4/10/10 (written 3/25)

Becca may have found a new calling. Two of our Colombian friends recently started a business in Cuenca that is tragically on the verge of going under. Essentially they design ceilings for homes and businesses and are responsible for both the artistry and the actual construction. They work incredibly hard and their products are beautiful, but they have struggled to establish themselves since opening in November. Lauriano and Elias both have families who they are struggling to support, and this makes you root for them real hard. In their desperate efforts to recruit customers, they have printed out fliers and asked us to help with the distribution process. Becca and I started reluctantly last night on a walk through downtown and were met with a surprising reaction.

In the U.S., if I were to stand on the street corner and hand out a random flier, I would expect to be treated as if I were either invisible or an enormous public nuisance. Last night, with each extended hand, we were met with sincere gratitude. It was as if we were truly giving a gift to each person, and I could sense Becca’s confidence grow with each genuine “muchas gracias.” More accustomed to objectifying comments from many of the men here, this was an especially pleasant series of public exchanges for her.

Of course there is one complication: with a limited amount of fliers, you have to be selective in your offerings. We found ourselves thinking: “Who of you seem like good candidates for the purchase of ceiling ornaments?” I began to think shameful, horribly judgmental thoughts. This man appears disheveled, his belly is bursting through the lowest button of his shirt. I’ll keep it in my pocket. This woman is pregnant and looks exasperated with her already born child walking beside her. Not worth the risk. And so on. Despite this ugly side to our new part-time job, the warm reception from 90% of the people has made it worthwhile. We’re not confident that our efforts will translate into business for our friends, but damned if we’re not going to try, even if there is a little class profiling along the way.

In other news, I continue to grapple with the challenges of learning a new language. In a sense, learning Spanish has been like experiencing a second childhood. With each gradual advance, I feel as if I am traversing through a new developmental phase. My autonomy has grown and I generally feel less dependent than back in the infancy days of November/December. The phase I seem to be caught in now is one of adolescent anger, but in this case the “parents” are the nuances of the Spanish language. For those of you who speak Spanish, these examples will be redundant, but you can likely empathize. In English, if you want to use the verb “to have,” there are not many other options. There’s have, has, or had, and that’s pretty much it. No matter what pronoun or tense, you’re basically dealing with just a few options.

The sadists who invented Spanish decided to go another route. The literal translation of “to have” is “tener,” but this won’t get you very far. There’s several options for present, past, future, conditional, and countless other tenses that have occupied my nightmares. And then there is the “Subjunctive,” which is a whole variety of torture on its own. Having made these harsh declarations, I can honestly say I am growing to love the language. While it continues to humble me, it is a beautiful mode of communication, and I hope I can refine my skills in the next few months.

Lastly, in just a few days, David and Karen will be arriving...we are planning some novel Ecuadorian adventures, which we will soon share with all of you.
Gracias por su atencion, y espero que ustedes tengan (suck it Raph! {my Spanish teacher}) un buen fin de semana.