I finally got around to creating a new business card with my Ecuadorian information on it this week.  I asked for recommendations from a couple of local people, and they directed me to a small print shop about 2 blocks from our condo.  I went in with a Photoshop version and a JPG version of the card seen above.  200 cards cost me $20, and I could pick them up 24 hours after I placed the order.

I got them today.  The photo is pretty washed out, and the card cutting is ragged.  i designed it with plenty of bleed, so the photo would go to the edges, yet many of the cards show slivers of a white edge.

All in all, not very professional, and not something I would accept for a true business card in the states, but I guess it will work as a personal calling card, for those numerous times we meet new people who ask for our phone number, or email, or the url of my blog or gallery.  In other words, good enough for now, but I will use a different printer next time…

Last year we learned about El Pase del Nino Viajero, which is a parade that carries a small statue of Jesus from church to church each week.  There is also a major such parade on Christmas Eve, where an estimated 50,000 people participate (out of a city population of 400,000).  We had been trying to get more information on the smaller weekly parades, with only marginal success.  We heard of a presentation being given tonight on that very topic, so we decided to go.l 

The presentation was in the “Old Cathedral” on Parque Calderon.  That church was replaced with the “New Cathedral” across the other side of the park. Fancy names, don’t you think? ☺

We picked up a program booklet when we walked in.  As we had kinda expected, it was all in Spanish.  Indeed, we were the only gringos in the room.  I read through the booklet, and was pleasantly surprised that I could understand most of what was being said.  Unfortunately, the book only referenced the weekly parades in passing.  The entire content of the book was referring to the big Christmas Eve parade.  About 2/3 of the book was photographs, and I found it interesting that I recognized every scene, and have photos of them myself from last year.

Once the speakers began, things went downhill fast.  They spoke in a monotone, while reading from a fully written prepared speech.  If I understood it, I am sure I would have fallen asleep.  As it is, our language skills are not up to being able to understand conversational spoken Spanish, so our only clue of the content was the knowledge that it probably related to the parade.

We left after the first speaker…