Guatemala 7/31/2017

Monday 7/31/2017 - Compadres Getting to Know One Another

We woke up at around 8:30 a.m. Eddy and Paulina had been surprised by just how chilly it was overnight. They had to bundle up in bed much more than they ever do in Guatemala! For breakfast we had crepes filled with blackberry jelly, along with coffee, bread, and fresh juice.

Everyone was much more awake this morning than they had been when they first met last night, and our two sets of compadres became fast friends. Eddy's presence evens out the kids: 2 boys and 2 girls. They played tag and hide & seek, as well as coloring together. And Paulina kicked right into gear helping to lighten Rosa's load of daily chores. The two of them chatted up a storm and shared many laughs as they cooked and cleaned together.

Eddy and Paulina met Abuelita, Antonio's 83-year-old mother, who lives a traditional life. She sleeps on a reed mat on the floor, and she cooks in her outdoor kitchen over a fire. She treats her livestock as pets, and you often see her baby chicks following her around like she is their mother hen.

Eddy also met Cachupin, the family's dog. Max, the loyal dog whom the family had owned since we met them in 2010, had passed away the prior year.

Eddy told me that he wanted to meet "my friend," the big orange male pig. This pig had belonged to Abuelita, and we had known him since he was a piglet. I posted many photos of him. He would get very excited as I approached, and if I pet him, he would keel over onto his side to give me access to his belly. He loved belly rubs, even when he was full grown and looked intimidating.

When we were here in January of this year, he had recently fathered a litter of piglets with Rosa's large female pig Juanita.

Unfortunately, we learned this morning that the family had to sell him, along with Juanita. They had gotten too big and required too much food to make it worthwhile for the family to keep them. However, the family retained two of their offspring, now called Juanita and Juanito, who closely resemble their parents.

The piglets have grown so much in the past 6 months! Like their dad, they love having their bellies rubbed and will fall over onto the ground to give you better access. I love piglets!

The surrounding mountains and volcanoes were visible this morning, and we could see Imbabura and Fuya Fuya.

I worked remotely during the day while the families got to know one another. The kids watched their favorite locally produced movie, "El Pastorcito de Otavalo Buscando El Dorado." It is a Goonies-style tale about local Kichwa children who search for Atahualpa's gold. Eddy became hooked on it after Aracely returned home from Ecuador and showed it to him on YouTube. They all enjoyed watching it together and acting out the scenes together outside.

For lunch we had soup (which cut through the chilly weather), steak, beans, mixed veggies, and rice, with blackberry juice to drink.

Paulina was shocked that the Kichwa diet doesn't include corn tortillas. They are a staple at every meal for Mayan communities in Guatemala. She asked about them and Rosa didn't even know what a tortilla was. Paulina explained how they are made.

In the afternoon the sun came out, and it warmed everything up considerably.

When I was done with work, we took a walk up near the kids' school to a little community store. We bought some snacks and then walked home. Antonio has been gone since this morning; he is playing a musical gig and doesn't expect to return home until the wee hours.

I taught the kids some "tricks," for instance reverse prayer yoga position, where you place your palms together as if you are praying behind your back. The kids were fascinated, and immediately tried to contort their bodies into the position, with varying degrees of success. They asked me to show them something else, so I got onto the floor and got into mermaid pose. Not being warmed up at all, it was not very impressive, but the kids were still entertained.

Sisa masters reverse prayer pose

We had dinner: soup with popcorn to add a little crunch. Paulina and Eddy had not experienced this before, and it led to a discussion of the different Spanish words for popcorn used in Ecuador (canguil) vs. Guatemala (the onamatopoetic poporopo). The main course was a hamburg patty with onions and peppers mixed in, accompanied by rice, fried plantains, melloco, and a salad made of tomatoes and onions in lemon juice.

After dinner, we gave the kids a book of photos and text that we had made via Shutterfly recounting our relationship with them over the past 7 years. The kids hadn't remembered some things since they were so young, and they were amazed that Craig had danced with the community men during Inti Raymi. Sisa playfully looked at the photo and compared it to Craig: same blue eyes, same eyebrows, etc. coming to the conclusion that the person in those photos is indeed Achi Taita!

It has been a great first day in Ecuador - so nice to have many of our godchildren together! Of course we miss the kids' mom Aida very much and wish that she could be here too, and we miss those whom we left behind in Guatemala.