Food and Mountains

I´m not sure how my father drinks instant coffee every morning. Instant is basically what everyone drinks here. One teaspoon of coffee and two tablespoons (or more) of sugar. Sugar is much loved. I find the first half of each cup is tolerable, but the bottom has been difficult at times. The few of us who are "into" coffee here have noted similar feelings. So, today, the three of us being in town decided to seek out "real" coffee. We were successful in our search, finding it where we did not expect to. On a street with many rundown looking buildings, there is an opening into a food court type place with nice tables and chairs- clean, stained wood. There are a number of little food shops selling things from burritoes to sandwiches to schwarma. Certainly did not expect to see schwarma. As well, there were a couple places selling espresso and espresso based drinks. The smell of freshly ground beans alone, seemed to hit the spot. The actual drinks, which we sipped in the park here, completed our lunch. Where we ate lunch, and where we got our coffee, are maybe 500 metres away from each other. If that. But the differences between the two are quite pronounced. We ate in the market area, which basically consists of a bunch of tin roof shacks out of which meat, fruits, vegetables, and meals are sold. In the eating section, each vender has about enough room for a table that seats 6-8 and maybe a smaller one as well. There, we had salchipapas. Salchipapas are papas frites (french fries) with a mayo-salsa sauce spread on top as well as a hot dog wiener and some shredded lettuce. A plate at this place costs 75 cents. My cup of espresso...80.

That seems to be my experience today though. The other Intercordians who are teaching English and I came into Cayambe today with our schools for, what I´m translating as, Children´s Day. The celebration was held at the fairgrounds...or where the carnival thing is here. There are carnival/fair rides there. Plus the Coliseum, which is where the event really happened. Outside anyway, there is a little playground with swingsets, a slide, monkey bars and some shacks that the Carneys might stay in. There is also an old dirty mattress lieing there. Everything is made of metal, and the slide, near the bottom, is broken. Metal poking up. Its frightening to see kids go down without much of a thought as to what awaits them there at the bottom. Right beside this little rundown playground, and actually, across from the market as well, are two tennis courts in very nice condition. Better than most courts I´ve seen in Canada. Two ladies were getting a lesson from a pro. At 8 in the morning. A luxury that was a bit shocking, after witnessing the farming communities we live in waking up at 530 to begin their day of work. I guess the city is always the place where the money is. Really though, its only certain parts of the city. They stand out.

The last day I sent an update, happened to be the day of my first fiesta as well. The sister of the host-mother of one of the Intercordians got married that day and invited us all to attend the fiesta afterwards that night. We were basically invited that day. We were all able to get permission from our host families to attend and so were all able to attend for awhile. The fiesta was in Convalacencia, another little community on the other side of the hill behind my house, at the house of the newlyweds. Since it would be dark by the time the fiesta was happening I was only allowed to go if I slept over at Nick´s house in Santa Isabel (the first community on the way to Convalacencia). Walking at dark is very much frowned upon. Especially for us from Canada, but even the others are hesitant to walk outside at night. Nick´s family is much less well off than mine, which is apparent as soon as one steps inside their house. They have four children, closer in age than mine. From what I saw, four beds. That night there were 8 of us in the house. Nick had his usual bed, and the bed that one of his host brothers sleeps in, the one next to Nick´s, was given to me to use. I don´t know where the brothers ended up sleeping. I was prepared to sleep on the floor...but I don´t think that was ever a possibility. It was almost like, "Jordan, you are sleeping here." They are kind hosts. The fiesta had a similar feel to it. We got there just before dinner started (well, the main course...soup had been served) and were put on benches basically at the front. We were able to see more that way I guess. We were also more seen that way. Haha, hard to blend in that way (if its possible at all). The meal was large, living up to the hype surrounding fiestas. There was roast pork, chicken, and another meat...maybe guinea pig, maybe beef...we never came to a conclusion, as well as an egg, some cheese, and some sort of corn thing...like a pasta type thing. Anyway, the bags which they handed out came in handy for carrying the rest home. Afterwards drinks were brought around to everyone. Boxes of weak "wine" (hard to say if there are actually grapes in it) were passed around to pretty much everyone. Or groups. The seven of us shared one. Other...buckets of juice (probably with some "whiskey" in it) were brought around with a cup were brought around. Everyone sharing. Anyway, we tried to calculate the cost of it, and were pretty sure it was beyond what could be afforded. There were something like 5 pigs roasted, which cost around $200 each, as well as the chickens and other meat and the band hired to play for the night...and I mean night, they were still playing at 6 the next morning when some of the others walked by. Not cheap. Of course, similar things are done in Canada for weddings. But fiestas in general are usually this extravagant here, and they have them often. Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, birthdays, and so on, are often big celebrations. Nick´s dad was telling us later that night, after we got home (haha, around 930- very early for a fiesta, its really only getting started then), that for the last son´s confirmation they had a cow, a couple pigs, chickens, lots of guinea pig, lots of music, lots of cervezas (haha, his sentence was something like "...mucho cuy, mucho musica...jaja, mucho cervezas". It seems astounding to me how much they spend for these celebrations. Especially when last week there were some robberies in Santa Isabel and Nick was told that if they had been robbed, the family would not have been able to replace their stuff. They would have been in a much worse position. I guess, things can always get worse. Of our host families, theirs is the one that seems to be struggling the most. They are also the ones who are always offering me a drink when I see them, or if its near a meal, food. And, as I mentioned, their bed.

The next morning they took us up to their land in the mountains. Arriba, as they say. That day they, and a bunch of people, were harvesting the wheat field up there. The wheat field at the top of a mountain. Its too big to call a hill. We walked up there from the bottom, with our back packs. The others walked up with donkeys (not on the donkeys) saddled with the food, and carried their tools, and babies, etc. Just ridiculous views. We weren´t allowed to help cut the wheat (we aren´t allowed to use sickles, machetes, chainsaws, etc.) so we watched and took pictures for the morning. After lunch (at 130 or 2) we started gathering the wheat. Here we actually helped. Mostly, as it seems always happens, being put to shame by everyone else. Getting home was interesting, as we all piled into the back of one truck. About 20 or more of us. We actually weren´t able to make it up many of the hills, so there was a bunch of getting out and pushing. Crazy, but quite the way to get home and watch the sun set.

Next time I write, I will talk about my first church experience here, which was this last Sunday. The combination of Spanish and charismaticism, was, surprisingly, not as overwhelming as I thought it might be. More on that later though. For now, chao!

Jordan