Things are going alright. I´ve been running around the city trying to figure out this visa situation. It´s turning out to be more complicated and more costly than I originally had anticipated ( Read more... )

So things with this teaching job aren´t going so well. One of my students cancels at least 3 times a week, so that only leaves me with two hours a week ( Read more... )

The first week of classes are done, and I think they went pretty well considering I had little previous experience. Next week I only have classes one hour a day since my other student finished his certificate today. I hope I get more students, though. Teaching keeps me busy, and of course the money is pretty decent ( Read more... )

Today I had my first class---as the teacher this time. I´m tutoring a lawyer in English an hour a day for the next six months. It´s actually decent money, and I´m starting another class with beginnner level students at the end of the week. Now that should be interesting. However, I left a lot of my grammar books at home and I´m feeling a bit naked ( Read more... )

We finally moved into the apartment last night. Today´s mission is to find a place that sells telephones. It´s not like in the United States where you can just go to a Wal-Mart or some store like that where they sell everything in one place. There´s a separate store for everything here. Which is kind of refreshing, but at the same time inconvenient ( Read more... )

Well, I´m finally here. I´ve been with Christian´s family most of the day these past three days, moving into our new apartment. It´s right by the airport, so it´s a bit noisy, but I´m sure I´ll get used to it. Besides, it´s fun to watch them take off and land. Our apartment is close to everything: a Supermaxi (the local supermarket chain), an open ( Read more... )

My original departure date was supposed to be tomorrow, but a glitch with the airline tickets has pushed it back to June 7th. So I'm behind one day ( Read more... )

The visa came today, and besides figuring out what to pack, I am ready to go. Official departure date: June 6th.

Tommorrow finishes the preliminary paper-getting. I'm getting my birth certificate and the translation of it apostilled by the Secretary of the State of Pennsylvania tomorrow. Before leaving for Harrisburg, I'm getting the sign-off from the doctor that I'm not afflicted with any horrid communicable diseases, which will complete the paperwork for my ( Read more... )

I'm still here in the States, preparing all of the paperwork for getting my visa to legally and permenantly reside in Ecuador. I wanted to start this journal for my friends and family that I'll be leaving behind here in the United States, but also to those who are curious as to what it's like to embark on a new cultural experience with, like me, ( Read more... )