No, sadly, we didn't have that privilege (though I did once have a private meeting in the presidential palace with a former president... but that's another story).   Yesterday, PBS aired a 15 minute interview with Rafael Correa, in English.  It's very rare to hear Mr. Correa respond to a journalist in English - and I thought it would be interesting to those of you who may have a wider interest over things Ecuadorean.   

Mr. Correa did his Ph.D. in the USA - though his English remains heavily accented.   I have seen him perform in Spanish and tongue tied he is not!   It must be frustrating for someone so loquacious in his native tongue to have to interview in a 2nd language. 

It's worth the 15 minutes to watch this PBS interview - if only to get a better idea on what's going on at the national government level in Ecuador.  Mr. Correa is very much a populist.  Every Saturday morning, he hosts a 2-3 hour television show in a different city or town (the "sabatinas"), further cementing his connections to the people.   He has huge support in the country, but also a large opposition.   You can't please everybody all of the time it seems.

Click here to see the video.