April the Month of a 1000 Rains!

April in Ecuador is known as the Month of a Thousand Rains..  And, that is a very true statement.  We have enjoyed several thunder storms, some lightning, and lots of rain.  The days of rain are a bit different from Seattle rains in that we have morning sun almost every day.  The rain keeps everything green and the flowers looking beautiful.

A couple of weeks ago we observed the way cement is mixed in Ecuador. Our neighbors had a fence installed for their dog, Duke.  The workers dug huge holes and filled them with cement to support the fence posts.  They mixed the cement by hand in the middle of the road as you see in the picture below.  Quite a process and the finished product was very professional.  Duke now enjoys his private fenced in back yard.

As we have shared before, every Friday, the "flower man" delivers fresh flowers to our neighborhood.  He has a selection of roses and lilies.  He has started bringing 'orderless lilies' for those of us who are allergic to the smell.  The pictures tell the story.  The colors are amazing and we get these fresh flowers every week - $3.00 for two dozen roses.

We were honored this past weekend to be invited to the birthday party for our taxi driver's one year old daughter.  Manuel, our driver, and his wife Marie Carmen, have two children - Naria, age one, and John Emerson, age eight.  They are a very sweet Indigenous family. Manuel's wife and children often ride along with us in his taxi.  Being included, as gringos, in this family celebration is a great honor.  Manuel has become more than our taxi driver, he had become a friend (Amigo).  Naria was quite the center of attention, playing with her balloons and posing for photos..

Naria was loving all the attention.

These are all family members.  The 2 women primarily in black are the Grandmothers.  Maria Carmen, the mother, is in the dark pink top. 

This is Naria with the elephant we gave her.  Manuel, the proud papa, is holding her & her brother John Emerson is on the left.

We met with our attorney this week, as we continue our Visa process.  It is amazing the hoops you must jump through to become a permanent resident in Ecuador.. Patience is the key through this process.  The government is constantly changing the rules and the people in office.  A good attorney is the key to make all this happen.

Our new neighbors from Panama invited us to travel to Quito with them last Friday..  Manuel was our driver and spent the entire day with us, a two hour ride both directions, and a day of shopping and enjoying the sights of the city.  Quito is the capital, a city of 2.000,000+, a very modern city.  The day included a visit to the local open air market - fresh fruit, vegetables, meat,, etc.  We were able to purchase bulk nuts, raisins, and spices, along with Ecuadorian chocolate for baking.  We then went to a modern, first class, shopping center where we were able to purchase products that are not available in Cotacachi.  The drive to Quito was a visual wonder of mountains, deep crevasses, green fields, rose plantations, and many small villages.  Quito is 10,000' elevation; we are at 8.000' elevation.

The ride to Quito is two hours of continuous mountains.  You can see some of the long white buildings in the background that are flower greenhouses.

The displays of vegetables are beautiful.

The eggs are always priced individually so you can buy one or thirty.

Here is a display not only of the vegetables but also the herbs available.

 We continue to enjoy every day in our new home.. Life is good and Ecuador is a JOY!

More from Ecuador

More fun in Ecuador.

Since our last entry we have been busy with work around the house we rent.  A patio was built behind our house.  It connects our house with the small covered area that houses our wood and Bar-B-Q.  The patio was built with terracotta bricks.  It took the workers about 4 days to peal up the grass, level the ground and lay the bricks.  We continue to marvel at the craftsmanship and attention to detail they display.  Every time a brick was laid the ground under it was carefully leveled and the proper brick selected.  When all the brick were laid the entire patio was covered with a fine sand.  As the rains have come...the sand has packed between the bricks and formed a hard bond between the bricks.  

The next project was new flower beds and a hedge.  The flower beds are approximately 20' long and 2' wide and are raised about 1'.  The border for the beds was created with split logs buried in the ground on end.  Then came our part.  We got to go to the nursery and "negotiate" for flowers.  It was quite a fun day.  We went with our neighbors in their Ford Explorer.  We all intended to get just a few things and of course try out our negotiating skills with our limited Spanish knowledge.   Well we started seeing all kinds of things that looked interesting and as we continued to negotiate the number of plants grew until it looked like it may take 3 trips in the Explorer to get everything home.  Fortunately our  neighbors new a man that had a truck and for $15 dollars everything was delivered.  One of the best deals of the day was the plants for the hedge.  We bought 25 Hibiscus (3' high) for $1 apiece and 14 Tupirosa for 50 cents apiece.  The entire hedge cost $32!  One thing we find interesting in the area where we live there is quite a bit of sand in the soil so much watering has to be done even in the rainy season.  Wonder what dry season will be like?

Our new neighbors from Panama arrived with their dog Duke.   He is quite a large addition to our neighborhood..  He's still  a puppy at 2 years..only weighs 100lbs but looks much bigger because of all his hair.  He comes over to say high every day and patrol our yard.  Jim and Char come from California originally but lived in Panama for six and a half years.  They moved here for a better climate and they have friends here.

We had our first experience with doctors down here.  PTL for our Spanish teacher and his family.  His daughter Jenny does interpreting and sets up and goes on every appointment with us.  Claudia had what she thought was  a sinus infection so an appointment with an ENT was set up.  The Doctor was very thorough and decided on a CT scan of the sinuses.  The doctors appt in the hospital was at 1:00, he sent us to imaging for the scan which was done immediately.  We were given the films and returned to the doctor at 3:00.  He read the films, explained and showed us that everything was clear.  That  was the good news.  The bad news was he felt it was a tooth problem.  The doctors appointment was $25 total and the CT scan was $60.

Next stop was the dentist.  Jenny set up an appointment with their family dentist.  Dr Espinoza, his brother and sister-in-law are all in practice together.  Very kind and gentle people.  Something we have learned down here.  The doctor does everything.  He has no hygienist, dental assistant or receptionist.  Helps explain why the cost of care is so much less here. We have made several trips to the dentist resulting in Claudia having so far one root canal and a new crown.  Another tooth may also result in a root canal stemming from some work that was done incorrectly in the States last fall.   Even though this is not the kind of experience you want to have...at least it has been a positive one because of the people.

In an earlier blog we mentioned the baking going on at our house.  Well we got quite a treat last week.  Our landlord had a cousin of his come from the States and they brought us chocolate chips and baking chocolate.  It was a great surprise and we have enjoyed our fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.  We find it interesting that you can't get chocolate chips here, especially when Nestle has a company here.   Guess it's just not something the Ecuadorian people use.

Spanish lessons are going well.  They are every Tues and Thurs.  It started out to be a couple of hours, but now tends to take more like 5 hours.  We study for a couple of hours, then eat, then study for a couple more.  Some days a pretty intense for old folks like us but our teacher has such a passion for the language and the country that it makes it enjoyable.

Better close for now...Adios amigos!

ABOUT TIME!

oK, oK, I know - it is time to update our Blog, actually way past due..  So here goes!

It is hard to decide just where to begin.  For starters, we traveled to Columbia on Wednesday of this week.  Words cannot possibility describe the beauty of God's creation that we enjoyed the entire trip of 2.5 hours. We traveled through sugar cane fields, potato fields and many small towns.  We were amazed at the farming that was done on such steep mountain sides...many easily at a 45 degree angle.  Contour farming is a must and or course it is done by hand.  We were amazed they could even stand up to work because of the angle of the fields..  Also all the fields are bordered  with trees or hedges.  It was a beautiful patchwork of shades of green against the rich black volcanic soil  . It was of course also an experience to pass through the two military check points as we got closer to the Colombian border.  We were asked to get out of the car both times so they could thoroughly check the vehicle.  It's our understanding they were looking for guns.  They were very nice but all business.  Most everything is cheaper in Columbia, if you can believe it... especially electronics.    Many Ecuador residents close to the border shop in Columbia regularly. And you can also get a better quality of chocolate there. It was a great day and another new adventure.

This week we completed our sixth Spanish lesson.  Our teacher is a gringo, came here with the Peace Corp 35 years ago, loved the country and stayed.. We have so enjoyed his teaching.  He studied Spanish in Spain years ago, has a beautiful Ecuadorian family, owns/operates a clothing (sweater/shirt) factory, and is focused on our becoming fluent in Spanish.  He went with us to Columbia and gave a great narrative as we traveled.  He is quite colorful and has many stories to tell of his adventures while living here.

We live in a peaceful neighborhood.  Our neighbors are all great.. If you remember, there are six homes within our walls.  New residents are moving into the home across the street this next week. Oh, yes, there are five dogs in our neighborhood AND the new residents we hear have a Great Pyrenees. At one time or another during the day, all the dogs come over to see what we are up to.  We are enjoying their visits.

                                                          "Pepper" is very sweet...
The couple around the corner from us moved here from the Teton Valley just before Christmas.  They have a car and love to travel the area and have invited us on many of their day trips, nice folks. They are taking Spanish lessons with us so we can compare notes and practice.
We continue a Bible Study  of John with another couple in the church we attend.. We are hoping that the group will grow.  The first Sunday we attended the only church in Cotacachi that speaks English, there were 12 gringos in attendance..  A couple of weeks ago, we had 33.. PTL. 

We enjoy a fire in our fireplace nearly every night..  The weather continues to be unbelievable - shirt sleeve during the day; light jacket at night, just right for our fire.

It has been interesting to watch the construction of the street a few blocks from our home.. After tearing up the existing street, hauling in loads of dirt and compacting the ground, they lay concrete pavers BY HAND.  When complete, the street will look like a huge patio.  They use the pavers so if a problem develops below the street (water or sewer), all they need to do is to remove a few pavers and fix the problem.  What a concept.  The street has been under construction since November of last year.  Every time we take a taxi we must use that street so it has been a challenge each time for the taxi driver to find a "path" to use through the construction.  What is amazing is how accommodating the workers are.  One day when coming back home in the taxi we got to the entrance to the street and there was a drop off of about 2 feet from the side street we were on.  Our taxi driver said "uno momento" got out of the taxi, walked down the street, came back, got in and here came a payloader with a load of dirt.  He dumped the dirt, smoothed it out and made a nice ramp for our taxi driver to travel over..  They exchanged a wave, thank you and we were on our way.

We would like to tell you that with all the fresh fruits and veggies, we are losing weight, however, there has been much baking at our house - great breads, cookies etc - so the weight loss I guess is on hold for now.  :-)
We have been able to Skype with many friends and family.. It is great to be able to see and talk with folks back in the US.

In defense of our lack of blogging we have had significant technical issues.  Our internet service had been erratic since we arrived so we started with a new service that one of the Ecuadorians in our Spanish speaking church has offered..  So far so good.  Then our brand new laptop we brought with us crashed and burned.  God again blessed us with a gentleman staying here for a couple months, from the states, who had brought some computers with him.  He was able to provide us with a new laptop and fix some other electronic and technical issues for us  AND as a bonus he has downloaded around 200 movies for us that he brought along.  Now how's that for a blessing!!
Adious,
Bruce & Claudia

More pictures coming soon!

                                              Cotacachi volcano from our front living room
                                                window....


                                     

                                              Imbabura volcano from our rear living room
                                                 window......

Time Flies When Your Having Fun!

Cotacachi Volcano from our front porch.

 Another week has flown by.  It's amazing when you're not working how much there is to do.   We started the week meeting with Emma a senior from Tufts University in Boston.  She is writing a thesis on people who move to Ecuador from other countries, primarily North America.  She ask if she could interview us so we gladly obliged.  It was fun sharing and learning about her.

Later in the week we took a ride through the country with one of our neighbors.  They come from Idaho and moved in around Thanksgiving time.  They came for a visit the end of Sept...loved it, rented a house, bought a car and then went home to tell their family they were moving.  Because of their  car we were able to take our time and explore some back roads to a couple of the neighboring towns.  What beautiful views we had of valleys, farms,  and volcanoes.  It was time well spent getting to know each other and enjoying this beautiful country.

Wednesday we met with a couple from our church who we had spent time with on our first visit.  He is from Iowa and knows good friends of ours back there.  They are having a house built on the edge of town.  It was a wonderful time of sharing the many ways God has worked in each of our lives.  They ask if we would be willing to start a bible study with them so we will begin next week.   They had lived in Cuenca before moving to Cotacachi.  While there they had been part of a bible study with 4 other couples.  Because they had gained so much from those close relationships they have been anxious to experience a similar time here.  They feel as we do that God has lead them here for a reason so it will be fun to explore the possibilities together.

Had our first power outage yesterday.  The electricity was off for a few hours.  Ask our neighbor about it and he said he figured it would be on in the next 30 minutes because the Municipal building would be opening and they had to have power before then.  He was right...it was on in the next few minutes.  It is interesting to note that there is no one you call if your power is out.  It's not just an area..it's the whole town so you just wait.

Also got an email this week from the local network of gringos that there would be a gas shortage for the next 2 weeks so that affects our stove, hot water heater and dryer.  Seems they are doing repairs on the refinery and they are anticipating completion in a couple of weeks.  It's funny though, no one gets upset they just take it in stride.  They just say...remember, you're in Ecuador! 

The local flower man came yesterday.  He comes once a week and sells fresh flowers out of the back of his pickup.  Lillies and roses are your choices.  We bought 4 dozen roses for $6.  They are a little more expensive than the market ($1 a dozen) but after all he does comes to your door!  :-)

Also yesterday went down the road and cut eucalyptus branches for the house.  Our landlord puts them under the sink, on top of cupboards, in the bathrooms, under the bed,  etc.  It's a natural mold and insect fighter.  You cut the younger branches and change them every month or so.  Isn't it great the way God provides us everything we need.

Until next week...

Emma from Boston.

How's this for a bouquet of roses!

WE ARE HERE!

OK, we have been here in our new home in Cotacachi, Ecuador for one week.  It has been the best week.  Things here are just so beautiful.  There is still a volcano out our front door and one out our back door.  Every day is an adventure to see if we can figure out where to get something we need. Will it be in Cotacachi, Ibarra or Otovalo?  We have met all of our neighbors, a very interesting bunch - all very kind people.

We arrived in Cotacachi around 9:30pm on Saturday night.. Our landlord had offered a few days prior to have some food for breakfast for us so we would not need to go shopping right away. So, we had fresh eggs, bread, butter, milk - along with a dozen fresh white roses - waiting for us.. It was a good thing we had what we did because nothing was open the next day, New Years.  One of our neighbors came over to check on us on Sunday and kindly offered a couple of frozen hamburgers so we wouldn't have to eat eggs all day.  Monday we were able to get a few things in Cotacachi and Wed in Ibarra more esentials were added.  We didn't have internet access until Wed due to some technical problems (that being we couldn't figure it out so the "computer guy" took care of it)  but all in all everything went great.

I remember as we shared with so many, that the question was -"Is there anything that is not just perfect down there?"  Well, we found something.. They are called "noseeums" - a little, invisible bug that bites. Some people react with furious itching, while others have no reaction at all. You guessed it, Claudia is one who reacted with furious itching; Bruce really no reaction at all, just a bunch of bites.  Guess this is why you see no shorts in Cotacachi. :-)

Today we went to the open market and here is what we bought. 1 large zucchini; 3 large tomatoes; 10 large carrots; 3 red onions; huge head of cabbage; 1 head of red cabbage;  3 red peppers; 3 garlics; bunch of radishes; couple handfulls of green beans; two mangoes; two pineapples; 10 bananas; bunch of grapes; 7 mystery fruits; and 30 eggs.  ALL were fresh, locally grown and all for the whopping cost of $14.50. (the fresh pineapple were .50 each)

The weather has been beautiful every day.  Warm 70'+ during the day; 50' at night. Great sleeping..Imagine living in a place where no one has a furnace, just a fireplace for those times it may be a bit chilly.  Most days are clear and both volcanos are visible from our picture windows.  Even with a few showers in the night, every day is special.  We are together.  What can we say we feel so blessed.  This place is already home and we are loving every day.

Almost forgot, the few hours before our departure from Federal Way, we spent weighing and re-weighing our six checked bags to make sure we were within limits - add some, take some out, what is important now, what was not.  In the end, we did get six checked bags and four carry on bags all the way to Cotacachi, with no incident.  We did leave a few things behind, that we will get at one of our future visits to the States.

You must know that we miss family and friends very much, but you also know that we are enjoying this new life, being together 100% of the time, no schedules, in a beautiful place.. We give thanks to God every day for this amazing blessing.

More to follow,

Bruce & Claudia

Final thoughts before our departure...

Just a few final thoughts as we end this chapter of our blog.  We return to the States on Thursday to visit with all the family on our way back to Seattle.  We are in awe of the raw beauty of the land and the genuine sweet spirit of it's people.  We have learned so much in these three weeks and grown to feel very much at home here.  There doesn't seem to be a way to put into words our feelings.  Even though the buildings are old and many need repair, and there are damaged sidewalks or unfinished structures there is still a sense of care for things.  Whatever the people have they keep clean and value.  The Indigenous people may herd there few cows along the roads, the children may walk for miles to school or the parents may carry heavy bundles or push carts of produce for miles to the market but they are happy.  We have so much more to learn and are eager to return to continue our voyage of discovery.  One of our church friends spent the evening with us tonight and ask "What do you think God is leading you to do?"  We answered we only know that we are to be here and what He has in store for us is yet to be revealed.  We can't help but feel our growing in the understanding of the missional journey these last few years in our home church, of going to the people and loving them where they are, is part of this plan.  God has been so generous in giving us this opportunity to live here.  We only hope what we do will honor Him every day.

Enjoy the following memories of our last 3 weeks....

Following are some of the children of Ecuador...

At the market....

So exactly how much yarn did you want?

Yes, they really are only $1 a dozen.

Consuela...what a wonderfully sweet woman who works at the Inn.

But I AM a lap dog!

Imbubara Volcano from a pasture above the Hacienda where we ate lunch.

Cotacachi Volcano briefly revealing her peek

.

Festival Weekend

Following is an email we received that went out to many of the Gringos in Cotacachi.  We found it to be interesting that so much will be happening just as we are leaving to return to the States. There are many festivals throughout the year but this weekend seems to be an exception because of the coinciding of dates.

Hola/Hello:

The Day of the Dead is almost upon us. On this day, Ecuadorians traditionally visit their family plots at their local cemetery. Indigenous families on this day share food with each other, and with other families, as a celebration of life together in the presence of their dearly departed. This year, the Day of the Dead coincides with so many other special days that we will officially see a five-day holiday weekend throughout Ecuador, and in some cities, the days of celebrations and commemoration will extend for the entirety of next week.

On October 31st, Otavalo celebrates the Dia del Escudo (National Coat of Arms), with parades and other commemorative events. November 1st is the day of the Angel Who'll Wake the Dead and we can expect that lots of early morning church bells as a representation of the angel will make a presence in the Catholic Churches before sunrise during special Masses. Cuenca celebrates November 3rd as its Independence Day (from Spain since 1820).

Wednesday, November 2nd, 10AM - Cemetery Picnic Tour
November Second is a very special day in Ecuador and is the most colorful day to visit our town cemetery. This coming Wednesday, November 2nd, I am planning a one-hour guided tour of the cemetery (where we will hopefully meet up with a couple of helpful local officials also) to witness together an especially vibrant and important expression of culture and community spirit. This is my favorite space in town because of the beautiful garden plots, and I look forward to sharing what I have learned from our neighbors on my daily visits here. Bocaditos tours always have something to do with food and this indigenous-family picnic day offers the best opportunity for us to partake together in tastings of two special gustatory delights that are important aspects of this day. Sweet, decorated baby-shaped Guagua breads and the dark and sweet-tart Colada Morada are traditionally prepared for this day and for the tour price of three dollars, I will be providing a version of these treats for us to refresh us during our-hour-long walk together.

Some association between the beginning of harvesting season and the respectful acknowledgement of death as a necessary part of life is expressed in social celebrations of cultures around the world. In many places, something like Halloween, Samhain, Day of Innocents, All Saints Day, and so many more are celebrated around the end of October and the beginning of November. These celebrations function as an opportunity to reinforce friendships and family connections and to bond with others whose help is appreciated for the intense work of harvest to come. The focus on mortality is made all the more relevant because we have to cut down the last season's plantings for our own nourishment and to prepare for what comes next.

How the Indigenous approach this matter is fascinating in itself and I would like it if we get to share some part of this day together with them and with each other. In any case, I encourage everyone to come to the cemetery at any time on November 2nd for Dia de los Difuntos.
 .