Merry Christmas

Well, first of all, rest assured - we're doing well, even though we haven't written a post in a long time. But things have been a bit chaotic, with changes in the project and Christmas right around the corner.

Oh, and we were still sick until mid-December. But fortunately, that's finally over, although Simone still has to endure Michi's persistent cough. It takes a little longer for us older folks to recover...

Michi's Birthday

Speaking of getting older - Michi is celebrating his birthday abroad for the second year in a row. Instead of the beach, sun, and a dreamy accommodation in Costa Rica, Michi was surprised this time during lunch at the monastery and a Piñata, which he smashed in no time.

It's a funny sight when you take off the blindfold and see the head nun crawling on all fours with the others on the ground, fighting for the fallen sweets.

In the afternoon, we took the day off to celebrate and get out of the monastery. After being constantly sick, it was urgently necessary to avoid going stir crazy.

With excellent pizza (finally no rice), great company - thanks, Simone - and a complimentary Tiramisu (which couldn't compete with Simone's homemade birthday banana tiramisu), Michi's 31st birthday came to an end.

Typical Christmas Bread

What the Christstollen is in Austria, the Pan de Pascua is here - everywhere and all the time, this sweet "strudel" with cinnamon and dried fruits is served. To ensure that all children at the kindergarten's Christmas party received this bread as a gift, the help of the busy little elves was needed (no, Dansch, you're not meant here). Once again, we were called to the bakery at the last minute, where, not quite so willingly, we had to pack a whopping 450 Christmas loaves from 8 pm till midnight.

Culinary Delights, Part 5

This time it's Tamal - once again, cornmeal plays an important role, which is mixed with butter, eggs, cheese, chicken, peppers, and various spices to create a sour mass and then cooked in water, wrapped in a big leaf. Especially at the "Aroma de Cafe" (a café here in Cuenca), these are prepared incredibly delicious.

A Different Kind of Christmas Party

The Christmas party for everyone involved in the church community, the daycare center, and the women's shelter started with some "good" sacramental wine. After dinner, the various groups performed something. We Austrians were also asked to come up with something - but dancing was out of the question because Michi is too scared. Finally, it ended spontaneously with us performing Austrian Christmas songs. Thanks to our foreigner bonus, we received great applause and a standing ovation, and now we're immortalized on various Ecuadorian cell phones. In the end, the head nun generously gave us a whole 15 minutes to really have fun.
Lights off, disco lights on, and all the Ecuadorian hips started moving to the salsa beat.

Celebrating at the Daycare Center

We were also eagerly preparing for another Christmas party at the daycare center the whole month long. Both of us participated, and as Mary and Joseph, we found ourselves in the middle of the nativity play, holding the Venezuelan baby Jesus in our arms. And you can now find us on countless cell phones again.

Dear Dayana

Lately, we have observed that, contrary to our expectations (fortunately), most of the children in the daycare center come from intact middle-class families. But that's not the case for everyone. Perhaps you can remember, a few weeks ago we told you about Dayana and her family situation. For those of you with forgetful memories, we're happy to refresh your recollection.

Dayana's mom takes care of her nine children every day and fights hard for the well-being of her family. The hygienic conditions are critical due to lack of water supply in the house. Another fact that caught our attention is that the laundry has to be washed in a river here in Cuenca. There is also a constant shortage of food.

That's why we wanted to help them - in this sense, a big thank you to our families who made this possible with a small donation and brought smiles to their faces.

December 24th

An amazing spectacle is the carnival-like parade. The Pase del Niño Viajero, which has a 70-year tradition in Cuenca, involves the entire city, either actively or at least passively. For hours, a costumed, noisy, and dancing crowd parades through the streets.

Less grand, but more interesting for us, was the Pase del Niño of the daycare center the day before - interesting because we saw many familiar faces.

Right in the midst of it all!!!

We spent Christmas Eve with the sisters, the volunteers, and the women and children from the women's shelter. We had everything - Christmas dinner, Mass, and then bingo with everyone, followed by the resolution of the Secret Friend game (Amigo Secreto), which was the most fun. Since there was only sacramental wine during the official part, we finally treated ourselves to a few beers and gin and tonics while playing cards with the volunteers.

Even though the day was great overall, it's not the same as celebrating at home with our families and dear friends. Next Christmas, you'll have us on your hands again.

We wish you all (belatedly) MERRY CHRISTMAS and a wonderful time with your loved ones.

Visiting a friend's family

PS: Unbelievable, we've been traveling for 2 months already. Just take a look at the photos and see what we've been up to the past weeks :)