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We woke up at 7:30 a.m. and went out at a little after 8 o'clock to see Cristina and Christian off. Christian was playing with Sisa, pushing her in her red car.
Tomorrow is the baptism, and our custom-made espadrille shoes were delivered to the house. Mine fit, but Craig's didn't. This could be a problem. We said our goodbyes to Cristina and Christian, who were going horseback riding. We ate breakfast: fried eggs, papas fritas, and croissants. Antonio left to guide some folks on a bike ride. After breakfast, we went out front out and Aida showed us how to cut up branches to feed the fire in Abuelita's outdoor kitchen. When we had been here last year, Abeulita's outdoor kitchen was little more than a lean-to beneath the elevated water tank. Now it had been expanded using cement blocks, planks, and a corrugated fiberglass roof. They would be using this as the communal kitchen to prepare food before and during the baptisn fiesta. Craig cut the wood with a saw, and I broke up smaller pieces by hand and brought it over to the fire shed. The eight chickens were relocated to the shed out back, awaiting their fates. I told Aida that I didn't think I'd be able to eat much lunch because my stomach was still not feeling well. She asked if I had been given the special tea. I said no, and she apologized. We went back to our room and she soon appeared with a cup of herbal tea brewed from a plant in their garden, which I drank straightaway. We had soup for lunch and I ate as much as I could. At 2:00, we caught the bus to Quiroga with Aida, Sisa, and Yupanqui. Sisa fell asleep, and Aida asked me to carry Sisa when the bus stopped. We got onto a second bus to Cotacachi. There was no place to sit, and I was still holding Sisa. Sisa started to cry for her mom. A nice young woman gave up her seat for me and Sisa. Sisa was crying and angry. The nice lady next to me offered her a candy. She screamed and cried all the way to Cotacachi. Aida and I swapped kids. Yupanqui was quite content with me. Aida bought Sisa a popsicle, and we went into Iglesia de San Francisco to register for tomorrow's baptism. We handed our notarized paperwork to the secretary, and she led us into the sachristy and charged us $15. It is traditional for the godparents to buy the baptismal clothes for their godchild. Aida preferred to shop in Otavalo, so we took yet another bus to get there. We all sat in the very back of the bus. When we got to Otavalo, Antonio was waiting for us. He had bicycled there from Morochos and had just hailed a cab to take us all to a clothing shop. Between two shops, we bought Sisa her white blouse with pretty silver embroidery, white anako skirt, white belt, and veiled hairpiece. Craig left us for a few moments to go down the street to some shoe vendors. He was able to find a pair of 28's which were wider than the ones that had been made for him. He interacted with the vendors and bought them all by himself! Then he came back to the store to meet us and we purchased Sisa's clothes. I needed a walca, a necklace made of multiple strands of gold-colored beads. Rosa had planned to let me borrow hers, but I figured that I may as well purchase whatever I need so that I am prepared in the future. I purchased a necklace with small beads, appropriate because I am young and a newcomer to the culture. As Kichwa women age, they acquire gradually larger beads, to represent the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of their years. We made a couple more stops (A drinking glass had broken last night, so we bought a set of twelve glasses for just $6) and then took a taxi to the bus station. We boarded a bus which took us straight to Morochos. When we arrived at the house, two 70-year-old Peace Corps volunteers named Sylvia and Anna were just arriving for a homestay. The property was a hive of activity. Preparations were well underway or the baptism feast. Chickens had been dispatched and plucked, and a cuy (guinea pig, a traditional Andean delicacy) had been skinned. Extended family and friends were helping to peel a huge pile of potatoes. There was a vat of chicha (fermented non-distilled corn alcohol) brewing in the outdoor kitchen. We tried the chicha. It was an unappetizing purplish/gray color, but it was warm and tasted reasonable. It had yet to be sweetened, so it would taste better by the time the party rolled around. Dinner consisted of soup, rice, broccoli, potatoes with onion, and chicken. We had chicha to drink. We ate with Anna, Sylvia, Aida, and the kids. We realized that we had forgotten to buy bottled water in Otavalo. We had thought that there were two large bottles in reserve at the house, but it turned out that they actually contained liquor. We were almost out of drinking water. We hung around the fire shed where the women were peeling potatoes and cooking soup on the fire. Antonio tended to the chicha, adding the "dulce" (a block of solid honey), which turned it orange and gave it a more pleasant citrusy flavor. This made it much more palatable to us. We went to bed at around 9 o'clock. Tomorrow would be the big day and we wanted to be well-rested! |
 Craig cuts firewood  Aida and the kids on the bus  Church in Cotacachi  Antonio tends the chicha  Women peeling potatoes See all photos from this day |
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