Siga Siga Siga
Quito Quito Quito
Siga Siga Siga
Otavalo Otavalo Otavalo
No esta listo
Mañana Mañana Mañana
Taxi, Cotacachi Parque Matriz, cinco dolares
Cotacachi a Quito en autobús, dos setenta.
How it’s spelled: Ministerio de Relaciones de Exteriores y Movilidad Humana
How it feels to attempt to say out loud: relacionarioititasnonesitos extaheara
Still getting my head wrapped around some of the subtleties.
So no less than 8 trips to Quito to put the finishing touches on the paperwork this past month and finally received that email we’ve been hoping for since February. Mañana. Breathe. That smashing sound you heard in Ontario was my head hitting a wall. In Quito.
At least I’ve been able to find the cat food the boys like. On one of these trips a stranger was kind enough to swap numbers with me, moving me ahead in line just a few spots which can amount to hours of waiting depending on what you’re there for. No idea who or why, he just smiled and I thanked him for his kindness.
VISA APROBADO
Yes. It’s happened. This phase of madness is nearly over for now, next is to get my cedula which is going to be a whole other pain but for now we’ll take our victories where we find them. So one (no, wait, three) more trip(s) for the imprint in my passport and I’m having an IPA or three. May have a flask in my pocket too if I can dig one out of storage.
It almost feels as though I live in the C5 bus in Quito and my life is on a little purple usb drive. The area around the Ministry feels almost as familiar as Cotacachi, and I’m a regular fixture now at the Digidoc copy centre nearby as well as a few other spots.
It’s gotten easier to cope as we’ve gone along with the process as I’ve learned a bit more Spanish and simply accepting the fate of the Ministerio experience (mañana), but none of this would have happened without Malena’s massive undaunted effort. Taking time off work to help her struggling monolingual gringo husband, and somehow staying calm through the circular logic, ridiculous requests, horrible explanations and even worse directions, more and more and more demands. We managed, we learned, we endured. It really does feel like an endurance test. Without Malena’s get it done attitude and patience, this would have driven me into the ground to do this alone.
Seeing the sunrise over the mountains here never gets old, and seeing it from the Quito-bound bus detracts little from the effect. Although it’s heralding long lines, exasperation, and papercuts. But! (pero) along with the glorious views of the mountains and valleys along the Pana shrouded in mists or bathed in the light of a rising sun letting the shadows play across your vision there is bus food. There’s almost always bus food. Either on the interprovincial or local Quito city bus, nibbles are had. And almost always delicious even if overly simplified versions of what you find in actual rooms with tables and chairs.
Because you know, paperwork is never ready when they tell you it’ll be ready. No esta listo. Mañana.
Fritada
Chocolate cake
Manicho wafer bars
Donuts
Cevichocho
Chifles (plantain chips)
Peanut brittle
Coconut water
Empanadas
Bizcochos (baked squares that go great with coffee)
Papas (more potato chips)
And some funky flat pressed reddish brown snacky thing I can’t remember the name of but it’s yummy.
Also have seen a yummy rice dish called chaulafan on the buses but that was Chocolate cake day and was so full had to pass on it. With much regret.
Bloody damn idiots (dogs will…. dog?)
Gandalf is fully fixed and healed now and between her and Tali both being back to 100% energy all day every day just about everything we own they can get their mouths around has been demolished as only two playful young dogs can do.
Even the sand pile, covered with heavy duty plastic and tarps to keep it from blowing away in the wind and refilling our house with dust…. has been soundly destroyed. They managed to kick over bricks, tear up the plastic, and dig massive holes into the mound kicking the sand pretty much everywhere I’d swept it from before.
New sheeting, hours of shovelling and sweeping later it’s covered again but laying out and bricking down 10m of plastic sheeting on a windy day is no one’s idea of a good time. Still picking out pebbles from my eyes.
Have to be angry at them when they destroy shit or they think it’s a game. But it’s hard when both are so damn cute, mopey, and getting double teamed by their puppy eyes is almost impossible to stay angry at. They puppyeyeattack from two fronts. Damn impossible to survive without armour with +10 magic defense minimum.
But I do have an easier time being angry at them even more when they come home after unfortunately killing a neighbours chicken. They’re both originally street dogs so should have guessed, used to wandering on heir own, so we let them free now and again without supervision (yah that’s over) and lots of families nearby knew Gandalf even before we adopted her, and know now where she lives.
They were so proud of themselves. Tali marched in with the bird in her mouth, Gandalf stinking of chicken coop, both of them literally swaggering. Both their tails wagging like they’ve never done better and feathers sticking out from their mouths. Twits. The neighbours kids brought them back. I’ve never said lo siento so much in my life.
Tali is hiding her head under her blanket. And I had to decide what to do with a dead chicken at my feet. Fun stuff.
Construction Status
Not much longer now! Hopefully the end of September!
Edit: Cocados!!! that’s what those yummy flat reddish brown things are called.
Edit Edit: I GOT MY CEDULA!!!!