Hello friends,
I'm happy to let you all know that I arrived safely. I am currently sitting in my new bedroom, in my new apartment, on my new-to-me bed (which was given to me by a friend). The only furniture that my housemate, Jessica, and I own are our beds. Tomorrow we are headed out first thing to look for a refrigerator, a couch, a table and chairs, and a washer. We also are buying a stove from a friend. Please pray that we are able to find these items at an affordable price, as appliances tend to be extremely expensive here in Ecuador. Some friends of ours told us that the cheapest refrigerator they could find was over $500. I do believe that with patience and God's help we will be able to find what we need, and will hopefully be able to afford it.

So far my time here has consisted mostly of sleeping, eating, running errands, and meeting some of the other teachers. We've been eating out a lot because we don't have any way to store or prepare food (which will hopefully change soon), which has resulted in some interesting adventures for my stomach and some very happy taste buds :). Today we had Ecuadorian pizza and Chinese food. I've also been drinking lots of chocolate milk. Mmmm.

Today I went for my first run, and it wasn't pretty. But hey... 9,000 feet is a lot higher up than Fargo, ND. And I've got to start somewhere! It will be good for me to have running as a kind of outlet once school starts, as well. Speaking of school, we start orientation on Tuesday and classes start the 25th. We have a lot to do before then, but we will buckle down and do it. I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to contact me or leave a comment.
Much Love from South America