Settling in

 Life has developed more of a rhythm, and although it is very pleasant, it is not as exciting to write about.  Since I am not working, I am doing most of the housework, meal prep, and walking the dog.  It seems like I am frequently doing one of these things, and much of the rest of the time is spent studying Spanish.  After being here a little less than a month, I am about at the level of a second year high school Spanish student, which means I can say only basic things, mostly in the present tense.  I take Spanish lessons three times a week, spend at least an hour a day on Duolingo, in addition to reading the Bible.  The Bible is giving me the most assistance in grammer structure, beyond present tense.  On Sundays I go to mass.  The litergy is at least consistant, and I am learning the prayers.  It is slow going.  Even the Lord's Prayer took a week or so, and I don't really have it memorized.  My goal is to be conversational within a year or so.

As we expected, it is expensive furnishing a new apartment.  We have a bed (but no headboard) for the master, and an armchair in the main bedroom.  We now have a table and chairs, and a couch and another armchair in the main living area, in addition to a side table to put our things on when we come home.  We have 2 patio chairs with a table to put drinks on.  Brian has a desk and a recliner for his office.  We still need a bed for the guest bedroom, and nightstands.  And a TV.  Those are the main things.  We also need homey stuff, like artwork, decorations.  There is an art show this week, so hopefully we will pick stuff up there.  My favorite is actually the crafts of the indigonious people, but those are mainly in the mountain towns, so I will have to wait until we get to Quito or Cuenca for that kind of stuff.

However, we need to take a spending pause, as we had previously decided to return for Christmas to see the kids.  Both have the holiday off, and we cannot guarentee that next year - Gabrielle will likely be working as a nurse by then, and Thomas may very well be deployed.  We knew it was going to be expensive, but Brian was pretty done with Portland, so here we are.

As far as a social life, it has been pretty easy to meet people, particularly other ex-pats, and for the most part, people are very friendly.  There are people to eat breakfast with if you want every day, and another group for drinks in the evening.  We joke our next door neighbor Joe is a like a cruise ship director, and lets us tag along to various events.  Oh, and lunch after Spanish classes, which meet three days a week.  The days are relaxed, but do not drag.  It is a very easy life, and we still feel like we are on vacation.

So one funny story - not ours, but another expat couple we met.  They rented an air b and b to start with, from a "superhost".  It was in the middle of the city, not next to the beach, where most expats - and expat friendly businesses are.  Their apartment was above some little hole in wall store, with no hot water, up and down a few flights of stairs, around lines of laundry.  Every now and then they would hear some sort of whistle, which apparently was code for a drug deal, and after their nearby neighbors made some sort of exhange, they would then hear the whistle of police sirens.  However, before going after the bad guys, the police would first stop and a large statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was adored with flowers, candles, and surrounded by some sort of cage.  They would pray before giving chase.  The had to leave, as the wife has physical mobility limitations and could not navigate all the stairs and levels, and the husband wrote in his review that although they could not stay due to mobility limitations it was  "good for someone seeking full cultural immersion".  They were rescued by a woman running a rental agency, and she put them in a more desireable location, but there was a leak in the apartment above theirs, and so then they had water dripping down on top of them.  There was a huge comedy of errors in terms of trying to get this fixed, and they gave up and moved to their current location.

We actually have had the opposite experience getting service.  For example, I lost my keys on the beach.  I sent a Whatsapp message to a locksmith, who came immedicately, and made 2 new keys for $25.  Brian needed a plumber when we moved in, and they showed up that afternoon, stayed a couple of hours to install the new hot water heater - and charged $50.  Electrition has been easy to get as well.

A couple of people asked for pictures of the markets.  I will try.  Right now, when I have gone to such a place, I have been hyperfocused on my surroundings, and getting a phone out and taking photos does not seem wise.  When a little more comfortable, I will likely have Brian take them.  One of the markets was destroyed in the big earthquake, and the government had it rebuilt with shipping containers, which is very interesting.  In general, though it feels weird taking pictures, filming people going about their daily lives.  Taking a picture of the parades and people in costume felt natural, but taking pictures of someone doing their job feels invasive - like I would not want random people taking pictures of me at work.  I will try to get something, though.

When we are away from our main living area, although we are outsiders, there is a simplicity to life that is very charming.  We went to play ping pong at the home of one of Joe's friends.  We sat down at a family restraunt, and they brought out food - not menus - just food that was ready.  They asked what we wanted to drink, and then just bought it at the store next door.  The bill for eight people for dinner was just over $30.  Street dogs, and the dogs owned by the people of the restraunt laid down next to us as we ate (outdoors).   The people whose home we went to were very kind - I was handed a 2 month old baby to snuggle and coo over when I walked in.  On top of their flat roof was a ping pong table and benches - served a few beers, laughed over ping pong, enjoyed the lights of the city, and lay in a hammock.  It was lovely.

That's all for now.