Category Archives: Ecuador

Bella’s handiwork
Originally uploaded by wiscostorm.

For those who don’t know, we have to throw out toilet paper. Even in the five-star SwissHotel, you can’t flush tp down the toilets in Ecuador. So, once a week or so, we fill a plastic grocery bag with used tp. Pretty gross, eh? Yeah, well, you get used to it. What you don’t get used to is seeing it just outside your front door because a dog decided it would be a fun game to open up the bag and scatter it all over the place.

I actually woke from sleep at about 6:30 last Saturday morning. I was having a pleasant dream about a grassy park when I heard a scampering sound, which in my dream was a gremlin — honest to God. I awoke with a start and immediately went to the front door to discover Bella’s handiwork.

Ok. A quick story. On Friday, my office at SECAP got broken into. When I went to SECAP for my 6:00 class, I discovered the door open, the latch that held the padlock torn from the wood. They stole my computer speakers, which I bought here and which I use for in-class music and dialogues, etc. And they stole my dry-erase markers. They didn´t steal the two jars full of coins I had collected as “speaking Spanish” penalties.

On Sunday, I went to a mall to buy new speakers and upon returning home, I discovered that they didn´t work. So I had to go back to the mall and be all pissy in Spanish. Tough to do.

attempt #1
We had a pretty uneventful weekend. Woulda posted all this yesterday, but flickr wasn’t working. Above is our first attempt to take a picture of ourselves with flowers for Mother’s Day. We couldn’t quite figure out how to use the auto-timer thingy on the camera.
It was starting to rain just as we were taking the second picture, so we were in a hurry. Nevertheless, we didn’t quite get there in time.

attempt #2
On the third attempt, though, we got it. Happy Mother’s Day, Moms.

attempt #3

Quito Sunrise
Originally uploaded by wiscostorm.

My most recent bout of minor homesickness has been precipitated by three things, I think. Number one, my brother just left, which reminded me of that other time my other brother left after living with me for two or three years. It was right after my wedding; he took off for Seattle of all places. Few places are farther away and still within the US. Anyhow, Will’s recent leaving sparked a similar, though much less intense feeling that a chapter has just ended. And chapters ending is always a nostalgic thing if the book’s good.

Number two: we’re freakily close to returning home. It’s not so much that I’m in a hurry to get out of here. That’s not it at all. It’s just I know that it is fast approaching and it’s gonna be weird, comfortable, uncomfortable, busy — it’s the biggest thing on the horizon. And it’s hard not to look at it, is all.

Number three: my Wisconsin clock is stll ticking. Quito feels warmer these days. Not because it is, but because it’s been imprinted upon my being that the weather should be getting warmer now. I find myself craving things like mowing the lawn, hearing flies buzz, humidity, running outside, making diving catches for frisbees. The concrete views of Quito are getting tiresome. I want green, open spaces.

green grass
Originally uploaded by wiscostorm.

The Seven Gummie Sins: Greed
Originally uploaded by Wiedmaier.

There’s a great gallery on flickr of gummy bears depicting the seven deadly sins. This one here is greed. In more ways than one, it makes me hungry.