Today is my Birthday

Hi there All,
Normally in the past, I have often forgotten my birthday, but this year my family reminded me just before and I had no choice but to remember. Age for the most part, and time really, has never played havoc with me. My personal views on age and eternity have always been easy. However, I have to say for the first time, I felt it. Yesterday, was a major day here in Banos. There was the school parade which took 3-4 hours. During this time, Rachelle was flirting with a fellah we know, and no biggie. But later, after we did school, we went out for supper and to watch the fireworks. (It turns out it was Banos's birthday. ) Before hand there was music and dancing. I only wanted to see the fireworks. (It was so nice of Banos to have fireworks on my birthday.) { Normally, I like to celebrate my birthday, quiet.... watching the nutcracker suite, and with a few drinks of Bailey's. It feels like holding still and being in the moment for me.} Anyway, I digress once again...... Rachelle is a dancin and running into other dancing friends, and I of course feel like that lovely fifth wheel. Some of these friends rather annoyed me in some of their beliefs. That ugly macho thingy, I hate that. And I hate trying to have a conversation with someone thinking only with their you know what , especially when it might involve my daughter. I also find that those kind of people hate to be challenged to think when the mating ritual is all they can think about. It gets my back up and I always find myself doing or saying something to add to the fire. This time I couldn't beleive myself when I asked this one guy, why is it that Ecuadorian guys have to have a trap line of women? Some times that mouth of mine opens and out she comes. At least I brought it out into the open. It did create that special something in the air. I know I did not make a friend when he is trying to be somewhat honest and still make the moves on my daughter. Interesting and sadly laid out bullshit lines though, and not at all creative or well communicated either, good salsa dancer though. When I was younger, I was the kind of girl that never really fit in and thoughts would roll around in my head and often come out in awkward times, I always had this and I think that that was one of the reasons I never really enjoyed that socializing thing alot. In my mind they were important issues and I wanted to know. My mind travels a hundred miles an hour on alllllll kinds of things and my evening companions are talking about how they look and what looks best. Talk about frustrating. Anyway I digress again.... sorry... So there we are Rachelle and I hanging with her horny friends and moving to the music. That part was ....ok. Then the fire works went off and I have to say it was fab, and it seemed to go on forever. It was worth the wait. But when it was over, the dancing started again and Rachelle was itching to get back into the groove. I, not wanting to be a party pooper relunctantly joined in. Yuck!!!! The fellahs were starting to look for their "evening" partners and were picking it up a knotch. Even I was asked to dance by this LITTLE guy and that was even more yuck. I was feeling more and more like a fifth wheel , and old fat battle ax as the guys, and my daughter are making their moves and doin' that thang. And of course she is feeling weird with partying with her mom, yuck again. I was getting annoyed and cranky and so on. I had to get out of their whether Rachelle wanted to go or not. As we were walking home, I tried to talk with Rachelle about it, but of course being sooooo young and right into all that stuff, it probably would have been better not to try to explain what I was going through. I think it just annoyed her more. How can you explain this stuff when for her it is like light years away. Anyway I know I didn't succeed and probably made the matter worse, but maybe one day she will remember that awkward moment for her mom and forgive me. Maybe it would have been better if Rob and Dane were there too but I don't think so. I really felt the difference in time between my daughter and I. This is her time, for her to explore her independence and find herself. I remember how it felt when she was 1 week old and that I was sad because the week went by so fast. Now she is 17 and that has gone by so fast, and in some ways not fast enough. A part of me wishes for that time to last longer and another part wants to find that person who is beyond the mother. So in some ways I guess what I am feeling is not really about time and age but about who I am and what I will do when the time is mine again beyond the mother because let me tell you I have no intention of ever going back to that social youth thingy again, yuck. I don't think this whole thing was about dancing or that social thing that I was never go at and felt uncomfortable in but finding the fulfilling thing. I think that this next part of my journey, will be interesting, letting go always is. Change can be difficult but it is good too. So on this note, I think that this birthday will be spent looking at the smoking volcano and trying to figure things out, or maybe as one of those famous buddist's said don't spend so much time thinking and just live and be in the moment.
Talk with you all later
Robin

Go carts, no kill bull fights, and rodeos and everthing

Hi all
Well it is December here in Ecuador and for the Ecuadorians that means fiesta de navidad, and for my family it means birthdays and navidad. As a true blue Sagitarian, I will give you the update of the day. It has been a busy little pueblo. There have been lots of fun to be had, especially if you like to observe people, which or course I do.
For starters, there was all the parade. Amazing, the engergy, life, dancing, and there excitement was amazing. But I thought that the fun that we had at the parade would be hard to top (by the way I think that a posting of mine was lost, It was about the parade. toooo bad it was a good one.) The short story of the long is that the parade went on for about 4 hours and over 70 floats or exhibitors, remember this is a small town smaller than SalmonArm.
My kids were involved with the Arte Del Mundo, where as a family we helped construct the elephant masks and costume for a big elephant and then the kids walked in the parade. Rachelle carried the banner and Dane was one of the elephants. Pobricito Dane. The poor kids gets soooo easily embarrassed, especially about girls. The people here, especially the girls like to show their appreciation of the opposite sex, and welllllll Dane is sprouting to be a handsome fellah, only to be noticed by the girls. While casually walking down the street and wearing his elephant mask, you know blending in with the crowd, one of the "observing girls" noticed that Danes caboose was kind of "hot" and deserved an appreciative pinching. Needless to say, Dane felt violated and did not wish to carry on as a walking "Sex object". He found Rob and I later only to enjoy the protection of his parents and his blushing embarassment. Rachelle however, loved all the attention. Rob, Richaard and I were enjoying the parade and had enthusiatic team of slightly "boracho" budding macho males directly behind us. I turned around and introduced myself and the mother of a young lady coming down the street and also Rob the "Fuerte" father. When she passed they were chanting my name then Robs and hooted out Rachelles. They were hilarious, and of course our alto Marilyn Monroe stood for photos. No blushing anything on that girl.
The parade was made heart and some of the floats were made of real flowers. An entire truck or car would be entirely covered and adorned or with flowere, fruit or vegies. There was even an old sailing ship covered and contructed of noodles. Everyone and I mean everyone comes out and supports it. I have to say I admire the energy of the dancers as they had to dance energeticly for about 4 km. and they did. Some as indigenous mountain dancers in their panchos and fedoras, or from the jungle in jaguar costumes and so on. The time it must have taken for all of it was fab. We were there in the street when everyone was prepareing the music, and creativity was awesome.
The special needs children and adults were not to be forgotten. In Ecuador, special needs are referred to as Angels, and their float was and angel float complete with wings and halos. It was sooooo sweet. But often in other spots on the parade there were special dancers with the other ones too. Here they are one with the community not to be avoided. This, I like very much.
On to the next event, the famous go cart races of Banos. Okey dokey, it is better now than in the past when it was prefered that there were no brakes but now they are a must. These fabulous daredevils for brief fame and a gold colored cup, travel from far and wide to climb the highest street in Banos and careen down the hill through throngs of observers (daring to be run over), to hit the bump in the road that can send them flying in the air, hopefully in control and carry on down to the finish. This year, the police tried to control the enthusiastic crowd. They also put up a barrier around the jump where they had had accidents before (anticipating is good). But believe me there was no stopping the people when the cars we coming down the road and they just move right in front of the oncoming car. NO KIDDING. They say it is peligroso but it really is only dangerous for the audience because they just stand in the middle of the street. It was mayhem and pandamonium, and quite unbelievable. It is great of an amature psychologist to observe, really. At the end of the races when they were receiving their rewards and happily spraying the crowd with champagn, the volume of people was wayyyyy uncomfortable, yuck. TOOOOO many people to feel safe.
Next on the list of events: the no-kill bull fight. I at least was very greatful for this policy in Ecuador. Although they still poked the colorful flagged darts into the bulls back, they didn't kill them. We all took a vote and felt we could have done without that. One of the weird things that the young men like to do here is jump in the ring with a cranky bull, or cow (we saw udders not you know whats) and play chicken with it. On several occasions the bull was cheered by us, the adoring fans. One fellah in this display of pure liquid macho had his pants riped from the front directly to the back and down his legs. It was too close for us to feel comfortable as these animals at least still have their very sharp and pointy horns on their very determined heads. Out also came a singer dressed in mariachi style clothes of black and gold. There was also this fellah who came out who it looked like had broken his back and was a former cowboy. He said that the purpose of him being there and performing was to show that disabled people are people too and can still do amazing things. Where he proceeded to dance with his crutches and do acrobatics. Way to go Dude. Then game of chicken continued on for quite a while and out paraded and beautifully dressed came the fighters. For those who care, one of them was a woman, go girl. There were no swords, just a kind of chicken game really. Which makes me wonder, "Whats the Delio".
The next day was a grand hike for the family while we showed some Aussie tourists the hike up to the Virgen monument then over the top to Luna Runtun and Down the bike trail that they used for the races a while ago. Now, you have to understand that as I describe the run, these whack a doodles used it to race on. The slope is narrow and if you go over you probably would go down at least 20 ft before hitting something of not go right down to the village wayyyyy down below. Then there is the narrowness where you wonder if their handle bars could have made it through. Then there is the rocks and more rocks and then again more rocks and drop offs. Then there is the side banks and so on. Yikes.
After this lovely hike, we found out the rodeo had started. Okey, Canadians know their rodeos, if you are in BC or Alberta you just learn by osmosis. That is life. So now, we do the bull/cow thing again playing "chicken" a big crowd pleaser. Then we do some bronc riding. The poor horse is trained through intimidation. It is afraid to move when it comes out the shute sometimes it gave a good ride but often not. After the cowboy came off then the horse really started to take off, I think that that was the real event. The caballeros/cowboys had been drinking Cana juice fermented (for a liquid shot of bravery) and were more than needed agressive with the animals. We all voted to get them off the island, it was a vote of no confidence for sure. The interesting thing though was the foot wear. The cowboys wore dress shoes, soccer shoes or bare feet. What was really shocking is that they strapped on spurrs directly to their bare feet, hopped on a cranky and wild eyed pony and let'er loose. The caballeros also were bare foot while bull fighting being chased down by a rapidly annoyed bull in a rock filled arena. Go figure????? I guess that cane juice has some anethesic properties. The cowboys we seriously proud of their group and of course wanted us "extranjeros" to join in their fun. I have to say I although pleasant (as I did try the hooch) it wasn't for me. The cowboys wanted us to go party with them all later, and we used the fact that our skill in the spanish language to decline and go home.
Tomorrow, I understand is the very formal parade of schools. We have been hearing the marching bands and drumming for a month now, so Rachelle and I will attend. Rob, Hank and Dane are going to the jungle for a tour their and probably howl at the moon. I have to go now and prepare for the evening.
Talk with you all soon and I hope this one gets posted
Robin, you happy sagitarius.