"The world is only a book, and those who do not travel read only a page"

(Famous quote by St. Augustine...)

Ever since I was a kid I have loved traveling...

When my brother and I were little my parents used to take us on road trips ALL THE TIME!

I can still remember my dad walking in my room and saying "Let's go!" and whenever I would ask "where?" he would just smile and say "just pack a swimsuit and a jacket, we don't know where we're going yet"...

I guess I grew up with those lines and I took them seriously...

As a kid, I LOVED getting in the car and start riding without having a clue of what our next stop would be. Sometimes we would end up at the beach, which we loved! And some other times we would end up in the highlands, freezing our butts off, but it was cool because we had packed clothes for either weather and the excitement of staying at a hotel was just priceless...

They say "Like father, like son", right?

Well... All I can say is I agree :)

Just like my dad, I love getting in my car and driving without a specific plan of destination...

I love driving and driving and seeing where my car takes me.

The beach is usually my common choice, not only because I LOVE the beach, but also because it's closer... Unfortunately, driving to the highlands is something I haven't learned just yet and I don't really wanna drive my car off of a hill or something :)

But that's a different story...

The point of this entry is that I think I know where my passion for traveling comes from now...

I owe it to my dad - one of the many things I owe to this wonderful man! .

I love driving, I love feeling the air blow on my face and sticking my hand out the window and feeling the weather go from hot to warm, and then to cooler, and then to chilly and/or freezing.

I love walking around a new town, taking pictures, talking to people, buying stuff I won't ever wear or use in my life, eating their local food, etc.

I just LOVE traveling.

As a matter of fact, I will be going on a road trip tomorrow :)

My friends and I are going whale watching in Puerto Lopez, Manabi :)

I hope I get to see at least one whale! :)

We got everything we need: A car, music, awesome people and of course: the urgent desire to get the hell away from this city! :)

Good luck to us, Puerto Lopez here we comeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!! :)

I'm movin' on

Rascal Flatts is probably one of my favorite country bands of all times... Their songs have that power to literally give me goosebumps... I just LOVE every single one of their songs, and the truth is I listen to them whenever I'm feeling down...

There's this one song called "I'm movin' on" and I swear it's my song...

The lyrics are simply phenomenal... But there's this one part I simply love and it goes like this "I'm movin' on and at last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me, and I know there's no guarantees but I'm not alone. There comes a time in everyone's life when all you can see are the years passing by, and I have made up my mind that those days are gone... I'm movin' on"

Today I took the very last step towards my goal: TO MOVE ON.

I know it won't be as easy as I try to make it sound... But, I know it certainly won't be any harder than it's already been...

The toughest part is already over...

Slowly but surely I will get there, and I know I will be able to say one of these days "I AM over it"

I have a good life... I have great friends and I have the most amazing family ever... I have a wonderful dog that loves me and I have a life-consuming and yet A-M-A-Z-I-N-G major in school, with an awesome career ahead of me...

I have way too many good things going on in my life to ruin them by thinking about the past.

I read a quote once that said "Forget about the people from the past, there's a reason they didn't made it to your future" and I couldn't possibly agree more...

That's where you belong. The future is where I do.

I'm moving on and I'm leaving you and your drama behind...

And for once in a very long time I feel strong and ready to go :)

G R I N G O S

When I lived in the States people would ALWAYS feel offended whenever they heard me or somebody else talk and the word "gringo" came up...
It took me a veeeeeeery long time to try to make them understand that gringo is not an insult. Of course, there was always some wiseass who would prove me wrong by adding a not-so-nice adjective right before (or after) it...
However, if we're not using any offensive adjectives, the word gringo is not an insult... It simply means "foreigner".
Now, gringo doesn't necessarily mean "American white boy" either, because we call EVERY foreigner gringo... You can be Norwegian, Swedish, French, Swiss, British, Canadian, American, or from any other country where people have light-colored skin, and you will be considered a gringo...

So why am I talking about gringos?
Because I was looking up some info and for some reason I found this picture of a tote bag and it just cracked me up!
It is exactly the kind of tote bag I would walk around with! :)
Yup... The truth is I, too, LOVE GRINGOS!

Now, wait... This doesn't mean I ONLY like Americans.
I do love Americans, but when I say gringos, I'm being a regular Ecuadorian who really means foreigners.
I LOVE foreigners, for some reason.
It is not that inferiority complex that so many people talk about... I do NOT think just because a guy is a foreigner he's gonna be better, or less of a cheater, or less of a douchebag than a local guy. Not at all. As a matter of fact, I've had plenty of experiences with foreigners that have actually PROVED me that no matter where a guy is from, it's just his nature to be an ass, gringo or not.
So no, it's not because they are better...
There is just something about them that makes my head spin like crazy... There's something about foreigners that almost makes me want to forget how much I hate men at the moment, and fall in love again!
I know, I know... How cheesy and lame! But I can't help it...

For some reason, local guys don't do anything for me... Yes, I've seen some local guys who are pretty hot and do make me stare for a minute or two... But after that? Nahhh... All interest is gone. I just don't care...
It could be the fact that foreigners speak a different language, or the fact that they try to speak Spanish and they do it with that gorgeous foreign accent; or it could probably just be that beautiful light skin with those amazingly captivating blue eyes and that perfect smile that makes every ordinary thing they do look simply and extremely sexy.

*sigh*... I don't know... All I know is I'm very glad I get to see some of these wonderful men at school and forget for a little while that I have to look at local not-so-appealing men 24/7...
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with Ecuadorian men, like I said before, some of them are hot too, I guess... But they just don't do anything for me...

I love gringos, I find them interesting, atractive, sexy, intriguing... Oh, and I could go on for hours.
And yeah, why not, I love the contrast their skin against mine would make... Is that a little too much info?
Oh, well...

Thank God for Gringos! :)

Friendship is when 2 friends walk in opposite directions, and yet remain side by side...

I can go days without talking to my best friend...
And when I say days I mean a whole week, maybe even more sometimes...
Unfortunately, with me being in school all day and her working at the hell hole 24/7, there isn't really that much time left for us to talk... At least not as much as we would like to.
The funny thing is, no matter how many days we go without talking, when we do, it's like time never really passed.
We catch up right away, and even though she hasn't really seen me in 2 and a half years, she still knows every single expression/look in my face...
She knows why I raise my eyebrows, she knows when I roll my eyes, she knows when I lie, she knows when I'm hiding something from her... I swear it feels like we never spent any time away from each other, and she's still in the bedroom next door asking me what's up...
Who would've thought that one day, at the hostess stand, talking about pizzas and floor plans we would become best friends...

I've said a few times I don't miss the hell hole, and I can still remember how many times I used to say I hated it, but the truth is in spite of all the things that happened to me there, and all the shitty days I had, the hell hole is not just where I met my very best friend, it's where I met my sister.
There are just way too many memories to even try to list them here, but all I can say is thanks to you, Lace, I learned what a true and loyal friendship is... Literally through thick and thin, and I will never find enough words to thank you for that...
Daytona, race week, bike week, Panama City, New Smyrna, Miami Beach, South Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Gators, The Alehouse, Chili's, Steak&Shake, Denny's, The Winghouse, Ross, Walmart at 3am, La Granja, I-Drive, Tampa, Busch Gardens, MGM, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Tabu, Mako's, ROXY, Deland (random parking lot at 5am), Wekiwa Springs, Old Town...
It's impossible to list 3 and a half years of amazing memories in one blog...
All I can say is I had the best time of my life! I don't know how much different things would've been if you hadn't been around... I don't know if they would've been more fun, or awfully boring... All I know is I'm forever grateful for having you as a part of it :)
I love you and I miss you like you have no idea...
I can't wait to see you buddy!!!!!!!! :)
Luv ya!

Your part in my story is over.

They say you shouldn't regret what once made you smile...
I don't regret meeting you or having you in my life... I only regret not giving this story the ending it should've or could've deserved...

I'm done, buddy.

I'm done. I'm done with all the bullshit, all the lies... I don't need this.
I have way too much going on in my life to even waste my precious time on this.
I doubt you will ever read this, but if for some reason you do, I hope you know this is the very last time I waste my time writing about you...

As of today, you are no longer a part of me. You will no longer occupy a minute of my time, a space in my mind, and most important, a place in my heart.
It took a lot for you to get there, and I went through hell trying to keep you there too... But just like that, just like I fought heaven and hell with everything I had just to keep you there, I'm tearing you off. I'm kicking you out of my heart and you are no longer welcome, BUDDY.

I hope you're happy with her... I really do.
I could never wish you anything bad... You deserve to be happy, but I do too.
Obviously, time has shown us both that happiness is precisely us NOT being together, and well... we can't fight fate, or at least I know I certainly can't.
I hope she makes you happy, I hope she gives you everything you want and need. I hope she drives you crazy as you drove me, and I sure hope she loves you as much as I loved you.

However, there's one thing I want to know...
Why did you have to lie? Was it really that hard to be honest with me? Do I really deserve that little from you? Why couldn't you just come clean and tell me she was part of your life already? Why would you deny it everytime I asked you?
Ugh... See, that's what aggravates me.
It's not the fact that you've found somebody else, but the fact that you lied about it.

But it's ok... You probably don't think this is that big a deal, and you're probably right, so we're just going to drop it...
I can't do this anymore... What's not meant to be won't ever be.
I'm completely worn out, I give up.
I'm officially done.

I wish you the best of luck. It was good meeting you. Have a good life.

A bundle of joy

I found out today another friend of mine is having a baby...

It feels like everyone's either getting married or getting pregnant.

I mean, seriously... probably 60% of my friends are moms and/or wives.

WHY??? Yeah, yeah... I knowwww! Because they have found "the one" and they are truly "in love".

Well, all I can do is wish them all the best, believe it or not... I know I am The Grinch when it comes to relationships, but I don't ever wish them any bad stuff or any harm at all. I do wish them the best of luck and hopefully they will prove me wrong one day and they will show me that love is as a matter of fact, worthwhile. In the end, if it doesn't work for me, I'm glad it does for them.

Anyway... while all this is going on, while all my friends are getting pregnant left and right, I have my own little bundle of joy at home.

I, like them, have my own baby whom I get to come home to...

True, she may not scream and call me mommy, but she can wag her tail and bark louder than any baby ever will :)

Yes, I'm talking about my puppy, Mia.

I know some people may say I'm crazy and a dog will never ever compare to a child, and in some ways it may be true... But the truth is, I don't need to find a guy to knock me up to have someone who's happy to see me at home.

If you ever met Mia you would understand why I say she's my baby...

I mean, she sleeps with me every night, but not just in my bed... She sleeps like right next to me, and if I happen to get hot and I push her away (which is kinda hard considering she weighs like 50-60 pounds, at least) she cries and slowly goes back to where she was.

When we wake up in the morning, she stretches and kisses (err, should I say lick?) me good morning; she has breakfast with me, she goes out for a walk with me, she sits next to me while I read the newspaper and brings me her toys so I can play with her.

If I need to go somewhere, the grocery store, the corner store, or anywhere where I won't take forever, she goes with me, always sitting in her seat: the passenger seat.

She cries when I leave, and jumps like craaaazy when I come home...

The way she looks at me is just amazing... She truly is always happy to see me.

When I'm sad, when I have absolutely no strength left and I feel like just giving up, she comes running around the corner with her squeaky toy in her mouth and sets it on my lap. Oh, and she can tell when I'm sad too and I don't feel like playing... she'll sit next to me and just stare at me with those big dark eyes, she won't even move... she will just sit there... I can literally cry on her and she will lick my face, almost like saying "it's going to be ok"... She's my one and only company, that's for sure... I sure as hell wish my friends were as loyal and awesome... No offense.

I know, some people might even say I'm crazy because no matter how many dogs I have, it will never be the same as hearing your own child say your name, or call you mommy, or tell you they love you... I know, I get that...

But at the same time, I also have the advantage of never having Mia call me a witch or tell me she hates me for not letting her go out on a Friday night or because I don't like the boy she's dating.

No matter how many times I get mad at her, she will always come running when she sees me and will always kiss me goodnight...

So, in spite of what others might say or think, I do have my own baby too...

I'm not married, I haven't been and probably won't ever be pregnant, but I have my own little kid at home, and it's ok if she doesn't get to say I love you to me... In this kind of situation too, an action says more than a thousand words...

Thank God for her.

L I F E !

I seriously forgot what having a life was like!

I'm exactly on my 14th bimester in a row, WITHOUT a freaking vacation...

I've gone to the beach one or another weekend, yes, but I have not had the time to sit and think about nothing, or to lay on the sand and tan while listening to music like any other human being...

Everytime I've been to the beach, or wherever it is I've gone, I've had professors emailing me homework assignments, or I've had to read tons of pages, or I've had to do some translations... and the one week I actually had off (well, I actually took 10 days off because I was about to grab my bag and move in to the looney house), a friend of mine from back home, who's a 1st grade teacher, asked me to translate her monthly planner for her class... And of course, me being as nice as always, had to do it... So not even then could I relax and forget about school... Geez.

What ever happened to my life?
When did I become this loser who's writing this block in one Internet Explorer tab while the other 7 tabs that are open are youtube speeches on biofuels that I need to download so I can practice simul?

When did I start spending every freaking weekend at home, doing homework?

What happened to sleeping in and staying in bed all day, doing nothing but wasting brain cells watching stupid tv shows?

What happened to going out every weekend, and partying/dancing/drinking the night away?

Damnnn... I miss that!

I miss waking up in the morning and saying "I'm bored... Let's go shopping!"

I miss going to Gators and spending every single dollar in my wallet, drinking!

I miss walking around the mall, doing some window shopping.

I miss going shopping. Period.

I miss going out to eat with my friends... I miss going for a drive to the beach, or any other random place... I miss calling my friends to see what they were up to and just hanging out with them, playing cards, or gossiping about everyone we knew...

I miss having a life.

Now all I have is speeches, homework, workshops, readings, essays, tapes, notes...

I'm loving how ironic the little picture on this post is.

"Don't take life too seriously..." *sigh*... well, I don't really think I have a choice at this point :/

Man... I need a drink.

Happy Hour

Where does the term HAPPY HOUR come from?
Yes, we all know it all started because it was supposed to be on Fridays, around 5pm, when people usually get off work and go out for a drink or 2...
However, we know now that happy hour is not only on Fridays anymore (which I'm completely thankful for!) and I think we may have found a new meaning for this term.

I went out with my T&I friends today, we went to Chili's because they have Happy Hour from 4-8... Well, we weren't there for an hour, so the term happy 'hour' doesn't quite fit in this context... However, the term 'happy' sure as hell does!
Aside from all the alcohol involved ($117 to be exact), happy was the exact word we could've used to describe the moment...
Any other person would've or could've thought we were some geeks making jokes nobody could understand, but the truth is, every single joke has its own background and its own little HILARIOUS meaning...

We had an AWESOME time today, I have to admit I hadn't laughed this much in a veeeeeeeeery long time! --> and it was not just because of the alcohol, i swear...
Here are some of the things that were said this afternoon:
- Vicky: Mafer, cual vieja de mierda? Mafer: La de facebook pues!
- Daniela: Carlos que? Donde dice eso? Chuuucha soy miooopeeee!!!!!
- Vicky: Mera! (instead of mira)
- Johnny: *shocked* Y eso no es pecado???
- Mafer: Wino (instead of wine, or vino)
- All 4 girls staring at some guy and talking about his skinny legs as he turned around and looked directly at us.
- Daniela: Johnny es una roca rápida... Angie: Una roca en monopatín!
- Vicky: Alo? Quien es mami? Tu no eres mami... Mami? Hola mami!
- Angie: Hola mami! Recien llegue a chili's hace media hora.
- Daniela telling the story of "Un ojito, dos ojitos y tres ojitos"
- (and I should probably remember more, considering I laughed for about 4 hours, but I'm afraid the beers and the margarita are playing tricks on my memory at the moment)

Some people tell you when you start college that it is really hard to find friends there because at some point, those friends you made will be the ones competing for a job position with you...
I think that applies for those whose majors are those with a huge demand... For instance, medicine. Yes, some kid in school may be my friend, but in the end, you have thousands of doctors graduating every year... So, yeah... I'm pretty sure competition will be pretty high in that situation... The same happens with engineering, architects, computing engineers, lawyers, etc...
But T&I? hmmm... I don't think so. Even if at one point somebody gets a good interpreting job, maybe the other will get a good translation job... I don't know.
All I know is we don't have hundreds of classmates like everybody else does. We're a tiny group... We gotta look out for each other... I can't say I can speak for the rest, but if one day I hear one of them finally made it to the UN and is a permanent interpreter there, instead of feeling jealous and/or pissed, I honestly think I will feel proud, and of course, incredibly happy...
I love them and I wish them all the best! We have all been through the same, all the sleepless nights, nerve-racking exams, stressful reading controls, horrible tapes, uncomprenhensible speeches, fast-paced speakers, horrible accents, and so on...
I think after going through all that with them, even if they are in fact your competition, they are also the ones who helped you get where you are...
So, to my T&I friends: THANK YOU!
Thank you for being there through this whole life-consuming experience :)
I love you all and I will see you all @ the UN General Assembly! hahaha :)

In desperate need of a glue gun...

I was in class today and we were talking about love... Why do people fall in love, how do you realize you are in love and that person is "the one", how do you show what you feel, why do people get married, have u ever had your heart broken?... etc.

When my teacher asked me these questions, I couldn't come up with an answer.

Why do people fall in love?

Why is there such need to desperately fall head over heels for someone, risking being loved in return or not?

...Some people say falling in love is a decision... At this point in my life, I think I can say I agree with that statement.

I have liked a few guys in my life... I've had a few crushes too, but I think I can say I have only been in love once... And that one time was enough for me to never want to be in the same place ever again.

How did I realize I was in love with him?
I don't think there's a simple answer to that question...

I guess maybe one of the signs was the fact that listening to his voice drew the biggest smile on my face. Maybe it could also be when I realized I didn't feel a few butterflies in my stomach, but a whole zoo, everytime he talked to me. It could also be the fact that I felt the whole entire world disappear when he smiled at me.

Yes, it sounds cheesy and extremely corny, I know. I read it myself and I almost want to puke.

But as cheesy as it sounds now, it all made sense back then.

Back then, when he was around, I didn't think it was cheesy to smile like an idiot when he walked by me. I obviously didn't think I looked retarded when I daydreamed about us living happily ever after only because he touched me...

Now that I look back I almost wish I could go back on time and slap myself.

This whole love thing is too confusing.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to being that little girl who actually believed in stupid fairytales, who thought prince charming was actually a real man, somewhere out there waiting to meet me and make me happy, and all that BS.

But then again, if I went back, that means I wouldn't have had to go through what I did. I would've never had to have a broken heart and I would've never felt my life crumbling.

Yeah, sounds nice, but in the end, it only means I would've never had to meet him.

It means I would've never felt that rush going down my body whenever he was around. It would mean not knowing what a true kiss is. It would mean not knowing what giving your life and soul to one person means... It would certainly mean not knowing what happiness feels like.

Yes, I know I would've saved a few tears, of course, along with sleepless and almost suicidal nights... But how can you know how shitty something is if you haven't felt ultimate glory?

I keep telling my friends - and myself - that I don't ever want to fall in love again...

I gave someone everything a human being can possibly give... I gave that person my time, my patience, my freedom, my reasoning, my entire and absolute devotion... I gave him my heart, body and soul. I gave 'til I had nothing left.

I gave without ever asking for anything back... I reached a level I never thought I could possibly reach... I gave him my essence; I gave him my life.

I gave more than I could and a lot more than I should have...

And now, 51 months later, I'm sitting here, with absolutely nothing left for myself.

How sad does that sound?

It doesn't make any sense now... THAT is the exact reason I don't ever want to fall in love again...

I don't think I wanna feel that kind of pain, that misery, ever again in my life.

I don't believe in marriage anymore. I don't believe in stupid happy endings... I don't believe in ever afters, and I certainly don't believe in "happily" ever afters...

I don't believe in loyalty and faithfulness. I just don't believe in love anymore...

It may sound sad, or maybe even stupid. But one's gotta do what one's gotta do.

I hate everything related to being stupidly in love with someone... I hate forgetting and losing who I am and becoming someone I'm not. I don't like being cheesy. I hate being corny.

I hate crying over someone who won't ever shed a tear for me.

And yet, the irony here is that not even 2 seconds after I've thought about all these horrible things, I think of your voice.

I can close my eyes and I swear I can hear your voice and feel your touch. I can almost feel you next to me, holding me close, whispering something in my ear...

I can almost hear you say you love me and you don't ever want to let go...

And just like that, all of a sudden, all those hateful thoughts simply vanish...

They disappear and I become, once again, the stupid little girl who believed in fairytales.

I become the stupid little girl who's willing to put all that aside as long as you came along and asked me to be with you.

Why did I fall in love with you?

Because you were the shoe to my barefoot foot. Because you were my perfect complement.

How did I know I was in love?

When I realized I would give my entire life just to make you happy...

How did I show those feelings?
I moved back home so you could be happy with the life you had chosen...

Why do people get married? or, do I believe in marriage?
I believe in it if it means you getting down on one knee and asking me to spend the rest of your life with you...

Have I ever had my heart broken?

Never as bad as this time...

Is it worth it?

It's impossible to tell... We're all different...

We're never going to agree on what is right or wrong, or just how much is enough...

I've cried more tears in these past 4 years than I have in my entire life... I've had the worst 2 years of my existence away from you... I've had the worst time ever... I have lost sleep, I have gotten sick, I have gotten sidetracked and lost my path... And yet, I'd be willing to do it all over again, just for you.

I don't quite know if this makes me the most stubborn person on earth, or simply the dumbest girl alive...

Maybe it's just both.

All I know is I don't ever want to go through this again...

They say "no pain, no gain" but I sure as hell don't want this much pain if I'm not gaining what I want...

I'm confused... I don't know if I believe in love anymore... Maybe I'm just a chronical sadistic person who loves suffering... Or maybe there are still some remainings of that innocent girl who believed in prince charming...

All I know is love is the hardest thing on earth... You can't live with it, and God knows you can't possibly live without it...

For now, while my slow and screwed up brain decides whether it's good or bad... I think I need more than just a little bandaid to mend this broken heart...

I'm thinking I could use some hardcore silicone... Maybe even concrete. Anything strong, that will not break as quick with the first "Hello".

I need a stronger shield now...

I'm making my decision. I choose not to fall in love again... Not for now, anyway.

Hi, how can I help you?

I could sit here and write about the things that piss me off the most about my country, and even though it would take me a reasonable amount of time, I know I could do it...

But even in that list of things I hate - e.g., crazy driving skills, like i mentioned in my previous post - there's one thing that stands out the most... CUSTOMER SERVICE - errr, should I say the LACK of it?

How many people have walked into a store in Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, the U.S., or any other country and have been greeted by a smiley staff member who says in a very cheerful voice "How may I help you?" Countless times, I'm sure.

How many times have you walked into a store here in Guayaquil and experienced the same? Probably none. Ok, fine, let's give the city some credit... Maybe one, or two.

There are plenty of things I don't understand why they work the way they do in this country, that's a fact. But no matter how much I think about this, I just CAN'T possibly understand why we have such shitty employees working at stores/shopping malls/gas stations/restaurants/ etc.

How hard is it to crack a smile? Even if it's a fake one, a fake smile is better than no smile at all - at least when you're trying to get someone to buy whatever it is you're selling.

I know smiling all the time is not easy. I, myself, have been in the kind of situation where all I've wanted to do is scream to the top of my lungs and say how much I hate life at the moment, but have had to smile nevertheless. I know it's not easy, but I know for a fact it pays off.

Having worked at a restaurant and having to deal with the pickiest customers you will EVER even imagine that have set foot on this planet, I know how important being helpful is. Nobody says you have to kiss ass either, I mean, let's face it, if you're not paying your bills with the tips you make, you're probably not gonna be Little Miss Sunshine 24/7.

BUT, just because you get paid a fixed salary doesn't mean you can treat customers the way you want... Which has led me to the conclusion that that's why restaurant service in this country is sooooooo awful! People don't live on tips... You liking or not your undercooked steak or your stale fries makes no difference, unless you have some sort of connections and/or influences, you will most likely have to pay for your crappy food, even if you don't eat it, because here it's the "you order, you pay" kind of deal... Nice, huh?

I strongly believe every single person in this world should, at some point in their lives, work at a restaurant - a busy restaurant, that is. In my opinion, restaurants are (at least in the US) the best Customer Service School you can attend. It doesn't get any simpler than that: if you're good, you'll make money and pay your bills... If you're rude and/or suck at your job: you'll starve yourself to death.

I have to admit I will forever be in debt with the hell hole for teaching me what quality customer service is...

I was at the bank the other day... Banco Pichincha. I think I can honestly say I would much rather have someone punch me in the chest than having to stand in line at that bank. But anyway, there were probably 80 people in line (no joke), waiting to make deposits, cash checks and whatnot. Fortunately - you would think - there's an ATM looking machine that allows you to make payments electronically, without having to wait in line until the teller decides he wants to yell "NEEXXXTTTT!", which in theory saves you not only an incredible amount of time, but also having to put up with the person behind you pushing you or breathing on your neck because they think getting that much closer will make the line go that much faster. Of course, there are some people who apparently can't seem to understand how the miracle machine works, so management decides they can use a teller/model to stand right next to it to "guide people through" the whole process. As a "customer service representative" what would you expect them to do? Help you, maybe?

Nope. Not here! What does this lady do? She stands, or maybe I should say LEANS against the machine, and decides to text every single contact on her phone. Of course, since she has a blackberry, like every other living creature in this city, her blackberry messenger is going off non-stop, while the line keeps getting longer and longer. The paper runs out.

Nobody can make any more payments because the machine won't print any receipts because IT HAS NO PAPER. The CSR stands there, texting. Someone says with very polite words "Ma'am, it's out of paper" She says "Oh." and goes back to texting. Somebody else says "Hey, ma'am, excuse me, could you please change the paper roll or at least find someone to do it?" "Yeah, yeah. Just a second. I don't have the key to it."

Meanwhile, my not-so-patient ass is standing in line, staring at this girl smiling while she reads God knows what kind of messages from God knows who. The line keeps getting longer and longer.

Some older man behind me decides he wants to share the same oxygen I breathe with me, so he starts LITERALLY breathing ON me, and decides to gently push me while saying "Hágase más adelantito, por favor".

I start losing my patience and ask the girl "Hey, will it be too much of a hassle to put your phone down for a second and try to find someone to change the paper for you?" She gives me the dirtiest look ever. Keeps texting. Some old lady in the line yells "Hey!!! Miss!!! we've been waiting for HOURS now (ok, it hasn't been hours, but it has been at least 10 minutes)". ModelTeller rolls her eyes and goes to some desk to call someone on the phone to bring her paper/change the paper... Apparently nobody's picking up the phone. In the meantime, of course, while she waits for someone to answer, she keeps texting.

My desperate ass is getting so aggravated I ask somebody who the manager is because I would like to speak with him... I get the "why would you want to speak with the manager!? Please don't get me into trouble" look. The manager is nowhere to be found. Figures.

I look back and there are at least 20 people now in line, all mumbling about whether the machine works or not. At least 4 people try to "check if it works" with no positive results. Apparently the "OUT OF PAPER" blinking sign on the screen is not enough for some people.

Older guy behind me keeps breathing on my neck. I move forward so I don't have to inhale his germs and somebody cuts the line in front of me and says "I was here, I just went to fill out a deposit slip". Now I can barely move because older guy breathes on my neck, and shorter lady squeezed herself into that tiny tile, so if I step back I run into older creepy guy, and if I move forward, I will grab shorter lady's ass. Great... Just great!

Needless to say, after standing in line for about 25 minutes and staring at the CSR text until her fingers go numb, I decide I can't take it anymore and step aside. I walk up to some lady and say "For being the #1 bank in the country, you have the shittiest customer service in the history of banks, I hope you're aware of that". She looks at me like I just spoke Finnish. Doesn't even try to mumble an I'm Sorry or anything remotely related to it... I walk away and get the hell out of the bank...

I decide to go through the drive-thru. The wait's not too bad, and besides, I'm sitting down and the A/C is on... At least 6 people walk up to my car trying to sell me sunglasses, movies, socks, windshield wipers, steering wheel covers, and sunglasses again. I finally get to the window and try to ask the teller something, the little microphone thingy is broken, of course. I have to almost scream my tonsils out just so he can say "I'm sorry, we don't do that here anymore". Thank God there was a window there, because otherwise I think I would've slapped him.

I yell again and tell him there should be a manager walking around, making sure employees are actually working instead of texting and he politely smiles and says "Thank you ma'am, I will let my manager know. Thank you for coming."

Was that so freaking hard?

I'm not a bitch, despite what people might say... But there's one thing people here seem to forget: THE ONLY REASON YOUR BUSINESS RUNS IS BECAUSE OF CUSTOMERS!

If you don't like pleasing customers, dealing with them, having to put up with their needy asses, maybe you should switch careers and start doing something else where you don't require to have as much contact with customers!

You texting or chatting with your fellow staff member is not going to convince that one lady to buy that dress she's been looking at for the last 10 minutes. You listening to music and/or singing is not going to cash that one gentleman out who wants to buy that tie. And you having no change is definitely not going to increase your sales when you tell the customer "I'm sorry, I don't have any jingle, go break that bill." EXCUSE MEEEEEEEE????

How is it MY problem, that you, the salesman don't have change? Why should I, the customer, go out of my way and go through all the trouble of finding change while you sit there and look pretty?

I can go somewhere else and find someone who's smart enough to assume that not every customer is going to walk in with a stripper-like wallet full of singles or fives. I can go somewhere else where the staff is not as lazy and actually WANTS to do THEIR JOB and sell their crap.

But of course... 99% of these people are employees, not owners... I wonder what the owners of these places would say if they knew what outstanding customer service their lovely staff gives...

I don't care how bitchy, needy, rude, mean, annoying, etc. customers are, they are the reason you have a job in the first place... If you can't deal with that, find another job ASAP!

If not, sooner or later, when you start realizing your sales are going down at a steady pace, and you know you haven't increased prices, it may just be a little too late.

Hell on Earth...

People say if you can drive in Guayaquil you can drive anywhere...

Well... I'm not quite sure whether that's true or not.

True, if you manage not to kill yourself, or anybody else for that matter, while driving in this mad city, then you're probably a pretty good driver...

However, I sometimes think that driving here only makes people THINK they can drive...

People get used to driving like crazy 24/7. People become so aggresive/defensive behind the wheel, that when they travel and they have to drive somewhere else, they assume they can put in practice everything they learned or did back in Gye... And then people wonder why in the States when there's a car wreck someone says "He had to be Spanish/Hispanic/Latino" --> or whatever they decide to call us...

I know there's traffic everywhere. I know people are crazy everywhere too, I'm not going to argue that... But seriously... Guayaquil is by far the worst place EVER to drive!

I would spend hours and hours naming what I hate the most about driving in this crap hole but I won't... All I can say is there HAS to be some kind of law that forbids bus and cab drivers to drive the way they do. There MUST be some kind of law that protects us, the "little-car drivers" from them, and most important, that protects pedestrians from these road killers.

I absolutely HATE how they drive here. I'm sure if by some reason somebody from a different country happens to read this, they will probably say "oh, you haven't been to ___ (city X)"... Well, before you do so... Have you ever been to Guayaquil!!!???

Only in this city you will see:

- Bus drivers honking at the cop to let them go.

- Drivers getting out of the car when getting pulled over, holding their driver's license in one hand, and a 5 dollar bill in the other.

- Buses cutting you off and then yelling at you because YOU got in their way.

- 6 cars in a 3-lane avenue.

- Buses making a right turn from the very far left lane... And cussing you out for trying to go before they can turn.

- Cars beeping at pedestrians while yelling "MOVE ITTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!" --> because yes, cars have a huge preference here; pedestrians simply don't count.

- "Professional drivers" who can't read or write.

- "Professional drivers" who have never taken a driving test.

- Cars running red lights in front of the cop.

- Cars going before the light turns green.

- Huge buses blocking intersections ALL THE WAY so that not one single car can move... And then when traffic finally starts moving, another bus comes and blocks the intersection again.

- Cars not even moving or trying to make an effort to move when the ambulance is desperately honking behind them... Apparently the siren doesn't mean "Get out of the way" in this country.

- Cops watching every single one of these things and not even blinking...

I hate it.

I absolutely HATE driving in this godforsaken city!

And I hate every single one of these useless cops we have in this useless institution called CTG.

They are absolutely WORTHLESS and I don't care what people say, we would be so much better off!!!!

I can't understand how someone can play stupid just like that... I just don't get it.

People die every single day in this city, in a car accident, run over by a car, and so on, and what do they do? NOTHING!

Oh, wait... My bad, I shouldn't say that... Of course they do something! THEY DEMAND YOU BRIBE THEM!!!

I hate them! I hate cops in general, but I HATE CTG cops with a passion!

I hate those stupid worthless white-uniformed thieves...

I hate traffic.

I hate this city and I hate peak hours.

I hate how retarded people are and how they think they own the freaking road...

I hate buses.

I hate cabs.

I hate how much corruption there is here.

I hate driving in this city. Period.

A Dog's Tale

I just got done watching A Dog's Tale...

Maybe they should have some kind of warning on the case that says "Not suitable for cry babies"...

I can barely type cuz I can barely open my eyes... They're swollen shut from crying so much...

This is crazy.

But still... This is probably the cutest and sweetest movie I've seen in my entire life...

It makes me miss my dog even more!

It's unbelievable how people never stop to think how much love dogs can give... I had my precious dog, Coca, for 9 1/2 years and I can't even imagine what coming home after school would've been like if she hadn't been waiting for me at the door...

Or going to sleep without someone taking care of me and sleeping by my side, or even putting up with my loser moments when I wanted to go for a drive with no specific destination and sitting on the passenger's seat listening to the corny music I listened to...

I miss my her so much... So much I sometimes call Mia, Coca... No wonder she looks at me like I'm crazy saying "Who the hell's Coca? My name's Mia!"

I miss u piciosa... I'll see you again someday...

No pain, no gain!

- What are you going to school for?

- T&I...

- Ohhh, cool!... What's that?? --> This is the typical question I've had to answer at least 100 times in the past 2 1/2 years...

What does T&I mean?

T&I is waaayyy more than Translation and Interpretation.
T&I is SLAVERY!!!!!!

T&I is having absolutely NO life whatsoever!

T&I is forgetting what a weekend is, because while every single person you know is out, partying, drinking, or doing anything related to FUN, you're at home, studying, interpreting, or reading hundreds of pages so you can "increase your vocabulary and have a better register"!

T&I is studying every possible glossary you can think of, and when the time for the midterm or final comes, you stand in front of that podium and get so nervous you can't even pronouce a single word.

T&I is listening to Obama, or Amma, or any other United Nations representative talk about biofuels and how they affect the environment 1000 words per minute.

T&I is drinking with your friends after exams and laughing at every single grammar/vocab mistake someone makes. It's interrupting a conversation every 5 seconds because someone said the wrong verb tense, or placed the adjective where it wasn't supposed to go, so the sense of the sentence changed completely!

T&I is listening to newscast while in your car so you can start shadowing; or even better, listening to speeches in your iPod because you need to step up your pace and not be so far behind the speaker.

T&I is almost fainting because you have to take notes for 10 minutes and you don't even know what the symbol for "agreement" is. It's beating yourself over and over because you said ALCA instead of FTAA.

T&I is reading a book, ANY BOOK, and thinking about syntax and semantics. It's doing sight translation when you look at any sign on a public display...

T&I is getting excited because Al Gore is coming to your country, but not only because he's a U.S. former Vicepresident, but because you can get to see how REAL LIFE simul works! And, to top it off... Think about words the interpreter said that you could've or would've said better if you had been doing the job...

Some people call us geeks, some call us nerds, some may even call us losers...

The truth is, it takes more than just being "bilingual" to put up with what we put up.

It takes more than just balls to love this kind of pain and suffering. It's giving masochism a whole new meaning...

But just like that, just like you beat yourself over and over for saying a word in a lower register than you should've, T&I is coming out of the classroom with a smile on your face because you were able to keep up with the speaker and you didn't use any fillers...

T&I is more than just a major in school. T&I is dedication; it's passion; it's being a perfectionist; it's being anal about stuff most people don't pay attention to... T&I is a way of living... T&I is going to bed dreaming one day you'll be in a booth at the UN Headquarters and waking up the next morning with new ideas for symbols.

T&I is the reason I wake up in the mornings and the only reason I keep going to school every single day... T&I is what I was born to be.

There may not be that many of us, but we're the best there is! :)