July 6, 2012: The Day Before
July 7, 2012: Traveling
July 8, 2012: First Day
July 9, 2012: Teleferico, Iglesia de La Compañia de Jesus
July 10, 2012: The Basilica and the Stolen Backpack
July 11, 2012: Last Day in Quito
July 12, 2012: Travel to Loja
July 13, 2012: Catamayo
July 14, 2012: Loja and Alfredo
July 15, 2012: Church at Semilla de Mostaza
July 16, 2012: Back to Quito
July 17, 2012: Traveling
Note: Many of the pictures in this blog series are taken from the internet, because we had our camera stolen halfway through the trip.
I wake around 8 AM to the sound of English speakers out at the breakfast table (by the way, best OJ I've ever had in my life)! Two families are traveling to Shell to work at an orphanage, and they invite us to attend a nearby English-speaking church with them, so we set out to walk with them a few blocks to church, and find we're an hour early. We walk around and chat till church starts.
While listening to the sermon, I miss our pastor. I'm terribly critical and annoyed with the speaker (who, to be fair, is filling in for the regular pastor) who preaches on courage, but doesn't say how it relates to the gospel. Three points: Courage is borne of suffering. Courage involves humility. Courage something else. I am a little snarky and think I may as well read one of those quotes people post on Facebook with inspirational backgrounds, like "Don’t worry, love will reign."
I miss First EPC.
One woman in the congregation is from Seattle, so we start talking. She keeps getting distracted in the middle of her sentences to start conversations with other people. We try to ask her how much taxis cost, where there's an ATM, etc. She's never ridden in a taxi because she and her husband moved to Quito to retire, and they have a car. She doesn't speak Spanish. Joe and I wonder if there's a closed community of retired U.S. people who enjoy the weather and don't get involved in the culture.
Afterward, we go out with our new friends to...Chinese food. Yes, our first Ecuadorian meal is Chinese. I feel quite proud of myself for translating items on the menu and for helping our waitress understand what some people in the group are trying to order. One man in the group knows about as much Spanish as me, and he sums it up for both of us when he says, "I have more confidence than Spanish." I try to teach one woman to order a bottle of water, but her accent is so terribly American, I order her “bow-tay-ah day a-gwah sin gas” for her. One thing about Ecuador (and also Mexico, and perhaps other Central/South American countries) is that they offer carbonated water. So when you order bottled water, you have to specify "con gas" for carbonated or "sin gas" for regular.
We nap away the afternoon, then walk around exploring the area. We find a busy mall where we buy sandwiches in the food court. Then I order some guanabana juice because I’m convinced it’s the same thing as guava, but really it’s a white fruit that I don’t like. I later learn that “guava” is “guabaya.” This is guanabana:
This is guabaya/guava:
Apparently constant diesel fumes irritate my allergies, because tonight I keep waking up with a clogged up nose and a very dry mouth. I attack myself with Sudafed, Flonase, a lot of nose-blowing, a cough drop, and a whole bottle of water. It fixes the allergy problem and I fall asleep, but wake up 30 minutes later for the bathroom.
July 7, 2012: Traveling
July 8, 2012: First Day
July 9, 2012: Teleferico, Iglesia de La Compañia de Jesus
July 10, 2012: The Basilica and the Stolen Backpack
July 11, 2012: Last Day in Quito
July 12, 2012: Travel to Loja
July 13, 2012: Catamayo
July 14, 2012: Loja and Alfredo
July 15, 2012: Church at Semilla de Mostaza
July 16, 2012: Back to Quito
July 17, 2012: Traveling
Note: Many of the pictures in this blog series are taken from the internet, because we had our camera stolen halfway through the trip.
I wake around 8 AM to the sound of English speakers out at the breakfast table (by the way, best OJ I've ever had in my life)! Two families are traveling to Shell to work at an orphanage, and they invite us to attend a nearby English-speaking church with them, so we set out to walk with them a few blocks to church, and find we're an hour early. We walk around and chat till church starts.
While listening to the sermon, I miss our pastor. I'm terribly critical and annoyed with the speaker (who, to be fair, is filling in for the regular pastor) who preaches on courage, but doesn't say how it relates to the gospel. Three points: Courage is borne of suffering. Courage involves humility. Courage something else. I am a little snarky and think I may as well read one of those quotes people post on Facebook with inspirational backgrounds, like "Don’t worry, love will reign."
I miss First EPC.
One woman in the congregation is from Seattle, so we start talking. She keeps getting distracted in the middle of her sentences to start conversations with other people. We try to ask her how much taxis cost, where there's an ATM, etc. She's never ridden in a taxi because she and her husband moved to Quito to retire, and they have a car. She doesn't speak Spanish. Joe and I wonder if there's a closed community of retired U.S. people who enjoy the weather and don't get involved in the culture.
Afterward, we go out with our new friends to...Chinese food. Yes, our first Ecuadorian meal is Chinese. I feel quite proud of myself for translating items on the menu and for helping our waitress understand what some people in the group are trying to order. One man in the group knows about as much Spanish as me, and he sums it up for both of us when he says, "I have more confidence than Spanish." I try to teach one woman to order a bottle of water, but her accent is so terribly American, I order her “bow-tay-ah day a-gwah sin gas” for her. One thing about Ecuador (and also Mexico, and perhaps other Central/South American countries) is that they offer carbonated water. So when you order bottled water, you have to specify "con gas" for carbonated or "sin gas" for regular.
We nap away the afternoon, then walk around exploring the area. We find a busy mall where we buy sandwiches in the food court. Then I order some guanabana juice because I’m convinced it’s the same thing as guava, but really it’s a white fruit that I don’t like. I later learn that “guava” is “guabaya.” This is guanabana:
This is guabaya/guava:
Apparently constant diesel fumes irritate my allergies, because tonight I keep waking up with a clogged up nose and a very dry mouth. I attack myself with Sudafed, Flonase, a lot of nose-blowing, a cough drop, and a whole bottle of water. It fixes the allergy problem and I fall asleep, but wake up 30 minutes later for the bathroom.
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