Tomorrow evening I will arrive in Quito, Ecuador. At 9,350 feet above sea level, it's the world's highest capital city. And its population is just about two-and-a-half million people.
Now for the actual stuff of blogs that you don't find on Wikipedia:
Preparation for this "trip" has been interesting. What does one take for a year-long adventure? I'll be teaching English, walking around a city, being social in the city, heading to the coast, hiking about the Andes etc etc...as you can see, it's quite a varied array of weather. I've mostly just thrown my worldly belongings into a suitcase and zipped it shut. Hope it all works out.
I've received much advice for this trip. Among my favorite bits are: dying my hair brown, carrying a gun, carrying a knife, wearing a hat all day, every day ("like they do down there" apparently), carrying a can of pepper spray, wearing sunglasses and ugly clothing, being safe, safe, safe, and good.
And the winner is, the most reasonable: Oh, that sounds like a great trip. Have so much fun! Climb a mountain!
How refreshing to hear enthusiasm instead of worry! But I know, I know, it's worry borne of concern...or something. Be concerned about how much fun I'm going to have, people. (Mostly kidding.) But seriously, that part of the brain that calculates risk and such, which is supposed to develop around this point of my life, yeah, I think it's on its way. I'm feeling fairly confident in my ability to make prudent choices while living a rather enjoyable life.
Climb a mountain? Indeed, I plan to.
Dear friends, write to me often and pray for me oftener.
P.S. Random fact of the day: I leave for Ecuador exactly one year after my return from Spain. Unusual coincidence.
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