VIVA QUITO! VIVA EL CMT!

Long Live Quito! Long Live the Working Boys' Center (El Centro del Muchacho Trabajador)!

Last weekend was the Fiestas of Quito as well as the Center's birthday...meaning it was basically a party weekend! This year was the Working Boys' Center 45th birthday/anniversary. As tradition, every year they have a pancake (very American) breakfast then carnival games and a dance in the afternoon to celebrate. So at 6AM on Saturday morning all the volunteers were over in the kitchen cooking for all the families. Most volunteers were on pancake duty, making hundreds of pancakes, but I ended up cutting fruit with my high school girls. It was AMAZING how much fruit there was. Then I helped in making the plates, which included a pancake, scrammbled eggs (really good), fruit salad, and coffee. Right after breakfast there were festival games outside on the soccer field. I painted faces almost all morning. It was cute too, because some kid came over and asked me to paint the Liga logo and after that I am became the "Liga expert" for most of the time. We also did a "dunk tank" that they ended up dragging almost all the volunteers into doing. It was funny though...and cold. There was an empty soda bottle sitting up on top of a garbage can that the kids had to knock over. If they knocked over the bottle, the volunteer got a big kettle of water poured over them. I got soaked like 7 seven times before they switched me out! Yikes! All the kids thought it was SO funny though, so it was well worth it!

In the afternoon (after a quick nap), we all headed over to the downtown center for a sandwich and cake and then a dance party. I mainly danced with the little girls, especially Belen who is about 5 years old. She was exhausted and really just wanted to be held by the end! It was a really fun day and celebration. Both the Cotocollao Center and Marin Center were together so it was a big event and everyone had a lot of fun!

After all these events were done, all of us volunteers headed out to celebrate the Fiestas of Quito (founding of Quito). We were all exhausted but found that 2nd (or 3rd) wind to keep going. We first went to La Ronda, a pretty, historic street downtown. It was packed with people, so we had one hot sugar cane alcohol drink (Canelazo) and then headed to La Mariscal. I was planning on heading home shortly after we arrived, but Adam, Cinthya, and I met up with some of our friends from Guayaquil. They are our "fiestas" friends, as we met then during the weekend we went to Cuenca for their fiestas and then they also came for the Fiestas of Quito. I ended up staying out dancing until 3AM! It was a very long day, but a lot of fun and a good time to hang out and connect with my students and also the other volunteers.

Then St. Nick came on Sunday morning ;) so I was up early, but then headed back to sleep until almost 11AM. I took a shower and headed over to my old host family's house for lunch. I hadn't seen them in a while, so it was so good to catch up and see them. They even had a cute little Christmas tree up (Iola Grandma, it kind of reminded me of yours...about the same size). Maria Luisa made a delicious meal and then they even bought me an ice cream cake for my birthday! They know that I LOVE ice cream, so they specially got it for me and sang me Happy Birthday. Cinthya and Norma (cousin and aunt) were there too and got me this really pretty leather wallet too, with my name engraved in it! It was so thoughtful. I ended up hang out over there all day, talking and playing cards. Playing cards was a lot of fun. We played "The" game of Ecuador, called Cuarenta (40). I was taught how to play 2 years ago by Osvaldo (the deaf uncle), so it was fun to play with him again as well as the others.

Sunday night I was in bed my 10pm as I was exhausted, but definitely enjoyed all the events of the weekend! We have Center events every weekend (and during the week) until Christmas, so it will be packed with parties and fun time with all the Center families! Hope you all are in the Christmas spirit...and (for all in Wisconsin) loving the Winter Wonderland! <3 Taylor