An Oboe named Ezekiel

Hello.

That’s how people greet one another in America.

That’s where I am now.

America.

I’ve been another Busy Brenda since leaving here:

so to catch you up,

Sometimes when you go to Ecuador,

you see a waterfall,

or two,

you know, you’re right it was three waterfalls.

and sometimes when you go to Ecuador,

you hike up to 16,000 feet with your mom

and your bus driver and tour guide, José

who tells you to keep going even when you feel woozy

and can’t feel the breath on your hand.

and then you run into these indigenous Ecuadorians at the bottom.

and sometimes when you go to Ecuador,

you meet nice young men

who take you up to church towers to see panoramic views of Quito

and when you’re about to leave chases you down the street

to give you a bracelet.

Lucky for me, I have a weakness for such things.

And sometimes when you go to Ecuador,

you go on a canopy tour with your family and two men

who don’t understand your Spanish.

no matter how many times you try.

So, instead they just say ‘¡Qué Cheverre!’

13 times over. give or take.

And sometimes when you go to Ecuador, you spend the afternoon playing with an adorable 4-year old girl.

then visit her school in the middle of the Andes mountains

and have 20 kids come swarm you wanting to take their picture.

And you translate for your parents,

but you get to filter out the extraneous awkward things they say

and sometimes when you go to Ecuador, you find yourself in the middle of a full-fledged Capoiera fight.

then later you find a little town in the middle of a valley

and it’s so beautiful that you just want to marry the mountains

And sometimes when you go to Ecuador,

you like it so much that you decide to study here next year:

CHAO FOR NOW

Saraíta Morrill

PS.

AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com?

I thought so.