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