Melbourne

We arrived in Melbourne after five flights (CUE-UIO-MIA-LAX-SYD-MEL) and two days.  I won't rant about how much the airlines in US really suck, but US domestic flights are an abomination.  I mean, we were treated so much better on the four hour flight from Quito to Miami than we were on the six hour flight from Miami to LA.  We were given food and blankets on the international flight, but on the domestic one we were starved and frozen.  The 15 hour flight from LA to Sydney was a pleasure compared to all the others, even though it was the longest.  It had the best food and service, but probably because it was Quantas rather than American Airlines (even though there was a code share).

Not Every System Here is Broken

While I'm still trying to figure out how to conclude my naturalization process (which now involves my parents' passports, even though people in this country have told me that it is not a sufficient proof of citizenship...I was told that I need a letter or document from the US government to prove that my parents are US citizens...I'm sorry, but considering that you need proof of US citizenship to get a US passport and a US passport can only be issued by the US government, why is it such a document unacceptable?), I have been doing some other paper pushing here in Cuenca.  And it took less than 45 minutes!

Preparing for Oz

I know you've all been waiting for the Australia series, so here it goes...

I should start by mentioning why we ended up in Australia in the first place.  The excuse was my great aunt's 90th birthday (Dad's mom's sister).  When I was home last October, my dad mentioned that he would be going to Australia for a week in December for this birthday party/family reunion.  It tied in perfectly with the week he would spend in Hong Kong for work.  He also mentioned that he was bringing my brother. 

Just When You Thought it was Safe...

So I returned to Quito on Wednesday to finally finish the naturalization process.  I had everything I needed.  All I had to do was go back to the Civil Registry, pay my money, and wait.

The morning went well enough, even though I had to wait two hours for a process that I was told would take half an hour.  But I finally got my papers and all I had to do was walk over to the "rectifications" desk and they would input my data and I would be able to get my ID (NB - apparently I technically am a citizen already, but have no way of proving it until I get my ID, which I need in order to get a passport, which I need to get back into the country if I leave since my work visa expires in three weeks).

Certifiable

Today I went to the Civil Registry in Cuenca.  As I mentioned before, the Civil Registry in Quito would not proceed with my naturalization process until I procured two copies of my marriage certificate, which could only be gotten in Cuenca.

Actually, I need to back up to yesterday.  Yesterday I tried to go to the Civil Registry in Cuenca.  I mean, I went to the office, but they weren't there anymore.  Apparently they are renovating their offices and the temporary location is on the other side of town.  Well, the other side of downtown.  If downtown Cuenca is about 10 by 15 blocks, the temporary offices were about 20 blocks away from the permanent ones.  And I'm not exaggerating, I counted.

Trust but Verify

Or measure twice and cut once.  Actually, in Ecuador you probably should measure three or for times before cutting.

I know I haven't written much lately, but I've been busy.  Besides working, I'm in the process of becoming an Ecuadorian citizen.  I actually think I am a citizen already, and the process involved lots of papers and notaries and copies, but still need to go through the process of getting my ID and passport. 

House Arrest

Tomorrow is the census.  Just like in the US they do it every ten years.  Unlike the US, there is one day that they attempt to count everyone and you must stay in your house all day.  It is against the law for me to leave my house tomorrow from 7AM to 5PM. 

Sigh.  I guess I'll be on skype if anyone wants to call :)

Security

I'm currently in Latacunga now, I was in Cuenca for the last week, after returning back from Chicago.  I brought back with me about 140lbs of luggage, 50lbs in each checked bag and about 40lbs in my carry on (which broke during the flight, but that's another story).  So what usually happens when I return to Ecuador is that Dad drops me off at the terminal with my two checked bags, then he parks while I check in and he meets me in the terminal and brings me my carry on.  We then say goodbye as I go through security.

First Class

This week is full of travel.  But fortunately most of it will be an upgrade from what I'm used to.

First, a summary of this week's travel:

My First Potential Coup

A state of emergency has been declared in Ecuador.  The military is now in charge and are backing the president.  The airports and major roads are closed.  This is all due to the fact that the police are on strike apparently due to the reduction of their retirement benefits.

However, in Latacunga nothing is happening.  I'm so safe that I'm practically cloistered.

I've been working 16 hour days this past week since we are issuing drawings tomorrow.  So I basically leave the office for lunch and dinner is ordered in.  And our apartment here is half a block away. 

The internet was shut down nationwide earlier today for a few hours.  Which was good for me because I was able to get more work done :)

If anything interesting happens, I'll try to write about it.  But for now, back to work.