Anyway, my host parents got back from Quito Saturday evening (having brought back a cool handmade purse for me), and I went home to help my host mom prepare food for Papi2’s birthday. She had purchased the leg of a pig, and it was huge! She proceeded to stab it repeatedly with a huge fork, and then she placed it in a bucket (literally, a large plastic bucket) of water with salt and garlic. That was a new experience for me, but it didn’t really phase me considering the status of many of the pigs we often see on the sidewalk.
The leg:
My host mom attacking the leg:
She had me make the dessert: Tiramisu. For those of you who know me, you know that the kitchen is not the place I feel the most competent. To top that, the recipe had terribly vague instructions. It was still a fun adventure to try to figure it out together. I was really nervous about how it would come out, but everyone said they liked it!
The adventurous chefs:
On Sunday, we went right from church (where we sang two of my favorite worship songs!!) to the house of my abuelos (my host mom’s parents) to celebrate Papi2’s birthday. We were there all day long – even long enough for me to get a mini spa treatment from my host mom’s younger sister (she’s about 19 years old). She gave me a manicure, which was very relaxing. It’s even Ecuadorian-style with little designs that she painted on! Again, for those of you who know me, this is not something I would ever put on my nails under normal circumstances back home, but relationships are just more important than my personal beauty preferences. Overall, it was fun to celebrate with my “extended family.”
Meet my manicurist, María José:
I always wanted to be a hand model:
