June 25th, 2010
It was hard to sit still in class today, not because of my self-diagnosed restless leg syndrome but because tonight was part of the fiesta de san pedro.
At the parade with my host family and there previous volunteer (Connor) another volunteer Bob met up with us to join in on the festivities. There were people doing all sorts of crazy styles of dancing followed closely by cars with huge speakers on top blasting traditional music. Boxed wine was readily available for all dancers, and of course a float carrying the candidates for Ms. Cayambe was present too. This was followed by a very non-traditional Ecuadorian dinner of pizza and beer.
This was followed by even more beer in the square (were the rodeo would be held tomorrow) while standing around grooving to the sound of horns, pan flutes, guitars and singing.
Then it was time for fireworks. The best description of it takes the form of a recipe… Take the fourth of July, build a huge tower with fireworks attached (some not very well), remove government safety standards of distance required between fireworks and spectators (who are intoxicated) and to top it off, put it in a square surrounded completely by buildings. Now you have yourself a real show.
On the tower built of wood… (oh by the way, it spins around) for one reason or another it also had a life-sized fake car on the top. For the grand finally (or so I thought, Once again, don’t assume) the wheels lit up and spun around spitting sparks and from the top of the car shot wimpy bottle rockets.
We were about a hundred yards away and I still felt too close. Every once and awhile one of the fireworks, instead of shooting up, shot right into the crowd (my personal favorite). The whole while this was happening the band played a song the built up along with the firework show, pretty neat.
About an hour or so later after more dancing, the lit the tower up again. I wasn’t very impressed until I heard what I thought were mortar rounds exploding on top of a nearby building. This was what I was waiting for, the big bad boy fireworks we see in the states! However instead of looking at them from a safe distance, we were looking straight up at them as the ash fell on us!
The night continued with more dancing and we left 1am but it was still in full swing. These people love to dance!
At the parade with my host family and there previous volunteer (Connor) another volunteer Bob met up with us to join in on the festivities. There were people doing all sorts of crazy styles of dancing followed closely by cars with huge speakers on top blasting traditional music. Boxed wine was readily available for all dancers, and of course a float carrying the candidates for Ms. Cayambe was present too. This was followed by a very non-traditional Ecuadorian dinner of pizza and beer.
This was followed by even more beer in the square (were the rodeo would be held tomorrow) while standing around grooving to the sound of horns, pan flutes, guitars and singing.
Then it was time for fireworks. The best description of it takes the form of a recipe… Take the fourth of July, build a huge tower with fireworks attached (some not very well), remove government safety standards of distance required between fireworks and spectators (who are intoxicated) and to top it off, put it in a square surrounded completely by buildings. Now you have yourself a real show.
On the tower built of wood… (oh by the way, it spins around) for one reason or another it also had a life-sized fake car on the top. For the grand finally (or so I thought, Once again, don’t assume) the wheels lit up and spun around spitting sparks and from the top of the car shot wimpy bottle rockets.
We were about a hundred yards away and I still felt too close. Every once and awhile one of the fireworks, instead of shooting up, shot right into the crowd (my personal favorite). The whole while this was happening the band played a song the built up along with the firework show, pretty neat.
About an hour or so later after more dancing, the lit the tower up again. I wasn’t very impressed until I heard what I thought were mortar rounds exploding on top of a nearby building. This was what I was waiting for, the big bad boy fireworks we see in the states! However instead of looking at them from a safe distance, we were looking straight up at them as the ash fell on us!
The night continued with more dancing and we left 1am but it was still in full swing. These people love to dance!
June 26th, 2010
Chuchaky, the Quechua word for hung-over.
After a slow start my host brother and I made it out to the parade by about 9am. There were policemen doing gymnastic flips and what not as well as doing tricks on their motorcycles. Pretty neat, but I was anxiously awaiting the start of the lazo del torros.
This is where three men on horseback and one man on foot (loco) try to rope a bull and hog tie it. The lasso throwing guys on horse backs receive points for roping the bull around the horns to subdue it (only two tries though) and less if they just rope the neck. If they successfully rope the bull, they then have three minutes to tie it up (not an easy task).
Now these bulls do not just stand idly by and let this happen. They often chased the horses, the men on foot and the one dumb stray dog that wondered into the ring. One of the bulls was particularly intent on goring the horses, and eventually succeeded in plunging one of his horns into the stomach of one unfortunate horse. The rider quickly rode the horse of through a gate, but we could see intestines spilling out through the horn sized hole. This did not receive cheers; it was a point of sadness. The people here do not want to see this happen, however if you play with bulls it is an expected thing at some point.
This is where three men on horseback and one man on foot (loco) try to rope a bull and hog tie it. The lasso throwing guys on horse backs receive points for roping the bull around the horns to subdue it (only two tries though) and less if they just rope the neck. If they successfully rope the bull, they then have three minutes to tie it up (not an easy task).
Now these bulls do not just stand idly by and let this happen. They often chased the horses, the men on foot and the one dumb stray dog that wondered into the ring. One of the bulls was particularly intent on goring the horses, and eventually succeeded in plunging one of his horns into the stomach of one unfortunate horse. The rider quickly rode the horse of through a gate, but we could see intestines spilling out through the horn sized hole. This did not receive cheers; it was a point of sadness. The people here do not want to see this happen, however if you play with bulls it is an expected thing at some point.
I was informed by the woman next to me that it is an easy fix. Simply shove the intestines back in and sew up the wound. I am no vet but I feel like it is a tad more complicated than that.
This proved to be too much for most of the group I was with (other Peace Corps. people) so we headed out to a bar to watch the USA play Ghana.
This proved to be too much for most of the group I was with (other Peace Corps. people) so we headed out to a bar to watch the USA play Ghana.
There is no need to recap the game, we all knows what happened.
I called it an early night and studied some Spanish before going to bed.
Chao!
Wow! That sounds like a great model for my 4th of July plans! What does Ecuadorian pizza taste like?
ReplyDeleteHoly cow! This is amazing. I love the photos, they look so colorful and downright professional. Your description of the fireworks using a 'recipe' metaphor was just plain hysterical. I would worry for your safety if i wasnt enjoying it all so much. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI always root (?sp) for the bull!! Great pictures
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