Easter and Holy Week
Things here in Quito picked back up right away after the return from the beach trip. Two days after we got back, I went with the fam to see a dance show at a local museum and fine arts venue. The dance troupe consisted of 5 young women from Spain, and they performed traditional Spanish dances with some modern touches. The music was mostly Spanish but there were also a few songs with some Arabic sounding music mixed in, and there was even one that sounded like Irish music. The dances were wonderful, and I especially liked the faster dances more than the slower more low-key ones.
Last week was Holy Week, which is very important to the people here because the Ecuadorian population is 97% Catholic. One established tradition here is that in almost every household and restaurant, the people serve a special soup called ¨fanesca¨ that's only made during Holy Week. It's a grain based soup so it has peas, corn, a few different kinds of beans, and the broth is somewhat thick and is really flavorful. People also add little fried pieces of bread, fish, onions, and hardboiled egg on top of their bowl of soup. The first day I tried it, I thought it was decent but also a little strange because I guess I wasn't used to the flavor combinations. However, it grew on me a lot by the second day and I ended up eating it every day that week! Another reason why it's a special dish is because it's totally unique to Ecuador--you can't find this soup in any other country.
On Thursday I went with Alejandro and Mayory on a night-time visit of the historic center to tour the churches. A lot of the churches are extremely old, some of them from the 1600's. There were lots of people out and about doing the same thing, so it was also a good opportunity to people watch. Many of the churches were pretty crowded but it was worth it because there were special decorations, sometimes music, and ceremonies specific to Holy Week. Lots of churches also boast altars, columns, and various structures that are handmade and covered in gold, so they are really pretty spectacular. In addition to the artistic aspects of the wood carvings and gold designs, there are often paintings and statues as well. So while the churches in the center of Quito obviously serve a religous purpose primarily, they are museums of sorts as well and definitely historic places.
Easter itself was very laid back. There was certainly no chocolate or Easter bunny involved, so in the spirit of my family's traditions I bought chocolate eggs and Alejandro and I hid them around the first floor of the house for his parents and sister to find. They definitely love their sweets so they were able to locate the eggs pretty quickly, and I think they enjoyed doing something fun and a little bit different from their usual customs. We had a family lunch together and afterwards, in the true spirit of Latin America, we watched a Barcelona soccer game (Barcelona is actually not the Spanish team but rather an Ecuadorian team from Guayaquil and one of the family's favorites) before attending evening mass.
Nothing much to report from this week except for the big move out of the apartment this weekend. Oh the joys of packing and unpacking... Anyway I'm sure it will be a nice relief when it's all finished!
In other random news, the family doggie is going to have puppies soon! She's an English bulldog and super sweet, and it seems likes it's starting to dawn on her that there are little things living inside her because she's been acting hungrier, lazier, and a little bit more confused than usual. I can't wait for the puppies to come and I have a feeling all of us will be wanting to keep them rather than sell them, which is the current plan because bulldogs are rare here and therefore bring a good price. We'll see what the family ends up deciding once the pups arrive.
Well, time to get started on enjoying the weekend! Hasta luegito!
Last week was Holy Week, which is very important to the people here because the Ecuadorian population is 97% Catholic. One established tradition here is that in almost every household and restaurant, the people serve a special soup called ¨fanesca¨ that's only made during Holy Week. It's a grain based soup so it has peas, corn, a few different kinds of beans, and the broth is somewhat thick and is really flavorful. People also add little fried pieces of bread, fish, onions, and hardboiled egg on top of their bowl of soup. The first day I tried it, I thought it was decent but also a little strange because I guess I wasn't used to the flavor combinations. However, it grew on me a lot by the second day and I ended up eating it every day that week! Another reason why it's a special dish is because it's totally unique to Ecuador--you can't find this soup in any other country.
On Thursday I went with Alejandro and Mayory on a night-time visit of the historic center to tour the churches. A lot of the churches are extremely old, some of them from the 1600's. There were lots of people out and about doing the same thing, so it was also a good opportunity to people watch. Many of the churches were pretty crowded but it was worth it because there were special decorations, sometimes music, and ceremonies specific to Holy Week. Lots of churches also boast altars, columns, and various structures that are handmade and covered in gold, so they are really pretty spectacular. In addition to the artistic aspects of the wood carvings and gold designs, there are often paintings and statues as well. So while the churches in the center of Quito obviously serve a religous purpose primarily, they are museums of sorts as well and definitely historic places.
Easter itself was very laid back. There was certainly no chocolate or Easter bunny involved, so in the spirit of my family's traditions I bought chocolate eggs and Alejandro and I hid them around the first floor of the house for his parents and sister to find. They definitely love their sweets so they were able to locate the eggs pretty quickly, and I think they enjoyed doing something fun and a little bit different from their usual customs. We had a family lunch together and afterwards, in the true spirit of Latin America, we watched a Barcelona soccer game (Barcelona is actually not the Spanish team but rather an Ecuadorian team from Guayaquil and one of the family's favorites) before attending evening mass.
Nothing much to report from this week except for the big move out of the apartment this weekend. Oh the joys of packing and unpacking... Anyway I'm sure it will be a nice relief when it's all finished!
In other random news, the family doggie is going to have puppies soon! She's an English bulldog and super sweet, and it seems likes it's starting to dawn on her that there are little things living inside her because she's been acting hungrier, lazier, and a little bit more confused than usual. I can't wait for the puppies to come and I have a feeling all of us will be wanting to keep them rather than sell them, which is the current plan because bulldogs are rare here and therefore bring a good price. We'll see what the family ends up deciding once the pups arrive.
Well, time to get started on enjoying the weekend! Hasta luegito!
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