Tanto Belleza, Tanto Pobreza

---

Ecuador is SO beautiful. I really can’t even describe it - it’s simply breathtaking.

For my last part of vacation before school starts up again, I went to a place about 6 hours away to basically hike in the middle of nowhere. We left early Friday morning to take a 2 hour bus in order to take a 4 hour bus. We caught our buses no problem, walked 2 minutes through this tiny town, put our stuff down in our hostel, and then set off down the road not knowing exactly where we were going. We were about 12,000 feet above sea level in a very mountainous area, and we are also far away from everything. It is surrounded by TONS of farms, with all the crops and animal pens slanted on the sides of the mountains.

At first I couldn’t imagine how people could live in such a remote place like this, but I began to love the idea more and more. Life is so much simpler there. You can really focus on the important things in life, like family and the work you’re doing. I definitely prefer that than to life in Quito, this huge city, where everything is busy busy busy, even in Latin America. Anyway, so we were just walking down this road, and everyone we passed said ‘hola!’ or ‘buenas tardes!’ with a huge smile. All of the Ecuadorians I met on this trip were the friendliest people I have ever met in my life. So many wanted to know where we were from, where we were going, etc.

However, it’s intriguing to me how Ecuador can be so beautiful that it can take my breath away, yet reality can be so cruel on the streets of Quito for my kids and their families that it can make me cry. This is true for all parts of the world. The natural beauty in places like Ecuador is such a contrast to the extreme poverty that exists especially in Latin America and Africa. This is our world -a world of contrasts. There is so much love and joy, while there is also so much hatred and selfishness.

And it’s interesting how both things - natural beauty and extreme poverty - bring me closer to God. It’s so easy for me to see Him in both - in the beautiful mountains, the smiles of the kids. Life is truly beautiful here.

I love traveling and ‘conocering’ (like getting to know) Ecuador in places like Baños and Quilotoa for the outdoors as well as the coast for the ocean and everything, but through the Center I feel like I am able to conocer Ecuador more deeply, more truly. Ecuador is not just a pretty face, which is usually only what the tourists see (or want to see) when they come here. But I am able to see a lot more through working with these kids and their families.

It has been weird to do some of the more touristy things of Quito this past week, like Mitad del Mundo and Old Town (the historic part of the city). I decided I don’t really like the feeling of being a tourist. It’s not as weird to do things in Quito, since this is where I live and work, but I’m not sure how much I would enjoy visiting a country just to visit it. I want to really know different places in the world, and I can’t get to know a place by going to all of the touristy spots and seeing the natural beauty and ignoring everything else.

Well, these are just rambling thoughts in my head during break. I’m sure there will be more to come in the near future.

---