Ecuador 2/22/2022 - 3/8/2022 |
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Wednesday, February 23, 2022 - Getting SettledThis morning woke up at 8 a.m. I had taken the day off from work so that we could get settled. We started getting our stuff unpacked. We noticed a small spider in our bathroom sink. He would be our buddy for the entire length of the trip; every time we looked in the sink, he was right there. He would adeptly dodge the water any time we turned it on. He was non-threatening, unlike the giant one that appeared on our window curtain back in 2016, so we were happy to co-exist with him.We went over to the house for breakfast at 9 o'clock. We brought over our little pepper grinder and a large jar of Chinese chili crisp, which we know that the family enjoys as a condiment. The three older kids were at school. We immediately noticed some improvements that had been made to the kitchen. A partial wall had been removed, and the cabinets had been rearranged. The original gas stove was still there, but they had a nice new commercial style gas stove, and a large additional freezer. Early on during the pandemic, they had bought the equipment with the idea of starting a restaurant onsite. They had some success with it but ultimately Covid made it too difficult. Aida cooked breakfast, and would continue to cook for us for the duration of our stay. We were quite grateful; she took good care of us in the tradition of Rosa. We ate bread, ham, cheese, fried eggs, fries, yogurt, and coffee. Adeliz Dashel was acting a bit shy. We learned that she doesn't like to wear shoes or pants. Shina also disliked wearing shoes when she was a toddler. This seems crazy to us, as the weather here can be so cold and damp, especially now, during the rainy season. We had a nice chat with Antonio and Aida, and learned a bit more about the family situation. We got the wi-fi password so that we could connect to the internet (always important since I will be working remotely from here.) We met Negra the dog, as well as a family of cats (a mother cat, an older kitten, and two tiny kittens). This was our first time here since the family had lost Cachupin the dog and El Señor Chipikins the cat. They had been great pets. It is a difficult life here, for animals and humans alike. But life goes on. We wandered around the property, taking in all the changes that had happened since our last visit. The front garden had been cleared. The house has been painted terra cotta with black trim, and there are decorative bricks on the first floor walls. Their main bathroom now has a door. Upstairs, they had torn down a wall to make a bigger sewing room with more light, where Aida can work. The corn was growing tall in the back fields, but Antonio said that the excess of rain that they have been receiving means that they will not have a good corn harvest. The family's small pig was grazing in the side yard. Abuelita's outdoor kitchen was no longer situated between the house and Antonio's brother's house next door. Flooding rains had destroyed the wooden shed. Now one of the cement block sheds in the back cornfield had been converted into her new outdoor kitchen. Abuelita is getting older and she is no longer able to cook for herself, but she still likes to sit by the fire. Then we went back to our casita to do more unpacking. Shina and Yupanqui walked home from school, and then Sisa arrived home on the public bus that stops right in front of the house. We had brought some clothes for the kids, and I piled them on Shina and Sisa's bed to distribute them. Adeliz Dashel immediately gravitated toward the clothes which were for her, and started to put on the pants. I guess she likes them even though she thinks pants are overrated. Sisa is now in 9th grade, and she is studying music. She plays the saxophone, guitar, and piano. Sisa demonstrated her piano and guitar skills for us. We are so proud of her! She is working hard studying music and English. We had lunch: soup, peas, chicken, rice, juice, and broccoli. Aida invited us to go with her and the kids to the community school. Everyone in the community is responsible for volunteering for civic projects. Today it was Aida's turn to clean the bathrooms at the school and sweep the schoolyard. We walked up to the school. Some of the kids' friends were there in the schoolyard, and our kids joined them on the playground equipment. I got Adeliz Dashel to sit on my lap on the swing, and Craig dangled from the monkey bars. The kids rolled one another around in a plastic barrel...just watching them made us dizzy! One little girl came over and talked to us while we watched the action. Sisa helped Aida to sweep and empty the trash. When Aida was done with the cleaning, we stopped in to the little store across the street where Aida bought the kids some snacks, and we walked back home. It was so nice to be able to spend time with the kids - they have all grown up so much since the last time that we saw them! When we got back to the house, we enjoyed a cup of tea. Sisa did homework and we helped her with some English pronunciation. She reads English very well. Adeliz Dashel passed out on the floor but woke up in time for dinner. We had asparagus soup, steak, llapingachos (these are like mashed potato croquettes) , cauliflower, carrots, and juice. Out of the blue the kids brought up a catchphrase from the past: "Shina solo chochos." When Shina had been a toddler, there was one visit when she only wanted to eat chochos (lupins) and nothing else. We had all good-naturedly teased her saying that she ate "only chochos." After dinner, we retired to the casita. Tomorrow morning I would be getting up early to go to work. |
 Our casita  Adeliz Dashel  Fun at the school playground  Sisa practicing piano See all photos from February 23 |
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