Ecuador 8/31/2018 - 9/14/2018

Monday, 9/10/2018 - Work/School, Baby chicks

We awoke to a sunny morning and Volcan Cotacachi was visible.

I went upstairs to my office for an early meeting. The family brought my breakfast up to me: patacones (flattened fried plantain slices), scrambled eggs mixed with slices of hot dog, onion, and pepper, fresh homemade juice, and delicious Intag coffee. They are so good to me. Aida had gone up to the neighborhood store to buy bread, but there was no bread to be found. Unusual.

Antonio's uncle Juan Pedro swept the patio this morning. He has a faithful dog companion who always seems to be with him. Rosa feeds Juan Pedro and lets him stay at the house periodically, and he has been helping with many household chores.

Antonio had taken Abuelita to do some shopping, and they returned with a bunch of supplies (including bread). One cardboard box, tied shut with green nylon twine, was placed on an outdoor bench. Craig asked me if I had heard peeping coming from the box. I went to check it out. I peeked in through a hole in the cardboard and could indeed see that there were at least two baby chicks in the box.

It is always fun to have chicks around. Abuelita treats her farm animals like pets. When she was ready, she picked up the box. I followed her over toward her outdoor kitchen. She put the box down on the ground and struggled to untie the knotted nylon twine. She then opened the cardboard flap and carefully extracted three yellowish chicks.

The household already had 4 chickens, and there were a ton of chicks running around who belonged to the neighbors.



Abuelita unboxes her new baby chicks


The kids came home from school. Sisa quickly changed out of her school uniform and soon got picked up by the first of 3 buses which transport her to her English lessons in Ibarra.

We ate lunch, which consisted of soup, beef, rice, breaded fried zucchini, and boiled potatoes in a pesto sauce. While we ate, we could see Juan Pedro out in the front yard tilling the soil.

In the afternoon, El Señor Chipikins joined me in my office, once again burying himself in Rosa's fabric to take a cozy nap.

When I was done with work for the day, Craig and I enjoyed the late afternoon sunshine and took a walk behind the house to admire Mount Fuya Fuya in the distance. The landscape looked like a matte painting in the late afternoon. It might have had something to do with all the dust in the air.

As it got dark, Abuelita gathered her three baby chicks and put them back into their cardboard box. She then carried them upstairs to her bedroom, where they would spend the night with her protected from the chill of the outdoor air.

Antonio went to Ibarra to pick Sisa up at English class. As soon as they returned home via the bus, Sisa immediately got onto the internet to watch grammar videos. We are so proud of her for how hard she works! Her school days on Mondays and Thursdays (including transportation to/from Ibarra) pretty much last frp, 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. She does it voluntarily because of her love of learning at only 10 years old!

Soon dinner was ready: soup, stuffed llapingachos, beets, beans, and rice. It was such a long day for Sisa that she was quite sleepy. After dinner, we all retired to our rooms.
Abuelita in her outdoor kitchen

Abuelita in her outdoor kitchen

Juan Pedro and his canine companion

Juan Pedro and his canine companion

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