Today we had the much-dreaded six hour long bus ride from Riobamba to Cuenca. I continued to feel ill throughout the first half of our bus ride but luckily was able to sleep for most of the trip. When we stopped for lunch, the environment was very foggy and because we were still at a high altitude, we essentially were in the clouds. Once we reached Cuenca and the altitude was less than in Quito, I began to feel much better and got excited to meet my host family. Once we arrived at Cedei, we finally got to meet our host family. Our host mother was there to greet us and seemed to be extremely excited to meet us. We left promptly and met our host brother, Andreas, at the car along with his friend. They packed our suitcases onto the car and we went off to our home. When we arrived, Margaree and I decided to share a room. After unpacking for a bit, Andreas and his friend gave us a tour of the city on foot. They showed us where it is safe to go and all sorts of places to hangout. We walked to a mall that was across a river that runs through the city. This river is famous because it used to be very large and a powerful but it dried up over the years and is smaller now. Once we ate sandwiches and made our way back to our home, we got ready for the New Years party. We went to our host mother’s parent’s house. We celebrated by having a dinner and spending time with the family. The dinner included ham and turkey with a cabbage salad and rice. They had a dragon fruit sauce that was put on the ham and made it taste sweet. For dessert, we had bonuellos with a sweet and tangy sauce. Every bite produced a funny face from both Margaree and I. It was nice getting to know the family learning more about their traditions. At midnight, we made 12 wishes and at 12 grapes. You were supposed to eat the 12 grapes within the first minute of the New Year, but I unfortunately could not eat that fast. If you ate the 12 grapes within the first three strikes of the clock, it is said that all your wishes will come true. We then burned the large doll that signified the previous year, 2013, and lit fireworks. Each person is supposed to jump over the doll on fire for good luck, but only one person from the family did that. They had previously put fireworks within the doll and these went off towards the end. To end the night, we then drank champagne and went back to the house to sleep. It was a tradition filled night and I was very glad to have this experience.
