I have not been able to update this blog in while for a few reasons. It has not rained here for a while which is a problem for a country which runs on hydroelectric power. They have been cutting the electricity for 5 hours at a time in different parts of the city. I've heard that they've been cutting it for 8 hours at a time in other parts of the country. Some days, when we have electricity in my house, there is not electricity in andinatel, which then cuts the cable and the internet in the whole city!!! and when the electricity comes back on in that section, it goes off in our section. it's been incredibly frustrating. Stupid global warming. All you people in the developed world, stop polluting the earth so that it rains here so that I can have electricity! as romantic as dinner by candle light with my family can be, it's a bit scary because I can't really see what i'm eating... and with them it could be anything... haha no, they know now that i don't really like guinea pig.
last weekend, I went to la mama negra which is a parade in Latacunga. The parade commemorates a slave woman who gained her freedom and to celebrate, got drunk and gave liquor to everyone she saw on the street. Today, the town chooses one MAN to paint his face black and dress up as the mama negra. The parade lasted for hours with many men dressed as women pouring aguardiente into everyone's mouths. It was actually crazy. In the parade, there were also some people dressed as angels. They went around to all the "sinners" and cleansed their souls. They did this by dancing around the sinners waving herbs and something that looked antlers and finally, they sprayed/spit alcohol all over them to cleanse them of their sins. so of course my friend Kat and I had to experience this. We left Latacunga at about 3 pm, before people got too drunk and started passing out in the streets, which is what I was told would happen. In order to leave, we had to walk the path of the parade, in essence becoming our own parade of gringos. Everyone saw us and was like hey! gringos! lets see them dance, lets give them alcohol! We felt like spectacles, but it was entertaining for us too.
This past Thursday was Ambato's independence day. There was a parade here too, but it was much more tame and organized than the mama negra. It was a civic parade where all the high schools marched with their "bands" Actually, not one high school had a real marching band. The only school that had any wind instruments was the music conservatory. The rest had only drums and "lyras" or glockenspiels... but everyone at the parade gathered to support their high school. Two of my sisters marched, Michele played the lyra and Alexandra marched because she's a senior. I learned something very interesting during the parade. There were some people who marched in traditional indigenous clothing instead of the school uniform. Monica informed me that the schools cannot make the indigenous population wear a uniform. They are permitted to wear their traditional clothing of their particular group (which in a way is its own uniform) I found that really interesting. Anyway, I'm very happy that this parade is over because now Michele will stop practicing her lyra in the house, which was getting incredibly annoying.
This weekend will be spent relaxing with my family and correcting massive amounts of homework from my students. ciao!
No comments:
Post a Comment