Ups and downs

The ups: Whirling in delight with a pack of children, the remains of a huge fire licking at our faces and heels. Diana shaking and spinning, her shawl flying out to the sides and her feet pumping back and forth in the center of the circle. Little hands in mine, shrieking laughter, Ecuadorian national music blaring, more spinning (señorita, una vuelta), the heat of my face and layers stripped as the cold night air slaps my bare arms and i return to the fray of children, delighting to no end in the beauty of their skirts and embriodered shirts, the complete euphoria of dancing recklessly with all these little bodies, mateo dancing solo with his batman, and the slight fire of earlier drinks allowing me not to care that everyone is watching, and very few adults are dancing. Later after the kids have dispersed and the second bonfire lit, feeling my feet flutter across the cobble stone as my husband and I dance salsa and actually acheive some grace at it, turns feeling smooth and romantic (señorita, una vuelta).
the downs: Having had too much to drink and yelling at my husband for no good reason, my stomach churning the next day as we ride with our boss who (like everyone in ecuador) drives very fast and doesn't slow down for the curves on the way to Quito. The shame when cameron gives me away as being sick from the night before and not from motion sickness. Being doubled over on the side of the highway in the hot sun, traffic whizzing by (señorita, una vuelta), nausea that has persisted for two days, making me grumpy and wonder if alcohol is all there is to it.