Day 38: On My Own (01/04/10)
I wake up a bit later than I have been, but I have no idea what time it actually is because there are no clocks anywhere.
I hop in the shower, gather laundry and head downstairs. The washer is confusing, but I understand some of the settings. I take my detergent back up to my room, then head downstairs to ask the time.
The man that runs (I think owns) this place is very nice, but doesn't tell me the time. Instead he tells me my classes must be very soon. I tell him I'm not taking classes yet and he asks why and tells me there are lots of school (he starts rifling through things on the desk and hands me brochures for schools).
I thank him and head to the internet place. It's 10:15. I email Santiago to let him know where I'm staying.
The schools haven't returned my emails yet.
I email my mom about setting up a Skype date and then check my other email etc. I get a little bummed when I realize that no one has written at all. It's silly, but I don't really have a lot of people to talk to here, so email has become more important to me.
I get off the internet because the power goes out and I head to the bookstore. I manage to find a pocket Spanish-English dictionary and two small books for pleasure reading.
Afterwards I come back to the hotel hoping to restart the washer and do some writing.
Now I am going in search of an alarm clock and watch.
At the bookstore they recommended looking for both near the cathedral. They said that I would probably have to go to an appliance store for the alarm clock, but that the watch should be easy to find. I swapped laundry and headed out.
I passed by one appliance store because it looked like they only had large appliances (washer/drier, etc.).
I found another just down the street that had some smalled items, so I went in to look.
The only alarm clock I could find was a plug-in radio kind for $16 (ouch). So, I kept walking. After a while of walking without seeing anything I walked back down Mariscal Sucre (the one with the appliance stores) and stopped in the first shop I had passed up. Upon closer inspection it had nothing like an alarm clock.
Back at the second store I look up the word for alarm clock and ask the clerk. She leads me to the one I saw before and I ask if it is the only one. She says yes, then takes me to some clocks. The first one she pulls down is exactly what I want and is only $2.20 + $0.80 for batteries.
I´m glad I asked.
I went back to the hotel to drop a few unnecessary items off and the owner brings my (mostly) dry clothes to my room.
I thank him and hang up the damp items and then get ready to go in search of ibuprofen and vaseline (for my poor nose that's been on the verge of bleeding for the last few days).
I decide to go back to the pharmacy near the mall, because it has actually aisles so you can find what you need easily. Most (about 80%-90%) of the pharmacies here have everything in glass cases or behind the counter.
I walk down Borrero to Calle Larga and take that to a big set of stairs. The stairs lead to a bridge over the Rio Tomebamba.
I cross the river and head through the park of the mothers. I cross the 4 lane road and walk to, then through, the mall and down a block to the pharmacy.
I find ibuprofen right away, but have trouble finding vaseline. A woman who works there approaches me, but I have no idea what she said so I say "no se" then she asks if I speak English. I say yes and she asks if I need any help. I ask about vaseline and grabs some for me.
We talk for a while. She lived in San Antonio for 10 years and she really liked it, but her husband wanted to move back. She works at the pharmacy which she said is a "good job" here, that makes $500 a month. In San Antonio, she worked at CVS for 2 years, then worked at a spa making $500 plus tips for 4 days of work. She asked if I was married and when I said no she said "good, don't."
I decided to get some yogurt and then headed to the check out.
The walk back was a bit quicker (except for the stairs) because I realized I could by-pass the mall.
After eating yogurt with added fiber stuff and writing some, I decided to check my email in case Santiago or the schools had emailed back and to look up airfares.
I go to the internet place and check my email, no new messages. I sign in to Skype, no one is on. Gabe wrote me a short message and so did Hana. Jenny and Bill also wrote to me. I wrote them all back and then wrote to Margaret, Rafael, and Alina. Rafael about possibly visiting him in Caracas, and Alina about Costa Rica (since she's spent so much time there) because Gabe and I might try to head there.
I checked email again and Santiago had written, but I pretty much had no idea what it said. He uses an online translator when he writes to me and sometimes it makes sense, but other times, not so much.
I really hope that Margaret talks to her doctor about the altitude medication and that she wants to go to Peru still.
I put 3 more days of blog up (I'm up to day 16 now).
After finishing blogging I signed off, payed and headed out for dinner (at the hostel we'd eaten at a couple times before the others left).
I ordered a glass of wine and a mushroom, cheese and white sauce crepe. I feel awkward going to dinner alone. Breakfast and lunch are one thing, but dinner alone by candlelight? A little depressing.
So the crepe came out as soup with garlic bread. I've got a feeling he misunderstood my order. It was good though.
One of the guys working here speaks English and I had talked to him about Spanish programs before. He stopped to talk for a minute.
Dinner was pretty good and only $4.20 including the wine.
After paying I walked back to the hotel and utilized both the vaseline and the ibuprofen (I think I've got a fever), and brushed my teeth.
My new alarm is set for 8:45. I might read a little, but I'm almost ready for sleep.
I hop in the shower, gather laundry and head downstairs. The washer is confusing, but I understand some of the settings. I take my detergent back up to my room, then head downstairs to ask the time.
The man that runs (I think owns) this place is very nice, but doesn't tell me the time. Instead he tells me my classes must be very soon. I tell him I'm not taking classes yet and he asks why and tells me there are lots of school (he starts rifling through things on the desk and hands me brochures for schools).
I thank him and head to the internet place. It's 10:15. I email Santiago to let him know where I'm staying.
The schools haven't returned my emails yet.
I email my mom about setting up a Skype date and then check my other email etc. I get a little bummed when I realize that no one has written at all. It's silly, but I don't really have a lot of people to talk to here, so email has become more important to me.
I get off the internet because the power goes out and I head to the bookstore. I manage to find a pocket Spanish-English dictionary and two small books for pleasure reading.
Afterwards I come back to the hotel hoping to restart the washer and do some writing.
Now I am going in search of an alarm clock and watch.
At the bookstore they recommended looking for both near the cathedral. They said that I would probably have to go to an appliance store for the alarm clock, but that the watch should be easy to find. I swapped laundry and headed out.
I passed by one appliance store because it looked like they only had large appliances (washer/drier, etc.).
I found another just down the street that had some smalled items, so I went in to look.
The only alarm clock I could find was a plug-in radio kind for $16 (ouch). So, I kept walking. After a while of walking without seeing anything I walked back down Mariscal Sucre (the one with the appliance stores) and stopped in the first shop I had passed up. Upon closer inspection it had nothing like an alarm clock.
Back at the second store I look up the word for alarm clock and ask the clerk. She leads me to the one I saw before and I ask if it is the only one. She says yes, then takes me to some clocks. The first one she pulls down is exactly what I want and is only $2.20 + $0.80 for batteries.
I´m glad I asked.
I went back to the hotel to drop a few unnecessary items off and the owner brings my (mostly) dry clothes to my room.
I thank him and hang up the damp items and then get ready to go in search of ibuprofen and vaseline (for my poor nose that's been on the verge of bleeding for the last few days).
I decide to go back to the pharmacy near the mall, because it has actually aisles so you can find what you need easily. Most (about 80%-90%) of the pharmacies here have everything in glass cases or behind the counter.
I walk down Borrero to Calle Larga and take that to a big set of stairs. The stairs lead to a bridge over the Rio Tomebamba.
I cross the river and head through the park of the mothers. I cross the 4 lane road and walk to, then through, the mall and down a block to the pharmacy.
I find ibuprofen right away, but have trouble finding vaseline. A woman who works there approaches me, but I have no idea what she said so I say "no se" then she asks if I speak English. I say yes and she asks if I need any help. I ask about vaseline and grabs some for me.
We talk for a while. She lived in San Antonio for 10 years and she really liked it, but her husband wanted to move back. She works at the pharmacy which she said is a "good job" here, that makes $500 a month. In San Antonio, she worked at CVS for 2 years, then worked at a spa making $500 plus tips for 4 days of work. She asked if I was married and when I said no she said "good, don't."
I decided to get some yogurt and then headed to the check out.
The walk back was a bit quicker (except for the stairs) because I realized I could by-pass the mall.
After eating yogurt with added fiber stuff and writing some, I decided to check my email in case Santiago or the schools had emailed back and to look up airfares.
I go to the internet place and check my email, no new messages. I sign in to Skype, no one is on. Gabe wrote me a short message and so did Hana. Jenny and Bill also wrote to me. I wrote them all back and then wrote to Margaret, Rafael, and Alina. Rafael about possibly visiting him in Caracas, and Alina about Costa Rica (since she's spent so much time there) because Gabe and I might try to head there.
I checked email again and Santiago had written, but I pretty much had no idea what it said. He uses an online translator when he writes to me and sometimes it makes sense, but other times, not so much.
I really hope that Margaret talks to her doctor about the altitude medication and that she wants to go to Peru still.
I put 3 more days of blog up (I'm up to day 16 now).
After finishing blogging I signed off, payed and headed out for dinner (at the hostel we'd eaten at a couple times before the others left).
I ordered a glass of wine and a mushroom, cheese and white sauce crepe. I feel awkward going to dinner alone. Breakfast and lunch are one thing, but dinner alone by candlelight? A little depressing.
So the crepe came out as soup with garlic bread. I've got a feeling he misunderstood my order. It was good though.
One of the guys working here speaks English and I had talked to him about Spanish programs before. He stopped to talk for a minute.
Dinner was pretty good and only $4.20 including the wine.
After paying I walked back to the hotel and utilized both the vaseline and the ibuprofen (I think I've got a fever), and brushed my teeth.
My new alarm is set for 8:45. I might read a little, but I'm almost ready for sleep.
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