Vamos a la Escuela

We sign up for two weeks of morning Spanish lessons at Yanapuma Language School in the heart of historic Cuenca.  We enter an ornate gate and walk up wooden stairs to the light-filled upper salon and classrooms.  The atmosphere is very informal and relaxed. We can help ourselves to tea or coffee as long as we wash our own cups.  On Day 3 we are given assignments to pick up specific foods from the Mercado and make presentations. That’s my profesora, Alexandra, on the right.

I am assigned to buy a dollar’s worth of tostados - a salty corn nut snack, made by frying big dry corn kernels.  It’s popular to eat with ceviche.

The senora selling the tostados also offers us a sample of the whole roasted pig on her counter.  Ben is easily persuaded to have a plato of bbq pork on hominy with a side of potato balls.  

I am holding a tamal - a corn cake with cheese and chicken steamed in a huge achara leaf.  With so many great foods to sample, we don’t need lunch after school. 

Ben brings granadilla, which have a thin hard shell with a gelatinous sweet sour seedy goop interior.  You eat them with a spoon.

After class we go in search of Maki, a fair trade store in a pretty shopping area.  Maki is small, but has brightly colored textiles and crafts.  The manager, Elizabeth, and her assistant Veronica, come downstairs from the office area to meet us.  Elizabeth is incredibly warm and friendly.  Veronica is too, and is expecting her first baby in a week! I tell them about HumanKind in SLO and they immediately look up the store online and admire pictures of the store and staff. 

Elizabeth explains about the indigenous collectives they work with to establish a flow of crafts to sell.  It can be difficult to get the women to follow through.  Their husbands may object to their work.  Maki helps educate and empower them.  Elizabeth invites me to join them sometime when they travel to the collectives.  I am so excited about that ;)

The Ikat design is very typical.  These are a silky, heavy weight cotton that drapes beautifully.  Veronica explains one can buy much cheaper lightweight products in markets, but these are the real thing.  A large shawl is about $70.

The masks are so colorful and fun.  I only know they are traditional for NewYear’s - I have a lot to learn!  Tonight we are meeting our classmates for beer at the Belgian brew pub.  It will rain cats and dogs but we will be safe under the huge umbrellas on the patio.  Our Canadian friend Heather will join the Zumba class on the plaza while the rest of us find excuses just to watch :)