Happiness: Visit to Azaya Casa Communal

Yes, another blog posting but I have so much to share so bare with me! 

Please click on the arrow below and enjoy the music HAPPY by Pharrell Williams.

Gringos Engaged in  Community Spirit

During the Christmas season, it is not unusual for some of the remote community villages nestled high above the mountains to approach the gringo population to give gifts to the children.  There are about 200 people that live in little Azaya. In their eyes, all gringo’s are rich and maybe so by their standards. Just not rich enough for us to continue to retire in the USA.  This year we were invited by Gary & Linda Phillips to participate in gift-giving for Azaya Casa Communal high in the mountains above Cotacachi. Danny & Vicky Hargrove also made a generous contribution but were unable to attend.  Maggie & Gary from North Carolina were also contributors and attended the event. Bill & I were delighted to contribute and then attend the party.   Gary & Linda used all of our donation money to purchase little bags of treats that we would hand out to the village.

Terrifying Taxi Experience

Now the first accomplishment was to survive nearly 2 head-on collisions with a terrible taxi driver. He drove so fast and recklessly on our trip up the mountain. Getting a taxi driver in Ecuador is kind of  ” like a box of chocolates you never know what you are going to get” as referred to in Forest Gump! We have been fortunate in usually finding good drivers but you never know.

When we arrived at the dusty little village there were several young men from the community playing basketball. We were asked to wait inside the little community center until they were ready for us. We were then escorted outside near the basketball court. They then retrieved some wooden benches for us which became the VIP seating.

It was not long until children started to crowd around us and they were fascinated with my camera. I asked if I could take their picture and then I would show them the picture on my camera. Wow, they loved it! I introduced myself as Anita. The Ecuadorians are familiar with the name Anita but have a difficult time understanding the name Ann.

So, at that moment I became popular and they kept wanting pictures made so that they could see themselves.  They called me Senora Anita over and over and wanted more pictures. What fun we all had! The little boy in green became one of my favorites and loved having his picture taken. We plan to have copies made of the pictures and take to the village.

 

 

 Musical Chairs!

 We were constantly entertained by all of the games that the community played in our honor.  It all started with some very reluctant women gathering in the center of the basketball court and making a circle around several plastic chairs. Then the music started and they slowly began to dance around the chairs. Heeeee! They were playing our childhood game of “musical chairs”!

 

  Tomato Game

The next game they played is what I called the tomato game. We were even a little concerned about what they were planning with those tomatoes. But no worries none were thrown at the VIP section or at anyone else.

Two people placed the tomato together on their forehead and shuffled their feet in a little dance in beat to the music. The goal was to not drop the tomato. Well, that was a new game I had never seen.

 Water & Bottle Game

After that game, they placed several empty beer bottles at one end of the court and on the other end had large containers of water.

The goal for the young girls was to get a mouth full of water and run to the other end of the court and spit the water into the bottle. So back and forth they went. The winner would be whoever had the most water in their bottle. The next game involved the women but they did not have to spit the water into the bottle but had to dip their hands into the water and carry it back down the court and place it in the empty bottles.

 

 

 

What is a Party without a few Naughty Bulls?

Don’t Drop the Egg Game

Then we saw several older men being given eggs and spoons.

The goal of this game was to not break the egg. They placed the spoon in their mouth and carefully laid the egg in the bowl of the spoon. Then again with the same slow shuffling little dance proceed down the court. Only one man ended up dropping the egg. The dogs were glad to lick up the remains from this little game.

Ready, Set, Go

Then some sort of signal was given and all the children raced to line up in front of us.

Then one of the community leaders instructed them to sing several Christmas songs.

Then another announcement was made and all the children raced again but to a different location to receive the treats we had brought.

These children are the best-behaved children. In fact,  the majority of children in Ecuador behave very well.  Rarely, do you see a child misbehave or cry?  Of course, there is always an exception to the rule as you will see later on in the blog. So no pushing or shoving. Each child waited patiently until their name was called and then came up to receive their treat.

 

 

Oh, one unhappy boy!

Later the senior members had their turn to receive the same little treats.

We were then honored to be invited to stay for lunch that they prepared for us. We were served corn on the cob, boiled potatoes & fava beans which you peeled. Oh, and a big thick slice of soft cheese which looked like butter.  They served the best spicy aji (hot sauce)  and peanut sauce we have ever tasted.  The portions were huge and we shared plates since they were bringing more food than we could possibly ever eat!

I continue to be amazed at how satisfied with the simple life that the Ecuadorians have compared to the stressful life we left in the USA. One thing I noticed is that the children do not smile very much at parties. I questioned an Ecuadorian friend and he seemed surprised. I guess that maybe they are a little leery of the strange gringo. Not only the way we look (especially blue eyes) but the way we dress & act. So when you receive a smile it becomes a cherished gift! Just another life lesson for me.

 Hugs to family & friends