"Savages"

I´m well into week 2 of my work with the Waorani Women´s organization. Right now I am trying to essentially be a sponge and absorb as much information as possible. I finished reading Savages by Joe Kane –it was fantastic--- and it provided great background information on the history of this fascinating culture and it is just a great story. A MUST read for anyone coming to visit me…or those of you living vicariously through me (you know who you are). The very next day after I finished reading it, I met several of the main characters in the book. It was surreal. I have since started to re-read the book and it is even that much richer now that I can match a face with a name with a story and compare the one dimensional description with the real live person now. For those who have read Savages, fast-forward about 12 years and here I am…working with many of the same people…including Moi, Enqueri and Penti. It is incredible. I feel like I have stepped into the book and am now living…and observing…and participating in the next chapters of this amazing story. It is all a little surreal I have to admit. All I can say is this: read the book.

So, today I worked on some descriptions, in English, for some of the artisania that the Waorani women make. I also put, what I call ¨Gringo¨ prices on them for when my counterpart goes to New York next week for a big meeting at the UN (yes, THE United Nations). Most of their handiwork was severely underpriced which I think undercuts the value of their talent and seriously hard work.

Last Friday we saw our first Ecuadorian parade here in Puyo. It was awesome. Jer and I stopped to have a drink at a little café on our walk home from town and saw people assembling…and then whaddyaknow…there´s a huge, elaborate parade. I´m working on uploading the photos… This capped off an already pretty cool day. Jer and I got up at the crack of dawn and caught a bus to a community south of town to interview some teachers to gauge their interest in hosting a PC volunteer who would work with the youth of the community. After our ´meeting´ we hiked a really great trail that led to a big waterfall. It was awesome. We did not see another human being the entire time we were hiking.

Oh, and p.s. I am the proud new owner of a 100% authentic Waorani bow and arrows. My counterpart gave it to me as a gift. She showed me how to use it by aiming at some unsuspecting people across the street. Luckily they didn´t look our way or they would surely have freaked out. I wish I had taken a picture of me walking the streets of Puyo with my bow and arrows. While, being a gringita, I garner a lot of double takes as it is…Gringa plus bow and arrow…that´s a photo moment!

On a less interesting note, we finally have some furniture for our living area of our apartment. It is nothing to write home about…even though I guess I am doing that right now, aren´t I? Anywho…it is hardly fashionable…but it will work for now…and provides a decent place to sit and read…which is a far cry from the white plastic chair…or on our mattress on the floor. Yay! It clashes beautifully with the plastic shower curtain that we are using as ´real´curtains. (I think we scare the neighbors enough already without letting them get a peep show, too!) So, yes, for the bargain basement price of 99 cents, we have ugly floral shower curtain curtains. It will work until I can get my international interior designer (kay) to export some wares via my mule (Krista) in June.

Well, it is 5:00 somewhere. And that somewhere is here. Ciao for now.