We had yet another long day today. The Spanish lessons went better today, but they are still very difficult. We had a really big lunch today with Yuca soup (yuca is kind of like a mix between potato and yam) and fried shrimp. The shrimp was really good. We also had fresh orange juice. After lunch, we went to the Shaman. The Shaman does a number of cleansing and healing ceremonies. For the first ceremony, the Shaman took a live guniea pig and rubbed it all over the skin of one of my colleagues. After rubbing the pig all over Cyndi, the Shaman took the pig and skinned it. I think that the pig died during the rubbing part, because it didn´t squeal. After she skinned the pig, she looked for any spots or markings on the body. After that, she gutted the pig and checked the organs to see if they were okay. For Cyndi, she said that everything looked good. Next, Evan volunteered. Evan got to experience the guniea pig peeing on him, which was kind of funny. The Shaman said that didn´t mean anything. After skinning the pig, the Shaman stated that he must have some pain in his back. Evan then stated that he has had back pain for quite a few years and that he is in PT for it. Finally, John volunteered to be cleansed with the egg ceremony. A different Shaman rubbed an egg all over him, and announced that he hasn´t been sleeping well. I roomed with John in Quito and know that this is certainly the case. The Shaman then stated that the reason John doesn´t sleep well is that he gets to cold. The Shaman rubbed a couple of oils all over John´s body and said that John will now sleep well. All of these ceremonies where is a room that was no bigger than Mom and Dad´s study! Remember that we have 15 people in our group, plus the Shaman and our translator! Let´s just say I got to experience all of the senses during the ceremony! After the Shaman, we had a two hour group meeting to touch base. We changed the schedule all around. On Saturday we will be going to the saturday market, the Mojanda Lakes, and a performance of folklore music. On Sunday, we are going to visit a famous weaver, and two communities of different indigenous groups. On Monday we will visit the governor of the province. I´m really excited about talking politics! Evidently, Ecuador is writing a new constitution. Monday we will also see another Shaman. Tuesday we are off to the Cloud Forest, and Wednesday we head to our new destination of Valle de Chota (which is a community of Afro-Ecuadorians. love you all lots, gotta go!
