Making Progress Everyday

So, I think the problems with the altitude have passed for the most part.  I seem to be the only one that felt anything at all.  Apparently it is very random who gets affected and who doesn't. It was a great kick start to the diet though, so I'm not all that bummed.

Still functioning on minimal furniture.  We have just been hanging out on our bed with Maia for the last 5 days, which has gotten annoying.  We finally bought a couch and big chair today and are thrilled!  We are able to accomplish about one project per day as things here move so slowly, which is annoying but something we will get used to.  Tomorrow we head back to a market area that has some beautiful hand made wood pieces for a coffee table, side table, book shelf etc.  Once we get these core pieces in, everything will feel a little more settled for all of us.  It's taking some getting used to which items to buy where, as there is no consistency in pricing between stores, so we do a lot of looking and negotiating (which is why everything takes so long).  Once I get the place set up a little more I will include some pics here.

The best thing we have going for us right now is our location because our apartment backs right up to the biggest park in the city (3 times the size of central park). We went for a big hike deep into it yesterday with Maia and some other new teachers we met, which she loved (see pics below).  It is beautiful and full of eucalyptus trees so it smells amazing. Its a tough hike though as it goes straight up initially for a while (another reminder that we are in the mountains) and I had to stop a number of times to catch my breath. But, once we got to the top it evened out and there were tons of trails (and a random little village of people seemingly cut off from the rest of the city).  I expect to spend a ton of time back there.  We even stumbled upon a random cow just hanging out in the woods.  You never know what you're going to find around the corner here in Ecuador!