Fiestas de Quito are in full swing, with Parque Carolina transformed into a concert venue, with massive stage and dozens of tents selling food and artisanal goods. Eric and I spent our evening listening to music and wandering through the stalls. Each of the several times we entered the concert area, surrounded by wire fencing, we were separated by gender and frisked for alcohol, drugs and weapons. Ruben Blades was the headliner, with a great salsa band before him and an awful whiny instrumental group in between. The park was packed, as was Shyris and all the streets around the park. It was impossible to drive around at all.
Maya had a half day at school, and visited her friend in Puembo, which is very far from our home, for the afternoon. We were to pick her up at 9 or so, but the traffic was too intense to even consider the trip, so we left her to sleep overnight, while we wandered around our neighbourhood til early in the morning.
I had a chance to go to the Plaza Grande to watch the show there. Amparo called me to tell me to join her and a colleague to watch the dancing. I arrived late because Maya's ride was an hour and a half late (so Ecuadorian, although her friend is American). The square was packed with people, full of police as well. It was clear that someone important would arrive; many were watching the governmental palace, anticipating the arrival of Correa. Finally, after bands competed for attention, and dancers entertained us from the palace, while three singers sang on stage, he walked along the crowds, kissing his fans and picking up babies. He was on stage a short time, urging his audience not to drink and drive. I was relieved not to have to listen to one of his three hour speeches, but was entertained to hear him sing a typical Quiteno song for us. He speaks without pronouncing his s's, I did not realize that he is from Guayaquil.
We wandered over to La Ronda, where we followed a large group of young guitarists 'serenading' the crowd. It was packed. 24 de Mayo was empty, as was San Francisco, so we found our way back to Plaza Grande and more Correa dancing and singing.
Amparo and Kenya wanted to go to their homes, an hour and a half by bus from the centro, so I accompanied them to my apartment to make the trip shorter, and Eric arrived from his evening meeting just in time to meet me. He had spent the afternoon in the visa office, initially receiving my visa with the wrong passport number, then both visas did not have a payment stamp and that had to be corrected. Eric described the ministerio to be more intense than usual today, with angry screaming customers voicing his feelings all afternoon. It looks as if we have visas, yahoo!
Eric came home Monday night, devastated after two of his birds died through the night. He spent a big chunk of the day yesterday at the visa office after I refused to go back (I spent much of Monday waiting at the ministerio, first for the lawyer and then for my turn (101) simply to be turned down again) and was told to return again today for the visas. I did not hold onto much hope that anything would happen, so I am pleasantly surprised today. I met with Amparo yesterday to work on subjunctive, then when Eric arrived from the visa office, we all had lunch together at El Espanol, and then Eric and I walked through the park to look for Christmas trees. We want to buy one now, to be sure we have one for Christmas, rather than wait until after we return from Brasil. We found a tree we liked, and plan to return with the car to bring it home, but today was pico y placa and Eric cannot drive on Wednesdays.
Eric and Maya and I went to Casa de la Cultura yesterday, to listen to classic Quito music, with the accompaniment of dancers from the ballet and salsa studio. It was delightful, with the national orchestra and a group of guitarists. We are feasting on Ecuadorian culture this week, and loving it.
Maya had a half day at school, and visited her friend in Puembo, which is very far from our home, for the afternoon. We were to pick her up at 9 or so, but the traffic was too intense to even consider the trip, so we left her to sleep overnight, while we wandered around our neighbourhood til early in the morning.
I had a chance to go to the Plaza Grande to watch the show there. Amparo called me to tell me to join her and a colleague to watch the dancing. I arrived late because Maya's ride was an hour and a half late (so Ecuadorian, although her friend is American). The square was packed with people, full of police as well. It was clear that someone important would arrive; many were watching the governmental palace, anticipating the arrival of Correa. Finally, after bands competed for attention, and dancers entertained us from the palace, while three singers sang on stage, he walked along the crowds, kissing his fans and picking up babies. He was on stage a short time, urging his audience not to drink and drive. I was relieved not to have to listen to one of his three hour speeches, but was entertained to hear him sing a typical Quiteno song for us. He speaks without pronouncing his s's, I did not realize that he is from Guayaquil.
We wandered over to La Ronda, where we followed a large group of young guitarists 'serenading' the crowd. It was packed. 24 de Mayo was empty, as was San Francisco, so we found our way back to Plaza Grande and more Correa dancing and singing.
Amparo and Kenya wanted to go to their homes, an hour and a half by bus from the centro, so I accompanied them to my apartment to make the trip shorter, and Eric arrived from his evening meeting just in time to meet me. He had spent the afternoon in the visa office, initially receiving my visa with the wrong passport number, then both visas did not have a payment stamp and that had to be corrected. Eric described the ministerio to be more intense than usual today, with angry screaming customers voicing his feelings all afternoon. It looks as if we have visas, yahoo!
Eric came home Monday night, devastated after two of his birds died through the night. He spent a big chunk of the day yesterday at the visa office after I refused to go back (I spent much of Monday waiting at the ministerio, first for the lawyer and then for my turn (101) simply to be turned down again) and was told to return again today for the visas. I did not hold onto much hope that anything would happen, so I am pleasantly surprised today. I met with Amparo yesterday to work on subjunctive, then when Eric arrived from the visa office, we all had lunch together at El Espanol, and then Eric and I walked through the park to look for Christmas trees. We want to buy one now, to be sure we have one for Christmas, rather than wait until after we return from Brasil. We found a tree we liked, and plan to return with the car to bring it home, but today was pico y placa and Eric cannot drive on Wednesdays.
Eric and Maya and I went to Casa de la Cultura yesterday, to listen to classic Quito music, with the accompaniment of dancers from the ballet and salsa studio. It was delightful, with the national orchestra and a group of guitarists. We are feasting on Ecuadorian culture this week, and loving it.
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