Lots going on

I am staying busy as ever which is a good thing! One of the nice things about Academia Cotopaxi, is that Ecuadorian teachers really try and introduce the American/Foreign teachers to their country…lots of trips on the weekends. This Saturday, we journeyed up to Otavalo. Even though I’ve been there a million and ten times, it’s always fun to go again, especially with my colleagues, getting to know them outside of a school context. The woman I sat next to on the bus is an Ecuadorian, Spanish teacher at Academia Cotopaxi. She’s in her early 50’s and is a wonderful teacher! Patient, fun, energetic. And she has used a cane for awhile, I never knew why…

Well it turns out she used to be a tour guide (since she grew up in the US, she’s perfectly bilingual). She guided foreigners all over Ecuador. When she was 33, a young bride with 3 kids, the tour bus the she was guiding on crashed…17 people died and 13 were severely injured like her. She broke her back and is pretty much paralyzed on one side. She also had a life-saving heart surgery. She was bedridden for one year, absolutely immobile and suffered severe depression,. After the accident…she became a teacher and it saved her life. Now days, she swims every day and even though she walks with a visible limp using a cane, she gets around really well! She confided in me that recently her son had his first child (her granddaughter) and the baby was born with Down’s Syndrome. So, this lady, almost paralyzed on one side did a mile long charity walk for funding against Downs. Amazing.

So, it’s folks like this that make it really rewarding to teach where I do! On our way to Otavalo, we stopped in Cayambe (the town I lived in for my Peace Corps Training) for views of the snow covered volcano (which we passed many and it was a perfectly clear Andean day! Bright blue skies….I counted at least 5 snow covered peaks). Then we continued onto Parque Condor, a place founded by a Swiss couple to rescue large birds of prey. We saw condors, falcons, (even a bald eagle, donated by someone), plus a few really cute owls (one looked like Hedgewick in Harry Potter).

Then we made our way to the Saturday market in Otavalo. Always overwhelming with stall after stall of crafts (many looking the same!). We only spent a half hour there because…we had a boat ride/lunch waiting for us at Lago San Pablo, a beautiful lake. Lunch was a plato typico of Ecuadorian food…fritada which is marinated pork, empanadas, avocado, tomato and onion salad and fried potato pancakes. Yum! We arrived late to Quito because…

the annual pilgrimage to the Virgin of El Quinche was in full procession on the Pan American highway. Folks journey to the hamlet of El Quinche each year, mostly to repay the Virgin of El Quinch for a miracle she has granted them. They walk all through the night in order to arrive for the 6AM mass. Sometimes they go for healing as well. I saw women carrying sick babies, people limping (but this could have been because of blisters), even people with their pets. It’s about a 30 mile walk. Sometimes, along the sides of the roads, people give out free water, fruit, etc. But most times, the stalls on the side of the road are for business…the funniest stall I saw, next to the stalls selling water, food, ice cream, etc was the Band Aid/Orthopedic Shoe Insert stall. Also, there were random musicians trying to motivate the pilgrims along the side of the road. All in all, it was quite moving to see such a mass of people with such devotion. A fellow teacher on the bus said, Hey next year, let’s organize an Academia Cotopaxi group to walk with the pilgrims to El Quinche. While I think the physical challenge would be awesome, somehow I don’t think I’d do it…I have no devotion to the Virgin of El Quinche and would fell like a total imposter. We’ll see…

and speaking of embracing physical challenges, I had my first race at altitude this morning. The half marathon, mitad del mundo. I finished in 1:56 which I was really happy about, especially since it’s really hard to breathe so high up! The course was ok…lots of outs and backs, which can be a blessing and a curse. I did enjoy seeing the super fast runners booking it while I was going at my long run pace…but seeing them reminds me of how much further it is! The weather was perfect, chilly at the start, but warm enough to wear shorts and a tank top. All in all, I was impressed by the race organization, roads were shut down, there were plenty of water/Gatorade and food stops and it started and finished in Quito’s bull fighting ring…

bull fighting reminds me that Fiestas de Quito are coming up December 6. They actually start partying a few weeks before hand. These fiestas celebrate the founding of Quito with parades, dancing, drinking and bull fighting. The interesting thing is that recently the government decreed that bulls can no longer be killed in the bull fight (only afterwards). So the poor animals are tortured for sport then finally put out of their misery after the event. I’ve had several invitations to go to a bull fight. Despite how culturally appropriate it would be for me to go, I refuse. No way would I ever sit through the slow torture of an animal. It really, really makes me angry.

But just because I turn down the bull fight invitation, doesn’t mean there’s not other stuff I’ll participate in. One is a chiva which goes through Quito at night. Really a beautiful city, especially the historic district. The school rents a chiva, which is an open bus. You’re supposed to drink and dance while enjoying the night views. We’ll see! Also, Thanksgiving is coming up, and I’m not sure what I’ll make for our celebration. Last time I tried to make Ecua version of green bean casserole (frying the onions myself and substituting mushrooms for cream of mushroom soup) it was a disaster! Maybe I can make mashed potatoes…we sure have plenty of those!

Lots and lots going on! Happy Thanksgiving to you too! I am so thankful to have all of you supporting me from afar. I love you all.