Market day!

                We have officially been placed into our individual Spanish classes consisting of three or four people. I was told by my new facilitator, Edwin, to meet in the central park of Tumbaco at 7:50 the next morning. Little did I know that we would be responsible for making it into Quito and to a large wholesale market. We took three buses to get there and it was very confusing at times. At one point a small bus dropped us off on the side of the highway and I assumed the driver just decided he wanted the white people off his bus. I was a bit shell shocked but then another bus pulled up about two minutes later (on the side of the highway) and picked us up. After an hour and a half of travel we made it to the market. Our job was to ask as many questions about products that we wanted to know about. This open air market was eye opening experience, especially for the cow that had his eyes and brains for sale on a table next to the rest of his uncommonly eaten organs.

                The market had every available food known to man. Fresh fruits, veggies, fish, cow meat, pig meat, guinea pigs, geese, chickens, ducks, and all their available organs. The market is open to wholesale farmers and “ranchers”. A few of my companions asked about the broccoli, lettuce, and avocados. Not me, I went straight for the cow hearts, tongues, and pig heads. What an experience it was. The indigenous venders love to hear questions about their goods but not so happy after I says thanks and slip away with notebook full of info in hand.

                At one point I bargained with a small indigenous woman for avocados. I will tell you that my Spanish is still developing before I finish this story. She told me she wanted a dollar for an avocado. I told her that was way too high and need it cheaper. She wouldn’t budge. I thanked her and walked away. My facilitator was watching from afar and approached me to let me know that the dollar was actually for a plato of avocados (5). I walked away knowing I need to work on my listening skills.

                My favorite part of the market was the meat section. There they slaughter the cow outside a large building and then are immediately put up for sale. I do mean to say that ALL parts of the cow are put on display. The two other Peace Corps trainees that were with me felt queasy as I did when you see the freshly slaughtered chickens, cows, geese and pigs that were on display along with their respective entrails. It doesn’t get much fresher than that.

                We made it back to the training center by one o’clock and had many stories to tell. All in all it was a great experience. Seeing the livelihood of the indigenous farmers as well as outlying areas of Quito that are extremely poor certainly had an impact on me. In this very short trip I saw multimillion dollar houses right next to slums, and people wearing designer clothing next to beggars. The need for us here is great and I am excited to see what we all are capable of.