Packing for Quito

Bill and I will be moving to Quito in a little over two weeks.  We've had background checks, and immunizations, sold a car, and found renters for the house.  The dog has people to take care of him, subscriptions have been cancelled, and the maid comes just one more time.  Now all we need to do is get our whole lives packed to move in suitcases!  I get abnormally happy when putting luggage in the trunk of the car, but packing a year's worth of living in carry on bags is not going to cut it this time.   

We purchased two HDX 25 gallon totes for about $10 each, one Delsey suitcase at a garage sale for $10 along with Space Saver bags, and a rolling duffel bag for $39 at Ross.  These four containers weigh almost 200 pounds and will count as checked bags on the plane.  We will also have two rolling suitcases as carry on bags and two backpacks to fit under the seats.  

The tubs have all of our clothes in them, packed tightly in Space Saver bags.  The tubs are zip-tied closed and we have additional zip-ties in case TSA needs to look inside.  We were able to put miscellaneous items in the empty spaces of the tubs.  The large suitcase has all of our bedding and towels.  The duffel bag has two electric throws, as it will be 45 degrees Fahrenheit at night with no heater, a small blender, spices, shoes, toiletries, and an instapot that will be helpful for high altitude cooking.  Truly at this point, I'm not certain what exactly is in each one, but we'll find out in 17 days!

Short video of how the bedding suitcase was packed. 

   

To Begin With

For a long time, Bill has suggested we retire in Ecuador because he read that the cost of living is lower than in the states.  Not knowing Spanish or having anyone we know who lives south of Corpus Christi, my desire to move to South America was on low end of "not gonna happen."  What was I going to do?  Get holed up in a casita and eat toast all day?  Don't buy me a plane ticket just yet.

Then, one day in early February, I was in the Zombie State which is Facebook and came across a friend's post, stating that an English speaking school in Quito, Ecuador was looking for teachers.  On that whim, I found the school and the job post announcing positions in middle school math and elementary, both of which Bill and I are currently teaching.  At that time, I messaged one of the contacts that we were interested, but the likelihood of us actually movie was about 5%.  

Fast forward a few God given miracles, and you will find us shopping for large but lightweight luggage, researching cooking at an altitude of 9,000 feet, and putting dibs on a one bedroom apartment nestled in between the two volcanoes that define Quito, Ecuador.  We've explored our path to work on Google Maps, finding that the walk will take all of seven minutes.  Bill will teach 7th and 8th grade math, and I will teach fourth grade.  My future team teacher and I communicate almost daily.  We share a love of kids and karaoke, so we're pretty much a match made in "cielo."   

As I think of Ecuador now, the casita and toast are replaced by cloud forests, monkey orchids, and empanadas.  It's no simple task to be surprised at the age of 50, but God is doing a new thing.  And, yes, Bill can buy me that plane ticket now.   


Photo: Wikipedia Commons