Sitting at the kitchen table this morning, there are many things to celebrate. You see, yesterday was an exceptionally dreary day here in Shell. It rained buckets the whole day and by the day's end, it was sloshy everywhere. Selah and I had gone to the butcher to pick up our requested items. We had bundled up in our raincoats with hoods up and close around our faces; both family umbrellas had gone to school with the boys. When we arrived, the carne (beef) was not ready so we waited and moments later noticed that one of our new friends had shown up in the rain too. We chatted together and I picked up some new ideas on things to cook. I found almonds, breadcrumbs, and a marinade--all things I thought I'd be living without this year. Meanwhile the owner helped another customer. Barehanded, he grabbed a few slabs of beef, set them directly on the scale without any covering and put them in a bag. When he was contented with the weight, he handed her the bag, received her $5 bill with the same hand, opened the cash register, dug through the coins, and handed her the correct change. My American eyes took in the whole transaction and better understood why our stomachs are so susceptible to illnesses when we arrive in foreign lands. The germs they pass around nonchalantly are new and surprising to our systems. I resolved to cook all my beef, chicken, pork, etc. well for the duration of our stay. Ground beef cost a buck and a half a pound; beef tenderloin is just over $2/pound. What a deal. So much for thinking we'd cut beef out of our diet. Too cheap to pass it up. Oh, and did I mention that all beef here is 97% fat free? Ecuadorian cows are not grain fed nor pumped full of chemicals. Therefore, they're lean and better for you than they are back home.
When Selah, Victoria, and I finally headed out and down the street, the rain had picked up considerably, so Selah jumped under the shelter of Victoria's umbrella. Along the way, Victoria pointed out a place that one could get a haircut for two dollars. Nice. The kids could all get theirs done for less than $10. Then we saw chickens in the street and I had to relay to Victoria that many of our jokes in the US start with the phrase, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" She smiled; I think something got lost in the translation. I still chuckled as I watched chicken after chicken cross the road and thought, "...to keep from getting hit by a taxi."
Next was the bakery where we picked up some fresh buns for twelve cents apiece. I tried talking the young girl at the counter into putting chocolate in some of the rolls (like Panera does it) but she just smiled. Guess I will have to live without that. Sad.
Finally we made it to the little market which contains the largest selection of goods in town. It's about the size of a corner gas station without all the refrigerated goods. It has only one fridge which is far smaller than anything any of you have at home. I collected some basic school supplies for Selah, a couple of cans of tomato sauce (at a staggering $1.91 each), some salad dressing (at home it would be 99 cents; here it is nearly $3), and a liter carton of chocolate milk (almost $2 a liter which means approximately $8/gallon). So, you see, some things are really cheap, some things are outrageously expensive. Pretty much anything imported from the states is three to four times as much.
Loaded down with goods, we trudged home in the pouring rain grateful that the walk was only another three blocks.
The rest of the day went almost without anything else newsworthy until the kids put a video in the computer and Doug set work on the phone. We watched the Jim Elliot story, a Torchlighters cartoon rendition of a missionary's life (which Mrs. Krista had shown the kids a couple of summers ago), and became more and more interested as the tale unfolded. You see, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and three other men in their twenties and their families lived here in Ecuador in the 1950s serving as missionaries to the indigenous people of the jungle. The kids and I watched as the video portrayed his life and his seemingly untimely death at the hands of the most savage and murderous tribe of the Amazon. This story captivates us like no other because we live where Nate Saint lived. Their school is the school by his house. We live today where he died sixty years ago. His legacy is our life. We'll share more on this soon.
Meanwhile Doug spent time rigging up a way to bring our phone line from the pole under the carport, to the window of our laundry room/pantry, to the shelf above the washer and dryer. At nearly 10:00 we tried it and finally found that we could call the US and receive calls. I could swear I heard the angels singing the Halleluiah chorus in the background.
At the end of the day we collapsed into bed, windows shut for the first time since we arrived because it was so wet and cold out, and slept through the night for lack of sounds penetrating our sleep. In the morning, this morning, we awoke to the most beautiful sky filled with blue and only small renditions of white puffy clouds. It is a beautiful day and we can hear from family and friends at will.
Later today we'll add pictures of the school and the most interesting walk on the way there. So check back....
Blessings, kim
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