Flies.

The months I've spent here in Quito have been thought provoking to say the least. Every new experience incites me to ponder random things as I compare my new life to the old one and wonder at what will come next. One topic that never reaches this mental stream of unsure speculation however, is the weather. While there are minor changes in climate from day to day, each of us wakes up every morning with the secure knowledge that outside it will be sunny, clear, and warm until around 2pm when the clouds start to roll in, and then you'd better not be caught outside the house without an umbrella or- at the very least- your rain jacket. 

Additionally, the temperature here stays at a very pleasant 70-something degrees Farenheit year round. Because of this, no Ecuadorian buildings have heating or air conditioning. Interior climate control consists of nothing more than the opening and closing of windows and doors. This system works very well considering the agreeable weather conditions, except for one thing- the flies. When you open your home to the elements of nature, you unfortunately cannot choose which elements to invite in and which to deny access. 

Recently, we have had an influx of these small, winged guests who always insist on overstaying their welcome. Mostly, we get used to it, and attempt to work despite their buzzing and hurried flight patterns. Sometimes, though, when concentrating or stressing over something really important, the little black flies can be the annoyance that sends you over the deep end into borderline insanity or a state of intense fury. This happens most often with Dunc and Eliah, who stage mini-wars against our undersized and rapidly moving intruders. It took a few trial battles for their skills with the fly-swatter to fully blossom (apparently the strategy for combating flies is different from the thought process used in Risk world domination), but now they are each quite good at making contact, saving us all from continuous irritation. 

These bouts of man vs. insect struggles are really quite humorous and provide light hearted entertainment- for us at least, not so much for the flies- that can break up the monotony of email chains and lesson planning. The one problem that is becoming more and more apparent as the battles become more successful is that the final resting place of the fly casualties is usually smack dab in the middle of a wall in a household common area. Almost every room I walk into now, be it the kitchen, the upstairs work space, the downstairs living room, or even the bathroom, contains evidence of another human victory in the form of a small lifeless insect fixed to the wall, visibly contrasting against the eggshell colored paint. I brought this up at the last meeting but I have yet to see anyone make any effort to dispose of the remains. Maybe this is because, at the time, everyone was a little distracted watching Mark as he pursued another worthy adversary with the fly-swatter who had rudely attempted to interrupt our discussion. In true spirit of knowing when to pick your battles, I'll let the boys keep theirs with the flies and keep pursuing my own of trying to get Manna to pay for ice cream.   : )

Hasta Luego,

J