December in Ecuador: The most wonderful and crazy time of the year!

Wow! Time has been whooshing by!! The last few months have been a whirlwind of activities and preparations for Christmas. Here's a little recap of some of our recent happenings:

Church celebrations: December was the month of Confirmations and 1st Communions in our parish! My housemate Katty proudly welcomed her RCIA students as full members of the church :) All the kids dressed up in gorgeous white dresses or shirt and tie for the special occasion. And afterwards- fiesta! Church moments are a reason to celebrate, and we were blessed to be invited to participate! One of the families had a big party with food and dancing into the night. I always tell Ecuadorians that when I have kids, I want to throw parties like that :)

Visiting Bucay: San Felipe had a Mass and candle-lit procession around the main streets in our neighborhood for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. An adorned statue of the Virgin Mary led the way, with students and families following behind singing. And because students were out late, Madre Lucely cancelled school the next day :) I was invited to go visit a home in the country with all three Madres, one of the teachers from school, and a few relatives of the family that lives there. The finca (farm house) sat on rolling green hills covered in trees- right on the divide between the coast and mountain regions of Ecuador. It was absolutely beautiful! While there, the family welcomed us into their lives and made us feel at home. Some highlights of the trip: Milking a cow and drinking the fresh, boiled milk with hot cocoa powder. Exploring the gardens and seeing pineapple growing on the plant. Eating fresh sugar out of the cane. Hiking to a waterfall and swimming in the FREEZING cold pool! Spending time with a beautiful, generous Ecuadorian family.

Novenas y Posadas: The nine days leading up until Christmas were incredibly special here. At school, we had a novena each morning. The students acted out little parts of the Nativity story each day, sang religious Christmas carols, and participated in prayer. At night, each of the three chapels held their own prayer services or posadas. What is a posada you may ask? "Posada" means "inn" and is the beautiful tradition in some Spanish-speaking countries of acting out Mary and Joseph seeking shelter in Bethlehem. We went to a different house each night, following the two people dressed as Joseph and Mary and singing. Arriving at our destination, a singing exchange would take place until the doors of the house were opened and everyone entered to pray together. Even though peoples houses are small, the hospitality and love were tremendous. Being able to share in the anticipation of the Christ's coming with women, families, and the young people of our parish was a blessing. Their faith and dedication is an inspiration and a gift. One of the nights, the power went out and stayed out, so we held the whole event in candlelight.

Christmas: Feliz Navidad! On Christmas Eve, we all went to the three, yes THREE, Masses held in the parish. That's a lot of Mass in one night! But it was a chance to share and celebrate and be with our friends. At the first, I semi-directed the Nativity play, and it was a success! The most adorable part? One of the shepherds went running down the aisle of the church yelling, "The Christ was born! The Christ was born!". We definitely hadn't practiced it that way, and it was absolutely beautiful! We spent Christmas morning with kids from the youth group, revealing our "amigo secreto" and sharing some songs with a little fiesta for neighborhood kids that was going on. I am so thankful for the presence of such loving young people in our lives and for the role models they are in the community. That night, we visited Casa Damian, a hospital for Hansen's patients. We shared carols with the men and women who are alone during the holidays. Not having our families with us either, it was very special to share those moments together.

Riobamba: Vacation! Bernie, Katie, Lindsay, Liz and I took a trip to Riobamba after Christmas. We went seeking chillier weather in honor of the Christmas season :) Our adventures took us up Chimborazo, a snow-capped volcano, and to a little village called Candelaria where we hiked the rolling green hills. It's amazing and breath-taking how diverse the geography of Ecuador is. And while waking up at 5am to take a bus into the wilderness may not be the most relaxing way to vacation, it was absolutely worth it to experience the beauty of nature.

Exam Week at San Felipe

This week I am enjoying a week of VACATION! The reason? We just finished 2nd trimester exams. I was incredibly surprised to learn that in Ecuador, even elementary school kids take exams at the end of every grading period. An ENTIRE WEEK of tests! The oldest kids, who are only 8 years old, had 15 different subjects to study for. How stressful! Especially since the results make up 1/4th of the trimester grade. Even the little itty bitties took tests. I admit, I don't understand how effective it is to give five year old kids 10 different tests like that, but I did my best to be helpful during the process and to lend a hand when I wasn't proctoring my own English exams.

In one of the 1st grade classrooms, there is a boy with special needs. His name is Jesús. He can be a very loving or a very violent child, and this often changes without notice. When I have free time in my schedule, I work one on one with him, because left to his own devices, he does not accomplish much and spends a significant amount of time crawling around the floor on all fours barking. Imagine trying to help 20-some 5 year old kids (who can't read) take an exam while Jesús is pretending to be a puppy... yikes. So one of the test days, I worked on exams with him one-on-one. We were making some progress when all of a sudden, he looked at me with his eyes wide, exclaimed "oh no!", and slid out of his seat onto the floor. He then began crawling around making scary snake/dragon noises and pretending to bite other students' feet. Having worked with him many times before, I knew chasing him would not work. Picking him up and putting him back in his seat...also no. So I followed a few paces behind him saying, "Sea humano, por favor. Quiero hablar con el nino Jesús." (Be a human, please. I want to talk to Jesus the little boy.) Although my mind was absolutely frustrated, I kept my voice calm. And after what seemed like hours (which was only 3 minutes tops), he looked at me from the floor and shouted "Hola!". I made a big show of being overjoyed to find him human again, hugging him and thanking God. And we actually finished an entire exam!

A frustrating part of exams, I had a LOT of students try to cheat by writing things on their hands or by talking during the test. Ugg...very disappointing. But despite all that, most of my kids passed the exam, and some of them aced it!

Creepy Crawly Hatching Things

After three months of Ecuador life (which includes many meals eaten at neighbors' houses), I am proud to say that I have only caught one parasite (amoebas) and one stomach fungus! Exciting, yeah?? :) One of my community mates wasn't quite so lucky and currently has LICE. Yikes! I've spent many hours combing through her hair to pull out the little critters and tons of eggs. The worst part, you have to kill 'em...by squeezing them between your fingernails until they pop! Ah! But she should be clear soon! We're all going to get buggy things this year, though, so it's not a bug deal. Parasites and infections and critters will not defeat us! :)

Conveniently, there is a clinic within walking distance that can deliver test results in a day and write prescriptions to exterminate our little buggy friends. How much does it cost? For a medical consult, we pay $3. And for a parasite test? $2. Prescriptions are a little more expensive- it cost me $15 for three different medicines to get rid of the zoo in my belly. But even though it seems extremely cheap (we also have medical insurance that reimburses us), there are still many people who cannot afford the medical attention they need.

Something interesting related to health in Ecuador- there are a LOT of local remedies that we've been advised to try. When I came down with a cough, I was told to drink milk with garlic boiled in it (I wouldn't suggest it...although I did try it). A different friend fed me spoonfuls of fish oil (also not recommended). When my housemate was having trouble sleeping, we were told to blend pineapple and lettuce together and have her drink it (we never tried it). I was also told to leave a pineapple outside all night and then cut it up and feed it to her in the morning before she got out of bed...uh??? Not having a clue about medicine, I have no idea if there is any scientific backing to these methods, but who knows!

So what's it like in Monte Sinai, anyway?

I realized this week that I haven't actually described the neighborhood where I'm living this year. Ooops!

Monte Sinai and the surrounding communities were formally farm land. Settlement began when plots were sold cheaply and illegally to people seeking work opportunities closer to the city and to indigenous people who came from the mountains. Over the past 5 years, thousands upon thousands have come to call this place home.

Housing? Most of our neighbors live in cane houses. Many are built on stilts to avoid flooding during the rainy season. There are also a good number of cement block houses. These are seen as a status symbol and a major step up. Families save for years to start building a cement house, and even then it often takes years to complete. The insides of homes vary. I've only been in one house that did not have at least a couple of beds that people shared. Most have a fridge, an electric stove top (having an oven is less common), a TV, and plastic tables/ chairs. We know a few who have invested in computers, and one family that has a projector to watch movies on the wall.

Utilities? There is no running water in the community. The water people do have is not very clean and comes from "tanqueros" (trucks) that drive around during the day honking, filling up big plastic barrels outside peoples' homes. A refill costs $1. This seems cheap, but those living in the city pay far less for their water. Our volunteer house has a large cistern that pumps H2O and allows for showers and sinks, a luxury not available to our neighbors. Electricity is currently pirated and subject to frequent black outs. The longest we've gone without power is 10 hours (it actually went out Halloween night and stayed out until the morning-spooky!), but we've heard that in the past and during the rainy season it's been much worse and has stayed out for days at a time. This is terrible for businesses like restaurants, stores, and cyber cafes that rely on electricity to function (think refrigerators and food spoiling). There is a power plant close by which may soon start supplying energy to the neighborhoods. Families would have to pay, but it would mean a more stable and less dangerous connection.

Roads? Most roads are unpaved and in terrible condition. They turn to mud in the rainy season and make it difficult for cars and buses to pass (One really great thing is the public transportation- buses are frequent and only cost $.25!). There are a few main roads that are now paved and make travel much easier (especially for the great number of commuters who work in the city- a 2 hour bus ride away).

Overall, things are improving little by little it seems. There is more police presence. Garbage trucks enter the neighborhood twice a week (there was no trash pick-up previously, so people burned or threw garbage on the street). More businesses are cropping up too. At least two new internet cafes have opened within walking distance in the last few months. Progress.

However, there are many other issues that make life difficult. Drugs, alcohol, gangs, domestic violence, and machismo are very present in the community. Unemployment or unstable employment is also a major reality. Many of the men or fathers work in construction or other manual labor jobs that are unreliable and don't provide steady income. Discipline is mainly physical. Kids frequently talk about their parents hitting them.

But to end on a hopeful note, a non-profit called Hogar de Cristo is doing fabulous work in the community. One of their offices focuses on community organizing (my housemate Katie works there). There are currently groups of community members forming and growing, taking leadership roles and seeking ways to improve the quality of living here. This same non-profit also organizes women's groups (Bernadette works in this office) that meet to form relationships, talk about issues like family and self-esteem, and seek to empower women who are commonly confined to the home. There is also a group for senior citizen's rights that is working on giving attention and encouragement to the elderly in the area who often go forgotten. Good things are happening. People are working together for change.

San Feipe's 1st Ever "CASA ABIERTA"!

I know some of you are dying to see some of my students, so here are a few photos from the open house we had in September! It was a huge success with all the kids showing off projects they'd done :) They were so proud of themselves!!

 María, the 2nd grade teacher, with some of the kiddos!

Some of my 4th graders proudly showing off their "7 types of soil" project

A la finca!

After Mass a few Sundays ago, 5 of us traveled with our friends Victor, Damian, and Alejandra to the "campo" (the country) where Victor´s grandparents have a finca (farm). It was an absolute blessing to spend the afternoon chatting with the abuelitos and other family, eating delicious grilled plantains and menestra (a lentils and veggie dish), exploring the river, and swatting the ever persistant mosquitos :) All around us were plaintain, cacao, grapefruit, and papaya trees. The river was beautiful and peaceful. What a contrast to the city! Many thanks to Victor for inviting us and to his family for their generous hospitality.

Visiting with Victor´s grandparents, aunts, and cousins

 Us with Victor!

 Walking through the "wilderness" of plantain and fruit trees (and mosquitos!)

Lessons from the Ecua classroom

What I´m learning (and re-learning) as an Ecua teacher :)

-Jumping into life in a new country and speaking a different language all day is quite a transition! One of my biggest and most frequent challenges is trying to express myself and really be who I am in Spanish. (I can´t even tell you how many jokes I´ve had fail due to a lack of vocabulary on my part!) Those of you who know me understand that I can be pretty ridiculous :) So imagine my despair when I realized last week that my students had yet to encounter the goofy side of Señorita Elisa (that´s me). What a tragedy! The constant energy it takes to give directions and manage a classroom in Español was preventing me from letting loose and having more fun! One of my main goals this year is to instill a LOVE of LANGUAGE in my students. I want them to enjoy learning English and feel motivated to continue studying it. Whether or not they all know that "head" means "cabeza" or that "The jacket is blue" means "La chaqueta es azul" becomes much less important in comparison. And a main factor in creating that excitement is doing fun activities and having a passionate teacher. So having had this total "wow, duh" moment, I´ve started hamming it up and letting my inner dorky goofball shine. Last week during a lesson on clothes, I may have worn socks on my ears and barked like a dog (to my students´ glee), and I definitely threw myself dramatically to the ground in feigned agony after bumping heads with a student (you should have seen the looks of shock on their faces haha). And you know what? My students are having more fun and so am I!

-Storybooks are magical in Ecuador. Seriously. It´s incredible. Most kids don´t have books in their homes and there are no libraries here, so when I bring a "cuento" to school with me, the students are beyond excited. They hang on every word and then chant "otro, otro!" when the story ends. It´s a special treat for them to be read to because it happens so rarely. Last week, the magic of the "cuento" came to my rescue. The 2nd grade teacher had a meeting with parents that lasted 50 minutes longer than anticipated (this is not at all uncommon here, as time is a very fluid concept). So instead of spending 40 minutes with 27 super energetic, often totally loco, second graders, I had a whole 1.5 hours. Yikes! The attention span of a 6 year old is definitely NOT that long haha. Thankfully I had a handful of storybooks in my bag. I had never read to this class before and was unsure of how they would respond or how long they would stay attentive. But wow. It was absolutely SILENT in the salón (a sound I wasn´t sure ever existed in this particular classroom), and not a single student budged from their seat through all three stories I read. I will definitely be bringing stories more often to use as motivation for good behavior and to share the joy of reading with these crazy kids :)

-I supposedly have some "bad" kids in my classes. The first week, I was warned that a couple of the boys were a "dolor de cabeza", a real headache. And it´s not that I disagree. I can definitely see how these squirrely niños could really wreak havoc on a classroom. However, I have had quite the opposite experience with them so far (prayers for this to continue would be much appreciated!). Part of it is probably because I´m new and interesting and because I teach English, which the kids tend to like (because we play games instead of sitting and copying from the board like they often do the rest of the day). But I also think it´s because I give them responsibilities and keep them engaged. When they´re bored, they get themselves into trouble, bothering other students and picking fights. So my "bad" kids become diligent score keepers and teacher assistants when we play games or pass out materials. They´re bright students and enjoy being involved! And I hope that they also can tell that I didn´t immediately write them off because of their reputation. And I´m glad I didn´t because they´re quickly becoming students who I most look forward to seeing each day.

-One of the most unique and special parts of being a teacher in Monte Sinai is living in the same neighborhood as my students. I often see them out and about with their parents while walking down the street. Last weekend I was even invited to the 3rd birthday party of my student´s little brother! (Did you know that after blowing out the candles, everyone chants "que la muerde" which means "bite it!" and the birthday person has to bite the cake and usually get their face shoved into the frosting? :) ) It was such a blessing to share family time and be welcomed into the home of Niurka. Another cool moment was making a house visit when one of my students was sick and missed a day of English. Knowing where they lived, I stopped by and gave a quick catch-up lesson, chatting with the mom and getting a chance to learn more about the home life of Miguel. Forming relationships with the parents is a great support and also just a beautiful opportunity to be involved in my students´ lives outside the walls of San Felipe.

My community mates are ROCKSTARS!

This past weekend, Hogar de Cristo (a big foundation here in Ecuador that works with community organizing, health, housing, education, etc), put on a concert to raise awareness and fight child labor. A big Ecuadorian reggaeton singer, Au-D, was the headliner. Kind of a big deal! What was a bigger deal (for us gringos) was that Belén and Mateo performed with one of the openning acts, a band called Grupo Eclipse from our neighborhood! Mateo played the drums, and Belén sang "Zombie" by the Cranberries. They were AWESOME! How funny that after less than a month in Ecuador, two of us volunteers were rocking out in downtown Guayaquil at the Malecón (a popular tourist spot). The rest of us cheered from the audience and even had a dance party with some mimes :)

Mateo killing it on the drums

Dancing with mimes!

So proud of our community mates :)

Pulling at my heart strings

Working at San Felipe Neri is truely a gift. This week, a beautiful little 5 year old girl came bounding over and attached herself to my side (this is a major trend haha). She looked up at me with big, brown eyes and a wide grin and declared, "Te amo" :) Such loving hearts these children have! I don´t even teach in this particular niña´s classroom (and I´m pretty sure she always called me Melissa), but she greets me every day with open arms and a huge smile. This kind of uninhibited love is something we can all learn from, I think. A love that forms instantly and is given without reservation. How beautiful.

There are also moments that break my heart. After I finish teaching my one or two English classes in the morning, I meander over to one of the 1st grade classrooms where an extra set of hands is always more than welcome. This week, one of the sweetest and most adorable boys started sobbing, sobbing. Esequiel was inconsolable, his face soaked with tears. So upset he couldn´t speak. Some of his classmates explained to me that someone had told him, "tu casa es mala" (your house is bad). It´s amazing and so incredibly sad that in a neighborhood where ALL of the children live in cane or block houses, where ALL live in poverty, there still exists the biting perception that "yours is worse" and "mine is better". And that this distinction cuts deep.

As I could only have hoped and prayed for, my days are filled with the smiles and hugs (and tears) of children. In their eyes I see God. I see hope. I see love. What a beautiful life I have been gifted here in Ecuador!

Officially on our own :)

The former volunteers left last week, so we are officially on our own! We ARE the volunteers :) Here are some little updates on life here in Mt. Sinai, Ecuador so far:

 

-Work: Tomorrow I start my job as an English teacher at San Felipe Neri elementary school! Wish me luck! This private school is run by Columbian sisters who are absolutely fantastic and serves grades K-4 (Like our preschool-3rd). Here in Ecuador, private schools tend to have a much better reputation for providing a good education than public schools. San Felipe charges $10 a month per student (in addition to buying supplies and materials). They do offer some scholarships in exchange for the mothers coming to help clean the school. My schedule right now includes 6 classes (2nd, 3rd, 4th grades twice a week). To fill the rest of my time (the school day runs from 7:30am-12:30pm), I will be helping out in other classrooms, running errands for the sisters, and playing with the adorable children during recreo (recess). I'm excited to think up songs and fun activites for my students and receive many millions of hugs each day. Side note: On the street the other day, two little girls appeared out of nowhere and attached themselves to my side! They asked when English classes were going to begin again, and despite the fact that they called me "Marita" (the former volunteer's name haha), it was a beautiful moment to be recognized and loved!

 

-Neighbors: The people here have the most beautiful hearts. We have been welcomed into homes, treated as family, encouraged to visit often, and fed cookies and cola. One of my favorite moments so far was dancing to Spanish music videos in the home of two girls: Lida and Mercedes. They have some serious moves! :) Because I only work in the mornings, my afternoons will be spend visiting with neighbors and establishing relationships within the community. What a wonderful gift it is to spend time talking with and getting to know the families of Monte Sinai.

 

-Parish: In our neighborhod, there is a life-filled parish called Bautismo de Jesus. There are three churches that have a wide range of activities: Mass, religious education classes, youth groups, womens groups that pray the Rosary together each week, and children's choirs. I'm very much looking forward to getting involved in the parish, especially as a way to form faith-based relationships with neighbors and children in the community. Something I love: everyone claps during the songs at Mass!

 

-Food: We live on less than $2/day per person, buying from little shops right down the street. We eat bread, rice, lentils, beans, eggs, veggies (onion, tomato, green pepper are staples), and fruit (the pineapple is delicious!). To give you an idea of prices, bananas (guineos in Ecaudor Spanish) are 3/$.10 and peppers-onions are $.10 each. Last night we made spiced lentils and rice for dinner, and we splurged on some choco-bananas that our neighbor Aura makes for dessert...mmmm :)

 

-Health: Haven't been ill yet! Say some prayers that it stays that way!!! :)

 

If there is anything else you'd like to know more about, please comment on the post and give me your suggestions! Soon I'll write more stories :)

Here and SAFE!

Just a quick hello to let everyone know that I made it to Ecuador safe and sound. I am LOVING it!!! The people are incredibly welcoming, and I am of course soaking up the Spanish like a sponge! :) I cannot wait to write more details, so hopefully soon!

The 5 Senses of Silent Retreating

I just returned from my first silent retreat experience :) After such a hectic, jam-packed week of Orientation, it was a much needed rest. I spent my time reading, drawing, journaling, napping, and sitting outside in the beautiful sunshine (don't worry Mom, I stayed in the SHADE :) ) I wrote down some of my observations to share:

I hear...
the whistle, chirp, chortle of birds
the soothing woosh of wind rustling the leaves of trees
the soft (and sometimes loud) thump of footsteps
a sudden burst of surprised laughter
the quiet intake and release of breath
the sweet melody of a piano

I taste...

sweet green and purple grapes

tangy BBQ chicken (yum!)

refreshing lemonade

gooey, cheesy eggplant parmesan 

I see...
warm smiles that light up an entire face and cause eyes to crinkle around the edges
heads bowed in deep thought and prayer
lips trying to mouth words with varying degrees of success :)
blue sky, sunshine, and green leaves
words filling the blank pages of journals
a strange brown and yellow bug crawling across my leg
chipmunks coming out of hiding

I smell...
crisp, clean air
freshly showered hair
that familiar "pillow" scent

I feel...
the warm breeze making my curls dance
the soft and gentle presence of a hand on my shoulder
the ground firm beneath my feet
the calm and inner peace of being still
the love of the community surrounding me

I believe...

Our "homework" during the last week has been to compose a personal creed. To reflect on what we believe and find some way to express it in words. I would like to share mine with you:

I believe we are all God's children

Broken and beautiful, desperate for love

I believe that wonder and joy surround us

Waiting to be discovered, acknowledged, cherished

I believe in true, transforming love

And that the possibility of such love outweighs the risk of heartbreak

I believe in taking time to play

To listen deeply

To laugh with your whole body

To be silent and still

I believe in holding hands and walking together

In family

In friendship

I believe in responding with love

In smiling with kind eyes

In a gentle touch that says, "I'm here"

I believe in the "maybes" and the "somedays"

I believe in me

I believe in you

Here we are!! :)

It is my immense pleasure to introduce you to the 2011-2012 Rostro de Cristo volunteers! Aren't they beautiful?? :D Also included in the back right is Megan Radek, our In-Country Director and new Ecua mom :)

Also....Meet my new community mates! The 6 of us will be living together in Monte Sinai. You can learn more about the community (http://www.rostrodecristo.org/community/sinai.html) and even see YouTube videos of our house (http://www.rostrodecristo.org/news/centro-tomas.html)!

 Patrick, Bernadette, Matt, Maddie, me, Katie :)

Rice. Beans. Corn.

I find myself at a loss for the correct words to describe just how life-giving the past 5 days in Boston have been :) I'm surrounded by the most passionate, thoughtful, and loving people. Hearing from guest speakers with incredible knowledge. Sharing wonderful, deep conversations with new friends. Being challenged to think about who I am and why I'm here.

One of the most interesting experiences so far happened during mealtimes on Thursday. After 4 days of being fed a whole smorgasbord of delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, it's safe to say that the other volunteers and I had developed certain expectations for food. In fact, yesterday morning I was imagining a yummy bowl of cereal as we walked into the hall. Mmmm. Couldn't wait. What we found was this: corn, rice, and beans. My first feeling was surprise. "Well, this is different." But I dug in and soon recovered from the feeling that Mr. Cereal had stood me up. Then the same thing happened at lunch. Again at dinner. Rice. Beans. Corn. If you're wondering what the point was (because yes, rice and beans will be staple foods in Ecuador, but no, we will absolutely not eat them for every meal), here goes: It forced us to examine how we respond to situations where our expectations are not met. It challenged us to just "let it go" and focus on what was real rather than what we had hoped for or wanted. The experience was an incredibly valuable one, but I can't say I'm not a little relieved that rice, beans, and corn are not on the menu today :)

On your marks...Get set....

Goooooooooooooooo!!! One more week and I'm off! 


To give a suuuper quick summary: I will be spending the next year in Ecuador with Rostro de Cristo ("Face of Christ") working as a volunteer (most likely teaching English!) while living in a spiritual community and carrying out a simple lifestyle. I don't have a lot of details yet, but I will be keeping this blog to document future adventures (eating guinea pig, perhaps?? :) ) and the many challenges (cold showers...) to come! My communication will be limited to emailing from internet cafes and letter-writing, but I will be in touch as often as possible and would appreciate frequent email updates and stories :)

In case you are curious, here is a link to Rostro de Cristo's webpage. You can check out the program and what they do! 

http://www.rostrodecristo.org 

I should find out some more info while in Boston for training July 18th-31st. I can't wait to write some real updates on this blog and put pictures up! Get ready!! :)