Living Simple in South America!: September 2013

It's been awhile... but we are still here! Yes, we have begun our second year here in Ecuador. We did leave for part of the summer - traveled for about a month actually and it was nice to get away. However... our summer was a short one. We traveled home and spent time with family and friends, and then traveled to some beautiful places we have never been before... and then before we knew it we were on our last flight heading back to Guayaquil. Once we got back here we were going to go to the beach (Salinas) for our last couple weeks but we decided to stay put and relax a little here at our home so we could catch up on some sleep and prepare for school to re-start. It was a nice... but lazy two weeks. Although we do not consider Ecuador our "home", it is our temporary home, and it felt good to be back in the bed we were used to sleeping in... and back to our familiar routines. Before we knew it Dan and I were back to school greeting new teachers, and settling in to the new school year. We did have several teachers leave at the end of last year - about 6 or 7 actually. For most, it was the end of their contract and they decided to teach elsewhere - some in other countries... continuing along the International school circuit, while others returned to the U.S., and others... well, they had not decided their path yet. Regardless... they are missed. We hope to stay in contact with some of them via Facebook and other means. Although we only knew them one short year, we had a commonality... we were all far from home - far from our families, friends and loved ones... and we spent time together here getting together to eat, talk, drink, have a good time... and make friendships. It helps to spend time with the other teachers - and it does make the time go by quicker, and gives you someone to share your new experiences with as well. So, when we had new teachers start this year - all of a sudden we did not feel like the "new ones" anymore. That was a bit strange - but nice. We feel as though we have settled in now and have grown accustomed to life here - the good and the bad.

We are enjoying our school year so far! It is going by quickly it seems. We started the first week in August and here it is already 5 weeks into the school year. Before we know it it will be Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas! Something tells me it will be here in a blink of an eye. Excited about that actually! In our last year here we are hoping to do some more traveling before we leave for good. Maybe Manchu Picchu - maybe Panama - Cuenca again possibly - and some other areas that Dan has been eyeing. We will see what we can fit in during the short 9 months we have left. School and sports keep us very busy and occupy our weekends a lot - so we will see. If we go anywhere exciting... I will share it in a post. I have attached some pics below of various things here in Ecuador... take a look!

In the meantime... continue to live the life you love, and love the life you live!

¡hasta luego

~ Michelle

Typical storefront business in small towns. Most have bars like this one - which have an opening for exchange of goods and money.

This is a restaurant we passed by while on the bus going to Salinas (one of the beach towns). This is a typical restaurant look here. Concrete structures with openings and plastic tables and chairs. When they close - metal gates come down and close up the openings.

Misc picture of a neighborhood & cars.

This is a Chiva Bus. We were celebrating! It was a going away party. These buses are rented and there is a disco ball, DJ, and drinks. It is open air and it drives around town while you listen to music, dance and socialize.