RETURNING TO CUENCA

I haven’t blogged in some time.  I was way too busy while in the states, and working through my usual computer problems, which for me is a way of life.  First, I stayed with a friend for three weeks who had no Internet connectivity.  My days and evenings were busy, so I accessed the Internet when I could visit at a commercial establishment like “Starbucks”.  Since late in the evening was usually my best time to access the Internet, these places were usually closed.  I had better access during the week I spent with my one brother, and the weekend with my son was too busy to worry about the Internet, except for quick email checks.  While in Miami, I faced more connectivity problems at the hotel I was staying, and by the last four days, my computer went into a permanent sleep mode, and I or no one at the hotel had any idea how to wake it up.  After returning to Cuenca, it took Jose Cortez, the computer whiz, less than two minutes to fix the problem.

Technology problems were not helped any when after buying time to reactivate my Trac Phone from my last visit to the states, it wouldn’t work after I enjoyed one successful call from my son.  I finally had to have the company send me another phone, and go through the whole process of reactivating, and then getting my minutes transferred from the old phone to the new phone, as well as getting a new number.  By the final days of my trip, I had all these unused minutes that will expire in seventy days and are only usable in the states.  I also managed to leave a power cord at my son’s home.  Me and technology, the miscues just never end.  Other than the usual technology problems, everything else went well.

May was definitely a summer month in Chicago.  Except on the day I arrived and the day I departed, which were extremely cloudy and rainy, Chicago had beautiful weather with no rain all the other days of my three week stay.  Oh so much sunshine, and temperatures that ranged from the 60’s well into the 90’s.  I remember five days of 90 degree temperatures, with two of the days setting new records, one of which reached 97 degrees.  The beauty of it was that it was warm or hot without being humid.  Everything was so clean-looking and green, and in full foliage a month ahead of schedule.  It was really nice to be away from the daily rains of Cuenca.  I read at the beginning of my trip that an Ecuadorian meteorologist had stated that by the end of May, Ecuador should be over its La Nina.  Since I’ve returned the fall-off in rain has been very significant.  I hope I’m not jinxing us in Cuenca by even bringing up the topic of rain.

The big event while home in the Chicago area was the surprise celebration of my mother’s 90^th birthday.  It was definitely a surprise for her, and it was great visiting with old family friends, some of whom we had not seen in years, as well as the many relatives from my mother’s and late dad’s side of the family.  The dinner was followed with socializing with out-of-state guests into the evening and over breakfast the next day, as out-of-state family members made their way back to Wisconsin and Ohio.

My mother's sister, Dorothy, and her husband Bob along with some of their adult children put together a printed family album of photos, most of which we do not have in our own family albums.  This was a really appreciated surprise.


A special thank you to my niece, Jennifer Banham, who spendidly handled the design and printing of the invitations, the mailing, and the RSVP's.


Also greatly appreciated was the gift of the Brownd's, Ron and Sandy, who did a professional job of taking the photos of the day's big event.

These are some photos from the big day:

                  Mom at age two or three.

Jim Mola and Bernice Weber married on October 12, 1943.

            Greeting Table at the Birthday Party





Gamba's Ristorante Reception Room

Mom enters with my brother, Ron, thinking she is attending dinner with just the immediate family.





Mom is one of nine children.  Her brother Harry, and Ken (Duke) Weber are still with us, although unable to attend the event due to advance age.  The youngest member of the family, Dorothy Wick, mom's sister who will be 81 in November is having a little fun with mom as the various guests approach with hugs and well wishes after having shouted "Happy Birthday",  when she first entered the room.

Mom's sister, Dorothy Wick, Mom being hugged by her niece, Carmelina Spiccia, and Mom's youngest son, Ron.

Various toasts and testimonies were offered during the dinner.

               We only made mom blow out one candle from the birthday cake.






Mom thanked everybody for their coming and having been a part of her life.  Mom was not short on words once the microphone was placed in her hands.  Her last comment was, "And I don't want to wind up in no damn nursing home."





This is my brother Leo's family with his wife, Carla; his daughter, Jennifer and her   
husband, Dominic Banham on the left; and their son Brian and his wife, Christie on the right, with their two children, Joshua (21/2 years old) and Toby less than two months.  Their son Danny, and my two sons, Marc and Chris were unable to attend the event.  

Mom with her three sons, Ron, Jim and Leo

The oldest generation and the youngest generation--Mom with the youngest of her two great grandsons, Toby.


The greatest gift my mother and father ever gave us three boys besides their love was a strong sense of family pride and responsibility, which was handed down to them and their siblings from the generations that came before them.




Like the last time when I visited home, we experienced great weather the two days we traveled into Chicago, and the day we spent in Indianapolis as well.  With my brother, Leo and his wife, Carla, we walked along the three mile round-trip canal, the countless townhouse and condos, and the new museums—all of which were beautifully done and examples of the reconstruction and beautification that has taken place in so many American cities over the last twenty years in their efforts to revitalize downtown and nearby areas.  I only wished I had a few more days to spend at home with family, friends, and an additional trip or two into Chicago.

My brother, Leo and his wife Carla, who visited me in Cuenca about two months ago managed to locate the only Ecuadorian restaurant in Chicago called, “La Pena”.  It proved to be a very good choice and the food was delicious, and so were the martinis.  Our waiter’s family lives in Banos just a half an hour from me in Cuenca, once again a small world.  He also informed us that there is one other Ecuadorian restaurant in Chicago.

I visited my eldest son, Marc, in southern Maryland for a prolonged weekend, which went so fast, I felt like I was leaving as soon as I arrived.  Our first evening together, we ate at one of the best sushi places that was on par with the best I’ve had in Chicago and Hawaii.
 

I enjoyed meeting many of Marc’s friends and acquaintances on Friday evening as about two dozen of us attended a fondue party, followed by a symphony concert by the Baltimore Orchestra, and a return to the fondue party.  The rain was down-pouring heavily and assisted by a tornado as we left the symphony, and we were soaked to the skin getting to the bus stop and then walking back to the party, but we were having fun.
  

Baltimore actually runs bus lines into the downtown city, as a way to get cars off the street and to encourage more of its residents who live on the outskirts of the city to come into the city for evening attractions.  Would you believe the bus fare is free, so that certainly beats the twenty-five cents charged in Cuenca, even at the half-price senior-citizens rate.
 

Marc and I also dined at “Fogo de Chao”, which is an upper scale Brazilian steak house chain found in most large American cities.  The meal was excellent, with a salad and appetizer bar arrayed with high quality selections.  I really went for the cheeses.  The wait-staff at various times brought seventeen varieties of meat to our table and sliced them from the skewers.  Having the opportunity to particularly eat tender meats of sirloin, rib-eye, filet-mignon, shrimp, pork, beef, chicken, ribs, and my favorite, the garlic sirloin was a feast.

I continue to hope that Marc will come to visit me in Cuenca this summer.  There are places I would like to go in Ecuador that I’m just waiting for him before I tackle the rain forests, big Banos, etc.  Marc is coming out of the Air Force this summer, and the uncertainty on whether he will have the vacation time from his current job available makes a visit unlikely.  Just hoping a miracle happens.

I arrived in Miami on my last Sunday evening in the states, and I stayed in the art-deco historical district of South Beach in Miami Beach.  It was extremely busy with tourists and extremely humid.   I ventured out for only an hour to ninety minutes at a time.  I was left very exhausted from the heat, and couldn’t wait to get back to my very nice and very air-conditioned apartment.  My hotel, Casa Grande, was located on Ocean Drive, with restaurants, bars, and clubs running continuously for blocks.  Every establishment has an outdoor eatery, with the sidewalk cafes hugging the buildings separated by a three feet space for walking down the center and then more tables and booths along the curbside.  When I arrived Sunday evening, the place was hopping.

The greenway and beach was across from the restaurant establishments on the other side of Ocean Drive.  There are all kinds of high quality volley ball courts and interesting work out equipment in the parks.  The ocean is hidden by what appears to be man-made mounds of sand covered in grass, so one has to make their way through various paths through the mounds to get out to the beaches.  I rotisseried myself twenty minutes on each side and headed back to the hotel.  It turned out even twenty minutes was too long, as my ghostly white body parts that are normally covered by clothing instantly became barbequed red. 

I had done way more than my share of eating for the past month that I had been in the states, so I was glad I had a kitchen and fully furnished apartment that allowed me to eat-in and avoid the egregiously expensive venue of food, drinks, and entertainment.  A chicken wrap with a large coke costed as much as a dinner with alcohol at Tiestos in Cuenca.  


I actually lost weight while in South Beach.  True to my luck with technology, when I returned to my home in Cuenca and got on the scale, the disk battery was dead.  It took investigating three stores before I found one that carried the disc size I needed.  It was worth it, I was actually down a pound from when I left Cuenca.  How does one accomplish such a feat after eating three major buffets, indulging shamelessly in the dessert bars, and eating all the ethnic cuisines I can not get in Cuenca?

I must say this being my first time anywhere in Florida, besides traveling in and out of the airport, the city of Miami and its surroundings is very impressive by night with swaths of various colored lights which bring a glow to buildings and in some cases stream across bridges and areas that elicits an excitement and attractiveness to the city.  The city also has some very interesting architecture, and I love architecture.  As I mentioned I was staying in the Art-Deco Historical section of the city.  I was going to show you a smathering of photos of some very impressive  Art-Deco facades as well as photos of a small section along Ocean Drive in South Beach, but as only I can do, the photos were eliminated when I tried to transfer them from the camera.  Oh well, some things with me never change.  So that's it folks.  I'm back in Cuenca, getting settled, resting up, looking forward to seeing friends, and eagerly waiting to see what unfolds next for me in my life in Cuenca, and what role this city and its people play in my future endeavors.

The Palermo: Part I

What the Willis (formerly Sear’s Tower ) is to Chicago, what the Empire State Building is to the “Big Apple”; that is what the Palermo is to Cuenca.  All of its mighty eighteen pisos (floors) majestically tower over the city of Cuenca--it displays an impressive edifice.  Yes, the Palermo at eighteen pisos (floors) is and will be the tallest building in Cuenca for some time to come, since city ordinances have been changed with its construction, and no new construction can be more than fourteen stories in height.

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Of course, height is relative.  As a high school and college-age youth, it was a big deal to ride to the observation deck at the top level of the Prudential Building.  At forty-nine stories, it was the tallest building in Chicago in the 1960’s.  We, living in Chicago, could not imagine the dizzying heights of a 102 story Empire State Building back then.  

With the 1970’s came the new observation deck in the John Hancock, which was one of the tallest buildings in the world at the time.  In my opinion, the Hancock still offers the best aerial view of Chicago, because of its location on Michigan Avenue and overlooking Lake Shore Drive.  Meanwhile, the Sears Tower was built, and at 114 stories became the tallest building in the world, which was a title it held for approximately thirty years.  Now Saudi Arabia intends to construct the largest edifice in the world, which will be about 3/4ths of a mile.  Imagine a building of approximately 4,000 feet in height compared to the Willis Tower, which is 1,450 feet in height.

So you may laugh at the height of the Palermo, but as I said height and its affect upon human perception is relative.  Take for example, the young man who when he painted my apartment, stepped out on my seventh floor balcony and became woozy from being up so high.  The same young man was here Saturday, drilling holes into the plaster to hang all my paintings and pictures, and chose to pass on the opportunity to step out again onto the balcony.  His experience is an observation that brings home the point of how so much of who and what we are, and how we perceive reality is based upon our experiences or lack thereof.

Speaking of relativity, the Palermo is at an elevation of 8,500 feet.  Add to that the approximately 175-200 feet of the Palermo, and it’s already taller than any new building going up on the flat sea-level sands of Saudi Arabia.  Sorry, can’t help myself but brag.  It comes with being a Chicagoan.  We are always boosting about our city, which is why New York journalists back in the 1800’s derogatorily nicknamed Chicago “the Windy City”.  The name had nothing to do with the wind blowing off Lake Michigan, but rather the name was due to Chicago civic boosterism.

I did an earlier post on the Palermo when I first came to reside in its environs this past May.  Rather than repeat everything I wrote before, you may click on the link below for some background:

http://cuencaperspectivesbyjim.blogspot.com/2011/05/palermo-third-stage-of-transition.html 

Today’s post is basically providing the reader with photos of the exterior of the Palermo:

                    This is a side view of the Palermo facing the east or toward El Centro, the downtown
                     business and residential area.  About two-and-a-half miles from the Palermo to the             
                     heart of El Centro is Parke Calderon.  Notice the homes at the feet of the
                     Palermo.  While numerous high-rises dot Calle Lasso (The main street on which the first  
                     photo above of the Palermo faces), the streets off of Lasso are inhabited by single and two
                     story homes.

 

                            

                     This is the home in a close-up at the bottom of the feet of the Palermo.  Like many such

                     homes in Cuenca, this home is part of a family compound of homes made up of related   

             families.  In typical South American style, you will find homes gated and walled-off

                          from the street.

                                                                                                                                                                    

                                                                                                

 

This close-up of the east-side of the building shows that the facade is not horizontally flat across the length of the building. There are indentations,   which give the edifice the appearance of more style-variety in the facade. Also, there are two separate wings on each floor. Each wing is composed of four 

 condos, with the exception of the penthouse  floor. Each wing is separated by the elevators, with one wing on the east-side to the north of
the elevators and the other wing on   the west-side to the south of the elevators. By arranging the wings in such a manner, it avoids one long, continuous hallway of all eight condos.

This is a further closeup, which is focused on my condo-rental.  The balconies are small and semicircular.  My condo is the seventh-floor condo where you see the chair.  I frequently eat my breakfast on the balcony.  In the photo, the window to the right of the balcony is where my kitchen is located; with the laundry room, maid's quarters, and bathroom with shower to the back of the kitchen.  The living room overlooks the balcony, with the dining room behind it.  The first window to the left of the balcony is the guest bedroom.   A smaller bedroom is opposite the guest bedroom, which I use as my man-cave and serves as the T.V. room.   The end window left of the balcony is the master bedroom.  There is a walk-in closest to the back of the bedroom, which leads to the master bathroom.

        A further close-up of my balcony.

 

This is what the construction of the high-rises looks like in its early stages.  Almost everything is made from concrete.  There are steel rods which run through the pillars pictured above.  The walls are of concrete blocks, over which they are then plastered.  No wall board or insulation is used.  Nor is any wood or steel frame used in construction.

The advantage to the concrete construction, as one Ecuadorian told me, is that Cuenca hasn't had a major house fire in seven years.

The disadvantages are two-fold:

One is that in cold, damp weather the concrete is not the best conduit for retaining heat within the building, particularly since the climate is mild and buildings in Cuenca have no central heating.  During the colder, damp months of  late July through August and September; one must either dress warmly in layer clothes, and/or make use of electrical heaters on occasional days and on many evenings.

The second disadvantage is that high-rise construction in Ecuador does not build on pylons, which allows tall buildings some sway in heavy winds or if a major earthquake strikes.  In fact, most of the single and two-story homes would be rubble in a major earthquake.  I observed the rubble in Beijing, China in 1977 about a year after a major earthquake struck.  However, Cuenca of the four earthquake zones in which Ecuador is divided ranks in the third zone.  The coastal region is ranked one; and Quito which is located in the Northern Andes among a number of active volcanoes is ranked as the second most vulnerable area in Ecuador for potential earthquakes.  The Orient, which is the tropical rain-forest biosphere in Ecuador ranks fourth.  Cuenca has not had a major earthquake in over 500 years.  I have not to date been aware of any information that geologists are predicting a long overdue earthquake for the Cuenca area, like the reports that frequently come out about California with the San Andreas fault-line.

The Palermo is not only Cuenca's tallest building, but is also the standard for construction and interior floor designs.  It has only been opened a year, and almost all the condos have been purchased.  Yesterday was just an example of its current preeminent status as another van of tourists were brought out to the Palermo for a real-estate tour of the kind of upper-scale, high-rise living that is available in Cuenca.

Next post will be of courtyard and interior public places in the Palermo.

Postscript:  A major thanks of appreciate to Lenny Charnoff.  He has followed my blog since its inception when he was still living in Oregon with his wife, Sharon.  Lenny has a tremendous background in software use, and his six hours of instruction in three separate sessions has made these photos possible.  This will astound not only some of my friends in Cuenca, but a number of my friends and relatives back in the states.  Needless to say, now I have no choice but to use my camera more frequently, so that everything Lenny has taught me will be reinforced repeatedly, and eternalletched into my memory.  If anyone wishes or has a need to learn how to do the various things necessary to transfer photos, upload, download, and all the pecuniary steps in between that drove me crazy, Lenny is your go-to man and his rates are reasonable.

  

Travels Home and the Return to Cuenca

Well, at the end of my last post I stated that my month in the U.S.A. would go by quickly, and how incredibly quickly the time passed. I had a fabulous month, and couldn’t have been more pleased. In fact, I could have used an additional week in the states. The traveling to the states and back again was totally uneventful, which is good. Everything ran like clock-work, and except when I watched a very good movie entitled, “Midnight in Paris”, I studied Spanish all the way to Chicago. From that point on I was wired for every moment of time, and had no time for Spanish studies or blogging. I consider long flight travel days as my Zombie Days, just something to get through.

The weather in Chicago has been much like Cuenca’s this summer as far as lots of cloudiness and rain. The Indiana corn was truly as high as an elephant’s eye due to all the rain. Occasionally, some beautiful weather days appeared as well. I am so glad in hindsight that my residency was delayed. I originally had planned to return home in August, which would have been during a time of great heat and humidity. The days in September, which ranged from the 50’s to the low 80’s were generally quite pleasant.

It was great to spend time with all the family and with friends. I must admit it was an eating marathon for the entire month. It was like I ate in every ethnic restaurant imaginable that I cannot find in Cuenca. I was astonished that I only gained six pounds during the month. I had a dinner with former colleagues of mine before I retired last January that you can’t find in Cuenca--authentic Chinese food. We had an enjoyable evening of conversation, and I look forward to seeing them again on my next trip back to the states. With my brother, Leo and his wife Carla, we made our way to our favorite Thai and Indian restaurants; not to mention a new Scottish restaurant as well where the young lovelies who composed the wait-staff wore very short kilts and bare midriffs. It took many deliberate efforts while I was seated to look beyond our waitress’ bejeweled navel and find my way up to her eyes. I never ate in a Scottish restaurant before. The shepherd’s pie was all right, but this was a place which was more a feast for the eyes rather than its gastronomical offerings.

I enjoyed visiting with my niece, Jennifer, and her husband, Dominic, as we ate Italian at a restaurant in Naperville, Illinois. It was also great seeing my nephew Brian, his wife, Christie, and their precocious not yet two year old son, Joshua. My grand nephew will be inviting a new sibling into the family by next April.

We were blessed with two absolutely beautiful days while in the city proper of Chicago. The first day was utterly beautiful, sunny with temperatures in the 70’s, and not a cloud in the sky. The city never looked better. Everything was so green and clean-looking from all the rain,which left me surprised when I first arrived that there had not yet been any sign of autumn appearing. One corner building with a restaurant and outside sidewalk café had out did itself in the plants and blossoming flowers that it had on display. The two corner sides of the building and the entire partitions separating the outdoor patio from the public sidewalk were spectacularly arrayed in hanging flowers and plants from top to bottom. It was one time I was disappointed that I did not have my camera with me. We had dinner at my friend’s sister’s daughter’s home, which was a lovely loft-condo overlooking the Chicago River on the second floor of the former Montgomery Ward warehouse building. This reconstruction of the building into condos is just one example of how much Chicago has changed tremendously for the better over the last twenty years, at least in appearance if not in politics.

Our second visit to Chicago brought some of my family members and friends together to visit the Art Institute, which had added another wing a couple of years ago for all of its modern art collection, but which none of us had previously visited. As an adult, the Art Institute became my favorite museum in Chicago, with the finest Impressionistic art collection found outside of France. However, Chicago is no Cuenca. After spending $28.00 for parking, we each then had to pay $18.00 to enter the museum. We then ate at the Russian Tea Room, where meals averaged in the $20.00 range just for the main entrée. Needless to say, I had to smile when I think of friends in Cuenca who consider it an expensive night out kept only for special occasions when the entire dinner minus drinks may run ten to fifteen dollars.

Everything is expensive in the states. While I have seen prices creeping upwards in Cuenca, expats who have not recently been back to the states need to keep in mind that everything has been going up in the states as well. In fact, restaurant and grocery prices had already increased sharply at the beginning of this year before I had even left for Cuenca in March. If the weather in Chicago was as beautiful everyday as it was the two days we spent in the city, and if everything was not so ridiculously expensive, it would be difficult to move from a city which has so much to offer culturally, and in the beauty of its lake and the shoreline, the park system, the Chicago river and its walkways, the prolific growth of outside eateries along the river and along Michigan Avenue south of the river, and of course, the city’s spectacular architecture. However, once one factors the ludicrous cost of renting or buying property in Chicago and what little you get for the cost compared to what property has to offer in Cuenca. Once one factors the luxury of not having to own a car in Cuenca, and the very low cost of public transportation with the great savings that allows for investment or spending on other amenities; Cuenca is a no brainer for a retiree.

My brother, Ron, and my mother filled me up at steak and beef restaurants, which was about the only time I did not eat ethnic. I drove my mother to Wisconsin Dells, her home town, as we visited with relatives. It’s always a pleasure when we go to the Dells. My fondest memories as a child were the times I spent with my grandparents and my cousins in Wisconsin. My mother, who is eighty-nine, really enjoyed the chance to visit with surviving family members. Unfortunately, we did not have sufficient time to travel to Dubuque, Iowa, so we could visit with her other surviving brother and his wife and family. I hate to see my mother’s generation pass away, or to be reminded how old I and all my cousins are becoming as well. Sooner or later, one generation always has to make way for the next—such is life.

Upon my return from the Dells, I was next off with friends to Mishawaka, Indiana to visit with a dear friend of ours. Sister Barbara Anne Hallman, a retired nun of the Franciscan order. Sister had recently had a book published, which is entitled “Hands that Hold Hearts”. With the help of a Franciscan brother by the name of Kevin, who helped with the layout and art work. Sister had used illustrations of the hands of various elderly nuns as a way of presenting daily reflections for meditation.

Sister Barbara Anne is a cancer survivor and has been blessed with a special mission of service in reaching out to other cancer survivors as well. One such survivor has been a recent Boston College graduate football player by the name of Mark Herzlich, who survived cancer and has been drafted by the New York Giants. He will be featured on Sunday, October 30th. on one of “60 Minutes” segments. I don’t know if we get “60 Minutes” in Cuenca, but if not, I hope someone back in the states will make a copy and send it to me. Not all of sister’s prayers have always resulted in healing. I believe Barbara Anne has the makings for a second book. Not so much about prayer or healing, but primarily about the human dimensions shared between her and those with whom she came to care and their families.

Needless to say, while visiting with sister, who is very witty and always has a million stories to share, we kept with tradition and went to our favorite Italian restaurant in Mishawaka, "Papa Vino's". Since our last visit, a two million dollar renovation had taken place over the summer, and the decor was breath-taking. Extremely beautiful Venetian glassware of contemporary design was hanging on the walls over-lapping frosted glass partitions. Each Venetian design was unique. There was also among many of "Papa Vino's" art displays a very elegant, colorful contemporary design of metal work on the wall that I would have taken in a heart-beat to have hanging on the wall in my condo here in Cuenca.

To Vickie whose blog is "Smile Away", and who is currently visiting in the states. I know you intend to see "II Volo", the teen Italian tenors during your travels. You will not believe that I learned they were appearing at the Chicago Theater last Wednesday, the day before I was to leave for Baltimore. If I had known, when I was in Cuenca, I would have bought tickets. I can't wait to hear about your experience in hearing live this fabulous group of young talent. Missing this concert was the only disappointment during my entire trip.

Before I knew it, after a few more days in the Chicago area, it was time to travel to southern Maryland and spend an extended weekend with my eldest son, Marc. We had a spectacular time of visiting, eating, and touring. Marc really outdid himself in his dining selections: from eating at "Hank's Oyster Bar", in Dupont Center outside of Washington, D.C. proper; to feasting on Lebanese food in Baltimore at Lebanese Severna; which was a suave restaurant with fine service and food. and dining on Afghanistani cuisine at a restaurant called “Maiwand Kabob”, My son also took me to a place called “Wawa”, where we used a computer to build our own monster sandwiches. "Wawa is a store/deli combination with nowhere to sit and eat, so we went next door to McDonald’s, bought our drinks, and ate there. Marc was in disbelief that I was not impressed with “Five Guys” hamburgers, which only recently made their way into the Mid-west. My second time around left me quite impressed. How I only gained six pounds is beyond my understanding? Mind you, I’m not complaining. I am just so relieved that the damage was not greater.

Life is made up of so many precious moments, and it’s all so fleeting. Life is very much like a steady stream of consciousness. The past is memory, the future is anticipation, and the present is fleeting. I have moved to so many places during my life, and I have as an educator held positions in so many schools and systems, that I sometimes wonder where home is for me. Certainly home is with my family and friends, which is where the heart is, and I have been truly blessed with a wonderful family whom I love and appreciate more than they can know; but home is also wherever I am at that moment, and the moment for me now is Cuenca.

Next: My Day in Washington, D.C.