather changes from hot (like it´s spring or summertime) to cold (like it`s the fall). But, I know I did myself in this weekend! Oops! I hate being like this cause I don`t have enough energy to really teach my classes. 6 hours on my feet and being sick is really tough! But, I am self-healing with tons of water and sleep.

My follow-up: I am now without voice. Chuta, I have to teach today!! No worries, I think I have a plan. And tomorrow, I changed with my friend Karen and it`s going to be my movie. Thank goodness!

5 AM Bedtimes?

First of all, who am I? I am 26 years old, almost 27, and don`t really think of myself as a party animal. But this weekend...yikes!

It all began on Friday nite after classes (Friday was an exam day). Some of my old students, a few teachers, and I decided to head to the bar Cavo that would be closing on Saturday nite (to change locations and renovate). Now, most of you know that I love to dance, but, after 4 hours straight, my feet were starting to hurt. I was ready to go, but wouldn`t you know my friends were not.

Yes, this wouldn`t be a problem elsewhere but Cavo (and some other bars in Quito) are like jail. Yes, I used the word ´jail´ cause that`s what it felt like. The bar is gated and you enter with your group and a card to pay when you are leaving. Of course, the bars like having more women than men so my `group` was two girls and a guy. And you can`t leave until everyone in your party is ready to go. To make matters worse, my friend had put my backpack in a closet somewhere so I just had to wait. Finally, after 5 1/2 hours of dancing (close to 4:30 am), everyone was ready to go. I finally laid my head down to sleep at 5 am.

Saturday, I treated myself to a massage in the afternoon at the Hilton. I would have never guessed but it`s cheaper for outsiders than for the guests of the hotel. Does that make any sense to you?? I then treated myself to my first shawarma since returning to Quito. Yummy! I even got the opportunity to practice my Spanish with the owner. Go me!

In the early evening, I met a couple of friends to go see a show. I had no idea what the show was about but decided to check it out anyway. It turned out to be amazing!!! It was a group of young girls from Argentina and Ecuador. The Argentine girls came to live with the Ecuadorian girls for a few months. Together they put on a show of these amazing modern dances. They were so talented and I really enjoyed the show!

Saturday nite was the celebration of my friend´s golden birthday (she turned 27 on the 27th). Her amignovio (aka Friend/Boyfriend or something of the sorts) organized a party for her at a bar he was playing at. Afterwards, we headed to a salsa bar (get to practice my new moves). After some time, we headed to my friend`s apartment and stayed up talking until 4:45 am. Yikes!

Sunday, I spent grading exams. I finished and my students did pretty darn well. I am so proud of them. My host sisters, another guest in the house, and I also watched the movie `Notting Hill`. I still don`t really care for the movie but my host sisters have never seen it. So we relaxed in front of the TV.

Luckily, I had time to eat this weekend. One of my favorite dishes is ceviche con chochos (like soybeans). It`s so yummy and I ate some this weekend :). I also enjoyed an awesome waffle with chocolate chips on top. And of course, the shawarma.

What a weekend! Anyone else tired?

A Strange Dining Experience

Imagine it´s Friday night.

A group of 7 people including a married couple decide to go out to eat at a tapas restaurant with a special deal – pay $10 and all the tapas and wine you want. Upon arriving at the restaurant without reservations, they discover the place is full and there won´t be availability for at least another hour. One person suggests a restaurant nearby so everyone follows.

The group arrives at the new place – a swanky restaurant with lights, colors, and music playing in the background. They seem happy with the place until they get menus and see the prices. This place is quite a bit more expensive than the other place. But nonetheless, they´ll try it.

The waiter comes to take their orders but no one is ready yet. Soon after, the married couple decides they will go home. It´s been a long first week of classes and they are tired (and the prices too - wow!). The waiter then returns and takes everyone´s orders. Only 3 people order food. A little while later, 2 more friends arrive and one of them orders food as well.

20 or 30 minutes pass and the waiter comes with a dish in hand. He indicates that it´s theirs but no one at the table recognizes the food. He indicates that the woman of the married couple ordered it but they argue that the couple left before the food was ordered. The waiter insists that the group will have to pay for it. Arguing continues for a while and then the waiter finally leaves with the dish – the group will not pay for this. 5 or 10 more minutes pass, and the waiter returns with another unrecognizable dish. He argues that the man of the married couple ordered this dish. They argue again for a few minutes and he finally leaves with the dish in hand - not paying for it.

Finally the actual ordered food of the 3 people arrives. They enjoy the meal and pass the time eating and chatting. But the 4th person´s food never arrives. She asks the waiter about it but he has no idea what she is talking about. He asks her if she wants to order something and she does not want anything from this overpriced restaurant (but she doesn´t tell him that).

The group pays for the meal they had, leaving any additional tip (12% tip is normally included). What a strange dining experience!

Auntie Em, Auntie Em - that´s me!

Excitement from the States...my first nephew arrived on Monday, January 16th. According to my dad, he was 6 lbs 15 ozs and was 18 1/2 inches. I just missed him by 3 days (had to get back to Quito on Saturday to start teaching on Monday). It´s nice to see him in pictures (with a full head of black hair), but I want to him in person! Not that he´ll remember me though...

MIA - Where have I been?

It´s been over a month since I last wrote. Guess it´s time for a quick update.

On Dec 20th, I packed and stored most of my bags and headed back to the states for a 3 1/2 week visit. After a few days of relaxing in Houston, I headed to San Diego to see my cousin´s gorgeous wedding. Wow, what an event! I got to see a bunch of my family too! Back at home, I relaxed and was introduced to the show LOST. It´s gonna be a bit of a problem being an addict here since they don´t have the show - guess I´ll catch up when I return to the states. Please don´t ruin it for me! I spent a week in Austin with my sister in hopes of meeting my new nephew before returning to Ecuador but no luck there. She is still preggy as I write this. It might not be until June that I meet the little guy.

So I´m back and looking forward to new adventures. I moved in with a sweet Ecuadorian family today and got my schedule for the next cycle (I teach from 2-8 pm and the same Intermediate 2 class 3 times). Looks like I´ll have plenty of time to practice Spanish and travel.

¡CHEVÉRE!