So it has been quite a long time since I have wrote, and even I’m coming home in a week I thought I’d give a little update. Things have been crazy, and I have been so busy, between service, school, traveling, and getting in as much time with my friends while I still can, I haven’t had much time to just relax… or sleep. Anyway I met a bunch of Ecuadorian guys (Santiago aka Santos, Camilo aka Popeye, Colo aka Patas, Jose and Miguel) who don’t go to our school through my friends Betty Brandt and Kristy and they invited a whole load of us to one of their houses on the beach near Atacames called Casa Blanca. Named after the capital of Morocco because of the all white buildings and Mediterranean style. Casa Blanca is a private community full of amazing houses that only run around $200,000 to buy and come with access to restaurants, markets, tennis courts, and a huge private beach. Fresh seafood, hammocks, and not a care in the world, cant beat it! I can defiantly say I really saw the other side of Ecuador that weekend with our private pool, jacuzzi, and cook, and it couldn’t be farther socio-economically then some of the other places I went like Huaorani Territory or anywhere in the Sierra. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there with everyone and it was so relaxing. 
When I returned I had quite a load of work waiting for me that I had been putting off for a while, but you know what? It was worth it, I mean I learn more out of the classroom traveling! Research, interviews, reading, studying, lots of typing, service, and a heck of a lot of maté pretty much sums up last week for me. I finished up classes and exams last Thursday and I feel pretty confident about them, I’m sure you are glad to read that mom! Friday was my last day of service and I was really sad to go, we all piled into the bus to go to hipoterapia, which is where the kids work with horses and it helps them physically because they have to sit up as straight as they can and they work on their balance plus animals really help persons with special needs. After all the kids had rode and were fed we all piled back into the bus and headed back to Quito. Just like how my volunteering started here in Ecuador, it ended; in chaos. The first day I remember leaving and saying to Zac, my friend who I work with, “What have we gotten ourselves into?” When it’s a good day it is amazing, but when it’s a bad day, its almost unbearable. Just as we had left the farm, Mateo a 5 year old with cerebral palsy I have been working really closely with for the last 4 months let loose and threw up all over me! I didn’t know what to do, I just sat there and kept saying “Well, yup, nothing really I can do about this” as he vomited on me 3 separate times. Now you may be thinking, “that’s disgusting, how could you just sit there” well my friends this is not the first time Mateo has thrown up on me, it’s also not the second, but the third time. I had no idea a 5 years old’s stomach could hold that much food and liquid. We stopped the car and I clean Mateo and myself off and after a little crying- by him not me- he broke out in laughter; kids, they’re precious. Saying this I am now confident in my ability to be patient with kids and hope that child rearing isn’t as difficult, but I’m sure it will be. I am going to really miss the foundation I worked at and the kids really taught me a lot about not sweating the small stuff, especially Mateo who’s only words to me in 4 months and 200 hours together were Mama, Papa, and Hola, really made an impression on me. I wish I could stay with them and watch all of them keep progressing.
Yesterday Jose picked up Betty Brandt, Kristy, Katlyn and I and we all met up with Caroline and Alejandro in Otavalo for a little last minuet artisan shopping and my bargaining skills were at an all time high! I was kicking ass! You may say- “But Patrick, aren’t you exploiting these people, selling these goods is their livelihood!” Nay I say! Though it is true that handicrafts is how the Otavaleños survive, but I can say confidently these people are not living too hard, even in this economic crisis, which has not really touched Ecuador because of its protective nationalism, socialism you could say, in Otavalo there is a 0% unemployment rate, and many are so well off they have I-phones just like Maureen’s! Even ignoring that, you must remember that I, Patrick Cutrona, am a whitie- or gringo so when people see me eyeing their goods they immediately try to charge me double. Yesterday was not the right day to mess with me though because I was on my A game! I got pretty much everything for under half of what the asking price was, one lady was trying to sell me a really nice painting that I didn’t even really want, her asking price; $50, I paid her $18. Boo Yah Achieved. She messed with the wrong gringo. Anyway I got some good stuff and left happy.
This morning I made my host parents a big American Brunch to show them what a meal should be! Banana pancakes, sausage, bacon, and two eggs over easy with cheddar cheese cooked in the bacon grease all covered in Maple syrup. It was dang good and we were all full. They seemed to really like it, but I mean how could you not?!
Just a week left and though I cant wait to get home I am going to miss my friends here a lot so for the next few day I will be spending as much time as possible with them- who knows if I’ll ever see them again? See you all very soon and happy mothers day!
When I returned I had quite a load of work waiting for me that I had been putting off for a while, but you know what? It was worth it, I mean I learn more out of the classroom traveling! Research, interviews, reading, studying, lots of typing, service, and a heck of a lot of maté pretty much sums up last week for me. I finished up classes and exams last Thursday and I feel pretty confident about them, I’m sure you are glad to read that mom! Friday was my last day of service and I was really sad to go, we all piled into the bus to go to hipoterapia, which is where the kids work with horses and it helps them physically because they have to sit up as straight as they can and they work on their balance plus animals really help persons with special needs. After all the kids had rode and were fed we all piled back into the bus and headed back to Quito. Just like how my volunteering started here in Ecuador, it ended; in chaos. The first day I remember leaving and saying to Zac, my friend who I work with, “What have we gotten ourselves into?” When it’s a good day it is amazing, but when it’s a bad day, its almost unbearable. Just as we had left the farm, Mateo a 5 year old with cerebral palsy I have been working really closely with for the last 4 months let loose and threw up all over me! I didn’t know what to do, I just sat there and kept saying “Well, yup, nothing really I can do about this” as he vomited on me 3 separate times. Now you may be thinking, “that’s disgusting, how could you just sit there” well my friends this is not the first time Mateo has thrown up on me, it’s also not the second, but the third time. I had no idea a 5 years old’s stomach could hold that much food and liquid. We stopped the car and I clean Mateo and myself off and after a little crying- by him not me- he broke out in laughter; kids, they’re precious. Saying this I am now confident in my ability to be patient with kids and hope that child rearing isn’t as difficult, but I’m sure it will be. I am going to really miss the foundation I worked at and the kids really taught me a lot about not sweating the small stuff, especially Mateo who’s only words to me in 4 months and 200 hours together were Mama, Papa, and Hola, really made an impression on me. I wish I could stay with them and watch all of them keep progressing.
Yesterday Jose picked up Betty Brandt, Kristy, Katlyn and I and we all met up with Caroline and Alejandro in Otavalo for a little last minuet artisan shopping and my bargaining skills were at an all time high! I was kicking ass! You may say- “But Patrick, aren’t you exploiting these people, selling these goods is their livelihood!” Nay I say! Though it is true that handicrafts is how the Otavaleños survive, but I can say confidently these people are not living too hard, even in this economic crisis, which has not really touched Ecuador because of its protective nationalism, socialism you could say, in Otavalo there is a 0% unemployment rate, and many are so well off they have I-phones just like Maureen’s! Even ignoring that, you must remember that I, Patrick Cutrona, am a whitie- or gringo so when people see me eyeing their goods they immediately try to charge me double. Yesterday was not the right day to mess with me though because I was on my A game! I got pretty much everything for under half of what the asking price was, one lady was trying to sell me a really nice painting that I didn’t even really want, her asking price; $50, I paid her $18. Boo Yah Achieved. She messed with the wrong gringo. Anyway I got some good stuff and left happy.
This morning I made my host parents a big American Brunch to show them what a meal should be! Banana pancakes, sausage, bacon, and two eggs over easy with cheddar cheese cooked in the bacon grease all covered in Maple syrup. It was dang good and we were all full. They seemed to really like it, but I mean how could you not?!
Just a week left and though I cant wait to get home I am going to miss my friends here a lot so for the next few day I will be spending as much time as possible with them- who knows if I’ll ever see them again? See you all very soon and happy mothers day!
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