“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T.S. Eliot

This past week has been another filled with lifelong memories and special Ecuadorian traditions. If y’all wouldn’t mind, I’d like to talk about the Easter celebrations and some funny encounters I’ve had with Cuencanos.

So back in Tennessee, my Easter is usually celebrated with a couple of church services, a Sunday morning celebration, and a big family dinner on Sunday. Easter (rather, Holy Week) is celebrated quite a bit differently in Ecuador.

Holy Week began with a sort of pilgrimage to seven different churches, as to confess sins and thank God for Jesus’ sacrifice (as well as some other prayers to the Saints that I wasn’t really familiar with). It was such an incredible atmosphere, as there were more people in the center of the city than I had ever seen! They were all making the seven church pilgrimage and it was really impressive to see the solidarity of all the Cuencan people. As seen in the featured image, I was able to visit a monastery that only opens once a year. It’s gorgeous! Later in Holy Week, I tried the delicious dish of fanesca. It’s a holiday soup that represents Jesus and his apostles, made of 12 different grains and topped off with a specially prepared fish. We’ve had it about 4 times now and I will definitely be missing it in next year’s Easter celebration (I would get the recipe, but it takes TWELVE DAYS to prepare). I attended another family reunion and it’s really nice to spend time in such a big family setting with a ton of friendly people. While I did miss my own Easter celebrations, I sorely hope to return and celebrate Ecuadorian Holy Week sometime again in the future.

Ecuadorian Fanesca

As for some interactions with the locals, I’ve got several pretty interesting stories. First off, a bit of advice. If you ever want to make friends in Cuenca, the sole responsibility you have is to start up a brief conversation and then ask for the person’s name. I’m serious. Out of all the talks that I’ve had with locals, the moment I asked for their name is when the conversation got about 10x more friendly and intimate. I’ve made friends with some Venezuelans that own a diner (who I talk to nearly every day) and some shop owners that I buy ice cream from a lot just by visiting somewhat regularly and holding casual conversations (but REMEMBER, that first, most important step is the name). While most all the people I’ve talked with from Tennessee are friendly as well, it’s an intriguing extra step in a smaller city, to be able to get to know some people and have a taste of what their life has been like (literally in the Venezuelans’ cases).

My experiences with the locals here have been nothing but positive and encouraging. They’ll help you out with the language and they’ll all go out of their way to be friendly. Give Latin America (especially Cuenca…) a second thought the next time you’re traveling for Holy Week!