There were things I really liked about my first home in Cuenca. The lady who runs the house is great. I got along well with my fellow residents and the location could hardly have been more convenient. On the other hand, I didn't have much privacy and peace and quiet was in short supply. A younger person who loves to stay up late at night and party often would do much better than I did in the boarding house. Two nights before I returned to Minneapolis for my winter break the house hosted a party that lasted until dawn. Although I left the party to go to my room at around midnight, there is no protection from the music blasting away on the lower level. I can't blame the revelers, I was the one who wasn't fit for that house.
I'll miss the lady who ran the house. Sure, I have and will continue to stop by now and then but I won't be able to eat her wonderful Ecuadorian food at every meal and I won't have as many opportunities to sit and chat with her in the kitchen or venture out with her to the market to buy a week's worth of produce for a house of ten hungry residents.
I left Ecuador on a warm and sunny day. It was a Friday so I went to the pool, walked outside under the sun so high in the sky. I met with the knitters and enjoyed their company. I got on a plane that night and three flights later, arrived in Minneapolis the following morning. I exited the airport and the sky was bright blue and there were few clouds in the sky. The temperature was 13 degrees Fahrenheit, nearly sixty degrees difference from Cuenca. I noted how low the sun sat in the sky at noon! It seemed barely above the horizon. After that first day the sun hid behind clouds for practically the entire remainder of my trip.
Seeing family and friends was wonderful. The first couple of days was like a dream, perhaps because of my lack of sleep. Eating my dad and Julie's Christmas cookies at their dining room table was a surreal experience, less than 24 hours before that I'd been in Cuenca. I don't believe I had much time to experience what some people call reverse culture shock. I was thrown back into life in Minnesota. I lived in my dad's house for the first time in 17 years, I drove their SUV to Costco and to the mall. That was odd. I caught a terrible cold and was sick for most of my trip. I tried my best to not hold me back but I knew it would take the Ecuadorian sun (yes, the same sun as in Minnesota, but allow me this device) to bake the cold out of my system.
The first few days were a big rush of Christmas gatherings and celebrations. I saw dozens of family members and friends in just a few days. I shared little snippets of stories from Ecuador, I saw my cat. I shopped or scavenged for things I wanted to bring back to Ecuador and set aside the silly things I brought on my first packing that I would not need upon my return to Ecuador (Coach purse, makeup, flat iron, etc.).
A blizzard in Montreal kept me from seeing my boyfriend for two days. That left me with only 35 hours to be with him. We had a nice time together and were able to work out where we are and what we want. The important thing is that we both still have strong feelings for the other and we're going to remember that. We'll see each other again in six months and in the mean time we're remaining in touch through email and video chats.
In the end, my trip back home was extremely valuable. I was ready to return to the sun, tropical fruit and my adventures by January 5th.
Upon arrival in Cuenca I took a taxi to my new home in La Ciudadela Ingenieros Electricos at the corner of Telemaco and Ben-Hur. Every morning I eat oatmeal and drink coffee out on the patio. My bedroom is bright and filled with sunlight and I can smell the night-blooming jasmine growing in the garden. Right on the other side of the wall surrounding the house are pink hibiscus trees where giant hummingbirds fight for territory.
There is a zoo close by and it's a good hike from the house. By good I mean it makes you feel like you accomplished something after climbing the steep hill to the zoo. I went for the first time yesterday morning and a tiny monkey tried to bite a mole on my arm. I told Mom about it, she thinks it was grooming me. I think it was hungry.
The family that lives in the house is generous and friendly. I like living with them. We occupy our own spaces in the house but come together at meals and other times. I'm going to enjoy living here, despite the tarantulas. Yes, there are tarantulas outside in the garden. Sometimes the cat kills them and brings her prizes to the house but yesterday we saw a live one on the patio. I don't think the family has seen me move so fast as when I jumped out of that chair.
I go to Mexico tomorrow for a five-day Fulbright enrichment conference. I'll tell you how it goes!
