What's Next? Housing

The first day in Quito for me was a gentle awakening to how things operate in Quito. Half of us new hires hopped into a van-bus hybrid and went to the office building where we would begin processing our Intercultural Exchange Visa application. Thankfully, HR members at the school filled out the paperwork to the "T," otherwise I wouldn't have known where to begin, where to go, or what to say. We began in the lobby, then made our way to the third story/second floor, into another lobby, sat and waited while, one-by-one, we were called up to have our photo taken. The strangest part of it all is they will have our physical copy of our passports for two to three weeks. What's scarier yet is that a USA passport can, allegedly, go for about $5000 USD... INSANE! I will be holding onto mine with an iron grip. After working on processing my VISA request, the next most important thing to do was find housing.

HOUSING

My new position is at the American School of Quito, or Fundacion Colegio Americano de Quito (FCAQ). They have been extremely helpful in guiding and assisting us with almost everything. One of these is housing. They came prepared with a list of available apartments that were recommended through current and former staff, alumi of the school, or parents of students. We were only able to locate these places through the help of our buddies. The buddies are current staff at FCAQ and are some of the most kind and patient people I have ever met. One of the buddies here is the International Section Chemistry Teacher, so we will be working closely together throughout the school year. 

Since Monday was spent at the Ministry of (????), the group of us sort of split up and began viewing the locations. Now. I was unsure of whether I wanted a roommate or to live alone. The good news was that so were a bunch of other people as well. The beginning was a lot of single-studio apartments surrounding Parque la Carolina. Slowly, we began making our way up one of the slopes toward Gonzalez Suarez, a neighborhood named after the major roadway it crosses. A pair of girls ended up snatching this beautiful, fully furnished apartment with a garden... super jealous! Throughout the rest of the day, we all sort of hopped around the rest of the area, including Baton Alto, back to the park area. Slowly, people began settling on their decisions; however, the main group of us guys were still not completely sold. Before my last stop, the group kind of split where four of the guys went to view a 4-bedroom apartment. Myself and one other guy went to view a place not on the listing. It was a done deal. We ended up with a fully-furnished, two-bedroom apartment. It had both a washer and dryer... not a common find... for $800 a month total. It has a really modern feel to it. Some of the amenities it includes are an on-site gym, BBQ patio, parking spot, storage locker, and rooftop terrace with sickening views of the entire city. 

One thing to consider when looking for housing in Quito is location-location-location. It wasn't until going on a bus tour that I realized why our buddies were keeping us in a specific area. The areas in the north of the city and just south of the Centro Historico are some of the more impoverished areas of Quito. While from a distance it appears to be colorful and free, a close-up view reveals structures that are characteristic of a third world country: cinderblock exterior; wavy-tin metal rooftop; layered buildings; feral dogs; etc. It isn't just these areas, but also the ones closer to the Historic Center. These are more touristy areas, and the buildings do not necessarily guarantee security... which my building has a 24-hour security guard, passcode at the main entrance, an electronic key to use the elevator, and key to enter my unit. It seems that this is more of a place for locals and those who have semi-well paying jobs, i.e. government or business. 

The other main thing to consider when looking for housing is... how well do you know Spanish? For myself and my new roommate, it is less than minimal. He knows Italian, so I feel he can pick up on words better than I can. Even with knowing Spanish, the process can take an hour to sign the contract(s). If your unit is furnished, you are provided with Inventario, or a list of the inventory. You go through and check to see if everything is there and note what isn't. It was very entertaining to be a part of because it is nothing like it is in the USA. Thank god for the buddies because otherwise I would have been homeless still.

Next blogpost to come will focus on some of the Ecuadorian-style things that I have become introduced to, including both Ecuadorian Time and Ecuadorian Driving. I kid you not, these are things I will have to get used to!