¡Bienvenido a Tabacundo!

Hello to all! I am writing this post from Tabacundo, a small satellite town of Cayambe. Cayambe is a decent-sized city just north of Quito, and our training group was divided into groups and sent to live with host families in the Cayambe area for the next couple of months. Although Tabacundo itself is very small, its proximity to the big city gives residents relatively easy access to life outside the town. Lots of students go to university in Quito, and many residents have relatives who have immigrated to the United States.

My host family is wonderful. Don Oswaldo and his wife, María, welcomed me into their house with open arms. Their 16-year-old daughter Jasmíth lives with them, and the family also includes daughter Elisabeth and son Oswaldo, who are grown and live in their own places. Nevertheless, after only two days here, I can already tell that I will be seeing a lot of the whole family, as this house is the central gathering place for everyone to eat and spend time together.

My very first night here, María and Jasmíth informed me that “Tonight will be a party” – as it turns out, the town is getting ready to celebrate the patron saint’s day, which means a whole lot of festivities in the weeks before and after the event. Who knew that I would find myself wearing chaps made of llama skin, joining in the groups of people singing and dancing down the streets on my first night in town. Above is a picture of Elisabeth and Jasmíth in traditional garb (chaps were part of the men’s clothing).

So far, it’s been the general rule that I have no idea what to expect, nor should I, because my expectations would probably be shattered. My initial impression is that the people here don’t know all the details and tend to make things up as they go (there is a very different perspective of time here!). For instance, driving to and from Cayambe today to see festival activities, we made several impromptu grocery stops, were approached by someone asking whether Don Oswaldo was interested in selling his car (he was), and we picked up some neighbors on the fly as well. One thing I wasn’t expecting, at least not so soon, was being treated to the traditional Ecuadorian highlands meal, guinea pig. María made it for Father’s Day today. Delicious, but akin to eating crab: lots of work for minimal quantitative output. Still, quite yummy, so if you’re getting tired of your guinea pig pet, ask me and I will send you María’s recipe.

Hope you are all doing well. ¡Hasta luego!