The Irony of Being an Expat

It isn't my personal irony, but it is an irony that exists here. We've met a lot of types of people during out stint in Ecuador and most of them are pretty amazing. There's the adventure seekers, looking for new experiences and cultures; the financial refugees, that mostly hate that they aren't home; the wing nuts, never satisfied and always paranoid, and the families, looking to give their children a different outlook on life. There's also the combination of some of those things and it can make life here quite interesting.

Have I been teasing you? Here's the irony: we've come across people who are anti-immigration in their home countries, but live here...as immigrants. 

Representation of my mind being blown

Say what, now?

Yup. I don't care for the word expat, as it seems to differentiate between "immigrants" and "white people who relocate", and that's just ridiculous. For all intents and purposes, I'm an immigrant. I left my home country to try living somewhere else for a while. Yet, for those that live in this state of irony, they aren't "immigrants", they're "expats" and that's (somehow!) different. (Magic thinking, perhaps?) I can't say for certain, but this double-think (or cognitive dissonance) might contribute to the whole "Ugly American" phenomenon. Of course, that particular moniker doesn't simply apply to those from the United States, but many different countries.

I haven't met a lot of people that perform this sort of mental gymnastics, but they do exist and I often wonder if they ever realise the incredible irony of their stance? They're of the same ilk that fled liberal governments, for fear of the incipient reach of "communism" and wound up in a socialist country. As I said before, most people here are good, kind contributing members of society, no matter where they live. But, I'm reminded by a good friend that "this is the life we chose".

You Can't Keep a Good Computer Down

Life has been traumatic lately - in a first world sort of way. I'm still recuperating from the torn muscle and tendon. It makes sitting, standing and generally existing hard a good part of the time, but at least I had my trusty computer to nurse me through the doldrums...

Or did I? When I came home after grocery shopping, my laptop had gone to sleep...permenantly. I blame the Windows 10 upgrade, but what do I know? Being the responsible computer owner, I had diligently created recovery discs in the event of catastrophic failure. I was feeling pretty smug about it, to be honest. I transfered all the important stuff to a zip drive and started the recovery process. The boot repair failed, files were missing and my only option was to start from the beginning. This entailed basically wiping the hard drive of everything and reloading the initial programs. I doubled checked that I'd removed the important files and bit the bullet.

The function failed. My hard drive was mostly empty and my recovery discs wouldn't reload any of the programs. Argh. Black screen of death...

So we packed up the shell of my laptop and found a little tienda with a nice young man named Fernando, who said he'd do what he could. The good news? Obviously, I'm back up and running, with Windows 8.1 and Office 2013 all for the low price of $35 USD. I am happy, but Fernando says the hard drive is on its last legs and could die at any time. He says he can hook me up with a 500GB drive for a good price, so I'm thinking on it.

More Pain in the Ass and Wallet

Me, up and mobile, here's to better days!

The sciatica saga continues. What seemed to be a hopeful turn has ended in disappointment. While the intramuscular injections of relaxants offered relief from the truly mind boggling pain, they didn't last. Off I went to get x-rays (radiografía en español). So I have a compacted lumbar disc that is pinching my sciatic nerve. (This means the two vertebrae have little cushioning between them and are using my nerve in lieu of my squished "jelly doughnut" of a disc.) This is also know as degenerative disc disease, something that sounds frightening and irreversible. Apparently, this is not the case. Physiotherapy has a 90% efficacy rate for treating the issue. (Fingers crossed.) I kind of feel like I've aged five years over the last several weeks. Pain does truly bizarre things to my head. (I'm a lot wimpier than I thought, to be sure.) I think the meds are also messing with my brain chemistry, so I'm excited to get off them ASAP.

I'm actually quite surprised at the cost of medical treatment here. (In a good way.) As a Canadian, the whole concept of paying to see a doctor is a bit odd, but we're no strangers to coughing over for "alternate" treatments like massage therapy, chiropractic work, physio etc.

This is how it's broken down so far (in US dollars):
     * Massage therapy: $40 for two one hour sessions (an introductory rate)
     * Impromptu visit to Physiotherapist: $15 (including compression, electro-stimulation, 
            massage and assigned stretches.
     * Chiropractor: $25 initial consult and $15 an adjustment thereafter = $70
          (I have one more appointment, so add another $15)
     * Doctor: 5 visits $90, including 12 injections and x-ray consult, prescriptions etc
     * X-rays: 2 for $25
     * Physiotherapy: 10 sessions at $6.50 each (this is a partially government funded
           Association) = $65

What I haven't included is the medications. I've blown through 27 muscle relaxants, uncountable amounts of ibuprofen and acetaminophen, plus some minorly scary opioid pills to manage the pain. I'm now looking forward to 5 B-Complex injections in the glutes for anti-inflammatory and analgesic purposes. This also give me "pep" and can help correct nerve damage (if any). Be warmed photos of the needles to follow. The B shots were the most expensive of the medications prescribed (strangely) @ $22.70 for the 5. I figure I'm up to around $40 for pain management. The biggest surprise is that you can't book appointments for a lot of this stuff, you go, wait in line and get treated on a first come first serve basis. I can call my Doctor to see if he's in the office, but besides that everything is pretty casual. (This excludes the North American's working down here, but the Ecuadorians seem patently uninterested in arranging set times for appointments. If you've been here long enough, this likely isn't a surprise.)

Not too scary, right?

The needle 1 inch+ of metal for deep muscle access

The B-complex mix

Locked and loaded

So, all in we're looking at around $360 US (or $482 Canadian based on the current exchange - thanks US Reserve for increasing interest rates!) We've opted for "self-insured" medical, meaning that we put money aside every month for just this sort of thing. This is our first "major" expenditure, outside of Ron having some dental work done when we were first here. I've found an excellent source of information for the government insured medical care system, which is similar to how Canada runs. From the blog, it seems inexpensive and fairly easy to navigate. I have heard the odd story about complications and challenges with a laissez-faire approach to appointments etc, but this IS Ecuador. Thanks Bob and Linda for the excellent information. See Bob and Linda in Ecuador for more info about IESS and do some research as this is only one couples' experience with the system.

It may seem steep, as a Canadian, for medical care, but if I take into account the supplementary treatments that are only partially included, I think I'm actually well ahead of the game. The down side is I can't claim it on my taxes. So that's the state of things. I won't know until after Christmas how the treatments are working, but I'm hoping to feel some minor relief before then, again, fingers crossed! 

PS, the vitamin injection was stingy once the liquid was being injected - the needle prick wasn't bad at all - thank you Nurse Ron!

Hard to BULK Up in Ecuador

Let's face it, we're a consumer nation, and there's nothing we like better than a "good deal". This concept has spurred on things like buying clubs, IKEA and (of course) Costco. To be right up front, many things in Costco scare me. Have you seen the size of some of the tuna tins? (Ron's parents only wished something like that existed back in the day, what with the 11 kids to raise.) It's given us the idea that bigger is often better: yes the idea of bulk purchasing. 

Now, there's only two of us, but we still bought 20kg bags of rice, 24 roll packs of toilet paper and 3 litre tins of olive oil. Why? Because we knew we'd use it and it was always cheaper in the long run. This leads me to Ecuador - land of the single purchase. You can actually buy a single cigarette from the corner stands. When you go to the pharmacy and are looking for ibuprofen (for example) you can actually buy ONE PILL. It can be challenging to buy the whole packet - at the very least you get a strange look. Heck, I've even seen them hand out single shots of cough medicine. (You can also buy eggs individually.)Toilet paper is the same price whether you buy 4 rolls or 24 - actually sometimes the 24 is more expensive and almost all food items are individually wrapped. When you buy a packet of saltines they come in neat little packages of three crackers. Talk about over packaging!

Single serve pills

So, why? Why is this? It actually comes down to cash flow. Just because 24 of something costs less per unit (in theory), you still need the money to buy the larger quantity and not everyone has that luxury. So the smaller stores sell the smaller individually wrapped packages at maybe a penny or two higher than the big stores sell the multi-unit packages (per unit). Why buy 10 when you can buy 1? (This also applies to instant versus brewed coffee. Instant is cheaper and you don't need extra equipment.)

Tons of tiny instead of one big one

This has been a life lesson for us and it's been very difficult to get our little North American brains wrapped around. It's really hard not to reach for the "family sized" items, but we're getting a handle on it. It's actually so crazy that I've seen restaurateurs buying 50 tiny bottles of soy sauce. (You can't get bulk soy sauce here, at least from what I've seen.) They don't have food distributors like they do in NA. either, they all shop at the mercados and at the big chain grocery stores...can you imagine the nightmare of running a restaurant???

Here, the answer is mainly..."no"

Anyhow, this realization is humbling and, in many ways, simplifies everything. There are no coupons to worry about, sales to chase (at least most of the time) and you buy what you can afford and no more.  That's not to say that there aren't people here with money. Cuenca is actually quite a well off city, but we can learn a lot from people who only operate in cash.

So the next time you're buying your jumbo pack of [fill in the blank], think of me and my Ecuadorian neighbours with our little pack of one.

The Perplexing Case of Lost Time

If I had a dollar for every time that someone asked me what we do to fill our days, I'd have at least a hundred bucks. For people with things like full-time jobs, school aged children (or younger - aigh!) and students trying to survive the post secondary education system, the thought of having almost endless free time is pretty mind boggling.

Me lazing around reading

I know. I've been there. I've squished in the house cleaning on a Thursday night so I could go somewhere on a Saturday. I've spent the whole weekend running chores only to find, much to my horror, that it was almost Monday again and I had nothing really to show for my weekend except an extra hour's sleep.
 

Us taking a break on a rock

So when I'm asked what we do everyday, I say one of two things: "Whatever we want" or "As little as possible." In my mind, this isn't actually true. We still have to clean the house, do the laundry and go to get groceries. Sometimes we have social engagements or Spanish classes to attend, the dentist needs a visit every once in a while and we try and get out every day for a "constitutional". Then there's our gym schedule. We go three times a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We're almost always doing research on our next great trip; as the whole point of this adventure is to get out and see the world. With so much dedication to such things, a nap is usually needed to get us over the midday hump. Sometimes it's a bit overwhelming. (A can hear many of you laughing right now.) 

Yup, sitting on our butts again!

So here's the thing. Humans are adaptable and we adjust to the demands of our lives, more or less. That I find it stressful to have two appointments in one day would have been laughable only a few short years ago, but that's actually how it is now. The luxury of a two hour breakfast is now standard. I sip my coffee, surf the net and before I know it, it's 11 am and I haven't even made the bed yet. My time fills as necessary, things have slowed down and I'm hardly ever in a rush to get something done. (Including the housework, much to Ron's chagrin...he's a disciplined creature who knocks out his chores as soon as they are due and puts me to shame.)

Waiting for the bus to come pick us up

I don't know what happened to time. It still passes rapidly and I'm usually at a loss as to where the day has gone, despite not really having anything to do. (Thursdays are my favourite, as they're "free" days, no chores, no exercise, no anything...just sloth...yes, I'm that lazy.) So this is retirement; this is why retired folks can write letters, hang out in Timmies for endless hours and tell the same stories over and over again; we have nothing better to do. (Okay, there's some retired people out there that never learn to slow down...bless their hearts.)

Yay, retirement!

So while you can't imagine having each and every morning to just whittle away  the hours, I can't imagine having to rush anymore. Two sides of the same coin, you might say. Lord help me if I ever have to go to work again. Have hope, this could be you one day! No time is lost, really, it's just passed quietly.

PS Check out my interview on expat.com: http://www.expat.com/en/expat-mag/637-interview-of-a-canadian-expat-in-cuenca-ecuador.html

And hello Costa Rica, you're officially country 100, followed closely by the Dominican Republic making 101! 

God, what a Blast!

It's our favourite time of year, says I, tongue firmly planted in cheek. It's no secret that Ecuadorians like noise. Loud music, car and building alarms, barking dogs and cars without mufflers are common occurrences here. They also like celebrating Saints days with noisy fireworks that sound vaguely like cannons. They can be heard all over the city and every church (and there are lots of them) has a special celebration annually, where the devoted get up early and light off these noise makers before heading into services.

La catedral nueva

Generally speaking, it's not all that bad, given a few blocks of distance, the sound isn't completely heart attack enducing, but when the church is right next door to your house, it's a whole different matter. Why do they do this? Who knows, there are many theories, but none really make sense. Someone told us it was to scare away evil spirits, but that's not logical. War is noisy and I can't think of a better space for lingering malignant entities. If someone has an idea, I'd love to know.

Iglesia de San Francisco

We live next to the church of Cristo Rey, or  Christ the King and this Saturday is when Catholics traditionally celebrate his transfiguration. (Or so says the internet, I had to look it up.) This is (apparently) a big deal here. At 5:39 Monday morning, we were awoken with a bang...literally. Now here's the funny thing: these "sound" fire works go off randomly all over the city, in a similar fashion to people lighting candles at the alter; not everyone does it, but some people do. So just as you're settling back to sleep, off goes another one. The first day there were only 6 (not counting the ones during normal business hours) randomly spaced out, so that sleeping was just a distant memory.

La iglesia de Cristo Rey (we think it used to be
a monastery)

Yesterday there were seven, before 8am. They're loud enough to make the windows shake and car alarms to go off. This, of course, would never happen in North America, what with noise by-laws and an aging population prone to weak hearts and nervous constitutions, but that doesn't seem to bother anyone here.  

Iglesia de Santo Cenaculo (?)

I know what you're thinking...don't live close to a church. Ha ha! Just try it. Unless you're willing to move out into the countryside, there is going to be a church near you. It's rumoured that Cuenca has at least 52 churches, one for every week of the year, and that's within the city limits. I can see 17 from our windows and that doesn't include Cristo Rey, which is behind us.

Iglesia de San Blas

Only three more days to go until it's back to the dogs and alarms.  

Taking a Vacation from your Vacation

 I've realized that, at some point, I ceased feeling like I was on vacation and have slid into " normal" life. If I had to commit to it, I'd say it happened around the time we went to Machu Picchu - our first "vacation" since we got down here. Of course, I didn't think about it at the time, but that must have been the magic moment that Ecuador morphed from "holiday" into "my life".

In the 90's we took a three month trip to Europe. (Yes, a luxury, especially then, but in our minds, completely necessary.) It was a backpacking holiday, done as much on the cheap as possible, but we enjoyed almost every single second - barring a few meltdowns on my part and a bit of backpack prejudice from a few people on the Continent. We spent a lot of time paying off that holiday and really didn't travel all the much for the seven years afterward.So now, we're planning another monster trip, but this time it's a bit different.

The time between our big get-a-way to Europe and now has been filled with career advancement, cautious fiscal planning and an experience with higher-end travel. We enjoyed good hotels, nice restaurants and (at least occasionally) private airport pick-up and transfer to the above mentioned hotels. While we've never flown first class (which is probably for the best), we did enjoy the perks of having a good travel budget. Fast forward to now.

We find ourselves almost back to where we were when we went to Europe in the 90's, at least financially. We live fairly cautiously and with the Canadian dollar which is taking a beating and neither of us is working, money is a bit more precious to us. So how can we manage another three month vacation and not have to sacrifice the quality that we've come to enjoy? Home exchange. Thank heaven's for you! (And good financial management, but that's a whole other blog.)

When we got down to the calculations, we figure we're going to spend about as much (a little bit more) than we did over 20 years ago and all because of cutting out hotel expenses. That's how we're going to take a vacation from our retirement. We're a bit longer of tooth, a bit more set in our ways and we're so happy to find that we won't be slogging through hostels and paying per shower. This was one of the things that worried us when we decided to do the crazy thing (retire) and start traveling the world, but now those fears are laid to rest and we'll soon be off on our next grand adventure. You know you're blessed when you can actually take a vacation...from your vacation.

Can you go "Down Under", when you're already in the Southern hemisphere?

Being Abroad: What Are the Drawbacks?

I find that in virtual life, it can be very easy to put lipstick on the pig and pretend that everything is perfect. We see it on Facebook in all the perfect pictures with smiling faces and well edited travel photos. We see in in the tweets about achievements and through snap-chat. Perfect happiness seems to be all around us, and really, we're all pretty guilty of it. Who really wants to show a rain soddened photo of what might possibly be the Eiffel Tower? Or a quick snap of the huge pile of poop that you stepped in, barefoot, because you weren't paying attention? No one. No one wants to show pictures of their kids' meltdowns in restaurants or on the train back from Machu Picchu, either. You probably get my drift.

Complex issues with hidden surprises

So it's hard. Hard to put down the realities and sacrifices of packing up our lives and heading out into the wide world. It's hard to explain how sometimes you just really want to go home, because you know it's likely easier. But it happens.

Unexpected moment of surprise and pleasure

So what's hard about living abroad? I've said it before: it's a whole different world out there. What seems normal and logical to one person (because of what they're used to) maybe be ridiculous to another. Cultural practices can vary wildly, personal space and what qualifies as rude or not are not set in stone. Not everyone adheres to our sense of 'rightness'.

Rough and unyielding circumstances

Not being fluent in the language is really hard, because I really want to understand and be understood. I'm no slouch when it comes to Spanish, but I'm no where near fluent. We both do passingly well, we can hold down a conversation for the most part and can usually get what we need from stores etc, but I miss a lot of nuance and occasionally miss out an entire section because my vocabulary is lacking. When things go wrong it can be doubly hard, because I'm already stressed, so trying to get help in a foreign language throws me over the top sometimes. Especially when the culture isn't customer service oriented or dislikes confrontation. (Case in point - Ecuadorians will almost always tell you "yes" because that's what they think you want to hear and it avoids any nasty situations at that particular moment. Whether it's actually possible or not is an entirely different matter.

Strange things that you don't know what to do with?
Check!

Not having the things we're used to having can be hard, too. Especially when I'm not feeling well and all I really want is some hard core cold medicine to knock me out. They don't really have that here. Decongestants are a controlled substances and hard to come by, but you can get sleeping pills no problem. (They scare me.) My list really could be endless...I miss a toilet that is actually bolted to the floor, reliable plumbing (p-traps seem to be optional in many places here), Christmas lights that will last more than one season and limitless English TV channels. I also miss Dr. Pepper and gourmet specialty items that have yet to be discovered by Ecuadorian palates.

Inexplicable combinations

It's also hard being so far away from family and friends, especially if someone is ailing. The sticker shock of airplane tickets can get the heart pumping or even make a trip back home impossible. It's hard to miss birthdays and other special occasions as well. We really have to pick and choose which we go to, which can get us in trouble.

Unexpected occurences

When the Canadian dollar tumbles (as it just has) we feel it. It sucks. It cuts our income dramatically and we have to be even more selective about what we buy and when we buy it. So, it's not exactly the highfalutin' life style that many people assume we have. It's more cost effective to live here, to be sure, but we aren't drinking champagne and eating caviar everyday. (Or even every second day.) The flip side of the whole money thing is sticker shock when you go other places. We had lunch in the airport in Montreal, on our way to the East coast of Canada. We each had a sandwich, shared a small bottle of water and a very stale lemon tart and the dubious pleasure cost us over $30. Aigh! We can eat a filling lunch here for $7.50 CDN and that includes beer. When you live in a country that is more affordable, it's a shocker to go to 1st world countries and (literally) pay the price.

Sunshine basking with friends (it happens)

We've sacrificed a lot of things to live here, but we do it for the lifestyle, the experiences and the immersion in a different culture. If I'm having a bad day, I may not agree that it's worth it, but most of the time the sacrifice pays for itself in spades. I don't want to sugar coat the experience, but I don't want it to seem daunting, either. Like everything, it has its pros and cons. You just have to be willing to take your lumps (sometimes while crying or swearing under your breath) and remember that everything in life teaches you something.

Trip to Ecuador - Part 3 Food!

Food is always an interesting and subjective subject. One man's manna is another's swill - so to speak.

There are certain truths that exist in Ecuador. It isn't one of those countries blessed with an adventuresome palate. The indigenous population has never felt the need to augment their basic food supply with tons of spice or over the top flavour. Now, that isn't to say that there isn't good food here. Sure, their favourite "spice" is salt, but Ecuadorian chefs are masters at soup and fried chicken. (You heard it here first!) 

Pasta with Kale and Peppers

On the coast there's tons of seafood; especially corvina (a catch all phrase for a bass like fish that comes in many sizes. Ceviche is sold here, but by law, the fish needs to be cooked and cannot be just cured in citric acid, so it doesn't have the same texture as Peruvian ceviche. 

Cuy is a food for celebrating here and can be quite pricey. Word of warning: the guinea pig is often served with its head...the incisors can be quite off putting, as are the little burnt ears and blackened paws. Besides that, if you get it from the right place, it's quite delicious.

Play find the head!

Chancho...or better known as roasted pig...is another treat. Often served with a mashed potato/cheese pancake and a salad of onion, lettuce and carrot, this dish is pretty awesome. The crisp skin and slow cooked meat is hard to beat. (Cuy is cooked the same way and you get the same crispy skin.)

Beef is a tough one here...literally. While you can get decent (and even excellent) beef, more frequently it is pretty tough. Why, you might ask? Because they don't age the meat usually. That old joke about cutting the horns off and running it through the frying pan...well that actually happens here (kind of). Aging is a critical step in breaking down the meat fiber and if the beef isn't cooked low and slow or under pressure, it resembles old shoe leather. That being said, I've had some pretty amazing steak here, but the chef's know what they're doing or import meat from places that do.

There is also a wealth of fruits and vegetables. Where the vegetables get to, besides in the soup, is a bit of a mystery to me. The traditional style almuerzos (two/three course lunches) usually only have a mild nod to rabbit food. The fruit usually winds up in juice, which is almost always super tasty, as well. 

Vegetarian Almuerzo Option

Of course, the capital, Quito, has a really good range of foods, if you're willing to splurge a little to get them. (That's a relative phrase here, as you can get a fairly solid almuerzo for $2.50.) Cuenca's food scene is eternally developing and more restaurants are opening that focus on flavour and quality ingredients as opposed to  cheap and fast. This is a good thing, but the Cuencano palate is generally geared towards blander foods, so the restaurateurs have their challenges.

All this being said, don't be afraid to go out and try bollos (stuffed and fried plantain balls), maduros (ripe plantain with fresh cheese), empanadas, ceviche and skewers of meat fried street side. A must is to try salchipapas - hot dogs on fries usually with all sorts of toppings like ketchup, mayonnaise, salad and other things - it's the snack of champions here, 

This is Ecuador - The Oven Saga Cont'd.

I've been finding it really hard to concentrate after the attacks in Paris, Beirut, Syria, Mali etc, as well as the natural disaster. The wave of fear that has stuck usually logical and kind people is saddening. With all that I haven't had much time to celebrate the fact that our oven is now working.

No Oven Required

It feels a bit like a MasterCard commercial.

Part: $280
Shipping: $180
Import taxes and handling: $67 (usd)
Installation and further repair: $135 (usd)
Working oven: Priceless

This is part of life on another continent. On the same day that oven was up and running, our cable box went on the fritz and seemingly died. (Sigh.) However, after arranging to get a "tecnico" out the next day, we woke up and the darn thing was up and running. This is a perfect example that encapsulates what it is to be in Ecuador. Like any place, it isn't perfect, but you get out of it what you put in to it. Of course, this isn't always my forte. I'm a worrier and can't seem to help but imagine the worst case scenario for any problem. I like to think that this prepares me for bad outcomes, but it drives my poor husband crazy. He's more of a "don't worry about it until you actually know it's something you need to deal with" kind of guy. It doesn't matter where I'm living...I was the same back home, but it can make for extra stress, especially if you're trying to function in a second language.

Not my kitchen, but only slightly less useful...

The folks at TVCable don't seem to understand that speaking a bit slower might resolve the situation more quickly. I've also come to realize that Ecuadorians don't phrase things the same way. For example, I'm an English tutor to a 17 year old girl and her mother (inexplicably) wants me to help the daughter with a large Spanish writing project; a book about the young girl's life. (This is a school assignment.) So the mother wanted to know how much I would charge to help with the book, but she didn't ask me "How much will you charge to help with the book?" She asked (in Spanish or to be more PC: Castellano) "How much will the book cost?" I don't know how much it would cost to print up a book or buy the supplies to hand write it, so I replied "I don't know." I can now see why they had perplexed looks on their faces, but it took me overnight to understand what it was they were actually asking.

Something pretty to look at for when
we don't have cable or internet

Another example is speaking with TVCable. The account is under my husband's name, so of course they want to know who I am...I'm obviously not Ronaldo. They don't say "who are you?" or "who am I speaking with?" No, that would be to easy; they say something akin to "with whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?" Now, in English that doesn't seem so bad, but when it's cast at me in rapid fire Spanish, I usually miss this gist. I've called them enough now, that I pretty well have the drill down and I'm slowly getting to understand what it is they're saying, but as the title of this blog entry says "This is Ecuador."

How we feel now that the oven works!

Living abroad is a bit like a baseball game...long stretches of boredom interspersed with moments of excitement and sheer terror. So if you're considering it keep in mind: the quirkiness and unexpectedness; it's all part of the adventure.