Opt. Dup Zuck

Reading: Drift: the Unmooring of American Military Power by Rachel Maddow

My very sparse sala

It often feels like every month is a celebration of something. In the States, we love to dub whole months in honor of groups, ideas, or causes. Here in Ecuador, we love to commemorate children, mothers, fathers, founding of towns, founding of churches, founding of foundings. While chatting with my host dad the other evening, he explained to me with a childlike animation how we were now entering the time of fiestas here in Paccha. He then proceeded to list off some sort of celebration in every month, minus the month of April. That is to imply that eleven months of the year Ecuadorians are partying. April sucks.

So in true form, I am going to christen June my personal month of visitors. As I have managed to have someone come visit me in Paccha every weekend in June. That theme will continue into the following week as Mary Rae is coming to pasear three whole weeks on the equator with me. Our party itinerary will include, but is not limited to: Inti Raymi, the Incan fiesta del sol, and a good ol’ ‘Merican Forth of July.

Dooowop: Ecua-music

Reading: Gather the Fruit One by One: 50 Years of Amazing Peace Corps Stories, Vol II the Americas edited by Pat & Bernie Alter

I hereby dedicate this post to music. Specifically, music of the latino variety, or that is to say, music that I have become increasingly attached to while in Ecuador.

Basically, I’m feeling lazy and figured that instead of writing something lengthy I’m just going to leave you, my dear readers, with a list of songs that will forever be place holders in my mind for Ecuador. Like Don McLean’s American Pie is for summer trips to camp, the Darkness’ I Believe in a Thing Called Love is to high school, the Moldy Peaches’ Anyone Else But You is to college, and Lady Gaga’s Just Dance is to the campaign days, these songs are my quintessential Ecuador. Many may have reached that point through circumstance not allure, but alas, they are there to stay. Hopefully you will enjoy this small sampling as much as I have or if nothing else, enjoy the suspense of slowly loading each one on youtube.