Catch up

We have been having computer problems (internet). The internet seems to go down in the evening. We have the same problem with Charter, in Athens - it goes down around noon everyday. Our realtor is helping.  Our Spanish isn't good enough to deal with the vendor. I will have to do the blogs in the morning. I did one on Monday, towards the evening. It disappeared.  So this one may be a bit long to catch up.

Our Spanish is going well.  We seem to be making progress.  Our professor is a bit eccentric but she is very patient with us and is working us hard. We start our next two weeks with her on Monday.  We have been able to arrange a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday schedule.  Basically, 2:00pm - 6:00pm.  She usually keeps us until 6:15. We get home around 7:00pm.  Dinner at 8:00pm.  We are living a South American schedule. Unfortunately, we get up at the same time in the morning.  The serenade of auto buses, car horns/alarms, roosters, workers, school kids, dogs and whatever else, starts around 6:00am. Our exploring will have to be done on our off days.

We are enjoying the new foods. Ecuador is one of the largest fruit exporters in the world. There are many that we don't have in the states, such as tomato de arbor (for salsa), granadillas, guanabanas, pitallas and more.  Becky made Sancocho last night. We get great empanadas at school.

On Monday, I signed up to be the gringo guitarist for Cuenca.  I am going to take lessons with Ecu Stars Music. Guess they will make me a star. Thirty lessons for thirty dollars.  I start this Monday. I will go Monday through Friday for an hour a day starting at 9:00 am.  My professoras middle name is Pablo. I didn't ask about that. I am sure there is a good reason for it. I hope my guitar playing days come back to me.  I would like to learn some basic nuevo flamingo techniques. On Sunday, we are going to a town known for its guitar making artists.

The office person at Ecu Stars is Mayara.  I think she was shocked to see: (a) a gringo and (b) such a large, old gringo - that wanted lessons. She does not speak any English and was petrified at the prospect of trying to get this set up. My Spanish actually got us going pretty good. She then started to revert to her normal pace of speaking (light speed) and normal vernacular. After several starts and stops, she understood that she had to speak very slowly and simply. When we concluded the transaction (they have computers here - but a lot is still done on paper and in handwriting), she was ecstatic. It was like we just signed an Ecuador - US treaty. Maybe I signed up for 30 weeks and not 30 days?

Wednesday, we had a field trip for most of our Spanish lesson.  We went to the Iglesia Nueva on the main square (two blocks from school). It is incredibly huge and ornate. I will post some pictures.  We will go back for more at a better time. We , also, visited some markets and side streets.

Yesterday, we went into town to do some shopping for vegetables and herbs. We stumbled into a huge indoor market that had just about everything and tons of it. Pictures will be posted. Thursday and Sunday seem to be Market days in Cuenca. For as immense at the market is, it is very clean. There was a meat area, with all parts of meat on display and hanging in the open.  But it looked very clean and fresh.

There was, also, a fiesta for health on the main square yesterday. There were  tents and signs promoting things like smoking cessation. There was music and food.  The food appeared to be prepared by local students of a cooking school. We had humitas and a papas item.  We got a small chair for me to use to paint. I started yesterday afternoon.  Found tat the mineral spirits I got from the local Sherwin Williams shop (yes, Sherwin Williams - very small tienda/he poured some  mineral spirits into a Coke bottle for me) reaked something fierce. Need to go back to the art shop in town for some odorless stuff. We don't have a deck or porch, so I have to paint inside.  Do have a window that opens, so that helps.

Enogh for today.  Sunday, we go to three small towns for their markets.  Tomorrow, we may check to the huge Mercado de Pulgas, close to our apartment.

Fotos:  Iglesia Nueva (2),  Simon Bolivar Escuela de Español (lobby, last flight of stairs to our classroom, sitting area, break room, classrooms), daily market, indoor market (8 algunas con gringa), flower market (3 una con gringa), mime on ledge - heel on ledge, more iglesia (la primera con una fantasma, second is the main altar).