05-27-13 & 05-28-13 A Time to Rest and to Cook (and not much else)

Monday:  Today I stayed home and did some computer work in the morning.  In the afternoon I did some more cleaning and made chili :)

At 6:00, I had an abbreviated Spanish lesson and then we went to the movies to see Star Trek and to say good-bye to a friend who is heading back to the States for two months.

After the movie ended, it was straight home to bed - I was exhausted!

Tuesday:  My stomach was rather upset this morning, so I stayed home to rest.  I wondered if I caught the bug that's been going around.

In the afternoon, however, I was feeling better and ventured out to the store to pick up a few things and then came home and began cooking and preparing food for the week.  I made some fruit salad, regular salad, chicken fajitas, and chicken noodle soup (with quinoa pasta).

After that, I studied for the next day's meeting and then went to bed early.

05-24-13 - 05-26-13 Dance Party!

Friday:  I got up and make my friends breakfast this morning before we departed.  We stopped at the Mercado de Artesenal (the same market I bought my alpaca blankets at, which I absolutely love, by the way) to look for some scarves.  After the market, we took two buses to get to the far end of the south (Quicentro Sur) where they were to meet up with some other friends of theirs.  By the time I arrived back home, it was 3:00.  I called up a friend of mine and we met for a few return visits and informal witnessing about 45 minutes later.  We talked to so many people and four of them expressed interest in bible studies and attending the meeting.  It was an amazing afternoon!

On my way home, I went to the grocery store.  An hour, and a full cart later, I was on my way home.  I spent the rest of the evening putting groceries away, listened to the Watchtower lesson for Sunday a couple times and then started making punch for the party the next day.

Saturday:  I stayed home today to clean the house, do laundry and to make food for my friend's dance party (which was to be held at my house).  I finished making the punch, made mini-chicken quesadillas, and banana nut bread (as I anticipated a couple of the sisters who live far might be spending the night).  I barely finished before people arrived.

The party was a success, unfortunately, some of the friends from our congregation were sick and couldn't attend, but we then were able to invite some additional friends from the Spanish congregation and happily they came.  Most people left around midnight, and everyone was gone by 12:30 except my friend, her new roommate and I.  They helped me clean up a bit and then went home at 1:45.  I was so tired!!!

 

 

Sunday:  This morning's meeting reflected how many were sick in the congregation. After the meeting, two sisters and I grabbed lunch and then I went home to clean up from the party the night before.  My floor looked almost completely black from all the scuff marks on it.  So I vacuumed the floor and the couches, then began to mop. I am not sure what material these tiles are made of (something cheap no doubt), but just mopping it was not removing these scuff marks.  I had to get down on my hands and knees and scrub hard with the scratchy side of a sponge in order to remove them.  It took me three hours to finish.  Then I ate some leftovers for dinner, did some laundry and reorganizing and then some computer work.

05-22-13 & 05-23-13 Belly Aches, Fresh Juice & House Guests (Good and Bad)

Wednesday:  I met my friend at the prison at 8:30 this morning, after which another sister met up with us for census work in a nearby territory – which I inherited since the recent division of service groups.  We met a nice man and had a pleasant conversation with him.  At noon, I left to come back to my house to pick up something for my bible study that I had forgotten at home. 

Forgetting things at home is a real pain, because it’s never convenient to just “swing by” and pick it up.  I arrived home around 12:45pm, heated up some lunch and ate quick and then left again at 1:15, so I could make it to my study by 2:30. 

A word about food etiquette here:  It is considered rude and somewhat offensive to decline food that has been prepared for you.  Of course, for a person like myself with a mile list of food intolerances, this presents a challenge :(

So, I arrived precisely at 2:30pm and my study had so kindly prepared lunch; a garlic shrimp pasta.  What’s a girl to do?  As she set the plates down, it only took one look at her face for me to know the answer – smile graciously and eat it.  Note to self:  Benedryl.

It didn’t take long for the wheat effect to kick in. My nose felt stuffed up within 20 minutes – I could just picture the color changing from pink to brighter red.  Just about then, she came out with a small dish of ice cream with bananas and chocolate syrup.  I psyched myself up:  You can do it!  Thank goodness it was only one scoop! 

After the study, which ran a little overtime, I rushed to the other end of town to meet up with a sister for another bible study before the meeting.  Thankfully, both she and her student were also running late.  Traffic in Quito could be a blog in itself…

Then, we caught a bus to the meeting.  By the time we got there, I was feeling so tired, like I’d been running and rushing all day long.  I was confident though that the sheer noise alone from my gurgling intestines would keep me awake and alert throughout the meeting. 

I left quickly after the meeting and caught a taxi home.  $4.00!  I told him it’s normally $3.00 at night (which I normally split with another sister) and he wanted to argue with me.  Fine, mas rapido, por favor. Way to take advantage of a girl in a hurry.

I mopped the floor and then fixed some plantains when I got home (quite possibly my new favorite food, next to avocados, of course).  I feel that after two months, I have finally perfected the art of making them myself J

As I sat down at the table (also my desk) with my plantains, I discovered that my internet wasn’t working.  I went through the typical diagnostics on my computer, reset the wireless router, power-cycled the modem, etc., etc.  Nothing was working.  I decided that was a problem best left for tomorrow and went to bed.

Thursday:  I got up around 5:30 this morning and threw in a load of laundry, then went to wash a few dishes in the sink.  My kitchen sink drips/ leaks a little, unless I turn the handle real tight, especially the hot water.  When I went to turn on the hot water, the handle spun, and water started to drip from the handle instead of the faucet.  Great!  So, I washed the dishes in cold water, then did a few more things around the house, scratched at the mild rash of hives I’d developed from eating shrimp the day before, prior to covering it with this “healing cream” I brought from the States, messed with my laptop and internet again (still not working) and then left to meet up with some friends who were coming in from Cuenca (yea!). 

It was the couple I had stayed with during the Circuit Assembly.  They had some business in Quito and I was glad to be able to return a favor.  I arrived at the terminal/ station at 7:30, but unfortunately, their bus didn’t arrive until 9:00.  It’s hard to tell with these overnight buses and it often depends on how frequently your driver stops during the night.  We stopped at a café for breakfast and then I walked with them to their appointment. 

Then I hopped on the bus and went to the grocery store to pick up a couple of items.  No sooner had I put the first item in my cart, than I got a call from them saying they were finished.  We had all anticipated that it would be hours, due to the typically long wait time.  They met me at the supermarket and then we walked to my house together. 

I decided to try to make the tomate juice I had enjoyed so much the other week.  My tomates looked to be ripe so I gave it a shot. 

Here are some photos:

First – the tomates de arbol, or tamarillos. 

Next, separating the skin from the flesh of the fruit.  The texture of the tomate is much like a kiwi. 

Peeled tomates

Chop, chop, chop

Next, add water and stevia (you didn’t think I was going to use real sugar, did you?) and blend.  This blender is not good for much. I suppose that’s why it was a free gift with my appliances.

Finally – Tomate Jugo!  Mmm – delicioso!

I went into my room to get some of the extra towels out of the closet when I looked up and saw a scorpion.  He was actually stuck; his claw being wedged between the top of the closet and the ceiling.  I didn’t know where he came from, how he got there or how exactly he became stuck like that. 

I sprayed him with my natural kitchen cleaner and hoped it would prove toxic to him.  He squirmed a bit, and then I tried to ‘sweep’ him down with the broom.  His little claw was hooked in there good!  I tried scraping along the ceiling with the thin side of a dust pan.  He fell to the floor.  His legs were still twitching a bit, but here are a few photos:

If I had internet at this point, I would have been googling scorpions to find out whether or not he was poisonous… but alas, still not working. 

My friend arrived around 5:30 and kindly called the cable company for me.  They were able to remotely reset the modem and I was back in business!  

We then went out for dinner together and had a nice time despite the terrible service.  When we returned home, however, another scorpion in the bathroom!  I know my guests must not have believed me when I said I've never had them in the house before.  I was so embarrassed (and a bit creeped out)!  We did a thorough check of closets, drawers and beds before going to bed tonight and I tried to seal off any obvious openings where they might be coming into the house.  It occurred to me that perhaps they had been in that mulch I purchased the other day when I re-potted my herbs... hmm.  Regardless, they were not welcome to stay!  I will be buying some insect repellent tomorrow for sure.  Although I learned that all scorpions are venomous, this particular kind of scorpion is not deadly.  To a human, the sting is equivalent to that of a bee sting - well, that's good news I suppose.  Sweet dreams...

05-20-13 & 05-21-13 Service and Spanish Class

Monday:  Today I met with the group in the south for service.  We had a pleasant morning and worked until the early afternoon when it started raining.

 Some of our friends from the Spanish Congregation

 On the bus

Sometimes you have to pay for toilet paper.  If there is no attendant, there are coin operated machines that dispense little cardboard packs like this.

Tuesday:  I got up this morning, had breakfast and then headed home, showered, cleaned the kitchen, ate lunch and then, the time had finally come - my first Spanish lesson!  The two hours passed by quickly and then my friend, and now instructor as well, and I went on a few return visits nearby.

When I arrived home, I had dinner, cleaned up and vacuumed the floor, then did some work on the computer before going to sleep.

05-17-13 - 05-19-13 Wacky Weekend

Friday:  I tried to go preaching today.  I tried really hard.  It just wasn't working out like I planned.  First, I had a study scheduled for 10:00/ 10:30.  I took the bus an hour and fifteen minutes and arrived at 10:15.  I called - no answer.  10:20 - I called again.  The guard came back to his station around 10:25 - he buzzed the apartment - no answer.  I waited a few minutes and he tried again.  Still nothing.  10:35 - I tried one more time...  I waited outside for a few more minutes and at 10:45 I got back on the bus.  I got back around noon and went to the orchid store - dangerous - but I was good and only picked up the fertilizer/ bloom booster that I went for.

I was supposed to go on a study with a sister at 3:00, so I didn't do much once I got back home, other than fix myself some lunch. But at 1:20, she called to tell me the study had cancelled :(  I decided that I would just forget service and do my second favorite thing instead... grocery shopping.  So I changed my clothes and finished up my list.  Just then, my phone rang.  Another sister called to see if I wanted to go on a study with her at 2:00.  I said I would be a few minutes late, but that I would come.  So I changed back into my service clothes and rushed out the door.

After the study, we did a few calls and then called it a day.  Since we were nearby the mall, we decided to sit and have coffee and ended up sitting and chatting for quite some time.  Around 5:30, we parted company and I headed for the grocery store (a different one than I normally go to).  I was excited to find chili powder (finally!) and ginger ale (though I also am still going to try making my own).  I also picked up some dirt/ mulch and firewood!

Suddenly I was craving danishes, hoagies and pudding...

I put away my groceries and had leftover chicken fajitas for dinner.  Soon, I was fast asleep.

Saturday:  This morning I got up and did a workout at home before meeting the group for service.  We had a nice turnout and it was a beautiful day.  The area we were preaching in was close to the hall and filled with steep hills.

 Part of our car group

 

 This dog was sliding down the hill, scratching her belly

 

In the afternoon, a group of us went for lunch:

Fresh juice is readily available here.  Extra long straws you have to make yourself.

We were all going to go see Star Trek, but the English showings were sold out until late.  So, just three of us went to watch a movie at their house, which was over an hour away.  After that, I studied my lesson for Sunday and went to sleep.

Sunday:  This morning I did some cooking and tidying of the house before meeting.  After meeting, I came home, changed, went to the store and stopped by a friend's house who wasn't feeling well to check on her.  When I arrived home, I repotted my herbs and watered all my plants/ flowers and organized some paperwork, and made dinner.

 Look at the difference between the pure, bottled water and the one filled with tap water!

My herbs - happy in their new pots

05-15-13 & 05-16-13 Service, Studying and a Day Off

Wednesday:  Back to jail.  Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.  This morning I conducted the study at the jail.  (The sister who normally does was having car trouble).  The line to get in was long.  This time they stamped my right arm.  We had a nice study and then I was introduced to a sister who works at the jail.  We chatted with her for a few minutes and then waited to pick up our identification and then to be released.  Afterwards, we worked in a nearby territory until around noon.

I spent the afternoon at home, studying for the meeting and catching up on some other things.  I decided to try a new route to the meeting that I was told about.  It was much better.  I only have to take one bus (which picks up close to my house) and then it requires walking only about 6 blocks to the Kingdom Hall.  Much better indeed!

The meeting was quite lively tonight and twice the entire congregation broke out in laughter.

Thursday:  I decided to take a day off today.  I found the motivation to go running in the morning at Guanguiltagua Metropolitan Park, which is conveniently located two streets over from my apartment.  I think its the biggest park in Quito, but unlike Carolina Park, it has mulched walking trails and dirt paths throughout.    It is also set far back from the road and is not surrounded by 5 streets of heavy traffic filling the air with diesel smoke.  (On a side note, reading the Watching the World section in this month's Awake about the diesel exhaust did give me cause for concern.) I only explored part of the park and am anxious to return.  It may sound crazy, but the air felt cleaner (and had a slight eucalyptus smell) and I found it easier to breathe and run.  Sorry - I don't take my phone with me when I run, so I don't have any photos at this time, but I will take some soon.

When I returned home, I started doing laundry; stripped the bed, washed all the blankets, towels, sheets, etc (after showering of course).  My dryer, which I am very grateful for, is not super efficient, so it takes 2-3 hours to dry a load, depending on the items.  In between, I prepared some food for the week; tuna salad and chicken fajitas.  Unfortunately, this took a long time since I am currently operating with one kitchen knife and one saute pan.

Around 7:00, my friend came over for a 'girls night' and we ate dinner, watched a movie on my laptop and then chatted over coffee.

05-13-13 & 05-14-13 Preaching and Photos

Monday:  This morning I went for a run at Carolina Park - yea!  Afterwards, I met up with some visiting sisters who are staying in the south and we went preaching. At around 2:00pm, we met up with two others from the south for lunch and a couple calls.  Then I came home and reviewed a few Spanish lessons online and cleaned my house.  I had fish and salad for dinner and chatted with my family before going to bed.

Tuesday:  There were only four of us out in the ministry this morning, but we had a good time.  At eleven, two broke-off to go to a study, so my friend and I continued doing census in the territory for a while.

This guy did not like his picture being taken:

When we finished the territory, we did some return visits and calls in the afternoon and I had my first experience riding the Trole, notably the scariest form of public transportation available.  It wasn't that bad.  In fact, there were not many people on the Trole in that area (though I understand this to be rare).  While we were out doing calls, I took the opportunity to snap a few more photos of the area.

El Ejido Park (recently renovated)

I love these trees - The leaves go from green at the base, to yellow, to orange and then to red at the tip.

 Views from "lookout point"

 Panoramic shot from Lookout Point

Small rickety bridge I had to cross to take the photos - notice anything missing?

Oh there's the rest of the bridge down below!

I had a bible study at 5:30 in the north and after that we each went home.  By the time I walked in the door, it was almost 8:00!  I made taco salad for dinner, did some research online and then went to sleep.