New home, and much else

We spent last night in our new apartment, and it was quite nice, at least after I figured out how to light the pilot light on our hot water heater. Our bed is comfortable [very important] and the area is not too noisy, at least until about 6:00 a.m., when the traffic picks up.

As best we can guess from the newspapers that we found in the apartment, it has not been inhabited since about May, and although it looked clean when we walked through before renting, we have discovered that there is a fine layer of dust nearly everywhere. I swept all the floors today, and mopped under the kitchen table while we had it moved. Tomorrow we should get most of the rest mopped as well, just so we have a clean start. We have marble floors throughout, so sweeping and mopping goes very well, but it still takes work.

I also counted, and there are 60 steps from the front gate to our apartment. I climbed them at least 6 or 7 times today, as well as doing some bit of walking around, so I am certainly getting more exercise here. Combined with the great fruit and vegetables, I think I am doing quite well. And Susan appears to be doing likewise.

This afternoon we had our first guests. There is another American couple, Ken and Carol Ann Rand, from Atlanta, that we met at the Hostal Macondo, and they were very interested in our search for an apartment. So when we told them last night [when we went to pick up our laundry that had not come back when we checked out] that we found one and were moved in, they wanted to come see it. They came over this afternoon, and were suitably impressed.

Also this afternoon, Susan and I took a taxi out to Mall del Rio [except for Spanish language signs, indistinguishable from any new mall in the US] where I bought a wireless [cellular] modem for my laptop. The apartment did not come with internet, and internet cafes are a very poor substitute. With this modem I have high-speed internet anywhere in Ecuador that I have a cell-phone signal. Actually, the "anywhere in Ecuador" part shouldn't really matter, as I don't expect to be taking my laptop anywhere now, but if the need arises, it will be nice.

Samuel and Ben are on their way to Albuquerque as I write, and should be flying out tomorrow morning to join us down here for their winter break. I hope that the weather and roads do not cause them any problems, either with getting to the airport or flying out. I understand that the weather back in New Mexico has not been as pleasant as what we have down here.

And I got a real ego-boost today. When I showed up at the mall to buy my modem, I told the girl that I didn't speak Spanish very well, so she called over a man there to speak English to me. After a couple of moments of conversation, mostly in Spanish, he left, and when she called him back, he said that there was no point, as my Spanish was better than his English! I'm not sure that that was true, but I was/am certainly less inhibited about making mistakes as I attempt to communicate. And it is true that our Spanish is improving. There is just so MUCH improvement that we need to make.

I really wish that there was a way to record how well we are doing now, so that we could compare in a month or two and see clearly our progress. I know that we still won't be fluent, but often it is difficult to appreciate how much progress we are really making.

Tomorrow I'll try to include a few pictures in my posting, but tonight I am going to bed. I am worn out.