Here are all the things that have happened recently that haven't made it into a blog post yet:
Quinceañera
The oldest daughter in the family for which I tutor just turned 15, and that meant a fiesta de quinceañera. For those of you who don't know, a quinceañera is a traditional party, similar to a quintillion, in which the father of a 15 year old presents his daughter as an adult in society. Due to this family's generosity, I was invited (and told to invite as many friends as I wanted) to the Quinceañera. This family is all about ensuring that I have as many cultural experiences as possible here. My friend and co-worker Nikki and I went, and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. When asking around about dress code and etiquette for the party, we were advised to be sexy. It is still hard for me to think about being sexy around students, but Nikki and I decided to go with it. We were also served a lot of whisky, and again, it is hard for me to think about drinking around students. But it is also very rude here to turn down what is offered to you. So I wore a bright red, very tight dress and drank whiskey (responsibly of course). When in Ecuador..right? We danced the night away with the birthday girl's 40 year old uncles, and later with a group of 15 year olds. When one of them hit on Nikki, we returned to the 40 year olds. At one point in the night, my 8 year old student advised me that I needed to shake my butt more, and reminded me that "we're not at school Tia Becca, it's ok." I may need more time here to fully let go of my American cultural norms.
Corpus Cristi
Cuenca celebrated Corpus Cristi, a holiday which celebrates the body of Christ and the Eucharist. In Cuenca, this celebration includes an increase in the number of masses offered, and a week of streets lined with candy vendors. At night, there is a variety of street food, and wooden castillos pirotécnicos, or castles which shoot fireworks into the crowd. Bomberos (firefighters) line the streets ready to assist any of the unfortunate by-standers hit by firework sparks, and to put out any potential fires. What candy, street meat, and firework-shooting-castles have to do with the body of Christ is lost on me (and apparently to the internet as well, as my search yielded nothing). But, the celebration was fun anyway.
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| Castillos Pirotécnicos del Corpus Cristi |
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| Sweet-lined Streets for Corpus Cristi |
Fiesta de la Musica
Last weekend was Cuenca's annual Fiesta de la Musica. Bands from all over the world came to play, and my friends and I listened to lots and lots of reggae, rap, ska, and jazz in various venues all over the city. Mostly, it was another excuse to party, but some of the bands were really good.
Cuy
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| Cookin' Cuy |
Cuy is the Spanish word for guinea pig. Which, is not a pet here, but rather a typical Ecuadorian dish. Again, the family for which I tutor extended their generosity to me and took me out for a traditional cuy dinner. They knew I would squirm through the whole thing, but they also reminded me that I am brave, and that it tastes like pork. It actually wasn't bad, though I will probably never eat it again. The meat was really tender. The hard part about eating cuy is the presentation. They literally serve the whole guinea pig, claws, teeth, skin, and all. The skin is rather crunchy, and I did not enjoy it. But I was a good sport and ate all the meat. The girls I tutor ate the feet, tongue, and even the brain meat. They do not waste in this country.
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| Almost clean plate club? |
The oldest daughter in the family for which I tutor just turned 15, and that meant a fiesta de quinceañera. For those of you who don't know, a quinceañera is a traditional party, similar to a quintillion, in which the father of a 15 year old presents his daughter as an adult in society. Due to this family's generosity, I was invited (and told to invite as many friends as I wanted) to the Quinceañera. This family is all about ensuring that I have as many cultural experiences as possible here. My friend and co-worker Nikki and I went, and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. When asking around about dress code and etiquette for the party, we were advised to be sexy. It is still hard for me to think about being sexy around students, but Nikki and I decided to go with it. We were also served a lot of whisky, and again, it is hard for me to think about drinking around students. But it is also very rude here to turn down what is offered to you. So I wore a bright red, very tight dress and drank whiskey (responsibly of course). When in Ecuador..right? We danced the night away with the birthday girl's 40 year old uncles, and later with a group of 15 year olds. When one of them hit on Nikki, we returned to the 40 year olds. At one point in the night, my 8 year old student advised me that I needed to shake my butt more, and reminded me that "we're not at school Tia Becca, it's ok." I may need more time here to fully let go of my American cultural norms. 
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