I have now been in Cuenca for an entire week and finally have a little time to start this lovely navel gazing play by play of my adventures here.
First the basics.
My home: In a suburb of Cuenca, Ecuador known as san Joaquin; a mix of impoverished indigenous farmers and wealthy families who protect themselves from the cow herders with 15 foot tall fences and automatic gates. The house is beautiful though and takes advantage of Cuenca's chronic good weather by having a far higher window to wall ratio than the New England homes I am used to.
Speaking of Weather: Cuenca seems to be in a continuous Vermont September; the mornings are crisp, but by ten am the sun is high in the sky and the air outside reaches somewhere between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit before sinking down to about 45 or 50 degrees at night.
My Family: Pablo and Dora are the adorable parents whom I love dearly along with their two daughters Marianela (ten) and Sophia (six) and their angelic niece Maria Isabel (28). The people here in general are very kind and warm, once they get over the fact that I look like a martian giant with the blond hair and blue eyes. Both Pablo and dora have many siblings and parents who live nearby so weekends are spent with the extended family eating and making fun of each other.
The Food: This is always a worry when traveling to distant lands but I have found it to be quite edible as a whole although I miss fresh Vermont Salads. There is a focus around potatoes and corn but as a result there are many different models and colors that these stables come in. There is the typical corn on the cob but in Ecuador the kernels are white, pointy and about five or six times larger than in the United States. They are also far less sweet and juicy but still have a nice flavor. There is another type of corn which is served off the cob and lathered in some sort of thick creamy paste which is delicious. They make popcorn but that is more of a Western influence than a cultural heritage but they have their own much healthier, homemade version version of corn nuts which they call maiz sucio (dirty corn). It does not seem to be actually dirty but it has some herbs which give it that appearance.
What I love:
Mostly everything including:
The fact that I have a new fluffy white dog who doesn't bark and is happy to curl up on my feet while I write my college essays
All the fruits and fruit juices which sneak their way into every meal.
The fact the cows here moo differently from the cows at home
My really cozy bedroom which makes my viola sound amazing
That there is a different soup for lunch every day.
The work I am going to be doing at the Fundacion Cordillera Tropical (more on that later).
The delicious water that I can drink right out of the tap!
What I don't love:
The Ecuadorian custom of embracing and kissing on the cheek everyone you meet even if you are meeting them for the first time and they are an old man or a very intimidating aunt.
The lack of non starchy vegetables
The meal schedule of breakfast at 7am, lunch at 2pm and dinner at 8.
