Thoughts on Quito in January
Quito is quite a different place in January than in May, when I first arrived. Since S left, it’s been raining everyday. I used to be a bit of a runner, then I partied, but now I’m moving back towards the old habits. Work felt too busy too often before, now it is coming under control. But some things never change, like missing precious people while cherishing this opportunity.
I just moved into a new place with four friendly roommates and an awesome kitchen (with oven, blender and toaster!) in a more local type house. My last place was an apartment with its own laundry washer and dryer, security guards downstairs, and a good pressure shower as warm as you wanted. Here, the room requires as many as 3 (not so thick) blankets and the showers are barely lukewarm. But I wake to a view of the mountains at my window. On my way to work, I look out for the old senora selling cut unripe mangoes with salt for 50 centavos. I get to sleep in if I want to because work is a 5-minute walk away. And during the evenings, there is the small park in front of our house and a little patio to hang laundry or sun-bath, once it stops raining. From there, I can see an old church, and another house with its laundry hung out to dry.
Instead of marking time by the honking of cars at rush hour and the roar of planes descending right above our 10+ storey building, church bells ring out the hour. Where I used to say hello to the security guards, I now look out for the harmless homeless men and stray dogs who take up shelter in front of our main door. My other window looks out onto a hospital wing, where patients lie resting or watch television with their visitors.
Maybe it’s the location, or perhaps the new beginning after a week away from work. For whatever reason it feels like May 2011 all over again, like I just moved here. There is a sense of maladjustment, a degree of anxiety that wasn’t here a month before. No, no sadness, nor negativity, just a nagging sense of restlessness, of needing to be able to up and go. Truly, I still like Quito, and this is not about the space I inhabit. Something has changed. For better or worse.
