Well, we've now reached our half-way mark. In some ways it seems like a blink while in others it certainly has crept along. We are grateful daily for the opportunity to be here and to put feet to our faith. It's been demanding and rewarding all at the same time.
Thanks for hanging in there with us and living through some pretty ugly blogs filled with whining and complaining. Hopefully those to come will be more upbeat--but also honest and real.
Today I want to share those things that we're beginning to take for granted here in Ecuador. (I don't think I was in the right frame of mind to mention them before.) Enjoy the read; I think you'll find it interesting.
1. Buying one pill at a time--I can go to the pharmacy and ask for just one pill (nausea medicine, antibiotic, you name it) and they'll sell me one pill--sometimes they only cost five cents each!
2. Leaving your windows open 365 days a year--no A/C means that we enjoy a breeze all the time.
3. Bus transportation everywhere in the country for only $1/hour of travel--for example, a bus to Quito five hours away only costs $5.
4. Meeting and greeting people constantly--since few own cars, most people walk everywhere which means you encounter lots of people on the streets and can get to know them easier.
5. Andes Mountains--they are gorgeous and green.
6. The jungle--the US has lots of climates and terrain, but it does not have a jungle.
7. Casual meals out--a waiter never ever brings you the check until you ask him/her for it. They expect you to stay as long as you want.
8. Fresh unique fruits and veggies daily--the variety is crazy and so very yummy. We are getting spoiled on things like mora, guayabana, yucca, mangoes, uvillas, and the like.
9. Cheap car maintenance--I've been told that a mechanic only charges about $40/day to work on a car. What a deal that is!
10.Volcanoes--enough said.
11. Life's slow pace--Ecuadorians are rarely in a hurry. They take the time to greet one another and to stop to smell the roses.
12. Little fruit and vegetable stands--purchasing just what you need is very easy; there's no need to load all the kids in the car to go buy just a couple of things. I can even send a child to the fruit stand to pick up what I need.
13. Cheap roses--I bought 24 long-stem roses in Ambato for, get this, $2! Crazy.
14. Long lunches--lunch can be anywhere from an hour and fifteen minutes to two hours. Ecuadorians are serious about their noon meal and the siesta that usually accompanies it.
15. Dogs everywhere--I've never seen so many dogs in my life as I've seen here. They are everywhere. And none of them are on leashes. Dogs are simply found on every street (sometimes taking a nap in the middle of the road) and are the main method of home security.
16. Music accompanying garbage collection--It may seem funny, but the garbage truck always blasts out the loudest music when it comes around to pick up the trash. It's how we remember it's trash day.
17. Cheap gasoline--It's only $1.48 a gallon. So cheap it makes us wish we had a car here.
18. No fast food--This means that we eat healthier whether we like it or not.
So, you see, there are some neat things about living way down south. It's nearly 11:30 pm here so I'll end there but may add more later. Thanks for reading.
Blessings, kim
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