Week four was a calm one. The host father, Xavier, departed to Angola for a business trip, regarding his research into decentralized healthcare. Before his departure, he invited us to enjoy a lovely Chilean red wine, and we enjoyed chatting and reflecting on the days passed. And, with much sweat, we completed the stone wall needed to support the earth terraces behind the house. We also made a new discovery: canguil or, in English, popcorn. While it is more of a cinema snack to much of the Western world, Ecuadorians often prepare it for lunch, as replacement for croutons in their soup or just to snack on. If you would like to take a shot at making your own Canguil, you will find a recipe below.
A real highlight was Kirei, the newest addition to our host family. On Thursday, Nelly and Juliana returned from town with a tiny little puppy, one of the cutest things we have ever seen! As the two needed to head to Quito for the weekend, we were tasked with taking care of this bundle of cuteness. We quickly learned she was also a bundle of energy, keen on playing, eating, and biting pretty much anything, though preferably our fingers. We bonded strongly with her over the weekend and, despite the fact that she deprived us of most of our sleep, leaving her behind will be tough!
On the Socialpaca side of things, this week brought no news, except for a planned second meeting with Paula, Matico's daughter (see week three). We look forward to reporting on it next week.