June 29, 2008

Today I had the luxury of sleeping in… till about 7:40. Since I had nothing special to do I watched some of a movie on my computer till my stomach insisted that I get up. After breakfast I asked Mama Inés if I could help clean and proceeded to wash about a bazillion dishes (and I’m not exactly exaggerating!) When I finished washing three days worth of dishes for a family of about ten, Monica (another aunt whose name I learned today!) helped me wash my clothes. While my clothes soaked, I caught up on my journal writing till about 11:00 when I met Lauren to go running. Unfortunately all the running has caught up with my and I have huge blisters on my feet so I couldn’t run. We decided to stop by Kat’s house to see how she was doing. The three of us talked for awhile and Kat admitted that she has never spent much time away from her parents. I encouraged her to talk to the nurses. They are both very nice women and I think that they would be able to help her make the right decision about whether or not to stay.

When I returned, I did more laundry, finished my journal entries, and watched more of a movie on my laptop. After lunch (without any children for once) us adults walked through town to see more of the festivals and dancing in the street. We climbed up a hill and I got to see a gorgeous view of Cayambe. After we had our fill of the sights, we started to walk home. Monica saw someone she new who was cooking food to sell outside a house to sell. The friend greeted us and invited us to sit down and try some of her empanadas. These empanadas were very different then any other type of empanada I’ve eaten. They were filled with a bit of cebolla and deep fried. They were then toped with sugar. It was weird… but good!

I was tired an exhausted when I arrived home so I curled up in bed and finished the movie I had been watching. I then wandered into Monica and Juan’s bedroom and watched TV with them. I caught the very end of Bend it Like Beckham and then Mrs. Doubtfire (interrupted by dinner consisting of fried platanos, soup, and a croissant). Monica started to cry and the end of the movie and I laughed at her.

So that was my day. It was good to relax and not have to entertain kids all day (although I enjoy doing it). Classes tomorrow… sigh. I thought I was done with class when I graduated!