Quito: the city of every season, every day

This is true. It helps that Ecuador has only 2 seasons--wet and dry. We are now transitioning between the two seasons and the discrepancy between the two climates is huge.

For example, this morning when I returned from my morning class I sat outside in my yard to grade papers and then read for leisure. The sky was a brilliant blue, not a cloud in sight. The sun was strong and made it delightfully warm. From the hour or so I spent in direct sunlight, my shoulders burnt a bit and my arms got a bit darker.
This has been typical on weekdays--though rain and clouds in the morning also happens, usually on weekends (to ruin my plans, of course).

Afternoons are a different story. You used to be able to set your watch by the storms; come 3 o'clock, there will be rain. However, this pattern has been upset and now you never now when the rain will hit.
When I looked out my window at 3:15 this afternoon, the sky was ominously dark and ferocious looking clouds were littering the sky. I tried to gather my things quickly and get to school before the storm hit, but missed my window of opportunity. Literally as I was walking down the stairs to leave, the torrential downpour began. I put on my rain coat, clutched my bag close to me, and prayed my umbrella would keep some of the rain off me.

The walk to school is not long, but in this type of rain it's terrible. Not only were sheets of rain coming down, but there were also spurts of hail and thunder so strong it was setting off car alarms. Needless to say, I arrived at school soaked. Though my rain coat had protected me sufficiently, my pants were drenched and I left puddles in my wake.
However, I was not as bad off as a few of my students who had come without umbrellas today (why anyone would leave without an umbrella is beyond me--mine is my trusty sidekick). Soaked through, I sent them to the cafeteria to get hot drinks to warm up before starting class.

Soon, I look forward to returning home, getting some dry clothes (especially shoes) and having a nice evening with friends. This is bound to be a busy weekend...with a hike tomorrow morning and a festival in a town a few hours north of here on Sunday. I can't wait!

written by  Theresa on November 7, 2008 from Quito, Ecuador
from the travel blog: Adventures in Teaching and Living in Ecuador
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