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| Mall San Luis, Quito |
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| A "smaller" home in Shannon's neighborhood |
Sorry it's been so long since I've put an entry in. Over the past few weeks I haven't been in optimum health and was basically bed-ridden for quite a while. I even had to spend eight hours in a doctor's office getting an IV drip and liquid med drips for the parasitic infection I was suffering from. It was pretty awful, but recent tests show that I'm 100% better now, so don't feel too sorry for me.
Last week, a few days after being attached to IV's, we had to go to Quito. Joe and I had to go to the American Embassy and renew our passports, although just a few months ago I spent almost $100 having to add pages to my passport. This time, we were set back $110 EACH. Not cheap, but something we only have to do every ten years. The passports will be made for us in New Jersey, I believe, and will be sent back to Quito in 10-15 days where we will have to go back and retrieve them.
We have friends that live in a suburb valley of Quito that invited us to stay with them while in Quito. They have a 10 year old daughter named Shannon who idolizes Carlie and calls us on my phone or Skype every 5 minutes to chat with her. Shannon is Irish/Ecuadorian and goes to an all English school in Quito. She seems more Americanized than Carlie and recently got back from Disney World with her mother, who only speaks Spanish. When we arrived to Shannon's home, which is connected to her grandmother's 'hacienda' in a beautiful gated community, Shannon presented Carlie with a cool hot-pink watch. I don't think I've seen someone so in love with my daughter since the days when we lived with her BFF Lily. Carlie squealed with delight over the watch and upon seeing Shannon's room filled in every corner with toys and Barbies. Joe and I also squealed in delight as Shannon's parents poured us a glass of wine while grilling out chicken and chops on the outdoor grill on the patio. "We ought to have business in Quito more often", we said to each other.
The next day we went to the mall to kill time while Shannon's dad was having his car fixed. As soon as it was done, he said, he could give us a ride back to Tena since he had to work there the next day. (He's a river rafting guide) Shannon was thrilled. She would be staying in Tena for almost a week with Carlie at our house. The mall was one I had never been to before in a very affluent area and for a moment I thought I was in California, not Ecuador. (See above pic of San Luis Mall) Joe and I walked around window shopping at stores such as Swatch, Converse, and a KFC in the food court. The only thing we bought was chips and a drink at the MegaMaxxi (like a Walmart or BJs) After an hour or so, we realized if we lived here we'd be very materialistic. Anything our hearts desired could be bought at this mall. Back at home with Shannon's Ecuadorian grandmother, the girls were playing Wii and walking their four dogs (plus our two) to the neighborhood park. Joe and I started to miss the simplicity of Tena. Well, not really.
The car was finally out of the mechanics at 6pm. We hit the road to Tena by 6:15 and were home in about four hours. At dusk we drove up the side of a mountain where we could see the lights of Quito sparkling down below and a sliver of a moon rising above the Andes peaks. As our car climbed deeper towards the dark jungle, the view of the stars was impeded by not so much as a cigarette lighter. I saw more stars and planets than I saw camping at the Grand Canyon. I stared at them so hard and they seemed so close, I actually smacked my face against the window a couple times.
Back in Tena we are resigned again to no malls, no gated communities, no fancy restaurants, no Wii, no outdoor BBQs in the grassy courtyard with a fountain in the middle, no nothing. But we remain happy here as a family and will try to hang on for as long as our passports and visa red-tape will let us.
