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Yoga in Peru
Last year, my friend Luzma invited me to join her for a yoga class. I had taken yoga in the US and missed it, so I readily agreed. In addition to a yoga class, it proved to be an excellent Spanish...
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A Weekend in the Country
From the first time I heard of Granja Porcon, I had no interest in going there. About an hour from Cajamarca, numerous people mentioned it to us as a “must see” tourist site. But when I asked what one...
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Happy Birthday, Dear Shannon!
Happy Birthday, Shannon! This (true) story is for you. THE SHARK Opening Statements “Hi Shannon, guess where I was this weekend?” I am on the phone with my 6-year-old niece. “At the cottage?” She...
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Selling a Cow to Buy a Computer
My housekeeper, Maria, asked me about a month ago if I could bring back a laptop from the US for her nephew. He is hoping to study engineering next year and the family thought it would be beneficial if...
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To Flush or Not to Flush
After 3 weeks in the US and almost a week in Panama City, Panama, we were back in Peru. I was reminded of this the minute I stepped into the ladies’ room at the airport. Don’t Flush the TP Yep, you...
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The Long Reach of the IRS
Filing taxes isn’t fun for anyone, but I am an idiot when it comes to forms. So for years Matt handled our taxes using Turbo Tax. I would review them, make a few corrections (Turbo Tax isn’t perfect)...
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The Wait Is Over – Galapagos, Here We Come!
I started writing this post before Matt secured his job as director of the Tomás de Berlanga school on Isla Santa Cruz in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. When I saw it in the archives it brought back...
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A Great Good Friday in Quito
I was having flashbacks to my Catholic school upbringing. I had stumbled into the courtyard of the Basilica del Voto Nacional on Good Friday and discovered a live enactment of the Stations of the...
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Beautiful Basilica de Voto Nacional
“Are these people nuts?” It seems that I ask this question frequently in South America although not often in a church. I am looking at a rickety, unenclosed, 3 story ladder (unless you count the...
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Quito – the City that Grew on Me
We have passed the 3 week mark in Quito, Ecuador. While this isn’t ideal and we would rather be getting on with our new life on the Galapagos Islands, there are worse places to spend a few weeks as you...
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Art and the City
I admit that I had never heard of Oswaldo Guayasamin, Ecuador’s most famous painter, before we arrived in Quito. Self Sculpture Born in poverty in 1919, Guayasamin devoted his artwork to portraying...
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Walk the Line: A Visit to the Equator
North and South of the Equator Who can resist the draw of standing on the equator? Matt and I couldn’t, so one Sunday we set off from Quito to go to Mitad del Mundo, “the Middle of the World.” We...
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A World Apart and Yet So Similar
My family spent all of our summer vacations, and many Sundays in-between, at a cottage on Lower Nemahbin Lake. Only about 40 minutes away from our home in Milwaukee, or, when we moved, Watertown, it...
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Day Tripper, Yeah
True Love, Booby Love Last Saturday we took our first day trip. The trip entailed a 35 minute bus ride across our island (Santa Cruz), a 40 minute boat ride to North Seymour island, a 1 1/2 hour...
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Latest Adventure: Buying Furniture
Furniture shopping in Milwaukee was a pain due to the endless choices. When we were in the market for something, we could spend multiple days running around to furniture stores and department stores as...
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Still Waiting
Matt teased me when I posted “The Wait is Over.” “Really,” he asked, “don’t you think it has just begun?” Of course, he was right. What was I thinking? I should have known better after living in South...
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Not as Easy as It Looks on TV
I have been back home on the island for almost two weeks and within days of my arrival had the rest of our shipment unpacked and our apartment feeling more like ours. Happily, the important breakable...
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One Book At A Time
I love libraries. It started before I could read: my mom would take us to the library and it seemed like the biggest treat to sit and “read” the picture books while she selected her own books. When we...
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Happy Two Year (and a Day) Ex-pat Anniversary!
Two years ago yesterday, Matt and I landed in Peru and began our international living adventure. In the past two years we have: Lived in 2 countries Learned Spanish Trekked to Machu Picchu Acquired a...
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Under the Sea: Snorkeling Trip to Pinzón
A month ago, before our friend Jo returned to England, we went on a snorkeling day trip to Pinzón. While I enjoyed our bird watching trip to North Seymour island, Matt prefers snorkeling to bird...
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