Friday, Dec 8, 2017
One I Hadn’t Noticed Before
Current Happenings
Another week in Ecuador. Easton and I have been going to Spanish class. Chase is studying for the GRE, and Heidi is diligently painting rocks for the Ric-Roc-Roe games she wants to give to the local kids at Christmas. In between these things we are enjoying our time together as a family walking on the beach, enjoying some local food and entertainment, and oh yeah…trying to watch our favorite Christmas movies.
She’s Back
The Motley Crew- Chase, Michelle, Easton
Our friend Michelle made it back to Ecuador this week. She and Chase served in the Peace Corps together. Michelle came to visit Chase, and by default us, last year when we lived in Cuenca. She is also the one who put Easton up in Alaska when he wasn’t out on the boat. Michelle lives in Alaska and decided to skip winter there, and come here to enjoy a hot summer on the ocean. For me, it seemed like the only reasonable decision to make. 🙂
Weather Report
The weather continues to get better. More blue skies with fewer days of heavy clouds in between is starting to lift my spirits. Maybe in another week this cloudy stuff will be completely done. I am willing to do one more round of winter here to see if the weather we experienced was typical or a fluke. I love Olon and the surrounding areas, but the winter gloom just about did me in. I would have never thought it lasted so long here on this part of the coast.
The temperature has been fantastic this week. Even when the sun is out full blast, I can feel a coolness in the breeze coming off the ocean. Heidi and I went for a walk on the beach during one of the recent sunny days and I was in 7th heaven. This is why I moved to Ecuador, surf and sun!
Ass Kickin’
I joined in the “family morning workout” today. I have not done this routine for almost 6 months. Needless to say it totally kicked my ass. Seriously, how does a person get out of shape so fast? I’m glad I did it today. My intention is to bring exercise back into my daily routine. With a sunny beach there is no excuse not to get out and start running again. Hopefully another week will make a big difference in how I am feeling about it.
Shake It
We had a tremor here this week that was the longest and strongest we have felt while living in Olon. The epicenter was basically Bahia de Caraquez, 6.5M. Our friends who live there say it felt very much like the 7.8M one last year. More damage occurred in Bahia. Honestly, that town needs a break!
It happened at 6:19 in the morning. I was already up at my desk, which just started moving underneath me with the roll of the floor. I don’t know exactly how long it lasted, maybe 10 or 15 seconds? However long it was, it was enough to trigger the experience in my body from Bahia last year. When these tremors last longer than “normal”, my body then expects all hell to break loose. Fortunately that was not the case here.
It was long enough to get Heidi and Easton out of their beds and out of the bedrooms. The three of us just looked at each other in the living room. Chase came out of his room when it was over. You can tell the “trauma” difference between those reactions. Heidi and Easton know you have to get clear because it can get ugly fast. Chase missed that experience so he doesn’t have quite the built-in urgency the rest of us do.
It Will Pass
I’m still in my “confronting deeper issues” phase of my move to Ecuador. I will be glad when I’ve got this worked out. I seem to view living here more like those heavy gray clouds I’ve had to put up with for months. The processes, routines, and work required to live here seem just as heavy and just as gray to me now.
However there is light on the horizon…
Horizon’s Light
Chau
About 1,000 full time residents live in near by Montanita. Why not more? It’s the weather. It sucks most of the time. The surf is to die for but unless you’re a surfer there’s no compelling reason to stay.
Lol, you may be right Bert. I love the beach here, some of the prettiest in Ecuador imo. Since I currently am not a surfer I am missing out on the wave factor that makes this place great. Thanks for reading! Todd
Well spoken Todd! WHY are we here in Ecuador? What is my purpose here? We have asked these questions for several years, and have answered them may times in many ways. We escape our winter, which is getting milder due to GLOBAL WARMING. The diversity of Ecuador is what keeps us here, along with the people. Not only the Ecuadorian people, but all the people drawn to Ecuador. People from all over the world are living here, and have such interesting stories to tell. Not a day goes by that we don’t have a new experience. It has been a learning experience for us, one of introspection, loving and living. I m so happy we hare here, doing something “out of the box” and exploring parts of the world people only dream about! HUGS and Love from John Zoey and me!
I totally agree with you Darlene on the “out of the box” experience. I am getting exactly what I wanted, my out of the box adventure, and sometimes the box is just cloudy and wet. Thanks for your comments! Hugs back, Todd
Sounds a bit like SAD. When I lived in Alaska I had full spectrum lights and that cleared up SAD for me in the winter. Don’t know if that is the same as in the coast of Ecuador. In any event we leave in 3 days to spend 3 months in Ecuador and I am looking forward to it. Todd your blog is wonderful – helped remove my rose colored glasses I always put on before visiting another country – so I can view it as it is. It will be interesting to see what decision you make in year 3. Thanks for being you!
Thanks for reading Catherine, and thanks for your support. I appreciate your comments. I expect you will love your 3 months here! Todd