Ecua Blessings

Buenos días desde Quito, Ecuador! I have been having a truly wonderful time here in Quito. The last week has been spent working on getting things in order for when I return to los estados (yes, my return is inevitable...) and need to do things like work (WORK? What's that?). I had the pleasure of talking to my wonderful boss Becki Davis at the NOC on the phone and it sounds like things are just as exciting (if not more!) than ever at the Nantahala River, so once I finally decide it is time for me to return to the homeland, I will surely be looking forward to getting back to las montañas de North Carolina, seeing old friends, going for some lovely long bike rides, and eating some of Slow Joe's fantastic hummus and pasta salad. Oh man, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. But enough about the future! Im still here and not ready in the least to leave.
As both Luisfer and Ivo were busy busy with work, and I was busy with "work," we spent the week here in Quito. Most nights, I got some form of lesson from Ivo and Luisfer regarding my pronunciation. We have been putting particular effort in the proper pronunciation of "torta" (i.e. CAKE!) as it is an incredibly important part of my vocabulary here. And who knew my gringa self could have SUCH a freakin'hard time sounding even slightly native...hmmm.... In addition to trying to pronounce food words, we had a few culinary adventures - ate sushi (Ivo - who eats EVERYTHING - only ate a few bites, but at least he gave it a chance!), brownie ice cream at my favorite little tienda, and Luisfer even explored the world of tofu when we went to a veggie buffet. I do not think I was able to sell him on the food, but, again, at least he tried it (and I took photos to capture the moment!).
Friday night we went out dancing and stayed out until they shut the place down - woohoo! Saturday, I joined Luisfer and Ivo on an outing to our friend Marcelo's hacienda outside of Quito where they played an exciting game of fútbol. During my year here, I, along with Elsa and Rene, were the "Monosapiens" biggest fans, so I spent a lot of that year watching these boys play and it felt like a blast from the past to watch them run around on the field again - I even had a few goals dedicated to me;)!

The rest of the days have been spent in search of cheap food, cooking (Luisfer was in total disbelief that I could actually prepare my own dinner and wanted to take a photo to capture the moment - hmph!), watching movies on the floor, running in the park, and - most exciting of all - planning a trip to Colombia!! Luisfer and I leave tomorrow morning for a 5 days trip to visit some friends of his in Bogotá and explore the ciudad. So while 4 years ago, I was completely forbidden fom even entering the country, things have improved dramatically, and I am thrilled for the opportunity to get a taste of what the country has to offer. And even more excited to have a travel companion. Traveling solo has its delights, but I am finding that I am WELCOMING the company!! So off we go....VIVA!