Ecuador 5/27/2024 |
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Monday, May 27, 2024 - Memorial DayToday was Memorial Day, so I didn't need to work. We slept until 8 a.m.For breakfast we had scrambled eggs with ham, bread, ham and cheese, yogurt, and coffee. Antonio had the day off today and did errands. We played with Kuri and Nena while the older kids were at school. Aida collected six eggs from their chickens this morning. Kuri sat with Abuelita as she shucked beans. Great-great uncle Juan Pedro came over all upset, and we couldn't tell what he was upset about. He was obviously trying to communicate something, and was gesturing wildly. But with him being non-verbal, we were unable to understand, which seemed to frustrate him more. Aida came out and he gestured to her. She interpreted what he was trying to communicate, and asked some questions in Kichwa, which he responded to with more gestures. She was eventually able to understand what he was communicating. She explained to us that he had seen someone in the community slaughtering a cow. This had upset him very much. Aida calmed him down and gave him something to eat. We were impressed with her interactions and the patience with which she treated him. Yupanki and Shina came home from school, and Antonio came homme from his errands. Antonio cut open a coconut that he had bought. We all had some coconut water to drink. Kuri visited us in the casita and sat on Craig's lap while Craig was at his laptop. For lunch, we had soup, beans, steak, salad, and rice. Nena started to "shoot" us using a stick as a pistol. We would "die" with our tongues sticking out. This amused her and Kuri to no end. Soon Kuri wanted in on the action. He would call to us to get our attention: "Taita!" (This word, the "father" portion of the phrase for "Godfather", seemed to be used for both of us, not just Craig), and then he would make a shooting noise: "Boom boom!!" They would laugh and laugh. Of course, as toddlers, they would do this over and over and over again. Antonio went to pick up Sisa at school and they did some shopping on the way home. When they returned, they climbed off the motorbike and handed Nena a bag that contained eggs. Unsurprisingly, this proved to be a bad idea. As Craig and I lunged forward in slow motion, Nena accidentally but predictably dropped the bag, breaking four eggs. Their chickens had laid six eggs today, so that made up for the four broken eggs with two to spare. But it shows that they can never have a surplus of anything; it's always something! They had bought a box of cookies for Craig and me, and we put them aside to enjoy later. We were still full from lunch. Sisa and Antonio ate a late lunch. Then the kids made slushies (using just strawberries and water in their ice cream making set up). Sisa is lactose intolerant, and though she had eaten the ice cream they made the other day, it had bothered her stomach. This way, she could enjoy a frozen treat without the tummy ache. Craig had a cup of coffee and I had some cocoa. As the sky darkened, we realized just how dirty the kitchen windows behind the dining table were. There were multiple layers of kid fingerprints, from when the two youngest kids have food on their fingers and then touch the windows as they look outside. The least we could do was to clean the windows; we are taller than any of the family and it is easier for us to do. I got some paper towels and window cleaner from our casita, and we washed the windows inside and out. We wondered how long it would take before the windows were just as dirty again, and, sure enough, Nena immediately put her hands all over the windows. It's a losing battle. It started to thunder, and we had heavy rain. We went into the casita to check for leakage, and found that water had entered through the roof leak near the bathroom. Luckily, it just got onto the floor and nowhere else, so we were able to mop it up quickly with towels. Dinner was soup and spaghetti with meat sauce. While we were eating, Yupanki asked Kuri what sound the cow makes, and he replied, "Gah!" It really is Kuri's go-to word. We know he uses it in many contexts, but we hadn't known that it also means "Moo!" After dinner, a tipped over resin chair became a slide for the two youngest kids. Yupanki dressed up like a duende (elf) in his poncho with his hat covering his face and pretended to steal the little kids. They were scared at first, but soon they dressed up as a duende too. Yupanki's poncho and hat were way too big for them, and it was very cute. Yupanki is great at entertaining the kids, and they obviously love their older brother. After lots of laughs, we went to bed. Tomorrow would be a work day after this long weekend. |
 Nena  Great-great uncle Juan Pedro  Achi Mama with Nena  Achi Taita with Kuri Photo Gallery May 27 |
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