Monday: I spent the morning searching online for apartments and a little RBC work. I went to the grocery store (by myself) in the afternoon. While there, I met an American couple from North Carolina who had just moved here as part of a missionary work with their church. While browsing the seasoning/ spice aisle, I overheard them say "I don't know where the garlic is." I sympathized with their frustration and was able to tell them that they were looking for "ajo" (a-ho). We got into a nice conversation, primarily about the receptive nature of the local residents to biblical information and belief in God vs. the general response received from those in our respective home towns. They, too, agreed that their work here in Quito was refreshing. I refrained from getting into any discussion with them about the differences of our beliefs and simply wished them well (and safety) during their stay in Quito. Afterwards, I wished I had at least given them a tract ("What Do Jehovah's Witnesses Believe?" perhaps) or referred them to our website :( I hope that I run into them again...
I hit a language barrier at the checkout. The cashier asked me a question I didn't understand at first and this led to me pushing my own shopping cart down the escalator ramp and calling for my own taxi instead of the attendant doing it for me. I contemplated walking home instead, but realized the thin plastic bags probably would not support the weight of the groceries contained therein. So there I stood, three heavy bags in each hand, and two more shoved in my backpack - hard to hail a cab in this condition. Just then, I hear a voice say "Boy, they'll let anyone shop here". I looked up to see the smiling face of one of the elders from the Hall. Not even a minute later, another brother from the Hall walked up. One of the brothers kindly signaled for a taxi for me and the other helped me load all my bags in. I was thankful for their assistance - just at the right time!
Once I arrived home, I began cooking dinner. One of my roommates had requested a "healthy" dinner, the other requested garlic potatoes. Note: There is no grill nor is there an oven. Everything we make is prepared on a gas stove-top. I decided on smothered bbq chicken, asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. Time to get creative. I sliced up the chicken, dumped bbq sauce over top and cooked it in a saute pan. Easy enough. Asparagus went in another saute pan - check! Bell peppers and onions sauteed in another pan - perfect! I had already cut up and put the potatoes on to boil when I realized that there is no electric mixer nor is there a manual/ hand potato masher. Hmm... then I spotted it - a blender! A little unconventional, yes, but it was my only option. It functioned at a speed that convinced me it was being operated by lazy mice walking in a wheel. Finally, it was ready - blended to a paste-like consistency - not my best work. The girls didn't seem to mind though. I even made "dessert" - sliced peaches, cooked in panela (a cross between raw sugar and brown sugar) and cinnamon with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side :)
Tuesday: I accompanied one of my roommates on two of her Bible studies in the morning, then we went to purchase our bus tickets for the upcoming Circuit Assembly (held in a city called Cuenca). We will be departing Wednesday night at 11:30pm and will arrive on Thursday morning. The total trip duration is about 9 or 10 hours. We are travelling as a group (there are at least 12 Witnesses on this same bus). Some of the friends choose to fly, while others are travelling on Thursday or Friday. We opted to spend a day touring the city on Thursday and will then attend the pioneer session on Friday. For safety reasons, I will not be bringing my laptop and will post an update on the week/ weekend's activities when I return on Monday.
After purchasing our bus tickets, we had lunch at a Greek restaurant, Suvlaki. I took this opportunity to call the gentleman about the apartment. To my disappointment, he was able to rent it to someone else at a higher rate :( Then I said goodbye to my friends and hopped on the bus to go pick up my passport and Visa registration documents. Fail. I told the man at the counter the reason for my visit and he said, "Yes, but not today. Please come back tomorrow." No further explanation offered. Okay, back on the bus. The hour was getting late, so I traveled directly to my Bible study (an hour away). The mother was not present at the study because she just got a new job, but I was still able to study with the daughter. An hour and a half later, I was back on the bus headed home. I consider each of these solo ventures as small victories towards my ability to function independently here.
I spent the rest of my evening packing for the Circuit Assembly and, of course, searching the apartment listings.
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