Ecuador 7/1/2015 - 7/6/2015 |
|
Friday 7/3/2015 - Yoga and a Visit from RachelWe woke up at 8:00 a.m. and went out to meet the family at 8:30. Neither Aida nor Antonio were home this morning. Aida was volunteering to paint the school building now that school was out for the summer, and Antonio was guiding some of our friend Felipe's clients at Lago Cuicocha.As soon as Sisa saw us, she immediately grabbed us to walk with her up to the store to buy bread for breakfast. It was clear and sunny, and we could see Volcan Cotacachi. On the walk home we could see Volcan Cayambe with lots of snow on top. When we got back to the house, we went up to the third floor to get a better view... So gorgeous! Shina and Yupanqui were still sleeping. Sisa put on an apron and helped to prepare and serve breakfast. We had ham and cheese omelettes, bread, coffee, and juice. The younger kids eventually got up and ate their breakfast, too. Rosa asked Craig about his knees. They seem to understand Craig's MS as a problem with his legs, since he had trouble walking when he had his MS attack two years ago. We explained (using their computer to help with translation) that Craig has been getting stronger and his balance is improving with a regular yoga practice. We decided that this was a good opportunity to do some yoga while here, and teach the kids as well. Craig had been feeling really run down before we came here, but lots of rest and healthy food and fresh air have done him wonders, even at high altitude. We wanted to continue to get exercise as well. We brought the two yoga mats we had brought with us outside, and started practice with me as the teacher. Yupanqui went upstairs and returned with a large tortora reed mat. Good thinking, Yupanqui! It made the perfect yoga mat for the three kids. I emulated our yoga teacher Jenny, modeling poses and doing adjustments for the kids. All three kids were really into it. Downward dog, happy baby, half pigeon, figure four, mountain, tree...we did all kinds of poses and practiced our ujjayi breathing. Rosa watched us while doing dishes at the outdoor sink, all smiles. Aida arrived home for a lunch break, and she loved watching as well. Max the dog even joined in the practice! We practiced from 11:00 until 12:05. Craig and I did headstands at the end of practice, and they turned out to be our best headstands ever. Shina loved downward dog and kept doing it over and over again. Now that they had internet access, we wanted to connect my laptop. However, we still couln't connect to the router. We went to the router's website, we logged in, and tried to add my Mac address so that I could connect with my computer. This wound up locking them out, and we had to reset the router. We were so scared that we would We had to use a cable to get it back online then it was unsecured. What a mess! We wound up getting their laptop reconnected, and used that to post some photos to Facebook. We'd have to try to somehow get the password from Antonio. For lunch, we had spinach quinoa beef soup, beans, cole slaw, llapingachos, beet salad, rice, and tree tomato juice. I served lunch because two UNORCAC (the local indigenous rights organization) groups had arrived, and Rosa had to show them around and feed them soup. The kids watched videos on my laptop while we futzed with the wireless. I had videos from our previous trips to Guatemala and Ecuador locally stored on my laptop, and we watched several of them. Aida came home from her day of painting with paint all over her clothes. Rosa, the kids, and I walked to the store. I carried Shina both ways. Rosa got oriental noodles for dinner, Shina got Fruititos cereal, and we bought ice cream novelties for everyone. We stopped at a friend's house on the walk back, and then took a steep shortcut through a ravine home. The dry earth is unstable underfoot, so we had to watch our step. Once we got back home, the kids did some spontaneous yoga. I helped them do headstands. We played together and Sisa grabbed my hands and climbed up me, the way she had seen Yoselin do in one of our videos from Guatemala. Antonio returned with yogurt. While eating some as a snack, Rachel, the local Peace Corps volunteer, arrived. She came by having seen our Facebook post and realizing that we were visiting. We chatted with her while the kids watched Peppa Pig. Rachel was able to explain in Spanish to Antonio about our need for the wireless password. It took several attempts for him to understand what she was asking, but he eventually understood and was able to get us connected. Rachel said that the family was very lucky to have this, and she coveted the access. We had nice chats and lots of laughs with Rachel. She was about to head back to her place when the family invited her to stay for dinner. We had quinoa spinach soup, juice, chicken fried steak, oriental noodles, and rice. We kept chatting until 9:30 p.m., when the kids were ready for bed. We walked Rachel out and said goodnight. We were quite pleased that she had come to visit. Now that we had the wireless password, we were delighted to learn that the signal even reached our casita. I took full advantage of this, and then went to bed at 10:20 p.m. |
 Rosa with Shina  Yoga with the kids  Achi Mama and Sisa  Steph, Rachel, and Craig See all photos from this day |
|
 |
|
 |
