Visitors exploring Quito

So while Mom and Dad were here, I had to start teaching a new cycle. That meant that every afternoon, I sent them off into the great yonder to fend for themselves in Quito. I'm not gunna lie, I was a little worried they would get robbed or sick or something, especially the first day. Of course, when I told Becky that before they came she assured me that they had traveled before, they were resourceful, and they are very positive people so in the event that something did happen, they would be fine. Luckily, they were perfectly fine, as Becky had said they would be, and I was able to relax after their first successful solo outing. They will have to tell you everything they saw, but the highlights were a bus tour around old town, a trip to the Casa de La Cultura, and spending a lot of time at Parque La Carolina, more time than I had previously thought possible.

Another highlight was, of course, meeting Andres' family. Andres and I got some practice with our translation skills. Jeez, that is harder than it looks! Mom trotted out her Spanish and had conversations with Magdalena and Fransisco, and Dad was game as ever. Fransisco took us to the Panecillo, a giant hill in the middle of the city with a giant statue of the Virgin on top.

Cami is the best model

She's giant!

P.S. For those of your who are a little less computer-inclined, you can click on the photos to see a bigger version.

Living in the Andes

This morning is the clearest we've had in months. I woke up, opened the curtains, and was startled to find myself looking at Cayambe, Cotopaxi, and Antizana.

Antizana

Cotopaxi with the Basilica in front

Cayambe, the mountain near the town where Andres' parents grew up

They make em pretty tall around here. That's Cayambe 18,996; Cotopaxi 19,347; and Antizana 18,815

Mom and Dad came to visit! And we went to Mindo

So as many of you know, my parents came to visit me last week and stayed for 12 days (I think). We had a really wonderful time, including lots of bird watching in Mindo, site seeing in Quito, repeated trips to Parque La Carolina because even when they are in a giant city my parents must find all the nature, hiking (VERY slowly) up the side of Cotopaxi, and generally having a marvelous time.

While we were in Mindo we stayed at the beautiful Casa Divina. Mindo is a small town in the cloud forest that has oodles of endemic species of birds (and probably plants, though they haven't yet been documented properly--we all know what Dad is doing for his retirement!) and is rain forest-esque in it's overall feel. One of my favorite parts was when we went to the Mariposario and saw not only butterflies but also hummingbirds by the dozen!

So it turns out hummingbirds are really difficult to photograph, but we managed to get a few good ones

I forget what this little guy was called. You'll have to ask Dad.

But of course, the hummingbirds were not the only interesting creatures at the Mariposario...

I was surprisingly terrified by our delicate winged friends. I practically screamed every time one of them came near me... It was not my proudest moment

Mom, however, felt right at home

And Dad was so relaxed that they came to perch while he wasn't looking.

But that was not all of the delights that Mindo had to offer. We went on a bird tour at 6 am (I know, you can congratulate Dad when you see him) and we saw so many cool things! Right off the bat we saw a giant quetzal, and then proceeded to see parrots, various tanagers, a masked something, and at the very end of the tour, a toucan! And those are just a few of the things we saw; Dad has the master list.

That new iphone camera is really holding its own!

After Mindo we headed back to the city for me to start work and Mom and Dad to explore. But that will be my next post because now I have to get ready for work!

Reasons why my son is crying, tumblr sensation!

This is hilarious and I'm sure I would appreciate it/groan at it even more if I were a parent. Thanks for visiting me, Mom and Dad!

http://reasonsmysoniscrying.tumblr.com/

Issa Rae

Also, I just watched this cool mini-documentary on youtube about an up-and-coming young black woman named Issa Rae who made a youtube series and I think is now getting started on TV. Person to watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS34I0n1Roc&feature=player_embedded

Back to Quito!

I made it back to Quito, safe and sound. Stupid American Airlines made us sit on the tarmac for 2 hours before we left cause the water system was leaking or something. So that was frustrating, but it just made me extra relieved to finally get here. Mom took me to SFO at 4 in the morning which was very nice of her. Then I listened to my new David Sedaris audio book until we boarded. I managed to sleep some on the first flight which was nice and unexpected :). Then I hung out in Miami and got myself my last Starbucks coffee for a while and perused magazines without buying anything. Then I hung out on the plane for 2 hours before takeoff but I nearly finished the paperback I brought with me (Kitty Goes to Washington, a fun, supernatural mystery of sorts that takes place in Washington D.C.), and I was so happy I brought it! This flight did teach me that I have to brush up on my Sudoku skills though. I used to be able to solve any of them given a good amount of time but I nearly couldn't get through a medium level!

Now I'm hanging out at home and unpacking. I already put up one of my calendars :). I'm having a few issues with finding places for all my stuff! Opps. But I have a mountain of toiletries and a growing stack of books so I'm going to have to find some creative solutions.

Also I think I'm going to try to do some of my teaching prep so I can hang out with Andres when he gets back from work. He has to work tomorrow because it turns out vacation days aren't really vacation days at his job. Everyone got three days off over the holidays and now they have to go in 3 Saturdays to make up for them! Imagine. But his thesis is slowly making its way through the academic bureaucracy so hopefully he'll be able to defend it soon and perhaps get a job he enjoys a little more.

I will try to be better about posting on my blog these next months! I sort of fell off the posting wagon last time.

Love
Mona

Quick update with photos to come

I'm helping make ceviche and I had a lovely birthday!