Navidad en Ecuador

Has it really been almost a month since I last posted? I am sincerely sorry for the lack of communication, I promise to work on that.  So let's see... where did we leave off?  I suppose it was just before Christmas. Although I'm in a predominantly Catholic country, Christmas came and went without much fanfare. Most people celebrated with a family dinner on the 24th, which my family did as well. My "mom" and I cooked a delicious turkey dinner with green rice, plum sauce for the turkey, and a salad. After dinner we went for a walk through town (mostly so that Santa could come by the house since the kids were heading to grandma's on the 25th) and I was surprised to see that many stores were open, and people were out and about as if it were any ordinary evening.  The same was true for Christmas day. Not sure what the explanation is, but it certainly was not as big of a holiday as I expected.

One fun thing that was a big deal for Christmas was that all the schools had Christmas Programs the Friday before the holiday.  Tamara and I went with one of our coworkers to her son's school to watch him sing a Christmas carol, which turned into watching him cry crocodile tears while his classmates sang all around him, but the other kids sure were cute. ;)  Check out the pictures to see how the parents went all out with their kids' outfits.

The hospital where I work also had a Christmas Program that consisted of each department singing a carol and/or doing some sort of performance, then a Reina de Navidad competition (basically a beauty pageant).  This meant that the entire program lasted 4 hours!!! Our contribution to the celebration was a dance that I choreographed using one of my Zumba routines. We also had a girl from our department participate in the Reina contest. She had to wear an outfit that represented our department, one that was Christmas themed, and then a pretty one. She also had to give a "Christmas message".  For the department outfit she came out in crutches with a knee brace and theratogs! (google it and you'll be able to imagine how ridiculously funny she looked) Of course she looked beautiful in her pretty outfit, but the Christmas outfit was the real winner! See my web album for the pic.  We spent the week prior making a Christmas tree for her to wear! It was awesome! Especially when she was standing next to all the other girls in sexy Santa or sexy elf outfits.  Then to top it off, I came up with a poem for her to say as her Christmas message. I was pretty proud of myself for being able to write a poem in Spanish (I may have gotten a little help, but we don't have to talk about that). Needless to say, she won!! She was crowned Reina de Navidad and got to hand out bags of candy to all the kids that were there. Afterwards, all the rehab people went out to a nice dinner where we danced the night away.

Since my mom and the kids went out of town on Christmas day I hung out with Tamara and her family. On Christmas day we all piled into the back of a pick up truck and drove just out of town to a small turnoff where a trail was leading into the jungle.  After walking for about an hour, we finally came to a sandy beach along the river that was perfect for the men to do some fishing, the kids to run around and throw rocks and the girls could swim and enjoy the sun.  We made a fire on the beach and cooked yuka, chicken, and maduros con queso (bananas with cheese!). The whole time I had no idea what the plan was so I was just along for the ride and enjoying the adventure.

Then the next day Tamara, another American student volunteer from our clinic, and I went white water rafting along the Jatun Yaku river.  We became pretty good friends with the 2 guides and one of their girlfriends, who was also on our trip, and we have since hung out with them a few times.  Fun people who provide a nice change in experience since they are more into outdoors activities and are of the indigenous culture. They were able to tell us cool tidbits about the communities surrounding Tena and teach us some Qichwa words (all I remember is that Jatun Yaku means "big river"). Not a bad way to spend the Christmas weekend. :)

New Years was spent in a town called La Mana where my "mom's" family lives.  It took us about 10 hours total to get there, not including a detour to a beautiful crater lake called Laguna de Quilotoa.  Amazing bright green color with stunning volcanic mountains in the background. Well worth the additional hour to the trip.  For new years Ecuador has the tradition of making big paper mache figures that they burn in the street at midnight. Apparently it's good luck if someone makes the figure to look like you, especially if you've had a bad year. By burning the figure, all the past year's bad is supposed to be burned away, making room for good luck in the coming year. They go so far as to write a will for the honored person, leaving certain possessions to family members.  Also, men dress up as the widows of the deceased and go around hustling change from people so they can go buy beer. They stop traffic and don't let you go until you give them money.  It is pretty entertaining! Unfortunately, I didn't want to carry my camera at midnight so I didn't get a good pic of these characters, but I think you can use your imagination. Think over-the-top, and you're probably pretty accurate. :)  My family enjoyed a big dinner together and a toast at midnight before heading out to experience the fun in the streets.  Also on this trip, we explored around my mom's family's banana fields, cacao fields, and tilapia farms.  Definitely felt like a tropical region, with mosquitoes and all.

All in all, I'd say the holidays went well. I had a good mix of adventure and culture, and got to see more of the country.  After these two weekends, I noticed I am feeling much more comfortable here and time is flying fast.  I am starting to feel like a year will not be long enough- but don't worry, I'm coming home (I'll be broke, I'll have no other option) ;)

Here is the link to all my holiday pics- Web Album

Love you all and hope your holidays were filled with love, family, and fun!!