As we go from A-Z on our list of todo's we keep finding things that slipped our mind... so the list gets bigger. Now I really feel for those guys with Hunny do lists... there is just no way they can get it all done... and the time limit... the pressure... my goodness, no wonder they drink!
I have discovered that I am impatient. I am told that this is nothing new. My family is well aware of it but I guess all these years I was just not listening... what do they know anyway... so now its staring me in the face... I am indeed impatient. This has got to stop... I am told that in Ecuador everyone has their own time schedule, and its not necessarily yours. So I have been paying attention to how I react when I am trying to do something from my list... aha... you thought I wasn't going to put it all together didnt you? Hey I don't have snazzy pictures, I have to have something to keep you poor souls entertained!
Patience! Yes, so I go back to the health department to get my second in a series of 3 Hepatitus shots. They are called Twin something, I forget... but anyway. I think, well now they have sent me to the other window twice now, so I will just start there... so I go to the OTHER window, and the nice lady says ... YES????
I tell her I am there for my shot yadde yaddee... and she politely tells me to go to the ORIGINAL window... WHAT? OK, so I slink back around to the other window, and this younger lady asks me what I am there for, (like she couldn't hear, she is sitting 3 ft from the 1st lady) I tell her my second Hepatitus shot... "do you have an appointment"... well yes...I am a bit early but yes, I do have an appointment. "Well fill this paperwork out"... um... I filled it out last time... "Well ma'am you have to fill out this same paperwork each time you come in".....alllrightythen...so I quickly scribble all the necessary info and check off the boxes (no,no,no,no...yes,no) and hand it back to her in record time. She smiles with the drop dead lady, I have been doing this all day and you are not the first one to get irritated by it...look.. and directs me back to the other side of the building where the first window was, and to take a seat...
I brought a book, I pull it out like I am reading...and being to breathe deaply and do my mantra of ... this is a lesson in patience, it's not all about you Karen, they dont do this to irritate you, you are creating a tense situation.. blahblahblah... and finally I realize they are calling my name..
The shot nurse is friendly and quickly assesses what needs to be done. She is a little too quick on the shot and BAM... a shot in my tense muscle.. oh well, finesse is overrated anyway.
I am now back at the original window to pay for my shot and schedule the third shot. The third young lady is very happy and cheerful, probably because by now it is 10 minutes until quitting time. As I explain what I am there for she whats to know if she is billing insurance. I say .. no. Well she says, we can its not problem.. we tussel verbally back and forth with why she cant bill insurance and why I saw the NURSE NURSE, and not the TRAVEL NURSE.. before she finally realizes that I have had it, and I just want to pay her my $85 and be done with this place.
As I am leaving I again realize that this all has been a normal day. Nothing out of the ordinary, and that I am going to have to just learn to flow alot better. People are only doing their jobs, trying to be helpful, and not really aligning themselves against me or my schedule. OK, here you go... honest, I get it... ITS NOT ALL ABOUT ME.... yep , I said it.. and I think this lesson is going to be reaffirmed many times over in the days and weeks to come. Lets hope I have it down before I leave for Ecuador or they are going to patada en el culo!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
GETTING READY
When you know its for real, you are really going to do this...you realize that there is a whole lot of stuff that needs to be done.
If you were not a list maker before, you are now. Lists of what you want to sell, and what you think you can sell them for. Lists of what to take, what to buy to take with you and lists of phone numbers, emails addresses and important documents that you need to take with you or have apositiled before you leave.
One of our items on our list was shots. Yes, shots. We decided to be proactive and made an appointment with our local Health Department Travel Nurse... who would have known? She was a font of information. Ecuador is not a country that you need to worry about gettting shots if you plan to visit. We hope to travel to other countries in South America so we decided to get our shots ahead of time. Randy hates doctors and needles so the idea of him thinking of doing this and setting this all up was really surprising to me.
We are now covered for Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Hepatitis A & B. I added the H1N1 and Randy added the Pneumonia and Shingles shot. Oh joy... We left with 2 shots to each arm and a iced pack with our oral Typhoid pills attached. If you ever see anyone walking around with a orange rubber arm band its an Oral Typhoid dose reminder.
Our friends who have moved to Cuenca Ecuador are returning to the Tri Cities in April. They have offered to take a suitcase when they leave . As we are only going to take what we can carry in two suitcases each, this will be a big bonus for us. So now we have to make a list of what to pack in there, and be sure it falls within the weight limits. So as we work on the list, I am sure a debate will ensue over what is most important, and a new list will arise... what not to forget for the next suitcase.
If you were not a list maker before, you are now. Lists of what you want to sell, and what you think you can sell them for. Lists of what to take, what to buy to take with you and lists of phone numbers, emails addresses and important documents that you need to take with you or have apositiled before you leave.
One of our items on our list was shots. Yes, shots. We decided to be proactive and made an appointment with our local Health Department Travel Nurse... who would have known? She was a font of information. Ecuador is not a country that you need to worry about gettting shots if you plan to visit. We hope to travel to other countries in South America so we decided to get our shots ahead of time. Randy hates doctors and needles so the idea of him thinking of doing this and setting this all up was really surprising to me.
We are now covered for Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Hepatitis A & B. I added the H1N1 and Randy added the Pneumonia and Shingles shot. Oh joy... We left with 2 shots to each arm and a iced pack with our oral Typhoid pills attached. If you ever see anyone walking around with a orange rubber arm band its an Oral Typhoid dose reminder.
Our friends who have moved to Cuenca Ecuador are returning to the Tri Cities in April. They have offered to take a suitcase when they leave . As we are only going to take what we can carry in two suitcases each, this will be a big bonus for us. So now we have to make a list of what to pack in there, and be sure it falls within the weight limits. So as we work on the list, I am sure a debate will ensue over what is most important, and a new list will arise... what not to forget for the next suitcase.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
IN THE BEGINNING
Welcome to those who find this blog. Our story began with friends who invited us to "come visit, you have a free place to stay". Well we did go visit in February of 2008 and after 18 days, we came home and said ... why not us? So we began to plan.
We have two children who were 16 and 19 at the time, so that was a consideration. My mother is in her 80's, and we had a huge house, about 30K in credit card debt and two very lucrative jobs, and comfortable life styles nestled in the middle of an up and coming wine appellation in Eastern Washington. But we wanted to change all of that. We knew that to have the life style we currently had we would have to work till we dropped, and that was just not a comfortable feeling. So we planned..
First we paid off all our debt. We did the Dave Ramsey thing of selling everything until the kids think they are next... I actually sold my daughters bed before she was out of the house... she slept on the couch for 3 weeks. All our toys and extras were strewn out for all to pick through, and as our treasures went for pennies on the dollar we realized that it was all just stuff... we could do this! It really is a freeing experience to realize that you only have a car payment and a house payment.
Next it was the house. We met with our realtor on a Tuesday night in June of 2009. Filled out the paperwork and we had two showings the very next day. We sold our house in 4 days for full price, with nothing given to the buyers... hot dog! You could not wipe the smiles off our face.
We found a awesome duplex in town, that had recently been remodeled, all new everything... and the owner was the father of a friend of ours... how cool is that... oh and he is a great guy to boot! So we were set... just sit it out, and save our money...
Randy currently works for Washington State. This state is in the same boat as the rest of the U.S. and due to consolidation he was offered and early out. He applied and was accepted. So his last day of work will be March 31st. This moved our plans up by a year... so now we are on the fast track.
We have purchased our tickets we will leave the U.S on June 30th. So begins the adventure.
We have two children who were 16 and 19 at the time, so that was a consideration. My mother is in her 80's, and we had a huge house, about 30K in credit card debt and two very lucrative jobs, and comfortable life styles nestled in the middle of an up and coming wine appellation in Eastern Washington. But we wanted to change all of that. We knew that to have the life style we currently had we would have to work till we dropped, and that was just not a comfortable feeling. So we planned..
First we paid off all our debt. We did the Dave Ramsey thing of selling everything until the kids think they are next... I actually sold my daughters bed before she was out of the house... she slept on the couch for 3 weeks. All our toys and extras were strewn out for all to pick through, and as our treasures went for pennies on the dollar we realized that it was all just stuff... we could do this! It really is a freeing experience to realize that you only have a car payment and a house payment.
Next it was the house. We met with our realtor on a Tuesday night in June of 2009. Filled out the paperwork and we had two showings the very next day. We sold our house in 4 days for full price, with nothing given to the buyers... hot dog! You could not wipe the smiles off our face.
We found a awesome duplex in town, that had recently been remodeled, all new everything... and the owner was the father of a friend of ours... how cool is that... oh and he is a great guy to boot! So we were set... just sit it out, and save our money...
Randy currently works for Washington State. This state is in the same boat as the rest of the U.S. and due to consolidation he was offered and early out. He applied and was accepted. So his last day of work will be March 31st. This moved our plans up by a year... so now we are on the fast track.
We have purchased our tickets we will leave the U.S on June 30th. So begins the adventure.
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