Ecuador 5/29/2024 |
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Wednesday, May 29, 2024 - Working Remotely and BabysittingI woke up at 7 o'clock and went upstairs to my "office" at 9 o'clock for a meeting. I ate breakfast while in meetings: crepes filled with jam, bread, ham, yogurt, and coffee.The water, which had been shut off since yesterday, came back at 11 a.m., and we took advantage of that fact to take showers. Morning dishes could also be washed. Aida said that there was an hour-long meeting at Shina's school concerning the school field trip to Baños. She said that she wasn't going to go because she had to watch the two youngest kids. The older kids were in school, and Antonio was at work. We convinced her to go, saying that we could babysit the kids. I didn't have a meeting at the moment, and we could easily entertain them for an hour. Aida thanked us and left for the meeting. We played with the kids. A neighbor's bull dog wandered into the yard, and the kids were visibly scared. Dogs here can be threatening; there are a lot of stray dogs who roam in packs and eat chickens and other livestock. This dog looked and smelled clean and acted friendly, as if he was someone's pet who had escaped from their house. If left alone, he probably wouldn't have been a threat. But the kids were scared of him. We couldn't control the kids' actions and we didn't want them to accidentally antagonize him. We tried to convince the kids to just steer clear of him, but their first instinct was to run towards him and/or throw things at him. We had to try to explain to them in our limited Spanish to just leave him alone. The dog wandered into the kitchen, and then into one of the bedrooms of the main house. I managed to chase him out and close the doors. Eventually, he lost interest and left the property. About 30 minutes after Aida had left, I had to go to a meeting. I left Craig in charge of two kids. He was a bit intimidated by being outnumbered, but at least the dog was gone. I assured him that he would do fine, and went upstairs to log into my meeting. Kuri came up to Craig and said "Ka!" This was different from his usual "Gah!", and Craig wondered what he was trying to say. With more urgency, he repeated "Ka!" "Ka...ka" Craig suddenly was struck by the thought that maybe he was saying "kaka" and had to go to the bathroom. We had not been responsible for his bathroom activities before. We knew that he was potty trained, but did not know the process. Craig didn't know if he had to go #1 or #2. Kuri was not tall enough to get onto the toilet without assistance. Craig helped him to pull his pants down and lifted him onto the toilet. Kuri successfully peed into the toilet. Craig was relieved; he had made it through this solo. Hopefully things would remain calm until Aida returned, or I was done with my meeting, whichever came first. Not so fast...the bulldog then returned. Craig was now one person trying to wrangle two toddlers away from this dog that they feared so much. The dog went for the kids' toys, taking a stuffed Spider Man betwen its jaws and violently shaking its head as if to kill it. Craig valiantly saved Spider Man, and managed to keep the kids away from the dog until it wandered out of the yard again. Aida came back home and Craig was able to stand down. He was absolutely exhausted after 30 minutes of solo babysitting. I ate lunch while in meetings: soup, chicken, beans, rice, and salad. After I was done with work for the day, Craig and I had coffee and cocoa in the kitchen. Yupanki practiced playing the electric piano in his room. Then Yupanki and Sisa played music together, with Yupanki on his trumpet and Sisa on her sax. Then Antonio dictated in Spanish some legends which personify the surrounding mountains. We could understand some of what he was saying in Spanish, but Sisa translated it to English on the fly and wrote out the legends in English: "We live in the Andes mountain ranges where there are a lot of volcanoes. These volcanoes have their history and their legends. In the front, we have the Mama Cotacachi. To the right, we have Taita Imbabura. Beyond Taita Imbabura, we have Cayambe, and in the middle we have Fuya Fuya. Beyond Fuya Fuya, we have Ruku Pichincha and Tunguragua. The mountain that lives in the center gossips and tells Mama Cotacachi lies. She tells her that Taita Imbabura is with Cayambe, that she is his lover. One day Tunguragua gave an invitation to Taita Imbabura and Ruku Pichincha, and the gossip Fuya Fuya took advantage of the moment to tell Mama Cotacachi that Taita Imbabura lived with Cayambe. Mama Cotacachi believed that and was upset at Taita Imbabura, and Taita Imbabura gave an invitation to Ruku Pichincha around this area. Ruku Pichincha came and he met Mama Cotacachi and he fell in love. They had one baby and the baby stayed with the father, and that's why they are named Wawa Pichincha and Ruku Pichincha. Taita Imbabura separated from Mama Cotacachi. When they separated, each one stayed with their children. For Mama Cotacachi it is Yana Urku behind Cotacachi, and for Taita Imbabura it is Covinchi in Cayambe. Mama Cotacachi stayed with her son and two sons stayed with the father. That's why Mama Cotacachi was crying, and when we visit the Cuicocha lake we are inside the tears of Mama Cotacachi."Wow, there is a lot of drama between all of the volcanoes of the area! We were very impressed with Sisa's ability to translate from Spanish to English in real time. The legend was very interesting as it is an origin story for Lake Cuicocha, where Antonio works, and which we have visited many times. It is a scenic volcanic crater lake. Dinner was late tonight. We had soup with popcorn, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and rice. And then we went back to our casita so that everyone could get some rest. |
 Babysitting Nena and Kuri  Interloping bulldog  Yupanki practicing piano  Yupanki and Sisa practicing music together Photo Gallery May 29 |
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