A life in Colombia
Many people assume you need to be brave to be a journalist. That is absolutely not true. To be a journalist, you need to be a professional. If you are put into a potentially scary or dangerous situation you do not think about how potentially scary or dangerous it is. No. You think about the […]
MoreMy days in Quito have settled into an easy and surprisingly enjoyable routine – I am already feeling sad about swapping this city for the Galapagos (I know!) and even considering re-enrolling at the school again afterwards. This is how my day goes… 6.40am – Wake up. 7am – Say hola to Maria and devour her breakfast. 7.30am […]
MoreIt occurs to me that with all my ramblings about my life here, I haven’t said one word about the lovely city of Quito. I’m not sure which bright spark decided to build a capital city in a valley surrounded by volcanoes, but it’s beautiful. I love walking out of Ruth’s house in the morning and seeing the […]
More“Who here has their boyfriend?” Silence. “Who here has their girlfriend?” More silence. “Excellent,” beams Edi, our short and slightly rotund middle-aged dance teacher, who is atonishingly fluid of the hip. “In my classes we make romance. Sometimes we make marriage.” Fat chance Edi, fat chance. The warm up for his salsa class was not […]
MoreI am today recovering from one of the most excruciating dinner table conversations I’ve ever endured. The nine of us (seven volunteers plus Monika and her son) went out for dinner to a lovely Ecuadorian restaurant. I was seated near the end, next to Pippa, beside Monika and opposite Pa-ool (his name really should be […]
MoreThere was a scary first day of school feel about this morning. We left at 8am, after collecting the sandwiches Maria had prepared and walked to school in time for lessons at 8.30. The tuition is all one-on-one which is great because it meant my teacher, Maribel, could start with the idiot stuff for me. […]
MoreI thought I signed up for two weeks of Spanish lessons in Ecuador, but it turns out I have also signed up to learn cooking, cocktails and, er, salsa. The first two are fine. I quite like the idea of learning how to make a mean roast Alpaca or fix a particularly potent Mojito. But […]
MoreMonika bounds up to the gate, laden with three enormous bunches of red roses. She presents them with a flourish to the girls – Rachel, Bryony and I. The boys, Tom and Alex, receive Ecuadorian scarves. Each of us also receive a bear hug and a kiss on the cheek which is exactly what you need after 22 […]
MoreFlying early in the morning is strange and, frankly, it messes with my carefully constructed routine for international travel. I always arrive early. I check in and I seethe my way through the palava that is security. Once that horror has passed, I recover quietly in WHSmith. I buy a Daily Telegraph (because it always […]
MoreDeath row was looking particularly tragic today. They stared at me with their black little eyes and eerily fierce expressions. I tried to look disdainful but probably ended up on the wrong side of indecisive. “What’s the matter?” my mother said, walking into the middle of the stand off. The matter? I think. The matter? […]
More