Charcoal chicken and roast pork...

Fast food like this is especially prevalent on weekends....enjoy!

Crystal car wash - Ecuadorian style

Thought it might be fun to show a few parallel services across these two cultures of Australia and Ecuador....so here is the first instalment, the car wash.

You know you're back in Ecuador when...

The plane lands and there is a hearty round of applause from all occupants....

Baggage includes lots of roosters being transported for various cock fights...

Random fireworks go off at any time of night or day...

Red lights are more of a suggestion...

You hear yourself and your kids being referred to as 'zuca' (short form of azucar, meaning sugar, which is white)...

You start hoarding all your change as even $5 can be too big a note...

You gaze up and see mountains all around and realise - this is life in the Andes!

Fruitfulness

We have just spent some time with a mate in Wenatchee, three hours east of Seattle, as a way to help transition between the saying of so many goodbyes in Australia and the many hellos to come back to in Loja.

It was so great to see that almost everyone seemed to have some sort of veggie patch going in their yard, making the most of the fertile soil and excellent growing conditions they have over summer. These gardens were fruitful, verdant and abundant in bloom. There was a a sweet fragrance in the air as we passed by clusters of flowers in every yard.

As we set our sights on life for the next three years in Loja, we pray that it will be a Wenatchee-like experience...digging down into the fertile soil of God's word, revelling in relationship with Him, living fruitful, verdant and abundant lives for His glory.

The Hatchback - a perfect family car

I was pretty impressed with being able to fit three car seats across the back of the hatchback we had on loan for the duration of home assignment. It did require some contortions to get the seatbelts done up, but we did it. We even managed some road trips with all five of us crammed in and the boot full to the brim too. Yay for the hatch!

Further education

To my (Karine) delight, and that of various companions, John is now a TAFE certified barista! We are reaping the benefits of improved coffee making skills and coffee art. Needless to say that John was pretty pumped at the end of a 5 hour day which was all about coffee!

Normality

Funny how what used to seem so normal now stands out after living with another 'normal' for a few years. And so here we have a picture of regular rubbish bins standing on the nature strip, nothing of seeming consequence, but after three years in Ecuador where generally you put the bin out just before the truck comes to pick it up and then stay around to bring it back inside as soon as its empty to ensure that your bin doesn't go walking, well, it struck me as quite amazing to see bins all over the place in Sydney casually hanging around on the nature strip waiting hours upon hours for their rightful owners to bring them back in. Living cross culturally opens my eyes in two directions, a new culture and my own. Let's hope those lessons continue!