A Christmas in Quito

Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Otavalo, Imbabura, Ecuador


Three months later, and I am finally getting around to my Christmastime adventure back to Ecuador. With all this coronavirus mess and the mandatory quarantine in effect in Bogotá, what's my excuse to not finish this post. I've got my reasons for the delay, and too late is just on time for my life at this point. This current school year has been continually challenging me out of my comfort zone, temporally and creatively. There were stark contrasts in the nature of my teaching position from things like programs (IB to AP), daily bell schedule (traditional to block), daily class rotation (from a six-day rotation to every-other-day), and department organization (the only person teaching my courses to sharing courses with other teachers). It has been a steep learning curve, and I feel like I have gained control over things finally.

The Saturday Market (Otavalo)
After regaining my mental prowess after my oft-exhausting position in Quito, I've reignited more of my passion and motivation for education and teaching. At the same time, I've been exhausting my creative energies resulting in me writing and reading less in effort to be a better teacher. However, I have been taking deliberate strides to achieving more balance in my life including with friends, exploring personal interests and my new city, and getting back out into the dating scene. One area I strive to improve is traveling more, and 2020 should hopefully mark a renaissance in that area. We shall see what is possible as we learn more about Covid-19.

 For the December holiday, I returned yet again to Ecuador. To spend the holidays with loved ones, friends who are equally part family. To check-off things I either never had done or hadn't repeated enough times. And to finish moving the remainder of my belongings in storage. Naturally, I faced travel interruptions on the way there. My flight was delayed, a shock to none who know my experiences with traveling, for six hours. This meant missing Wine Club ®. What BS. Christmas dinner made up for all of that, with exquisite food and constructing an appalling-yet-delectable graham cracker house.




During the visit, I got to reunite with many friends, including those who have moved back to the US and Canada [Kara & Jaime , Maria, Sam, Marjorie, Kate]. One of those reunions, with Kara and Sam, was quintessential Quito. We had brunch at the new Lucia's Pies, and not only did it take an hour for them to make and bring out our cold food that should have been hot, but they royally screwed up the ticket. What should have been an hourlong brunch followed by me getting on a bus to Otavalo at 11 AM turned into a reduced-by-half check because Sam knows how to get results! The horrible restaurant service never ceases to be aggravating, yet I can't do anything other than give icy glares and shrug.



Lago San Pablo
My favorite part of the visit had to be going back to Otavalo, where I enjoyed a long weekend of serenity surrounded by the volcanos. I listed several goals for visiting there and accomplished most of them. Fortunately, the Otavaleño market was operating for 1.5-2 hours more after arriving post-restaurant-disaster and I hoarded all the artesian goods that I lacked space for in my move in July [blankets, ponchos, a Diablo Humo mask, Guayasamin replicas, table runners and alpaca-anything]. The following day, I enjoyed morning shopping in Cotacachi for everything leather [gloves, jacket, boots and shoes galore!... and then lunch at one of my favorite of all time restaurants, El Meson de Pedro] and then the afternoon with a live raptor show at Parque Condor. The peace and stillness the countryside provided me helped me achieve internal balance and kind of wake me from the fogginess I'd been feeling for a while.


There's not much more to say aside from that, unless you want mind-numbing details and other stories from the visit. Instead, I want to leave you with a poem I wrote while crying at the grandeur of Volcán Imbabura in Otavalo—

Avenida de los Volcanes

Volcanoes as gods
I see it, I feel it
The immensity of awe to be
at the foot, the lip
is unequivocal
Power
Respect
Grandeur
Feeling so rightfully insignificant
at this force
that can give aplenty, or
take bounties

Fritada from El Meson de Pedro, Cotacachi

Christmas Eve breakfast, at Spanes

Parque Condor, Otavalo
Brunch at Lucia's Pies @ El Jardín. Do not go there! Love you Sam!


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