Hectic Holidays

12/7

This evening I smashed Scorpion #2 - a tiny little thing who was along the baseboard in my room.

12/8

Today we had a special snack at snack break. It was a bowl of french fries and rice and what looked to be a piece of fried chicken and a chicken foot. The chicken toenails were somewhat off-putting so I nibbled at it a little and threw it to the dogs. Then I moved on to the next piece, thinking it had to be better. When I bit into, or rather gnawed at, the piece, I was befuddled by the boniness and lack of meat, until I saw the eye socket. And then the head cavity. The dogs ate well that morning. In hopes of getting the image of chicken skull out of my head, I went to a taco place in Tabacundo for dinner, but sadly the taco wasn’t much more enticing. Then I got ice cream, which was good, but my selected chocolatey flavors didn’t pair so well with the peaches, grapes, and strawberries that came as toppings. To end the day, I did some grocery shopping at the market and ended up with 18 (albeit baby) bananas because I didn’t think that many would come for $1.

12/9

Milena invited me to her sister’s apartment building where we enjoyed the sauna. Getting off the bus later, I did a face plant onto the sidewalk which was embarrassing and tore the strap of my favorite tote bag. Then I’m pretty sure the lady who sold me my bus ticket back to the farm ripped me off. And to top it all off, I missed my typical stop by a few hundred yards and had to backtrack along the highway at night.

12/10

I slept in and did some chores around the house while listening to Christmas music (I have never been more aware of how many songs focus on being home for the holidays). I put up some Christmas decorations that are stored at the volunteer house and made monster cookies.

12/11

It was back to hoeing the corn field which made me feel “morose” according to my journal entry for the day. In the afternoon as I was in the nearby town of Cayambe cashing a check I tried espumilla, which is like fruity marshmallow fluff deceptively served in an ice cream cone.

12/12

We finished weeding the corn but then immediately started remounding the dirt. I think Vinicio noticed my devastation and took pity on me and asked me to go pick the blackberries.

12/13

Today I learned that in addition to having dollar stores, called dolarazos, Ecuador also has 50 cent stores, called cincuentazos! I finally got some mail my family members sent me back at the end of September!

12/15

This afternoon was the staff Christmas party. The highlight for me was getting to see my friend Veronica who is still recovering from her surgery as well as meeting my coworker Elias’ youngest daughter and grandson.

12/16

In the afternoon I went to my friend Nikole’s house and a group of us did Secret Santa, decorated a gingerbread house, drank hot cocoa, and played games. Then Nikole, Milena, and I made friendship bracelets and painted our nails, which are typically not activities I particularly enjoy, but I think spending all my time on a farm surrounded by men has made me crave stereotypically feminine things.

12/17

Today was a beautifully relaxing day where we just lounged around in our pajamas.

12/18

The electrical outages have stopped because the rains have arrived!

12/19

Today I learned that I slept through extremely loud thunder the night before. In the evening I smote Scorpion #3 with what is now my designated scorpion slaying stick.

On a more serious note, today my mom notified me that my maternal grandfather had a stroke and was in surgery. He is recovering well at home now, but it was heavy news to receive, especially since I’m so far away. Everyone at the farm asks me most days how his recovery is going, which is sweet.

12/21

I made molasses raisin gems.

12/22

I forgot until I reread my journal, but I killed another scorpion; I guess it’s not really newsworthy anymore.

12/23

I went to Quito and visited the Mindalae museum, which displays indigenous handicrafts. I had lunch at a Chinese restaurant, called “chifas” here, and was amused to find that they were playing Spanish worship music. I checked into the Airbnb where my parents and I would be staying the next two nights. Then an exuberant Venezuelan Didi driver who told me I MUST visit his country and gave me documentary recommendations drove me to the Fundación Guayasamin. This is the preserved house and an adjacent art exhibit of Ecuador’s most famous painter Oswaldo Guayasamin who painted some very moving works with social justice themes. I caught one of the last buses to the airport which left around 5:30pm and then had a couple hours to kill until my parents’ flight arrived. Some coffee, lasagna, and Netflix got me through until a little after midnight when I finally got to give my mom and dad a big squeeze! We took a taxi to our Airbnb.

12/24

We eased into our sightseeing with a trip to the botanical gardens in the Carolina (Spanish version of the name Carolyn) Park. We met up with my friends Mile and Niko for lunch; the company and the view was lovely but the rest of the restaurant experience was not. Due to the words “patitas” and “alitas” being similar in Spanish my dad ended up with pigs’ feet instead of wings, and all of the food took forever to arrive. That night and in the coming days my parents and I dealt with intestinal distress I attribute to that meal. After we ate, we visited a cathedral and convent that had a display of creative nativity scenes. Then we visited Quito’s famous basilica and caught the tail end of a parade on the way. We attended Christmas Eve mass at the city’s main cathedral at 7pm and before heading back to our Airbnb we took a ride on the gusanito, a chain of cars in the form of a caterpillar kind of like you might see at a county fair. It was a more hair-raising experience than we had anticipated but a great way to end the day!

12/25

I enjoyed looking through the Christmas cards my parents brought me from folks from home; thank you SO much to everyone who thought of me! It meant so much! In the morning we visited the two museums along the equator. At the first museum our tour guide learned it was dad’s birthday and brought him a pastry which he ate while straddling the equator! In the afternoon we took a 2.5 hour bus ride to the ecotouristy town of Mindo and had crepes for dinner.

12/26

My mom reserved a super cool hotel where we had a view of dozens of hummingbirds, other birds, and a few capybara-like agoutis as we ate breakfast! Then we hiked the Ruta de las Cascadas (Waterfalls Route) after crossing a ravine in a cable car. In the afternoon we visited an underwhelming butterfly house (I think it wasn’t the one Mindo is famous for) and took a coffee tour that exceeded our expectations! That evening we learned we would have to pay for the hotel in cash, like most things in Ecuador, which put us in a precarious cash situation—more on the resolution of that later.

12/27

On the bus to the farm, my parents got to experience the perplexing phenomenon of extremely violent movies on Ecuadorian buses. It was special to introduce them to my coworkers on the farm. In the evening we explored the nearby town of Tabacundo and had a meal that included more soup, chicken, rice, and french fries than we could eat for less than $3 each. We found a Western Union where we could retrieve the cash that my Uncle Mark transferred to us, saving our butts! Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had enough money to make it through the last days of the trip.

12/28

We toured the farm in the morning and then headed to the town of Otavalo that has a famous artisanal market. Once we checked into our hotel we took a harrowing taxi ride to Parque Condor, a bird sanctuary named after the most emblematic bird of Ecuador. Due to the rain, they couldn’t do a flight demonstration, but we still saw an impressive array of birds that were rescued from unsafe situations. That night it was very cold, so I was thankful the hotel provides hot water bottles for guests!

12/29

Dad enjoyed chatting with the German folks who sat at the table next to us at breakfast at the hotel. We walked around the hotel grounds because they have a garden, pet guinea pigs and llamas! I learned my mom does a stellar guinea pig impression. Then we took a taxi to Cuicocha Lake where our taxi driver Giovanni joined us on a boat tour of the volcanic crater. We saw a little deer-like creature called a soche, which is evidently rare! Then we headed to the market where I learned my dad loves bargaining. Our haul included a sweater, poncho, scarf, custom belt and nativity set. We were also searching for toasted corn, called tostado or chulpi, for my parents to take back to the US as gifts, but we couldn’t find any in Otavalo and then ended up traversing Tabacundo in the rain until we found a street vendor who had some. Finally, we headed back to the airport where we checked into the adjacent bougie hotel. We ate dinner at the food court where I had waited for my parents to arrive a week earlier.

12/30

My parents left early in the morning, and I also got up early to go to the volcanic hot springs in the town of Papallacta to distract myself from being sad about their departure. The hot springs were relaxing other than my legs getting sunburnt! I ate lunch at a restaurant I had been given a flyer for earlier when I got off the bus by a man who asked for my name; when I came back, he remembered it! The food wasn’t very good but I guess sometimes you just wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they’re glad you came. My parents made it home safe and sound. Then I went back to Quito to attend Nikole’s birthday party. Attendees were to bring something that starts with the first letter of their name and to dress up as something Niko likes. I taught everyone to play Dutch Blitz and it was a hit!

12/31

Today was a chill day at Nikole’s, other than watching bees swarm her neighbor’s roof. When I got back to the farm after dark, I found that the door was locked. My neighbor Andres gave me a set of keys but none of them worked. Eventually I got ahold of Andres’ father Vinicio who told us there wasn’t a key, you just jimmy the door open with a nail! I didn’t do anything special for New Year’s Eve, but in Ecuador it is customary to burn a giant rag doll in the form of a political figure or famous person or to see men dressed as women called viudas (widows) dancing and asking for money, symbolically to pay for the burial of the year that has passed away.

1/1/24

I visited the nearby Cochasqui Archaeological Park where there are some pyramids/mounds built by the indigenous Cochasqui people many years ago. I made kiss cookies with the Hershey kisses Mom brought for me.

1/2

It was hard to go back to work, but it was exciting to see that broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and beets are ready to harvest in the garden.

1/5

Before starting work, Don Carlos cut up a coconut he gifted me which helped put me in a better mood than I woke up in. During work, Vinicio shared a bunch of legends he was told as a child about elves and hidden gold and magical lakes. They even say there is the spirit of a “gringa” (white girl) in a wheelchair on the farm. I tend not to give credence to such tales, but I’m currently reading a book written by a former Brethren missionary kid in Ecuador and I learned that there was indeed a little girl who used a wheelchair who used to live on the farm.

1/6

Three Kings Day. Mile and Niko joined me in visiting the National Museum of Ecuador in Quito which has an impressive array of artifacts.

1/8

This evening I attended my friend Veronica’s grandson’s 10th birthday party. When I accepted the invitation, I didn’t think about how many people might be attending. I got there early (unintentionally because I didn’t know the start time) and ended up helping to set up for the party. Guests started trickling, and then rushing in, until there were 35 people crammed into the living room. The party kicked off with a religious ceremony, where a doll representing baby Jesus was brought out and prayers were recited. Then I helped serve the food (I felt more comfortable hiding out in the kitchen) and everyone sang for the birthday boy and had the chance to say some words of blessing for him. It was a special occasion to be present for.

1/9

Today the security situation in Ecuador further deteriorated. I am safe where I am, but there is widespread unrest across the country. A few days ago, a prominent gang leader escaped from prison and since then there have been coordinated attacks in cities across Ecuador, on police and prison guards, journalists and regular citizens. The president has declared a national state of emergency and in-person classes are suspended for the next few days. It is a time of uncertainty and fear for Ecuadorians. If you are a praying person, please join me in uplifting the peace and wellbeing of the people of Ecuador in these troubling times.