Hey, donkey. Off the road!
In Ecuador, you hit the animals with a stick to get them out of your way. When you are driving 45 mph down Orchard Lake Rd., you just hope there aren't any livestock in the way. I guess I could try the horn.
Friday, May 06, 2011
Behind the wheel
Hey, donkey. Off the road!
In Ecuador, you hit the animals with a stick to get them out of your way. When you are driving 45 mph down Orchard Lake Rd., you just hope there aren't any livestock in the way. I guess I could try the horn.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
You think that's bitter...
If you have only dealt with store-bought horseradish, you don't understand the bitterness of slavery.
My family has traditionally purchased jarred horseradish for our seder plate. This year, we decided to change it up a bit. We decided to grind the horseradish ourselves. (Actually, at one point we thought of using our own horseradish root, but the root disappeared in the garden over the winter.)
You might be familiar with the sinus-clearing sensation that fills your nasal passages upon consuming a Hillel sandwich. When you grind your own horseradish, the entire room smells of horseradish.
That is why ski or swim goggles are recommended, but the only ways to ensure full protection would be a Hazmat suit or purchasing a jar from the market.
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Se llame nieve
I arrived back in Michigan on April 15th — nearly a month after winter officially ended.
It snowed on April 17th.
I am about to throw this snowball at my younger brother.
Most people were unhappy about this late-season snow. I, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised with this turn of events. I hadn't seen snow since February 2009. (Although there are glacier-topped volcanoes in Ecuador, it does not really snow below the summit. So very few Ecuadorians have ever seen snow.)
It snowed on April 17th.
I am about to throw this snowball at my younger brother.
Most people were unhappy about this late-season snow. I, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised with this turn of events. I hadn't seen snow since February 2009. (Although there are glacier-topped volcanoes in Ecuador, it does not really snow below the summit. So very few Ecuadorians have ever seen snow.)
Monday, May 02, 2011
Guest blog: Mom's first dispatch
So they tell me the smile is very apparent, I didn’t have to go bring home the herd like Billy Crystal in “City Slickers.” All I had to do was have Ian return home for a visit after 27 months in Ecuador.
I am pretty happy to sit in the adjoining office (AKA the other sofa) and watch TV shows and movies with him. So far we have watched the first season of “Friday Night Lights.” Ian has caught up on “The Office,” “The Simpsons,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “South Park.” He has also been introduced to “Glee,” “Modern Family,” and “Breaking In.” Maybe he will blog about these new TV shows he has seen.
Since Ian has been home, I have able to treat him to fruit that is not readily or monetarily available to him in the Peace Corps. He has been happy replacing his beloved mango with raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and the occasional container of pomegranate seeds.
Another special time we are sharing is going to the grocery store and sometimes even to a Costco or Sam’s Club. These are a little overwhelming for him, both in price and selection. He purchased a set of measuring cups, a pizza cutter at the Salvation Army store in Ann Arbor for his new apartment.
I am looking forward to going to garden stores with Ian and also for Ian to get to work in my garden. This will involve getting out of the office. Stay tuned.
I am pretty happy to sit in the adjoining office (AKA the other sofa) and watch TV shows and movies with him. So far we have watched the first season of “Friday Night Lights.” Ian has caught up on “The Office,” “The Simpsons,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “South Park.” He has also been introduced to “Glee,” “Modern Family,” and “Breaking In.” Maybe he will blog about these new TV shows he has seen.
Since Ian has been home, I have able to treat him to fruit that is not readily or monetarily available to him in the Peace Corps. He has been happy replacing his beloved mango with raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and the occasional container of pomegranate seeds.
Another special time we are sharing is going to the grocery store and sometimes even to a Costco or Sam’s Club. These are a little overwhelming for him, both in price and selection. He purchased a set of measuring cups, a pizza cutter at the Salvation Army store in Ann Arbor for his new apartment.
I am looking forward to going to garden stores with Ian and also for Ian to get to work in my garden. This will involve getting out of the office. Stay tuned.
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Ya mismo is now
I am currently visiting the United States on home leave. I have been here for two weeks already and will be here for another month before heading back to Ecuador to complete the third year of my Peace Corps service.
As I have been sharing some of my experiences from South America on this blog, I figured that you, the loyal blog reader, might be interested in reading about how I have been adjusting to life in the States.
If you were looking for signs of how I have changed over my two years in the Peace Corps, pre-Peace Corps Ian probably wouldn't have delayed two weeks before uploading my first dispatch.
In Ecuador, there is a saying "ya mismo." I have been using it to explain when I will start blogging again.
The conversation would go something like this:
Blog reader: Ian, when are you going to blog again?
Ian: Ya mismo.
Blog reader: I don't speak Spanish. What does that mean?
There is no good translation directly to English. The best way to explain it would be to say that it will probably happen eventually, maybe. It might be in ten minutes. It might be ten days. It might be ten months. But at some point in the history of time, it should come to pass.
Well, for you, blog reader, ya mismo has arrived.
Much like how this blog has not covered everything I have done in Ecuador, the home-leave blog won't be exhaustive. What you will get out of these blogs are some highlights from my visit home and cultural differences that I encounter in my time back home.
In Ecuador, drinking tap water isn't recommended — unless, of course, you are willing to spend the next 24 hours on the toilet.
In the United States, you can drink the tap water. And not only that, but when you go to a restaurant, you can get as much iced tap water as you would like and not have to worry about potential digestive issues. (And it's free.)
My travels back to the United States included a five-hour layover at the Miami airport. What does someone do for five hours in the Miami airport?
Drink large quantities of tap water.
I kept refilling my plastic cup with ice and water from the drinking fountain until it was time for my flight.
Have you noticed that there aren't that many pay phones in the United States any more?
You probably wouldn't think about this because you probably have a phone in your pocket/purse.
I never really thought about this either, but when I arrived in the Miami airport and wanted to tell my parents that my first plane had arrived, I had no way of contacting them. With no pay phones, I had to find other solutions.
So I went up to some nice-looking people who were waiting at my gate and asked them if I could borrow their phone for a second. (A perfect no seas malita moment)
They were glad to help. And my mom really appreciated it.
I walked out of baggage claim at Detroit Metro airport, and my family was just pulling up. I didn't jump into the car like one jumps onto or off of a moving bus in Ecuador, mostly because everybody wanted to hug me.
We started driving home from the airport, and the first thing I noticed was how smooth the road was. People always joke about how bad the roads are in Michigan. But after spending more than two years in Ecuador, I couldn't help but notice how nice of a ride it was.
Something else that really caught my attention was how traffic flowed. Driving down Telegraph Rd. from the airport toward home, we barely stopped at any of the traffic lights. This is probably because Quito, where I have been living the last two months, has a reputation for horrible traffic. Also, we cruised at 47 MPH, which is the secret to smooth-sailing on Telegraph.
We are working on trying to get my mom to contribute some guest blogs about what it's like to have me home. If you know her e-mail address, tell her that you'd appreciate this.
As I have been sharing some of my experiences from South America on this blog, I figured that you, the loyal blog reader, might be interested in reading about how I have been adjusting to life in the States.
If you were looking for signs of how I have changed over my two years in the Peace Corps, pre-Peace Corps Ian probably wouldn't have delayed two weeks before uploading my first dispatch.
In Ecuador, there is a saying "ya mismo." I have been using it to explain when I will start blogging again.
The conversation would go something like this:
Ian: Ya mismo.
Blog reader: I don't speak Spanish. What does that mean?
There is no good translation directly to English. The best way to explain it would be to say that it will probably happen eventually, maybe. It might be in ten minutes. It might be ten days. It might be ten months. But at some point in the history of time, it should come to pass.
Well, for you, blog reader, ya mismo has arrived.
Much like how this blog has not covered everything I have done in Ecuador, the home-leave blog won't be exhaustive. What you will get out of these blogs are some highlights from my visit home and cultural differences that I encounter in my time back home.
In Ecuador, drinking tap water isn't recommended — unless, of course, you are willing to spend the next 24 hours on the toilet.
In the United States, you can drink the tap water. And not only that, but when you go to a restaurant, you can get as much iced tap water as you would like and not have to worry about potential digestive issues. (And it's free.)
My travels back to the United States included a five-hour layover at the Miami airport. What does someone do for five hours in the Miami airport?
Drink large quantities of tap water.
I kept refilling my plastic cup with ice and water from the drinking fountain until it was time for my flight.
Have you noticed that there aren't that many pay phones in the United States any more?
You probably wouldn't think about this because you probably have a phone in your pocket/purse.
I never really thought about this either, but when I arrived in the Miami airport and wanted to tell my parents that my first plane had arrived, I had no way of contacting them. With no pay phones, I had to find other solutions.
So I went up to some nice-looking people who were waiting at my gate and asked them if I could borrow their phone for a second. (A perfect no seas malita moment)
They were glad to help. And my mom really appreciated it.
I walked out of baggage claim at Detroit Metro airport, and my family was just pulling up. I didn't jump into the car like one jumps onto or off of a moving bus in Ecuador, mostly because everybody wanted to hug me.
We started driving home from the airport, and the first thing I noticed was how smooth the road was. People always joke about how bad the roads are in Michigan. But after spending more than two years in Ecuador, I couldn't help but notice how nice of a ride it was.
Something else that really caught my attention was how traffic flowed. Driving down Telegraph Rd. from the airport toward home, we barely stopped at any of the traffic lights. This is probably because Quito, where I have been living the last two months, has a reputation for horrible traffic. Also, we cruised at 47 MPH, which is the secret to smooth-sailing on Telegraph.
We are working on trying to get my mom to contribute some guest blogs about what it's like to have me home. If you know her e-mail address, tell her that you'd appreciate this.
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