Greg's Ecuadorian Adventure

Summer vacation had just started ( July 4th for me ) and it is just about over. Since you are reading the blog of a teacher, I get the duly right to complain about how short my vacations are. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do. I also love being able to think and talk about anything other than work, seeing as I put in HOURS of work after work hours during the school year. You can call me one of the hardest workers you know. At least just do it for me 😜 Puerto Lopez In all honesty, as written before, my vacation did not feel much like a vacation. As one of my beloved colleagues ( who just happens to be in Venezuela now ) likes to spend at least some of her vacation— I just need time being alone. Teaching is my contribution to parenthood. I do not want children of my own, and all my students will tell you I say this often enough. Why? Children require so much attention and time and love... I would just rather spend those on myself. Call me selfish, but I feel it makes m...

Biking through the Andes Mountains, from Quito to Mindo I had a little less than a week between MKE having visitors, which is when I went to the Quito Zoo and Botanical Garden. My friends Anne and Ande planned a few months in advance to come visit me while in Ecuador and I tried my best to prepare them for what they would experience here... which involved more of what they would need. For example, in the USofA you can easily pay for something with a $20 bill or credit card. In Ecuador, especially the places we would be going, that wouldn't be so simple. So I made sure to let them know to bring plenty of small bills. I told them what kinds of clothes to bring based on the three different environments we would be visiting ( Sierras, Cloud Forest, and Coast ). I guess I didn't quite prepare them for everything, like the quantity of street dogs that we would find. Crossing the street when you have any opportunity. Coping with the winding roads and stop-go jerking driving. For...

Visiting the location of a scuffle, that led to Screech getting arrested I've been back in for a couple of weeks, after my visit back to the USofA... I would hardly call my time there a vacation because, although it was great to spend time with my family and friends, I found it the-opposite-of-relaxing. The first and most superficial reason why it was stressful: having a car. I greatly appreciate life without a car. My life in Quito offers reliable, affordable and frequent public transportation. The week after I got back from 'Merica, for example, I took two buses out to the Quito Zoo and two buses back-- costing me a total of $1.60 and less than five minutes of waiting for transportation. And the taxis are incredibly affordable too, if I am feeling fancy. Either way, I'm able to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Sooooo I know that at least my first two years I kept saying "I'm going to get a car," but that option is out of the window as long as I ca...