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Published: January 24th 2010
Well. What can I say? It’s been a while. Anyone who really knows me should have known from the beginning that I would be incapable of actually maintaining a blog (aka contact with anyone). Ha. But I’m ok with that. Everyone has different talents, right? 😊
So it’s already the end of January. I CANNOT BELIEVE how fast time has flown! I remember thinking that the month of January was going to drag on forever, but low and behold, here we are at the end! So, here goes my best attempt to get you caught up on the last 2 months.
December was a crazy month packed full of events. We celebrated the Center’s 45th birthday (how amazing). Volunteers got up at WAY too early and helped prepare a pancake breakfast for the entire center. After breakfast, we organized games for the center kids; relay races, 3 legged races, musical chairs, face painting, and even an Ecua-style dunk tank (a volunteer sat under a window and kids took turns throwing balls at an improvised target, when the target was “hit,” another volunteer used a giant pot to dump water on the seated volunteer). It was a big hit 😊
The following weekend we filled bultos (giant bags) with donated clothes and goods for the families. Elementary English classes wrapped up the trimester with a skit. My first grade girls sang a song about colors (we had been practicing this song for 3 weeks straight). Come performance time, I was so proud of them (even though you still couldn’t understand a word they were saying) 😊
My brother, Taylor, came to visit during the last week of school. Therefore, he got a taste of what I do on a daily basis. However, travel, fatigue, and altitude adjustment kept him from REALLY experiencing my daily schedule (as he could just stay home and nap). The following week, we traveled to Mindo (a cloud forest) for some hiking and zip lining. We toured Centro Historico (the historical area here in Quito) and attended WAY too many masses for my liking. X-mas eve we did “gringo mass” (where Father Juan says mass in English) and then went to Guangopolo (a community outside of Quito). Mass here was actually pretty sweet. The church was packed with people and hundreds of ‘baby Jesus’ dolls waiting to be blessed. Along with all of the people (and creepy dolls), we enjoyed the company of stray animals at our feet and the sounds of a drunken parade/celebration outside. The music was fun and loud and the building just emitted an energy that you just don’t find in “wealthier” communities.
Christmas day, we skipped mass downtown (what rebels…) in favor of making pancakes. But don’t worry, we faithfully attended the other mass here at our center. That afternoon, Madre Cindy made x-mas dinner for, more or less, 75 people (volunteers, family members, and Center guests). The house was full and every chair was occupied. Later on, after dinner, ‘gag’ gifts were given out to EVERYONE. The presentation took forever, but each person received an awkward photo of themselves with a witty story created by the Madres and Padre. I still can’t get over how hilarious they can be.
After Christmas, we headed to Otovalo, the famous indigenous market here in Ecuador. We had fun buying hats, the crazy pants that are so popular here, and other random trinkets (like musical instruments made out of pig parts!). We finished out the day risking food poisoning by eating on the street. We had super good fried tilapia with potatoes. Taylor, of course, decided to choose the biggest fish (about the size of a small whale...) and proceeded to receive stares of wonderment from fellow Ecuadorian diners 😊
With the Otovalo experience under our belts, we got home and hopped on the night bus to Atacames (a beach about 7 hours from Quito). We boogie boarded, sunned, relaxed, read, hammocked, and ate the best ceviche in a little tent about 10 feet from the water’s edge. We bused back to Quito and Taylor got to experience some of Ecuador’s New Years traditions a day early thanks to his college RA, Luis, who is from Quito and was home visiting family. He flew out in the early morning on the 31st.
Let me explain a bit more about New Years here in Quito, as it was probably one of my favorite experiences to date! First of all, “viudas” (widows) fill the streets begging for money. Now these aren’t the “regular, old” widows that you might be imagining… These are young men, dressed up as women stopping traffic with provocative dances asking motorists for handouts to help them fund their fiestas for the night! It was hilarious! Luckily, there was a group of men doing their thing right up the street from our house, so we didn’t have to go far to get a firsthand account of this tradition! Second, to ensure that the coming year goes smoothly, you have to burn an Año Viejo (to get rid of the old year). These are giant dolls made of clothes stuffed with sawdust. After picking out your favorite, you get to choose a face to finish off the doll. There were faces of local politicians, celebrities, Michael Jackson, and various other unnamed men and women. Third, you need to wear yellow underwear. Fourth, at midnight, you must run around the block with a suitcase to guarantee a year of good traveling. Finally, you must eat 12 grapes in one minute while making a wish on each one of them.
OF COURSE, I had to participate in each one of these traditions 😊 Sarah, Jenny, and I went down to the market and bought our Año Viejo dolls and grapes. Later that evening, donning our yellow underwear (on the inside of course), we set up camp on the street outside of the center. We burned our dolls on the sidewalk (with the help of some kitchen oil…), ran up and down the block with our giant suitcases to the encouraging shouts of our neighbors, all while trying to suck down 12 grapes. It was quite the sight as the street was full of music, celebration and families all doing the same thing 😊 We ended the night with a little American tradition of our own… we made s'mores over our burning Año Viejos.
The second trimester started the following Monday. For the rest of the year, I’ll be helping conduct surveys among the families of the Center. Once a month, I’ll get to visit 3 homes and using a survey developed by the Center’s doctor, gather data on the financial status, hygiene habits, family structure, disease prevalence, and discipline habits of the families. This is right up my alley, so I’m excited to continue this project! Finally, being part of the “health team” pays off!?!?!?
Also, as part of this “health team,” I, along with another volunteer, have started bringing interested 6th graders to Alateen meetings (a group for children dealing with an alcoholic family member) on Thursday nights. Thus far, it has been an awesome experience. Even though a huge percentage of kids at the center have alcoholic family members, we have only accompanied 3 kids to the last few meetings. However, these are amazing kids. In a room full of other kids pounding on their cell phones, talking to each other, giggling, etc… our kids participate (with real interest) and are so well behaved. They brought a tear to my eye as we walked out of the first meeting.
Otherwise, I’m happy to report that I’m finally starting to feel comfortable here (ie starting to like it here 😉. I’ve always known all along that we’re not ACTUALLY here to teach. We’re here to be examples. We’re here to form relationships. We’re here to be listeners. We’re here to share smiles, laughs, and hugs. And I’m finally starting to appreciate this kind of work. I love these kids (even the horribly horrible ones) and, even though it’s only January, I’m beginning to dread having to leave at the end of July… But, along with this new found comfort, I can start to enjoy the little things in life again. For example, I’ve etched out a solid hour of workout time in my day. I’ve started eating “on time.” We normally have dinner at 8:45 pm (when everyone’s day is finally done), but that’s been driving me crazy (that crazy 9 hour stretch between lunch and dinner made me feel like my stomach was going to eat itself..). So I’ve started eating at 6 (during my little break) instead (ahah again, what a rebel). Also, last weekend, Sarah and I took the kids of one of my favorite families to the park. We rode paddle boats, ate a picnic lunch, played futbol, and just enjoyed the day. Thursday night, we finally went down to the little carnival a few blocks down the street and rode insanely unsafe Ecua-rides. It was a blast (even though someone in our little four person group actually did sustain a minor injury..) . I’m starting to realize that I’ve really missed that kind of spontaneity and that even though I’m way too tired to even think straight after a 13 hour work day, sometimes I just need to tell my sleepy self to just shut up and go do something that I WANT TO DO.
Well, the daily power outages seemed to have stopped (or at least didn’t happen last week). However, as the severe drought here in Ecuador continues… I’ve heard rumors that they are now going to shut off the water for part of the day instead of the electricity. But, who knows… I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised 😊 However, I have a feeling that my little cuna kids (daycare) will continue to be blamed by fellow Ecua-workers for not praying hard enough for rainfall to prevent the ‘animalitos en los campos’ from dying. Humph… you know, you can only do so much 😉
Feliz dia !
Oh, I just wanted to share one of my favorite moments of the week...
I was on my way up to one of my adult classes when I bump into one of my first grade English girls, Tati. After a few minutes of “no te vayas” (don’t go!) and “come play with me,” I tried to help her understand that even though she’s done with classes for the day, some people are not (I did this knowing full well that there would be no way possible she would get her little first grade mind around this concept). So after a few hugs we parted ways. So, as I’m continuing up the stairs to my classroom, I hear little Tati scream, “KATALINA!!!” (my Spanish name..) I turn around to see her tiny little face peaking around the stairwell just in time to hear her yell, “SHOES!” I almost died. We’ve been studying clothes in English class for the past few weeks and she has yet to remember the name of a single item of clothing in English. Then she gives me her famous toothless, dirty (but hopelessly cute) grin, and runs away.
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Leslie Eichler
non-member comment
:)
Oh Kate! You sound like you are doing sooo well! I seriously laughed out loud at your New Year's Eve extravaganza! Haha! I can just picture you doing everything you described. I'm excited to hear about your new "assignment" going to meet with the families. It sounds like it's right up your alley. Keep up your good and hard work! I'm proud of you :) --Leslie PS. The "shoes" story was absolutely adorable! Kids certainly know how to tug at your heartstrings! xoxo