Ecuadorian Fun Facts

D and I have been reading up like crazy, trying to prepare for our huge move to Ecuador. I have started to share little fun facts with my students each day about the customs and the food. I have found that the more disgusting the fact, the more the kids love it. Some of their favorite facts:

* Guinea pig is considered a delicacy in Ecuador. It dates back to the time of the Inca's and is referred to as cuy. The Ecuadorians call it cuy because of the sound the guinea pig makes when it is roasted.

* You never flush your toilet paper down the toilet in Ecuador, you place it in the trash cans next to the toilet.

* Hot showers are a rarity, with many showers requiring you to connect the electrical heat wires inside of the shower stall yourself. This gives you about three minutes of hot water along with an electrical shock.

* Animals that might be living with you include iguanas, bats, snakes, rats, various bizarre insects, and of course, guinea pigs.

* The celebration beverage of choice, often known as corn beer, is fermented by women chewing up corn and spitting into the mixture. Mmmmm...spit beer.

Each day I find out more and more about the country we will be living in for the next two years. It makes me excited, worried, anxious, and overwhelmed. And though there are a lot of days where I ask myself, "what am I thinking?" I know that this is going to be an adventure of a lifetime, and I can hardly wait.