Encounters in Ecuador: Stories from my "Other Country"

I apologize, but I'm going to start posting blogs out of order because...LIFE. Otherwise, weeks pass without posts. So, enjoy the chaos that is my life. :) On Sunday August 19th, I received a message from the store owner of Etnia Gallery. Fernando asked if I would be available to help him by appearing in a promotional video and saying a few words in English. When I agreed it, I thought we were shooting a promotional video for the store that they would post on their website. Because I love the store and its owners, I quickly agreed. As is the case with most things I agree to here, I didn't have all of the facts up front, but that's just life in Ecuador (and I would venture, most/all of Latin America). When I arrived, Fernando told me that the promotional video was actually for the Yamor Festival (which I wrote about last year < https://ecuadorkate3.blogspot.com/2017/09/yamor-festival.html > and will likely write about later this year, once the festival officiall

Ok, so maybe all I do here is party . Not really, but that seems to be all that makes its way into my blog. The rest is just a repeat of what I’ve done on 3 previous research trips, so I can’t imagine it’d be all that interesting to read about….or for me to write about… Sunday 7/29/18 was Jenny’s birthday (28), so the whole family made plans to go to Chachimbiro (“Chachi”).  Despite knowing the long car ride on twisty mountain roads that was ahead of me, I was super excited! I had gone to Chachimbiro in 2009 with Jason and an Ecuadorian student named Natalie, and I have very fond memories of this trip.  For most of the two and a half hour bus ride, I distinctly remember hearing crying children and animal noises that didn't make any sense because they seem fairly consistent despite the fact that we were traveling. It was on this trip that I learned people often travel with their small farm animals by bus. Imagine my surprise when a woman got off the bus and the bus atten