Birthday in Cuenca

“I feel so loved.” I said that about 4 times (genuinely) yesterday. It was my first birthday abroad, and it was wonderful! I was surrounded by great friends, good vibes, and so much joy; I think the happiness beams were just shooting out of my body!

Since my birthday fell on a Saturday, I had to teach. I didn’t mind, because I adore my Saturday class: 2 girls who are stellar students. It’s very easy to work with them, and they even got me a cake! That was the beginning of my all-day sugar rush.

Part 2 of the celebration was a lunch date with a friend at Sports Planet, a restaurant/bar where as the birthday girl, I got a free menu item. We noshed on nachos, followed by a complimentary ice cream, which we shared.

The grand event was High Tea at the Alcazar hotel. This gem of a place is nestled among the craziness of downtown Cuenca, but once you walk through the glass doors, you are transported to a wonderland of shiny chandeliers, gurgling fountains, majestic statues, and lush gardens. Our soiree was housed in a pergola in the garden, and the image of the sun shining through the glass walls, glinting off the china and teacups, is plastered to my brain. I’ve never taken part in anything like this…fancy marmalades, sweet breads, fine tea, and dainty hor d’oeuvres. Was this Ecuador or the Queen’s Palace in England? It was 2 hours of pure bliss and luxury; I’m quite thankful to have had that experience. The thanks really go to my two very good friends, Lynne and Eileen for organizing that extravaganza. These two women are more than friends, they’re my beacons of light when I’m weathering stormy seas; they’re stable supports when I’m stumbling through the obstacles of life; they’re my partners in crime when we’re gallivanting through a culture that sometimes confuses (or amuses) us. They’re family now, whether they like it or not!

A bonus to the garden bash was that Lynne’s birthday was the day before mine, so our High Tea was a double-celebration. All-in-all, it was a whimsical afternoon spent with a group of outstanding women and friends. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I guess I should say Gracias. Gracias. Gracias. Even if you took away the fancy food, the elegant setting, and the extremely generous gifts (did I deserve all of that?) the people made the occasion special. And you know what? I’m realizing that as I get older, life keeps getting better. We’ll see if I say the same thing in a couple of decades!

New New New!

So sorry about the lack of update lately; things have been happening and time has been flying by so quickly. Where to begin…

New Year, new house, new teaching cycle, new adventures!

My New Years was spectacularly unexciting; I fell asleep before Midnight, as is my style. Even so, I did venture out that night to take in all of the sights that Cuenca had to offer. That included giant dummies and structures that different neighborhoods built in the streets to later set on fire. Also, it is customary for men and boys to dress as women, hold a rope across the street to block traffic, and demand money from stopped cars. This is actually an accepted stunt in Cuenca; the back-story is that the men are widows, asking for money from passersby to send their husbands to the afterlife. Everyone pretty much plays along with this, donating some monedas to the men/widows, although I did witness some motorists just speed through without paying. Other New Year’s traditions here include wearing yellow underwear on New Year’s Eve (for good luck), eating 12 grapes at Midnight, and running around the block with a suitcase (for good luck in travel.) Also, the giant dummies, or Años Viejos are burned in the street. Sometimes these dummies represent a family member to bring them good luck in the New Year; other times the dummies are popular characters such as the Hulk, Bart Simpson, or Spiderman. It's quite a sight to see all of these figures displayed along the sidewalks!

A few days after New Year’s, I said farewell to the Albright group; I hope to see them here again next January. This January just flew by without me realizing it. We’ve jumped into a new teaching cycle, and the second time around seems easier than the first. I've got two 102-level classes, one of which is full of 11 pre-teens. Let's just say a "Behavior Chart" had to be implemented. My Saturday class is a very chill 201-level class of 2 wonderful students. And I've got a 204-level of 3 students, one of which is an amateur magician! I'm really enjoying my job, and after some contemplation, I decided that I’m not ready to leave in June. I spoke to my boss about staying longer, and she approved. So the plan now is to stay until June 2015. There will most likely be a trip back to the USA between now and then, although I don’t know when. I’m happy, I’m working, and I’m in LATIN AMERICA. Why leave so soon?

2014 has been bringing wonderful things…I have embraced Christianity, and found that I have been more than welcomed into the community. I attend Sunday service every week with 2 good friends (and fellow teachers) and every week I learn something new and am enlightened more and more. An emotional prayer request was met with so much support I was brought to tears. A weekly Bible study has thrust me into even more discovery, and while it’s super-difficult for me (I attended several years of after-school Catholic education, but haven’t retained anything,) the study is great.

On top of that, I am in a new home! I am living with 2 fabulous teachers, one of whom is planning on staying here for the long-term. The house is huge, out of the city center (I wake up hearing birds, not traffic,) and it’s in a very nice neighborhood. It’s a healthy environment, with friends who genuinely care about me. Needless to say, I’m thrilled to be here. I am trying to use the new house as an incentive for my family to visit. I’d love, love, love for my mom or dad or sister or all of them to come here and see what makes me so passionate about Spanish and travelling. I want to take them around the centro, to eat an humita, to browse the mercados, to marvel at the view of the Andes that I still gasp at on a regular basis. To bring them to my class and have them see me in teaching action, to have them hear me converse in Spanish with the locals. To have them be proud of me for heading to South America to pursue a crazy dream.

Anyway, yesterday was the first Friday of the month, which meant First Friday Art. It’s become a tradition between my friend and I to hang out and then head to the monthly art exhibition. This month’s artist was a 21-year-old Cuencano (whom I almost hit up for his phone number.) His paintings were impressionist oils that depicted scenes of Cuenca (the rivers, bridges, and cropland.) They were gorgeous, and he had sold quite a few! To be so talented and successful at such a young age; jeez, where’s my sketchbook? It’s time to get to work!

Speaking of artistic pursuits, I met up with a good friend today for some lunch and ice cream and some good ol’ chitchat. She’s a writer, and we came up with the idea to email each other writing pieces every 2 weeks. We’ve both been lagging behind on our creative outbursts, and this will be nice, to hold each other accountable for producing something creative from time to time. This will help me develop some characters and ideas for the comic book my best friend and I want to create (we dream big!) And I can also use these writings to give me inspiration for sketches. If anything cool transpires from this, I’ll post it to the blog. And now that my goal is posted on the internet, I guess I have to follow through, eh?

Thanks for hanging in with me on this post; I know it was a long one, but a lot has happened, and once I get going it’s hard to stop. All good things, and until next time, ¡hasta luego!