Long Weekend in Riobamba!

This past weekend we had Friday off because of the independence day of Guayaquil. So my and my friend Lauren took the opportunity to travel to Riobamba to visit some other worldteachers who are living there. It was only an hour bus ride away! We stayed in a really cute hotel near the train station. That first night, Lauren and I went over to our friend Shelly´s house. Her host dad and his family and friends invited us over to drink agua ardiente quemado. Let me explain. Agua ardiente is a very strong alcohol made from sugar cane. Quemado means burnt. So we would mix the alcohol with some spices (that pretty much looked like pot pourri to me)in a stone bowl. then we would light the mixture on fire and stir in some sugar. when you turned off the light, the blue flame looked almost mystical. When the mixture is "quemada" enough, you blow it out, and add some freshly squeezed orange juice. The shots were pretty strong, but not impossible. Then shelly´s host dad put on some columbian traditional music and we danced for a few hours. He gave us a toast that was so heartwarming. He thanked us for coming to Ecuador because we were helping to teach him that we are all citizens of the world. It was really sweet. It made me really happy to be here.

Once we had taken enough shots of quemado, we went to the discoteca to dance the night away. There, my friend Lauren met a boy named Carlos who turned out to be a great find. Carlos is a professional tennis player who lived in Miami for most of his life. We pretty much spent the rest of the weekend with Carlos and his friends. They drove us Penipe, a small town that was once destroyed by the volcano Tungurahua that has amazing corn and cheese tortillas cooked on volcanic rock. They also took us to a bar that was closed to the public (but they of course had connections) to watch the Ecuador-Uruguay futbol game. It was a devastating game. We lost 2-1. We scored the first goal, and while we were still celebrating (I got sprayed with beer) Uruguay scored also. It was a serious aguafiestas (buzz kill). Then they scored on a penalty kick after the ref failed to call a handball violation on uruguay. It was a terrible loss. If we had won, we would have gone to the world cup for sure. Now we probably won´t go... But it´s ok, we still went out dancing that night anyway.

Lauren and I also went to the market on saturday morning. We saw clothing and handicrafts in one market, and we walked down the steet a bit to the food market. This is the most interesting. There are chickens and other unidentifiable meats hanging from kiosks. There are pieces of pigs chopped up tables, always with the head proudly displayed with something in it´s mouth. There were cuyes (guinea pigs) and rabbits split open down the middle so that buyers can inspect their insides. They looked more like animals for disection and research than for eating. The vibrant colors of all the fruits and veggies of the market assault you from all sides. There are women selling havas (beans) while nursing their kids. There are children with snotty noses walking around selling candies or fruits. The market is a crazy bustling place with more germs than any American mom would dare to imagine. It was definitely an experience. Don´t worry, I didn´t buy any dead animals there, or eat any of the fruit.

Our weekend in Riobamba was a much needed break from teaching, and it was great to see our friends from orientation! Plus we were lucky enough to meet some Ecuadorian guides for the weekend. I´d say the trip was a great success! Now it´s back to teaching at 7 am. ew.