Carnival in Ecuador

Yeah! It's time for Carnival! NOT! I think this is the holiday I hate most in Ecuador. Every year the whole country shuts down for 3 or 4 days to celebrate Carnival. It' the last big blowout party before they have to give it all up for lent. But, the locals don't celebrate with parades and parties like they do in Brazil. No, they have to throw water on everyone. It doesn't matter who you are, what you're wearing, if it is cold or rainy, if you step outside, you will get blasted with water. It makes it impossible to get outdoors during this time. So, we just huddle up and wait it out. Even the meetings are cancelled because most of the brothers have to walk or take buses and they won't make it to meeting without getting soaked. UGH.

Tremor

Had a bit of a shake up again this afternoon. A 5.0 earthquake hit the coast of Ecuador and we felt it again in our apartment. Not a comfortable feeling. This is the second tremor this month. There was a small tremor on Sunday, February 8 about 25 miles north of Cuenca. We felt that one, too, Oh well, I guess it is one way to wake us up and keep alert.

What I Like About Ecuador

Living in a foreign country certainly has its many challenges. At times living day to day with the many cultural differences can be frustrating and the tendency is to start to complain. At least I tend to do that. So, I decided to try to focus on the positive aspects of living here and the reason why Mark and I decided to make the move to Ecuador. Here are some of the things I discovered:

1. The smell of the Eucalyptus trees as I walk by the river. Actually, Cuenca has four rivers running through it so there are a lot of trees and water.


2. The beautiful architecture. Cuenca is a old city with modern conveniences, but the old Spanish Colonial architecture still lingers.

3. The women washing their clothes in the river. I don't know, there's something neat about watching them.

Of course, sometimes the clothes get away from them and end up down stream.

4. The $2.25 lunch that include soup, entree, and juice.

5. The city parks. All around the city there are small city parks. They are appreciated. Every weekend families flock to the parks and play, stroll, and spend time with love ones.

6. The abundance of fruits and vegetables all year long! And they are inexpensive!

7. But, I think the thing I like most is that no matter where you go in Ecuador, the brothers are always preaching. Any why not? The preaching here is wonderful. That is why we love Ecuador and what the focus of our being here should be.

Piano Recital

The dreaded day finally came. Friday was the piano recital I have been nervously awaiting and secretly hoping I wouldn't have to participate in. But, come it did and I had to suck it up and play. I had prepared two pieces, a Chopin Etude and a fun piece called Contrabajeando, which is an Argentinian Tango. I was the last to play and the oldest of the students. There were a couple of technical difficulties that threw me off guard. First, the piano had some clunker keys that didn't work and second, my piano teacher turned the page of music before I was ready. But, despite all this I did survive to play another day.

Me with my piano teacher Jakeline Gutierrez.

Our Trip to Guayaquil

Mark came for a visit and was here for about 13 days. We really didn't do much, just lazed around, played cards and ate. At the end of his visit we always have to make a trip to Guayaquil to get him to the airport. Guayaquil is about 3 1/2 hours through the mountains. Here are some pictures of sights along the way.


First we have to stop at a tienda to get the necessary "road food."

Our last look of Cuenca countryside.



Along the way through the Cajas we came across Luis the Lonely Llama.



And then came the fog, more fog and fog. Not much fun trying to drive through the curving mountain roads but....



all at once we get a glimpse of the plains to the coast.



and some rice fields.


And smooth sailing until we get to Guayaquil and sunshine!

We had dinner at Fridays. For you people stateside, this isn't a big deal. But, for us it is a TREAT. Even more so since the government is starting to stop many imports so we won't be getting the good stuff anymore.


We stayed with a local family that offer rooming to the brothers and had a wonderful breakfast the morning before Mark's flight. Got to meet new friends, too. Some coming back to Ecuador and some leaving to go home.




And a final goodbye at the airport.

Now we are back in Cuenca with rain. :(