There is no Q in Ecuador

Emily and Cayo live in a 2nd floor apartment in a house that has been divided into apartments. It is small and cozy and very charming, with stucco walls, polished wood floors and beamed, angled ceilings. Their little Christmas tree lent a festive touch to the apartment and we prepared to help celebrate their first Christmas as a married couple.

Cayo told us that most Ecuadorean families celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with presents, a big dinner and late night mass. Our family has always opened gifts and had our big dinner on Christmas day. On Christmas Eve we went to Marlene's for dinner. Marlene is Emily's coworker and friend. She has been in Ecuador for quite awhile and lives in a high-rise apartment with a beautiful view. It was a great dinner with Marlene and several other of Emily's coworkers. The next morning we opened our gifts and later Emily and I cooked dinner. We had Marlene, Phil, Christa, Mike and their baby, and Emily's friend Ulla over for dinner. It was a big crowd for a small apartment, but we gathered up all the chairs and tables they have and were able to seat everyone. It was a nice day and our dinner turned out great. I really enjoyed cooking with Emily, who is a good cook. It reminded me of cooking holiday dinners with my mother and how much easier and more enjoyable it is to share that job than it is to do it all alone.


One of the nice features of Em and Cayo's apartment is a little terrace just outside the kitchen that overlooks the street below. Andy found it a good place to go for a smoke and not disturb any of us with his smoke. Ray took this picture of Emily and me cooking Christmas dinner from the terrace looking in the window to the kitchen.