This post may be a bit brief in deference to Ellen’s privacy. Toward the end of last week, Ellen suffered from some pain in her gut. By Saturday sunset we headed to the emergency room at the hospital in Manglaralto, about 15 minutes south of where we are staying. If you are thinking it is […]
Event
Burn the Old Men for New Years
New Year’s Eve is the biggest holiday in Ecuador. Cuenca is often considered the epicenter for one of the most unique traditions. Life in Ecuador has a pretty good write-up: One big part of the festivities for New Years Eve in Ecuador are “los años viejos” (the old years). People make large scarecrow-like dolls often […]
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Christmas Wishes! It’s now been 3 1/2 months since leaving St. Paul, and 4 months since homelessness. What a long strange trip it’s been! There are two main constants that have we have seen along the way: People tend to be pretty great – whether American, Ecuadorian, friends, acquaintances, or total strangers, […]
Pase del Niño parade
Christmas Eve in Cuenca features the largest Pase del Niño parade in latin america. The Miami Herald has a nice writeup: Pase del Niño parade The event starts at 10:00 in the morning, lasting about 8 hours. We went with our host family to their school that overlooks the parade route. We were able to get a […]
Mangers
As part of the Ecuadorian Christmas festivities, mangers play a major part. Most families have a manger scene in their homes. Most parks have mangers, often life size. Any town of reasonable size will have a market that is set up solely for the Christmas holiday that features Christmas decorations, with creche figurines taking the […]
A Visit to the Doctor
About a week ago you heard about Ellen’s big toe. Last Monday we went to the doctor. We followed his advice. Now, even though we frequently experience shortness of breath, the “crazy” part of “mal de altura,” or altitude sickness, seems to have passed. Last Monday we came in to class and decided we needed […]
Christmas Parades
It seems that December is the season of Christmas festivities in Ecuador. I have now seen at least three parades all ready. This all culminates on Christmas Eve Day when Cuenca celebrates the “viaje nino” or travelling child. That particular parade starts at 10:00 am and goes until 5:00 in the afternoon. On Friday, our […]
Lumenaria Extravaganza
Bellin and Domi asked us if we wanted to “go see many lights.” It is Christmas season, and they take it quite seriously in Ecuador. There are many events, parades, and church activities. We’ve heard that the big parade on Christmas Eve lasts from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. I figured it would be Christmas […]
Randy Newman
Sunday afternoon we attended “An Intimate Afternoon of Music with Randy Newman.” The event was a fundraiser for the Topanga Women’s Circle, an organization that Ellen helped start when we were living in Topanga. “Topanga Women’s Circle (TWC) is committed to making a difference to homeless families as they move into transitional housing. By enhancing […]
Barbara, Hyla, and Al
We went to Eugene, Oregon to see Barbara, Hyla, and Alfonso. Barbara is a cousin. By pure coincidence, another cousin, Susan, was visiting from Hawaii. Ellen hadn’t seen her since childhood. I first met Barbara and Hyla when they visited us in Linden Hills several years ago. We pulled up fairly late on Saturday. It […]