May 17, 2017

The morning did not go as peaceful as usual. The French people who arrived yesterday woke up early, sometime after six. Woken up by the rooster, not the Gallic one, but anyway. By the way, the rooster was very peaceful today. Yesterday it crowed like crazy. Somehow, I've gotten used to these roosters. Paulina already had one in Quito. It started crowing at five. If you don't want to get upset with them, it's fine and you can continue dozing.
At eight o'clock, we had breakfast. The village chief Fidel Tzamarenda was also there. He had his spear in his left hand the whole time and was very interested in everything.
After that, I went to work until Tzama called me. He showed the two French people two videos about the upcoming event in August and a story about the Shuar people. Very well done.
After that, the two of them, a man and a woman, left. They are doing research for a book about the indigenous peoples in Ecuador and Peru. His name is Jean Marc Gimenez. I will google him when I get the chance. The other two are still here until Saturday at the Hotel Selva. The younger one, Marine, was waiting all day for news about her thesis. No chance with the internet. The older one, Michelle, a friend of Tzama for 18 years, lives in Ecuador. When I asked her why she lives in Ecuador, she simply said she just came home. In a previous life, she must have been here before.

I didn't have instructions to be somewhere for lunch at a specific time. So I just left my work around one o'clock, because there was already lunch at this time yesterday. No one in the store, the two French people who are staying here, neither. So they are upstairs at the Hotel Selva. They were there too, but no one was cooking. They also didn't have any information about when the food would be ready. Only that it would be here.
It took another two hours until there was food. Time out here is very different. Waiting is a completely different thing than with us. It's normal and you just go with the flow. It saves trouble and protects your heart. What's the problem with waiting?
After that, we talked about this and that. In particular, whether Tzama would go to Quito tomorrow. Yes, he has to. It's about the murder of his son again. The investigations are sloppy, apparently the supposed culprits, Americans, have six lawyers and a lot of money. Now he has to present his case for investigating the crime at three offices in Quito.
Then Tzama told a story that really touched my heart. A story that shows how an apparently absolutely unrepentant criminal and murderer realizes how valuable life is. This story is what keeps him from seeking revenge.
After that, he breaks down in tears and cries for his son. His old friend Michincha comforts him with words and holds him, saying it's okay. I pat him on the back, but I don't know what else to say other than he impresses me a lot.
It also touches me deeply.