*people give me a kiss on the cheek when they greet me or say goodbye to me.
*when I am walking down the street, I often hear loud music coming from an assortment of stores.
*it is always an adventure when I go running. Sidewalks have obstacles such as:
metal posts, deep holes, rocks, mud, dog poop, and trash.
*Ecuadorians take such pride in their family relationships that they often live with their parents until they get married.
*I can eat foods like habas and choclo anytime I want.
*most days, I can see beautiful views of Chimborazo and other surrounding mountains.
*I teach English to students from 8 – 45 years old (in different classes, of course).
*I can wear a t-shirt and sandals in February.
*my students love to learn English – on most days.
*a taxi ride is still $1.00.
*sometimes people treat me like a celebrity because I look different (I have a love/hate relationship with this one).
*tea seems to solve all illnesses – or at least many people think so.
*my students have such pride in their country that when a student was taking her oral exam and said that there
were no disadvantages to living in Ecuador, the rest of the class applauded.
*there are parades about once a week and no one seems to clearly know the meaning behind any of them.
*I can walk everywhere.
*the trash truck plays the music we know as the ice cream truck music. This makes me laugh.
*it is not unusual for me to see horses, sheep, alpacas, pigs, dogs, and cows – in the same day.
*it is not uncommon to see people jump in church when they are singing.
*I can buy a bottle of Coke Zero for 64 cents.
*people strike up conversation with me often, just to be friendly.
*Ecuadorians love to eat ice cream – so it’s for sale everywhere.
*I can travel to the beach in about 4 hours.
*I have started to relax about being on time for things and am beginning to feel comfortable with
being 5 minutes late – even for class because my students aren’t there anyway!
*everyone comes home from work to eat lunch together – and then return to work in the afternoon.
So . . . what do you love about the city where you are living right now? 🙂
Post a comment and tell us two things you love about your city!
im 4 ecuador 
Hi Rachael,
Here are the two things I like about my city:
I love how St. Louis is a big city but yet small at the same time. Once you ask the famous question, “What high school did you go to?”, you almost always make some type of connection with that person. I love the die hard sports fans in St. Louis. It is always so exciting to go watch games and be apart of the best fans.
I like learning more about Riobamba. My favorite thing is that the trash truck plays music like the ice cream truck does here 🙂
Hello again my friend Nicci! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your favorite things about St. Louis. Believe it or not, someone who knows St. Louis (who is in Riobamba at the moment) just asked me about my high school the other day . . . funny how that still happens – even on another continent! I hope you’ve had a great Sunday evening . . . talk to you soon!
First let me say I agree with Nicci, I love that your trash trucks play the ice cream truck music. Two things I love about where I live…First, my family is here with me, including my son and his wife and they could go anywhere. The opportunities they have here many. Second, there are so many interesting places I can take pictures…from parks to museums to touristy spots.
I totally agree . . . I love St. Louis and miss it quite a bit these days. I have gained a new appreciation for Forest Park and think that is one of the things I miss most. Go figure! Have a great week Pam! Talk to you soon!
Hey Turken!
I love your posts. Thank you for sharing. We were thinking of you the other night watching House Hunters International. The couple were moving back to Quito, Ecuador.
I like being back in kewanee because my neighbors are my sister and her family and we are close to Randy’s work, so he comes home for lunch on most days. I also like that I’m only an hour away from Peoria or the quad cities, so if I need a bigger city I can get there fast.
Love,
Keno
Keno . . . thanks for your comments. I bet it is so nice to have your sister as your neighbor. How fun! And, how far are your parents from your houses? Thanks for thinking of me the other day when you saw Quito on TV. What did you think? It’s a BIG city, huh? I think it has around 12 millon people – more or less. Keep in touch, ok? I hope you have a wonderful week. Love Turken
I like that comments about the trash truck that plays ice-cream music and the parades that nobody seems to quite know what they are for – funny. I like St. Louis because we have all four seasons, because the Mississippi rivers (during the summer) is the best kept secret in all of St. Louis, because we have some great parks and trails, and because we have some really great churches that are actively pursuing God’s will and purpose for His Church.
Hello Rob! Thank you for your comment. 🙂 I was just telling someone about Forest Park today and how much I love it. I think my appreciation for the park has grown a lot since I’ve been gone and seen other parks that don’t measure up. Regardless, I agree that St. Louis is a pretty super town. I do miss it these days. I hope you are off to a great week. Talk to you soon, ok?
Hola ! Me gusta vivir en St. Louis porque me gusta ver las cuatro estaciónes. Los árboles en el ontono son hermosas con colores naranja, rojo y amarillo. En primavera, las flores se abren y el aire huele a dulce. Me encanta la nieve mucho. Yo vivo cerca de la mayoría de mi familia. Hay muchas cosas para ver. Hay teatros, parques, el arco y muchas tiendas cerca de mi casa. También puedo tomar clases de espanol en la colegio comunitario y conocer a mucha gente agradable! PS google translate helped me un poco!
Stay well and happy Kathy
Muy bien mi amiga! Yo entendi todo su mensaje. Perfecto! A mi, me gusta muchas cosas acerca nuestra ciudad tambian. Por ejemplo . . . las personas amables, los parques bonitos, las comidas ricas, y mas. Por favor, dices Ann hola di mi, si? Gracias mi amiga. Hasta pronto. (P.S. I did not get help from Google translate on this, but I guarantee there are grammar mistakes somewhere in there.)
Hey Rachael! 🙂
The trash truck sounds hilarious! 😀 I’m really glad you are enjoying your time in Riobamba!
As for me, 2 things I love about the town I live in is 1) the surroundings: the trees, open spaces, rivers lakes… the colors of the sky, the snow, sunsets and sunrises!
2) To be able to light a fire, either inside or outside the house and enjoy the warmth from it!
Gracias por compartir!
Yay! I love that you have a new city to write about these days. It is definitely an adventure, huh? I hope you continue to love your new country and continue to feel connected to Santa Ana as well. Talk to you soon!
Hi Rachael,
Doing some catch up on your blog 🙂 Isn’t it funny how popular and cheap Coke Zero is abroad? When I was pregnant in Spain, it was the only thing I could treat myself to since I was missing out on the amazing seafood cuisine (fear of mercury) and obviously, drinks are a no-no! Anywho, as for what I love about St. Louis – my new home away from home:
1. Forest Park – I love living close enough to walk on over as a family and enjoy everything from the zoo to the museum at any time. We used to push Hana in the stroller, though now that she just turned 3 she is pretty much over that. We have loved the live music in the summer/fall, to sledding in the winter. Can’t wait for the spring and some good running!
2. Being in a good sports town – though originally from Seattle, the teams have always been awful, so it’s been nice to enjoy being in Cardinal nation and even having an NHL team! So fancy!
Hope you’re doing great and keep on writing 🙂 You can see more about my class adventures on my blog too – though I need to update it asap! Take care!
Yay! I love those things about St. Louis too! Interestingly enough, my students just had their final exam tonight and guess what their reading was about? The St. Louis Cardinals! 🙂 And, for their midterm their reading was about Forest Park. I have to educate them about the good stuff in the U.S., right?
Hi Ms. Turken! It sounds like you are having a lot of fun in ecuador! But I have one question: Do you go to any of the parades that are once a week? Is there a theme for each of the parades? Oh, and one more thing! If you can walk everywhere, is Riobamba small?
Sounds like a fun place to live! 😀
Anna! I loved reading your comment on my blog. Thank you for writing to me. You asked if I attend the parades in Riobamba. I sometimes go to parades, but it is usually unexpected because I just happen to be walking down the street and a parade is going on. Isn’t that funny? You also asked about the size of Riobamba. I believe there are around 200,000 people who live here. However, the city is very walkable and that’s why it’s easy to walk everywhere. It takes me about 15 minutes to walk to the center of town from my house. Thanks again for reading Anna! Have a great week at Robinson!