Family, friends and loved ones,
Today has been a day of craziness here in Quito. The military and policemen from around the country are rioting and protesting against President Correa. The president has made some cuts to the armed forces of Ecuador. They're losing benefits, potential bonuses and raises. It is in the constitution of Ecuador for the police never to have the ability to strike and protest. Their efforts have and are still being heard and we are now waiting to see what the response of the government will be. We ask for your prayers for Ecuador, for the people's businesses that are being looted, for the police who are no longer protecting the country, and the general population who no longer have that protection. We also ask for prayer that this doesn't last very long. These protests have gone on for weeks or just a few hours. As for now we will remain penned up in our apartment building, which is quite safe and out of the way for any protest scenes. We went shopping last weekend and have a large stock of groceries, good water and we are prepared to pray and enjoy each others company until this dispute is resolved. We love you all and will continue to keep you informed of the happenings here in Quito.
Here is a link to a news source providing mostly accurate information:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/09/30/ecuador.violence/index.html?iref=allsearch
All our love,
Michael and AnnMarie
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Randomness..
Haha I just wanted to share with you how random and silly our life is down here... Here I am sitting across the table from Michael. I just finished skyping with my love, Jess.. and I ask Michael, "What are you doing over there?" No response... So I ask him again, and again, and again.. Finally... "You'll hear soon enough!!"
and.... on comes Britney Spears from iTunes...
what????? hahahaha all I can do is laugh...
I never know what to expect from him.
and.... on comes Britney Spears from iTunes...
what????? hahahaha all I can do is laugh...
I never know what to expect from him.
Defining Moments
Greetings distant readers! I hope you're still finding this blog enjoyable and something to look forward to seeing every week. Let me say that it's a highlight of mine attempting to recap the memories that seem so distant. Given, there are only 7 days between each post. It blows me away to see all the things that God can fit into my 168 hours.
This week was pretty normal. Just in case you're still unfamiliar with what some 'normal' things are that take place in Quito, here are a few. Taking buses to and from the University like a lemming, squished into the mob of commuters over-occupying every bus. Doing my best to dodge three lanes of oncoming traffic to escape to the safe(r) sidewalks. Breathing the minimal amounts of oxygen available at 9,000 feet elevation - not to mention what you do breathe in is mostly car fumes. The bonus to all of these crazy daily occurrences is the remarkable view out every window to the heavenly mountains above.
AnnMarie and I joined the EFC choir this sunday! I'm not sure if I will be showcasing my talents so well. For the first time in my life I have been placed in the bass section. (There are only two basses and four guys total.) Thankfully the walk to church is mostly downhill, so we aren't out of breath when we get there. The walk back to the apartments, however, is constantly quieter the further up the hill we get. I don't think getting into shape and used to the altitude is in the near future for us Minnesotans.
Now for the exciting news from the weekend! AnnMarie and I traveled to Shell this weekend. We went with the Waskoskys, a family we connected with through our friends at FBC (Michael's home church) in Fergus Falls. The drive took us past the base of Cotopaxi, a monstrous volcano south of Quito (the one AnnMarie has a view of from her classroom). We also were able to see the highest peak in South America on our drive, Chimborazo. The rest of the drive was a bit darker, which turns out might have been a good thing since our road was on the edge of mountains. The night hid the drop offs that would've been terrifying if we had been aware of them on our voyage through the mountains. On our way back the views were much more appreciated due to the safety of daylight.
In Shell we were able to do some volunteering and touring of the children's home, Casa de Fe (House of Faith). The current building houses over 40 toddlers and elementary aged children. The 9 infants live with one of the workers in her home because there is no room at the building. The complex is much too small to properly accommodate all the children and volunteers. Soon, their new home will be completed. Once they move in they will also be able to accept more children to live at the Casa de Fe. As of now, they have to turn children away. It is located on the outskirts of Shell with plenty of room for playing and living more comfortably. The new house was amazing to see! It is a two story building with huge rooms for living, learning and playing. There are brand new beds, bathrooms and safety waiting for all the children when they arrive in the next few months. AnnMarie and I were able to help with some painting and other finishing touches on the first floor. All the volunteers and staff were wonderful and a pleasure to work with.
The experience has opened our eyes to the future and possibility of working outside of Quito. While working AnnMarie said to me, "So, why don't we just stay here?" I replied with, "I was thinking the same thing!" This just goes to show the hand that God is placing in our lives. Both of us feel that this weekend was the first of many trips that we will be making to Shell throughout the duration of our stay in Ecuador. Please join us in praying for the 54 children currently housed in Casa de Fe. Many of them come from very rough families or were simply left behind because their families were unable to take care of them. We were able to interact for a couple hours with these children and those hours tugged on our hearts.
We feel blessed to be in Ecuador experiencing the mighty power of our great God. This weekend was what Pastor Ned might call a "defining moment" in my life. I saw the beauty the Lord has created, the work that He is doing, and a call to be a part of the His future plans in Ecuador. Again, I can't say this with enough thanks, we are so thankful for your prayers and know things wouldn't be going this smoothly without all of them. You are all very precious to us.
With love,
your gringos locos,
AnnMarie and Michael
This week was pretty normal. Just in case you're still unfamiliar with what some 'normal' things are that take place in Quito, here are a few. Taking buses to and from the University like a lemming, squished into the mob of commuters over-occupying every bus. Doing my best to dodge three lanes of oncoming traffic to escape to the safe(r) sidewalks. Breathing the minimal amounts of oxygen available at 9,000 feet elevation - not to mention what you do breathe in is mostly car fumes. The bonus to all of these crazy daily occurrences is the remarkable view out every window to the heavenly mountains above.
AnnMarie and I joined the EFC choir this sunday! I'm not sure if I will be showcasing my talents so well. For the first time in my life I have been placed in the bass section. (There are only two basses and four guys total.) Thankfully the walk to church is mostly downhill, so we aren't out of breath when we get there. The walk back to the apartments, however, is constantly quieter the further up the hill we get. I don't think getting into shape and used to the altitude is in the near future for us Minnesotans.
Now for the exciting news from the weekend! AnnMarie and I traveled to Shell this weekend. We went with the Waskoskys, a family we connected with through our friends at FBC (Michael's home church) in Fergus Falls. The drive took us past the base of Cotopaxi, a monstrous volcano south of Quito (the one AnnMarie has a view of from her classroom). We also were able to see the highest peak in South America on our drive, Chimborazo. The rest of the drive was a bit darker, which turns out might have been a good thing since our road was on the edge of mountains. The night hid the drop offs that would've been terrifying if we had been aware of them on our voyage through the mountains. On our way back the views were much more appreciated due to the safety of daylight.
In Shell we were able to do some volunteering and touring of the children's home, Casa de Fe (House of Faith). The current building houses over 40 toddlers and elementary aged children. The 9 infants live with one of the workers in her home because there is no room at the building. The complex is much too small to properly accommodate all the children and volunteers. Soon, their new home will be completed. Once they move in they will also be able to accept more children to live at the Casa de Fe. As of now, they have to turn children away. It is located on the outskirts of Shell with plenty of room for playing and living more comfortably. The new house was amazing to see! It is a two story building with huge rooms for living, learning and playing. There are brand new beds, bathrooms and safety waiting for all the children when they arrive in the next few months. AnnMarie and I were able to help with some painting and other finishing touches on the first floor. All the volunteers and staff were wonderful and a pleasure to work with.
The experience has opened our eyes to the future and possibility of working outside of Quito. While working AnnMarie said to me, "So, why don't we just stay here?" I replied with, "I was thinking the same thing!" This just goes to show the hand that God is placing in our lives. Both of us feel that this weekend was the first of many trips that we will be making to Shell throughout the duration of our stay in Ecuador. Please join us in praying for the 54 children currently housed in Casa de Fe. Many of them come from very rough families or were simply left behind because their families were unable to take care of them. We were able to interact for a couple hours with these children and those hours tugged on our hearts.
We feel blessed to be in Ecuador experiencing the mighty power of our great God. This weekend was what Pastor Ned might call a "defining moment" in my life. I saw the beauty the Lord has created, the work that He is doing, and a call to be a part of the His future plans in Ecuador. Again, I can't say this with enough thanks, we are so thankful for your prayers and know things wouldn't be going this smoothly without all of them. You are all very precious to us.
With love,
your gringos locos,
AnnMarie and Michael
Sunday, September 12, 2010
First Week Adventures
Well, our first full week here has come and gone. It has been filled with a mix of emotions. Michael started his learning to teach English class and taught his first lesson ever. He was very nervous the night before but after his observer said he did very well! I taught my first full week of preschool which was exciting, a little nerve-racking and draining all at the same time. I started with five 3 1/2 year olds in my class but was informed on the very first day that I had eight instead. Thankfully, one of my students was just trying it out and ended up going to a preschool where a family member worked. So I ended the week with seven children - all of whom were with me all day by the last two days of the week. One of my students just cried and cried the first, second, and part of the third day. He got attached to the teacher in the group above me because she was able to comfort him better speaking Spanish. But as the week went on, he transitioned to my group and we are all now a very happy group of seven 3 1/2 year olds!
We've successfully moved into our new apartments which are sooooooooo conveniently located! It takes us about 12 minutes to walk to church and it's about a 20 minute walk to my work. I definitely get a work out on the way there, as it's one down hill road and the rest are very steep uphill. We had a very interesting week. We arrived on Tuesday night very late so that evening consisted of just moving stuff in and going to bed. Upon our second night we realized we had no matches to start a fire (or our stove), and no silverware. That really limits how much one can eat. So we scrounged around for something to hold us over for two nights. Friday night was our first hot meal (with plastic utensils) of fettucini with alfredo sauce.... We could not have been happier about it. We were so giddy, it would have been a very funny sight to see.
Our week was filled with a lot of grocery shopping and finding things we needed for our apartments. It's mostly fun shopping when we find things that are very cheap :) But there are a lot of things from the states that would be so cheap but here they are EXTREMELY expensive. For example, peanut butter - $8, mini can of pringles - over $1, very small box of cereal - $7, and notebooks - $6. On the other hand.. here is a picture of some things we bought that were wonderfully priced:
Flowers - $2.50
Vase - $17
2 Baskets - $11
Strawberries - $.80
One of Michael's favorite things we did last week was our walk to the CCI mall where the ice rink is located. It is approximately half the length and width of a regulation sized rink. Also, the Ecuadorians participating were about half the size of usual hockey players. Everyone looked fairly uncomfortable on the ice which was awfully entertaining to watch...
Our Saturday evening was a perfect night. We made empanadas de morrocho, pasteles de yuca and our very first fire in my fire place. We used some of the wood Michael commandeered from the pile of tree trimmings across the street. It was a little difficult to start, but my big, trusty, outdoorsy gringo pulled through for me. :) We had a wonderful evening sitting by the light and warmth of the fire, eating our second hot meal of the week, and relaxing.
Tomorrow we'll be going to the Liga vs. Catolica game at 7:30. Please pray for our safety as we're not usually out much later than that as it gets dark at 6:30. So we'll definitely be taking a taxi home!
We're looking forward to the start of our second week here in Quito and are adjusting with ease. Thank you for all your prayers and support. I'll hopefully be adding pictures tonight and can email those out tonight as well. If you're reading this and didn't get my last set of pictures but want them, comment on this post with your email address and I will add you to the list.
Miss you all!
AnnMarie and Michael
We've successfully moved into our new apartments which are sooooooooo conveniently located! It takes us about 12 minutes to walk to church and it's about a 20 minute walk to my work. I definitely get a work out on the way there, as it's one down hill road and the rest are very steep uphill. We had a very interesting week. We arrived on Tuesday night very late so that evening consisted of just moving stuff in and going to bed. Upon our second night we realized we had no matches to start a fire (or our stove), and no silverware. That really limits how much one can eat. So we scrounged around for something to hold us over for two nights. Friday night was our first hot meal (with plastic utensils) of fettucini with alfredo sauce.... We could not have been happier about it. We were so giddy, it would have been a very funny sight to see.
Our week was filled with a lot of grocery shopping and finding things we needed for our apartments. It's mostly fun shopping when we find things that are very cheap :) But there are a lot of things from the states that would be so cheap but here they are EXTREMELY expensive. For example, peanut butter - $8, mini can of pringles - over $1, very small box of cereal - $7, and notebooks - $6. On the other hand.. here is a picture of some things we bought that were wonderfully priced:
Flowers - $2.50
Vase - $17
2 Baskets - $11
Strawberries - $.80
One of Michael's favorite things we did last week was our walk to the CCI mall where the ice rink is located. It is approximately half the length and width of a regulation sized rink. Also, the Ecuadorians participating were about half the size of usual hockey players. Everyone looked fairly uncomfortable on the ice which was awfully entertaining to watch...
Our Saturday evening was a perfect night. We made empanadas de morrocho, pasteles de yuca and our very first fire in my fire place. We used some of the wood Michael commandeered from the pile of tree trimmings across the street. It was a little difficult to start, but my big, trusty, outdoorsy gringo pulled through for me. :) We had a wonderful evening sitting by the light and warmth of the fire, eating our second hot meal of the week, and relaxing.
Tomorrow we'll be going to the Liga vs. Catolica game at 7:30. Please pray for our safety as we're not usually out much later than that as it gets dark at 6:30. So we'll definitely be taking a taxi home!
We're looking forward to the start of our second week here in Quito and are adjusting with ease. Thank you for all your prayers and support. I'll hopefully be adding pictures tonight and can email those out tonight as well. If you're reading this and didn't get my last set of pictures but want them, comment on this post with your email address and I will add you to the list.
Miss you all!
AnnMarie and Michael
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Birthday Celebration & Wayward Fireworks
Greetings loved one(s) and other curious readers,
It has been a bit crazy this week, thus I haven't been near a computer long enough to send out an update. Today is the Lord's day, a day of rest, so I've managed to find some free time.
AnnMarie and I found apartments yesterday and we will move in on the 7th (Tuesday). They are located near Quito Tenis (pronounced 10 ees), a very safe area of Quito. AnnMarie will be able to walk to work and I will have a 15 to 20 minute commute to my school in La Mariscal. We both start school tomorrow, I as a student, her as a teacher. My teaching starts in October. I am nervous about teaching but hopefully my certification course will help me out a lot! :) We have managed to get the basic transportation of Quito down pretty well. My communication is okay enough now to take a taxi to certain common locations. My school will be very close to a very popular town square and Gringo hang out, Plaza Foch or "Gringo Landia".
For AnnMarie's birthday, yesterday, we went to Mitad del Mundo. (Middle of the World) We found out how to shrink heads and their meanings and importance. They're a symbol of victory or a way to attain knowledge from wise dead. Also, we were able to see water spin two different directions down a drain as well as straight down. AnnMarie had a video from her last visit if you'd like proof. AnnMarie was able to balance an egg on a nail, I failed. It was her second time there though, in my defense. I was called superman by our tour guide. I'm not sure if its because I am the only +6 foot person he's seen in ages or the fact that I closely resemble Clark Kent. We had a GREAT lunch, tacos with amazingly fresh toppings. In the evening we met our new landlady to establish our apartment's specifications.
We then met up with AnnMarie's friend Ivan and a couple of his friends at Plaza Foch. We went to a great Hindu (Indian) Restaurant and watched fútbol. Ecuador beat Mexico 2-1! Great game. The grand finale of our evening was the Fiestas de Guapalo. The festival wasn't actually in honor of AnnMarie's 22nd birthday, but it fit in perfectly. Guapalo is an area of Quito at the bottom of a cliff of steep winding roads full of houses that seem to be super glued to the ground. The 25 minute hike down from were we parked proved to be a test of our endurance and acclamation to the altitude on the way back up. The festival featured a variety of large vague structures filled with an assortment of small fireworks that I imagine were made to be set off on the ground, as opposed to being suspended on bamboo poles 20 feet in the air. The intent of the crowd was to form a doughnut around the flaming structures and dance around it in a circle. We managed to make about 5 trips around the circle before feeling a bit violated and claustrophobic. The stage housed a full band in blue traditional bright blue suede suits making an extraordinarily large amount of noise. To kick off the celebration, large 4th of July type fireworks were lit in the midst of the hoards of people. Most of the fireworks, from about 20 feet away, went off well and made it into the air. Unfortunately a few were not as well manufactured and caused some large flares into the onlookers. As far as I know, everyone was alright, but I hope I’ll never have to hear AnnMarie scream like that again.
Today was the first day we've had the chance to sleep in. We went to EFC (English Fellowship Church), which is a 5 minute walk from our new apartments that we will be moving into. It is the church that AnnMarie attended when she was in Ecuador last spring, the pastor is Canadian. We stood up during the "Hello / Goodbye" time at the end of the service and introduced ourselves and said why we were in Quito. After the service a couple people came to talk with us. Paul was kind enough to inform me, after I told him how fútbol would have to take the place of hockey for me while in Quito, that there is in fact... get this... a HOCKEY RINK IN QUITO!!! I am now joking about becoming a Zamboni driver and getting a job at the one and only rink in Quito. The second member that greeted us is from Barnsville, Minnesota!!! Only about 25 minutes from Fergus Falls. "It is SUCH a small world" -AnnMarie Celiberti.
School supplies, kitchen utensils and one more phone are the last thing on our list of things we need to start our lives in Quito. We are very excited to be here. Hopefully the surreal feeling of actually being here will wear off soon so I stop having my head on a swivel everywhere I go. Once again, your prayers and the amazing help from the Lord have been our strength and comfort in our first week in Quito.
All our love,
Your favorite 22 year olds,
Michael and AnnMarie
It has been a bit crazy this week, thus I haven't been near a computer long enough to send out an update. Today is the Lord's day, a day of rest, so I've managed to find some free time.
AnnMarie and I found apartments yesterday and we will move in on the 7th (Tuesday). They are located near Quito Tenis (pronounced 10 ees), a very safe area of Quito. AnnMarie will be able to walk to work and I will have a 15 to 20 minute commute to my school in La Mariscal. We both start school tomorrow, I as a student, her as a teacher. My teaching starts in October. I am nervous about teaching but hopefully my certification course will help me out a lot! :) We have managed to get the basic transportation of Quito down pretty well. My communication is okay enough now to take a taxi to certain common locations. My school will be very close to a very popular town square and Gringo hang out, Plaza Foch or "Gringo Landia".
For AnnMarie's birthday, yesterday, we went to Mitad del Mundo. (Middle of the World) We found out how to shrink heads and their meanings and importance. They're a symbol of victory or a way to attain knowledge from wise dead. Also, we were able to see water spin two different directions down a drain as well as straight down. AnnMarie had a video from her last visit if you'd like proof. AnnMarie was able to balance an egg on a nail, I failed. It was her second time there though, in my defense. I was called superman by our tour guide. I'm not sure if its because I am the only +6 foot person he's seen in ages or the fact that I closely resemble Clark Kent. We had a GREAT lunch, tacos with amazingly fresh toppings. In the evening we met our new landlady to establish our apartment's specifications.
We then met up with AnnMarie's friend Ivan and a couple of his friends at Plaza Foch. We went to a great Hindu (Indian) Restaurant and watched fútbol. Ecuador beat Mexico 2-1! Great game. The grand finale of our evening was the Fiestas de Guapalo. The festival wasn't actually in honor of AnnMarie's 22nd birthday, but it fit in perfectly. Guapalo is an area of Quito at the bottom of a cliff of steep winding roads full of houses that seem to be super glued to the ground. The 25 minute hike down from were we parked proved to be a test of our endurance and acclamation to the altitude on the way back up. The festival featured a variety of large vague structures filled with an assortment of small fireworks that I imagine were made to be set off on the ground, as opposed to being suspended on bamboo poles 20 feet in the air. The intent of the crowd was to form a doughnut around the flaming structures and dance around it in a circle. We managed to make about 5 trips around the circle before feeling a bit violated and claustrophobic. The stage housed a full band in blue traditional bright blue suede suits making an extraordinarily large amount of noise. To kick off the celebration, large 4th of July type fireworks were lit in the midst of the hoards of people. Most of the fireworks, from about 20 feet away, went off well and made it into the air. Unfortunately a few were not as well manufactured and caused some large flares into the onlookers. As far as I know, everyone was alright, but I hope I’ll never have to hear AnnMarie scream like that again.
Today was the first day we've had the chance to sleep in. We went to EFC (English Fellowship Church), which is a 5 minute walk from our new apartments that we will be moving into. It is the church that AnnMarie attended when she was in Ecuador last spring, the pastor is Canadian. We stood up during the "Hello / Goodbye" time at the end of the service and introduced ourselves and said why we were in Quito. After the service a couple people came to talk with us. Paul was kind enough to inform me, after I told him how fútbol would have to take the place of hockey for me while in Quito, that there is in fact... get this... a HOCKEY RINK IN QUITO!!! I am now joking about becoming a Zamboni driver and getting a job at the one and only rink in Quito. The second member that greeted us is from Barnsville, Minnesota!!! Only about 25 minutes from Fergus Falls. "It is SUCH a small world" -AnnMarie Celiberti.
School supplies, kitchen utensils and one more phone are the last thing on our list of things we need to start our lives in Quito. We are very excited to be here. Hopefully the surreal feeling of actually being here will wear off soon so I stop having my head on a swivel everywhere I go. Once again, your prayers and the amazing help from the Lord have been our strength and comfort in our first week in Quito.
All our love,
Your favorite 22 year olds,
Michael and AnnMarie
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Back in Quito!
Buenas tardes! Michael and I arrived in Quito at 11:30pm on Monday night. Tuesday was an uneventful day. We went into town and bought a cell phone but that was about it. Today I went in to school for some planning and organizing. The school is a house with small bedrooms used as classrooms. There are only 21 students enrolled and I will have between 5-7. It will be quite the adventure because they don't really have a curriculum set up. They basically just have a theme and you plan whatever you want around that theme. I think it'll be a lot of work at the beginning but will hopefully get easier as the year goes on. I'm excited to get started with planning and meeting my 3 1/2 year olds!
amc
Hola! This has been a jaw dropping first couple days. My adrenaline hasn't slowed down enough to type until now. The scenery around every corner and out of every window is spectacular. The mountains are green and disappear into the clouds. I'm sure there are words that now escape me that captivate the beauty better than I can. One thing I can describe, however, is the fresh, never frozen, picked yesterday and squeezed today juice! I think I've been having God's leftovers, that's how good it is! I've met my administrator and some other people whom I will be working with and I am very excited. I don't exactly blend in, but I'm doing my best not to look like a worried gringo everywhere I go. Today was my first solo taxi ride, also the most nervous 15 minutes of my life, but, it was cheap entertainment. I will no longer fear roller coasters and interstates after spending two days in the vehicles of Quito. Thankfully we've already had encounters with a few good Samaritans who have made our lives a little easier. Prayers for adaptation and God's hand in our journey are being answered. Thank you for all your thoughts and precious prayers, we wouldn't be here without them.
We love you all,
Michael
amc
Hola! This has been a jaw dropping first couple days. My adrenaline hasn't slowed down enough to type until now. The scenery around every corner and out of every window is spectacular. The mountains are green and disappear into the clouds. I'm sure there are words that now escape me that captivate the beauty better than I can. One thing I can describe, however, is the fresh, never frozen, picked yesterday and squeezed today juice! I think I've been having God's leftovers, that's how good it is! I've met my administrator and some other people whom I will be working with and I am very excited. I don't exactly blend in, but I'm doing my best not to look like a worried gringo everywhere I go. Today was my first solo taxi ride, also the most nervous 15 minutes of my life, but, it was cheap entertainment. I will no longer fear roller coasters and interstates after spending two days in the vehicles of Quito. Thankfully we've already had encounters with a few good Samaritans who have made our lives a little easier. Prayers for adaptation and God's hand in our journey are being answered. Thank you for all your thoughts and precious prayers, we wouldn't be here without them.
We love you all,
Michael
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