With carnaval festivities over I find myself back in the classroom with my mind still at the beach. This last week was a lot of firsts for me. First carnaval celebration, first time at a beach and first time trying some delicious carnaval food. What is carnaval? Celebration of harvest time, religious tradition, time to receive taita carnaval. In Ecuador the traditional way to celebrate is by having a full table set with food of all kinds in order to…
Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated here in Ecuador, but we didn’t forget about it! This was my first year not going home for Thanksgiving, and it was a bit harder than I thought it’d be, but it was also really fun to celebrate an American holiday outside of the US. Perhaps it’s because we’re nearing the end of our time in Ecuador, or because I’ve been seeing all the pictures online of people going home to their families this week, or both,…
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T.S. Eliot This past week has been another filled with lifelong memories and special Ecuadorian traditions. If y’all wouldn’t mind, I’d like to talk about the Easter celebrations and some funny encounters I’ve had with Cuencanos. So back in Tennessee, my Easter is usually celebrated with a couple of church services,…
This past week has had quite its share of activities, but they’ve had a much slower pace and have ended up with much more host family bonding: a welcome respite from my group’s fast-paced (but gorgeous and infinitely memorable) vacation in the Galapagos. My week of homey Ecuadorian activities began with a trip to my host father’s work at a family-owned hacienda thirty minutes outside of the city. It was a beautiful trip into the mountains and I got to…
You need to travel to Latin America as to fully experience the Carnival holiday. It´s such a unique and bewildering event, containing massive celebrations before Lent (a time of holiness and moderation). You´ll notice in the days leading up to Carnival weekend that many people are walking around the city, soaking wet, and returning the cold, wet favor to random passersby. You´ll also become much more familiar with this evil substance known as “carioca” (which is pretty much just aromatic…
Yellow underwear. 12 grapes. A suitcase. An effigy with a mask. Men dressed up as Chola Cuencanas (Cuencana grandmothers). These are only a handful of the rituals that make up New Year’s Eve in Ecuador. Around the country, the night before the New Year, Ecuadorians will be celebrating visibly. In fact, celebrations often happen before the actual holiday. In the weeks leading up to El Año Nuevo, the New Year, shops sell masks of all different sizes and expressions. The…