fin de semana

This Saturday my friend Yasmin invited me to her cousins' gathering at her uncle's country house. Her uncle has a farm in Checa where he grows strawberries, lettuce, and peppers. We left Saturday afternoon and made the forty-five minute drive out to the farm. Now, this is not like any farm I've seen in the US. It is exactly what you picture when you think of a country hacienda: old brick building painted white with an orange Spanish tile roof, high ceilings with wooden beams, and lots of windows to show the beautiful mountain view. Once we arrived, we decided to go up one of the smaller mountains, and so we took the atv and a few 4 wheel drive vehicles up to the top, and as the sun was setting we could see the lights from Quito and the other villages. Later on, we had a bonfire, and a few people brought guitars and played and sang traditional Ecuadorian songs. I had brought supplies to make s'mores (well, I had to substitute other cookies for graham crackers, as I could not find them here) and so I taught everyone how to make s'mores. Much later that evening we switched to English music, so I was able to sing along. It was a great night, and I really enjoyed getting to spend the evening with Ecuadorians (Hannah and I were the only gringas in the group.)