Another day dawns and finishes in the kitchen. Wednesday was just a blip for me as I worked 14 and 1/2 hours without my buddy Michele. She has been battling the flu or gripe (grip-pee) as they call it here, and really needed a day to stay home. Actually all went rather smoothly until Big Mumma arrived right on dinner time to get a jump start on the next days preparation. She tends to take up all the available space and so we were having to work around her - not the most unstressful time.

Aaron got to chow down on his first true Ecuadorian meal - complete with chicken feet in the soup - he said it wasn't half bad. He is a happier lad now as he finally got one bag returned to him and a promise of the other one coming soon - of course there was an accident and all his body wash was spread throughout his clothes. I am just glad it was not the bag he had my pineapple lumps in!

Tuesday morning came around again and we were off to the kitchen at 6am as usual. On the menu was Tortillas de Verde (that's pancakey things made out of green bananas) however we weren't feeling it (actually, Michele and I don't really know how to make them properly) so I thankfully I had taken with us 2 cans of sweet corn. We decided to whip up a batch of corn fritters and I have to say it was so much easier than boiling, mincing, pounding and frying the bananas. Of course when it came time to open the cans of corn it became a little bit of a mission because there was no such thing as a can opener to be found - they would never think of opening a can - everything is cooked from scratch here!

The plan was after breakfast for me to take Aaron to the mall (to buy more clothes - he still has no lugguge) and return to help with the lunch but by the time I got back home, the headache that I had in the morning, morphed to migraine status and I had to sleep most of the afternoon to get rid of it. I did get back to the kitchen at the end of the day and do the most strenuous job of shelling peas. Now you might think - oh how wonderful, fresh peas - but I have to shatter that illustion because the peas here are not sweet, juicy young things, no - they leave them to grow so long on the vine that they become hard little marbles. Very disappointing but probably my sister Ann will be glad to know that or she would be very jealous of me (she doesn't just like peas - she serves them at every meal because she LOVES them).
Here I am with the boys I recruited to help - we ended up having pea shelling races - hey anything to get the work done faster eh?

We had an impromptu beinvenidos (welcome) for Aaron last night and of course he had to bust out with a few moves. As you can see in the photo - it sure entertained the ladies!
It was nice to do something other than just going to the kitchen, going to the meeting or going to bed. We felt like we were human again.

Poor Aaron still has not got his lugguge so for 3 days he has been without clothes (and I have been without my pineapple lumps that he promised to bring). He has had to buy a pair of pants and has borrowed shirts off his Dad and Chad. We were pretty amazed that he found trousers long enough here in Ecuador for himself seeing as all the men are approximately half his height! Anyway we have been on the phone most of the morning with no success so we are considering taking a trip down again to Gauyaquil - what a pain that would be if it comes to that!

He's here

Well what a day yesterday - we left Cuenca at around 2 in the afternoon and arrived at Guayaquil bus station not long after 6. I phoned the Brother from the Bed and Breakfast to pick us up but they were off to a meeting and so could not pick us up till after 9 so I suggested that we just wait at the airport until Aarons flight arrived at 12am. It arrived on schedule but when we were still waiting for him at 1.10 am - I was getting very worried as to what was the deal - had he missed his plane or was he lying in a ditch somewhere in Peru? Finally he stepped through the door - but his luggage didn't. Poor guy now has just the clothes he stands up in and his laptop. Hopefully when the bags arrive in Guayaquil they will do what they have promised and send them on to Cuenca.
Anyway when we had worked that out we called Brother Mena to come get us - wouldn't you know it - he didn't answer! 7 missed calls later he finally took our call and we made it to bed around 2.30am - only to have to get up and catch our flight to Cuenca at 7.30. What a mission that was too. Brother Mena slept in and we only just made it to checkin on time. Then the huge line up to get through security meant that we had to run for the plane. We are here now thank goodness and so let the fun begin!

One day to go

Another week is flying by and it is only one day till we go to Guayaquil and meet Aaron. As we speak he is in the air - he has a horrendous flight, 1st to Buenos Aires - then up to Lima - another flight to Bogota, Columbia and then back down to Ecuador arriving at 12 am Friday night our time - I think he might be a bit shell shocked when he gets off that final plane. Poor guy!
I suppose I should explain to those that don't know us personally that Aaron is our oldest son. Even though it has only been since February that we've seen him, it feels like a lot longer and I do miss my kids so much. That is the hardest part about being here - not having our kids with us. Of course they have their own lives now and don't need us but I sure need them! So I am very excited to have one of them here with us.
The kitchen this week seems to be fairly calm and there have been no upsets. I cannot wait till the build is over though cause these 12 -13 hour days are wearing me down. We leave the house when it is dark and return when it is dark - such fun.
On Monday though, my day off, I was asked by a new sister to help her with her first talk. That is an unspoken rule here that the assigned householder helps the less experienced prepare her talk. I got to her house (a tiny one room shack) and we sat down to go over the material. I soon realized that I was actually required to write the talk. I kept saying - how would you say this etc but she still wanted it word for word. Now you can only imagine what someone with limited spanish would write and how it would sound - I do hope she gets someone else to proof read it. It was actually nice though - being able to share a bit of my 42 years theocratic school experience.
Anyway it is now nearly 6 am and I have to get to the cocina. Michele is finally taking a few hours off and we are just hoping I don't have to ring her to say nobody has arrived so HELP!

When I'm bored - I blog!

Last day at home and so what better way to fill in the day than by making a film! This is something that Michele and I came up with a while ago - if the boys could be Supermen - then we could be Charlies Angels!
By the way -I love photoshop - you can make your body into everything that you wish for!

Who is this masked man?

Mark seems to always find a niche for himself - the guys soon learned he knew what he was doing with a spray gun - well I think he knows what he is doing although you will be wondering if any paint made it on to where it was supposed to be going!

These are the trusses that Mark is painting - unfortunately they did not get painted while they were on the ground so he is having to paint them from on high - hence the face cannot help but get covered! By the way notice there is no hi-ab lifting the things up - it's all manual labour here!