Monday: After work this morning, I stayed in to get some much needed housework done! I was also able to catch up with a good friend via Skype, do some grocery shopping and cooking, and work on my TESOL certification (which I have been putting off but must complete very soon!)
Tuesday: Again I went in service all day after work. My last class was cancelled, so I was able to meet with the group. It was a large group out this morning despite being overcast with the threaten of rain. While walking there, I encountered a nice young lady who readily accepted the magazines. After our service meeting, two of the members of our group struck up a conversation with the couple sitting next to us. The rest of us walked outside, where I met another English speaker sitting in the patio area. The morning was off to a great start!!
We broke for lunch a little early, around 11:30 am and then I went with a sister on her Bible study. It was so amazing to see the progress she's making and the depth of her reasoning. For instance, her teacher had showed her last week the Bible's command to "abstain from blood". Due to time, they had only been able to discuss avoiding consuming blood in any form. But this week, the student had already come to the conclusion that this command also includes giving blood and storing our own blood!
After the study, my roommate and I went back to the house and wrote letters to give to the guards at secure buildings where there are English speakers. Then, at 5:00, I met up with another friend for some calls. I was able to go back and call on a man at the coffee shop again and he was quite interested in attending the meetings and also accepted the "What Does The Bible Really Teach?" book. We decided to call it a day around 6:30 as it was getting to be dark.
Upon arriving home, I ate some dinner and began studying for the next day's meeting.
Wednesday: This morning was work again and then I worked on updating my blog some more, responded to a few emails (still so behind!!) finished studying for the meeting and cleaned the house.
At 4:30, my roommate got a call from our School Overseer to fill in for a talk tonight. So, we ate dinner quick and discussed the material as she put it together. Another sister who had been out in service that day came over (since it was too far for her to travel back home). And then at a few minutes to 6:00, we walked to catch the bus for the meeting.
It was a relatively quite meeting - though we had a lot of visitors in attendance.
Thursday: After work, my roommate and I went to the Migracion office so she could get some paperwork started for her Visa extension. After a relatively short wait (where we were also able to witness to a few others) we left there to take the paperwork to the brother and sister who are handling her application. After that, we met up with the service group in the territory. There was a large group out that morning - about 15 in total! After an hour and a half though, we had to return to drop off some additional paperwork. Once again, back to meet the group in the territory. We stopped at a park to eat our lunch and then worked more in the territory for another hour or so. When two of the sisters were leaving to go do a return visit at the mall, we decided it best to go with them and do some informal witnessing at the mall. After that, I stopped at the store on the way home to pick up a full length mirror (since the small one in the bathroom is not enough for the two of us, not to mention that my roommate can only see half of her head because its up so high - ha ha ha).
Then it was back to studying for my teaching certification for the rest of the night.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
11-23-13 & 11-24-13 Prep Work and S.A.D.!!
Saturday: This morning I cleaned up around the house, did laundry for my friend who was moving today, then went grocery shopping and made food for myself for the week and for a Bethel family of 4 for the assembly the next day. That evening I had to work several hours in order to make up for the shifts I would be absent Sunday morning.
I finished work at 11:30pm, but couldn't sleep.
Sunday: I woke up exhausted this a.m. Nothing a cup of coffee and a shower can't fix. I was so excited for the S.A.D. We gathered up our things and headed to the Kingdom Hall where we met up with the others who were taking the bus to the Assembly Hall in Calderon. There were 3 buses in total. We met some new people who just moved to Quito and would soon be attending our congregation, as well as others who were serving in various parts of the country. Our bus driver, who didn't know how to get to the assembly hall, was following one of the other buses. Unfortunately, we caught a light and then got lost. After a few minutes, and a minor detour, we were back on track. We arrived in plenty of time to associate with our brothers and sisters in the English field in Ecuador.
After the program and final cleaning, we piled back on the bus and headed back home. My roommate and I went home to change quickly and drop off the extra bags of food. We then went to the food court at the mall for dinner. One of our friends from Puerto Lopez met up with us and we all went to my friends' new apartment (still just down the street from my place!) for coffee/ tea.
I finished work at 11:30pm, but couldn't sleep.
Sunday: I woke up exhausted this a.m. Nothing a cup of coffee and a shower can't fix. I was so excited for the S.A.D. We gathered up our things and headed to the Kingdom Hall where we met up with the others who were taking the bus to the Assembly Hall in Calderon. There were 3 buses in total. We met some new people who just moved to Quito and would soon be attending our congregation, as well as others who were serving in various parts of the country. Our bus driver, who didn't know how to get to the assembly hall, was following one of the other buses. Unfortunately, we caught a light and then got lost. After a few minutes, and a minor detour, we were back on track. We arrived in plenty of time to associate with our brothers and sisters in the English field in Ecuador.
Friends from Quito English (and a photobomb by our friend from Puerto Lopez!)
My roomie and some friends who are the caretakers at the Assembly Hall in Rio Bamba
Quito English's newest additions :)
I learned that one of the English groups had recently been dissolved and so now there are 4 congregations (Guayaquil, Cuenca, Andrade Marin, and Quito) and 1 group (Manta) in the country. Even still, we had 415 in attendance for the morning session and 376 in the afternoon. There were quite a few Bible studies in attendance as well as some need-greaters who serve in Spanish congregations, but also enjoy attending the assembly in their native language. No baptismal candidates this time, but an excellent discourse nonetheless. The Bethel family I had prepared lunch for was not able to attend at the last minute and so I gave away what food I could.
We had a visiting Bethel speaker in attendance who gave 1.5 talks (our final talk was split between our Circuit Overseer and the Bethel speaker). Two of our congregation's elders gave talks as well; one with the Watchtower Summary and the other with the part about youths. There were three experiences in that part given by members of our congregation and they did an excellent job!! The final talk of the program also contained an experience by one of our local brothers and brought many to tears.
Our COBE
Interviews - Quito English brothers
Interview - Our Sister in Quito English
Final talk - Our C.O. and one of our brothers from Quito English
Two of our visiting brothers from Puerto Lopez and two friends of theirs
After the program and final cleaning, we piled back on the bus and headed back home. My roommate and I went home to change quickly and drop off the extra bags of food. We then went to the food court at the mall for dinner. One of our friends from Puerto Lopez met up with us and we all went to my friends' new apartment (still just down the street from my place!) for coffee/ tea.
11-20-13 - 11-22-13 Sushi, Sadness & Scattergories
Wednesday: After work this morning, our friends came over for breakfast and then my roommate and I cleaned and organized the house the rest of the afternoon.
We didn't have our meeting tonight due to the upcoming S.A.D., so a group of us decided to go out to Noe (Spanish for Noah) for sushi.
Thursday: This morning I worked, but my last class was cancelled. I noticed my roommate was up, but didn't see her in the house. The front door was open, so I looked outside - she wasn't in the laundry room either. I grabbed my coffee and headed up the spiral stairs to the roof. There she was, curled up in a ball. I knew what had happened. So I sat down beside her and put my arm around her. Her dear friend back in Florida had passed away. What a sad day indeed. But how thankful we are for the resurrection hope and the confidence of seeing our friends again!
We decided to stay in that day - talking, crying, laughing and watching movies. I notified some of the friends in the local congregation and a few of them stopped by with flowers, candy and to offer their condolences. Later that night, two of our other girl friends joined us for pizza and another movie.
Friday: This morning we stayed, but decided to be a little more productive. We spent the day catching up on errands, housework, paperwork and computer work.
That night, my friend had planned a karaoke party at our house, but we ended up playing Bible Scattergories and Bible Jeopardy instead. It was a lot of fun and the kind of spiritual refreshment we needed.
We didn't have our meeting tonight due to the upcoming S.A.D., so a group of us decided to go out to Noe (Spanish for Noah) for sushi.
Thursday: This morning I worked, but my last class was cancelled. I noticed my roommate was up, but didn't see her in the house. The front door was open, so I looked outside - she wasn't in the laundry room either. I grabbed my coffee and headed up the spiral stairs to the roof. There she was, curled up in a ball. I knew what had happened. So I sat down beside her and put my arm around her. Her dear friend back in Florida had passed away. What a sad day indeed. But how thankful we are for the resurrection hope and the confidence of seeing our friends again!
We decided to stay in that day - talking, crying, laughing and watching movies. I notified some of the friends in the local congregation and a few of them stopped by with flowers, candy and to offer their condolences. Later that night, two of our other girl friends joined us for pizza and another movie.
Friday: This morning we stayed, but decided to be a little more productive. We spent the day catching up on errands, housework, paperwork and computer work.
That night, my friend had planned a karaoke party at our house, but we ended up playing Bible Scattergories and Bible Jeopardy instead. It was a lot of fun and the kind of spiritual refreshment we needed.
11-18-13 & 11-19-13 Formal and Informal Service
Monday: This morning I worked for a couple hours and then went out in service. Since there was no official group arrangement, a few of the friends decided to meet up at my house. We worked the territory immediately around our house and met quite a few English speakers. Around 11:30, we headed back to the house for a bathroom break and suddenly it began to pour down rain. Thankful we had just come in, we sat for a minute and decided to go to lunch at the Crepes & Waffles just down the road inside the shopping mall. After lunch, a few of the others continued to do calls, while our visiting brothers accompanied me to the supermarket. While there, we met a man who had moved to Quito with his wife after their children had grown in order to simplify their life and to focus on being a Christian. He explained that he made many mistakes over the years and was trying to make things right and be a good person now. The conversation went on for about 35 - 40 minutes. We invited him to the meeting, gave him the new tract and then resumed shopping.
A few minutes later, however, we ran into a perplexed woman holding a bottle and she asked "Is this conditioner?" I looked at the bottle and confirmed that, indeed, it was conditioner. We began conversing, and it turns out she was down here visiting a friend. We talked for about 20 minutes and she gave me her email address and asked me to send her some information, including the location and times for the meetings.
Finally, about 2.5 hours after being in the grocery store, we headed home. I made dinner and then we played another game of cards before our new friends went home for the night.
Tuesday: This morning I worked for several hours, and made a call to check the location of the service group. I quickly got ready, did the dishes from the night before and then headed out. Thinking that we were working a similar location to the previous week, I began walking north on Amazonas street, looking for the cross street where the group was working. Since it didn't sound familiar to me, and wasn't on my map, I sent off a message to the group to confirm. Wrong.
So I began heading south looking for the same cross street. I had walked about 25 minutes before contacting the group again. They provided more information as to the location and I realized that I had walked too far and had passed it already. So once again, I began walking north. Still not finding the cross-street, I sat down on a stone wall and said a prayer. I decided to walk down the street at the location given, even though the name did not match. After walking halfway around the block, I came upon the street they were working. But there was no sign of them. I walked around the entire block, twice. Still they were nowhere to be found. Finally, I received a call from the group and they met up with me. By this time, it was almost noon.
Some of the group decided to head home, and the rest broke for lunch. After a quick bite, we were back in the territory. On the way home, my partner and I decided to stop at the grocery store.
Once home, I began cooking and then cleaning up. Our visiting friends came by later on and we went out for sushi - Yum!! Just what I needed on a day like this :) After dinner, we played a game of cards and then they departed.
A few minutes later, however, we ran into a perplexed woman holding a bottle and she asked "Is this conditioner?" I looked at the bottle and confirmed that, indeed, it was conditioner. We began conversing, and it turns out she was down here visiting a friend. We talked for about 20 minutes and she gave me her email address and asked me to send her some information, including the location and times for the meetings.
Finally, about 2.5 hours after being in the grocery store, we headed home. I made dinner and then we played another game of cards before our new friends went home for the night.
Tuesday: This morning I worked for several hours, and made a call to check the location of the service group. I quickly got ready, did the dishes from the night before and then headed out. Thinking that we were working a similar location to the previous week, I began walking north on Amazonas street, looking for the cross street where the group was working. Since it didn't sound familiar to me, and wasn't on my map, I sent off a message to the group to confirm. Wrong.
So I began heading south looking for the same cross street. I had walked about 25 minutes before contacting the group again. They provided more information as to the location and I realized that I had walked too far and had passed it already. So once again, I began walking north. Still not finding the cross-street, I sat down on a stone wall and said a prayer. I decided to walk down the street at the location given, even though the name did not match. After walking halfway around the block, I came upon the street they were working. But there was no sign of them. I walked around the entire block, twice. Still they were nowhere to be found. Finally, I received a call from the group and they met up with me. By this time, it was almost noon.
Some of the group decided to head home, and the rest broke for lunch. After a quick bite, we were back in the territory. On the way home, my partner and I decided to stop at the grocery store.
Once home, I began cooking and then cleaning up. Our visiting friends came by later on and we went out for sushi - Yum!! Just what I needed on a day like this :) After dinner, we played a game of cards and then they departed.
11-16-13 & 11-17-13 Weekend: Service, Sports and Fun with Friends
Saturday: In the morning, we had a nice group meet at the hall for service. We worked an area nearby the hall and found several English speakers to converse with. That afternoon, a group of friends went to the park to play "ultimate frisbee" at Carolina Park. Initially, I only intended on supporting from the sidelines - you know, watching the game and studying my Watchtower. But the teams ended up uneven, so I joined the action. What fun!! It was an awesome game! Monti joined us and was there to cheer us on.
At one point, we had to take a bathroom break, and while half of our group was gone, a young kid walked by our pile of bags and began walking away with one of our brother's messenger bag. He had only taken a few steps with the bag when our other brothers noticed and began chasing him. Realizing he'd been caught, he immediately removed the bag from his shoulder and continued on. Our brothers, not certain if he had taken anything else, proceeded to give him a pat down like at the security checkpoint in the airport.
We continued playing ultimate frisbee and then "Circle Ball" a game we invented that afternoon until after dark. Then, a few of the friends came back to my house for dinner and another game of cards.
Sunday: This morning was our meeting and one of the visiting brothers gave our talk. Excellent reminders for all! After the meeting a small group of us went to the Magic Bean for lunch.
Monti, our Mascot
(Most of) Our Group
The silly pic :)
At one point, we had to take a bathroom break, and while half of our group was gone, a young kid walked by our pile of bags and began walking away with one of our brother's messenger bag. He had only taken a few steps with the bag when our other brothers noticed and began chasing him. Realizing he'd been caught, he immediately removed the bag from his shoulder and continued on. Our brothers, not certain if he had taken anything else, proceeded to give him a pat down like at the security checkpoint in the airport.
We continued playing ultimate frisbee and then "Circle Ball" a game we invented that afternoon until after dark. Then, a few of the friends came back to my house for dinner and another game of cards.
Sunday: This morning was our meeting and one of the visiting brothers gave our talk. Excellent reminders for all! After the meeting a small group of us went to the Magic Bean for lunch.
11-11-13 - 11-15-13 Highlights from the week
Monday: This morning I worked for a couple of hours and then it was back out in the ministry - we had a good long day today and found a couple of interesting sights along the way.
This guy didn't take the tract
This sign is indicative of a bad habit some Ecuadorian men have
Tuesday: Again, I worked a few hours, and then I spent another long day out in the ministry, then came home and installed my new soap dispenser in the bathroom that night.
Thursday: Well, the day started off okay. After work, I went to meet the group out in service. Unfortunately, while on the bus to the service group my money purse and phone were stolen out of my bag. This put a little damper on the morning, but we had a short coffee break, our brother said a prayer and we continued on with the tract campaign. We had some good experiences that morning. Later that night, I made dinner (and cheesecake of course!) for a couple of the friends and we played games. One of the brother's in my hall was kind enough to lend me a spare phone he had until I can replace my other one.
Friday: I went for a run in the morning, then out in service until around 3:00, then went home to take care of some things. We met some new friends that evening who were visiting from Puerto Lopez. I made dinner at the house (chicken parm, with salad and veggies, and more cheesecake) and we all hung out there playing cards and listening to music.
Monday, November 25, 2013
11-09-13 & 11-10-13 Weekend Service & Fun
Saturday: I met with the congregation at the hall this morning and we had quite a large group out for service. It was such a beautiful day and we had a great morning!!
Sunday: This morning was meeting and then more cleaning of the house. This evening, a small group of us went out for dinner and a movie at the local theatre. It was so nice to catch up and hang out with my Quito friends again!!
Sunday: This morning was meeting and then more cleaning of the house. This evening, a small group of us went out for dinner and a movie at the local theatre. It was so nice to catch up and hang out with my Quito friends again!!
11-02-13 - 11-08-13 Friends, Fun and Adventures
I don't have any photos of the first couple days, solely because I didn't have my phone/ camera. But here are the highlights:
Saturday: We had breakfast at the house and then took the bus to Otovalo, where there is a large handi-craft market. The bus ride is approximately 2.5 hours, and since we didn't get a very early start, that was mostly what we did the entire day. We came back home that night and crashed.
Sunday: One of the visiting brothers was kind enough to give our Public Discourse at the meeting this morning and all of the Quito English congregation appreciated the delivery of the material. Afterwards, approximately 25 of us went out to Mall El Jardin for lunch. Finally, after lunch I was able to retrieve my phone :) A few of the friends came over to my house that night to watch a movie.
Monday: A group of us met up at my house in the morning to travel to Mindo for the cloudforest/ waterfall hike and to do some ziplining.
We took a truck to Los Bancos approximately 30 minutes in the opposite direction in order to catch the bus at the beginning of the line. We waited almost an hour for the next and final bus departing that night. And as it drove right by us, we all began to chuckle at the situation. We debated on spending the night in Mindo, but then Carlos, the kid who had driven us from Mindo to Los Bancos, offered to drive us all the way back to Quito. We gratefully accepted his offer and half of our group piled in the cab of the pickup truck and the other half piled in the truck bed.
We stopped for dinner on the way home and finally made it home, albeit exhausted, cold and tired.
Tuesday: Today one of my friends and I went in service in the morning. Then later that afternoon, we all traveled to Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World). We went to the official museum site "Intinan Museum" (instead of the monument site, which is actually located on the adjacent lot next to the museum). Unfortunately, we arrived about 10 minutes after they closed. We snuck around to the exit, where the man informed us that we were too late. I told him that we had traveled all the way from Quito and meant to ask if we could spend just 15 minutes and look around. Instead I asked for 50 minutes and he chuckled and said no! Realizing my mistake, we pleaded with him for just a few minutes. He agreed to charge us a discounted admission and then proceeded to give us a private tour, which lasted 45 minutes in the end!
Wednesday: Today we went in the ministry in the morning. Afterwards we went to lunch at a popular spot called the Magic Bean and then to the Mercado de Artesnal market in the Mariscal area.
Thursday: Though we intended to go to Papallacta today, our plans didn't seem to work out. Instead we went back to the local market and my friends picked up some more souvenirs to take home.
That night, I made dinner and invited some of the friends from the hall to join us. We had beef tenderloin with sauteed mushrooms, onions and peppers, asparagus, mashed potatoes, salad and garlic bread.
Friday: Sadly, today was the last day of my friends' visit. We had a nice breakfast together and then they packed up their bags and and headed off to the airport in the early afternoon.
On the bus
We made it!
Hold on! This cart seems rickety...
Safely on the other side
Where is this waterfall anyway?
Surely this is not it...
Finally we arrived!! The water was freezing!!
Suited up and ready to go ziplining!
We took a truck to Los Bancos approximately 30 minutes in the opposite direction in order to catch the bus at the beginning of the line. We waited almost an hour for the next and final bus departing that night. And as it drove right by us, we all began to chuckle at the situation. We debated on spending the night in Mindo, but then Carlos, the kid who had driven us from Mindo to Los Bancos, offered to drive us all the way back to Quito. We gratefully accepted his offer and half of our group piled in the cab of the pickup truck and the other half piled in the truck bed.
We stopped for dinner on the way home and finally made it home, albeit exhausted, cold and tired.
Tuesday: Today one of my friends and I went in service in the morning. Then later that afternoon, we all traveled to Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World). We went to the official museum site "Intinan Museum" (instead of the monument site, which is actually located on the adjacent lot next to the museum). Unfortunately, we arrived about 10 minutes after they closed. We snuck around to the exit, where the man informed us that we were too late. I told him that we had traveled all the way from Quito and meant to ask if we could spend just 15 minutes and look around. Instead I asked for 50 minutes and he chuckled and said no! Realizing my mistake, we pleaded with him for just a few minutes. He agreed to charge us a discounted admission and then proceeded to give us a private tour, which lasted 45 minutes in the end!
View from the bus
At the entrance to Intinan Museum (the true Middle of the World)
Walking the Line
You gotta love the "calculated with GPS"
Our private tour guide
Trying to balance an egg on end
Shrunken heads exhibit
Our Service Group
Before long, it was time to head back to the house to change and get ready for the meeting that evening. After the meeting a few of us went out for a late dinner at a local establishment.
That night, I made dinner and invited some of the friends from the hall to join us. We had beef tenderloin with sauteed mushrooms, onions and peppers, asparagus, mashed potatoes, salad and garlic bread.
Friday: Sadly, today was the last day of my friends' visit. We had a nice breakfast together and then they packed up their bags and and headed off to the airport in the early afternoon.
Time for one last photo
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
11-01-13 Quito or Bust!
Today I said my last good-byes to my friends in the States. Around 11:00am, my friends who were traveling with me arrived and we loaded up the rented minivan full of our luggage. Sweaty and tired after that ordeal, we piled in the van and headed across the alley towards Miami.
We made a pit stop along the way at a run down convenience shop and were politely instructed that we needed to purchase something if we wanted to use the port-a-jon... really?? We obliged and devoured our snacks on the way.
We arrived at the airport approximately 2 hours before our flight departed. We waited anxiously in the baggage check line, then the security line, then ran to the gate inside the terminal. Finally, we could start to relax. The flight began boarding about 15 minutes later.
My friends were sitting in a different section of the plane so I settled in my seat and watched a movie. Dinner was served - some sort of herb chicken which was actually pretty tasty, and of course, a complimentary glass of cabernet :) I was 3/4 of the way through a second movie when the flight attendant announced that we were landing. The flight was quite comfortable and seemed to go by rather quickly. We arrived in UIO airport at approximately 8:00pm. After deboarding the plane, we waiting in the (short) line to go through customs, then down to the baggage claim area to collect our things. One more pass through security and we had officially arrived in Quito! The weather was crisp and cool like any fall day in the US.
While waiting for our driver, we decided to have a cup of coffee at the mini-plaza at the airport. Unfortunately, when our driver arrived (albeit 40 minutes late) it only took us a few seconds to realize that we were not going to fit in his van. We determined that I would ride with him and take the luggage, and my friends would take a separate taxi and follow us. However, the taxi driver sped off ahead of us. I prayed that he remembered the directions I had given him. Once we loaded all the luggage in the van and secured the rest to the roof, we too, were on our way. I called one of my Quito friends who lives nearby if she could go to my house and let my friends in (and possibly wait out in the street and look for the taxi) since they would be arriving before me. She said that would be no problem. <sigh of relief>
About 10 minutes into the drive home, the van began to overheat and we had to pull off the side of the road to let it cool down. The driver purchased some engine coolant and some water and proceed to try to cool off the engine. He started up the engine and we continued towards my house. After about 10 minutes, however, the engine was running hot again and their was steam/ smoke coming from underneath the car. Again we pulled over and waited for about 15 minutes. My phone battery had since died at this point, but I received a call from my friend on the driver's phone. She informed me that they were actually waiting at my house prior to my call as a surprise for our arrival. Then she let me know that my friends had arrived safely and they were eating pizza. <another sigh of relief>
He started up the car again, but this time, after only about 3 minutes, the engine was hot again. The driver purchased more coolant and more water and then told me we were going to wait about 20 minutes before he tried to start the vehicle again as we were approaching the tunnels and would not be able to stop once inside. Then, he told me I could take a nap while we waited... hmm, no thanks.
We made it through the tunnels, but immediately had to pull over again afterwards. More coolant went in, and more time passed. Drive, stop, wait, repeat. We followed this pattern a few more times, with the last stop being just down the street from my house. I could almost see it. I was tempted to get out and drag the luggage up the hill. Instead, I prayed for more patience and a few minutes later, we were moving again. It was well after midnight when I finally arrived. My Quito friends who had surprised me at my house came to help me unload the luggage from the van. Unfortunately, the driver took off before I could get my cell phone out of the van :(
I went back inside, sat down and hung out with my friends for about an hour and a half, catching up and laughing. Sometime around 2:30am, they all left to go home and I grabbed a blanket, curled up on the couch and went to sleep. What a day!!
The Pilot and Co-Pilot
(It only looks like the luggage is falling on me...)
We made a pit stop along the way at a run down convenience shop and were politely instructed that we needed to purchase something if we wanted to use the port-a-jon... really?? We obliged and devoured our snacks on the way.
We arrived at the airport approximately 2 hours before our flight departed. We waited anxiously in the baggage check line, then the security line, then ran to the gate inside the terminal. Finally, we could start to relax. The flight began boarding about 15 minutes later.
Waiting to board the plane
My friends were sitting in a different section of the plane so I settled in my seat and watched a movie. Dinner was served - some sort of herb chicken which was actually pretty tasty, and of course, a complimentary glass of cabernet :) I was 3/4 of the way through a second movie when the flight attendant announced that we were landing. The flight was quite comfortable and seemed to go by rather quickly. We arrived in UIO airport at approximately 8:00pm. After deboarding the plane, we waiting in the (short) line to go through customs, then down to the baggage claim area to collect our things. One more pass through security and we had officially arrived in Quito! The weather was crisp and cool like any fall day in the US.
While waiting for our driver, we decided to have a cup of coffee at the mini-plaza at the airport. Unfortunately, when our driver arrived (albeit 40 minutes late) it only took us a few seconds to realize that we were not going to fit in his van. We determined that I would ride with him and take the luggage, and my friends would take a separate taxi and follow us. However, the taxi driver sped off ahead of us. I prayed that he remembered the directions I had given him. Once we loaded all the luggage in the van and secured the rest to the roof, we too, were on our way. I called one of my Quito friends who lives nearby if she could go to my house and let my friends in (and possibly wait out in the street and look for the taxi) since they would be arriving before me. She said that would be no problem. <sigh of relief>
About 10 minutes into the drive home, the van began to overheat and we had to pull off the side of the road to let it cool down. The driver purchased some engine coolant and some water and proceed to try to cool off the engine. He started up the engine and we continued towards my house. After about 10 minutes, however, the engine was running hot again and their was steam/ smoke coming from underneath the car. Again we pulled over and waited for about 15 minutes. My phone battery had since died at this point, but I received a call from my friend on the driver's phone. She informed me that they were actually waiting at my house prior to my call as a surprise for our arrival. Then she let me know that my friends had arrived safely and they were eating pizza. <another sigh of relief>
He started up the car again, but this time, after only about 3 minutes, the engine was hot again. The driver purchased more coolant and more water and then told me we were going to wait about 20 minutes before he tried to start the vehicle again as we were approaching the tunnels and would not be able to stop once inside. Then, he told me I could take a nap while we waited... hmm, no thanks.
We made it through the tunnels, but immediately had to pull over again afterwards. More coolant went in, and more time passed. Drive, stop, wait, repeat. We followed this pattern a few more times, with the last stop being just down the street from my house. I could almost see it. I was tempted to get out and drag the luggage up the hill. Instead, I prayed for more patience and a few minutes later, we were moving again. It was well after midnight when I finally arrived. My Quito friends who had surprised me at my house came to help me unload the luggage from the van. Unfortunately, the driver took off before I could get my cell phone out of the van :(
I went back inside, sat down and hung out with my friends for about an hour and a half, catching up and laughing. Sometime around 2:30am, they all left to go home and I grabbed a blanket, curled up on the couch and went to sleep. What a day!!
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