December 25th in Quito

The Christmas spirit is alive in Quito.


This is the first Christmas I have spent away from my family.  It was bound to happen eventually and at age 24, it became a reality.  Believe it or not, I miss the snow.  However, from what I understand, the snow is not around to miss.  So, I will take shorts and tee shirts instead.  Of course, I miss my family.  I was always one who enjoyed the large family getting together at the holidays.  Skyping with some of them this morning reinforced what a wonderful family I have and what I am missing by being away.  Luckily, my "family" in Quito are kind, welcoming and all around great people.  


Most the the celebratory type things happen on Christmas Eve here.  Christmas day is reserved for relaxing and I imagine some talk about baby Jesus, not Santa.  Yesterday I was overcome with the goodness in these people.  At the restaurant, I was waiting on a young couple from Munich, only a few years old than me.  They were spending the holidays in Ecuador, heading to Galapagos for Christmas day (so cool).  They noticed that our security guard, Cezar, was alone outside doing the same thing he does every night at work, waiting for nothing to happen.  From nothing but sheer kindness, they asked me to find out what his favorite dessert on the menu was and then put it on their tab.  I was taken aback.  They did not know him.  Shit, he can not even speak a work of English (or German for that matter).  None of that mattered, they just wanted to be nice people and make Christmas for this man a little better.


Arnando Martinez (read about him in the blog titled "Achiote") played a beautiful set last night.  A few people came solely to see him.  It was an especially wonderful performance.  At one time, all the customer were watching, the owners were watching and the other waiter and myself were standing there jaws dropped.  Arnando had his eyes closed for the whole song, so I do not know if he even noticed until he had finished and opened them to see everyone clapping with big smiles on their faces.  When he left, he gave me his two cds as a gift.  I had always intended on purchasing them from him, just waiting.  From a man who I have had many broken Spanish-English conversations with, to just give me these cds from the goodness of his heart, I was speechless.  I could not get my arms all the way around him when we hugged, but he sure took the air out of my lungs.


While preparing to leave work, getting out of my uniform and into normal clothes, a co-worker and friend, Jose Andres, handed me a gift and said, "I know you are away from all of your family and I just wanted to give you a little something".  I big hug followed.  Knowing me well, it was a book about walking Quito.  This is a person, like me, with little money to his name, but found it important enough to give me something because he knew I would be away from my family.  


After work, I was invited to spend Christmas dinner with the family of the restaurant.  There were about 20 of us.  We sat down to eat dinner at nearly midnight (timing of everything here is a little different).  Being the only gringo, there were times when I did not understand what was being said, but each person made an effort to speak one on one with me, often in English while I tried to respond in Spanish.  I received two shirts from "The Family".  My photograph was taken with the host and I was completely included.  One woman, Tia Suzanna, who from the moment she met me has been so kind, gave me a beautiful traditional Ecuadorian necklace.  I am wearing it now.  


It is strange being without my family.  It is strange being in a tee shirt instead of a coat.  It is strange hearing Spanish instead of English.  Love and kindness are universal.  The people who have taken me in here as one of them and shared their holiday with me I will never forget. 


Now, I am preparing to leave Quito for a little over a week.  What started as 4 friends, turned into 7 and is now at 11... late tonight, we are all going to board a bus bound for the coast.  We will follow the Ruta Del Sol for 200km by bicycle.  My camera has been waiting for this since I left Yellowstone.  I am full of excitement.  Write again from the beach.  Happy Holidays everyone.