Happy New Year (Part 3) - Is this the Sinister Shape of Things to Come?

Well, well, well.  We are still alive. Our body parts or organs were not harvested.  No one mugged us or molested us in unimaginable ways. Okay.  Not completely true.  We do still have every body part we brought with us, but we are changed.  In a very good way.  We realized after our first New Year post there would have to be more.  There is no way to explain everything we experienced, even with three posts. We learned so much in five days it is unbelievable.  Upon our arrival in November, I had a preschool level Spanish vocabulary.  I now have a first grade level Ecuadorian Spanish vocabulary,  Yes, there are differences between Ecuador's language and Latin American Spanish.  There are different dialects between Crucita and Portoviejo, only 30 kilometers away.

Leo and Maria.  

Let me make one thing very clear.  Mi Esposa (my spouse) speaks way more Spanish than I do.  I must look to her so much when trying to understand.  She is amazing but it takes its toll.  It is exhausting for her. She is amazing.  El mejor.  Look it up. I cannot do everything for you!

Feliz Ano Nuevo!  Our neighbors, now friends, tried to explain everything that was going to happen on New Years Eve, Eve.  They tried and tried.  They plied us with Auguardiente (homemade sugar cane moonshine; translation - Fire water!) while explaining.  This was all prior to the celebration. We thought we had a good handle on everything. We were invited to the neighborhood party.  A party with hard working fishermen, construction workers, and their familia (family), We drank with them, danced in the calle (street), and said "no comprendo" a lot. They drew pictures in the dirt.  We did too.  We had fun.  What we thought we knew was inconsequential really,  We learned.

Me, my wife, and monigotes!

First off, New Years Eve day, nothing happened.  Business as usual.  Swimming in the Pacific, food at home. It was largely uneventful.  The familias spent time together and so did mi familia. We kept looking  to see when the party would start. We put on our yellow underwear (for luck and prosperity), we prepared our monigotes (stuffed them with explosives), and we waited.  We went out at 21:00 and walked to the town square. We met the viudas del nuevo ano (widows of the New Year).  We saw huge monigotes.  Ecuadorians took our picture with them. We went back home to sit a spell.

At about 23:00 we decided to go ahead and walk to the Malecon.  Our new friends were all there awaiting us,  They sent us back home for our monigotes.  Upon our return the Patriarch of the Gomez familia welcomed us with shots of Augardiente.  It is the custom for the Patriarch to dispense the liquor.  It is a great honor and it means we are accepted as familia.  They have our backs.

Leo and I with our manigotes.

As we took our initial shots the younger crowd (and it was a crowd!) were cheering the gringos on.  "Los gringos estan bebeindo Aguardiente!".  "Los gringos hicieron!".  The Americans are drinking fire water!  The Americans did it!.  Yes we did.  They praised us for our monigotes.  Peppa Pig y (and) El Toro de Pilsener (the bull of beer, Pilsener being the local beer).  Our neighbors and amigos, Maria y Leo had chairs for us. The Gomez familia was also there.  Leo offered me his drink.  It is called Agua Loca (crazy water).  It is almost the same as the Aguardiente however, it also has lime in it.  Rico (delicious) and peligroso (dangerous) in the wrong hands.

People are dancing on the Malecon.  Traffic is at a standstill.  Fireworks are everywhere. You all remember M-80's?  Whatever. The explosives are insane. We are introduced to so many people I will never remember their names.  Much familia.  Many amigos and compadres.  Leo tells me we are his extended familia and that he has let the town know we are under his protection.  Maria is telling Tamera the same.  I am overwhelmed by their generosity. Then he asks where our grapes are (12 must be eaten in one minute).  I run back to get them.  The Patriarch offers another shot (impolite to refuse).  It is close to midnight.  The people are dancing and yelling.  There is ZERO violence.

Beach side of the Malecon.  Ready and waiting!

Leo and Maria tell us to run to the beach (five feet away) with our monigotes.  We pile ours up with a multitude of others. We are then told to pay attention to the beach in both directions.  The fireworks from the towns of Manta, San Jacinto, San Clemente, and of course the locals, will be visible all at one time.

Doce (twelve)!  Fireworks start. Eat the grapes!  Make the wishes!  Fireworks everywhere! Leo grabs me, Maria grabs Tamera!  To the beach!  Leo beats the monigotes with a stick. This is tradition. Next year we will have our own big stick!  He then douses them with gasoline.  FIRE! Fires all up and down the beach as the population beats and burns the bad of 2015 away. Explosions everywhere as all the monigotes explode.  Now the fun part.  A drink of Agua Loca then, jump over the exploding fire!  Three times is necesario (necessary).  Tamera does it, Maria does it, Leo does it, I do it.  The main celebration is over, or is it?  We hang out on la playa with our friends.  02:00.  Tamera and I are tired.  We think it is over.  No.

Leo beats them silly then lights them on fire.

Maria and Leo make it clear (after 15 minutes of explaining) that we must come back to their casa for the traditional New Years Day dinner.  It is 02:00.  They want to cook for us.  We learn that this is what is done for familia and amigos close to the hearts of the people of Ecuador.  We are being honored.  We go.  Maria makes a traditional meal of arroz (rice), pollo (chicken), ensalada de vegetales (vegetable salad) and Coca Cola (perhaps not traditional).  It was rico (delicious).  Maria cooks so well she makes me look like I know nothing. Maybe because I know nothing.  When I can cook pollo y arroz like that I will believe I can cook again.

We say thank you.  We are tired.  We think it is over again.  Again it is not.  In the morning we awake to musica.  Loud.  It has been going all night. They have not slept.  Maria and Leo's extended familia is arriving in a bus.  A private bus.  Plus four trucks.  They still have not slept and Maria is cooking for them.  Out comes the PA.  The PA's are out everywhere.  Musica!  Each household has them.  The party continues.

The love of my life jumping through fire!

One of the Gomez familia, Christopher, tried to tell us.  Mañana, mañana, mañana, mañana!  He is trying to tell us "next four days". The celebration lasts four days.  Four days of the Malecon being packed, no vehicles allowed on Sunday.  Four days of musica day and night.  Four days of drinking and eating and drinking and eating.  We made it one and maybe one half days.  It is not drinking to excess.  It is drinking to have fun.  It is not eating to excess.  It is eating with the familia.  On January 5th everything was closed.  On the 6th, open again.  We had the most amazing experience of our lives.


Now we find out Carnival is coming.  February 9th to be exact.  Apparently we have not seen anything yet.  The fiesta starts on Saturday February 6th.  We will see as much as we can.  Oh, yes we will.  Is this the sinister shape of things to come?  I seriously hope so.  Adios!

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