EcuadorSabbatical

Baltimore is gorgeous in the spring, with trees blooming and and flowers everywhere. After 12 hours of sleep, I woke up refreshed. It feels as if so much has happened these past weeks, and finally today I feel less burdened and less frightened. It was time to look forward and plan for our return to Baltimore. I had much to accomplish, but did not have a car, so I took my time. I walked out of the house and paid attention to the sounds, the smells, the sights. I pay so much attention to my surroundings in Ecuador, it made sense to listen and look a little more here, and appreciate an entirely new environment. I realized that there were birds everywhere, singing incessantly, much as they do in Quito in the morning. I headed down Roland Avenue and noticed how wide the street was, how big the houses were, how spacious the lawns were, how entirely different the landscape was to that in Quito. Baltimore is flat, with no mountains nearby. There were few people on the streets, they were all in...

It felt a little odd to be traveling for a medical appointment, surrounded by enthusiastic tourists in the emptier than usual airport. I arrived far too early for the flight (we are told to be there three hours early) and had time to observe and listen to my fellow travelers sharing intimate details about their experiences in Ecuador and the home life they were returning to. We all commiserated about the excessively intrusive security checks, being patted between the legs and inside our belts, and all carryon luggage stripped open layer by layer. The flight was easy, except that I chose an emergency exit row expecting to be more comfortable with extra legroom, without realizing that the seatback did not recline and I sat bolt upright for the entire five hours plus, unable to drift off. I wonder who can sleep sitting up. Customs is always an issue for me, this time being informed that after a year away I would lose my residency, despite my exhortations that I had been gone only eight mo...

It was a challenging day. I am trying to pack as much as possible in two large duffel bags, so that I can leave most of the contents in Baltimore and have less to carry when we finally leave Quito. It forces me to acknowledge that our year in Ecuador is coming to an end, and I want to see so much more before we go. The week away interferes with that, and surgery if necessary will nix all my plans. I returned to the twentieth century today, taking care of business . I was back on the internet organizing my ticket (frequent flyer miles, Yeah!) and a rental car. I wonder if I know how to drive after a year of buses and long walks. I had to run over to the big shopping mall nearby (Quicentro) and look for some items for Maya. I have avoided the place as much as possible during our time here. I have had no money to spend so it made no sense to look at what I could not have. I have been very disciplined and have made it a point not to NEED anything and therefore not to even enter the buildin...

I have been waiting for the opening of the Alabado Museum of Precolumbian art for weeks now, and today was the day. I took the Trole for a change, which demands a walk across Carolina Park and up a hill to Diez de Agosto to catch it at 'Estadio' or 'Carolina' station. The Trole is just as efficient and comfortable as the Ecovia, but perhaps because I am unfamiliar with it, I feel less comfortable and less secure. It travels a route that looks a little more ragged than the Ecovia just a few streets away on Seis de Diciembre. I like that I can disembark at the Plaza del Teatro and climb up Guayaquil, which slopes up gently to the Plaza Grande, so I can avoid the steep climb up from La Marin, which is the Ecovia stop. Walking through the Centro Historico is always a workout, with lots of climbing up and down. I was excited to arrive at the Alabado, but as I approached it I found the doors closed again (this is my third visit), despite the banner announcing its opening to...

I was 'slow to warm up' today, but perhaps that was because I spent the morning with Eric and he moves at a more leisurely pace, although he has far more to accomplish than I do. The alarm wakes me up at 6, Maya is out of the door by 7:20 most days, and then the day is mine, until I pick her up at 3:30 for her flurry of evening activities. I have almost eight hours before I am back on 'duty', but it is easy to spend the morning on errands and emails and writing and reading and coffee and suddenly it is noon and I have three hours until I have to get Maya's paraphernalia organized and get a cab to meet her. Eric was off to Yanayacu again , but this time to pack up his equipment and bring Mel back to Quito. His colleague is leaving, but the experiment is not finished, so Maya and I have volunteered to be lab assistants and field assistants so he can collect more data and perform the physiology necessary to complete his paper. Maya is excited to be in the cloud forest ...