Beauty Queens, football, and the Virgin Mary

I had the most Ecuadorian weekend, and I feel I really need to share it with y'all. Friday night I went and had a beer with a couple of my students at a bar called "El Abuelo," the grandpa. I topped off the night by grabbing a bite to eat at a missionary cafe called "El Sendero," literally "The Path." I try not to go there often, because it's the only other place where I find Gringos in Loja, and they're all missionaries, which kinda gives me the creeps. Anyway, I woke up early to go watch a parade on Saturday, celebrating Loja's independence. All the Lojano high schools marched, and I saw a bunch of my students. All of the girls in the high school marching bands wear these high heeled knee high boots, and I can't imagine how they manage to walk and play instruments at the same time. The parade, of course, included scantily clad beauty queens walking through the rain. And only in Ecudaor are beauty queens directly preceeded by a giant picture of the Virgin Mary. After the parade, I went to watch the Ecuadorian national team get their ass handed to them in football against Peru. 5-1. Ouch. That night I attended a birthday party for my friend's host mom, which was awesome. A bunch of old ladies sat around chain smoking and drinking whisky while her two sons entertained them with live music. And of course, what weekend would be complete without a visit to church? On Sunday, I visited El Cisne with my host family. It is possibly the poorest city I've seen in Ecuador, with possibly the most beautiful church I've seen in Ecuador. Oh, the irony. Anyway, This post has gotten too long. I promise my next will be considerably shorter.