Outdoor adventures in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, with some occasional reflective storytelling.
In under two months, my closest friends and family members will be visiting Ecuador for my church wedding and reception. For you all, and for any future visitors to my adopted country, I offer the following advice in order to help you blend in here in Ecuador: Don’t Wear Athleisure Any and Everywhere While socially…
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(*Scroll to bottom to just see the video*) It happened: my parents boarded a plane on Christmas morning and flew to Quito, Ecuador. For my dad, this was his first trip abroad. For my mom, her first to South America. I’d been waiting for this day for oh, 2+ years. When I first moved abroad…
Read MoreHaving co-facilitated an orientation for a group of volunteers arriving in country exactly two years after I arrived as a volunteer was a surreal experience. At this point, I like to think of myself as a Veteran Expat. Not much surprises me anymore about living in Quito after having spent almost two entire years of…
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Have you ever gotten sick abroad? If you have, you might be aware that ideas about sickness are different from place to place. Read on for an Ecudaorian approach to enfermedades. Prevention is key! Ways to prevent sickness include keeping your windows shut against the cold air, not being a vegetarian and consuming plenty of…
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On the morning of Wednesday, November 16, I did something I never thought I’d do. I told Peace Corps staff to send me home. In Peace Corps lingo, I “early terminated”. Within just three hours, I was packed up and in a Peace Corps car on my way from our training town to the capital…
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Home. What is home? Living in Quito has made me question the definition of home, reworking it to encompass my experiences abroad. I have often wondered how long it must one be in a place to be able to say one lived there. For it to feel like home. Is three months enough? Is 10.5?…
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Having been teaching since October, it dawned on me yesterday that somehow, I still haven’t written about what it’s like to be an ESL teacher here. For a blog about my experiences living and teaching abroad, this seems like quite the oversight. I suppose I’ve been focusing a lot more on my personal experiences and…
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When I first got here, I was curious to see what Ecuadorian food would taste like. I knew from my sister’s experiences that it would involve a whole lot of carbs and not a whole lot of spiciness. I anticipated lots of potatoes and rice. To be perfectly honest, during my first couple months here…
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My parents worried that if I moved away from California, I might never come back. In hindsight, their fear seems comical. Living away from home has given me a deeper appreciation for the people and places there than I ever could have imagined. It has also made me identify as patriotic–something I never would have…
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In light of the barrage of recent somewhat depressing or downright depressing blog posts, I wanted to bring some humor to the blog again. Back in December, I authored my first “Things Ecuadorians Like” post, and I figured since it’s been over a month, it’s high time for part 2 in the series. Enjoy! Being…
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Elizabeth Seeks 