technology, and gardening

I have found that I have a love/hate relationship with technology. I hate it when it doesn't work but man..... I just love it when it does. I and a reader.....an avid reader. This is a problem in this country especially when the majority of the books are in spanish and Ecuadorians are not like north americans where the book stores are like churches. Reading as recreation is almost laughed at here. So only able to shop in the odd used book stores who cater to the tourists and charge wayyyyyyyyyyy too much for non-worshipable books, it made me sad. However, I found glory and godliness (sorry about the blastphemy but it was meant as a compliment). E-books on line, halleluluh. My favorite for new books is www.booksonboard.com . Unlike Amazon or Barnes and Noble, books on board takes my canadian credit card and puts it to good use. And free on-line books. My happiness. I now have a computer library where I can read to my hearts content. The first night I got my first books, I read 2 that night and was up until 3:00 in the morning. Rob has decided he needs to feel jealous of my electronic friend. Other mens partners have replacements that either breath and have a pulse or vibrate and come in pretty colors, but Rob's replacement........glows.... with words..... You see before this lap top which I am writing you on was actually from Dane. It was his old schoold laptop that I would occassionaly and guiltity would "borrow for a while" but recently he required a new one and with permission from the school, as this computer is old and has had bouts with viruses, has had to go to the computer dr. on occassion, been repaired and given lots of geeky love, is now mine. I finally have my own computer and I feel that I can do whatever I like on it and spend time on it doing things like reading and writing to all of you. It is amazingly freeing. I don't care that my Dell has been around the block a few times, been to places that I would never go (game sites), is as slow as molasses, I love it anyway. And now my little Dell is taking care of my e-books and entertaining me more than ever. I love it. Unless little Dell won't let me go where I want to, but we are working it out, I found that it doesn't understand cursing in english but it does understand when I push the esc button or I pull its plug. As Rob is going back to Canada in less than a week, Rob is finding my time that I spend on my computer a bit of competition, but he figures it is safe because he knows where I will be. I am sooo predictable. However when Rob is gone this is how I will be spending my time, teaching Dane, supervising Ray, painting (as I am behind in that department), exercising and now reading my books, I also hope to be visiting and maybe helping out at a couple of animal refuges.
I have to say though that the last time he (my little Dell) went to the geek store, he had a full overall and I think that they removed my skype and a few other things but thank god they saved my pictures. This is where I get soooooo frustrated. Skype is touchy anyway and doesn't always like to stay connected but I am sure in the future things will become more efficient but here in Ecuador we will see. Anyway, I am not a techy and nor will I ever be, so what I have I love and that is great with me.
And now for something completely different. Gardening, those of you who know me, know that I have a black thumb. Lets face it plants are pretty but thats about it. Most of the ones I like go great with butter and thats about it. Rob, however loves plants and so for him, I love them too. He has just put in the garden with..... lovely plants. I respect that and I promise that I will water and feed them so when he comes home they will still be alive. My concerns about accidentally killing his plants are fewer than they would be in Canada, because of the volcano and these plants will to live, almost all the plants live and you can't kill them. He just tranplanted several of the plants and we thought they were goners,.... really. Just sticks, and low and behold they have ALL come back. Some are struggling but they are doing it. I did choose a couple of plants, 2 in fact. No really. They both smell fantastic, another reason for plants, to smell nice. So hopefully, his plants won't miss him as much as I will and will have the will to live even though I am in charge of their survival. I know where he got those plants from so if I kill them, I might be able to replace them. I wonder if he would notice.
Talk to you all later
Robin

The Strength of Banians`

Okay although this is the second entry in one day, it is a completely different topic than the previous so I couldn't justify being on the same page. This story is from what I have heard and gathered from the locals about the Evacuation of Banos during the major eruption. I have to say that some of this may be hearsay, but I will let you know. I find this story amazing really, because it shows the characters of Banos called Banians.
When the eruption happened in Banos and it was evacuated, the army was called in for the "protection" of its citizens. They were evacuated for 2-3 months and the highways and streets to the city were closed with military force, they had 12 hours to get out and they were told it would only be fore a few days. After a while, I had several friends who had dressed in "camo" so check on things and their property, it was of course looted. There were also people that hid in their homes and wouldn't leave to protect their property and they didn't beleive the evacuation was neccessary. If they were found, they were taken out of the city. So people were very careful about hiding here. People were trying to get back as they had left their animals here and were concerned for them and of course all those animals died, it was very sad. They of course also wanted to check on their property, which was either gone, damaged or destroyed. But after a while, people were starting to worry and get concerned for their property after all there were no longer eruptions and everything was stable. So why were they being kept out of their city. This is what transpired. The people that had stayed had taken videos of the military actively looting the homes and business and discussing and talking about it where the goods would go who was selling and buying what. Then they then snuck out with the videos and had them shown on public television. As you can imagine, this enraged all of Ecuador and started to question their military. I beleive this was also the past president, which Ecuador didn't like and ousted with a good old heave ho'. Then during those programs, the investigation, supposedly said, that the Japanese were planning on buying Banos. There is a law here in Ecuador if you abandon your property for a certain time it becomes property of the state and the military was forcing Banos to be closed for 2 years which would make Banos open for the taking. Now we really have some hot latins. So during the new year celebrations, the Banians planned that when the military were partying and getting drunk, some brave banians would sneak back into town into the radio station and call for the take over of their city by its citizen. With a pig to bar-b-que and beer, they would wait for their return of its citizens. They snuck over the mountains with all this, you have to remember these mountains are tall and steep and they did this with a pig and beer and they did it successfully. They did in fact, sneek into the city and into the radiostation, and the military were as predicted, drunk. Anyway, when the hi-jacked radio station announced it was time, the Banians stormed the highways from all directions with everything they could: machetes, pitchforks, knives and whatever they could find. (Sounds like a frankenstein movie) However, one of the military shot a young man, tempers roars, peacefullness was out of the question and the riot ensued. The Banians took over with fervor. With television cameras forced to take live video, the Banians had tied up 2 young soldiers, hands behind their backs, and covered them with gas and held a live match and told the president to remove the military immediately or this would be the first of the human torches to go up. Because this was live, and with the president watching, he called out the military. Sadly, the young man who was originally shot by the military did die and as a result the military was not allowed into the town for 3 years. The young soldiers were of course let go, but I am sure their lives have been changed with that experience. The military still to this day are still nervous to come to Banos, for obvious reason. If the military was not withdrawn, it is said that all of Ecuador would have been involved in removing its own military as Banians have family all through out Ecuador. The military to this day denies any looting dispite the video proving otherwise. It is now said , Don't f--k with Banians. Apparently, this is not the norm for Ecuadorians they are normally passive and very loving but times are a changing and certain behavior is not tollerated. I have heard of other intollerances met with equal violence in other parts of Ecuador but none of it seems without just cause. Often it has been done when the prisoners are in police custody and the law would normally protect the violators. Ecuador still have a vigilante fervor here that supercedes its police. In Canada, we are much more passive about injustices that our government has done and still does, without permission, or sudden convenient law changes, but here no. Also the legal hand tying that the law has done to the police. Here, Absolutely no. No is no. Unless you have a good lawyer and lots on money to "deal" with it. The protests are supported, active and real with real consequences. It is not unheard of to have entire roads shut down because of governmental injustices. After all there have been 12 presidents in 6 years. Interesting..... I think that various prime ministers of Canada would have only lasted minutes here. I have to say that they like this president, he has just been voted in again with much support from its citizens. I don't think there has been a big protest since we have been here in over a year. Oh yeah, happy anniversary to us, although we missed celebrating it by....... um I think 2-3 months, whatever not important anyway...... Life still continuing on over here in its slow and lovely way.
Remember you have to go through what you have to go through. Unless you go over it with a pig and beer.
Robin

the differences between there and here

And now for some light reading. There of course are many differences between the Ecuadorian culture and the Canadian culture, and also the US culture. When going to the farmers market, with is laid out much like that of Europe, with its old basic charm, you notice things like orange peels and and other peels on the ground and people spitting or taking a quick finger up the old nose to check out its status and then shake hands with you or handling your food. Western solution: (especially now that Ecuador has swine flu too,) bring out the hand sanitizer just after you deal with them, but so as they don't take offence to their rustic manners, just out of eye sight please. Let me tell you they have and grow almost everything the volcanic soil is rich and supports life abundantly. Right now in the market, is something that looks like the asian "lei chi", it is fresh and delicious. They have all these marvelous foods especially veggies but don't use them alot in their cooking. The main diet here is rice, potatoes, and meat. If you go to a restaurant they might include a token of veggie or salad. I could not live on the restaurant food here as my colon would bung up so bad I would need a rotor-router to help me out. Sorry, I digress yet again but colon health is very important to me and should be for you too, a clean colon is a happy colon, fiber fiber natures broom. After visiting the market and getting all that you need to make you supper, you might be a tad peckish. And this is where you might like to go to have a bit at the market fast food area. In Canada, this would be the food court and you would order whatever you like from burgers to sushi. However in these markets, you would have a sever choice restiction. I advise this for lunch. Jumping gato, or seco de carne or pollo. These are traditional dishes here. The first is eggs, rice, fried potato pattie, sausage and a showing of salad. The second is rice with meat or chicken in a sauce. They are both cheap, about a dollar and will fill you up. However, there is a local dish called "sopa de locro", that the cook may or may not take artistic license. I have had this soup, here in Banos and it was awsome. The other day I had it in Pelileo market and well..... Here's the story on that little bit.
Dane and I were hungry and so we went to the very busy market lunch area. We went to one of the busier places as to hopefully have good food. Sometimes when you don't speak the language it is a benifit because if they had successfully had told me what they were serving I might have had to protest. (We also chose not to go to the stall with the huge pig on a platter with a hot chile in it mouth, where the skin, ears and nose is considered a delicasy.) As mom always said, you just sit down and eat it and don't complain. So when Dane and I got our bowls of soup, that is what we did. But I do say mom didn't say I couldn't discribe to you what I ate. Okey dokey, in my bowl of light yellowish greenish broth there was floating bits of what might be best discribed as meat from the jungle that had visited a jewish church after a docking of several little boys. YUCK. So I stopped looking at it and ate some. I then looked at Dane's bowl, and in there floating in a lighter colored broth was the hind quarter of a cuy (guinea pig) with its claws still curled in protest. So we paid for our lunch, and walked away eating mandarines.
There are other differences that are in no way the same, far more successful really. They for the most part are not up for confrontation and this means that if there is a problem it is not usually a big deal and they almost always can be talked into doing what you want including the police.
A friend of mine was driving her friends car, when she was stopped at a road block, she quickly put on her seat belt, as this is the law, but the belt was not working and neither was the passengers, which is law here now. She then realized she had forgotten her license back at here place. So this is what she did, she opened her window and said to the police that she was really busy and didn't have time to stop right now but she was willing to take the policeman with her as she was going to her stops and he could ask all the questions he wanted while they were traveling doing her chores. He, wanting to be a helpful policeman got in and her first stop was her place to get her license, all the while she was asking how he was and how his family was and so on, polite small talk. At one point on their little journey, he actually asked her what he was doing in the car with her again????? He didn't even put on or care if he had his seat belt on. She eventually dropped him of where she found him and then politely said good-bye and continued on her way. True story folks. Can you imagine trying to pull that little ditty in Canada????
Now boyfriends are a different matter. We have had a great deal of growth in this area, let me tell you. At first, there was trouble. Rachelle did actually get attacked one night from a "friend". But with all her family training, and defence work she got away no problem. But of course she was very upset. Latin men as a rule, like to get away with as much as possible, that is no different than our boys really. But they do take it to the extreme. So girls take responsibility for yourself and don't do stupid things that you would normally never do in Canada, this is you warning when traveling here in SA. With the guidance of several of my Canadian and American spanish speaking girlfriends, they literally took Rob by the hand and sat down with boyfriend and told boyfriend what is what. The poor guy. It must have been like a firing squad. But I have to say he didn't listen one bit. I hate to say this but Rob's helpers were women and this is a macho culture, god bless their little cotton panties. I don't like saying this but I must...... white girls or guys are looked at a visa's out of Ecuador. Sorry, but it is true. The guy's also will treat the girls like crap unless the father sets them straight. So.... 2 weeks after the first talk, we didn't see alot of change and Rob went for a "private man to man talk" with him totally helped by Rachelle what to say in spanish. So she was in on it friends. When I saw Rob later after "the Talk", he still had his eyes popping and blood vessels sticking out of his head and neck. I understand Rob stopped expressing himself in spanish when he ran out of words and continued on in English until the little guy got the idea that "Daddy" was a big guy with anger management issues and not to f--k with his daughter. I guess later on, boyfriend phone Rachelle and was "Crying," complete with tears, and threatening to leave the city", and why was her dad so mad, and Rachelle calmly responded and said," Because he doesn't think that you are not being responsible or careful with me." Well, Rachelle got the point and for now so does stupid- head.
This is my second WARNING; those of you who would partake in intimacy with partners here in SA must understand this. You are a ticket out. Use condoms and you control and care for them. They will A) poke holes in them, B) not put them on properly so to break them ...intensionally, C) not use them because of all the reasons that you can imagine, D)here's the biggie, if you have them or buy them you are a slut or a whore and there fore do not deserve respect or proper treatment. I mean this girls. If you buy condoms here, remember you are in a catholic country and one of the messages from the pope was no condoms. You can get ridiculed for it and certainly the locals get ridiculed for purchasing them. But there are 40% of children here born out of wedlock, so there you go. We have had big growing pains there let me tell you. My advise always wear a condom!!!!, as one of you birth control choices. One of Rachelle's friends from the US, a guy, wanted you know what with one of Rachelle's Ecuadorian friends and he said we are just friends with benifits and later the girl almost became a stalker and TOLD him that when he gets back they will get married. That is the god's honest truth folks and the girl is a fairly forward thinker, but still. So there you go. Also, another "girl"friend of Rachelle was having "girl" problems and went to the doctor, with no results really. So she came to our family, and Rachelle took her to her Dr. in Shell. She is a very sexually active young lady and when she went to this DR an american MD working in the mission hospital had never had a pelvic exam or lab samples. Here the Ecuadorian MD's might want to do the exam to be sure and the patient will NOT allow that kind of exam but allow all kinds of sex or intimacy to take place. This backward way can ruin the reputation of the MD and therefore the patient not be cured of their issue. Anyway, Rachelle went in the office with her friend and with support of Rachelle and the DR's insistance did the pelvic and also took lab samples..... The young lady ended up on 4 different meds for her ailment or ailments. Disease is here and although I understand is one of the places with less Aids, it may be rampant but NEVER talked about. So BE CAREFUL folks.
I will carry on on the next entry on the strength of Banos.
Robin