Day to Day Life

My New Secret Garden Gang

So the PhD that I was hoping to get, ultimately never materialised. The Earths Sciences department at UCL decided that they would not fund any PhD's in volcanology this time around as there had been too many volcanology topics over recent years. However, the professor at UCL (Chris Kilburn, who I undertook my Masters degree with and who I was hoping to work my PhD with), and myself, have remained in contact as we believe we can set up our own PhD (under UCL) if we can find our own sources of funding. The PhD we have been discussing would actually be a collaboration between UCL and the Instituto Geofisico (IG) where I currently work, here in Quito (Ecuador). The IG have already said that they would be keen to collaborate, so our only real issue (as always) is money. The process in trying to establish sources of funding will be slow and may in the end, not be successful - but we are going to try nonetheless. However, in the meantime, the IG have offered me another contract until this coming December and have said that they have funding to keep me working here until December 2012, so if the PhD doesn't come off in the end - I have options for working at least.

I never did (up to now) sort out my visa and work contract situation. After obtaining a series of different visas (including one which proclaimed that I was a professor in Geophysics - I wish), the Ministry of Labour said I still didn't have the right documents for approved (official) work. Essentially, after collecting a whole host of elaborate documentation and the offer to donate my brain to any person of the minsitries choice (once I had died of course) - they still said no and we were back to square one. There were two occassions over the last couple of months where I almost started to pack my bags thinking that my Ecuadorian adventure was over. Even now, nothing has been technically sorted - but apparently we still have a few options up our sleeves and the IG have been working tirelessly to rectify the situation. They tell me there is nothing to worry about and that everything will get sorted in the end. I believe them of course, im sure it will get sorted - although to achieve that, will probably take some time between now and the day that time travel can be uploaded as an application to your I-pod!!! I look forward to that day for both reasons.

The actual volcano work that I do here in Ecuador though is still fun, exciting and interesting all in one go. I recently attended a one week seismology conference. It was set up by IRIS, a consortium of seismology groups and institutions from the States. It was decided that it would be hosted in Quito - which was great of course, for me and everyone else at the IG. This particular conference was designed to bring seismologists from (or working) across the Americas to collaborate knowledge and teach each other about seismological practices for monitoring and research. The conference and work course was actually two weeks, but most people at the IG were only allowed to attend for a week. It was held in the Radisson Hotel and all food, snacks and drinks were provided. It was the best weeks food I have had since I have been in Ecuador. The days were intense though, with 7-9 hours of lectures in seismology each day and maybe only the odd practical thrown in here and there. By the end of the week I felt like my brain had been dragged through a field of lava. It was fascinating however and I learnt a lot, although the biggest lesson I think I came away with, was how mindboggling difficult pure seismology really is!!! Thank god for volcano seismology!!!

My life outside of work has recently been great. I have for some time now had a fabulous group of friends here in Quito. At the Secret Garden we have had a brilliant group of volunteers, including a young Englishman named Henry who I have become good friends with over the last couple of months. Some time ago I started seeing a young Ecuadorian lady called Maisa (Maria Isabel). We have been seeing each other for a while now. Her little sister Grace (19), loves everything to do with England, so when I said I know a 19 year old British man, she was eager to know more. Maisa and I didn't have to do much work actually - they hit it off straight away and now Henry and I are dating sisters!!! I have never been in a situation like that before - but its nice.

The rest of the Secret Garden group are also great fun and have started mid-week and weekend parties that generally get very messy. A speed-dating event run by Henry turned out to be very successful and very sloppy, although to be honest - its not very hard to make speed-dating successful when you have a ton of backpackers and vodka shots!!! Unfortunately my good friend Sarah headed back to the States after some months back in Quito. She plans to come back for a third time but that will unlikely happen before the new year. However, the longer I stay here, the more people I see return. Some people who visited Quito a year ago have started to come back and many volunteers at the Secret Garden have returned for a second shift. Its always nice when a familiar face pops back into your life.

I have also continued playing football every week and I even rented a bike out one weekend and scaled the city of Quito. On Sundays they close some of the roads off, creating bike routes all over town. Its designed to get people fit and is a very family orientated affair. The city even provides free bikes for the day to those who don't have (or can't afford) one. In all my time here I have only ever done it once (pitiful I know) but I thought I might try and make it a regular occurrence - we will see. I have also done a hatful of weekend trips away. Maisa is renouned for being unable to sit still and so most weekends she is off to a different part of the country with either her family or friends. Since we have been seeing each other I have been asked to go on many of them. After all the travelling that I had done before around Ecuador - she has really started showing me even more of this beautiful country. Let me divulge........