February 18, 2008
We’ve completed our first week or training! We had lots of language classes, learned about every sort of worm and bacteria that wants to make our lives miserable AND how to avoid it AND treat it, so don’t worry. We also spent all day Friday shoveling, weeding, planting, and sweating in the process of constructing a pretty big garden, which we will have pictures of in our next post.
This weekend we went to the Festival de Canciones Infantil, which is a huge quasi-singing competition for kids in the area. It was quite the experience and it took my ears a few hours to recover fully from the volume of the event. An interesting side note is that at the kinda concert/competition they were having a raffle for a plate of food containing some rice, avacado, tomato slices, and cuy (guinea pig). Interesting because (a) it was sitting out all night and (b) because between every song, of which there were at least twenty, the emcee would grab the plate, show it to the audience, and describe its contents. But it was lots of fun and a friend of Santiago, our little brother, ended up winning second place.
On Sunday, we went to the market and we took lots of pictures and then went for a walk through our town to some land that our host-mother owns. During our walk we encountered a young boy who was preparing los catzos. Mike wants to try them, I don’t. See if you can figure out what they are from the pictures.
So tomorrow starts a new week which promises to be just as full as the last, if not more. Mike found out that tomorrow he starts taking Kichwa classes, an indigenous language in Ecuador, in addition to Spanish classes and everything else. I get to keep working on my Spanish, which I am enjoying and is going well.
We miss you all and send our love.
enjoy the pics...
(and as always, double click on the above image to see the slideshow)
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4 comments:
Dear Frustrated Phone Callers!
I think we have figured out the problem to calling Mary and Mike.
We need to add an extra digit--a city code, the number "2" after the country code, cleverly located just before the other number "2".
So dial, 011-593-2-236-5759.
If you have not done so, you should also call your cell phone company and your long distance provider on your land line. They offer special plans which reduce the per minute cost of calling each country. For Verison, I pay $5 a month and my per minute charge is $.20 instead of $.40 or some such. ATT is similar.
It is not a big deal, so call Mary and Mike first and then adjust your plan for maximum efficiency.
DO NOT PAY "OPERATOR ASSISTED" RATES, WHICH FOR ATT IS $16 FOR THE FIRST MINUTE AND $4 FOR EACH ADDITIONAL. That was what enabled me to figure out this "city code" thing, but I do not recommend it otherwise.
Please do call Mary and Mike because they know people have been trying and would love to talk with you.
Best to all,
Mary's Dad
Dear Mary and Mike,
I know! I know! I know what catzos are. Those gross, fat bugs. You must come home immediately. You are not to eat bugs.
Love,
Mary's (mostly vegeterian) Dad
P.S. Sansa say it is looking "more and more like Survivor," although on Survivor they have to eat them raw.
P.P.S. You don't really have to come home. I have great confidence in your food choices--now Mike.....
Hi Michael and Mary
Thanks again for the update and the pictures. They are great except the bugs. Unfortunately, I can believe that Michael tried them. Why?
Learning a new language, Michael.
That will look good on your resume.
Take care of each other.
love,
Grandma
To Michael and Mary
I know when I sign my name it's not "Anonymous" but sometime it is the only way to forward the comment. Really, I'm not losing it.
Grandma
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