Sorry for the delay in adding to our blog! We could name any number of excuses but we will just apologize and hope to get better at updating! We arrived here in Quito last Thursday. Aaron started up with training for his job within the Semester Abroad department on Sunday, so he has been out of the house much of the day. I have had the days mostly to myself so I have found a gym that I like, been out running, and mostly taken care of things around the house. God teaches us that rest is important. I am not very good at doing “nothing” so some days have been challenging as I much prefer to have a schedule. However, I know that at some point I will desire this time and so I am trying my best to make the most of it!
We are currently staying in an apartment owned by the Semester Abroad department. We will be moving into the house of another family of missionaries in mid-September in order to care for their house while they are on furlough. We will begin looking for a place of our own that time and we hope to be settled in by the end of the year! We are excited at the opportunity to grow roots (if only for three years) and make a home for ourselves!
Many people have asked us how we are settling in and how we like being back to Quito. The short answer is that we are settling in just fine (there is only so much “settling” to be done in temporary housing) and that we could not be happier to be back in Quito.
The long answer is that there is still another adjustment to be made. I have explained to a number of people that it is as if my world is moving at 100mph and everything around me is moving at 10mph. It is difficult to fully see everything and soak it in. We were told, before returning, that this time would be different than the time before and we should expect that. Relationships will be different, work will be different, settling in will be different, etc. They were right. It is different. It is not good, it is not bad, just different. (This is a common phrase we use down here when adjusting to various cultural aspects that we, in our way of thinking and doing life, just cannot seem to understand). We have loved reconnecting with those that we have missed, going to the grocery store, actually being able to communicate (in Spanish!!) to those that we saw around town last year, getting ridiculously out of breath after climbing a flight of stairs, going to the park, and using the US dollar! We are finding joy in the small things as we try to get our bearings again and figure out what our life and routine here will look like.