An Ecuadorian Smorgasbord

What a whirlwind these past two weeks have been! I am currently at an internet cafe in the beach town of Montañita, so I don't have too much time to write, but I wanted to give an update before I forget all the wonderful things that have taken place in the blur of my recent experiences. Sorry for the bullet-point outline!

-On Sunday, March 16th I went to an indigenous wedding with my student, Zoila. She dressed me in her beautiful indigenous clothing- a white flowery blouse, a black skirt with a knit belt, two shawls, and a gold necklace. Then we headed to the church, which happened to be on Palm Sunday, so it was standing room only. It was also a group wedding, so there were a few couples getting married. The brides weren't wearing white, but instead they matched the grooms with gorgeous brightly colored clothing, including hats and shawls with ribbons all around them. Then we spent the rest of the morning party hopping because the whole wedding party dances in the street until they walk to both the bride and then the groom's homes. I have never seen so many people drinking mid-day before in my life (well, that might be a slight exaggeration).

-My class had a party after their final exam on St. Paddy's Day. I was decked out in a green shirt, shamrock earrings, a Kiss Me I'm Irish button, and a light-up shamrock necklace that I had brought from the States. We learned about the traditions of St. Patrick's Day and then I Irish danced for them! Then we topped it all off with lots of nachos and other snack foods. Quite an interesting cross-cultural experience!

-That night I went up to Quito so that I could meet Dad and Anna the next morning. It was wonderful seeing familiar faces from home! After leading an orientation session for the new volunteers on Community Involvement, Dad, Anna, and I headed back to Ambato for my students' last day of class. For their final projects of the semester they prepared "Welcome to Ecuador" presentations for Dad and Anna, everything from topics like food and geography to mock interviews with famous Ecuadorians. They went all out! Zoila brought in her children to demonstrate formal indigenous dress and then Marco brought children from his high school who were dressed as Ecuadorian presidents from the past, and they presented on their lives. I think Dad and Anna were quite impressed by their efforts, and I sure was as well! It was a great way to end Basic 2...and now we're on to Intermediate 1!

-On Wednesday, we visited the school I volunteer with in Pillaro, and then we headed straight to Lake Quilotoa. After a visit there, we took a crazy-bumpy truck ride to Chugchilan where we stayed at my favorite Ecua hostel, the Black Sheep Inn (where I stayed with Eden and Aubrey in January). It was just so great to relax for a few days in the Andes mountains, eat delicious food, and chat with travelers from around the world. I even went horse-back riding with two sisters that I met from NYC, and we had such a nice time riding through the mountains and the cloud forest...the views were incredible!

-We returned back to Ambato on Friday afternoon for the traditional Good Friday meal of fanesca with my host family. Basically every family in Ecuador eats this meal once a year- it consists of 12 grains and fish, and it has the consistency of a stew. It was pretty good, but needless to say I was stuffed afterward. Then we met up with Aubrey and headed to the town of Otavalo in the northern highlands.

-Saturday morning we went to the Otavalo market, which is the largest market in all of South America. Basically the entire town is covered in vendor stalls- everything from fruit and meats to clothing, handicrafts, art, and jewelry. We shopped 'til we dropped! After hours of walking around and bartering, we all came out of the experience with some great purchases. Among other things, I got a hammock and some beautiful frames to put on my wall when I get back to the States, Aubrey got an alpaca sweater and a gorgeous painting, Anna got a very pretty tablecloth, and Dad got a bunch of souvenirs for people back home. Then we headed to a Colonial hacienda for the night. It is called Hacienda Guachala and it is the oldest working hacienda, or plantation, in Ecuador. Aubrey and I explored the grounds, which were really beautiful and had a lot of character- especially the church. We climbed to the top of the bell tower and could look out over the cobblestone courtyard, the horse pasture, and we could see the mountains in the distance as well.

-Easter morning Aubrey and I opened our Easter baskets with tasty treats from the States and then we all went horse-back riding to the Equator. Though this is the third Equator tourist site I have visited, the guide insisted this is the only one that is actually at 0 degrees latitude, so who knows! A person weighs the least while on the Equator, because of the change in the gravitational pull on the Equator's bulge, so I surely savored that fact while I was there. In the distance we could also see the Cayambe Volcano, which is the highest point the Equator crosses in the entire world. Then we headed back to the hacienda, and went to Quito for the night.

-Monday morning, Dad, Anna, and I headed to Mindo, a town in the cloud forests of Ecuador. It is also one of the bird-watching capitals of the world, so we were excited to see small toucans flying in the wild. We took a hike, saw some incredible views of the cloud forest and surrounding valleys, and then spent the afternoon relaxing in the hot tub. On Tuesday we took a tarabita, or cable car, to another mountain which has seven waterfalls. I went to the first waterfall with Dad and Anna, but then I had to leave them early to catch my bus to the coast. The last time I saw them was from the cable car, and they were waving down below. I really loved being able to share Ecuador with them, and I think they enjoyed the experience as well! And I guess I should also take a minute to say congrats because the cat is out of the bag, and there will be a wedding in late August. Felicidades!

-Since I left Mindo on Tuesday morning, I have been busy spending my time relaxing at the beach. I know it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. I met up with two fellow volunteers, Annie and Ava, who are taking a tour of the coast, starting from the north and working their way down. So we spent the first few days in Canoa, which was a gorgeous beach with cliffs in the background. Then we were to the port town of Puerto Lopez on Thursday afternoon. We took a tour of the Isla de Plata, or Silver Island, on Friday, which required an hour and a half boat ride in the Pacific each way from the mainland. Along the way we saw dead hammer-head sharks on the beach (see the photo with me, Ava, and Annie), live sharks in the water, and blue-footed boobies! We even got to go snorkeling off the island and I saw the most brightly-colored fish I have ever seen.

-Our friend Mark came to meet us on Saturday morning and we went to the Machalilla National Park, and hiked to various virgin beaches, free from vendors and crowds. It was so wonderful! So we explored the rocky cliffs, swam in the ocean, and did lots of reading and chatting on the beach. It was a nice combination of beautiful scenery and good friends, so a great experience overall.

-Then we headed to Montañita, Ecuador's most famous surfer town. This is actually my third time here! Montañita has a great, chill vibe. Everyone is just here to relax and surf, so it's a much needed break from chilly, polluted Ambato. We were also joined by some other friends, so it was a really fun weekend! The highlights included dancing on Saturday night and all the wonderful seafood dishes I have been trying, especially the "encocado," or coconut shrimp dish I had last night. Also, Mark took me to this amazing church he knew about yesterday- it sits on a cliff overlooking the ocean, and it is completely open to the ocean breeze. If I lived here I would be at church every Sunday without a doubt! It also has a statue of Mary that apparently wept blood in 1990, so that was really interesting to see, with remaining blood stains and all. She is called Maria Rosa Mistica, so I will have to read up some more on her.

So as for now, the plan is to stay here in Monañita until tomorrow, then we are all heading to visit Mark's house on the beach in La Libertad. From there Annie and Ava are heading home, and I'll be heading to Guayaquil to visit some other volunteers, and then to the towns of Loja and Vilcabamba in the south. I have really been loving my tour of Ecuador during this vacation, and I'm happy that I will have gotten to see so much of it before I head back to the States in July. It will definitely be hard going back to work next Monday though! But then again, I will be so excited to see my students again and to get started on my third and final semester here in Ecuador. Crazy to imagine! Well, I better get back to the sunshine, but I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and that spring weather is off to a good start back home. Miss you!

Finding My Groove

I know I’ve talked a great deal in the past about the generosity of Ecuadorians, but this past week I witnessed a true showing of their profound appreciation as well. The school administrators, children, and host families were just so humbled that this group of students from UVa had come to spend a week working with them. There seemed to be an outpouring of appreciation in every direction.

Last Wednesday the UVa students and I were all on television together! It was such a funny situation. The show was called Punto de Encuentro, or Point of Encounter, and it was a Larry King-esque interview show just for the small town of Pillaro. My student, Marco, appeared first on the program, while we all anxiously watched the television screen in a room down the hall. All of a sudden I heard him mention my name, and then everyone was telling me I was supposed to be on the air! Before I knew it, I was sitting next to Marco with a microphone in my hand, explaining my involvement in WorldTeach and ASB, and answering difficult questions about the role of English in international development. Talk about not feeling prepared! But it was a lot of fun and somehow I was able to get by, mumbling through my broken Spanish. The host interviewed all of the other volunteers, 3 at a time, and I think the show was a great success! If nothing else, it certainly was a memorable experience for all of us, and if you’re lucky you’ll be able to see the show when I get back to the States because we all received a copy (I apologize in advance for my ridiculous performance).

In addition to the television program, the host families went above and beyond in showing their love and appreciation for the volunteers. They honestly had four good-bye-saying sessions, complete with hugs and tears, between Thursday and Friday night. The host families gave many of the volunteers small gifts and told them their house was open to them whenever they wanted to return. I was especially touched by one host mother who knitted two scarves for the male volunteers that she had staying in her house. I was sitting next to her on the bus when she was working on one of them, and when I asked her about it, she said that they were her sons and she wanted to do this for them. The children of the host families found these goodbyes especially hard. They had made great new friends with the volunteers and were very sad to see them go. One little girl, Anita, called me in tears on Sunday asking for Yukari, one of the leaders of the ASB group. I tragically had to relay the fact that the group was already on their way back to the States, but that I would promise to tell Yukari that she had called, which I did!

So I know there is often a lot of controversy in relation to these ASB trips. It seems like there are always a few articles every year in UVa's daily paper, especially in the weeks leading up to spring break, with people expressing their opinions about how ASB trips do more harm than good. These students feel that ASB is just another expression of Americentric values and a display of Americans attempting to change the world when they might not be welcome in the first place. Well, I certainly respect those opinions and I see their value, but I also cannot deny the beautiful interactions I witnessed last week between the volunteers and the Ecuadorians.

First of all, the students came by request of my student, the principal of the school, to practice English with the children. Secondly, the volunteers did not just play with the children all week, but instead were each assigned their own class, spent their evenings lesson planning, and then taught in front of their own class alone for four hours each day. They gave this experience, and most importantly the children, their full efforts. Thirdly, their hearts were in the right place. From my viewpoint, these volunteers didn’t come in with the attitude that they were going to come and change the school or make it “better.” Instead, they worked together with the teachers to achieve the teachers’ specific classroom goals, and seemed completely open to the experiences that came to them. They had to learn as much as I have had to that living in Ecuador takes a lot of patience and the ability to go with the flow, and I must say they achieved that beautifully. They worked within the framework of the community in which they were volunteering, and they worked toward the goals and interests of that community instead of their own. Lastly, this project has a good chance of becoming a sustainable program. One of the volunteers is talking about coming back to the school this summer to practice conversation with the children again, and two others are talking of bringing another group back next year for spring break. Hopefully that can carry on for many years into the future. If nothing else, the group will remain in contact via email with the students, administrators, and host families, and may very well send school supplies and other resources in the months and years to come.

So no, these ASB volunteers did not come to Pillaro and change the world, yet that was not their intention. Their goal was to serve this school as best as they could, trying to accomplish what the school itself had in mind for the week. And something good certainly did transpire throughout their time in Pillaro. Not only could I see that on the faces of the children and in the expressions of appreciation from the host families, but my student Marco has just been raving to me how pleased all the teachers are with how the week went. They just wish the volunteers could have stayed longer! And there was a noticeable difference in the children at the end of the week as well. The school had hoped that having the volunteers here would boost the children’s confidence in speaking English, and by the end of the week the children certainly weren’t bashful in sharing a “good morning!” or “what is your favorite color?” with whomever would listen.

But more importantly than anything else, I witnessed such a magnificent cultural exchange between the volunteers and the Ecuadorians last week. Each group really opened themselves up for an intercultural experience, asking questions and sharing as much of themselves as possible. By the end of the week there was such a love and appreciation between both populations, and I think that it is safe to say that everyone involved realized more fully the true universal nature of the human spirit, and the love and generosity that is the common denominator between people in all parts of the planet. In my opinion, this cultural appreciation and integration is our first step in finding harmony in this crazy, mixed up world of ours. So though the UVa students are now back in Charlottesville, and the children in Pillaro have returned back to their normal school schedule, everyone involved carries a new sense of understanding with them, and who knows where that might take them in the future.

Phew. Well, now I will get off my soapbox and discuss a bit more about the final days of the ASB volunteers here in Ecuador. On Thursday the volunteers taught their classes as usual, and then went to Ambato for a salsa lesson with my instructor Julio that afternoon. They apparently all had a great time, and then joined me in my class at SECAP to practice conversation with my adult students. My students practiced asking them questions, and then we had a pseudo speed-dating session where my students rotated through the UVa volunteers, while discussing different questions that I proposed to them (I rang a pretend bell and everything!). I think everyone really enjoyed the exercise.  Then we finished by playing a game that had everyone, myself included, running around the classroom, laughing, and falling out of chairs.  Finally, some of my students accompanied us to a dance club so that the UVa kids could practice the dance moves they had learned a few hours before!

On Friday morning the students at the school in Pillaro put on presentations for all their parents. And though it is always gray and overcast when I go to Pillaro, we were blessed with a gorgeous, sunny morning. Each class presented either a song or short skit, and my favorites included a performance from High School Musical, Britney Spears’s Hit Me Baby One More Time, and My Heart Will Go On, with a cardboard Titanic and Jack and Rose singing at the head of the ship with hands entwined and all! Then the school surprised the volunteers with the traditional dance of the “Diablos de Pillaro,” and many of the students and school administrators came out wearing beautifully detailed costumes and danced around. Before we knew it, all the ASB volunteers had been pulled out onto the field, and all the students, administrators, and yes devils, were merrily dancing around together. Quite an end to the school week if you ask me!

That afternoon, all the professors, ASB volunteers, me, and some of the school children as well, took a field trip together to some waterfalls and the large 10-story tree house outside of Puyo. Then on Saturday, the volunteers and I went to Lake Quilotoa, and I loved sharing one of my favorite spots in Ecuador with them, especially since I had been there exactly two years before for the first time with my ASB group. Then we dropped them at their hotel in Quito at midnight on Saturday night, and I really was sad to be leaving them all. I loved getting to know them all throughout the week, and especially being able to share in such a cool cross-cultural experience with them over the course of their time here.

They gave me such an incredible gift while they were here- a new excitement and energy for my last few months in Ecuador. And through answering their various questions about Ecuadorian life and specific words in Spanish, they also helped me to see how far I have come in my time here, and how comfortable I have become in my new surroundings. I think sometimes it takes an outsider to let us see our lives more clearly, and in the last week I have thought a lot about how Ecuador truly has become my home these past six months. I no longer daydream about returning to the States as I had before I returned for Christmas (except for the occasional drifting thought of course), and I have found that I really am comfortable in my work and in my host family situation. Most of all, I have found an incredible support network in my students, host family, coworkers, and other friends who have become my backbone here and have made my time here so memorable.

For example, this past week I had lunch at my student Paulina’s house, with her husband and 9-year old son. I had such a wonderful time just talking with them all and trying guatita, a traditional dish made from the lining of a cow’s stomach…yum! Then on Friday night I went out to a restaurant with my afternoon class, and we shared many laughs over delicious food and a few jars of sangria.  Lastly, yesterday I spent the entire day with my night class on a trip to the small jungle town of Rio Negro. We took a walk along the river, played soccer and Ecua-volley, and had a huge BBQ with grilled plantains, choclo (a meatier cousin of corn), pork chop, beef, and sausage! At one point last night I realized I hadn’t spoken English once all day, yet had so thoroughly enjoyed myself and the company of my students.

So in combination of my time with the ASB volunteers, and with my students at our various activities this past week, I have realized that I have definitely settled into a comfortable groove here in Ecuador. Sure, there are still challenges and I am learning new things every day, but that feeling of being out of place here has all but vanished. And I like that my life here has become comfortable, in its own sense of the word. And for this, I am very happy and thankful.

Quickly, in other highlights from this past week, I finally got around to making chocolate chip cookies with Maria with the chocolate chips I had brought her back from Christmas. Because baking really isn’t done here, and with the change in altitude, the cookies turned out a bit of a disaster (though still delicious), but it was definitely fun during the process. Also, one of my most engaging students got a visa to the States last week (which is VERY hard for Ecuadorians to do), and suddenly left on a visit to the States for a minimum of a month and a maximum of six months! I was very sad to see her go, though I am amused by the fact that she is spending her first weeks visiting a friend in Las Vegas. Can you imagine that being your first impression of the US?! I also had a phone interview with a writer from the Cavalier Daily, UVa’s daily newspaper, on Thursday about my involvement in ASB, so I am looking forward to seeing the article tomorrow!

This week is also full of excitement. Dad and Anna fly in tomorrow and I am so excited about having them in Ecuador. I am helping out with a session of Orientation in Quito on Tuesday before I head with them on our whirlwind tour of Ecuador. And then today I am heading to a wedding in an indigenous community with a student of mine. She is going to dress me up in her indigenous clothing, so I am sure I will have an interesting account to share with you all later.

I hope you all have a wonderful week (with hopefully some time off from school/work) and a lovely Easter! Make sure to eat some extra jelly beans for me. Miss you!

Through Others' Eyes

Looking back, I was given an incredible gift this past week by being able to see Ecuador from many different perspectives. I have gotten so used to living here (well, minus my one or two surprises every day), and have pretty much fallen into a daily routine. This weekend gave me a few chances, though, to break out of that stagnant mold and to see facets of Ecuadorian life that maybe I had forgotten or hadn’t fully appreciated.

It all started last Wednesday morning when I went to the school in Pillaro. I had a few last minute things to organize before the volunteers from UVa were to arrive, but my student Marco also invited me that morning because the children were to have a ceremony in memory of a famous battle that took place in the 1800s. I still don’t quite understand who or what the battle was about, but after the morning I certainly did have quite an appreciation for it! The school had a few big tents set up, and all the parents of the children huddled under them in anticipation. Then the music began and all 200 students marched out onto the field, in perfect unison, even with uniforms and their little sailor hats. They looked like a perfect little army! The older students were carrying various flags and the rest of the students took their places around the field.

I was told to sit in the front row with my student Marco (the principal) and other honored guests. Another teacher welcomed all the parents and then read out the names of all the teachers and special guests, calling me the “Coordinator of English Studies,” which is quite a stretch since I go to the school only a few times a month. My new title was certainly appreciated though! I watched as the children proudly marched around and sang their national anthem. Then some high ranking police officer with a decorated uniform (who I might mention was sitting next to me) stood up and gave an inspirational speech about Ecuador, its people, and its values. Then the part of the ceremony that moved me most was when each of the young flag holders marched toward the Ecuadorian flag, knelt on one knee, and kissed the flag. I got choked up and everything! Witnessing such a show of patriotism from these 11-year-olds made me proud to be Ecuadorian too, if only for this year.

Well, then the greatest thing happened next. All the honored guests one by one made a short speech at the podium and then pinned one of the students with some sort of medallion. And sure enough before I knew it I had a medallion in my hand (of course no one had mentioned to me before that I would be included in the ceremony!). So in my blue jeans and sneakers I stood up in front of the podium and mumbled through something about being happy to share in this day with them all. Then I walked onto the field and pinned a sweet little girl, who was sure to thank me with “thank you” and not “gracias.” I am the Coordinator of English Studies after all. After the ceremony all the teachers, student flag holders, and their parents headed to a restaurant to have a grand feast together. There must have been 40-50 people at our banquet table. And just to make the day even more of a success, I ate cow’s tongue for lunch, without even realizing it until afterward!

Then on Friday, Aubrey and I headed to Quito to welcome the new WT volunteers at the airport. We met up with our directors and two other volunteers for dinner beforehand, and then headed to the arrivals gate wearing WT shirts and with welcome signs in hand. We helped them to the bus, traveled with them to the hotel (where I was serenaded by the Ecuadorian cast of High School Musical), and then helped them settle in. They were all so exhausted, but already I could tell that they were a great group of people that I am glad have now joined the WT family. It was such a surreal experience for me thinking that it had been exactly 6 months before that I had been going through the very same motions as these new volunteers- packing bags, saying goodbyes, and having so many expectations of my year to come. I became so nostalgic, thinking back on my thoughts then, and my emotions as I left home and descended upon this totally new and different world. Now half a year in, I can’t believe how the time has flown, or how much I have experienced. Never could I have imagined all that I have lived through since last September, and I just hope these new ten volunteers are blessed with some amazing experiences like I have been.

Then Saturday night about eight other volunteers and I performed a song and skit about life in Ecuador for the new volunteers. I played the starring role of Sally Volunteer, who experiences some pretty unexpected things her first few weeks in Ecuador, and then as time passes, she learns to understand the Ecua life going on around her. Some of the best scenes included a ride on a city bus, a lunch with her host family, and a seen in a dance club with an unwelcome dance partner. The other volunteers and I had such a blast writing the script and practicing all afternoon! We were all laughing so hard, and again it was weird to think of how not so long ago, I too was clueless about what to expect from this country. How have I learned so much in such a short amount of time? The new volunteers seemed to enjoy it, though not nearly as much as our directors who were almost in hysterics in the back of the room. I think we might have just confused the volunteers even more! But then we all went to a restaurant and just chatted and got to know each other, which was so great. They are a wonderful group of volunteers and WT Ecuador is certainly lucky to have them join our ranks. And these new volunteers have enabled me to really put my time here so far into perspective, and more importantly, have given me a new-found enthusiasm that will hopefully carry through my final four months here.

Then Sunday, if this past weekend couldn’t have gotten any busier, the UVa Alternative Spring Break group that I had anxiously been anticipating since last October finally arrived. Again, I headed to the airport, this time accompanied by Marco, his wife, and four other of my students who wanted to tag along. It was great seeing students coming out of the arrivals gate wearing UVa sweatshirts! Talk about a crashing of my two worlds. So they all headed onto the bus,and we began our whirlwind tour of the city- visiting La Mitad del Mundo so that they could stand with one foot in each hemisphere, Quito Antiguo to visit the beautiful old plazas and churches, and then La Virgen de Quito, a huge statue up on a hill with incredible views of the city and city lights. I can’t believe it was exactly 2 years before that I had done a similar tour with my fellow ASBers, so for the second time that weekend I became very nostalgic and was in disbelief by the passage of time and how life can bring about such oddities.

I loved being able to answer the students’ questions about Ecuadorian food, culture, living with host families, or teaching in the school. It also baffled me how I was able to translate everything from Spanish into English for them, or to answer questions about certain words or phrases…I hadn’t realized at all how much Spanish I have learned these past months. I guess all I really realize day to day are my frustrations when trying to understand or to express myself, and not all my little Spanish accomplishments along the way. But these UVa students have also helped me to appreciate the little things that I once found surprising, and now just take for granted. From the generosity of their host families who arrived with flowers and signs to pick them up, or to the Ecuadorians we saw dancing in the park just because there was sun shining and music in the background, there is so much beauty and life around me here that I have started to not really notice. So for the rest of my time here, I will try to remember to look at Ecuador through the eyes of someone who has just arrived, excited to soak up every small detail.

And though these ASB kids were so exhausted and overwhelmed on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning when I met them at the school (rightfully so!), I think now on day four they have settled in and are feeling a bit more comfortable in their new surroundings. I am meeting them tonight because we are all going to be on a television program in Pillaro called Punto de Encuentro, or Point of Encounter- a Larry King-esque show that will interview them and feature their service work. Should be interesting to say the least! And then we have many other activities planned together throughout the rest of the week, which I will be sure to fill you in on later.

There is just one other experience this past week that I want to share. Last night I went with 8 of my students to a Chinese restaurant in town. Neither eating out nor Chinese food are very common here, so I knew ahead of time that this might be an interesting dinner choice. I was still shocked, though, when I ordered egg rolls and not one of my students knew what they were or had ever tried them (so of course I ordered enough for the whole table). Then, they were all flabbergasted when I started eating with chopsticks! So a few of them got their own set and we continued to practice throughout the meal. I even taught them how to say thank you and goodbye in Chinese as we headed out (sadly that is about all I remember from my 4 months of Chinese last year). Little did I know how a trip to get some sweet and sour chicken would turn into such a fun cross-cultural experience- me teaching Ecuadorians about Chinese food and Chinese culture. It really made me thankful that I come from a place and background where I learned about different cultures from a young age, and where these differences are usually celebrated. So it warmed my heart to see my students embracing this Chinese cultural experience, and I hope that I am always as willing as they were to learn about new peoples and cultures.

Well, sorry for such a novel this week! I’ll cut it short now and just say chao. Chao!