Friday, October 30, 2015

For breakfast this morning we had green plantain hash, a new dish for us. It was very good, and we washed it down with homemade raspberry juice. Chipi the cat procured some breakfast for herself as well. While we were eating, she was under the table tucking into a little bird. Here is a map of the nearby city of Cotacachi and the surrounding mountain villages. I marked our village (Morochos) in red: Cotacachi and surrounding villages (Morochos is in the red square) Cotacachi's namesake mountain was visible today for the first time on this trip. We were dismayed to notice how little snow is on the top. Previously, there was much more. Even though we are at the equator, at 16,000+ feet, the summit is usually able to support a lot of snow and ice. Compare to this photo from July...Apparently the extreme dry conditions and resultant forest fires contributed to the lack of snow we observed today. Volcan Cotacachi, July 3, 2015 Much more snow only 4 months ago Yupanqui and Sisa had made bread at school for Dia de los Muertos, and they brought it home with them when they arrived at lunchtime. Yupanqui also had some school art projects related to Dia de los Muertos, including a tissue paper collage in the shape of a cross. The color pallette reminded me of Easter rather than the dark Day of the Dead images that I am familiar with in the Mexican tradition. Rosa was a total all-star today. She never ceases to amaze us with her energy and devotion to the family. She cooked breakfast, and then helped Antonio and Marcelo with the roof construction. She applied oil to the roof beams to protect them from the weather and insects. Antonio and Marcelo installed them by hand. Then Rosa cooked lunch for all of us. Once again, I ate lunch with the family while on a work conference call. We had soup, beans, rice, and red cabbage. Antonio had to leave to guide a group of eight Dutch tourists on a hike around Lake Cuicocha, so Rosa single-handedly assisted Marcelo all afternoon. She got up on the 3rd story roof beams and helped Marcelo to nail in the bamboo ceilings. (These will in turn be covered by a layer of thick plastic and terra cotta roof tiles). While I worked at the kitchen table in the afternoon, Marcelo's 4-year-old son Jung and Tayanta came in to say hello to me. Jung approached me and tried to touch my computer. Tayanta immediately rebuked him: "No! Achi Taita trabajando!" (Godfather working!) I'm Achi Mama, but close enough. Even at 3 years old, she understands that I need to work and that the kids have been asked not to interrupt me. Sisa had done this with Ruby Natalia a few days ago, but it was really cute to see little Tayanta become the enforcer to her own peers. It made me chuckle. She is such a sweetie - always looking out for me! She led Jung outside. A little while later, I could hear the kids playing outside. They yelled "EL DORADO", then simulated echo noises, and then screamed. I knew immediately that they were acting out a scene from The Little Shepherd Boy of Otavalo Searches for El Dorado, which we had watched online over the weekend. It brought back memories of acting out movie and TV plots when I was a kid, from "The Flintstones" in my toddlerhood to "The Dark Crystal" and "Return of the Jedi" in elementary school. It was especially cool that the film they were reenacting is deeply entwined with their cultural heritage, rather than some Hollywood blockbuster. Technology really has made the world a smaller place. Not only can I fully connect to work and talk to my colleagues via the internet, we also are able to check our home phone landline messages over the internet. We procured a Skype number, and now we can make and receive calls (and voice messages) over the internet as well. The fact that my cell phone doesn't work internationally doesn't hinder us. This is the first trip where all of this technology has come together for us. The possibilities are endless! Once it got dark, Rosa and Marcelo needed to call it a day. They stopped working on the roof. Rosa took a very quick shower to clean up and then commenced cooking dinner. She didn't stop all day. She is a strong and inspiring woman. She is a wonderful grandmother to the kids, and a fantastic hostess whenever we visit. We are proud to have her as our comadre. I had successfully finished a second full week of working remotely from Ecuador. Celebrating the arrival of the weekend, Craig and I played with the kids. Sisa likes to write and draw, and she sat at the kitchen table writing, drawing, and coloring in her notebook. Tayanta was tired, so I rocked her and sang Rock a Bye Baby until she fell asleep. I put her to bed. Yupanqui fell asleep on Craig's lap, but resisted going to bed because he was hungry and wanted dinner. Dinner was hamburg, rice, potatoes, cabbage, and spinach. As we said our goodnights and were about to head back to the casita to go to bed, we peeked in at Tayanta. Chipi the cat was curled up on top of her while she slept. It was precious.

Tayanta and Rosa Volcan Cotacachi Sisa plays with the chicks Rosa helps with the bamboo ceilings Achi Taita with Yupanqui and Tayanta Chipi curls up with Tayanta