Top 10 Things I will Miss

Sadly, my time here in Ecuador is fast coming to an end.  And naturally, as according to Murphy's Law, it's just as I am fully settling in.  I realized yesterday that I can walk down any street, go into any store, and eat at any restaurant, and feel fully comfortable.  Compare this to my first month here, when I was terrified to simply walk two blocks down the street to the Mall.  Also, I have finally figured out what kinds of food (and juice) I love and can ask for.  So, because I'm feeling nostalgic, this is my list of things that I will miss from Ecuador.

10. No Bugs (At Least in Quito)

    In Quito, there are no screens in the windows. (This in itself makes me quite giddy simply because I can lean out of my window, and drop things down to people on the sidewalk) In Quito, the only bugs you will see is an occasional fly, and mosquitoes can't live this high up!  No bugs makes me very, very happy.  (This does not apply to the rainforest, where all the bugs live and try to make up for the fact that they aren't able to get to you at all times.)

This is from the rainforest, not Quito.

9. The Rooftops
     Again, this seems to be mainly in the Highlands, but practically every house here utilizes their roof.  Every building with a flat roof (most of them) has laundry strung out across them, dogs living on them, kids playing soccer, women washing clothes, etc.  If it weren't for the fact that it snows in Montana (and Wisconsin) and having a flat roof in winter just begs to leak and eventually collapse spectacularly into your living room, I would totally want a flat roof.

My Roof

8. The Centro Historico
     I am a history geek.  And on top of that, I love architecture.  So, when I have one of the best preserved colonial cities just six stops away on the Trolebus, you know I'm pretty much in heaven.  A 400 year old church? Great!  A grave from 1536?  Wonderful!  A perfect example of early colonial architecture that I can actually explore?  (I don't have a word for that, just shrieks of joy)  Nothing in Montana or Wisconsin can hold a candle to it.

7. The Cheap (And Easy) Travel
     Did you know that for $10 you can travel pretty much anywhere in the country?  The bus system here is fantastic.  You can go to almost any little out-of-the-way place, and if you see someplace interesting, you can tell the driver to stop, then just hop on the next bus that passes by.  This beats American travel so hard.  I can go to the rainforest, the mountains, or the beach, not pay more than $20 round trip, and have a good seat on a comfy bus with windows that open.  It makes me happy.

6. The Thunderstorms
     I love rain.  And I love thunderstorms even more.  In Montana and Wisconsin these are relatively rare, usually confined to a few big storms in spring.  But here in Quito, it never just rains, it always thunderstorms.  As I write this, there is a thunderstorm outside, and there have been thunderstorms every day for the past 5 days.  It's been like this for 3+ hours now, with lightning every minute or so, and thunder every 2 minutes.  And the thunder here is amazing!  It starts off far down the valley, and you can hear it working it's way up, growing in intensity until it's crashing down overhead with enough force to shake windows and set off car alarms. (And yes, the alarms go off every time, but you learn to ignore it)

A lightning strike

5. The Trolebus
     The Trolebus is not for those who are claustrophobic, need personal space, or are faint of heart.  It is an adrenaline rush of humanity, and one of those places where you realize that if you were to trip and fall, you could easily die.  First there is the push to actually get on the bus, and then grabbing on to a pole or a window frame and hanging on for dear life against the rush of people elbowing their way past you, then, finally, you are packed in like sardines to the point that at one point I actually couldn't take a deep breath.  And you know what?  I love the rush of making it on and off the Trolebus, and I will miss it sorely. 

Sorry, but this is probably the clearest shot of the Trolebus I'll ever get.

4. My Friends
     They're my friends, don't really have more to add to that.

3. Being Tall
     I'm 5'4.  My siblings are 6'2, 6'1, and 6'0.  Here, I'm taller than 80% of the population.  This is deeply (and kind of vindictively) satisfying.

2. My Students
   They're my students.  What else can I say?  I love working with them, seeing them progress, and they' ve finally stopped calling me Stacy (the name of the previous volunteer), though they seem to think my name is Isabelle instead of Elizabeth.

1. The Food
     This is a given, and easily the thing I will miss most.  I have been trying to figure out how I can continue to get this quality of food, and have come to the realization that in Montana, it's just not possible.  The juices are amazing, fresh made from fruits that I had never heard of before coming here, and the food is always fresh and easily some of the best I have ever had.  The bread most of all.  I have decided to take up baking because I need to have bread in Montana like they do here, not just sliced bread, but rolls and buns of every kind you could imagine (and a good deal that you can't).