No Such Thing as "Goodbye"

It’s the middle of the semester – no one’s supposed to be leaving yet.  So why does Zack have to leave now?  Why does the guy who makes our program awesome and who made us feel at home in Lumbisí when we first arrived in Ecuador have to leave now?  I guess I shouldn’t be complaining, though – he’s from State College, so I’ll probably have a chance (or, hopefully, many chances) to see him again.  And I’d have a hard time believing he’ll never come back to Ecuador – Lumbisí is his home now, too.  I guess there’s no such thing as “goodbye,” only “see you later.”  Zack, May the road rise up to meet you.  May the wind be always at your back, The Sun shine Warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields.  And until we meet again (which I hope will be soon), May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Highlights from this Week:

• Monday – This afternoon, I started salsa lessons.  A group of us have been trying to get together for lessons for a while, but it hasn’t been working, so I finally just went and it’s so much fun!  It’s definitely different than dancing I’ve done before, but even after just this class, I feel like I’ve learned a lot and I’ll be so much more confident at dances in Lumbisí or wherever!
• Tuesday – Happy Birthday, Allison!  We celebrated our friend’s 20^th Birthday at her house with pizza and cake and singing and lots of visiting.
• Wednesday – Happy Leap Day!  Kind of fun having an extra day in Ecuador…
• Thursday – Happy March!  This afternoon, I went with Paige to SuperMaxi to buy ingredients to make things for Zack’s (surprise) fiesta and who did we run into?  Zack!  As soon as we realized he was there, we kind of made up stories about why we were carrying cake mix and stuff to make fruit punch and just kind of went with it when he came over to say “hi.”  Of course, it was lovely to see him…and we laughed quite a bit later…oh, coincidences…
• Friday – In the middle of my conversation with Javi, someone came over and interviewed me about why I chose to come to Ecuador.  I mentioned falling in love with the program and things I love about the country.  After classes, I went to María’s house to celebrate Allison’s Birthday with everyone in our program.  Later, in Lumbisí, we had a party for Zack, since he’ll be returning to the United States soon.  Everyone’s so sad he’s leaving, but we stayed mostly happy for the evening eating and dancing together.  Many people said nice things about Zack and all he’s done for the community and wished him well in all his future endeavors.  Carolyn also presented him with a quilt made by the families of Lumbisí.  At one point, Carolyn and Zack were dancing together and we all formed a circle and danced around them, which was wonderful.  We’re going to miss him so much…
• Saturday – I met up with Paige this afternoon and we walked around Lumbisí and took pictures of the area.  This really is a beautiful community.
• Sunday – Daniel, Paige, Tara, and I went to the annual Inauguration of Lumbisí’s fútbol field.  All the teams paraded across the field and the “Reinas de Deporte” and the best-uniformed teams were chosen.  A band played and the whole street leading to the field was bustling with people enjoying the festivities.  This evening, I talked with Zack about Lumbisí and how he got here.  Technically, it was for an anthropology project, but it hardly seemed like that because it was all so wonderful and interesting.  “I could talk about Lumbisí all night.”  “That’s the problem – so could I…”

Random Notes:

• Ecuadorians can’t keep secrets or, at least, lumbiseños can’t…not like Americans can, either…  Our party for Zack was supposed to be a surprise, but by the time the party happened he, of course, knew almost everything about it.
• Moras (blackberries) are sold with the tops still on them, like with strawberries.  This makes them take much longer to prepare than blackberries do in the United States.  However, it also makes them much less expensive.
• If you are the guest of honor at a gathering, prepare to be served way more food than you could possibly eat.
• Apparently, Ecuadorians don’t cry in public.  I don’t even know how that’s possible, but I guess it’s a cultural thing.  I also appreciate that lumbiseños understand that gringos most certainly do cry anytime they’re really sad or someone else is crying, in public or not.
• There are no fiestas without dancing.  And the music is usually very loud and carries on late into the night.
• Having a friend who speaks Spanish really well helps a lot, especially when dealing with Ecuadorian men who don’t understand that you do, in fact, speak Spanish.  Heads up, Ladies, it’s perfectly normal for men to compliment you at random.  Don’t be offended – they don’t mean anything by it, it’s just what they do here.  For example, they may call you Princesa, Preciosa, Niña, Linda, or a number of other harmless things.
• Dogs are allowed just about anywhere and tend to go anywhere they please, including into the school or the church.
• Bring slippers.  Ecuadorians don’t usually walk around the house in bare feet or even just in socks.  In fact, they usually walk around in shoes, but who wants to do that all the time?
• Ecuadorian women can carry an amazing amount of weight on their backs.  Several times, now, I have gone with my host mother to cut grass for the cuy (guinea pigs) and pick corn for the chickens and it still amazes me how much she can carry on her back.  Following her home, I feel like I’m walking after a giant bush!
• I’m really going to miss Zack…