An Emotionally Strenuous Day and Otavalo Market

This day, was by far, one of the most overwhelming days of the trip. It started with us going to Otavalo, a city where a huge market is held. We went last time we were in Pijal and it was overwhelming and fabulous. It’s overwhelming in the sheer number of people, stands and having to bargain. Bargaining is not something that we ever experience in the United States, so being put in a situation where you do something you’ve never done before is always interesting. Last time we came, this was my first exposure to this sort of market, something I would have to become accustomed to while abroad. When we got there we met up with Alexandra and her son Johan who we spent a fair amount of time last time we were in Pijal. Johan is now between five and six. It is unbelievable how much time has gone by and how quickly. He seemed to recall spending time with us once his Mom clarified who we were. It was phenomenal to spend time with the two of them again. Having these connections built in, is just such an interesting experience I’m still getting used to. It really makes it feel like a home and emphasizes the fact that my community is no international and exactly how strong it is.

Also, sorry there won't be too many photo's this post; I didn't want to lug my camera through the market.

(Photo credit to Jess Ho)

                After a few hours of bargaining for jewelry, blankets, mangoes and other goodies, we all gather at a restaurant. One girl, who hadn’t been feeling well the night before, was feeling even worse. Of course, being sick in a foreign country is overwhelming and being sick in general sucks. She wasn’t running a fever but was clearly sick given her discomfort you could just tell. We also had another girl, when we got back on the bus, find out that a best friend of her family, had passed away. Sam, had a degenerative disease that caused him to age rapidly. The inspiring part came along about how he lived his life so positively, there are TedTalks with him that you sound really check out. Sam had lived far beyond the years the doctors gave him, but in the end knew he would die as a result of this disease. Watching his TedTalks and hearing Sierra talk about him was enlightening; it reminds you to recognize how lucky you are and not take advantage of anything; that you can live a good and happy life through everything. With that being said, it was still tragic that Sierra wasn’t going to be able to be home for the funeral. It was an emotional day.

                We went to another waterfall which was beautiful and held a reflection about the events of the day, as well as a moment of silence for Sam. The waterfall gave people a chance to focus on something else for a bit, as well as a chance to relax.

We got soaked....

                After we got back to Pijal, Lauren, the girl that wasn’t feeling well, was taken to a clinic in a neighboring city, Ibarra, for treatment. I think this also shook the group a bit and people started paying a lot of attention to anything out of the ordinary. Jeff went with her to the clinic and stayed to act as a support and translator. Sierra was able to use the wi-fi at Don Antonio’s to talk with her family. Eric and I chatted and both agreed that the next day should be taken easy given how emotionally exhausting the day was. It was the midpoint of the trip and I find that no matter how long the trip is, the midpoint always ends up being the most difficult. For whatever reason, I think part of it is a mental block at realizing you’re only half way there. On these trips SO much happens and it feels like a lot, so when you look back and realize you’ve only completed half the trip, it’s like holy crap, how can I do all of the things coming my way? I think that this pump is overcome pretty easily, hopefully, and that people were going to be able to enjoy the rest of our time in Pijal and Quito. 

A Tour of Pijal and the Festival of the Sun

We spent the day with our host families in Pijal today, and as usual things got off to a slow start. Things usually start on “Ecuador” time, translation: maybe about half an hour to an hour behind schedule. This ended up being especially fine due to the fact we helped Lucia feed the pigs. By help I mean, we carried some pretty light food filled buckets up the hill in our back yard. Meanwhile, Lucia carried a multiple gallon jug, on her back wrapped in a scarf, up the hill. She is unbelievably strong and it's so interesting to watch what her daily routine is like.. This was after we had also seen her carry a huge bag of multiple loads of laundry up to the roof. We were supposed to hold a walking tour of Pijal, but due to the late start and the fact it started raining, it was cut short. We did end up getting to another natural spring which was considered a holy and spiritual place for the community. It was for many, a place of healing. Again, it was beautiful, and again, that’s unsurprising given how beautiful Pijal is as a whole. There was supposed to be a traditional medicine demonstration, but it got postponed for a day there was no rain.

The 20 or so guinea pigs my host mom has ready for the feast when Cyntia graduates!

 

                In the end this was great because it meant we got to spend more time with our host families! We interviewed Lucia after she was done washing clothes about her time in Pijal and some of her favorite things. I wish we had been able to count yesterday’s conversation because it was so much more real than us sitting down and asking her questions. We had learned that she had lost a son to cancer six years before and that she worked on a flower plantation nearby. Esteban and Cyntia also participated a bit. It was a phenomenal opportunity to get to know our families better, but felt more processed then the conversations we had before.

                Later in the evening was the Inty Rymi celebration, or celebration of the sun. It typically takes place in the summer, but they put on a “mock” celebration for us to experience one of their most symbolic celebrations. It involved dressing up in traditional clothing, tea and dancing. It was a lot of fun and a good way to spend the evening in the community. I think everyone really enjoyed it! It is a special and wonderful opportunity for people our age to be able to participate in a traditional ceremony like that. These are the experiences that create a cultural exchange, particularly given how obvious it was that the families in Pijal were excited to share this with us. This sort of enthusiasm and learning is what makes me love traveling so much. It’s one thing to read about these things in a travel magazine, and a completely different thing to experience it firsthand. It’s these first hand cultural experiences that make traveling worth it. 

La Rinconada, Dwarf Legend and time with the Host Family :)

                Our first full day in Pijal was pretty physically strenuous. We took the bus back up to La Rinconada, their eco-tourism site. We weren’t doing a Minga up here this time, but instead getting to explore the scenery and hike to a waterfall. Last time, I didn’t get to go on the hike, I stayed behind with on other girl and helped the women cook lunch. The homes were in pretty good shape, a representation of the time and effort the Pijal community put into their project. It is impossible not to appreciate the overall beauty of the area though, its truly phenomenal.

                They gave us rain boots to wear during the hike. None of us quite understood why, until we discovered that basically, we were trekking across rivers, ankle deep mud and hobbit holes carved into brush. We also heard a legend about a dwarf that lived in the area. If you were walking along and saw the dwarf, you should look at his feet. If the curly part (not sure what this means…translation issues) where in the front, he was a friendly dwarf. If they curly part was in the back then he was evil. In order to get rid of the evil dwarf, you could pee in your hand and throw it at him.

I’m serious. People were questioning the feasibility of this, but I think it makes perfect sense. I think peeing in your hand and throwing it at ANYONE, dwarf or not, would get rid of them.

The very thin bit of ground between the bus and the edge of the mountain.

 La Rinconada

The hike; this is a spiritual spot for healing.

Natural Spring!

                The hike was, in the end, worth it. The waterfall they brought us to was just as stunning as Don Antonio promised and an excellent reward for the obstacle course we took to get there. The walk back was a little less intimidating since we were now going downhill. The bus go momentarily stuck on the way back…which happened last time as well. Talk about déjà vu. The second half of the day was going to be spent with our host families working on a photography project. Our host families were all told about it to avoid any miscommunication.

Jess and I at the Waterfall

Jess and Don Antonio

                Lucia seemed pretty excited about it, which was expressed in her immediate retrieval of traditional clothing for us to wear. While we were taking photos and hearing about her favorite places in her home and in Pijal, she wanted us to be dressed like her. Minus the shoes, it was all very comfortable and it was great to see her that excited to share with us. She showed us where she grinds grain, where the pigs are, the corn fields, her sewing station and her favorite spot in Pijal. A place, before they had running water, where the women would go to retrieve water for cooking, cleaning and washing clothes. It was an absolutely beautiful place, much like all of Pijal. It is safe to say, Pijal is the most beautiful place I have ever spent time in. Our host brother, Esteban the family dog Max came. Max and I are becoming best friends, but at this point, Max was busy frolicking with Esteban; literally a perfect example of dogs acting as a human’s best friend. It was a phenomenal opportunity to spent that time with our family and get to chat more. I was very much under the impression that the week would be fabulous. There are going to be a bunch of pictures from this afternoon!

Lucia!

Trying to grind some grain....

Part of her garden.

Taxo fruit!

Esteban and Max :)

Lucia's favorite place

Asha, myself and Kaitlyn