It's ten thirty in the morning here...odd to think that it's already 6.30 in the evening in Finland. Having now been for for almost two weeks we have been talking this morning about the things we will appreciate more when we go home to Finland. So far we have come up with the following list

The quality and freshness of the air
Drinking water from the tap
Crossing the road without fear of being run over
Driving and parking without fear of death
Having a bit more space (there are currently eight of us in our apartment)
The complete silence at night (in Vihti at least)
Having reliable access to water, electricity and the internet
Sauna
The fact that free education is universally available
The forests and the lake (particularly the lake close to our house)
Feeling safe in the streets
The equal treatment of women
New Finnish potatoes with dill


We then made a list of the things we will definitely miss from Ecuador

The friendliness and openness of the people
The positive attitude of people despite their difficult circumstances
The many projects in which we have become involved
We are divided about whether we will miss living in a busy town (Lucie and Saskia will, I won't)
For Frédéric, the Spanish language (which he speaks much more than Finnish)
Rosa
The mercados (markets)
Fresh fruit juices from fruits we had previously never heard of (guanábana, naranjilla, guayaba, taxo)
Eating out inexpensively
Salsa dancing (Sadly Frédéric does not share my salsa passion)
Being stopped in the street so that people can admire our little "gringuitos"
Having a lavandería close by (in a large family it is a real luxury not to have to wash clothes every day)

I am sure we will add to these lists as time passes. We still have almost four weeks here and a lot left to see and learn.

Argentina have just been beaten in the World Cup by Germany - a happy result for the Ecuadorians!