Christmas Day

Although Christmas is not a holiday that I observe, it was a special day today.  First of all, the 2 youngest children (ages 10 & 12) in the family with whom I live, slept last night on the floor in the hallway of the first floor (their bedrooms are upstairs) so that they would be able to see Papa Noel (Santa Claus) when he arrived.  Their mother, Olga, was able to hide a few gifts while they were sleeping so they never saw or heard Papa Noel.

My family (the family with whom I live) had extended family over for a big Christmas meal.  I enjoyed helping Olga in the kitchen; mostly I chopped and peeled vegetables, but it felt good to be participating in the preparations.  Altogether, there were 15 people--grandma, 3 aunts, 2 uncles, 4 cousins, my family of 5 and me.  Food was outstanding--turkey, tamales, rice, potatoes, ahi, mote, a salad made of beans, hearts of palm, peppers, corn.  Delicioso.   Lucho, the father of my family, made a toast & said some very kind, welcoming words to me, which I found to be very touching.  I feel so much more comfortable with my family in the almost 3 months that I have now been living here.  Early on I never thought it would be as it is now.  We've completely turned a corner & it's all for the good.  Yeah!

Christmas Eve

Went into Centro Historico in Cuenca to see the parade that always takes place on December 24.  It was one of the best parades I’ve ever been to--better than the Pittsfield July 4th parade!  I couldn’t take my eyes off the authentic, traditional clothing that everyone wore.  Magnificent colors, wonderful details.  Increible!  The parade was mostly of children & many, both children and adults, danced to traditional music, played on traditional instruments.  A feast for my eyes and ears.

Around 3:00, one of my students picked me up and brought me to her house, where her family was preparing a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner.  Food was great and the company was so much fun to be with.  In total, there were 15 family members, plus me. Spending the evening with this wonderful family is the kind of experience that makes me so happy to be here.  Everyone sat around and truly enjoyed one another.  The little children were adorable.  I don’t know where the guitar came from, but various men of the group played it and everyone sang along.  This was another one of those times when I wanted to pinch myself.

SARAH AND RACHEL’S VISIT: PART I

Monday, December 19   Flew to Quito & went straight to Nancy’s apartment, where she and I had a very nice reunion.  Sarah & Rachel, who had spent the night there, were out when I arrived, getting maps at the Instituto Geográphico Militar for their hiking trek along the Inca trail, which was to begin early Thursday (12/22) morning.  It was great to see them when they got there.  As planned, we had dinner with Javier, my former Spanish teacher.  He picked us up and drove us to a traditional Ecuadorian restaurant.  Dinner was great and filled with LOTS of laughter.  I wanted to pinch myself throughout dinner to test whether I was really at a restaurant in Quito with my daughters and Javier.  Hard to believe that they had really come to Ecuador and there we were with Javier--just like old times!

Tuesday, December 20  We got up very early this morning to take a bus to get to the bus station south of the city so that we could make the bus for Latacunga and eventually get to Chugchilan, our destination for the next 2 days.  All went without a hitch.  The views from the bus were spectacular.  I really didn’t know that Ecuador is as beautiful as it is.  The beauty was one thing, but experiencing the local people getting on and off the bus, was even more remarkable--people’s clothing, the adorable children--and what was on the roof of the bus, was altogether another experience--live chickens, huge bags of grain, a bicycle, boxes of all shapes and sizes filled with food--a veritable grocery store!  Among the things stored under the bus were at least 10 dozen eggs.  We got to Chugchilan and easily found Hostal Mama Hilda, where we had reservations to stay for 2 nights.  It was a quaint little place, in the middle of this little town, really off the beaten path.  We did some exploring, had dinner, and went to bed, with the plan to get up early the next morning to take a bus to the crater/lake in Quilotoa, which we intended to walk around.  However, that was not to be because during the night both daughters were up with significant, unpleasant stomach issues, the details of which I am not going to go into here.  Suffice it to say that they had ingested something that did not agree with them.  

Wednesday, December 21 Sarah & Rachel still wanted to go to Quilotoa even though they were ill.  They knew that their energy level was low due to their stomach problems and had resigned themselves to just see the crater as they were truly incapable of walking around it.  Instead of taking the bus, we hired a man to drive us there and back.  I don’t know how Rachel or Sarah survived the drive there as the road had dozens of switchbacks, was rocky, bumpy, and nausea-creating even for someone without a major stomach issue.  Rachel looked so miserable the whole way there that it was nearly impossible for me to enjoy the magnificent views and take note of the people, goats, llamas walking along the road. As soon as we arrived, we went to look at the crater, but within minutes Rachel laid down on the ground right then and there & didn’t move.  Not a good sign.

Sarah seemed to have a little more energy than her sister.

My mind was on my daughters’ illness and how miserable they were.  They didn’t complain, but they were without a doubt extremely uncomfortable.  The second we got back to our hostel, Sarah and Rachel got into bed and didn’t move.  Rachel’s face was as red as a beet and Sarah’s wasn’t much better.  They ate nothing that day, were able to drink a little, but generally seemed to lose whatever they took in.

I did take a walk; found the Black Sheep Inn, which was closed and went into the town, and observed some holiday festivities.

Rachel never left our room.  Sarah ate a little with me at dinner.  We changed our departure plans for Thursday, hoping that they would feel well enough to get to Latacunga and decided that we would go by pick-up truck instead of bus so that if either had to get out of the truck, it could stop for them, while a big bus filled with people would not.  

Thursday, December 22  Although it was not an easy decision to make re whether or not we should attempt the long trip to get to Riobamba, where we had originally planned to get to today--me spending the night & Sarah & Rachel beginning their hike, we decided to take it step by step.  We took a pick-up truck to Zumbahua--I sat in front with the driver while Rachel and Sarah were outside in the back (& not it seats).  Along the way the driver stopped 3 times and picked up people who were standing on the road, hoping to get a ride.  They joined Sarah and Rachel in the back of the truck.  One woman was carrying her baby, whom she handed to Sarah as she was loaded down with lots of things and climbing into the back of a pick-up truck was impossible while holding her baby.  Once in Zumbahua, where we bought a Gatorade-like drink to try to replenish lost electrolytes, we were immediately approached by a man who offered to drive us to Latacunga.  Like the other pick-up truck ride, it would cost much more than a bus, but we decided that that was best in terms of the fact that the driver could stop if Sarah or Rachel needed to get out.  All of us were inside this time and the driver only picked up one woman along the way.  He was also more chatty and we even laughed a little, which was a good sign.

Once in Latacunga, where everyone seemed to be feeling better, we made the decision to take a bus to Ambato, change buses there & end up in Riobamba.  The second we got off the bus in Riobamba, someone called out to me---my colleagues from my program were there to pick up their son and his fiancée.  I knew that their son was coming there, but didn’t expect to see them upon arrival.  We had previously talked about me joining them for dinner, as Sarah & Rachel were supposed to already be on their hiking trip.  Not knowing what, if anything, Sarah or Rachel would want to eat, I declined the offer of planning to eat together that evening for dinner.   However, once we got to our hotel & things were definitely looking up, I called my friends & made plans for us to join them for dinner.  Both daughters felt well enough to walk around a little.  We saw a holiday parade, with people in magnificent costumes, many dressed in traditional clothing, plus heard traditional music.  

We met my friends and their son and fiancée for dinner.  All had a good time--lots of sharing of experiences, good food, and best of all, Sarah and Rachel were truly on the mend.  If there was any silver lining to the stomach issue, I did get another full day with my daughters, but given a choice, I would have preferred that they had never gotten sick and had been able to pursue their trip as planned.

Friday, December 23  All slept well for the first time in 3 nights.  Sarah & Rachel decided that they would take it easy for another day and would begin their hike on Saturday, December 24, cutting out a chunk of the original plan.  I had previously arranged to have a guide meet me at the hotel and take me in a meandering route south, ultimately getting back to Cuenca by nighttime.  The guide was there and gave Sarah and Rachel some pointers for their hike.  He and I left around 8:30 AM and arrived in Cuenca at about 4:00 PM.  He was outstanding, a much better experience than simply taking a bus back.  We stopped at many towns along the way, went into some small museums, one of which has the bones (spinal columns of cows) woven into the floor:

We saw the oldest Catholic church in the country:

We took in incredible views of mountains, farm land with people working the soil on very steep parcels of land, without any machinery, unless you call their hands, hand tools, oxen pulling plows machinery.  My guide was so knowledgeable about everything--history, the impact of volcanoes & earthquakes on the towns, tradition, culture, farming, etc.  I loved seeing the sheep, goats, pigs, llamas, oxen, horses & mules (many used as a means for transportation) along the road.  

We went to Cajabamba--the original site of Riobamba, before an earthquake destroyed the city in 1797, Guamote, Alausi, and El Tambor.  We also visited Coyoctor, the site of some Incan ruins that are not well-known, from around the year 1380.

We drove through Cañar and Biblián, that has a church built into the steep mountainside:

It was a great day for me and I hope an even better day for my daughters, whom I am supposed to rejoin on Monday, December 26, in Ingapirca, the site of some other ruins, not too far from Cuenca. 

last class

Had my last class for this term this morning.  I have found the morning group of students to be rather challenging as several of them wanted to focus on grammar & were very hesitant about trying to speak English.  Often it felt like a battle.  In the end they learned a lot, as did I.  I believe that they know that they learned a lot and I sensed some satisfaction in our last class today.  They surprised me with a cake and soda, plus several brought gifts for me.  I feel optimistic that most, hopefully all, will come back for the next level of classes in January.

My last class with my evening students was Friday night.  We went out to a restaurant/bar.  It was fun, but a bit loud.

Off to Quito to be with my daughters & travel around the country a bit!

Life is good!

Wow!  It's been a whole week since I last thought about the blog.  Too busy to write.

The first school term will be over after my 7:00 AM class tomorrow (Monday) morning.  My students had a final exam, which was not easy, but it was an opportunity for them and me to see what they have learned.    I know that they all learned a lot--present perfect, past perfect, some modals, new vocabulary, etc.  Perhaps I was a harder grader than I should have been.  It's a learning process for me too.  It will be easier the next term, which begins on January 9 as I do have the hang of things now.  I will be teaching the next level: Advanced I and hope that all of my students, who just completed Intermediate II, will come back.  I had one student whom I could not pass, which was very difficult for me (and him too).  I spoke to him and offered to give him another final exam, which would require some real studying on his part.  Between his schedule and mine, there was little time for him to do this, but he did and he passed.  Yeah!  He came to my house this afternoon (Sunday) and took the exam again in the dining room where I live.

Every day really is an adventure.  Yesterday my friend with whom I have gotten together with a few times in the past, (a local Cuencana) invited me to go with her and her husband to Gualaceo, a little town about an hour from here.  I am always taken aback when I leave Cuenca and see the countryside.  Gualaceo is a beautiful little town, nestled in the mountains with lovely rivers that traverse the area.  My friend and her husband have a very nice country house there, up a long, unbelievably rutted, very steep, narrow driveway of sorts.  It was pouring outside (which is a typical occurrence almost every day), so it was like a river of stones and debris being washed down the so-called driveway, making the drive to the house quite scary for me.  I had to close my eyes part of the way up as I did not believe that their car would make it, but it did.  It was like paradise in this home in the mountains.  After being there a while, we went into the town and ate the insides of a huge roasted pork with our fingers.  I am not going to comment on how healthy or sanitary this meal was, but I think that I would know by now if it didn't agree with me.  I am occasionally eating a little more adventurously and so far have not had any stomach issues.  We then went to check on this couple's museum.  Yes, they have their own museum, with thousands of artifacts, dating back hundreds of years.  The artifacts have been collected by the husband's family for many years.  It's unbelievable!  On our way back to Cuenca, we had to stop as their was a parade in the street with many of the local people, wearing indigenous clothing, playing traditional music, a custom around Christmas time.  This whole afternoon and evening could have been a paid tour for me, but I was simply with some very nice people whom I have met.  Experiences like this are priceless.

Last, but not least, I just received a telephone call from Nancy, the woman with whom I stayed in Quito during the month of September.  She had just picked up Sarah and Rachel at the airport and they were in her apartment.  I spoke to them briefly.  They seem exhausted, but fine.  They had been traveling for more than 24 hours, on 3 different flights, but they are safely in Quito and I will be there tomorrow to begin an adventure in many parts of the country during the holiday season.  Lots of good things to look forward to!

Slowly, but surely, am developing some friendships.

The fact that slowly I seem to have a social life is makes all the difference in the world to me.  One of my students invited me to meet her at the restaurant where she works today (Saturday).  It's a seafood place, where I had a wonderful seafood stew, with a huge crab resting on top.  After eating I went with her, her 9 year old daughter, her boyfriend, and a boy, who I would say is about 11 (I don't know how he fits into the picture), to see my second movie in Ecuador.  This one was Gato en Botas (Puss in Boots).  Another movie that I wouldn't choose to see, but again the experience is what it's about and the movie, of course, was in Spanish.  I could follow the story because it was a cartoon, but understood probably 50%, which is less than what I understood of Crepúsulo (Twilight).
And I have plans for tomorrow (Sunday) too!  It's not clear what I'll be doing, but with a woman, an ex-pat from the U.S., who is in the process of becoming a resident here.
Having people to connect with eases the adjustment, which is never-ending.

good things seem to be happening

The best news is that my back is better.  Physical therapy really helps.  It shouldn't surprise me, but it does, that PT in Ecuador is basically the same as PT in Pittsfield!  And it works!

The last few days have felt like maybe I have a life here.  My one local Cuenca friend suggested that we go out to dinner last night, which I readily accepted.  While waiting outside of the school where I teach for the bus to take me to meet her, 5 of my students waited with me as they did not want me standing alone.  After waiting a while, 2 of my students, (young men in their 20's) said that they would drive me to the meeting place, which they did.  While talking to them in the car, I told them that my daughters will be visiting me the last 2 weeks of December & they offered to be our guides while Sarah & Rachel are here.  Having the transportation & knowledge of 2 locals will be fantastic.  I met my friend & we went to a lovely restaurant where I had one of the best meals I have eaten.  Although my Spanish is far from perfect & her English is not as good as my Spanish, we had no difficulty chatting about all kinds of things.  It was great and I am hopeful that we will have more good times together.

Today I went on an art tour with a group of gringos, which was really interesting.  We visited 3 different local artists at their studios.  Each was more fascinating than the next.  One works in glass, one in clay & paint, & one does water color.  I don't know which one I liked the best, but the young man who does the water color spoke with such eloquence and passion that I teared up listening to him.  His words were like poetry, as beautiful as his art work.  And another plus that happened was that I connected with another woman in the group.  We plan to get together for dinner some time, so maybe my social isolation is coming to an end.  That is all very good.