The big event of last week was my 45th Birthday. Birthdays are real serious affairs here and you cannot let one go by unnoticed. So I was not surprised that the celebrations go going two days early when I was at Friday night Mass in Narcisa chapel. They had a big banner behind the altar ‘Feliz Cumpleaños’ so there was no mistaking they were in party mood. After Mass we went back to Helena’s house where we were treated to popcorn and cake, after we had shown off our dancing skills! Then on Sunday there were two Masses where a cake made an appearance – La Paz and Resucitado chapels – and I celebrated in Ecuadorian style by biting the cake so that the people behind me could shove my face in said cakes! After that it was get-to-bed-early because there was to be a party at the school on my Birthday morning. However at 12 midnight I was awoken with a long bang as a ten-strong group serenaded me from the street. So it was up again and have more cake, more songs and more dancing. Back to bed at 1.30am. Then up again at 5am as another group of seranaders came a-calling! After that there was no point in going to sleep because it was time to get down to the school. And, as I opened the door into the main yard, there was a column on either side, fifteen fifth-year girls in pink ball gowns and fifteen fifth-year gentlemen in suits (all hired I suppose) as an entrance to what can only be described as a school show. Amazing that they had taken the time and effort. Fantastic! And, of course, I had to do a Highland Fling, although I wasn’t kilted-out! By the time the evening came, I was fiesta-ed out but not before we had the last party and the last cake of the year. Once again my face was in it! Feliz Cumpleaños!
All of this was done in a backdrop of my niece, Elise, had her pal, Rachel being out here visiting for three weeks. Their plane arrived ahead of schedule and I don’t think they have stopped since they got here. After the weekend of getting to know all the people and the chapels, they got going with work down the school: peeling tatties, cutting up onions and then teaching English. In the afternoons, after catching up with sleep, we have walked around the town and met various families in their homes. Of course, the people immediately have taken them to their hearts and invited them to various places: a group took them into the city on Wednesday night; and then Carmen, their ally in the Soup Kitchen, asked them round to paint their nails. You come out to the shanty and you end up getting your nails painted!!!
A big event of last week was the visit of a possible donor from the USA, Rachel Blair who had come through the local Rotary club that has done various jobs for us. Basically she is interested in helping with the equipping of the Medical Centre that we had been working on for some time. Unfortunately the funds have been slow in coming but Rachel was keen to help. So we showed her around the area, the site where the Centre is to be built and we had a long discussion with the housing charity that will run the Centre. There are still a few problems: the housing charity have still to get the legal papers to the land; the charity ‘2 Hands’ is confirming how much money is pledged for the construction; and Rotary is to sort out its paperwork. However, it all looks as if things can maybe move forward in some sort of way????
All of this happened after my fantastic visit to Quito. Of course, in the company of Colm Hogan from Tipperary, the best thing about the visit was staying with Paddy McIntyre, a very funny priest from Derry. It was indeed laugh a minute. But we managed to pack a load into the two days we were there: tourist attractions of Quito city; visit up north to wood-carving town; and a run up the cable car that gives you tremendous vies over the capital city! Thanks, Paddy!
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