 |
| All of us with Sra. Elena |
The kids are going to blog about daily life in Sra Elena's house, so I will leave that to them. I do want to say, however, that I love that the central gathering place (aside from the kitchen), is Elena's bed -- the ideal place to do homework, have a snack, nap, or watch TV. I wanted to share the little bit that we learned about Elena herself. She helped to found a local foundation that provides assistance to disabled children. When she wasn't preparing food, serving us, or doing laundry, Elena was on the phone or at meetings related to the the work of the foundation. Unfortunately, while we were there, she got a bit a of bad news that the government is withdrawing its support of the foundation. Elena was busy preparing Christmas baskets of treats and candy for the kids, but will turn next to winding down the organization. I wouldn't be surprised if she turns her prodigious energy elsewhere towards more good works.
Elena's husband, Eugenio, was a dentist in the Ecuadorian army. They lived in the Oriente (the Ecuadorian jungle) for a number of years, in the 1960s, way out in the middle of nowhere. Over the course of one memorable evening last week, Elena and her grandson, Israel, regaled us with story after story about the Oriente, all featuring fearsome rats, snakes, and the occasional tarantula. Elena survived accidentally sitting on a large viper by the river, and having a tarantula land on her head as she hid in the jungle from Eugenio. It wasn't uncommon for babies to be eaten by crocodiles while their parents bathed them in the river. Back then, the Oriente still had indigenous peoples who had little contact with the outside world. Elena recalled the Ecuadorian army going by helicopter to deliver food, and being turned back by people on the ground with blow guns. It must have been quite an adventure to carve out a life in the jungle at that time.
We also heard our share of stories involving the many foreign students who boarded with the family over the years. Eugenio used to keep a loaded gun next to his bed, and there were some close calls with both with his own children and foreign students returning late at night. Note to future students: it's not a good idea to give your key to your boy/girlfriend. Music played a central role in family life, especially when Eugenio was still alive. He was a self-taught guitarist from a large, musical family. We were lucky enough to participate in a novena the other night, a family gathering of prayer and song, which traditionally leads up to Christmas. Elena's brother-in-law played the guitar, and both Ruby and I played some violin for the family!
Our last night with the family, Elena shared with me and Neil the story of Eugenio's death just 3 1/2 years ago. He collapsed suddenly from a heart attack on the Calle Larga, in Cuenca. He tried to call Elena but wasn't able to. A passerby took the phone from him and called Elena, who rushed to the hospital. By the time she got there, he was dead. Earlier that day, they had just made up from a minor dispute over Elena's excessive use of her phone on behalf of her foundation. In a romantic gesture, Eugenio had left a CD with a corny love song in the car for Elena to hear. The two had spoken just 20 minutes before his fateful heart attack. A nurse at the hospital told Elena that Eugenio had one of the most beautiful deaths she has ever seen. His last words were, "tell my wife, Elena, that I love her." Elena and Eugenio were married for 47 years. I was very moved to hear about their life together, with its ups and downs and funny encounters with rodents (as some of you know, a pet peeve of mine). If only Neil and I would be so fortunate to have that time together, and to experience so much along the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment