Backtrack Day

Where to begin? Let´s begin at the end, to give things the proper perspective:

Everybody is settled in at the hotel except Laurie, Emily E. and myself. We are in the internet cafe where they´ve made friends with the staff, since when we got back from the dance performance (Jacchigua - they have a website, which I dont want to take the time to link to right now), they were hungry. the dance performance was phenomenal. Some 90 dancers are involved in the production that does all sorts of traditional indigenous dances with brilliant precision, choreography and theatrics that are out of this world, and a live band that alone is worth far more than the price of admission. (Which was $25.) The last number - a gigantic production that had the whole audience wide-eyed - involved the women coming out into the audience and inviting people to dance with them. They came staight for me, and I obliged, rising and dancing with them as un-self-consciously as I could. When it was over, I got a hand from the students, but also found out that the dancers had invited Matt G up to dance as well, and that he had performed at least as well as I had. I was really sad to have missed it. Couldn´t believe the place was only half full - those of us who were there gave them a standing ovation. When we bought the tickets, they were so pleased to see a group that they gave us a little doll of an indigenous woman as a souvenir. I bought the CD with absolutely every song on it, performed by the same musicians. I am VERY pleased about that whole evening, as did everyone seem to be.

The boys are trying to talk us all into having breakfast at the llittle place owned by the friend they made yesterday. I´d be glad to go along, but I almost think it would be better for me to keep my nose out of it and let that be their friendship. It´s something they´ve forged themselves and will hold on to for a long time.

We had spent the afternoon at two malls in the north of Quito, which the students were really happy about. Lots of good work was done, by students and adults, and the whole strange cultural trip of being in a place that is at once so familiar and so unfamiliar was, I think, extremely valid as a learning experience. And they also got to shop.

And many of them got extremely wet walking between the malls because they had not brought along the rain gear that was on the packing list and was to be brought everywhere in the shoulder bag because it´s Quito in February and it rains absolutely every day. Nothing like experiential learning.

Lunch prior to the exploration was also had in the food court at the mall, where cebiche can be had in fast food format. That is what Gail and I went for, but certain other students opted for KFC and Burger King. Nothing wrong with that, I guess.

Prior to lunch at the mall...two people got things stolen fom them on the trolley. Some easily avoidable mistakes were made - we were waiting for a less-crowded trolley that all three groups would board at once, but a wire got crossed and one small group got on to a crowded trolley without the others. (We all knew which stop to get off at.) The rest of us waited for the next one, which wasn´t full at all, and even got seats.

When we met up at the pre-arranged stop, we let the miscommunication slip into memory and walked toward the mall - which was when Ms Gernat and Laurie realized their bags had been cut into and some things taken. They were upset, partly at themselves, since they´d known for a long time that they were not supposed to keep anything valuable in their bags on the trolley. We decided to go back to the hotel and regroup and allow them time to call their credit card companies and bank and get everything canceled.

We then had a pep talk in the hotel and re-dedicated ourselves to safety. What had been seen as suggestions were now again re-confirmed as imperative: No one is to carry anything of value in their shoulder bags. No one is to have more than $20 in their pocket at any one time. All larger amounts of money are to be in a money belt - the student´s own, or another student´s. Things like that.

And since we ended on such an up note, and since we got right back on the horse and went back to the mall in the trolley after the pep talk, people´s spirits are still extremely high. Laurie is right now chatting with her friends in the internet cafe and laughing a lot with Emily, and all seems pretty darn fine. She didn´t lose much money and has another ATM card. I feel bad for the lost items, but it isn´t dampening our spirits.

Too much.

Hasta manana!