Have you ever?

Sometimes my life seems ridiculous.  As in, I ask myself, "did that really just happen?"  The thing is, many of the events that I now accept as "normal" are completely foreign to my upbringing in white, suburban, Midwest middle class America.  So...

Have You Ever...

Lived through an earthquake?  Just last Saturday--it was a 4.0 centered less than 10 miles away.

Had a guy hit on you by calling you fat?  Definitely--what other terms of endearment are there?

Cut the umbilical cord for a kitten?  Twice.  What else would you do if your apartment mate's cat suddenly started giving birth?  Go to the vet?  How absurd!

Mama "Missy" cat with the new kittens

When they were big enough to really be "cute"

Faked you were sleeping as soon as a guy asked if you spoke Spanish on a bus?  Of course!  Otherwise the next 2 questions would be "How long have you been in Ecuador? (polite conversation) and "Do you have a boyfriend?"  (what he really wanted to ask.)  Don't worry, I never actually sleep.  I usually keep my eyes half-open and am laughing on the inside as the guy tries to decide if he should ask again, just a little louder.  I think next time I'm going to start fake-snoring, just in case.

Had the airport police confiscate your still-valid ID only to have them send you to another branch of the police to get a police report that the ID was lost/stolen so that the same 1st branch of the police could issue a new ID?  Yes! (Did you even understand that illogical series of events?)  Oddly enough, everyone after that first police officer admitted that the whole process was pointless, but they insisted on following it.

Chased a llama?  Well, I wanted to pet it...

Worn sunscreen everyday, 365 days a year?  Almost yes--otherwise I'd be burned in about 15 minutes.  Direct sun on the equator + less atmosphere in the mountains = higher chances of skin cancer.  Not going to take the risk.

Eaten a guinea pig?  Sorry to anyone who has one as a pet, but it's just a fact of life in Ecuador.  So yes, I have.

Señor Cuy

Run away from firecrackers flying into the crowd from a burning "crazy cow" that a nonchalant guy was carrying?  Um, yeah.  I think my friends here are still laughing at me for that.  Vacas locas are part of any real fiesta.

So for anyone who thinks life in Ecuador is just like life in the US--think again!