This year´s holiday celebrations have taken me to Quito, Ecuador with Katty and her family. Although we have celebrated Christmas before outside of Chicago, this marks the first time I am away from my family. Thankfully, I feel like part of the family here in Quito! Their traditions are a bit different than that of our family. The big family dinner is late on Christmas eve and the presents are opened at or after midnight. This doesnt exactly jive with Papa Noel (Santa) coming down the chimney in the middle of the night, so the Niño Jesus (baby Jesus) is the one that brings the gifts. Though apparently this is starting to change as Papa Noel´s presence is greater every year. That being said, its quite bizzare to see Santa everywhere in his full red garb and hat when its almost 70 degrees out!! Its a bit hard for the Quiteños to understand why I miss the cold at Christmas time, but it has been an ever present factor in Christmas most of my life!! Thought when I left Chicago it was -16F without windchill! Can´t say I´m missing that too much. But from what I hear, it was 60 in Chicago yesterday! Maybe sending warm thoughts actually worked??

view from Casa Salgado on Christmas Eve

I´ve been going from one family function to another as Katty has a huge family here in Ecuador. Lunch and dinners with 20+ people seems to be the norm! Of course, I can´t get enough of it because it reminds me so much of my family in Spain. It has also been great to get to know everybody in her family that much better! Each of these mini reunions are filled with food, drinks, conversations and laughter, they are such a blast!! I´ll come back with tons of wonderful memory and a huge panza (gut)!! I can´t complain that Katty´s family has so many good cooks! Speaking of, I decided to bring a bit of our holiday traditions to Ecuador. I made the vegetable casserole that we always have this time of year along with some christmas cookies – both were a huge hit!! I´m not sure if they were more impressed with the food or the fact that a man cooked it! Getting the proper ingredients was a story in and of itself!

My first week (of three!) has been great thus far! With the New Year´s celebrations around the corner, as well as trips to Cuenca and the Amazon, I have much to look forward to! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!!

via xkcd

It is the first of the month – I’ve always felt that it brings with it an air of change. In this case the physical change was fairly obvious as Chicago had its first real snowfall of the season. As the snow swirls around, it gets me thinking – what other changes are stirring?

So much for live-blogging the election! I ended up crunching numbers most of the evening for ICIRR, by the time I dropped off the laptops at my office and headed back to the Cultural Center – I could hear the crowd EXPLODE into cheers and applause!! My heart immediately started pounding and I ran as fast as I could back to the Cultural Center. They had called the election!!! My family had all come to meet with us and as McCain delivered his acceptance speech (where was that McCain during the election?!) tears started to well up in my eyes. It was actually happening!! At 11pm the event ended, so we rushed back to my building to watch his speech and see Grant Park bursting at it’s seams with people and energy! The noise was incredible – the energy palpable! We stayed on Michigan Ave until 1:30 in the morning, watching, absorbing and participating in the revelry!!

It has been too many years in the making – but this unprecedented change is exactly what this country needs! I was glued to NPR the following days and the national and international reactions gave me goosebumps! January can’t come soon enough!

Below is the result of the data that I was crunching during the election for ICIRR.

From Election Day 2008

I’m crunching exit poll data for ICIRR currently at their election headquarters at the Chicago Cultural Center. LOTS of data!! Interesting stuff! I’ll be sure to post their exit poll results when they are available!

From Election Day 2008

You can see the people lining up on Columbus and Michigan Ave! Apparently, they have been lining up since Monday! I’m going to the Chicago Cultural Center to continue volunteering and then to party with Katty and her fellow ICIIR workers! I didn’t sign up for the Obama rally on time – but I’ll be going outside to take pictures. I also hope to do and “after” picture when the rally REALLY gets going!

From Election Day 2008

I volunteered this morning with ICIRR to take pictures of other volunteers that were getting out the vote in Bridgeview, IL. Precinct 47 is a predominately Arab area – and the amount of young and enthusiastic volunteers was overwhelming! Most of them were going out to knock on doors, leave door hangars and in general to try to get as many people to their polling places as possible! They were also doing exit polls – and the data I saw was extraordinarily exciting! More of the pictures I took can be seen by clicking here.

We got back on Tuesday, with even more flight problems from American Airlines. Its a conspiracy I tell you!! Anyway, I’ve got some albums up from the trip. Pics from the wedding and a few other excursions to come!

Mexico Distrito Federal

Teotihuacan

Entering Teotihuacán one is transported back two thousand years. Commonly mistaken as an Aztek city its roots are unknown. The Azteks, along with many other tribes, would pilgrimage to the site to offer sacrifices to the god of rain. The temple of the sun, which can be seen in the background, is both the largest and oldest at the site. It was originally stuccoed and red in color, many called it the temple of the sun, and the name just stuck. It was built upon a cave with a natural spring. Pilgrimage to the cave was to bring good harvest and fortune. When the spring ran dry, the people belived that the gods were angry and thus built the temples to offer sacrifice and appease the gods. To this day it has remained a pilgrimage for Teotihuacáns who have spread out since abandoning the city. The site is immense, the temple of the sun has 247 steps leading to the top at 65 meters. The temple of the moon, where this picture was taken, is only 37 meters in height – though almost more difficult to ascend as the steps are extemely steep and high! I seem to remember my mom having a story from this site… or was it elsewhere? If you look closely you can see me on one of the temples! It was a gorgeous day and we very much enjoyed our time at the site. Its a short drive from the city, depending on traffic, if you ever find yourself in Mexico City it is well worth the visit! Now we head out for dinner and a taste of D.F. nightlife!