The Ecuadorian Routine

I guess I should premise this by saying that ´routine´ is used in the vaguest sense of the term, and in actuality no two days have followed this schedule at all but it will provide a glimpse...

The family is still wonderful. Here´s what a day could look like. Wake up at about 630. No shower, because a bucket bath would take much too long and be frighteningly cold at that hour. I settle for a facewash and brushing my teeth (not that I have avoided some contact with water anywhere, but the water in Otavalo is supposedly exceptionally clean and ´bug´ free). Then into the kitchen for some breakfast (they just don´t get it, breakfast is just lunch or dinner leftovers here, no fruit, no juice, no cereal, mostly chicken soup, rice, lentils, beets, etc.) After that, collect my things (water bottle, dictionary, and $2-3 for the day and I´m good to go). I walk down into Otavalo with Maria. We part ways when she heads to the bus terminal to go to the clinic in which she works, and I head into the center of town. My first stop is at the newspaper lady. It´s 35 cents for the best paper in the country (which is surprisingly good, and just as a matter of comparison, I was paying $1.70 for my paper each day in Barcelona three years back). Then I hit up the fruit lady for a 5 cent banana. Then to my usual internet café for 80 cents/hour (although I just found another one for 50 cents!!).

After this, my day begins. I head to the bus terminal (only if the community I plan to visit has a bus, at this point about 50/50) or start walking. The bus ride is 18 cents and takes 20 minutes to just about any of the surrounding area, or the walk can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours. My work has thus far been two-fold. Anita of Tandana has asked me to contact the various community presidents to gain permission for her upcoming clinics. The second task has been investigating Azama further. Sometimes the two coincide, sometimes not.

I try to get back to the house around 1-130 for lunch. That´s when Segundo returns from work and Kuri is finished school. Up to this point, most of my ´work´ day is simply spent walking. So now lunch (which tastes, looks, and smells eerily like breakfast and is a good predictor of what to expect for dinner). After chatting with the guys and finishing lunch, I start reading my paper. Somedays are easier than others. It all depends on the contents, but I consistently read the entire thing with much assistance from my dictionary. That means I learn lots and lots of new words and phrases everyday (and they are intelligent phrases, which is great seeing as my goal is get to an academic understanding and competency in Spanish).

At about 3-330, I head back into town for afternoon chores. These can include buying sandals (what I did yesterday), going to a hotel to use wifi for skype, picking up my camera from the repair shop (only to find out it can´t be fixed here and I need a new camera which I will have in 2 weeks), or buying some small birthday presents fro Kamari (who celebrated her 5th birthday yesterday).

Then I´m back to the house by about 5-530 just as Maria gets home. Dinner is never later than 630 because Segundo is up so early and needs to be in bed by 8-830.

Now this schedule must be taken with a grain of salt. For example, in the afternoons, I take my bucket shower, water permitting (the city shut off water for three days because the kids were having water fights due to Carneval). Internet time is no guarantee. I only have access when electricity permits (the people here are convinced the government intentionally shuts off power during protests or just as a general threat, and I kind of believe it too). Meals can be hit or miss, and I eat some meals stomach permitting (they love to include all the bits and pieces which I cannot get used to). No worries because everything being so cheap, I don´t break the bank by grabbing some snacks in town or eating pound after pound of tostada (this delicious snack of baked corn that doesn´t pop with lots of salt, fried onions chips, lime, and some other stuff).

Love
Kent