Week Two as a Peace Corps Trainee

Harvesting Potatoes

Hello again world,  I finally have some free time and an empty internet café stall.

What have I been up to? Well hells bells, I cannot describe everything but I shall give you some juicy bullets.

• I am currently living on a beatuiful ranch in Cariacu.  My host family has horses, chickens, pigs, milk cows, meat cows, lambs, rabbits, cuyes (guinea pigs), and torros bravos (angry bulls) on some land in the nearby mountains.  The scenery here and my life in general is grand.  But it is very cold.  I’ll post some pictures soon, I promise.
• Typical day: wake up around 5:30, help out the fam if I have time and get ready to take a bus to training if I don´t have Spanish sessions in my town.  Classes run 8-5 everyday and I help out with chores around the house after and then do my homework and bug the family with questions. I am usually in bed by 9:30.
• EXCITING NEWS:  Festivals of San Juan.  How to explain… people in masks with long ribbons attached, sporting zamarros (Ecuadorian leather chaps with goat hair), guitars, dancing, rockets exploding in the air (and not in the air), people in clown costumes, corrida del torros (local youth and young men get into a bull ring, many of them drinkin a little chicha [fermented corn alcohol] or aguardiente.  What do they do you ask? taunt a live bull of course!  It was quite entertaining.  Reminded me of some amateur bull riding crew in New Braunfels, TX).  There was also some prosessions of women clad in traditional clothes (beautiful dresses, jewlery and a fedora with a feather in it [typically peacock] and they also threw fruit and candy out into the crowd). There is actually a HUMONGOUS party going on now with all the surrounding villages meeting in the town of Cayambe, I am going there right after this
• Sadder news:  A young guy from down the street died two nights ago when a car struck his horse tumbling him off, making him strike his head on the rock-paved road.  I paid my respects to the family with my host family.  The veneration takes place in the house of the departed for about two days then they are carried to the cemetary.  The open casket was in a family room type area illuminated by a cross at the head of the casket and several lights around.  Seeing the body and especially the face really moved me even though I never met the young man.    The veneration is quite a huge event, a bull is slaughtered to feed everyone.  People come from all around to pay respects, leave donations for the funeral costs and overall support the mourning family.  Tents are erected, benches are set out, and there are literally dozens of people taking turns to consul the remaining family members and socializing.  Since it is so cold at night, warm drinks were served (a hot cider), as well as snacks and beef soup.  I will also be returning tonight to pay my respects as well.

Well I am going to leave you with those little golden nuggets, I am sure much more has happened, like me chasing an escapee cow yesterday out of a neighbors cornfield yelling like a madman at it in my cowboy boots with the neighbors looking on and laughing (except for the people whose corn crop it was).  I chased its renegade ass all the way back to our field which is about a quarter mile.  haha.

Cheers everyone and if you have any questions leave them!!  I like to read your opinions and comments.

Peace,