Happy, thriving, and most definitely grateful. That pretty well describes how Jeff and I feel about our new life. Monday marked our first anniversary in Cuenca, and boy, did we ever celebrate Ecuadorian-style over the weekend.
You know how twists and turns in life can lead you to some pretty great things, right? Well, it just so happened that before we came here, my niece mentioned she’d worked in New York with a lovely Ecuadorian who had just returned to his country. She hooked us up via email, and serendipitously, he came from Cuenca. Knowing few people after we'd arrived, Javier and his wife Gabriela most graciously invited us to spend Christmas Day with their family. What a blessing. We laughed and teased in Spanish and English with family and friends, young and older. We shared biographies and sentimentalities and felt completely welcome and at home.Their genuine warmth was incredible.
And then the we committed the most terrible sin - we lost touch. Jeff and I went back into the frenzy of building our lives here and never called. No excuses, just red-faced shame. Thankfully we got to see Javier and Gabriela on occasion, and got to share in the joy of their beautiful new son. We've also become great friends with Javier’s mom as well. But still, we knew the treasure we’d found in his entire family, and knew we our folly in letting that go. So when Javier’s dad called to invite us to their family’s hacienda in the country, we jumped at the chance reconnect.
The family's 60 hectare hacienda was bought and built about 50 years ago. It’s spread out into four adobe buildings, each with simple rustic bedrooms and bathrooms - enough to accomodate fifty to sixty people. It’s got a kitchen, large main dining area, and a fireplaced dance hall. The outdoor party/dining area is awesome, too - adobe hearth and all.
We started out in that area where we encountered the typical main hit of an Ecuadorian party: the “chancho” (pig). There it sat on the spit, just as you see them everyday on roadsides, a definite Ecuadorian favorite meal. But today we would come to experience chancho like never before ~ in every way imaginable...
First up was watching the skin being basted with pig fat and then blow-torched. That was our first appetizer ~ crunchy and yummy, but probably not very good for
your health. I couldn’t help but comment on that, and my new friend Magui set me straight. She pointed out how her relatives have all lived well into their 80’s and above. Then I looked around. All chancho-loving people, and not an obese one among them. Hmmm...
The table was then set, and we were called to sit for the lovely soup of vegetables and nice chunks of pork.
The main lunch was served - diced pork in a lovely sauce with rice, salad, and ají,, which is a tasty sauce found on all tables here.
Incredibly full, little did I know they were just getting started...
While all this was going on, guests kept coming, ending up around 50 or so. A contingent of young 20’s & 30-something cousins and friends weaved in and out of their group to connect with us “older folks”. That's another thing. We’re really impressed by the “kids” we’ve met here. They’re bright, career-oriented, and upwardly mobile.
Most of all, they’re old-fashioned respectful with
children and older adults. There’s definitely a mature sophistication about them.
That can be said about everyone there. The love and laughter poured out of everyone, punctuating Ecuadorian’s appreciation for family and friends. The beer, whiskey, rum, and canelazo (a lovely warm herbal drink with liqueur), flowed. Three of Javier's dad's best friends from grade-school were there, all joking together like the school boys they once were. As he put it, “we are generally very affectionate people. This is life.” Ain’t that the truth.
No sooner had my stomach finally settled down, we were moved on to the dining hall for more. There awaited dinner: salad, "mote" (hominy), potato cakes, pork, and for dessert, fresh cheese with honey. I swear, I just-about rolled out of there.
Last but not least, the sun went down and a massive bonfire was lit. The kids broke out their guitars, singing away while we all partied together into the night. Yep. This is life, and we are honored to have been part of it. No better way to celebrate our first year anniversary here ~ in true Ecuadorian family-style.
