January and the Little Things

In truth, January has been my toughest month in Ecuador so far.  (Are the bug bites all over me from fleas or bed bugs or some unknown and worse pest?  My lack of control over my unpredictable schedule is extremely tiresome.  Why do people toss buckets of dirty mop water out of second story windows without looking below?  Ok, this has only happened once but it was bad timing and bad aim.  And so on.)  To balance this out, I have been busy collecting documentation of the little things that add value to life here and make it all worthwhile!

1. Coffee.  A good cup of coffee makes everything better and there are two ways I fulfill this pleasure here: pintados and an electric kettle.  Pintados are like little lattes that I frequently savor in a small handful of cafes.  Mom brought me the electric kettle from Kentucky to help offset my inoperative stove.  Now I can consume freshly ground Ecuadorean coffee at home too.

2.  Nestle Galletas.  Also to counterbalance my lack of kitchen, these little cookies are kind of like graham crackers and they soothe any rumbling tummy.

3. A pocket full of Sacajaweas.  Sometimes breaking bills is beyond difficult.  Nothing is better than feeling a bulging pocket of dollar coins, knowing the ease they will provide for maneuvering through my day.  Furthermore, I can't mention the satisfaction of change without paying tribute to the central bank coin machine, which converts a $20 bill into handfuls of coins for free.

4.  The Mountains.  They're all around and their magnificence is still awesome.

5.  Skype.  Technology is truly amazing. Video chatting eliminates some of the distance and my Skype phone number makes it so I can easily chat on the phone with folks back home through my internet connection.

6.  The Market.  Staying away from the overwhelming meat section, I find the brilliant color of the produce energizing and the juices pretty outstanding.

7.  February.  It's right around the corner now and so is my vacation time.  I'm off work on the 3rd and I'm hitting the road!