I wrote this as an email and decided to post it on my blog...
We are doing well. We are still at the Miller's house... haven't found a place to call our own yet. Everything we have seen has been out of our price range. I wish something would just fall in our laps. We started language school last week and I'm pretty sure we have covered an entire year of Sr. high Spanish in one week! My head feels like it is going to explode! :) I think I am the dumbest one at the school. I sure hope I get better at this.
The kids are doing well. They like their school. Mikala went to an Ecuadorian birthday party Saturday... 30+ kids there! Isn't that crazy! And it was 5 hours long! When I went to pick her up, they kept saying, "oh the one not allowed to watch Garfield." I thought "Oh great, what happened?" Apparently, they all went in to watch a movie (Garfield) and Mikala told the birthday girl that she was not allowed to watch it so they changed the movie to something else just for her. Hopefully it wasn't any big deal, but I have no idea. I was proud of her for saying she couldn't watch it, but wishing she would have just found something else to do instead of switching the whole movie on account of her. =) I don't even know if she's allowed to watch Garfield or not. =) So, good times.
Let's see, what else... I miss clean air. Mikala and I have been coughing ever since we have arrived. We think it is the pollution. We took Mikala to the Dr. and that is what he thinks it is. On one hand it is good news... she's not sick. On the other hand... we're smoking 10 packs a day. =) I also miss trees, clean water, and less houses. I am so not a city girl! I want to move to the jungle! =) Matt says we have to learn the language first... I guess he's got a point. =)
I have learned how to make some juices from different fruits. They are very good! The maid taught me. The maid and the guard here are very nice! The guard just laughs at me because I can't understand what the heck he is saying most of the time. But we keep trying to communicate. Betty (the maid) is going to teach me to make even more fruit juices this week. I like trying to communicate, but I wish I was better at it.
We have learned to take the trole (trolley) to school... it is 25 cents. I like riding it. We have eaten lunch at some local restaurants... we were the only gringos. The first time we went we were seated with another couple... little awkward... they didn't look to happy to share the table with us. I broke the ice by saying we were learning Spanish and then they warmed up to us. They explained what we were eating... you didn't order your food, they just served what was on the menu for the day. So, first came a little sausage of some sort with onions, then ceveche (soup) which was potato (it was good), then rice and meat and mashed potato, then fruit salad and the meal came with passion fruit juice. It was all very good and filling. All of that was $4 for both Matt's and mine! The next day we went to another... same thing, except this time the soup was different... I took a couple bites.... not bad... then my next bite had something kinda crunchy... then in my spoon I saw fish skin... then bones... I had a hard time wanting to eat more. I was just waiting for an eyeball to pop up. =) Then we got pork (which someone had warned me not to eat at restaurants). Fortunately we did not get sick! So now we have a little better idea of Ecuadorian cuisine. We like it and it is so much cheaper than everywhere else!