We met our host families today! This had me very nervous the entire bus ride to Cuenca today because I will be with my family alone with no roommate; however, this feeling of nervousness quickly went away when I met my host mother, Cecilia. Cecilia greeted me with great warmth, excitement, and love. I could already sense she is going to be a great mother to me for my stay here in Cuenca! As we left CEDEI, my host father, Hernando, joined us as we walked to the car. Cecilia and Hernando both know very little English, so staying with them will really test my intercultural communication skills! The streets of Cuenca were packed and roaring with happiness and excitement for the New Year and New Year’s celebrations. We passed many young men on the streets who were dressed up as women and asking for money. After communicating with Cecilia and Hernando with the little Español I know and the little English they know, I learned that this is a tradition in Ecuador for the New Year. Men dress as a widow mourning her old man/old year and ask people for money. How fun and cool is that?!
Their house is absolutely gorgeous. Cecilia has a large collection of plants in the backyard that she adores. The house is split into two levels; and Cecilia and Hernando’s daughter, Pamela, lives in the bottom half. The entire home is decorated with Christmas decorations, and this reminded me of my home in Minnesota where my mom also extravagantly decorates for Christmas and also every other season/holiday. I got a tour of the entire home, and I was blown away by its elegance and warmth. The three of us sat down and chatted. I shared my family with them: showed them many pictures and tried as best I could to share stories about each family member. I also gave them my gift of Abdallah chocolates and shared the story of how my great-grandfather helped start the company. They loved the chocolates!
At 5:30pm, mi mamá, papá, y Pamela left for Cecilia’s sister’s home for the New Year’s celebrations! There were about 15 people there when we arrived, and I greeted everyone with a hug and a kiss. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. More and more people arrived, and each and every one greeted me with the hug and kiss. This is their cultural norm, and it was a little strange at first for me, but I came to really like the greeting because it is very welcoming when you take the time and effort to say hello and kiss each person when you arrive somewhere. Eventually there were over 55 people in this home. I loved it. I loved seeing this large family all together and having fun in celebration of the New Year. It caused me to reflect on my family and how although we are not as large as this family, we also all get together for celebrations and I am so grateful for that. One of my favorite things about this culture may be the importance of family.
Up until we ate dinner and did the New Year’s traditions, I spent my night talking with and observing everyone. It was a good challenge pushing myself to talk Español with the family members, and it was a good learning experience simply observing everyone interact. There was so much love. Dinner time was 9pm which was a traditional dish for New Year’s: rice with potatoes, avocadoes, and chicken. The meal was obviously different for me, but I enjoyed it. I did however became a bit uneasy when I found out the chicken was not chicken meat but rather parts of the chicken’s body such as organs and intestines. That explained why the “chicken” was not white!
After dinner was dancing, and I also loved this because everyone participated and let loose. At 11:15pm, the New Year’s traditions began with the muñecos getting stacked in a pile and ready to be burned. A muñeco is a small dummy of a person (some are recognizable and others are not) made from old clothes and stuffed with whatever is available; straw, newspaper, old shoes, etc. We also set off many fireworks and a small hot air balloon with our wishes for 2014. As midnight approached, we counted down and then set the muñecos on fire symbolizing an end to all the troubles of the previous year, a hopeful positive change in the people the dummies represent, and a fresh start for the New Year. As the fire burned, everyone jumped over it 3 times for good luck. Everyone also gave each other another hug and kiss while saying “Feliz Nuevo año.” After all of this, there was another full meal served at 12:45am. I am so grateful I was able to participate in these New Year’s traditions and that I was so warmly welcomed by this family. This is definitely a New Year’s I will never forget!
