October in a Nutshell 🌰

After my mini-vacation in Puyo, it was back to the grind, trying to make sure I can finish up everything I’d like to do for my research before December rolls around (faster than you’d think!). I wrote about my research in the previous post, so in an effort to not be redundant, suffice it to say that I fell into a routine of trying to be a good little researcher which makes for boring blog posts. Thankfully, I had my birthday and Halloween to look forward to!

In typical Katie fashion, I managed to celebrate my birthday for days!! :D The family threw a party for me and they went all out to make it special, even though birthdays aren’t really a big deal for adults here (so sad!). I was happily surprised with presents, which consisted mostly of chocolate (including Nutella cookies!!) and a card and birdcage my host mom had made. They know me so well, and it was such a sweet gesture! My host mom told me she wanted my day to be extra special since I couldn’t spend it with my other family. Juliana (4) was a big helper, and as always, kept me laughing all night long! <3 

On my actual birthday, I treated myself to a latte at my favorite coffee shop, a facial (and she gave me a free do-it-at-home face mask as a bday gift!), and ice cream with friends in Ibarra. It was a full day that kept me out of the house, and I loved it. That Friday, I went to San Pablo to visit my friend and get a mani-pedi. I figure every woman deserves a little pampering for her birthday! It also happened to be a celebratory weekend in San Pablo, so we visited at the event for a bit. Because I’m tall-ish by Ecuadorian standards, I got roped into putting the sword on the statue of San Pablo who had traveled through the town to find his temporary home in the church for the festivities. It was a little nerve-wracking, but thankfully, I kept my clumsiness in check long enough to avoid disaster. 

Another day, my friends made sambo for me (I think I’ve written about this hot, sweet pumpkin soup-like dish). It may have just been because I love it and they know we don’t have it at home, but I decided it was a belated birthday celebration. Another friend gave me a couple of beautiful scarves as a birthday gift. It was tough to choose, since they’re all so beautiful! It seems like every time there’s the possibility of shopping, my mom begs me not to buy more scarves because I already have so many but I love them and this doesn’t count since they were gifts, right??

You may have noticed I said I was excited for Halloween, which could be confusing, since it’s not really a thing in Ecuador. Some people celebrate it, but it’s on a much smaller scale than in the US. Thankfully, I have a knack for finding other people who like Halloween (like my whole group of friends at UK). I may or may not have told me friend she was having a party and invited myself, which she was perfectly fine with. Hey, you gotta go after what you want, right?

It was fun to have a night out with friends my own age! I went as a wind up doll and had to finish my costume on the bus because I ran out of time earlier in the week. I was pretty proud that I could pull together a costume with limited resources and continue my cardboard-based costume tradition. I was super excited that people knew what I was (unlike the cardboard owl costume when people thought I was an acorn or a tree). I’m a cheap/poor grad student, and I feel no shame. I was surprised to learn that I could’ve rented a costume here, but I really enjoy seeing what I can put together from what I have to create a costume. Thankfully, I wasn’t wearing it or the makeup on the bus ride to San Antonio, since I already get enough unwanted attention while traveling. I had planned to take off my makeup before the bus ride home but ran out of time, and I definitely got some funny stares. Thankfully, my headphones deterred any conversations.

Because Halloween isn’t really a thing here, I was happily surprised to see decorations in local stores! I love Halloween, pumpkins, and all things orange!!  But lest you think the skip-past-fall-and-go-straight-to-Christmas is a US-only thing, here’s evidence that the Christmas spirit – or at least decorations for sale – is already on full display as of October 22.

And just like that, October (my favorite month) was over all too quickly. I can’t believe we’re nearly 2 weeks into November and I have less than a month to finish my research! (I’m not panicking. What’re you talking about?) December seemed so far away when this trip started in June, but I’ll be so happy to be home again. My pup is going to be sick of me!