do the equator dance (yes is always the answer)

its funny how humor changes when communicated in a language other than our mother tongue. in english i like to think i make pretty suave, nuanced, and thoughtful jokes. ahem :) . in spanish, i am reduced to the kinds of jokes 2nd graders make (which i actually quite enjoy...). i really want to laugh with my host family, so i take the leap onto the tenuous branch of humor, hoping for that beautiful moment when they all laugh. my proudest joke yet is that of the 'bebe de comida' or 'food baby' as i like to call it. the other night, after finishing a large family dinner, i slid my chair back, rubbed my tummy, and said the equivalent of, 'i´m so full i have a food baby.' i was nervous about this one, has the potential for being a pretty awkward moment for which i have a limited vocabulary to explain myself. but they burst out in laughter! success never tasted so sweet.

this past saturday a few of us went north to a town called otavalo. its most famous for its saturday market where many indigenous folks come to sell their crafts. i restrained myself from buying anything (except ice cream and pie mmmmmmm), but what i most had my eyes on was a charango, an andean instrument and descendant of the spanish guitar (thank you colonization). i might splurge on one of these bad girls at some point, and if not that i will surely get me some panpipes, probably the most recognizable of andean instruments. i need to make musac real soon.
if everything must belong somewhere, i belong half-hanging out a bus winding through anywhere in the world. on the way out to otavalo i couldnt help but hang my head out the window the whole way there. some of the most beautifully contemplative moments ive had were spent on buses, and i feel a familar comfort-love in such a place.

yesterday i went with a friend to the 'mitad del mundo'--the center of the world! its nothing too special, a monument and a big red line. on sundays there is a band that plays, and surely the highlight was dancing along the equator with all the people there. other than shmancing, i couldnt get too much into the awe of this human-made, sort of abritrary line we have drawn across the world. i suppose i dont like lines too much in general. i mean i understand the convenience of drawing lines, but its not anything do get your trousers in a bundle about. what is interesting, however, is that because ecuador is right at the middle of the world, it receives hella (ahem marcy) direct sunshine. do you know what that means? lots of nutrience to make for an incredibly bio-diverse country for its size.
when i got home last night my mamsita greeted me in candlelight, power out, and a new puppy! GAAAH!!! grinji is the love i have been waiting for and is currently passed out on the couch. well i need to head to school and learn me some spanish.
lovin you,
l
p.s. listen to bill frisells shenandoah and you will be swimming with me through ecuadorian landscapes and a sea of love.