Impermanence of memory

Holidays  2022 in a foreign country. Things so simple are likely to get fuzzy in a few months if I do not put them down.

I  am learning to flex my Covid atrophied extrovert muscles and launched into the Christmas Season with party invitations.

Christmas day we hosted a brunch for 5 people at the apartment.  It was awesome food and the mess leading up to it was spectacular. Note to self:  English muffins are impossible to find in Ecuador, eggs benedict might not be the wisest menu choice.  Also, in the future buy the big shrimp, less peeling.  Eggs can be poached in a crock pot.  One batch of cookies only.

We  went to Christmas dinner with Susan and her husband Phil & the Prince, their son, Phil at  Los Balcones.  The menu was tasty. but the Christmas Carols were like a bad high school choir, the singer emoting an ooginess that normally is reserved for smarmy uncool come-ons.  Desert was the perfect choice with which to start a diet. Other things to note:  Booze was free, but a coke to drinks was an add-on.  Scratch Gran Roca from my list of things to repeat.

As we walked to Los Balcones there were a few tiendas open, selling things like kids shoes, or clothing.  Christmas is just another day for those who support themselves. The hustle to earn a buck is endless.  Also the trains and buses ran Christmas day like any other day.

Boxing day: also known as cab tour of Cuenca Day.  Two parties: Nancy the quilter’s house and Sharon’s edifico.  Nancy lives in a large party house with three floors. We arrived and knew about a third of the people there, and further revelation as to how small the ex-pat community is.  Nancy works with rescue dogs and as best I can tell, specializes those less than knee high. They were clam little tail-waggers.  Nancy showed me her studio space and sent me home with a bag of upholstery samples. This stimulated my art-starved brain and I was so excited to play with them I wanted to skip our  second event.

Second small food finger fiesta was at Sharon’s edifico.  Met a lovely pair of Canadians and a marvelous Ecuadorian named Merci.  Merci  spoke slowly and with great animation and I understood her easily, I almost felt like yes I can speak Spanish! We lounged around chatting for two hour with everyone.

Derek and Gerald head home tomorrow. I need to resist the urge to ask they bring me a Mal-mart store when they return.