Oh my, misadventures

Let me preface this by saying that I am currently snuggled into the couch at Ana's cozy house, so my day took a turn for the better after a number of frustrating situations.

My first week at school has been altogether really positive. Lots of new systems to learn, and a classroom to make feel more like "home," but I am enjoying my students and small class sizes for sure.

So on Fridays the teachers are able to leave at 2:45 (rather than 3:30) with the students, which means that I take a different bus home. Today was the first day that I was figuring out my Friday route. I asked another (international) teacher how to figure out my bus. He pointed to a list of routes and bus numbers; I checked the list and proceeded to confidently board bus #2 (of like 40). I didn't recognize the neighborhoods, but I was feeling all tranquila and wasn't concerned as we drove...until the bus was dropping off the last teacher, looking at me inquiring where I thought I was planning to unload myself. Slight panic started to creep in. Ummm, Amazonas, I say. No no no no says the bus driver. He does not go to Avenida de Amazonas, nor will he make an exception this one time for the Gringita who has made a mistake. The teacher who has just gotten off of the bus is looking at me inquiringly. Maybe you can get on a bus, or take a taxi, she suggests. It so happens that today I had no money or credit card with me. I am penniless. I explain this to her a couple of times when my situation finally sinks in with her. I run through my options: I could call Ana, I could walk from here (though I have no idea where I am), I could get in a taxi and then tell the driver that I have to go into my apartment to get money when he drops me off. As I am working on a solution, Maestra Jenny explains that she is taking a taxi to her boyfriend's house, so I can get in the cab with her and she will give me fare to get to my apartment. Seriously, thank God for the Quitenas amables! So, there is a silver lining in my first misadventure: I may have made a new Ecuadorian friend, or at least I found someone willing to make sure I arrived to my home safely; Jenny called a bit later to make sure I hadn't encountered any trouble after the driver dropped her off.

After running myself (slowly as the altitude is still kicking me) around Parque Carolina, I decide to head over to NetLife to sternly inquire about my lack of internet. After doing my best in Spanish, I end up calling Ana to speak with the woman who is "helping" me. It has now been 13 days since I paid for the installation, and each day I keep getting manana, manana. In South America, there is always tomorrow, but I am ready to tell the next person who says this that there will be no tomorrow for him if he doesn't give this little rubia what she wants: INTERNET! Ahorrita! Well, I really get nowhere with this woman. She hangs up with Ana and tells me she needs me to espera mas. Someone is supposed to be in contact with me Monday or Tuesday. Dude, deep breath I say. I leave NetLife frustrated but still taking the day in stride. When I go to call Ana back and fill her in on the latest shananigans, I find that my phone is out of minutes. Alright, no big deal, I'll just walk the two blocks to El Jardin, the mall, and put add more minutes; I need to get cash from Produbanco anyway. So I scoot my way over to Jardin. When I walk in I find that the little tea store that is usually closed is in fact open today. Yes! I could totally go for some quality, loose leaf te. I order up a sample of a tea to then find that they only take cash. Okay, cool, I was on my way to Produbanco so I'll be back in diez minutos I tell the very kind people working.

When I arrive at the ATMs an ominous feeling arises. People keep walking away frustrated. When my turn comes, I put my card in, enter my PIN # and go through the motions to withdraw some cash. Nope, the system is down. The afternoon is feeling rather inconvenient by this point, but I don't need the tea. I do, though, need to put more minutes on my cell. I make my way up the escalator to Supermaxi, the grocery store. I grab a bottle of water and approach the woman at the checkout, explaining that I'd like to add $20 to my phone. No problem she responds. Except it seems there is a problem. When I hand her my Produbanco debit card, she asks for my ID. No, I don't have my ID with me right now, but I can give you my passport number I explain. Nope, she needs a tangible form of identification. I have used my card here numerous cards with no such request, but the stars are not lined up for me today. I haughtily walk away from the checkout, letting out a disgruntled ARGH. I am over Quito at this point. And it is clearly over me.

When I'm almost back to my apartment, Ana calls, and boy does she get an earful. She reminds me that I'm okay and to take a deep breath. I'll pick you up in an hour she assures me. We can stop at the bank and grocery store on the way to my place she adds. I screw me head back on straight after some deep breaths and remind myself that these are minor disruptions in the big scheme of things.

Ana, being more dependable than the city has been to me today, does pick me up when she says. We end up eating at the mall (an HSP is always more level-headed when her blood sugar is balanced), downing some awesome hot chocolate from Juan Valdez, and making our way back to Ana's flat (oh yes, only after I manage to break the ceramic water dispenser she has just bought). A glass of wine and a lengthy Skype session with the whole fam later, I am up for embracing my new life, and all of the lessons it offers, once again.

So, I'm going to sip some more agua con gas and call it a night.

Nos hablamos pronto.

Jame

My Transcendental Life

I still don´t have internet. It´s been a comedy of errors, or something like that. While I have appreciated the amount of reflection and quiet time I have had after work each day, I´d really like to feel connected again to my peeps back home. Ana went with me yesterday to visit NetLife and try to figure out what the hold up has been; she knows how to lay down the lay, man. So, the current story is tomorrow will be the day. We´ll see.

Second day with students today. The schedule here is really different than at Jefferson, so it will take some adjusting, but I think the two 25-minute recesses are pretty awesome.

I´ve got to finish prepping. Anticipate a novel when I finally have wifi en mi casa...

Mi Escuela Nueva

Quick update as I need to get on the bus to go home soon:
Oh my gosh. I´m in my new classroom and just jazzed. There are 16 desks in here. AND THAT IS ENOUGH FOR ALL OF MY STUDENTS. The campus here is quite expansive as it includes primary national and international sections and secondary national and international sections. I am teaching in the secondary national section, which means my students have been coming to the school since 1st grade and have been taught 1/2 the day in Spanish and 1/2 in English. And seriously, 16 students in each class?! Colegio Americano is an outdoor campus...and it´s beautiful! I´m peaking out of my window right now, looking off into the distance are the montañas. ¡Que una vista! Again, only the most friendly of people are welcoming us here. I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity.

I have yet to really figure out the curriculum that I will be teaching, or at least the finer details of it--have done no planning as of yet--but here is all very tranquilo. There is another greenie (new teacher) that is teaching the same class as I am, so we will be collaborating con frequencia. Wish I had a bit more time to write more, but me voy a atender a otras detalles.

Mucho amor a mi familia y a mis amigos,

Jame

Look who I found!

Analuisa!! Ana has been back in Quito (after spending the school years from 3rd grade on with Aunt Abby and Uncle Tony) for about 7 years and we haven't seen her...until she met me at Super Maxi yesterday afternoon. I really appreciate all of the new hires, but seeing a familiar face was pretty awesome. And the fact that she knows her way around, has her own car, and can help me navigate various situations in Spanish: priceless. After driving me and all of my groceries, etc. back to my apartment, Ana helped me unpack my suitcases and showed me how to use tree tomato (a new vegetable) to make a juice. So glad that I brought along my Magic Bullet! (And missing my nice cookware that's packed away in storage.) After getting my place together a bit, Ana came back to the hotel with me and met the other teachers, and gave us some sound advice about using taxis. One important tip (especially for us Gringos): barter the price of the ride before you get into the taxi. If the taxi driver says it will be $5, say you'll pay $2.50. Negotiating has not historically been my forte, but I'm determined to hone some skills.

Today is the last afternoon at the hotel. It's been a bit like being on vacation up to this point. I'm looking forward to making my apartment feel like home, but also anticipating some loneliness, especially as I will not have internet right away. I'm so used to having Gus as my companion; living without my shadow will be a venture in true independence. I met up with my landlord, Bertha (Bertita) again yesterday afternoon. Wow, I struck gold with choosing this place because of her alone. She loves Americans, is a former teacher from Colegio Americano, bought me a book about Quito, and some fresh Ecuadorian fruits. She reminds me of Trini, my madre in Spain. I do have a knack for connecting with woman that become something of a mother/grandmother figure whether at home, in another U.S. state, or abroad. Bertita also lives just around the corner from me, and I am certain she will be very attentive. I think I might even have dinner plans tomorrow with her and a teacher from Colegio that lives in her building. I say I think because some parts of conversations are still lost in translation for me. I know she definitely said lunes (Monday), la cena (dinner), con Chris (with Chris, the other teacher). Seems like an invitation, but we'll see where I end up dining tomorrow evening.

I'm missing home, but I keep centered on the notion that each day has something really valuable to offer me, whether it is full of frustrations, or loneliness, or confusion about how to be in a new culture...or if it full of lovely walks around Parque Carolina, checking out a new yoga studio, and reading on my comfy new bed.

Speaking of that new yoga studio, I need to take a look at yogaenquito.com to check out the schedule.

Mucho amor a todos,

Jame

Three cheers for Skype...even if it makes me cry

Just got done Skyping with Linds...and now of course I have tears streaming down my face. At one point in our conversation she had to run upstairs to check on Natalie and Giatta, so she put down the computer in Natty's room and my sweet little sobrina picked up the book she had in bed with her (auntie's little reader) and showed me the pages. It was just so sweet...and of course pulled at my heartstrings. It's really amazing to get to feel so connected when I am so far from my people, just emotion inducing as well, as if I needed help persuading my feelings to surface.

Altogether, after three days, I must report that I feel that I am just where I am supposed to be. I LOVE that Spanish is spoken all around me, and I'm savoring that feeling, because at some point I anticipate I will abhor Spanish when I am struggling with learning the language as quickly as I hope to. I just feel like a sponge right now, soaking in every sight, sound, smell. I'm also appreciating that this move has not been nearly as traumatic as was moving to Spain a decade ago. I remember arriving in Barcelona, not having slept for 24 hours or more, and calling Dad bawling, asking him to fly me home.*(see footnote below) That experience being one of the most defining of my life has really prepared me for the big move to Quito. The good news here is that people can really evolve and grow.

Additional good news: I will not be homeless here as I have found a great place to live. The past two days have been packed with house hunting for the whole group. We all pile into three cars (driven by national teachers from the school--nicest people ever!) and take off around the city to cram ourselves into small elevators and rate each piece of rental real estate. This expedition has made me ever more thankful that I will not be driving in Quito. Apparently it's much better than China, but I am incredibly intimidated by how people drive, the small streets, and all of the crazy roundabouts.

So the housing search can get a little intense because whoever calls it first gets dibs on the place. It seems for the most part, though, people have been happy with the apartments they have found and no civil wars have broken out amongst the new hires. After looking at maybe 15 places or so, I have chosen the first apartment we saw yesterday. It's a brand new building (generally not my style, but I'm going to work to make it feel very Ecuadorian, whatever that means to me), has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a washer and dryer (bonus!), furnished with all new stuff, is one block from Parque Carolina, and about a block from a yoga studio. All of this for $550 a month! Teachers can live a little more upscale here. The one thing I did give up was an incredible vista that many of the other places had, but something had to give. Hopefully I'll get some invitations to dine on my new friends' beautiful terraces.

Bueno, after consuming an abundant amount of people calories, this HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) must retire for the night.

Nos hablamos pronto, familia y amigos.

Amor,

Jame

*Mom just messaged and said she remembers me calling her from Barcelona crying and she held it together enough to get me to calm down, then she called my dad at work and broke down talking with him. I won't argue with my mama; she's probably got the story right.

The First 20 Hours

Life is feeling pretty surreal right now. I, Jamie Nicole Bacigalupo, am now in Quito, Ecuador, starting a whole new life. I keep having to say this to myself. Months of planning, and then this day actually did come. If you would have asked me on the plane last night, the flight from Atlanta to Quito, I would have told you I wasn't sure I was going to make it. Mostly because I get ridiculously paranoid on planes and begin inventing far-fetched stories about other passengers' intentions. The man that sat across the aisle from me, who was probably just as nervous about flying as I was as he seemed quite jittery, suddenly became something much worse. I won't go on because I'm embarrassed and ashamed that I make such judgements of people. The fact is that I have arrived, in one piece, and I'm still content with my decision to flip my life for two years.

Quito has been somewhat different than I expected. The city itself is not pretty. There are some beautiful buildings, but it altogether looks under construction....pretty much everywhere. There isn't much greenery, which is the case with many other large cities, but I subconsciously took with me the image of the lush lakes area of Minneapolis. The pollution is also bothersome at this point. All of this I will get used to in time.

There are some things I am loving about the most populated capital in South America. The real, fresh fruit juice for one. I couldn't stop gushing about the strawberry juice at dinner tonight. I'm also a big fan of the food so far, which is HUGE for me as I am the girl who chose her college partly based on the fantastic cafeteria. The creamy carrot soup with cheese I had with lunch was amazing. While I get a fresh vibe in general on the food front, I was disappointed to see KFC (Grandpa, want to come visit?), McDonald's, Pizza Hut...C'mon, America, we gotta step up our game and share something more productive than the fast food industry with the world. I'm also grateful for the incredibly kind and welcoming people in Quito. I feel that the green new hires are in good hands. Speaking of, we, the 14 new hires, are a fun, eclectic group of people; everyone has some pretty interesting life stories to share.

Tomorrow we look for housing. Sooo looking forward to getting settled and making a place feel something like home. I'm running on fumes here, so I need to sign off. I'll leave you with my first blog picture from our tour of the city today. Buenas noches, familia y amigos.

I've got no juice left for a good title right now

Remember my man, JC? Juan Carlos at the Ecuadorian Consulate who I doubted? Juan Carlos who I called August 1st to make sure he remembered to begin processing my visa? Yes, that Juan Carlos came through for me. On Wednesday Peter and I rendezvoused at the consulate and happily left with visas in hand.

So I'm feeling a little sheepish right now because I questioned Juan Carlos' ability to do his job; turns out he's got his ducks in a row, but this gringita didn't this week. After picking up my visa, I drove back to A-town and was about to take Gus on a walk. Later in the day I was to meet up with our family friend to sell my car. Right as I was about to head out the door con mi perro, I thought I better just see that the title to my car is where I believe it is. I buzz into my bedroom, open up the manila envelope entitled, "Honda Civic '06," where I thought I responsibly kept all important docs regarding mi coche. Not so. The title to my car was MIA. Much to Gus's disappointment, the afternoon turned into hours of frantic calls to Dad, my old credit union in Aurora, Colorado, and the Colorado Department of Revenue. Now my lucky padres get to take care of the paperwork to get a duplicate license. Meltdown numero uno took place when I finally made it to the Jansen's to pass off the car. Oh, first world problems.

Now I've got less than 48 hours left before I take off for el mitad del mundo. Ocean of emotions rolling around up in here. I'm just trying not to think too much right now. Today included a packing party--after a morning walk with Mom, Linds and Gus, lunch at California Pizza Kitchen with all of the Baci ladies, and manis and pedis--where I mostly threw all of my stuff onto the living room floor and Linds and Cass calmly organized my suitcases, carefully rolling all of my clothes to pack as many pieces as possible into my luggage. We celebrate Ms. Natalie Isabella's 4th birthday tomorrow. It will be great to hang with the fam and hopefully get in a good game of Dominos.

Next blog coming from abroad...