Post-Tour Reflection: Thinking about Yunguilla

Mermelada de chihualcan, mermelada de uvilla.
Image courtesy of Picasa web album of collaguazodeysi.

Over the past two days, I opened and sampled the jam that I bought in Yunguilla. The sweet flavors of the uvilla (gooseberry) and the fruitilla (wild strawberry) reminded me of the warmth our group experienced in that community.

The more I think about our day in Yunguilla, the more I realize it was my favorite part of the trip. The closeness of the community, the open arms with which they accepted our group, the beauty of the landscape... all of those things have formed happy memories for me. I miss little Melanie and Brittany and find myself hoping they are happy and working hard in school. And Melanie's song, with its emphasis on building a fruitful, happy life as a result of hard work and study, has become a refrain in my mind. Please consider watching the video or reading the translation of the lyrics if you haven't already!

The cloud forest in Yunguilla.

Post-Tour Reflection: Sharing a Laugh

This weekend, as I was reflecting on the many cultural differences I observed on the trip, I remembered a moment in which I shared a laugh with a woman at the Mercado de los Ponchos in Otavalo. She and I could not have been more different. She is a merchant, and I am a teacher. She is a mother, and I am not. Yet we shared things as well. We speak a common language (Spanish) and we use the same currency (US dollar) on a daily basis. 

Someone from the group was hoping to get a discount for buying 20 souvenirs priced at $1 each. This is standard business practice in Ecuador. The exchange typically goes something like this:

"¿Cuanto cuesta?"

"Un dolar."

"¿Y por veinte?"

"Diez y seis dolares." 

This woman's daughter was working in the market with her. So when we got to the final step of the exchange, the daughter piped in "Veinte dolares por veinte." It was obvious she was joking, not trying to trick us or anything. We laughed over the child's budding business sense, and of course the person who bought the gifts got a deal ($15 for 20 of them). The ability to laugh together over a child's silliness was just such a wonderful experience! I'm glad to have that memory.