Sunday April 8, 2012 - Easter Sunday We woke up at 7:15 a.m. and everything was wet, but it wasn't currently raining. That boded well for our little Easter egg hunt. We gave Sisa an Easter coloring book and we gave her and Yupanqui some baby chick stickers. We went to breakfast at 8:30: choclo corn cakes and cheese. We had juice, Craig had coffee, and Aida made me manzanilla tea again to help with my upset stomach. The kitten and the parrot sat on the fence posts and did a little dance, teasing one another. After breakfast, we told the kids to wait inside while the Easter Bunny hides some eggs full of sweets for them. We closed the kitchen door so that they couldn't follow us and went to get the 30 plastic eggs. We hid them all around the yard. We made a couple of them challenging in the crook of a tree and the bottom of a hollow tree stump stool. Then we opened the door, gave each child a small stuffed Easter bunny and a plastic bag, and told them to look for the eggs. Sisa didn't seem to understand at first, so I demonstrated finding an egg and putting it into her plastic bag. Then she understood and started tearing around the yard looking for eggs. She held the plastic bag out in front of her as she ran. She would get really excited every time she found one. Aida went with Yupanqui and helped him to find some of the more difficult ones. Soon the whole family was looking for the eggs. Once all were found, they sat down, opened each egg, and started eating the candy from inside. Sisa was so excited and as soon as she got some of that sugar into her system, she started bouncing off the walls. We then all went out to the street. Antonio was helping his mom to get their cow situated on the hillside across the street to graze. We saw the neighbor woman and kids we had bought ice cream for the day before. I gave them each some Easter candy and we wished them Feliz Pascua. Antonio went into town. Craig and I walked with Aida and the kids up to the community center to pay the water bill (on Easter Sunday?) Sisa knocked Yupanqui down accidentally and as a result he let me carry him for most of the rest of the way. Rosa crocheted while we walked. When we arrived, we we went into a room which contained alpaca wool products made by members of the community. There was a loom and the women were spinning the soft wool into thread. We looked at the items (tapestries, animal hats, Shrek hats, scarves, gloves, sweaters) and picked out a few items to bring home as gifts. Sisa and Yupanqui were playing with their Easter bunnies. Yupanqui had a plastic egg stashed in his shirt pocket. At one point, Rosa and all of the other women left the room. The water bill guy had apparently shown up, and they all went to his small office to pay him. It was a very manual process and took quite a long time. Rosa had to pay for 2 months (with the total owed being around $5), and was a dollar short. She asked if we had a dollar that she could borrow. Otherwise she would need to go home and get one and come back. Of course we donated a dollar to the cause, all the while thinking about the cost of our electric bill at home in comparison. We walked back home as ominous clouds were building up. It started pouring when we reached our driveway. Talk about good timing! Antonio was home. We had soup, potatoes, broccoli in lemon, rice, and pasta with some meat in it. And there was a 3 liter bottle of Coke on the table as a special luxury. Coke is something that Craig and I don't usually drink at home, but we are happy to partake with the family. Coke is better here anyway, as it contains real sugar instead of corn syrup. Antonio asked if we wanted to go to Cotacachi this afternoon for the leather fair, which occurs annually during Easter weekend. It was something we had thought we might do, but now that the time was here, we decided against it. Again, it was a rainy day. It was our last chance to get to play with the kids. And we needed to pack everything up for a very early departure tomorrow. We thanked Antonio for the invitation but said we'd rather stay here. He seemed vaguely relieved. He went to Quiroga to check on our ride for tomorrow. After lunch Rosa crocheted and Aida took one of the bracelets apart that she had been given on the bus the other day. She re-wove it into an elaborate pattern. Yupanqui kept playing with the plastic eggs and eating more and more chocolate. Sisa sat with us and drew in her notebook. As she filled her MagnaDoodle screen with the numeral 1, we joked that she knows binary, since she usually draws zeroes. Aida took 2 empty eggs and one with candy and played the shell game with Sisa to find the candy. At around 4 p.m. we went to the room to take showers and pack up our stuff. Antonio came home. When we went back to the kitchen we covertly stole the treat jar from the countertop and brought it back to our room. We filled it with the leftover Easter candy, and replaced it onto the counter when nobody was around. We were still in the kitchen when Aida and Sisa entered. Aida didn't notice the candy. No sooner had Sisa come into the room that she pointed to it. Aida still didn't notice. Sisa then told her that there was new candy in there. You can't get a thing by that little girl. She's a smart cookie. Antonio broke out a new deck of cards and we played a variation of rummy with 9 cards. You had to collect three of a kind but you didn't have to show your triples to your opponents, so they couldn't play off of them. We had a lot of fun. Sisa held on to the jokers and pretended to play with us. We taught Antonio how to shuffle. Sisa was sitting between Craig and me and kept hugging us, perhaps sensing that we would be leaving soon. After a few card games, it was time for dinner. We had pork and quinoa soup, rice, rooster, cauliflower, and seasoned potatoes. We drank mora (blackberry) juice thickened with healthy quinoa. After dinner they quickly cleared the table and brought out dessert plates. They hunted around for some shot glasses and brought a bottle of Cortez rum out of the fridge. They brought out a large round cake with whipped cream frosting which said Feliz Cumpleaños (Happy birthday). When trying to buy a goodbye cake on Easter Sunday, you have to take what you can get. Antonio talked about how he and his band would like to come to the U.S. to play. This is common for Andean bands, but they need to secure a visa. We talked about ways in which we could potentially help. Yupanqui sat with Antonio, and was impatient to eat the cake. He took a spoon and helped himself to some frosting. We all laughed. Rosa cut the cake and served it. It had an anise flavor. Sisa presented us each with a hat and scarf. Craig's were blue, and mine were maroon. We recognized them: Aida had been working on Craig's for the past few days, and Rosa had been finishing up the crocheted flower on the side of mine earlier today! We were touched that they had given us handmade gifts! We gave the kids chocolate lollipops shaped like Easter chicks. We gave the family a bottle of New England maple syrup we had brought and tried to explain it. They don't seem to understand pancakes, even though they make crepes and pancake-like meals out of corn and potatoes. Maybe we'll have to make some next time. Antonio told us that he plans to build another house on the property and that we can stay there whenever we want. We were very moved by this. He said it would even have a kitchen, and be bigger than the casita. Then he said he had a question. Would we be able to come back in a year and a half to become Yupanqui's godparents before he turns three? Craig and I were thrilled. We already feel as close to Yupanqui as we do to Sisa and we find it quite an honor that they would like us to be his godparents as well. We drank a toast and Sisa even drank Coke from a tiny shot glass and said "Salud." We all talked excitedly until we called it a night at about 9:30 p.m. Before retiring to our room, we gave hugs all around. We stayed up in our room until 10:30 (our latest night yet) just talking about everything and how excited we were. I didn't write in my journal because I needed to get to sleep, and I could write tomorrow morning at the airport anyway.

Yupanqui and Max Easter egg hunt Yupanqui finds an Easter egg Easter egg hunt Going for a walk Sisa Playing rummy Achi Mama and Sisa Farewell celebration See all photos from this day