Ecuador

Saturday 6/18/2011 - Sisa's Baptism

We woke up and took showers before heading to the kitchen for breakfast at 8:30 a.m. My stomach was feeling back to normal today. It seemed that the tea from the garden had worked. I was glad that my stomach had settled before the baptism party/feast. Antonio and Aida were not here; they were no doubt working in preparation for the big day.

We chatted with the Peace Corps guests Anna (from the United States) and Sylvia (from Argentina). They had recently arrived in Ecuador for their Peace Corps service. All of the new volunteers were touring the various regions of the country before receiving information about where they would be stationed. We thought it was inspiring that they were volunteering with the Peace Corps as retirees. It was also comforting for us to have folks with whom to speak English, as we communicated with the family in our broken Spanish and Antonio's broken English.

We had omelets, croissants, coffee, and fresh pineapple juice for breakfast. We explained aspects of Otavalan culture to Anna and Sylvia, doing our part to entertain and educate them while members of the family were otherwise engaged. They were amazed when they learned that the family was hosting them at the same time that they were preparing for this incredible fiesta! We wished that Sylvia and Anna didn't have to leave today, as we are sure that they would enjoy the party.

A van came to pick Anna and Sylvia up at 9:30. We had enjoyed chatting with them and wished them well in their upcoming service.

We took a walk up the street to try to buy some drinking water. The house which sold various goods that we had visited prior was closed this morning. We knocked at the door of a house which ran a shop out of its front room. A girl spoke to us through the window. We asked for agua, and she opened a refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of carbonated water. Unfortunately, she didn't have regular water. We continued our search, going to a small shop near the community center. They only had a single bottle of water. We purchased it, along with a 3-liter of Fanta and some of Sisa's favorite Perlitas candies.

We arrived back at the house at 10:15, and Antonio was waiting for us with a large bottle of water that he had purchased for us. We learned that bottled water is not easy to come by in the village, and requires a trip to Quiroga. Good to know for future reference!

Party preparations continued in earnest today. The yard was transforming before our eyes. A neighbor came by to help Antonio build a wooden stage on each end of the patio, and hang up a large tarp to cover the stages and patio in case of inclement weather. Large speakers and amps were set up on the property. This would be a loud evening! I swept the patio.

A delivery of tomatoes, carrots, and onions arrived. Craig and I peeled a huge pile of onions, which harkened Craig back to his days of doing food prep at a country club during his youth. Sisa joined us for a while. We had just showered, but now our fingernails were grimy and our hands probably wouldn't lose the pungent scent of onions for days.

Soon it was time for lunch. We had soup which contained some organ meat, or what Anthony Bourdain rightfully calls the "squeaky bits." I was able to handle most of it, but not some of the really crunchy parts.

More and more neighbors started to arrive. Women gathered at the fire shed, peeling vegetables and tending the soup and chicha. Rosa fed everybody lunch. The pig that the family had bought for the occasion had been dispatched outside of our view. After lunch, the family and neighbors cleaned and prepared the pig’s internal organs for consumption. It was a really interesting process to watch; they worked as a well-oiled machine, and even toddlers were getting in on the action. They scrubbed the stomach, emptied the intestines, and extracted the heart and liver (it harkened me back to AP biology in high school, where we dissected a fetal pig). They ran water from a hose over the meat and then salted it.

Felipe and his lovely wife Maria Jose arrived at around 3 pm from Quito. It was great to catch up with Felipe and to finally get to meet Maria Jose. It was a nice surprise because we hadn't known that she would be accompanying him. Felipe was our guide when we first met the family last year. Maria Jose was as friendly and warm as Felipe, and we enjoyed chatting with her. She asked what we did for work and when we described the industry we work in, she said, "Oh, like [Company name]?" Yes, exactly that! It turns out that she is an art teacher and uses our software products at school. What a small world!

At 4 o'clock, Antonio asked Felipe for a ride to Cotacachi to buy decorations. Nothing happens in advance here. Antonio invited us along as well, but we didn't think there was enough time for us to go and then return and get dressed in time for church. I didn't even know how to dress myself in the elaborate Otavalan Kichwa style. Rosa agreed that the timeline was too tight, so we stayed behind at the house. Two of Antonio's Chasqui Ñan bandmates, Domingo and Humberto, arrived and helped to hang up balloons and set up the sound equipment. They were each given a bowl of soup.

At around 4:30 p.m., it was time to get dressed. Craig quickly got dressed in our room, while I was in the main house being dressed by Rosa and her niece Delia. I felt like it was my wedding day all over again as they doted on me and worked to get everything perfect. Rosa was very particular about the way I looked, and made sure that my skirts were wrapped tightly and properly, that they were the right length, etc.

They kept re-wrapping my skirts and I had flashbacks of my wedding when my mom and bridesmaids were having an awful time trying to bustle my train. I felt helpless to do anything about it. It was made more difficult by the fact that I am so much larger than them, and they need to stretch to reach around me. I was certainly glad that we had opted not to go to Cotacachi...this was taking forever! Once the two layers of anako skirts were finally perfect, Rosa cinched them with a red woven belt (mama chumbi) of hers, and then wrapped my blue decorative woven belt (wawa chumbi) on top of it. Throughout the remainder of the day, Rosa would be following me around, tugging, tightening, and adjusting my skirts. We would find out (9 years later) that this is due to the fact that any misalignment sends the wrong message. A married woman with the white underlaying layer showing at her ankles would be indicating that she is seeking an extramarital lover, and that would be scandalous.

I couldn't believe the patience that Rosa and Delia were displaying. All the while, Aida was in the shower and Sisa was with us in the bedroom having a temper tantrum. Yupanqui was laying on the bed crying, and Sisa tried to cry even louder than her baby brother. She took my necklace and didn't want to give it back. I went to get her Curious George stuffed animal and made him hug her, but she was so angry that she pulled away from me violently and wound up smashing her face on the table. This made her cry even harder.

Then, to top it all off, my walca necklace kept coming apart. After about ten minutes of fiddling with it unsuccessfully, we gave up and I borrowed one of Rosa's necklaces instead. They wrapped the maki watana coral beaded strands around my wrists (rather tightly). Rosa gathered my hair at the nape of my neck as if for a low ponytail, and wrapped the length of it in a cinta (narrow woven ribbon which matched my belt and blouse). The fachalina sash was tied in a knot over my left shoulder, and the white and black wool kerchief (uma watarina) was tied over my head. I put on my black velour espadrille shoes, which were secured around my ankles by delicate bright pink thread. After about 45 minutes, I was finally dressed!

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, Craig had emerged from our room in his outfit (white pants, white long sleeved buttoned shirt, blue poncho, white shoes, and black wool felt hat), and had gotten a rock star reception from some young tourism students who had arrived from Quito. They wanted to interview us for a university project that they were doing on native tourism programs in the Otavalo area. Craig chatted with them and told them that when I was dressed, we would be happy to give them an interview, as long as they could do it in English. One young woman was named Stephanie, and another was named Karen.

When I finally emerged, fully dressed, we gave a quick interview about our impressions of tourism in the Kichwa communities, and told a bit about ourselves and our philosophy of travel. We then chatted some more with Felipe and Maria Jose.

Soon Sisa emerged looking absolutely adorable in her baptism outfit. The week of preparations for the big event seemed to have taken its toll on her, as she was not her usual bubbly self. She seemed stressed and unwanting of the attention being given to her.

Nonetheless, she looked like an angel, her bright white outfit shining in the late afternoon sunlight. She was wearing white anakos (skirts), a white embroidered belt, a white blouse with silver embroidery, white shoes, and an adorable white headband with a white veil in the back. No matter what we tried, we couldn't get her to smile for photos.

At around 5:45 p.m., we departed for Cotacachi. Many of the extended family and friends stayed at the house to continue the food preparation. All told, the women must have peeled about 100 pounds of potatoes.

Felipe and Maria Jose drove Aida, Sisa, Yupanqui, Craig, and me. The rest of the family rode in the back of a camioneta pickup truck. We arrived at Iglesia San Francisco in Cotacachi at around 6 p.m., and the Mass was scheduled to start at 6:30. We gathered outside the church.

Felipe took a couple of people to buy a "baptismal crucifix" for Sisa, while Rosa bought 2 white candles. When we heard about the crucifix, we wondered if we should have given Sisa her gift already (we had bought her a cross necklace). However, when the men returned with the baptismal crucifix, it turned out to be a necklace containing some beads and an indigenous-looking cross. So it was something different, and we needn't have worried.

As we waited outside the church, Sisa faceplanted on the sidewalk. She was just not having a good day. Poor little thing! She wouldn't even go near us. When the church bells rang, we entered. Craig and I sat with Rosa, Antonio, Sisa, Yupanqui, and Aida in the very front pew of the church. Uh-oh; there was nobody we could look to in front of us for cues of when to sit/stand/kneel during the Spanish language Mass. D’oh!

Sisa calmed down a bit, and played with Yupanqui, even going to far as to giggle and flash a smile. Our suspicion was that it would be short-lived...she was certainly in no mood to be anointed! The Mass was quite nice.

Halfway through the Mass, the priest called up the baptism candidates and their families. There were a handful of children to be baptized. Sisa, who had been good in church thus far, was terrified of the priest and screamed bloody murder when he twice anointed her forehead with oil. When he called her up to the font, she clung to Aida for dear life. Craig and I were supposed to be holding her while the priest doused her in water, but this was not so easily accomplished.

As the priest glared at me I wrested her from Aida and tried to hold her on her back above the font while she wrestled me and cried. Felipe was acting as our photographer and I was amused thinking what these pictures must look like. After the trauma of the font, she calmed down a little, and didn’t actually make a sound when the priest anointed her forehead with oil for the third time. Craig and I lit our baptismal candles, and then we all went back to our seats for the remainder of the Mass. Wow, that was exhausting!

After the Mass, we headed outside. As often happens for sacraments and celebrations in Latin America, someone lit off celebratory firecrackers. This scared Sisa, and she once again started to cry. This was her special day, but she was a total wreck. Most of the guests got on a bus bound for Morochos, but Felipe and Maria Jose drove us, Rosa, and Sisa back.

Rosa asked Felipe to start honking the horn several miles from the house to alert party guests of our arrival. The bus was right behind us and people poured out into the dirt road. Guests who have traveled the furthest distance are specially honored at a community baptism, so we and Felipe and Maria Jose sat with the immediate family at their dining table, which had been brought onto the patio. All other guests were seated on wooden planks suspended between cinderblocks.

Guests filed in, delivering gifts to the family. Some of the gifts were toys for Sisa, others were gifts of food (trays of 30 eggs, 6-packs of 3-liter soda bottles, cases of peach or blackberry wine-in-a-box, cases of Pilsener beer, etc.) We laughed that we had bought a 3-liter bottle of Fanta this morning - by the end of the evening, we would have around 70 liters of soda at the house!

Eggs and soda - gifts from the attendees

Eggs and soda - gifts from the attendees

Antonio’s band Chasqui Ñan was playing on the stage nearest our table. Antonio played the violin, and other members played zampoñas (pan pipes), flutes, guitars, mandolins, and drums. We recognized band-mate Domingo, who had introduced himself to us earlier in the afternoon, and Humberto (an easy name for us to remember as it is the name of our compadre in Guatemala). They are a very talented and entertaining traditional Andean band, and we enjoyed their set.

Food was shuttled from the outdoor kitchen to the guests. First we were served a bowl of chicken soup which contained quinoa, potatoes, and a large piece of chicken breast. Next was a bowl of corn soup. That was followed by a plate of mote corn (hominy) and the best pulled pork we have ever tasted (Thank you, Mr. Pig; it was a pleasure meeting/eating you).

We were just about bursting from all of the food when we were each delivered a bucket which contained a whole chicken, a whole cuy (guinea pig – traditional Andean festival food) and about 5 pounds of potatoes. Craig and I looked at these in disbelief, and, laughing, entreated Felipe for help as to what to do as there was no way we could even come close to eating this. He said that it is mostly symbolic, that as the godparents we needed to be provided with as much food as we want. He advised us to pick at the best parts of the chicken and the cuy (he recommended the thigh for the cuy), and then to pass the rest on to be shared among the other guests. This worked nicely. These people can eat! They devoured plates of food and made doggy-bags to take home.

Antonio made an announcement in Spanish (which Felipe translated for us) saying that we were now officially compadres with his family. He thanked us for traveling the long distance to Morochos after a year of preparation, and told us that Sisa is now our daughter as well as theirs. We are her Achi Taita and Achi Mama (godfather and godmother), and she is our Achi Wawa (godchild). This seemed ironic, since she won't suffer our presence at all today!

Sisa opened her gifts, including a small baby doll with a light-up face. Felipe and Maria Jose had brought some lovely dessert cakes, and I helped them to cut them up to be distributed to the guests. Craig and I went to our room to use the bathroom, and when we came back our dining table was gone and the patio was cleared for dancing.

Chasqui Ñan had finished their set, and Junior's Band took over, playing long dance-inspiring songs. An older gentleman with a cataract on his left eye danced with me (we would later learn that he was a village shaman who would cure Sisa of mal aire in 2015). The dance of choice had an easy foot-stomping 1-2, 1-2 cadence. Aida took Craig by the hands and danced with him.

Countless people circulated the dance floor with a two ounce plastic cup in one hand, and a box of wine / bottle of some unknown cinnamon hooch (served hot - we would later learn that this was called canelazo) / bottle of beer in the other hand. People would pause their dance to take a swig and then would resume dancing. It is proper etiquette to drink the shot in one sip, and to splash a bit of remnant onto the ground as an offering for Pacha Mama (earth mother). Before accepting a drink, you may also request that the person offering it to you take a drink themselves. Craig used this strategy to try to slow his pace, but there was always another person waiting in the wings to offer you more.

Sisa and Yupanqui fell asleep after a very long day. I went into the house and saw both of them passed out on the bed.

Having left my watch in our room, I had no concept of time. It was 10:30 the last time I had looked at a clock in our room, and the evening bled into the next day without our knowledge. Songs were long but there were small pauses in between which allowed us to catch our breath for a moment. Craig and I danced together a couple of times, and we also danced with various other guests. I danced with my shaman friend again, and I think I heard him say that I am now his girlfriend.

The atmosphere was frenetic - dancing...drinking. At one point I had four dance partners. We held hands and danced in a circle in alternating directions. Craig noticed a woman watching him dance, and he convinced her to dance with him (this turned out to be Rosita, mother of Sisa's friend Natalie). Craig then danced an entire dance with Antonio's mother, who was quite fiesty and enjoying the party immensely.

It was a lot of fun. Everyone was so nice to us; people addressed us as "comadre" and "compadre". Since we were now a part of Antonio's family, we were, by extension, a part of the Morochos village as well. We shared countless dances and drinks with all of our new friends and had a wonderful time.

Junior's Band played on. Once we realized that Antonio, Rosa, and Aida had all headed to bed, we decided to do the same. We were surprised to learn that it was after 3:30 in the morning! We put in our earplugs and got a fitful sleep, as the amps were just a few feet from our room.

We peeked out the window at one point and saw Rosa and Antonio out on the dance floor once again. I guess they hadn't been to bed for good! Still, we were exhausted and needed some rest, even if it was difficult to sleep with the music blaring.