Refreshed

July 24th

Patate, Ecuador

There has always been something about sleeping in the mountains that makes me feel refreshed in the morning. I guess this feeling is enhanced when you sleep for nine hours after your body is exhausted to the max. All I know is that I felt ready to go when 7am came around and I was up and about, ready to start the day. Our group from two different churches that worked with us in the jungle this week was staying at the camp today before leaving for Quito tomorrow morning and today was their sightseeing/shopping day. The two places they were going were two places that I hadn’t been able to travel to all summer long. Quichipincha, just outside of Ambato, is an incredible leather market with more leather goods than you can imagine. I’ve been able to visit there in the past with my church, but not this summer. Our second stop was a place I’d never actually been to, the artesan markets of Salasaka.

My last three trips to Quichipinhca, I had traditionally bought a leather jacket, a belt and a wallet, but this time I wanted to find something different. Helping to translate and bargain for deals in between my own shopping, I settled on a brief case that I could use for my laptop and other business needs during the school year. Happy with my purchase, we continued on to Salasaka, a traditional clothing and apparel market of the indigenous mountain people of the area. Many in our group were here for the first time, so I spent the hour there just translating and aiding people on their purchases.

I was surprised with the amount of Spanish that I was able to speak, not only in shopping, but in bargaining for different things and in getting around. Maybe I had underestimated the power of spending two months in a foreign land with a different language. After we returned to the camp, I was able to get some much needed exercise before dinner and a devotion. Tonight, Brother Steve gave an overview of the camp to our church group and shared a few stories about the mix-ups we have when learning other languages. For example, the words ‘beech’ and ‘sheets’ are quite hard words for the Ecuadorians who are learning English to pronounce. On the flip side, innocent phrases (that at least make sense in our English speaking minds) come out in ways we sometimes wish they didn’t. It’s even happened to me at times this summer and is a bit embarrassing. However, in hindsight, it’s one of the many joys though that comes with learning another language and culture.