Welcome to our latest Spotlight! This time around, we're Spotlighting the lovely town of Tumbaco where we spent our last three months in Peace Corps training.
Hey, weren't you guys in Quito?
Er... kinda. Tumbaco is a "rural parish of the Metropolitan district of Quito," whatever that means. By bus it takes about an hour to get to Quito.
Some people have asked whether Quito is really primitive. The answer: not really. There is running water and electricity, cell phones and internet. The malls here are bigger than most we´ve been to in the United States. There are differences though: the tap water isn´t exactly potable in most places, most houses are cement and cinderblock and sparsely furnished, everybody eats a lot of rice. But whether that makes Ecuador more or less primitive? You´ll have to come here yourself to be the judge of that!
Our Host Family! And Sheep
While in Tumbaco, we stayed with a really nice host family. The parents were just a little older than us, and they have two kids: a seven-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy. They taught us a lot of Ecuadorian Spanish (like saying "Pie" for thank you), how to live in the coastal jungles (by eating A MONTON of fruit and not really much else!), and how to take care of chickens and sheep!
The only thing we´ll really miss from Tumbaco is our host family. And maybe the ice cream shop on the corner...
Peace Corps Training Center
This is where we spent most of our time the past three months. The Peace Corps office is in Quito, but the training center is in a sweet little spot in Tumbaco. It´s fully equipped with classrooms, dormitories, a kitchen, swings, a zipline, and avacado and guaba trees. (Note: guaba here is pronounced WABA and is not the same as guava. Guava is called guayaba in Ecuador. There is also a fruit here called guayabana...)
It´s enough for now to say that training was long, difficult, and tiring, and we´re glad we won´t have to see the training center again for a long time. We will miss all of our friends that we made during training, though!
Quiz Time
We´re making this quiz trickier (as always, you can use your resources: the internet, your mom, any large book, etc). Put your answers in the comments section. Winner gets an internet "¡Chócale!"
1. What does "¡Chócale!" mean?
a. chocolate!
b. a million dollars!
c. a new kitty!
d. high five!
e. SLANDER! err.. libel?
f. pie in the face!
2. What is the Chaquiñan AND which language does it come from AND what does it mean in that language?
3. What is the name of the traditional Ecuadorian dish eaten during Holy Week AND what is the recipe?
TTFN!
..Kirstie and Isaac..
 |
| Kirstie and Isaac about to be sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers. Photo by Isaac Bickford. |
Hey, weren't you guys in Quito?
Er... kinda. Tumbaco is a "rural parish of the Metropolitan district of Quito," whatever that means. By bus it takes about an hour to get to Quito.
 |
| Tumbaco parque and iglesia, typical of Latin American towns and cities. Photo by Kirstie Bickford. |
Our Host Family! And Sheep
While in Tumbaco, we stayed with a really nice host family. The parents were just a little older than us, and they have two kids: a seven-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy. They taught us a lot of Ecuadorian Spanish (like saying "Pie" for thank you), how to live in the coastal jungles (by eating A MONTON of fruit and not really much else!), and how to take care of chickens and sheep!
 |
| Our sheep! (That are probably eaten by now...) Photo by Kirstie Bickford. |
Peace Corps Training Center
This is where we spent most of our time the past three months. The Peace Corps office is in Quito, but the training center is in a sweet little spot in Tumbaco. It´s fully equipped with classrooms, dormitories, a kitchen, swings, a zipline, and avacado and guaba trees. (Note: guaba here is pronounced WABA and is not the same as guava. Guava is called guayaba in Ecuador. There is also a fruit here called guayabana...)
 |
| Isaac being trained in the Ecuadorian art of ziplining. (This is a joke...) Photo by Kirstie Bickford |
It´s enough for now to say that training was long, difficult, and tiring, and we´re glad we won´t have to see the training center again for a long time. We will miss all of our friends that we made during training, though!
Quiz Time
We´re making this quiz trickier (as always, you can use your resources: the internet, your mom, any large book, etc). Put your answers in the comments section. Winner gets an internet "¡Chócale!"
1. What does "¡Chócale!" mean?
a. chocolate!
b. a million dollars!
c. a new kitty!
d. high five!
e. SLANDER! err.. libel?
f. pie in the face!
2. What is the Chaquiñan AND which language does it come from AND what does it mean in that language?
3. What is the name of the traditional Ecuadorian dish eaten during Holy Week AND what is the recipe?
TTFN!
..Kirstie and Isaac..
1 D
ReplyDelete2
3 Guinea pig (who needs a recipe for guinea pig? Kill, skin, roast, eat).
Naomi
Who needs to roast a guinea pig?
ReplyDeleteCongrats Dad, you get the chòcale!
ReplyDeleteFanesca is made from 12 grains, symbolic of the twelve disciples and of the twelve months, depending on who you ask. Some people say both! Isaac thinks it would be better without the salt fish.
Regarding cuy (guinea pig) - we havn´t had the chance to try it yet. It`s mostly eaten in the Sierra (mountains) so we probably won`t be offered it in our site. It`s possible we will be offered one of the 3 species of giant cuy though, as these are native to the jungles of Ecuador. If you`ve been to the Reed Park Zoo in Tucson you`ve seen the biggest species - the capybara (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capybara).
Thanks to everyone for playing! It`s a great encouragement to us to get comments from you!