“It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!”

Pitstop!

This past weekend, my host mom invited me to join her for a neighborhood picnic. It sounded like fun, so I told her I would go. Little did I know, I would be riding on the top of an open, double-decker tour bus, ducking under wires and dodging tree branches to get there (but that is an entirely different story). We ended up in a little city called “Sigsig,” where we stopped at a park for lunch. The sun was shining; but it wasn't too hot, and the sky was blue. It was a perfect day, and it was here that I met three very unique individuals that I will use this blog to describe.

No Name, mid 50s: I noticed a very tall, pale man sitting a few rows in front of me on the bus. Based on these two characteristics, I assumed he wasn't from Ecuador, but I didn’t question it. After arriving at the park, my host mom approached him and basically said, “This is Emily. She doesn't speak Spanish. Talk to her.” He started a conversation with me (in English) and I found out he is from Israel. His security-related job relocated him to Peru. At some point, he met his Ecuadorian wife and moved to Cuenca with her for 2 years. He then moved to the United States and bought a house in North Carolina. He lives there now, but he travels back to Ecuador often because he opened an alternative medicine clinic here, which just so happens to be right around the corner from my house. He told me he likes Cuenca better than anywhere else he has been because the people are so friendly and it is a beautiful city.

Jenny, 17: After talking to “No Name,” my host mom and I took a little walk. She wanted to take a picture of me, so I handed her my camera. She was trying to ask me something, but I didn't know the Spanish words she was using. A girl came up and said (in English), “She wants to know how to zoom in.” I thanked her, and she walked away. We ran into her again a couple minutes later, and she offered me some of her Doritos. We started talking, and I soon found out her English was flawless. I asked her where she was from. She told me she was from Cuenca, but she moved with her parents to Las Vegas for 10 years. She returned to Cuenca three years ago because her mom missed her family. Jenny was a typical teenager, complaining about her parents and how boring the picnic was. I told her I was going back to the United States in a couple of weeks and she begged me to take her with me. She absolutely loves the United States and is planning on moving back there in a few years.

Daniella and me!

Daniella, 10: We took a guided tour of Sigsig, which consisted of stops at a museum and another park that had artifacts from a group of indigenous people who used to live in the area. I noticed a little girl who was always at the front of the group. She took pictures of everything and occasionally asked questions. I smiled at her a few times, and she smiled back. At one point, my host mom asked her to say something to me in English, but she said she couldn't and ran away. However, at the end of the last tour, she came up to me, handed me some flowers, and said in English, “for you!” She sat next to me on the two and a half hour bus ride back to Cuenca, and we started talking. I found out she actually knew English pretty well. She talked to me in English, and I answered using the little Spanish I know.  I asked her how she learned English and she said at school and from her parents.  I was extremely impressed, especially when I thought about how few 10 year olds in the United States can speak another language.  I showed her the pictures on my camera that I had taken in the Galapagos, and she was absolutely amazed. I asked her who her favorite singer was and her eyes lit up as she said “Justin Bieber!” When she found out we were headed back to Cuenca, she got a sad look on her face. I asked her if she liked Cuenca and she told me she loved it, but she didn't want the tour to be over yet. She also said she'd like to visit the United States one day.

I never thought I would meet people who lead such interesting lives while living in Cuenca.... especially so many that only live with in a few blocks of my house!  I found it very interesting that all these people had different opinions about Ecuador (specifically Cuenca) and the United States. Some like Cuenca while others favor the United States; it really just depends on individual preferences.  I think my opinions mostly reflect Daniella's (except reverse).  While visiting Cuenca has been nice, I am more than ready to get back home to the United States!