Transportation Time

[Note: This all was from June/July. But still the same ways we get around now.]

So a while ago, I believe we said we'd dedicate an entire post to transportation. Well, here it is...

First off, living in a place where you can't drive is a weird thing. I really do miss having the freedom of my car and just being able to grab the keys and go anywhere. For us, that's not an option. We can rely on public transportation, a taxi, or our own feet. Oh! There is another option! You must make friends with someone who has a car and use them for all they're worth. Just kidding! ;-)

I have never had to rely on a bus system so much. Who knew they actually followed a schedule?! I have learned that part especially when trying to get to service in the morning. I always groan when I see the bus I need pulling away. Punctuality is not a strength of mine!

It amazes me how many people they can pack on one bus! Near the end of the night, when the buses are fewer, people are hanging out the doors. Going back home for lunch is also always a crowded bus. It's a real skill to learn how to push your way through people when you need to get off, and also how to stand up without falling down when seats aren't available. Thankfully, even though I am a huge klutz, I haven't had any embarrassing falls on the bus.

Feet, Feet, and more feet!

It may not be the quickest, but the most reliable way to get somewhere is just by walking. I wish I could figure out how much we actually walk in one day...all I know is it is a lot!! I prefer walking to the buses, especially when the sun is out. I really wish we'd be able to walk places back home because it's definitely a great workout. Especially here in Cuenca, when you must travel the uneven pavement and multiple hills.

To get a taxi or bus to stop for you, you must flag them down. This is done by what Steph is demonstrating. It's funny though cause sometimes they just decide they don't want to stop for you. Especially the bus drivers if they're running behind. Oh well!

Taxis are quick to get around especially when you're late, but not always worth the cost. They love to give us the "gringa special." Thankfully Stephanie is very good at managing them, so they go back to the actual price. The best taxi ride was one where we got from el centro to our apartment in less than 3 minutes. I still don't know how he managed that, but it was amazing. Kaitlyn couldn't contain her excitement that we went so fast.  I wish I had a picture!

Some bus pictures




So that about sums up the ways we get around town. There are of course buses that we take to other cities that are quite different, but that's not a part of our daily life. Gettting around is easy, but still I would give anything to be behind the wheel of my car!

Estoy en el Ecuador! :-)

Hey everyone! After what felt like forever, but in reality was only 5 months, I am once again in Ecuador! It's a shorter trip this time, but I'm happy enough to be back.

This time around, my friend Sarah, also joined me. It's her first time in Ecuador, and even though the trip(first flight) started out rough, she's enjoying it now! :-)

We arrived in Ecuador this past Saturday night. Our lovely friends Johnny y Gaby picked us up from the airport along with some other local friends. It was a great welcome and it was so sweet of everyone.

Sarah and I stayed the night with Jonathan and Estefani(the couple I also stayed with my first time in Guayaquil). Although my Spanish is still muy terrible, I did feel accomplished that Estefani and I were able to carry on conversations. Especially considering that last time, I didn't even understand when she asked me what I would like for breakfast. Progress feels good!

We arrived in Cuenca on Sunday. We took it pretty easy for our first day, but Monday morning we were up and ready for service. We also went to my favorite market to get a few things for the house. Tuesday was about the same.

Today, Sarah and I came to Canar, a city about 1-2 hours north of Cuenca, to visit her friends Micah and Ashley. Hopefully there will be a blog post with pictures soon about our trip here. ;-) Also, Steph and I have been working on a few posts that we never finished last time, that we can hopefully put up. Yes, we know we're slackers. We are trying to change. Ha.

Hasta luego!

Chinese Assembly and Spanish & English Conventions

Hello again! Sorry it has been so long...I will be publishing a series of posts to catch you up with what has been going on (It's much harder when I'm the only one left!!)

In July and August we went to a series of assemblies and district conventions. First in July we had to travel to Santo Domingo (10 hours away from Cuenca) to attend the Sunday of the Circuit Assembly that was going to be translated into Chinese. (Our trip was actually a bit longer since Ariel, Amanda and I were coming from Peru). Santo Domingo is a jungle city so the weather was pretty hot and humid. 

This was the end of Kha-Mei's trip with us, but she got a nice treat. The Saturday before the assembly, most of the Cuenca Chinese group, and some brothers from Quito, Guayaquil and all the way from Columbia got permission to preach in a Chinese hydro-electric work camp. Since they could only preach at night when the workers were on break, they were preaching by flashlight/phone.  

Luis (Quito), Kha-Mei (NV) & Chinese brothers from Guayaquil and Austrailia

 

We arrived late that night...ready for my first ever Chinese assembly!!! It was a pretty interesting setup. Since there is only 1 Chinese congregation and a couple groups there weren't enought speakers to do all the talks. What the brothers and sisters (!!!) did was translate the Spanish talks into Chinese. We were all in the elder's room behind the stage with a big screen tv (but no Spanish sound). We didn't all fit in the room. Poor brothers outside got burnt :(

The assembly hall is a really nice open space. Lots of flowers everywhere and places to sit. There was a whole van full of brothers and sisters from Columbia that came down 20 hours in a bus to support this assembly. They were all really sweet!

 





We all had lunch at the cars. We made friends with the little kids giving them Amor cookies...I think the littlest girl took the most...smartie!!

 

a sister visting from Columbia

painted by the one and only Randy Fiske!!

At the end of July we went down to Guayaquil for the English District Convention. It's so nice for so many reasons!! It is an opportunity to see friends from all over the country and catch up. Also, it's nice to have 3 days of English and get all the new releases. :)

The following week was our Spanish District convention. Last year we had over 1200 on Sunday, so this year they split us into 3 instead of 2 weekends. The attendance was a lot less, but we were the last assembly and unfortunately there were not enough brothers to do the talks. They had to import many of our speakers either from Quito or Guayaquil. 

I was really excited because my Bible student Evelyn came Saturday and Sunday. She is 15 and all of her family comes to the meetings. They have been studying for a year and a half, but the brother that was studying with them wanted the kids to have their own studies, so he asked me to study with her. She's really sweet and she was able to get the new brochure to learn about the organization. 

I love convention season so much! All the info is so timely and shows how well Jehovah knows both us and exactly what we need! :D

 
 

5 Things to Watch Out For

 

My first couple weeks here in Cuenca I realized there were things that everyone should watch out for. Things that you don’t want to encounter and some things that can be dangerous. So I figured I would write a blog about all of them, well the most important ones. 

1. DOG POOP- Because dogs run around unattended to there is dog poop everywhere. All you have to do is ask Stephanie because one day in service she became a statistic of how many people step in poop while in Ecuador. 

 

2. CREEPY MEN!- They are everywhere!! Creeping from windows on the third floor of building, inside their businesses as you pass by, in cars driving by, in cabs you ride in, on buses. So literally everywhere you go there are creepy men. And they cat call by whistling, psst psst thing, or just saying weird things as they pass by. Advice just ignore even though it’s really hard. 

 

3. UNEVEN PAVEMENT- Watch your every move you make. Don’t know how the ground gets this way but there are random areas of broken up concrete everywhere. If you don’t watch it you WILL trip at least a few times a day. Cuidado!

4. POLES AND RANDOM WIRES- We have these poles that use to be regular sized poles I’m sure at one time or another but have been chopped down and someone decided “let’s just leave a mini pole, so people can trip over them.” And today in service I did just that expect I ran my foot into it very hard. I think I saw spot for a moment or two. And what did I do I laughed at the same time as saying what pain I was in. I love Ecuador sidewalks! We also have random wires that connect from the ground to the electric poles. So if you are watching the ground you may miss this until your head is already going into the wire, since it’s going diagonal towards the ground.

 

 

 

5. GARBAGE RACKS- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are trash days, these are the most important days to watch out what’s coming toward you at eye level if your my height that is. So it’s a rack that comes down in order to put your trash down. I’m pretty sure someone with no brain invented this. Ariel has a problem on trash day with not keeping her eyes open. She has run into them multiple times on this trip…and learns nothing! Hahaha sorry Ariel.

So here are my top five things to watch out for if you ever decide to visit. Just keep them in mind or write them down so you can always remember them  :)

~Kaitlyn