This is just life now.

“I tramp a perpetual journey.”
― Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

Friends, family, and readers, hola de nuevo! Time has flown since our return from the U.S. in August, but in the good kind of way where a steady, fulfilling routine gives way to a stream of days and months. Though rains made Cuenca grey through most of September and October, a streak of sun has now found us, intense and beautiful at 8,000+ ft. to warm the days before the chilly nights. News abounds on the work front, adventure front, future front, and just the everyday life front. Yup, it’s just life now in Cuenca.

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Trabajo

Lynsey is happy to be wrapping up her career as an ESL teacher with CEDEI English in two weeks, which will bring her down to TWO jobs plus her freelance graphic design work. I maybe shouldn’t emphasize this so much as most friends of ours have two, sometimes three jobs to keep them afloat, well fed, and with enough pocket change to get out and see some of this spectacular little country. Still, though, the girl has been been working Chicagoesque hours, and she’s ready to reel it back in order to make time for the finer things in life. Above it all, though, she thrives in the hours because she’s pursuing her passion and career here in Cuenca, and that’s pretty damn cool. All the more reason to believe that a life abroad can be more than an “experience;” it can just be life.

As for me, I’m up before the sun and off to CEDEI School on my bike for a day full of ESL social studies and biology, grades 3-9 (yup, all of them). The challenge is real and completely different from the ones I faced in Chicago as an educator. These kids have me fully on my toes at all times, patience and creativity stretching and stretching, while I navigate major gaps in social studies knowledge (especially geography…) alongside big-time language disparities in the classroom. In the end though, I can’t deny that seeing these youngsters in the morning greeting me with a "Good morning, Tío Josh" and hugging my knee (for the little ones) or doing the Ecuadorian cheek kiss/handshake (for the big ones) has a special appeal to it that helps make the occasional chaos of the place more manageable. I’ll be putting out a blog entry soon called, “A Day Teaching ESL” to fill in the details on the experience.

My decimo (9th grade) students showing off their "edible cells"

In addition to school, I’ve started a new side project that has got a large chunk of my attention these days - The Free Air. For those of you who haven’t “Liked” my Facebook page or been to the actual site, the idea is to create an online network of outdoor-enthusiasts using and sharing DIY hiking descriptions from all over Ecuador. Still early in the game, all of the hiking descriptions are from my personal experiences, but I’ve got a couple of good friends who have written up descriptions soon to be added. Overall, I’m pretty excited about it, and hope that it in time it’ll be useful to hikers who, like me, simply want some solid information about how to get outside and see the country without having our hand held. The project ignites the old ranger in me, the explorer, and the creativity to create something - a need I think we all have. Again, I give a lot of credit to the flexibility that my mind and body enjoy here in Ecuador for not only this idea, but for putting aside all the reasons not to do it and just going for it.

Check it out Ecuador's outdoors at: www.thefreeair.com

I also need to give another shout out to my talented lady, Lynsey, for designing the original logo. Inspired by the condor, a symbol of Ecuador (though now endangered) and also the mascot of my old Curie High School in Chicago, she did a masterful job capturing the spirit of the endeavor. Here’s her handiwork:

Lynsey’s actually been getting a lot of incredible work in lately, and, for those of you with an eye for design, here’s a sampling of recent Cuenca projects:

More of Lynsey’s work can be seen on her recently redesigned website: www.lynseyschwab.com

Adventuras

Our own adventures outside have continued as well, of course! We recently finished a 3-day trek from the Andean city of Saraguro to an Amazonian town of Yacuámbi. As per usual, it turned out to be an adventure that none could have foreseen! Without great maps and/or a GPS (though one is on the way), the array of side trails that snake through the landscape often turn our senses upside down, and getting slightly lost (sometimes not so slightly) has become part of the experience. I’m actually thinking of changing the tagline of The Free Air to, “We get lost so you don’t have to.” Ok, maybe not really, but the sentiment remains. Thankfully I have a hardy lady by my side and friends who roll with the punches (props to John & Janet) to accompany me on such trips because getting turned around solo isn’t so great. In the end, as the pictures will back me up on, the hike (getting lost and all) was yet another stunning look at the country’s diverse and rugged landscape. 

If you want the full hike description, check out the link here:
Andes to Amazon: Saraguro to Yacuambi - http://www.thefreeair.com/andes-amazon-saraguro-yacuambi/

Adventure also looms large in high Andes of the equator in just a matter of weeks. About a month ago I made the decision to attempt the summit of the 19,347 foot active volcano Cotopaxi again. If you remember, Lynsey and I worked about ⅔ up the mountain last December, but in the end the cold, lack of training, and my gaseous digestive issues got the best of the climb. After nearly a year of reflection, the approach feels much different this time, and preparation has become paramount (duh, right?). At 32, I’ve realized two things about my body: One, I can’t just “do big stuff” anymore on the drop of a dime (like climb a mountain). Two, I am getting into what may arguably be the best shape of my life with some discipline and lifestyle changes that just weren’t there in my 20s. Anyone know what I’m talking about or experience anything similar to this?

Basically, I’m in full training mode for the mountain with a dedicated group of Cuencanos (through Club Sangay) who are equally pumped to be preparing for the peak. We train 4 nights a week and then get out once on the weekends, taking advantage of every topographic curve in Cuenca to push burning legs just a bit further. At times my ass is kicked, but thanks to the group mentality I’m right back there the next night. Not much more to say now, as what will happen remains to be seen and the variables on the mountain are many, but expect a full report upon my return.

Cotopaxi's crater from the northern summit (knock on wood that I may get a glimpse of it!)

El Futuro

Good things are happening in Cuenca, as you’ve probably picked up on, and the city seems to have her talons in us, and... we’ve officially decided to stay another (3rd) year! There are a number of reasons for our decision to stay, but one seems to stand above the others. Life seems to have slowed down some, and gladly stopped feeling like “whoa, a year abroad, wow, yeah, no, we’re living in another country, ahhh, yeah!” and now transitioned more to “this is our life, and it just so happens to be in Ecuador.” Despite pretty busy work schedules, a calmness and confidence seem to have found us personally. After a first year of “learning the ropes,” we now find ourselves comfortable in our home, friends, work, city, and passions. We miss our family and friends back in the US, and there’s no way around that, but we continue to thrive based on their support and understanding that some birds just weren’t meant for the nest. My mom made a great observation about coming to visit, and how her mentality has shifted. During her first visit (last April), the trip was a BIG vacation to Latin America to see Ecuador, but now, as she describes, the next trip will simply be “to come see her son, who lives in Ecuador.” The world’s not so huge, it seems, but ways of living are endless, and I’m grateful that my family is starting to understand that.

We’re also feeling lucky to have a triple wave of globe-hopping family and friends heading south this Oct/Nov/Dec. to come and hang out. Lynsey’s brother (Kyle), sister (Kelsey), and good friend (Toni) just wrapped up a week here, and for all of them the first time out of the country! We’re proud and glad that all of them stepped out of their comfort zone, if even for a week, and hope that the trip opened up the world a bit. Most of all, just having friends and family live alongside us for a week and know us here, who we are now, means a lot to us. We’re thankful to all who put the time, money, and effort to understand and see our life, and we hope that you all have a helluva time here while you’re at it!

So, such is life en este momento. More to come soon on teaching, more friends, an icy volcano, and the holiday season abroad. Much love from south to north - hasta luego.