Claudia in Ecuador: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

Cuenca is a magnet for artists of all kinds

Cuenca is the art capital of Ecuador. Artists of all kinds, using every kind of material imaginable (and then some) are drawn (pardon the pun!) to Cuenca.

Last Friday I had breakfast at Esperanza's brother's home. This was the 2nd time I was there. He, Eugenio, is quite the master craftsman, making all kinds of beautiful furniture and other interesting things out of wood.

His wife hopes to open a restaurant soon and he has made all of the chairs, tables, lamps, even the menus out of wood.

a beautiful table that Eugenio made that will be in the foyer of his wife's restaurant

some of the lamps that Eugenio made for his wife's restaurant

Later in the day I went on an art tour, the 2nd one I've been on since I've been in Cuenca. It was very special as you get to go into the artists' homes, where most of them have their workshops or studios. To hear them speak from their hearts about their work is very moving. The first place we went was to the home & studio of a woman who works in aluminum. Most of her materials are recycled. From there we went to the workshop of a sculptor. His work is of people in native clothing. Very authentic.

a finished beautiful sculpture

lots of steps are involved in 1 piece of work

a sculpture before it's painted

finished product

Then we went to the home/studio of a man who works using wood and metal. He's called the iguana man as he makes many iguanas & other wildlife from the Galapagos. I took a picture of a bike sculpture that I would love to own:

Here I am with the artist and some of his work in the background:

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Centro de Estudios Interamericanos

Not only is CEDEI (Centro de Estudios Interamericanos), the school where I teach, highly respected, but it's pretty. Here are some photos from 2 of the 3 sites where I teach.

a garden area in the back of the building that houses administrative offices, the library, and many classrooms; I teach 2 classes here Monday through Thursday

sign in front of the school building where I teach on Saturdays; the fence in front of the sign is not an unusual sight, as everything in the country is protected by walls and fences

stairs to get to my Saturday classroom (on the 3rd floor); one of my students is currently on crutches due to an injury--I really don't know how he navigates the stairs.

nicely landscaped grounds of the building where I teach on Saturday

front entrance to the school where I teach on Saturday

Friday, April 27, 2012

my neighborhood

Just like when I'm in the Berkshires, I try to walk an hour every day to keep in shape, for both my physical and mental health. I try to vary my route, but have gotten into a routine, some of which includes steep inclines which is good to get the heart rate going. The walk is never boring and often the sights are surprising. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me the other day when a man rode by me on his bike, wearing a backpack with a large goose in it!

Below are some recent photos from my daily walk:

seeing animals in the back of pick-up trucks is not uncommon

I think she's getting ready to take the pig out of the truck.

seeing animals being pulled (often against their will) along the street is also not unusual

we're all going somewhere.......

some of the houses near where I live

carrying almost anything on one's back or shoulders is common place

you can buy fish right on the street

Last Thursday I noticed a number of pick up trucks with pigs, lambs, cows, and even horses in them. I commented about this to Esperanza, who replied that Thursday is (animal) market day, apparently the only one in Cuenca, which is almost in my back yard & I only just found out!. I had no idea. I changed my route this past Thursday & walked to the market, which is about 10 minutes from my house. I could have been there all day. It was fascinating. Since I was there, I have learned that not only are the animals bought & sold there, but they are also killed there. I will have to go back & see if I can find where that happens. Curious...........

The fact is, I do not live where the tourists go. My neighborhood is not what one might call pretty. The beautiful colonial buildings are in the historic area, a 20 minute bus ride from my part of town. However, there are NO gringos in my barrio (well there's one--me). I like this. I have come to the conclusion that for me it's better that I am living where I am & have to take a bus to get to work or to meet someone to go out to eat. For me it's more authentic.

Below are a fraction of the many photos that I took on market day.