Last week I went to an all day birthday party where I met a
very nice family that invited me and a fellow volunteer to their house “anytime
we wanted”. They were very kind and
seemed to be good contacts to have. Seeing as how we had nothing to do in the
upcoming weekend we decided to call and accept the invitation to come to their
house only six days after meeting them. I felt that it might have been an empty
promise and was worried we might be calling a bit too soon. To my surprise they
were ecstatic to have us come visit and so soon! We got the address of the
house and a few more contact numbers and prepared for our whirlwind one day
trip to Quito.
The family actually lives in Cumbaya, a suburb of Quito.
Much like the song, Cumbaya is a very calm and relaxed. Oh and did I mention it
is where some of the wealthiest people in Ecuador live? Yeah, after we realized
where we were going I began to wonder what kind of experience was in store for
us.
We left early in the morning on Saturday and embarked on our
3 hour trip. We arrived in the much warmer city of Cumbaya and waited in front
of a large megastore for the family to pick us up. A man walked up and asked if
we were Todd and Chelsea. Awkwardly we responded that we were and were quickly
whisked into a nice car where the grandparents and the daughter were waiting
for us. I realize that we as white folk stand out here but when someone comes
up and already knows your name and who you are, it is a bit unnerving.
We made it to the house shortly thereafter. This house was
amazing. It was in a guarded compound and the first thing I saw was the pool.
We weren’t in Kansas anymore. We parked in the garage. That’s right, I said
garage. I have not seen one here before this Saturday. Then we were escorted
into the house. It was beautiful. The house had hardwood floors, three stories,
and a magnificent view of the suburbs of Quito and the surrounding mountains. I
tried to keep my jaw off the floor. What kind of Peace Corps experience was
this.
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| View from the 3rd floor |
Lunch was prepared for us and the rest of the family was
about to arrive. We ate sandwiches and drank juice. I was happy that they
didn’t go out of their way to make us a large meal. The parents arrived after
lunch and we chatted for awhile. My friend had made a pie to give to the
family. I made… drum roll please… Doritos. The family thought that was
hilarious and because men here do not cook it was acceptable. They were very
happy that we had accepted their invitation. We were asked if we had brought
our swimsuits because it was time to swim. I packed my trunks in the
anticipation of this offer. We were ushered to the pool and sauna both of which
I thoroughly enjoyed.
After swimming we were told to shower and come downstairs
for lunch. I had assumed that we had had lunch two hours earlier but as usual I
never know quite what is going on here. An enormous meal had been prepared for
the whole family. We ate a large cheesy soup followed by salad and fresh shrimp.
Then we had the main course of spaghetti and French bread. Dessert was fresh
fruit and whipped cream. It was all delicious and I was stuffed by the second
course. I must admit that more than once I had to watch the family to decide
what piece of the large array of silverware to use. This was a piece of
knowledge that I did not think I would need to employ while in a developing
country.
At the end of lunch we sat and chatted for about an hour.
They, along with most Ecuadorians, love hearing about my family and where I am
from. Both topics I am happy to talk about. I love the looks on their faces
when I describe my city in Texas. They simply cannot believe people would live
in a city that is flat, dry and dusty. When it was time to leave we let them
know how grateful we were for having us there. They were pretty sad that we
were not staying the night with them. They continually insisted that we could
not leave. We promised we would return and stay the night at a later date. They
turned this into a plan for us to stay a whole weekend and have the whole
family together. They offered to drive us to the bus stop and we were happy to
accept. Of course this meant we had to stop and get ice cream to delay our
departure from the family. I offered to pay but they would have none of that.
They then took us to the stop and we said goodbye and thanked them many many
times.
I was amazed at the hospitality of this family. They had met
me only a week before but I felt as if I was a member of the family. Despite
the fact that this family was obviously very well off they still behaved like
any other Ecuadorian family. They were very close to one another and were not
arrogant or prideful. I am very proud to say that they are one of my new good
friends. The grandmother kept hugging me and telling me how happy she was for
us to be there. Ecuadorians walk arm in arm with people they are very close
with. The grandmother walked with me in this fashion after only having known me
for 3 hours. After she found out that my mom is coming to visit in October she
insisted that we all stay with her. I thought she was just being nice but after
the third time she mentioned it I knew she was serious. If her house is
anything like her son’s I think my mom would rather enjoy that. She continually
called me “my boy” when addressing me, in Spanish of course... This could also
have been due to the fact that Todd is a ridiculously hard name to say in
Spanish. I am hoping she just really liked me.
We got back very late in the evening but the bus trip was
not very bad. My friend and I spent the ride chatting about how great and hospitable
the family was. In the back of our mind I kept remembering that we had yet
another very large day ahead of us.
On Sunday I woke up early without much rest and prepared a
large strong cup of instant coffee. “Coffee, if it ain’t instant, it ain’t
Ecuadorian”. Ecuador produces some of the best coffee beans in the world but
for whatever reason, instant coffee is the craze. At my school the teachers use
the drip coffee maker to make hot water to put into a cup and then add the
granules of instant coffee. Appalling to all coffee drinkers, but it is what it
is.
I headed to the central park of Latacunga at 7:30 in the
morning. I walked around until I saw the man I was looking for. I recently met
this guy and his wife at a literature night here in Latatcunga. While the poems
and songs are in Spanish I can still appreciate the artistic prose. I told the
guy that I wanted to climb a nearby mountain but didn’t have much information
on it. In true Ecuadorian style he “Ok, let’s go this weekend.” So five days
after having met this guy and his wife, I and another volunteer were about to
be taken, by car, to the trailhead. The fact that we were taken by car was
great. We assumed we would all take a bus but the guy told me that his
father-in-law would be happy to take us. We all piled in to a very small car
and headed off. We drove for about 20 minutes before arriving at a house on a
hill. We all got out and were told to wait. Like always, I had no idea what was
going on or about to happen. Then a large GMC 4x4 came rumbling up. We all
piled in and headed off again. The man, my new friend, told me that the road is
only passable by four wheel drive vehicles. I didn’t know it at the time, but
we were going muddin’.
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| Cruising in the GMC. Can't beat 'Merican muscle. |
The road got narrower and narrower. The rain didn’t help
much either. We slowly crept up toward the mountain. The family kept calling
the truck a “spider” because of the way it would lurch ahead with each touch of
the gas. Other folks were making the same climb towards the mountain. Quickly
we ran into a traffic jam. Trucks were stuck everywhere. It was very scary seeing
the trucks slipping and sliding down the muddy road with large drops on one
side. I was happy to get out of the truck and begin the hike.
We hiked for about 2 hours up the mountain, Putzalahua. I
chatted with my new friend throughout the trip. He is somewhat of an intellect
and enjoyed speaking and debating about socialism versus capitalism. He made
some very valid points for his side and I feel that I did the same. It was
refreshing to have an intellectual conversation in Spanish. The views along the
hike were great. There were many indigenous people living high in the mountains
and seeing them work in the fields and the housing always gives me a sense of
humility. We made it to the top and soaked in the beautiful views. All around
us the Andes rolled their hills out beneath us. I had yet another feeling awe
when I thought of how lucky and blessed I am to live in such a beautiful place
with such great people.
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| View from the top of Putzalahua |
We had a picnic on the peak of sandwiches, chips and fruits.
We took plenty of photos and then decided it was time to head down. When we got
in the truck I realize just how exhausted I really was. I was struggling to
keep my eyes open as my friend wanted to chat more. My weariness was a topic of
conversation and great laughter in the truck as we drove back to Latacunga. We
arrived back at his house and all piled out. I hugged each of them and thanked
them profusely for taking us. I offered to help pay for gas but this family also
would not have any of it. We are making plans to travel to another remote and beautiful
spot 5 hours away next month.
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| Danilo and I |
It is crazy to think that neither of these two families had not planned to host or hang out with two gringos this weekend but were more than
happy to plan their weekend around us. The father-in-law most certainly could
have spent his Sunday a better way than spending his time, money, and energy
taking a friend of his son-in-law up a mountain but he was delighted to do it.
The hospitality and genuine acceptance of new acquaintances here is incredible.
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| Couldn't resist taking a picture with this girl and her llama. |
This is usually where I try to think of something witty or
wise to say but honestly I am still too tired to think. So catch you on the
flip side.
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