1. I was on the always´pleasant´ 14 hour bus to Quito for the end of service conference, struggling to sleep with my legs jammed up against the chair in front of me and shivering with the freezing cold breeze coming in through the broken windows that don’t actually shut, when I felt something big and wet touch my flip flops. I thought hm someone must have thrown their food container on the floor or a bag of juice. No biggie. So I ignored it and did what all Ecuadorians would do kicked it back under the chair in front of me. A few hours later it made it back to my feet and now that it was a little lighter out I realized it was a dirty diaper. Now, two years ago I would have been appalled that a dirty diaper just touched my feet on the bus, but now my first thought was hm, that´s funny I didn’t even hear a baby screaming on this bus? And rekicked that diaper across the aisle so it wouldn’t come back again.
2. Lesley and I are walking in the mariscal, one of the really nice parts of Quito, on our way to treat ourselves to a really nice wine and tapas restaurant. Lesley tripped and her flipflop broke. We both hesitated for a minute thinking of what we had on us that could possibly put the strap back into the flipflop: No band aids, no duck tape, no gum, but I do have a hair tie! So you stick the hairtie through the hole on the flip flop double knot it and you now have a strap for your big toe and your sandal is as good as new (walking at a slow pace for a few hours at least!).
3. Word on the street is there is a Mister Bagel in Quito and they have REAL bagels. We set out on a mission to find this little shop. After three hours of walking aimlessly we were successful! Bagels galore, even had a variety of types! I bought a half dozen of bagels and ended up devouring two bagels right there in the restaurant out of excitement. The other four I put in a tied up bag to save until I got back to site. Next stop, splurge on some peanut butter at the store to complete my bagel eating experience.
Two hours later I´m in the bus station waiting for another fun 14 hour bus ride, and decide a bagel with pb is calling my name. This brought back a flashback to when my dad was visiting me and we were making pb sandwiches in a bus terminal, I didn’t have a knife and didn’t think twice about needing one. I just said ‘dad you want a sandwich’, took out the pb, and was about to use my finger as a knife when my dad freaked out and made me buy a plastic spoon for $0.30. This time I debated what I should do, and decided well if they have a plastic utensil I guess I´ll buy it and be proper. But to my despair the little store had nothing. What does a peace corps volunteer do? Look around at the crowded waiting room, take out the pb, rip open a bagel and use the very handy always available utensil of your fingers to make one great pb sandwich.
4. I get back to my site early in the morning after a long sleepless bus ride, put my bags on the counter and fall into my bed for two hours. When I wake up I right away think about having another bagel with pb and a banana, a classic breakfast sandwich! I look at my counter and see a line of ants leading up to my bag. Oh no!!!! Not the bagels!!!! Sure enough there were hundreds of ants on my bagels. Now, back in the states I probably would have thrown those away, but being I dreamed of those bagels and I won´t get them again for months I had to try to save them. I picked them up one by one and blew the ants off of them as fast as I could (meanwhile ants are now crawling on my arm), and then I throw the slightly still ant covered bagel into the oven, and I toast those pesky ants until they are dead and I can eat my bagel.
5. When I got back to my apartment I found one of my sports bras on the ground bitten in half thanks to my landlord´s annoying dogs. I pick it up and without even thinking twice about it put it into my rag pile for cleaning purposes. Any moldy shirt or ripped up clothing works great for dusting, cleaning, and as a potholder.
6. I also returned to a waterless apartment, always a joy in 90 degrees heat. But luckily I have quite the water system now, I fill up two liter bottles of water before the water goes out. Then I have an extra bottle top that has little holes poked into it. When I have to use water I just put on the top with the holes, and this allows drips of water to come out and conserves my two liter bottle of water for an entire day.
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