fin de semana

After the excitement of the support group, nothing extremely note-worthy occurred over the next few days except for some well needed relaxation and a couple of nights spent talking to mi padre Jorge about life, Ecuador, and the numerous topics that can arise when you throw Latin American politics into the equation. Over a few cups of coffee, we stayed up until almost midnight chatting in Spanish, as I made up for my lack of formal classes, while Jorge puffed away at his favorite tobacco pipe, advised me on the correct way to conjugate verbs tenses I don’t even think we have in the English language. Even more than what I learned that night in terms of specific lessons or teachings, I realized that I have been extremely lucky to find the house I’ll be calling my home for the next few months.

The first Saturday in Ecuador I spent with my dear, first, and probably best friends in the area: the Falck’s. That previous Tuesday, I attended the “mandatory health and safety” meeting with Evelyn and Miguel, where I learned any and everything that a gringo should know in a foreign country (don’t flash your wallet around, make sure the taxi drivers are actual taxi drivers, and that it probably isn’t the best idea to drink the water here…); however, among these lessons, Miguel and Evelyn began to divulge the secrets of the country they’d been born in, and even offered to take me on a tour of what they called “historic” Quito; as well as a quick trip to the equator. Without hesitation, I took them up on this offer and have thrown in some of the many pictures I took on this slightly rainy, but extremely fun exploration.



*Hanging out in both hemispheres


*A vista of the traffic, rain, and "el Panecillo" in Quito


*Los Falck's and the Southern part of la ciudad


*El Panecillo close up

Sunday, after going to church for the first time in a little over a while, I celebrated día de los padres with the Duran’s and an extensive group of people that can only be described justly by the word “family.” All three hijos, two of their wives, four of their children, Elsa’s sister and her son, and even the in-laws of Cristina, Marco’s wife, ended up coming over for an almuerzo that started promptly after mass and lasted through cena, into the late hours of the night until the children and conversation topics had exhausted themselves.

Somewhere between seeing the way the family got along, and heading to bed as Jorge stayed up and played spider solitaire, I guess I began to miss my own Dad a bit, my own family, and everything that I cherish about home. As I fell asleep that night, I realized two and a half months might be a little longer than I projected at first, but in spite of any new-found woes, I also slept well, knowing that in a way I had found a temporary, new home, a new family, and a new part of the world to show all of those I meet the lessons and dreams everyone I miss has taught me I can accomplish.