The week after Fulbright orientation was a short week because November 2nd is Dia de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead) and November 3rd is Cuencan Independence Day. Since this year those days landed on a Wednesday and Thursday, the government proclaimed Friday a national holiday as well.
For Dia de los Difuntos, families normally go to the cemetery to visit loved ones who have passed on. They bring flowers and other decorations to places on the graves, and sometimes the favorite food of the deceased. The traditional drink is colada morada, which is purple and tastes like a warm berry smoothie, and the food is guaguas de pan, bread in the shape of a baby. The day before Dia de los Difuntos, we went to one of the main squares in Loja where women had set up booths along one side of the plaza to sell colada morada and guaguas de pan. I really liked both of these, but no one could tell me exactly why the bread is in the shape of a baby, but I found this article on the subject:
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/11/02/500105108/bread-babies-and-purple-drink-ecuador-s-spin-on-day-of-the-deceased?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=202702
However, the deceased grandparents of my host family reside in urns in the living room, so we did not go to the cemetery that day. Instead, aunts, uncles, and cousins came over to pay their respects and bring flowers, and we ate lunch together. Some relatives also brought homemade colada morada and guaguas de pan. That afternoon, after the heat of the day, we went to the park and played basketball with my 9 and 11-year old host cousins, which was a lot of fun. It helps that I am the tallest person around here.
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Día de los Difuntos
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Saturday, November 5th is the festival day in Latacunga, where one of the ETAs is placed. We decided we were all going to go visit her, see Latacunga, and take part in the festival called La Mama Negra. I flew into Quito on Friday night, and then four of us were going to drive the two hours to Latacunga on Saturday morning before the festival. Unfortunately, we never made it. One of the Fulbright researchers grew up mostly in Quito, and her parents still live there. She had access to a car that day, so we were going to save on time and busfare and drive down. We left at 6 am, it was a beautiful morning and we were excited to go. We got to the south side of Quito, and we hit bad traffic. We thought it was a police check where we had to show license and registration. But it was just a wreck in front of us, and we started to move again. Suddenly, the car in front of us slammed on their brakes, we slammed on our breaks and veered to the left, just barely clipping the car in front of us. However, now we were slightly in the opposite lane, and though there was no car there at the moment, a car traveling the opposite way hit our left headlight and scraped the car a second later. Lastly, the car behind us rear-ended us.
Thankfully, no one was hurt in any of the four cars involved. The car in front of us and the car that hit the side did not even stop. But the most damage came from the rear-ending, so we pulled over to a gas station to talk with the police and insurance. This all happened around 7:15 am, and we stayed in the gas station until about 10:30 am. Since it was covered by insurance, the car was towed. We then went back to Quito and had a huge American brunch, and took a siesta. We were all fine, just a little shaken. Afterwards, we wandered around Quito and then had dinner at a restaurant with a stunning view of the city. I also met another Fulbright researcher who just happens to be from Franklin, TN. Small world!
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| Our view of Quito while eating dinner |
Even though it was not what we had planned, I got to spend a nice low-key weekend in Quito with some of the other Fulbrighters, and it was overall a very good weekend. It did, however, make me appreciate life a little more and has made me a little more hesitant to travel. But, as a wise fellow-traveler told me, God knows exactly when, where, and how I am going to die, and there is nothing I can do to either hasten or delay that day. So, do not fear and might as well travel.
The following Tuesday was US Election day. I have put a lot of thought into what I’m going to say about this, so here goes. People here ask me what I think about the results of the election and I tell them the truth: I genuinely did not think it would turn out this way and I am very sad. I grieve that so many of my friends do not feel safe in their homes and in their country as a direct result of this election. I am angry that a man who stands for so many things that I oppose will represent me and my country in the world. I am enraged as a woman that he seems to have no respect for us. I could go on, but I won’t.
A large part of my job right now is to create cross-cultural understanding, break down barriers, and improve relations between countries at the ground level. This goes against much of the president elect’s platform. However, I could not ask to be in a better position to contradict and fight that platform. My job is to dispel rumors about the US, to teach people about real American culture and not what they see on the Simpsons, and to show people how kind, hardworking, and dedicated Americans truly are. This is not an easy task, and now I feel like the tables have turned and I will be fighting an uphill battle, but I believe there is hope.
Most of my students are worried about the outcome of the election. They dream of studying and working in the US and are worried that now they will not be able to get visas. A lot of students have family or friends who live in the States and are worried about their safety. One student asked me if Trump is Hitler. A few male students actually seem to like him and admire his power, money, success, and the ability to do the impossible.
I took this as a good opportunity to teach American Civics. I showed them how Trump did not win the popular vote and I told them about the Electoral College and how it was designed to give a voice to everyone, even minorities. I talked about our three branches of government and the concept of checks and balances. Most importantly, I told them that the President of the United States does not have absolute power, and this is our saving grace. This is a hard concept for them to understand since their president has virtually unchecked power. Unlike in Ecuador, it is very hard for our president to change the Constitution, or do whatever he wants.
I am not pleased with the result of the election, but I hope that our traditions of democracy, peaceful succession, and balance of power will prevail. No one knows for certain what will happen in January, but here in Ecuador I will continue to strive to live in a way that reflects the best of my country and promotes peace and cooperation between cultures and nations.
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