A Quiet Day in Principal Ecuador

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This morning I awoke to the sound of roosters crowing and horrible cramps. Jose made me lay down at his mom's house, put on a DVD for me of La Laguna Azul, and made me some tea from fresh mint. I watched all of the movie and then took a shower. Jose's mom taught me to make a soup called "Bolas de Carne". You cook small pieces of beef with carrots, green pepper, onion, cilantro, peas, then you chop up a boiled egg into it. You grate plantains into a bowl. In a cupped hand, press the plantain to make a little cup. Put one spoon of the beef mixture in the middle, press it down, pinch the sides together, and then roll it around in your hands until it is sealed. Then drop each ball into a pot of boiling broth, which is water, salt, herbs, and beef bones. It is delicious.
It is a bit cold today. I wish I had brought some warmer clothes. Some days are very hot, the nights are always chilly. There is no humidity here. If the sun is out its hot, if not, it is cold.
Trucks come here selling goods. Musical instruments, radios, beds, dressers, pillows, blankets, plantains, fish... A person would probably never have to leave their house if they didn't want to.
We played cards all afternoon and Julisa, the neighbor's daughter, fell asleep in my arms. After we played volleyball with a balloon and I accidentally slapped Jose in the face. After that, he didn't want to play with me anymore because he said I was dangerous. Then we hid it in the house. I hid it in the ropero, he hid it under his mom's blanket. She broke her foot today when she fell off the front step. It is wrapped in a bandage and she is lying in the bed. Jose and I helped cook dinner. I made refrito: tomato, onion, cilantro, green pepper. We had lentils with mortadella and rice, and linguini with cheese. The cheese is nothing like cheese in the U.S. It is made fresh right from the cow and is not aged. It is very soft and tastes like sour cottage cheese. I don't really like it, but I try to eat it. Maybe it is an acquired taste.
After dinner, I played catch, tag, and hide and go seek with the kids. The power went out for about ten minutes and everyone came quickly with candles and flashlights.
Later, as is our ritual, we played the card game "Burro" in Jose's mom's bedroom. Papa looked at pictures of Connecticut, nostalgically. I think he is missing the U.S.
Then Jose and I go across the street to our little house to sleep.

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