Voting in Ecuador

Yeah, I know the constitution says that foreigners holding a legal residents visa are not obliged to vote.But this morning Marlene was checking and my name appeared on the voters list.

Unlike in Canada where voting is a non-obligatory right, here you must have your voting paper to do pretty much anything legal.

So, I went to my signed voting poll and added my NO vote to the other 43% of the people who voted NO. It will still be another two hours before the official results start coming in.

Barry

Joshua showing off his new filling

Today was the day for the dentist. Joshua had one cavity filled and was quite brave throughout the process.

Of course, it helped that the dentist specializes in working with children!

Science World

Yesterday we went to the Ecuadorian equivalent of Science World in Vancouver. It's not as big, but it is still a lot of fun for kids if all ages. I know that both Marlene and I enjoyed it, and of course so did Joshua and Joel!

It's only been open for a lille over a year, but still has some great exhibits. They have some knowledgeable staff as well that help to explain the pieces.

Recommended for those with kids in the 5 and up category and also those who are just young at heart.

Moving day...

We just got word this past week that we will definitely need to move again within the next four months. The owner of the building we live in and the property next to us has accepted an offer for both properties with a possession date of midnight, June 30.

So, that means we will be looking for a new place to live. As we look, we'll keep you updated on what we are finding.

The dancers...

Just this past weekend Joshua and Joel went to a birthday party and they had a really good clown there who got everyone involved in activities. One of them was when she had the older children dancing.

I'm glad I had my Blackberry as I completely forgot to take a regular camera. So, you can watch this short video of the dancing but the quality won't be that great.

They do a great job of following the clown, but the person who did the best job (according to the judge) was the boy in the white shirt.

Christmas time...

At ANAN (Joshua's and Joel's school) they presented their Christmas show last Tuesday (Dec 21). It was simple, but quite cool (and not just from the weather here).

Joshua dressed up as Frosty the Snowman and looked great in his costume.

Joel came dressed as a boy dressed for winter.

It was hilarious watching them dance to the music. Joel especially has a capability to move his body to rthymn.

If you want to see more pictures of the event, please see the photo album for ANAN Navidad 2010.

And you thought you had a long drive...

When Marlene and I went out for dinner on our anniversary (yes, happened a couple of months back) we found this van which caught our attention because of the Canadian flag. So we stopped and took a look at it.

The person or persons (we never saw them) are driving from Canada to the Land of Fire off the souther tip of South America.

Now, that's a long drive!