Quito's independence day was this Friday, December 6th. For the past 2 weeks, Quito has been filed with school parades, festivals, and concerts. I ended up having a four day weekend, so I was fully able to enjoy all the festivities.
On Thursday, I went downtown to the historical district of Quito. There was a huge food festival with lots of traditional Ecuadorian food, and even better, it was all extremely cheap. I was able to taste lots of dishes like hornado (like pulled pork but much better!) and locro (potato soup). I then went to the Christmas party of Dunamis, the foundation where we take the girls from the shelter to learn various skills to increase their chances of getting jobs. A local missionary helped with the party, so there were LOTS of other Americans. One of the Americans even dressed up as Santa and gave all the girls Christmas gifts. At night, I went with a friend to a free concert with lots of Ecuadorian artists. Even though I barely understood any of the words, it was a great evening.
Friday, I spent much of the day in my neighborhood. Many of my neighbors were grilling on the streets and all the men were playing ecuavolley(the Ecuadorean's version of volleyball - it is played 3v3 and you can kinda catch the ball). It is extremely popular. Some cops and even cab drivers, who bet their day's earnings, showed up to play as well. Friday night, I went to La Ronda, a little artsy avenue in the historical district. It was absolutely packed! The funniest part of the night was when I returned home around 1, my neighbors were still out partying. They ended up dancing and playing music until around 4 or 5 in the morning!
On Saturday, I went to Otavalo, an outdoor market in a little town about 2 hours north of Quito. The market was enormous and had practically everything you could ever imagine. We wandered around for about 3 hours, and we all finished the day with bags full of Ecuadorean things. I got a new sweater and a few gifts for my family for Christmas - hope you guys enjoy!
Sunday, I had a relaxing day after the past 3 busy days. I went to lunch with two of John's friends from the US. They live in Pomasqui, a town also in the North and about 10 minutes from Carcelen. It's always nice to find more Americans, especially living so close to me!
(Sorry for the lack of photos. Since there were soooooo many people around due to the fiestas, I didn't feel comfortable carrying around a camera.)
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