San Pedro de Sayausi: Take II

July 22, 2009
Wednesday
8:00am
Partly Cloudy, 60F
Sayausi

San Pedro De Sayausi

One of the downsides to being in our site for over a year is repeat events. While still fun for us, perhaps you have already seen enough of the Fiestas de San Pedro de Sayausi. Or maybe you’re feeling that you could stand to see a few more folklorico dances and fireworks. If the latter is true this post is for you.

One of the upsides of being in our site for over a year is that we know EVERYONE in all the events. We were also treated to much more food and everywhere we went we were with people we knew. It was quite a nice feeling.

The fiestas were a week later this year which is mildly confusing as to the best of my understanding Saint’s Days are supposed to be fixed. The weather was also more rainy than usual and turnout a little low, so the people of Sayausi were convinced that San Pedro was upset about the date change and so put a slight damper on the fiestas. Although apparently San Pedro, according to some, brings the rain so maybe the new date was pleasing to him. However, according to others, he stops the rain so I guess we just don’t really know how San Pedro felt about the change of dates. Either way there were still tons of homemade fireworks, hours upon hours of blasting music, dozens upon dozens of dances, and many fires lit to either bring the rain or stop the rain.

Enjoy the photos and videos, please feel free to compare and contrast this year’s fiestas to last years. Perhaps someone who has viewed them both can decide if San Pedro was happier this year or last year based on the fireworks, dances, and music included in each.

Click here for last year`s fiestas
(Or, you can use the index on the righthand side of this page to access any previous posts)


This Year`s Fiestas
Remember to double-click to enlarge the images in the slideshows and to click the underlined links to see the videos. Enjoy!

Setting up for the Fiestas!


Live Music

Dancing


Women Intro Dance

Men Intro Dance

More Men Dancing

Everybody Dance


Parade


Pet Contest and More Dancing


Caraguay, Caraguay

Las Nenas Fresh I(one of my students is in the group)

Las Nenas Fresh II

Crazy Dance that lasts for hours (yes, drag is encouraged)

Cholita Competition


Little Cholitas

Saturday de San Pedro


Saturday 6:00am

Tio Oscar cleans up the plaza

Shooting for Candy

Setting the scene

Ecuaboley

Reina Competition and Castillos


Castillo I

Castillo II

Castillo III: Watch Out!

Paper mache Soldiers with Fireworks


Smoking Soldier

Failed Launch

Artillery Boat I

Artillery Boat II

Flame broiled Cuchi

Vaca Loca


Vaca Loca en Vivo

Burning the Barba of San Pedro


Globos, up, up, and away!

Sunday de San Pedro


The Band

Band and Onlookers

Horse Race Participants, to the plaza!!


Other goings on in-and-around Sayausi

Closura
The end of the school year officially came and went, and as such there were many ceremonies; the biggest of which being the closura of the school. For several hours over a hundred elementary aged students were asked to stand in formation while many speeches were made and thanks given (I was singled out a few times, for thanks, which was quite exciting). During the ceremony, which took place during the first days of San Pedro, a parade started up in the same plaza and so for some time we had competing sounds of ceremony: the director’s speech versus a ten man brass band with drums. Needless to say the director did not pause, he raised his already amplified voice and continued with what he had to say.



Himno Nacional

P.E. Performance: Jumping through Hoops

P.E. Performance: Attempting to Jump Through Hoops

During the P.E. Performance


Agua Vida
Another closura was that of Agua Vida, the environmental education group I have been working with for the past several months. Again hundreds of elementary aged students were asked to sit in formation for at least two hours as speeches were made. Eventually there were dances and puppet shows so I guess that makes up for some of it.




Basketball Ankle
If you have not already heard, Mike’s basketball team made an incredible comeback in the last five minutes of the last quarter of their game several weeks ago. It was quite impressive and Mike was fuel in the fire so to speak. However, the fuel suffered a minor setback in the last minute when Mike went one way and his ankle the other.

After several doctor’s visits, x-rays, many ibuprofen along with some rest (I don’t know if there is anything more difficult than trying to get Mike to sit still with his foot elevated) he has made an almost complete recovery. There is still mild swelling, that hiking for several days through mountainous terrain probably didn’t help, and still a little tenderness when turned in certain ways. Luckily, the next game isn’t for another two weeks by which time Mike’s ankle will be ready to go (though had there been a game this week I’m not sure Mike would’ve sat out). So no worries, Peace Corps medical is great, the doctors were fantastic, and everything was taken care of. Really don’t worry.




Gringos in the News
Here is a fun interactive activity for all of you following our blog. In a separate window, open up Google and type in the following two words: Mary Ecuador
It is not the first hit, but scroll down to the seventh hit and you should see a link with a couple of familiar names. Enjoy.


Chuspi and the Gastronomy of the Fiestas of San Pedro
Along with any party, fair, or festival comes food vendors. For San Pedro the plaza was lined with people selling all the ups and downs of Ecuadorian gastronomy. Aside from the usual fried and candied treats, Mike tried the following over San Pedro weekend: roasted pig skin, grilled intestines, fish soup, cow foot soup, cuy face, and blood sausage. I tried some but not all of the above and as such we felt that Chuspi should not be left out (i.e. we didn’t want to finish some of these culinary delights and thought that Chuspi may enjoy them more than we did).

So, the first ever San Pedro de Sayausi Taste Test was arranged. The food: Blood Sausage vs Cuy Face. The judge: Chuspi.

the testing..


Where`s the face?

Taste Test I

Taste Test II

Taste Test III

Taste Test IV

The Results:Chuspi eats whatever she is closest to. In the eyes of Chuspi, I guess blood sausage and cuy face are just too tasty to pick a winner.

Apu does the Penguin


Peru
We just got back from Peru on Sunday, July 19th. It was amazing, and the blog post describing it will be posted sometime in the near future. Until then you will have to imagine the glaciers, penguins, flamencos, and sandboarding.