On February 7th, Greta turned 7 years old! I can't believe she's seven and at the same time I can... we have been counting down to her birthday for a long time! Greta's birthday differed greatly from our usual traditions. I packed balloons and a golden crown (for her golden birthday), but there were very few presents, I didn't sew a birthday dress and we didn't eat our typical birthday food. The day before Greta's birthday, we went to the market and bought fruit for a fruit salad for breakfast. We ate ice cream (helado, helado, helado! Cincuenta sentavos!) twice. The spanish school was so thoughtful and bought a cake and every sang. Because the cake was gluten, Greta couldn't eat it, but mature beyond her years, she felt deeply celebrated. I feel really proud of how Greta responded to her very different birthday in Ecuador. I love Greta very much and I can't believe she's grown so much from her little self. When we brought her home from the hospital, she weighed a mere 4lb, 12oz! My smallest baby!
Some photos from our return trip to see the interior of the Basilica. The stained glass is amazing and no photo I took captures the vibrancy.
Our apartment in Quito was a short walk from the famous Basilica. In fact, we could see the Basilica from one of our bedrooms. We made our way there one Sunday and while we didn't tour the inside that day (it cost $2 and we don't spend money on our Sabbath), we enjoyed walking around the exterior and committed to come back. The Basilica was built like Notre Dame in Paris (been there!), although it's not completely finished, only 70% completed. It's an incredible structure and each time we saw Quito from above, it was clear just how large and impressive the Basilica truly is!
We made it to Ecuador and have been in this beautiful country for just over a week. I still can't believe we did this, that we really are here in South America! Ecuador is so different from the USA in so many ways. Right now we are in Quito and we have one week left here. Quito is a very big, loud, dirty city. In that way it is similar to the large cities in the USA. The buses spew diesel fuel and there are so many people.
A person can buy anything on the streets of Quito: ladies underwear, mops, squeegees, batteries, super glue, shoes, children's clothing, fruit, vegetables, cigarettes, t-shirts, bowls, bunny ears (for your TV)... the list goes on and on! There are so many people selling and so many things one can purchase. I have only seen one beggar on the streets, an old woman (vieja) with disfigured feet. For a city this size, I'm surprised I haven't seen more. But I have seen a blind man selling on the street. And I saw someone help him cross the road. In that way, Quito is very different from Spokane. Maybe there are beggars in other areas of the city. But where we live there are none and we are in the old town.
Food has been a challenge to figure out. It seems that the people of Ecuador eat a lot of packaged food, beans and rice. We too have been consuming a lot of beans and rice, however packaged food is not our jam. It seems to us that Ecuador is 30-40 years in the past. Lots of potato chips, soda, fried food, sugar and roller blades. Fortunately, all packaged foods indicate whether they contain common allergens such as gluten or peanuts. That has been immeasurably helpful. We've gotten most of our groceries from el mercado (the market) and the local Tia. One night we went to the SuperMaxi and that was much more American feeling. We were able to buy granola bars and chocolate. I have a few RX bars I brought from home and I am hoarding them.
The produce here is amazing! I love the fresh fruits and vegetables. Today, I cut up mango, papaya and opened up a passion fruit. I will never be the same after eating the fruits of Ecuador. That is something I LOVE about living here. We buy most of our produce from el mercado (pictures below). I have to wash all of our produce before we eat it (although we don't wash the bananas). Everything gets a soak in a bit of bleach in a bowl of water. We must also drink boiled or bottled water. Fortunately no one has gotten sick yet (knock on wood!). This way of living is inconvenient and makes me appreciate the fresh, clean water that flows directly from my tap at home!
Another thing about Ecuador... hot water is rare. We have a small water heater and only get hot water in the shower. The hot water taps in the kitchen and bathroom sinks don't even make water flow. The hot water in the shower is extremely finicky. I joke to myself that the people of Ecuador are always cold because they have to take cold showers.
Yes, the climate is very mild here and yet I've heard many people say, "hace frio" (it's cold). There has been concern expressed for Maeve. To us, hace muy calor (it's very hot) especially at mid-day.
Which reminds me of another thing, there is no heating or cooling in any of the buildings. There is no need. As we live only a 40 minute drive from the equator, the temperature doesn't vary very much. Because of our elevation, it does cool off in the evenings. One would think it's very brisk out from the way some Ecuatantos dress, but no it really is still quite nice out. I am coming from winter in the PNW though. A Canadian springtime is a mostly accurate description of the weather, but I would say that it's a little warmer than that.
Hopefully, you as a reader know that I am LDS. It has been truly inspiring to go to church here in Ecuador. I hope that I can fully express what kind of experience it has been for me.
Last Sunday, we were mixed up on what time church started at and only attended the last hour. I was invited to a bridal shower on Wednesday evening at the church and a family invited us to their home for dinner and family home evening on Monday night.
Today, we went to all three hours of church. It was a fast and testimony meeting and it was beautiful. It felt like pure religion. Many in the congregation were not wearing typical Sunday clothing - there were jeans, t-shirts and tank tops. While I couldn't fully understand the testimonies that were shared, I could pick out words and phrases here and there. The common threads were about Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, the Plan of Salvation and Eternal families. The gospel is so precious here. One young man, who is the only member in his family, expressed his loneliness in the church to me. But, he told me that to him the gospel is beautiful. The young women wear their personal progress medallions and honor bee charms with pride. In comparison to my ward back home, these people have close to nothing. But they have the true gospel of Jesus Christ and that is enough. They have what matters.
I observed one young man (about 14 years old) during sacrament meeting not only pass the sacrament, but literally feed it to a handicapped man. Is this not what Christ would do himself? It was one of the most beautiful acts I have witnessed. The young man was not embarrassed, or self aware. He was not hurried. I hope to never be the same because of my time here.
Maeve got to nursery for the first time today. It seems as though the age threshold is different here. On her way into the room, an old woman rushed up towards her poorly pronouncing her name, "Mav, Mav," she said. Earlier this week, Maeve's niñera, Ariel, had taken Maeve to visit this old woman. For the rest of church we were pressed for a commitment to visit again. "Cuando? Cuando?" Again, Maeve intoxicates.
The gospel is so beautiful.
