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We woke up before our 8 a.m. alarm. Both of us were feeling pretty lousy due to the high altitude. I had a headache and Craig felt jittery. We unpacked and organized a bit, then we went to the main house to meet the family for breakfast. Rosa, Aida, and Yupanqui were there, and we had rice, papas fritas, bread, meat, and tomato and onion salad. It was very filling. I managed to eat it all but it was difficult to muster up an appetite at this altitude. I was conscious of the fact that I didn't want to appear offensive by not finishing my food, a stance that I would need to give up over the course of our relationship with the family. They feed us way too much and I have had to learn to say no thank you without fear of causing offense. We gave Yupanqui a cute duckie outfit with matching slippers, hat, and bib. We also gave him a Timberland shirt and jeans, a stuffed bumble bee, and an Adidas baseball cap. Antonio arrived with Sisa and she gave us hugs. Upon seeing Yupanqui's loot, she asked where her presents were. I went to the room to get them. We presented her with an outfit, a Tinkerbell purse, sunglasses, a duckie bathrobe, and a Curious George stuffed animal. She was thrilled and kept saying "Mono! mono!" (monkey). We played with Sisa outside and fed the pig which they were fattening up for the baptism fiesta. It is more windy and dry at this time of year due to the San Juan winds. Antonio was going to be performing with his traditional Andean band at a wedding today. The bandmembers came over, loaded equipment (including large amps) into a pickup truck, and headed off with Antonio. Rosa asked if we would help clean the windows in preparation for the baptism party. She gave us a scraper and cloth, and we scraped cement off the windows facing the street. At 12:30, Rosa walked us and Sisa up to where Antonio's band was playing for the wedding. It was uphill and hard to catch our breath at this 8800 foot altitude. We still hadn't acclimated to the elevation. I carried Sisa part of the way. We saw kids flying kites in the community football pitch. When we got to the wedding grounds, Rosa turned around and we walked back to the house. We had expected we might stay a while, but the language barrier (especially when it comes to verb conjugation) made it so that we were never 100% sure of plans. At the house, I started to feel better. For lunch, we had soup, mote (corn kernels soaked in an alkaline solution, also known as hominy), rice, chicken, and plantains. I couldn't finish it all. My appetite was still not back to normal. We worked on the windows some more. As in Guatemala, here women tie their babies to their backs using a piece of rectangular fabric known locally as a rebozo. Aida tied Yupanqui to Sisa's back and brought her over to show us. There was a lot of giggling until the fabric started to choke Sisa and they promptly removed it. After that, we shucked beans from the garden with Sisa and Aida. Every day at around 4:20 p.m., an airplane flies over their house. They have told us that Sisa always points to it and asks if we're on it. We got to witness it today, as she called out "Achi! Achi!" She then looked over and realized that we couldn't possibly be in the plane because we were sitting right next to her. She started to giggle hysterically. It was adorable! Sisa is a character. We enjoyed getting re-acquainted with her, as well as meeting Yupanqui. Sisa is a very cute child. Like many children in the Andes, she has permanently pink cheeks from the elements. She wears western clothes most of the time, but dresses traditionally for special occasions, such as festivals or going into Quito. She doesn't look much different than she did last year, but she speaks a lot more. She chatters away in Kichwa, to herself or to anyone within earshot. She only knows select words in Spanish. In Morochos they speak primarily in Kichwa to their children until they are around 4 or 5 years old, at which time they start to instruct them in Spanish. She uses expressive interjections such as "Ooh!" often, and giggles easily. She also has a hearty guttural belly laugh which she demonstrates at times that is quite amusing. She is a smart child and likes to deconstruct things to figure out how they work. When she accomplishes something, she claps and says bravo. She likes to be photographed holding her toys and when I show her the picture on my camera screen, she always holds the toys up to the camera so that they can see the picture too. Sisa really loves her little brother Yupanqui and showers/smothers him with hugs and kisses. She can't pronounce his name, so she calls him "Ackacki." Yupanki is a really even-tempered baby who seldom cries, even though he is in the process of cutting his first two teeth. Aida usually lives and works from Monday-Friday in Otavalo cleaning houses, and Yupanki stays there with her. He is used to being with her all the time, so sometimes he gets nervous when she's not in his line of sight. He has a great toothless smile and laughs easily (especially if you tickle his neck or bare toes). He arches his back and throws his head backwards, which means that you need to keep a buffer zone behind him so he doesn't hit his head. He's a good eater and enjoys riding on Aida's back tied up in the rebozo. Aida asked if we wanted to take Yupanqui for a walk. We took Sisa too, pushing her on her plastic ride-on car. We went up and down the street in front of the house several times. It was a nice walk. We came back, and Craig packed away corn cobs into sacks. Rosa was washing laundry by hand in the outdoor sink, and I helped her to hang it on the clothesline. We helped to cut some vegetables in preparation for dinner. I danced around the kitchen with Sisa, and we watched the brilliant sunset over the cornfield. A guide named Pablo arrived. He would be staying in the other half of the casita tonight. He was guiding some French tourists who were currently staying at another homestay in the community. We enjoyed chatting with him over dinner of soup, beans, carrots, broccoli, beef, and rice. I held Yupanqui and he was in a pleasant mood. Sisa, after being cheerful all day, was now tired and cranky. Antonio was not yet home from the wedding. We retired to our room at 8:30 to let the kids get to bed. We went to sleep at 9:15. |
 Sisa  Sisa carries Yupanqui  Aida carries Yupanqui  Sisa and Craig shucking beans  Sunset  Sisa in her duckie bathrobe  Steph & Yupanqui See all photos from this day |
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