resbaloso

It is a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Puyo. It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how rainy it was during the week, every Saturday that I´ve been here it has been sunny and nice. I am probably jinxing myself by typing that, because next Saturday is key---as it marks the date of our first visitors from the States and we have lots of plans that require good weather. So, anyway Sunny Saturdays also mean we have to wash our clothes. Did I mention that I really dislike washing clothes. I hated washing clothes when I had a modern washing machine and dryer. Having to wash them by hand, however, just prolongs the pain. I admit I have adjusted to cold water dish washing, showering, etc. here. It really isn´t a big deal at all to me. Really. But I really don´t like to wash clothes by hand. If it were up to me, I would just take them to the laundromat and pay a couple bucks for someone else to wash and dry my clothes. You see, anytime you hang your clothes up, you can´t venture too far, because a rainstorm can blow in at any moment and soak your almost-dry clothes. There was no way any clothes in Puyo dried outside this week, as it rained almost constantly (I am REALLY trying to send some rain to Ohio, I swear!)... and I thought maybe it could be an excuse to take our clothes to the laundry place.... wishful thinking.
Anyhow, my dislike for wash day is compounded by the fact that the act of washing clothes themselves is treacherous. The concrete sidewalk to the wash area is constantly wet and covered in a slimey algae-y mess that is super slippery. Same thing with the stairs up to the roof where we hang our clothes to dry. And sure enough, as I was decending the steps to the roof, I slipped and fell pretty hard on my arse, and really tweaked my sholder, as I tried to catch myself. I was more angry and annoyed than hurt. But I at least used it as an excuse to take a break from laundry duty and let Jer finish the load while I swept and rinsed off the concrete by the stairs in a futile effort to try to clean it...

So, I have to admit it was a little hard to adjust to going to the states and then returning back to Ecuador in less than a week. The reason for the trip was emotionally draining enough, but the transition was tough at times I admit. It is hard to describe to people back home. I can´t tell you how many times I was asked, "So, how´s Ecuador?" I mean, where do I even start? It is not something I can simply summarize in a sentence. My life is totally different here. It is not better or worse than my life in the States. It is just totally different. I wish I knew the words to describe it...but they just aren´t coming to me right now.

But one of the good things about going home (besides seeing my family, totally pigging out on havarti cheese, good wine, and taking extra long hot showers with water pressure) was being able to pilfer jewelry making supplies from Stacey´s EastSide Designs stash. Yesterday I spent all day with a group of Waorani women making jewelry and figuring out ways to adapt some of the designs for use with natural seeds (versus glass seed beads). I felt like I really bonded with some of the women for the first time through this effort. I also had a great conversation and dinner with my counterpart and feel like we are working well together... then I got approval to fly into a Waorani village for a community tourism meeting next week. Am super excited about the prospect of going "adentro" via plane and visiting a more remote village. If it is anything like my last visit, I will have lots to report and reflect on...and the words won´t fail me in describing the experience. Ciao for now.