Pink Zhumir Ice Cream

After two weeks of my no carb diet and ten pounds lighter, I decided to celebrate with some Pink Zhumir ice cream at Mixx Gourmet Ice Cream. To tell you the truth, I don't even like Pink Zhumir, but in the form of "gelato" it's absolutely delicious!

I think I ate my way through grief while Dad Pombo was in the hospital and then going to the States, I realized that everyone tries to feed you before, during and after a funeral. When people don't know what to say or do, they offer food as an alternative. And then there was that box of See's Candy that just happened to disappear over the course of ten days. When I arrived back in Cuenca (a little heavier), I vowed to get back on track. My first stop was to buy a bathroom scale at Sukasa ($17). When I stepped on it for the first time, I almost took it back to get a refund, but then I realized there was nothing wrong with it. It was only doing its job!

After weighing in, my plan was simple: stay away from "pan" (bread), no sugar, and only eat fresh fruits and vegetables (and lean protein). I'm not sure why I didn't think of that before! The next "few" pounds should shed more easily now that I've found out what works. Oh, and lots and lots of water with fresh lemon and ginger in it. I don't even miss coffee anymore.

Most expats lose at least 20-30 pounds during their first few months in Ecuador, but unfortunately I ate my way through Cuenca and fell in love with bread. I'm an unusual case and almost everyone I know has stayed on the lean side (just don't forget to pack your bathroom scale!).

Combined with my new "diet," I've incorporated some water aerobics and at least two hours of walking every  day (not leisurely walking, but at a fast clip with weights). Non-food rewards work for me as well, like a manicure or pedicure which was absolutely delightful this week. I was at Monte Sinai getting "stuck" by the dermatologist and rewarded myself afterwards with a manicure at Studio Morena which is on the first floor of the Consultorios Monte Sinai (Torre 2).

The pleasant staff placed a warming pack around my shoulders while they worked on my "uñas"--making them bright and cheerful (total cost: $5.00). At the Hotel Hershey in Pennsylvania where I used to go for some pampering, I walked out with a bill about ten times that amount.

Pink Zhumir ice cream is my new favorite, but will be reserved for special occasions (like today!).

Until next time...hasta luego!

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Pay Day and Paying Bills

Mark usually takes care of the financial stuff, but I thought I'd tag along for the ride this time to see how I could get it all done in one day. No easy task to be sure. Now that we're both working, it's a little more complicated and indeed it does take almost an entire day.

For those of you who are thinking of "Living and Working in Ecuador," you might be interested in the process.  Since paying bills is pretty boring stuff, I thought you might enjoy some of the flowers in the courtyard of the school where we teach.

Here's what we did between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (all in a day's work!):

1. Withdrew money from Banco del Pacifico (they're one of the few banks that allow you to withdraw larger sums of money than most banks).
2. Paid our alíquota (security guard fees and water) at Hotel Oro Verde.
3. Picked up our paychecks for teaching. Not so simple. I get paid at CEDEI (El Centro) and Mark has to pick up his check at the administration building (around the corner) because he's on a different system than I am.
4. Trotted off to Banco Pichincha to cash our checks. Make sure to take off your sunglasses, don't wear a hat, carry firearms or keep your cell phone on! The guard always checks our backpack before we enter the bank and again when we leave. Try to avoid banks around 12:30 p.m. (or during the two-hour lunch "hour"). If you're cashing a check you will need your original cedula. We never carry our originals, so a copy of your cedula will suffice.
5. Took a "little" walk to Banco Bolivariano because that's where we have our checking account and where our medical insurance is withdrawn. You can also pay your electric, telephone and water bill there, but we forgot to do it this time!
6. Next stop: Centro Pago where we paid our electric and telephone bill. Electric was $27 and our telephone bill was $4.00 (we used our land line a lot more last month).
7. Then off to pay our rent at Motricentro where our landlord has his business.
8. I forgot to pick up a new phone book (available at ETAPA on the corner of Gran Colombia and Tarqui), so we caught the #7 bus back into town. When we arrived at ETAPA the receptionist told us they would be getting a new shipment in next week (hmm...that's what they told us the week before!).
9. While we were back in town, we had a snack at Coffee Tree and discussed our shopping list for Supermaxi.
10. Final stop:  Supermaxi to do our once-a-month shopping for things we can't get at Coopera or the open market.

We arrived back home around 4:30 p.m., just in time to take Mocha for his afternoon walk and pick up some whole wheat bread at our local bakery. Believe it or not, I actually enjoy paying bills! It's not as easy as in the States where you can pay everything online in about 15 minutes, but the trade-off is we don't have to spend half our income at the gas pumps. I always go through sticker shock when we go back to the States. How do folks manage to keep their tanks full at $4.30 a gallon?

Payday and paying bills in Cuenca is a lot more rewarding than in the States: money goes further, the bills are smaller, and the pay isn't bad either!

Until next time...hasta luego!

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Leap Year and Hail!

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Today was the perfect "four seasons in one day" in Cuenca, complete with bean-sized hail. After two days of rain, the warm sunshine, blue skies and white fluffy clouds were a welcome relief. We had brunch with friends at the Coffee Tree and then did some shopping before Mark had to teach his afternoon English class.

As we walked to Supermaxi in the Vergel Shopping Center, I watched as the ominous dark clouds started to form. When the weather heats up quickly in the early afternoon and the clouds form into a dark blue mass on the horizon, you know there's going to be some "fireworks."

We finished up our shopping--waiting for the chocolate croissants to get out of the bakery oven--and caught a taxi back home. As I stepped inside our apartment, the sky let loose. I made a mad dash for the balcony to retrieve Mocha just as the hail started to pelt the windows. The combination of lightening, thunder and hail made Mocha run for cover under the bed while I tried to sweep the hail out the door.

I have to say this is the largest size hail I've seen in Cuenca. I even saved a few chunks in the freezer to serve  as a reminder of just how quickly the weather can change in "paradise." Unfortunately, when we have a whopper of a storm like we had today, there's always a "little" flooding that comes along with it. Our master bedroom is  right off the balcony, so we always keep extra towels in the closet to keep the water on the right track. After the watery mess was cleaned up, Mocha came out of hiding and I let him lick up the rest of the hail drops!

An hour later when Mark returned from teaching, the entire episode was history and Leap Year in Cuenca jumped into the history books.

Until next time...hasta luego!

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Back Home!

I've been on a sabbatical from writing and it was time well spent.

Dad Pombo passed away on Sunday, February 12th -- just hours before my plane arrived. Mark had flown out to San Francisco a week ahead of me to spend time with his dad during his final days, which was such a blessing. When I arrived last Sunday, no words were needed. Mark handed me a single red rose at the airport and I knew. Mom and Dad Pombo are now "home" together!

I remember the first time I stepped through the door to meet Mark's huge Sicilian family! I was overwhelmed with the loud talking, waving of hands, and Sicilian gesturing. I thought they were all mad at each other, so I retreated to one of the bedrooms and sobbed. One by one, each of the family members came in and asked me what was wrong. How could I tell them it was them? Dad Pombo made it all better by entering the room with a twinkle in his eye and a broad smile. "Don't worry," he said with a chuckle, "you'll get used to it!" He kissed me on the cheek and welcomed me into the family! Two years later, Mark and I were married.

It's a strange feeling to know that we will never be able to go back home again, but the memories we have made there will always be with us. 

Many of you who have lost a parent (or both) have sent  us such comforting words and a wealth of wisdom. I've tried to respond to each e-mail personally, but I'm sure I've missed some so please know that your thoughts were so helpful during such a difficult time. 

In many ways, retiring overseas was like a "mini-death," in that we have already put in order our final days (living trust, advanced care directive, and the distribution of our belongings). I'm always amazed--shocked really--how many folks in their 80's who haven't done this. Since we came to Cuenca with four suitcases, our earthly belongings have already been taken care of. The only thing that is important to us is photo albums which our boys have access to in Pennsylvania. Our insurance agent (and friend) in the States will take care of all the monetary assets and in the event of our simultaneous deaths, we have someone designated here in Ecuador to carry out our desires. 

In the midst of our grief, we enjoyed some quality time with our kids who flew out for the funeral. We spent a day at the Mavericks near Half Moon Bay, just 20 minutes from Mark's home. It was one of Dad Pombo's favorite places and I can see why. When it's high tide the surfers are out and at low tide (when we visited), the tide pools are a perfect opportunity to explore marine life. 

Returning back home will never be the same, but it's the memories that will sustain us!

Until next time...hasta luego,

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Sometimes There are No Words

Mark left for San Francisco this week to be with his Dad. The decision has been made to bring him home with hospice. The doctors say it could be two days, two weeks or two months, but we're praying that Dad Pombo will be able to spend some quality time with his son in the days that remain.

I'm not sure why, but I'm already grieving. I got up this morning, ready to go to Spanish Class, got to the door and turned around and came home (and cried some more). I think it's always harder on the person left behind than the one that goes. There are so many fine details to attend to and thankfully Mark has two sisters and a brother to help fill in the missing pieces.

Oddly enough it all started when Dad was with his bowling team (he's 85) and fell, broke his hip and then a series of continuous medical conditions ensued, including: pneumonia (MRSA), kidney failure and three heart attacks. So much for bowling!

Mark's mom passed away at 70 years of age and it seems like yesterday, but it's been 15 years and now Dad. In so many ways I'm closer to my father-in-law than I am with my real dad. Dad Pombo made sure he sent me a birthday every year with the words "you're my favorite daughter-in-law" for the past 36 years. Even after Mom died he kept up the tradition of birthday cards to the kids, the grandkids and the great grandkids. He never missed a beat in that regard.

But I feel thankful that he lived the last 15 years doing the things he loved: traveling, spending time with family and keeping up with his bowling league! We have fond memories that will sustain us through these dark days. In the updated version of  Living and Retiring in Cuenca: 101 Questions Answered  I'm adding a section that will be useful for "such a time as this."  As little as we like to talk about death, it's probably the only thing we can count on and we need to get the paperwork done (Advanced Care Directive). Whether you're here in Ecuador or in the States, you have to let your caregivers know how you want to live out your last days.

Most of us baby boomers are dealing with our parent's failing health and now is the time to talk and be proactive because we just never know. Our bout with Dad started with a bowling ball (something he loved to do), and ended with a life we will always remember.

Sometimes, there are no words for such a time as this!

Care Giving from a Distance

Many of you have been through this, so you can relate to care giving from a distance. Mark's dad fractured his hip, had two heart attacks, and now has viral pneumonia (all within a month). Dad Pombo has been in and out of the hospital too many times to mention. And then on Saturday, while we were both teaching at CEDEI we received 15 messages, including one on Facebook that said, "Call HOME now!"

Unfortunately, since we had our cell phones off (a policy of the school), we didn't receive any of the messages until we got home in the afternoon. Mark's dad was rushed to the hospital with viral pneumonia and a blood pressure of 43/34. The family rallied, we checked out flights, and we were in panic mode. This has been going on for the last month; we sleep with one hand on our suitcase and the other on the phone.

Yesterday evening when Mark's sister called and said that Dad Pombo was stabilized we let out a sigh of relief. We actually took a five-hour nap before we went to bed! We were emotionally exhausted. Thankfully, we have siblings in the States who are there, but we're involved from a distance in the care giving. We knew this day was coming with both sets of parents, but it doesn't make it any easier when you're actually going through it.

As baby boomers, we're often caught in the sandwich generation -- taking care of our parents while still raising our own kids. Thankfully, our boys are in their 20's and 30's and are self-sufficient, so our main focus is on our parents right now.

If you're going through care giving from a distance and have some words of wisdom, I would love to hear from you.

Until next time...hasta luego!

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Italy!

Today I had an overwhelming urge for Italy!

Blame it on Wikipedia being on strike, writer's block or just reminiscing, but I pulled out all of our pictures of Sicily and thought, What are we doing in Cuenca? We should be in Calitri, Italy!