My final weekend in Quito was a great time of reconnecting with some of the first group of residents/interns and doing some touristy stuff with them before I left. I had a wonderful dinner with Marita and her family, Anita and her brother Fernando, and Gaby and her husband and son on Friday night in a beautiful part of the downtown called the Ronda. It is in a neighborhood of restaurants and shops in the old colonial style buildings with flowerpots everywhere and live music in many of the restaurants, including ours.
Anita graciously hosted me despite having to work at 5 am on Saturday, and her parents fed me breakfast in the morning (after meeting me for the first time since we had gotten in around 1:30 am after a late dinner the night before. Then I headed out with Gaby and her husband Luis (and later her son Gabriel and her parents, sister, and grandmother) to La Mitad del Mundo, the traditional (although slightly off) site of the equator in Ecuador.
At lunch afterwards with Gaby's family, I even got to try cuy, or guinea pig, an Ecuadorian specialty.
After the lovely day, we met up with Anita who had finished work and went to the artisanry market in Quito, where I got some earrings for my sisters. Then I returned to Anita's house and hung out with her family until it was time for me to go to the airport. I was blessed and touched by the hospitality of my friends, despite our short acquaintance. They welcomed me into their families and homes and lives with no self-consciousness and no hint of the effort and time that hosting me cost them. I am grateful for the grace they showed me. It was a wonderful ending to my time in Ecuador.
Anita graciously hosted me despite having to work at 5 am on Saturday, and her parents fed me breakfast in the morning (after meeting me for the first time since we had gotten in around 1:30 am after a late dinner the night before. Then I headed out with Gaby and her husband Luis (and later her son Gabriel and her parents, sister, and grandmother) to La Mitad del Mundo, the traditional (although slightly off) site of the equator in Ecuador.
I loved the afternoon festivities of group after group of various folk dances from different parts of the country. They included different brightly colored outfits and everyone seemed to enjoy watching, including the mostly Ecuadorian audience. I got a little more involved in the enjoyment than I planned when one of the dancers hauled me into the dance at the end when they went around trying to get other people to join them!
This dance was from Esmeraldas, a mostly Afro-Ecuadorian province in the north.
A good reminder of how much dancing is a part of Latin culture for old and young alike. These little girls and their little boy partners enjoyed the dance and participated just as much as the older dancers!
After the lovely day, we met up with Anita who had finished work and went to the artisanry market in Quito, where I got some earrings for my sisters. Then I returned to Anita's house and hung out with her family until it was time for me to go to the airport. I was blessed and touched by the hospitality of my friends, despite our short acquaintance. They welcomed me into their families and homes and lives with no self-consciousness and no hint of the effort and time that hosting me cost them. I am grateful for the grace they showed me. It was a wonderful ending to my time in Ecuador.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.