The Latest

THERE'S A HOLE IN THE STREET, DEAR QUITO, DEAR QUITO, A HOLE IN THE STREET, DEAR QUITO, A HOLE

Whereas in the good ole U.S. of A. we have four seasons, Quito only has two: really rainy and not really rainy. Right now I am slogging through the really rainy season. On Monday, all of the rain caused the most important local highway to develop a 40-meter wide hole at one of its most important junctions. Fortunately, no one died. Unfortunately, there are now copious amounts of traffic. This morning, I spent almost two hours taking a normally 25-minute bus ride to work. It was enough time to make friends with guy whose job it is to stand in the bus's doorway and scream out the intended route (do not worry if you have no idea what I am talking about; it is an Ecuadorian thing). He was nineteen, enjoyed volunteering for the Ronald McDonald Foundation, and had a penchant for tongue twisters. I hope that the Ecuadorians fill up the hole soon. This traffic is driving me nuts. Tomorrow it will only get worse. Students and teachers will be back on the busses, going to school after a 2-day, hole-induced break.


I WORK FOR THE UN!

I just became a United Nations Online Volunteer. The UN has a website where people from all over the world can sign up to do Internet-based projects for NGOs and UN bodies in every continent. Right now, I am updating a database (in Spanish) for a Brazilian NGO with an English name. Go figure... I really enjoy being a UN Online Volunteer because it means that I will be able to work in Spanish after I return to the States and network with nonprofits from all corners of the globe.


OTHER EXCITING NEWS

I just got an apartment. I have a bedroom (with faux hardwood floors), walk-in closet, and bathroom just off of a large, rooftop garden overlooking Quito (needless to say, if this apartment were in NYC, the rent would be ten to twenty times as expensive and I would not be able to afford it for a very long time). I share a sizable kitchen with several other tenants. The set-up is perfect because I have plenty of my own space. However, if I want to eat a meal with someone else, I do not have to worry about being lonely.

My university released its fall course catalog yesterday. I think that you can all guess what I did for two hours.