Child Disney Stars Live in San Antonio

Friday morning, I went with Cristina to Ibarra. They are holding a sort of handicraft festival Aug 4-6 at the Cultural Center in Ibarra, and Cristina will participate in it because of the cards and artwork she makes. They wanted to take pictures to promote the event. We rushed out the door to make it on time, only to wait around for an hour, before finding out that they had moved the photo op to Monday. Whoops! At least we spent some time looking around the area, talking with Cristina's friend Monica, and eating some delicious empanadas!


There were some incredible murals and carved wooden statues, as well as glass cases featuring handicrafts with textual explanations, all around the Cultural Center. Here's the event flier, too.


On the way back from Ibarra, I stopped in San Antonio to visit Fanny, and I also got to spend time with Andrea's parents, Ivan and Lupita, at their store. We went out for lunch, which Fanny described as "tasting better because we ate it with our hands," and then topped off our girls day with some shopping! Pretty much anything I've ever bought in Ecuador has been drastically cheaper than in the US (food, transportation, gifts from the Plaza), so I was a bit surprised when we entered a sort of Walmart/dollar store-like store, located in warehouse-style building to discover that a lot of "cheap" items at home are actually more expensive here (cleaning & storage products, decorations, home furnishings, etc.). I guess that explains why a lot of people from Ecuador like to travel to the US to buy clothes, beauty products, electronics, etc. I had a blast helping Fanny pick out a new look for her dining room table (place mats, mugs, and saucers) and just wandering around. I'm pretty sure the best find were these "stock photos" of Disney stars from my childhood in picture frames!!



Fanny and I had such a great time, that she asked me to stay the night. Three of her friends came over, and we made yuca bread, which we promptly ate with some delicious brewed coffee. I've gotten so used to the instant coffee here on previous trips and tea with the Echeverrias because Pepe is allergic to coffee, that even for me, it was a nice little treat! It was super fun to be included in a ladies night, and we (they) talked for hours about everything: politics, their families, my research, the economic crisis, whether Otavalans are losing their heritage, what determines the sex of babies, I mean everything!! I also finally got to meet Fanny's daughter in person (Karoline was in Germany working on her PhD the last time I was here).

I went straight from Fanny's house to the Plaza de Ponchos to do some research, since most of my week has been traveling, meetings, and reconnecting with people (also important, but I couldn't miss the big market day). I don't know what was going on last Saturday, but yesterday was the kind of day I expected. There were a ton of people, and I got some great research done. Maybe finishing this PhD is actually doable. I met an Ecuadorian man who has lived in DC for the past 35 years and used to work at The Textile Museum in DC, so he was super into my research. Excuse me while I hyperventilate. As is often the case, I also became a translator/assistant shopper/salesperson. But hey, if it gets me an in to ask some questions and helps make a sale, I don't mind. And I've been told several times by different people (mostly strangers who owe me nothing) over the past few days that by Spanish is really good and that they're impressed I understand everything when people speak. I'll just be here, basking in those compliments to get me through the next round of funding applications. 

Saturday also happened to be Jenny's birthday, so we had a surprise party for her. But since Jenny didn't know about it, we didn't know when she'd arrive. Joseph and I were on the same page while we waited: let's get this party started so we can eat! ;) It was super fun to be part of a family party. We ate, sat around talking, joking, laughing, listening to music, and playing a game. The kids ran around and danced, and I'm currently trying to figure out how we can enter Juliana (Carla's 3 year old daughter) into a dance competition because that girl has skills!!

I love Sundays here because they're proper lazy days, meant to rest and recharge. Thankfully, my writing was broken up (it gets boring) when I busted out my 3rd grade math skills to help Emily practice her multiplication tables. Back to writing, it is.

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