These are the people in my neighborhood

Oh blessed day off!! Today is a national holiday in Ecuador (or maybe a city-only holiday in Cuenca...maybe Independencia de Cuenca or something...these guys take any reason to not go to work!). I don`t usually work on Fridays so it`s all the same to me, but it is nice that for once the streets aren`t clogged with cars and taxis trafficing people to work. The pollution here is absolutely terrible. I mean, it`s quite a clean city, in that there`s not garbage everywhere, and they have regular trash collection, but the smog and diesel fumes are nasty most of the time. For the first week or so, my snot was black when I blew my nose...it`s not anymore, and that worries me. Maybe my body decided to accept the smoke and it`s now polluting my lungs so I am slowly but surely developing lung cancer. Cheers!

I have decided it is high time to tell you about my roommates. We are an eclectic mix of old and young, from all over the world. Well, the english speaking world, that is. First off, there is Kristi, a math teacher from Oregon, who is about my age. She`s great, and quite anti-American for an American! The second day in the apartment, she knocked on my door at around 7am and suggested we go to the hospital because of an inflamed cyst on her back. Que adventura!! The doctors decided to cut her open right then and there, with only a little local anaesthesia to numb the pain. With me holding her hand, germs and all. Hmmmm. I almost passed out/threw up. I couldn`t decide which one to do first, and by the time I figured out which one would be most beneficial, it was over, and we were on our way home. At any rate, she`s much better now.

Next, there is Hannah, the Brit. She`s hilarious, and says things like "stroppy cow" and "bag of wank" which never ceases to amuse me. I was in email contact with both Hannah and Kristi before I arrived in Ecuador, so we were all practically best of friends before we even met! It was nice to arrive with people I already sort of knew.

Then there`s Jerome, one of the guys who was living at the hostel when we moved in. He`s a skinny black guy from California, apparently a recluse and a computer nerd back home, although you would never be able to tell that from the Ecuadorian Jerome! He knows EVERYONE in Cuenca, it seems like, and prides himself on "getting around." He`s really friendly, and I`ve gone out with him a few times to meet other people than the teachers at CEDEI. He`s an interesting character. One minute, we`re talking about books we`ve read recently and the next, he`s telling me to stay away from this guy nicknamed "Cock-Block" who is a "gringa-hunter." Anyhow, Jerome moved out a few days ago, to make his way to Peru, but I ran into him last night, and he told me he`s not allowed to leave the county unless he pays $200, because he`s "overstayed his welcome!" So he`s here a few more days. I think he`s trying to smuggle his way out of the country to Columbia, but you never know with Jerome!

Finally, there are the Renatas. I`ve saved the best for last. These are two older ladies who were staying in the hostel when we moved in, both named Renee. We call them Big Renee and Little Renee, because Little Renee is normal size, and Big Renee is huge! Kristi, Hannah and I are convinced that Big Renee used to be a man. Actually, we`re almost certain. She is taller than most of the men I`ve seen, she has a big, booming voice, and no hips. She also plays guitar (badly) and sings (badly) every morning for at least an hour. Little Renee is a normal 55 year old woman, and they`re so mismatched, it`s funny that they`re "travel partners." Which we think is a euphemism for "lovers." As you can tell, there`s a lot of gossip in regard to the Renees! However, they are VERY nice, and are fun to live with. However, they are leaving in a few days, to continue their trip down South America.

Once they leave, two other ladies, Ruth and Scotty, are moving in. They are both teachers at CEDEI, and although I don`t know them well, they seem nice, and it should be a blast!