March 10, 2008

Today is Diana´s birthday, and so we thought it would be nice to share a bit more about how we met as well as provide an update of our activities in Chota to date. We realize it´s been a long while since our last posting, so thank you, to those of you who are still with us, for your patience.

As you know from our last posting, Diana and I met now three months ago in Quito, Ecuador, where we are both currently undertaking dissertation research on La Bomba (a music genre of the Afro-Ecuadorian communities in the Chota valley). I expressed some of my thoughts on our meeting in the previous entry, but I also want to include Diana´s thoughts and perspectives as this is no longer just about me, but us.

Hi everyone, this is Diana writing. I am very happy today since we are going to Papallacta , a great place to be. Here is the link http://www.termas.com.ec/espanol/index.htm if you want to see how beautiful it is. I have to say that I recommend having the honeymoon before you get married… it is a lot of fun! Anyways Pacho and I are soulmates no doubt, for many reasons. Once you see us together you can perceibe it. I love Pacho with all my heart and soul. When we are bless to have a child, if it is a female we want to call her Alma, which meas soul, since that is what we feel: our souls came together. Here are our pictures in Chota

http://picasaweb.google.com/dianaruggiero/DianaYPachoEnChota02

I´m also pleased to announce that we are getting married here in Ecuador this coming August! We´ll keep you posted with the details.

A quick update on our activities in Chota . . . The Chota valley is a region just northwest of Ibarra, traversing both the provinces of Carchi and Imbabura. It is a semi-arid region in the highlands, though lower in altitude and generally warmer than the rest of the sierra. It is technically known as el valle del Chota y el cuenca del rio Mira. It takes its name from the two rivers that cut through the valley, the rivers Chota and Mira. What is unique about this area is its people and history, as the region is predominantly populated by Afro-Ecuadorians who are descendants of Africans brought as slaves to work the sugar cane plantations owned and operated by the Jesuits. In total, there are about 38 communities in the region, many of them former sugar cane plantations. As a result of the region´s history, the traditions, customs, beliefs, and lifeways of the people of these communities are quite distinct from both the highland indigenous and mestizo communities and the nearby coastal Afro-Ecuadorian communities. While our respective dissertations center around the musical tradition known as la bomba (a song form unique to this region), we are very much interested in speaking to broader social issues, specifically identity and social relations (or the current dynamics of race and racism in the region and in Ecuador in general).

At the moment, Diana and I are staying in the community known as Chota, a beautiful place with wonderful people who have taken us in and have treated us very well. We´ll be posting photos, no doubt, of the community and people soon. The children in particular are adorable. In fact, we can´t even walk down the street anymore without a hoard of children shouting, singing, and trailing behind us (or jumping all over us)! Diana is especially good with the children. We´ve spent many evenings teaching them songs and playing games with them.

As for our research, we are doing interviews and attending events whenever the opportunity arises. This is Ecuador, so nothing happens exactly the way we´d like or exactly when we´d like it to happen, but that´s ok because it also presents us with other opportunities to get to know the people and the significance of their traditions. In casual conversation what really comes out is their sense of solidarity as a community. We also learn about the reality of daily life for many here in the region and in Ecuador generally: mother´s trying to raise multiple children without the help of the (often absent) father, parents or siblings working in distant places (Quito, Spain, etc.), both men and women working hard for meagre wages, ever present racial discrimination, and so on. Everyone is simply trying to survive. They may not have all the material items that we posses in the states, but make no mistake, they live more richly in other ways.

Well, this is as much time as we have for this posting at the moment, but we hope this finds everyone well. Thanks again for staying in touch, we´ll keep you posted with news on our wedding!

Un Abrazo,
Pacho y Diana

January 19, 2008

The past few weeks since my last blog entry have been very exciting and super productive on both a professional and personal level. I came to Ecuador via my studies in search of something far greater than simply a dissertation topic. As I mentioned in a previous blog, this experience is an important step in a much longer and personal journey of self discovery. Everything I´ve done and experienced up until this moment-- my graduate studies, my struggle with my identity, my love of music and academic interests—has in some way prepared me for and set me on this path. I know that my being here in Ecuador, that my interest in la Bomba and in the black communities of the Chota-Valley is no accident. Every step of the process has required a leap of faith, having only a year ago switched dissertation topics. But something from deep within me urged me forward, guided my step and told me this was right. And so here I am in Ecuador, behind the reading curve (as one professor puts it), not having any research experience in the Chota valley, without external funding, starting anew with contacts and building relationships, and still not certain of which direction this dissertation topic will take me. But I decided to follow my heart trusting that time will answer all my doubts, fears, and questions, and lead me forward on my life´s journey. Little did I know that I´m not alone on this journey.

As you all know, when I first arrived, I spent the first two months getting organized and floundering somewhat. I expected this, of course, but I finally made contact with a key contact here in Ecuador, Edison Leon, who proved to be the catalyst for my journey. During our first meeting in November, he mentioned in passing, that yet another graduate student was here doing research on la Bomba and the oral traditions of the communities of the Chota-valley. Naturally, he thought it would be a good idea if we met up at some point. This thought intrigued me, but I set the comment aside as the festivities of December approached, knowing I´d accomplish little in the way of research during that time. Contacts and questions of research would have to wait until the new year, I thought to myself.

The holiday break gave me some distance and perspective, and I quickly reinitiated contact with Edison soon after the New Year. On January 9, I met Edison in his office with nothing in hand--nothing to show and really nothing to ask other than ¨hey, can you help me get started with this?¨ Despite this fact, I knew I had to go and see him in person. Little did I know that this meeting would serve as a catalyst for the amazing events and experiences to follow, for unbeknownst to me, he had invited another person to our meeting—Diana, the other graduate student doing research on La Bomba!

As it turns out, Diana, originally from Argentina, is a graduate student at Ohio State University and is here on a Fulbright doing dissertation research on La Bomba for a degree in Spanish Literature! We immediately connected, not only because of our similar research interests, but because we both sensed that there was something greater to our meeting than mere coincidence and chance. I´ll let Diana speak to her side of the story, but what I can say is that both Diana and I have been searching for a long time, searching for questions that we weren´t even conscious of and least expected to confront and resolve during the course of our time here in Ecuador. As one who never really truly believed in the concept of true love and destiny up until this moment, I never would have imagined the intensity of my encounter and experience with Diana. I´ve never known anything to feel so right in my life. I now know that not only will Diana and I make an amazing team as professionals, but that, together, we will share our love for one another and for the people with whom we work here in Ecuador for the rest of our lives. I met my soul mate. I´m now a believer—Thank you God.

I hope this message finds everyone well and at peace. I wish you all the best and hope that you find happiness and true love in your own lives if you haven´t already.

Love from the Chota Valley, Ecuador
Pacho and Diana

January 7, 2008

Nikki and I in front of Guapulo (name of church and area), and yes, that is a very old church

Me, Nikki, my grandmother, and her sister (one of many), Isabel

My grandmother, myself, Nikki, Isabel, cousin Cris, her husband Paul, cousin Mercedes

Crowd of Old Year dolls for sale in the park, La Carolina

Gotta love the widows

January 5, 2008

Happy new year!

I hope the new year is getting off to a good start for everyone thus far. For all my friends at the FDA, I hope the move went (or is going) smoothly and that the new space inspires and helps bring great success in the year to come! For my friends and professors at FSU, I hope you can put the football scandal behind (a musicology course, who would have imagined?!) and go on to accomplish many wonderful feats of academic greatness (keep churning out those papers). For my other friends and family, may you also experience fortune and success in the year to come.

Nicolette left early this morning and should be on her way to SanFrancisco via Houston at this moment. It was great to have her here, and though it was only two weeks, we managed to do quite a bit without wearing ourselves out too much! We spent two days on the coast, swimming in the Pacific by day, drinking coconut shakes and dancing beachside by night, and stuffing ourselves with ceviche, fish, patacones and maduros (fried plantains)! We then returned to Quito to spend time with my grandmother and cousins. We also took the opportunity to visit some of the major tourist attractions, including el panecillo, the historic colonial center, the teleferico (a gondola that takes you up guagua pichincha--the volcano overlooking Quito), the mariscal area (an area full of bars, restaurants, hostals, shops, and clubs), and some of the markets. The only other trip we took outside of Quito was to Guayllabamba with my grandmother.

Though we didn´t get to everything that we wanted to see and do, I think we used our time the best we could and had a lot of fun in the process. I´m grateful that Nicolette and I had the opportunity to spend the holidays together here in Ecuador, and I´m going to miss her very much. As I mentioned before, Nicolette and I don´t get to see each other very often, but when we do, it´s always a memorable experience. So, thanks again, Nicolette, for taking the time to visit.

Needless to say, I didn´t do much with my research over the last two weeks, but the time off was definately needed. It can be a bit overwhelming and draining being so focused on one project for so long. It´s only been two months thus far, but this is the first time that I´ve been focused on just one, not multiple projects, and I´m anticipating working on this for the next year and a half, hopefully no more than two years. I´ll write about my project in greater detail in the next posting, though, because I want to talk about the new year´s celebration here in Ecuador since people have been asking.

New year´s in Ecuador is also known as the "old year." As the name suggests, the various traditions not only celebrate the new year, but also commemorate the passing year. There are various secular traditions and rituals that are observed, all of them with some personal or social significance. Some of these traditions are quite peculiar, like eating twelve grapes, lentils, and changing into yellow underware (ladies) at midnight (all supposedly for good luck). If you want to travel during the new year, you should run around the house or the neighborhood with a piece of luggage at midnight. There are other similar small things you can do to bring success in other areas of your life. But the most interesting part about new year´s celebration, for me at least, is the tradition of burning the "old year."

The "old year" is actually personified in the form of a stuffed, practically life-sized doll with a fairly elaborate paper or plaster mask depicting the likeness of some individual (usually political figures, maybe a family member or a neighbor). The dolls and masks are sold on the streets and parks in the days leading up to the new year. Sometimes you´ll see cars or motorcycles with these dolls strapped to the front of the vehicle (it´s really amusing). The dolls range from very elaborate works of art (I saw some huge dolls in the form of transformers), to more crude and generic figures. In the end, the dolls are burned in the street at midnight, signifying the passing of the old year. They say it´s good luck to jump over the flaming doll (that´s if you don´t get burned). They also say it´s good luck to be chosen as the old year (to be burned). Those "burned" usually write up witty testaments about family and friends, saying what it is that they will leave behind for their loved ones (more like a funny will). It´s amazing to look out over the city around midnight because all you see is this haze from the burning dolls. flaming and charred piles of ash line the city streets, making driving a bit hazardous. Driving can also be complicated by the presence of the "viudas," or widows.

The "widows" are another very interesting tradition that commerates in a very peculiar way the passage of the old year. Men dressed in drag will stop cars at intersections, flirt with men and ask for money. The clothing and demeanor is supposed to be provacative and they tend to be quite aggressive in their gestures and flirtatious behaviour. The idea is that these men dressed as women represent the "widows" of the dying year, and even though the year is not yet over (the old year is on its deathbed), they are already out flirting with other men (probably representing the eager anticipation of the new year and the youthfullness, "newness" of the year to come). Very fascinating, especially considering cross-dressing is an important aspect of many festivals/celebrations here in Ecuador, and the fact that such behavior is typically frowned upon outside of such contexts (Ecuador in general has a ways to go with regards to accepting alternative lifestyles).

So, I´m still not entirely certain beyond the obvious what the above behaviors and rituals signify. Being my first new year´s in Ecuador and having only spent a few months here, it would be difficult for me to even guess at this point. One thing is for certain, though, the new year is not simply about looking forward and rejecting the past year (despite the tempation to read the burning of the old year and the behaviour of the "widows" as such). The celebrations and rituals link and even overlap the old and new year in very complicated and profound ways (though they may be lighthearted). How this might be connected to local concepts of time, I can´t say for certain at this moment. For those of you with more experience in Ecuador or Latin America, perhaps you could shed some light on this question.

People here ask how we celebrate back in the States. My response sometimes leaves them unsatisfied, so let me put the question to you. What traditions do you or your family have and share for the new year? Is there any peculiar, interesting, or funny traditions/rituals that you observe? What does the new year and the passage of the old year mean to you and how is its significance manifested in the way that you spend or celebrate new year´s? All comments due by Jan 1, 2009 ;)

Thank you all for your emails over the holidays. Luke and Marisol, I hope you are having a wonderful time in Chile! How long is a bus ride to Ecuador? Ok, Chao for now and good luck in the months to come!

Happy new year once again!
Pacho