Tuesday
6:10 am
Again, I am woken up long before I desire. Much to my surprise, we leave for another community, Juan Valasquez. Once in the car I immediately fall asleep....yes, it is a gift! Thankfully I awaken in time for breakfast....bread, coffee, eggs, juice all for the low price of $1.25! Let me tell you about the eggs. I had never seen anything like it. Two or so hard boiled eggs came broken up in a bowl. But there was also a soupy sauce on them, a sauce that looked like non-chunky salsa. It was delicious. Before this summer I wouldn't have touched a hard boiled egg. Now I love them. It helps a lot when you don't want to offend your host; you learn to eat, and enjoy, most everything!
8:00 am
We arrive just in time to have breakfast again. The way that we are fed speaks to the generosity of people in the communities that we visit. They take time to prepare food for us - a higher quality and quantity of food that they usually eat themselves. It shows the appreciation the community has for the work that HCJB does. This morning we have pan con queso - a delicious roll with a large hunk of homemade cheese in the middle - and a milky, grainy drink. The drink might not sound good, but it is quite delicious. It is hot milk, some kind of small grain, and sugar.
10:00 am
After talking with a few community members, we go to see the springs that will supply this community with clean water. This time 25 community members come with us. Most walk, but a few ride horses. We have the privilege to ride horses too. The path we travel is small - hardly visible among the tall grass. Seriously, we are on the side of a mountain again. The views are gorgeous! I have plenty of time to enjoy them because my horse is slow! We're at least half a mile behind the people who are walking! Once we make it to the springs, we see that this community has a plentiful, clean, fresh source of water! The only problem: it's 3+ kilometers from the village. Trench will be handdug by the people that whole way. As we head back down to the village - this time on foot - we have some entertainment. A lot of the people who came along were guys close to my age. On the way down they hunt any rabbit they see. It is so fun to watch! 15 guys run through 3 foot high grass trying to surround their foe. At last they catch one - and kill it....by hand. It was incredible.
1:15 pm
The trek down the mountain was tough on my legs. These people are fast - I have to run to keep up with them. I even have 8 inches on most of them, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. By the time we return, it's time to eat again. This meal is much like the day before. Except instead of starting out with corn, we have legumes. In front of us is a gigantic platter of boiled beans, potatoes, and eggs. The beans are big, larger than a quarter, and we have to peal the outer skin off them. The potatoes aren't really potatoes. They are small tubers, roughly the size of your thumb which taste a bit more bland than potatoes. Both of these are delicious dipped in salt. After our appetizer, they bring out soup. Again there is a chicken leg to be eaten after the broth is gone. I'm getting full, but when they bring out the next course, I know I have to keep eating. We were again served a small field's worth of potatoes, but this time we also have qui. Qui is a delicacy in Ecuador. I'm going to tell you what it is, but if you like small animals, STOP reading. Really, this is your warning. Qui is guinea pig. In fact, I could tell that that was what was sitting on my plate. Thankfully, they had cut the head off, but it was still quite recognizable. I feel honored to have been served this! I do my best to finish what I can, though it is tough to pick around all the bones. After eating to our hearts content, we have a short community meeting before starting the long trek back to Quito.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
A Whirlwind Water System Tour: Day 1
Monday
5:45 am
I wake up wondering why on Earth I am willing to get out of my nice warm bed to go to a community where I will be lucky if there are bathrooms and where there's a distinct possibility that I will return as a helado americana (a frozen American). I roll out of bed and stumble down the hill to the Water Projects Office. From there, Bruce (the head engineer at HCJB), Steve (another intern), and I head off for a community. Now at this point I had no idea what where we were going except that it was going to be cold. As it turns out we saw 3 different communities.
11:30 am
After a quick breakfast and lots of sleep in the truck, we arrive in Obraje, a town south of Quito. To meet with the villagers, we take "the stairway to the sky." Let me tell you, it is fittingly named. It is a combination of stairs and hill and by the end of it I was out of breath and sweating. This town is in the process of constructing thier water system. We checked out thier existing water tank and listened to a few concerns of the people before trekking out to see the springs. We hiked a few kilometers on the side of mountains in order to see Obraje's water source. For HCJB water projects, the people in the village supply all the labor for the water system. This means that the kilometers of trench were all dug by community members. In this town, the men are gone for close to 6 months at a time working in the sugar cane fields. Therefore it was almost exclusively women and older children who have done the work. On our way back it was really cool to see a colorful line of community members working together to dig the last stretch of trench.
3:30 pm
Trekking and trying to understand Spanish gave me quite the appetite. Little did I know of the feast awaiting me. Our lunch started out with chocle - corn with large kernels that you can pick off and eat one by one - and cheese. Next came pancitos (rolls) and soup with a portion of chicken in each bowl. So far all of it was delicious. I was pretty content when they brought out two platters of boiled potatoes with a side of lettuce. Then, much to my dismay, they brought out more platters, so that we each had our own. On my platter alone, there were enough potatoes for my entire family...all 5 Prices...after a long day of manual labor. And I was expected to eat all this! Thankfully no one else could finish so I didn't feel too bad leaving some potatoes.
6:15 pm
After waddling to the car, we arrived in another village. I don't know it's name but it was very close to Chimbarazo, another snow covered mountain. The vieww, again, was gorgeous. Here we spoke with a community leader. By spoke I mean Bruce and the community leader spoke in Spanish while I tried to get the jist of the conversation. We had a late dinner (more food!) before going to sleep on wonderful, luxurious mattresses laid out on a church floor.
5:45 am
I wake up wondering why on Earth I am willing to get out of my nice warm bed to go to a community where I will be lucky if there are bathrooms and where there's a distinct possibility that I will return as a helado americana (a frozen American). I roll out of bed and stumble down the hill to the Water Projects Office. From there, Bruce (the head engineer at HCJB), Steve (another intern), and I head off for a community. Now at this point I had no idea what where we were going except that it was going to be cold. As it turns out we saw 3 different communities.
11:30 am
After a quick breakfast and lots of sleep in the truck, we arrive in Obraje, a town south of Quito. To meet with the villagers, we take "the stairway to the sky." Let me tell you, it is fittingly named. It is a combination of stairs and hill and by the end of it I was out of breath and sweating. This town is in the process of constructing thier water system. We checked out thier existing water tank and listened to a few concerns of the people before trekking out to see the springs. We hiked a few kilometers on the side of mountains in order to see Obraje's water source. For HCJB water projects, the people in the village supply all the labor for the water system. This means that the kilometers of trench were all dug by community members. In this town, the men are gone for close to 6 months at a time working in the sugar cane fields. Therefore it was almost exclusively women and older children who have done the work. On our way back it was really cool to see a colorful line of community members working together to dig the last stretch of trench.
3:30 pm
Trekking and trying to understand Spanish gave me quite the appetite. Little did I know of the feast awaiting me. Our lunch started out with chocle - corn with large kernels that you can pick off and eat one by one - and cheese. Next came pancitos (rolls) and soup with a portion of chicken in each bowl. So far all of it was delicious. I was pretty content when they brought out two platters of boiled potatoes with a side of lettuce. Then, much to my dismay, they brought out more platters, so that we each had our own. On my platter alone, there were enough potatoes for my entire family...all 5 Prices...after a long day of manual labor. And I was expected to eat all this! Thankfully no one else could finish so I didn't feel too bad leaving some potatoes.
6:15 pm
After waddling to the car, we arrived in another village. I don't know it's name but it was very close to Chimbarazo, another snow covered mountain. The vieww, again, was gorgeous. Here we spoke with a community leader. By spoke I mean Bruce and the community leader spoke in Spanish while I tried to get the jist of the conversation. We had a late dinner (more food!) before going to sleep on wonderful, luxurious mattresses laid out on a church floor.
14,000 feet....Here We Come!
I've been excited to hike some of the beautiful mountains that we see all around us. Saturday, we did just that. Our group of interns hiked Pinchincha - A mountain that is actually right behind the house that I am living in this summer. Let me tell you something about Ecuadorians (and I think Latin Americans in general): time moves a bit more slowly for them. I've come to be understanding about this part of the culture. However, I am amazed at how quickly this group of Americans has adopted this tendency. The plan was to meet at my house at 9 am so that we could hike without having to worry about getting caught on the mountain in the dark. Well, we didn't start at 9, or 9:30 or even 10. Our hike began at 10:25! That's even late for an Ecuadorian! Thankfully though, we hiked fast enough that we were down well before dark.
Our goal was a group of radio antennas at about 14,000 feet. I thought our hike would be roughing it a little more; we actually just followed a road the whole time (it did turn into a dirt road). The road offered spectactular views of Quito! Unfortunately I forgot to charge my camera battery and only had enough power for one picture which isn't even very good. It was the perfect day for a hike....it was warm and clear. It was one of those rare days when the snow capped mountains can be seen. Pinchincha offered a view of not one, but two of them - Cayambe and Cotapaxi. With the sun shining on them they were a gorgeous sight!
Although I thought we would never make it to the antennas, we did, 3 hours from when we had started. We enjoyed the sunshine and the incredible view while eating our lunch of bread and cheese - both homemade and delicious - and taking naps. Because the way up had been so smooth, the guys decided they needed to rough it a bit more on the way down. We (unwisely) followed them into the forest to make our own paths down. To be honest, I was picturing our host families having to call in search and rescue teams to find us. Yet thanks to the good sense of direction of some of the group members (definitly not me) and their committment to making it through without following the path, we arrived safe and sound (and somewhat tired and dirty) back at my house. We'll see if this is enough preparation for Cotapaxi, a snow covered mountain jutting to 17,000 feet!
Our goal was a group of radio antennas at about 14,000 feet. I thought our hike would be roughing it a little more; we actually just followed a road the whole time (it did turn into a dirt road). The road offered spectactular views of Quito! Unfortunately I forgot to charge my camera battery and only had enough power for one picture which isn't even very good. It was the perfect day for a hike....it was warm and clear. It was one of those rare days when the snow capped mountains can be seen. Pinchincha offered a view of not one, but two of them - Cayambe and Cotapaxi. With the sun shining on them they were a gorgeous sight!
Although I thought we would never make it to the antennas, we did, 3 hours from when we had started. We enjoyed the sunshine and the incredible view while eating our lunch of bread and cheese - both homemade and delicious - and taking naps. Because the way up had been so smooth, the guys decided they needed to rough it a bit more on the way down. We (unwisely) followed them into the forest to make our own paths down. To be honest, I was picturing our host families having to call in search and rescue teams to find us. Yet thanks to the good sense of direction of some of the group members (definitly not me) and their committment to making it through without following the path, we arrived safe and sound (and somewhat tired and dirty) back at my house. We'll see if this is enough preparation for Cotapaxi, a snow covered mountain jutting to 17,000 feet!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Kichwa, Tuna, and Bus Rides
I'm beginning to wonder if I am cut out for a full time job. I get easily distracted at work...but really who wants to be working when they are visiting another country?! Because I like to vary the daily routine, I jumped at the chance to go on a community visit. Tannia is a woman that works with HCJB doing hygiene education and training in communities where water projects are underway. When Tannia said she would be going into a community overnight on her own, I quickly volunteered to accompany her. I ran home (to be honest, I walked, it's straight uphill), gathered some things, and in less than an hour we were on our way.
You can take a bus from Quito to most parts of the country. The buses, whether running a route through the city or to a faraway province, are usually packed. Tannia and I caught to Otavalo and luckily found seats near one another. Although Tannia grew up in Ecuador, she went to Hope College (Calvin's rival school!) and has excellent English. However, I asked if she would mind practicing Spanish with me. The whole trip down we spoke only in Spanish. It's very frustrating to me that I cannot express myself well when I'm speaking Spanish...I know I don't sound very educated or intelligent. But I'll never get better if I continue taking the easy way out and speaking in English. After a two hour ride, we arrived in Otavalo where we eventually caught another bus to our destination, Carabuela. Total length of time on a bus = 2 hours and 20 minutes. Total cost = $2.18
HCJB has helped with a water project in Carabuela. Tannia and I met with the committee of people who now oversee the project and the operation of the water system. While she spoke to them (at this point I was completely lost because not only were they speaking quickly in Spanish, but the people from Carabuela were also speaking Kichwa, another language native to Ecuador that is nothing like Spanish) I entered the results of kids fecal tests into a spreadsheet. I hope that these weren't the kids with access to clean water because most of them had giardia and e. coli among other parasites. Though it is very true that clean water is not much help if the people aren't practicing good hygiene and sanitation. We were invited to someone's home for dinner. We had a tasty one dish meal - rice with a topping of a fried egg, tuna, and tomatoes. The tea we had to drink was nice and sweet - just to my liking. In the morning, we had a very similar breakfast with the same family. They were very kind and hospitable. The youngest daughter however, was quite scared of me. I don't know if it was my blonde hair or the fact that I had terrible Spanish.
After stopping by a medical clinic and the hospital, we headed back to Quito. At the bus station, people climbed aboard all the waiting buses trying to sell snacks and candy. Tannia and I had icecream bars. Mine was homemade coconut - with coconut flakes even! It was delicious. Though it wasn't a long trip, I am very glad I had the opportunity to see another community and to spend some time getting to know Tannia!
You can take a bus from Quito to most parts of the country. The buses, whether running a route through the city or to a faraway province, are usually packed. Tannia and I caught to Otavalo and luckily found seats near one another. Although Tannia grew up in Ecuador, she went to Hope College (Calvin's rival school!) and has excellent English. However, I asked if she would mind practicing Spanish with me. The whole trip down we spoke only in Spanish. It's very frustrating to me that I cannot express myself well when I'm speaking Spanish...I know I don't sound very educated or intelligent. But I'll never get better if I continue taking the easy way out and speaking in English. After a two hour ride, we arrived in Otavalo where we eventually caught another bus to our destination, Carabuela. Total length of time on a bus = 2 hours and 20 minutes. Total cost = $2.18
HCJB has helped with a water project in Carabuela. Tannia and I met with the committee of people who now oversee the project and the operation of the water system. While she spoke to them (at this point I was completely lost because not only were they speaking quickly in Spanish, but the people from Carabuela were also speaking Kichwa, another language native to Ecuador that is nothing like Spanish) I entered the results of kids fecal tests into a spreadsheet. I hope that these weren't the kids with access to clean water because most of them had giardia and e. coli among other parasites. Though it is very true that clean water is not much help if the people aren't practicing good hygiene and sanitation. We were invited to someone's home for dinner. We had a tasty one dish meal - rice with a topping of a fried egg, tuna, and tomatoes. The tea we had to drink was nice and sweet - just to my liking. In the morning, we had a very similar breakfast with the same family. They were very kind and hospitable. The youngest daughter however, was quite scared of me. I don't know if it was my blonde hair or the fact that I had terrible Spanish.
After stopping by a medical clinic and the hospital, we headed back to Quito. At the bus station, people climbed aboard all the waiting buses trying to sell snacks and candy. Tannia and I had icecream bars. Mine was homemade coconut - with coconut flakes even! It was delicious. Though it wasn't a long trip, I am very glad I had the opportunity to see another community and to spend some time getting to know Tannia!
All that was missing was a parade and fireworks...
We had a great 4th of July celebration last weekend. There were no parades - Ecuador's independence day is December 6. From what I've heard it's quite the celebration. That's the time of year they have bullfights. Too bad we won't be here for that! Instead of a bull fight, we had a very American style picnic. I love Ecuadorian food, but it was nice to have a hamburger, pasta salad, and jello. Several American families joined us. I've really enjoyed getting to know other missionaries and foreigners and hearing the story of how they ended up living and working here in Ecuador. Although we planned to have fireworks, we couldn't find any to buy (they aren't exactly legal). Instead we sat around a huge bonfire. We sang songs, told stories, and roasted marshmallows. Despite being 2947 miles from home, I had a great Independence Day!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
For His Children
Yesterday we had a nice break from working on our septic tank design report by spending the day at an orphanage. The medical interns were all scheduled to spend the day there. We had the privilege to join them. For His Children (www.forhischildren-ecuador.org) is a privately run, Christian orphanage. They have a special ministry to special needs children - 35% of the children are special needs.
I spent the morning at Casa Fey, the house for older children. There were several special needs children. They received individualized attention and physical therepy while we entertained 3 of the other kids. The three kids I played with, Jessica, Carla, and Kyle, are 6-7 years old. While we watched a movie, they climbed into my lap. The girls loved to play with my blonde hair. The kids collected leaves, dried flowers, seed pods, and acorns and made beautiful nature collages. After that, we ran around outside and I pushed the kids on the swings. Although the kids seemed to have a lot of fun playing with us, I wonder if that is how everyday is for them. I guess these kids are approaching school age, but when they aren't in school, I wonder if they ever go beyond the walls surrounding Casa Fey. I certainly hope so! They are so full of life and are ready to love. I hope families come in soon and recognize how precious these children are and what a great addition they would be to any family.
Adoption in Ecuador is not nearly as popular in the United States. The upper class do not adopt. Even if they did, there is still a noticable division between classes in Ecuador. Upper class families would not adopt lower class children. Unfortunately, children are usually abandoned or brought to orphanages because their families cannot afford to care them - ophans are most definitly not from an upper class background. I haven't been able to find information to back this up, but I was told that if children (especially special needs children) aren't adopted by the age 13-14, they are admitted to a mental institution where they do not receive necessary care. They are kept like criminals. I certainly hope that this is not true, but my heart breaks for children who aren't adopted none the less.
After a nice two hour break for lunch and a siesta, I helped out with the babies. These kids are adorable! And there are so many of them! When we arrived, several children were just waking up from their naps. As we heard crying, we got kids up. The ones who could sit or lay on their own and be content were put on the floor in the main room. I spent most of the evening holding the little babies. Thankfully I had two very happy ones, who didn't fuss excessively. At dinner time, things became chaotic. There didn't seem to be enough people for all the babies. Maggie (a medical intern) and I were each holding/feeding babies. But we were also surrounded by 13 other children playing on the floor. It was pure chaos. The baby I was holding wouldn't take its formula. Then one little boy pulled at a plug and chewed on the wire. While I tried to free the chord from his mouth, the 2 month old that I was holding started crying. Then an adorable little trouble maker climbed right on top of a little girl who immediately started wailing.....the story goes on and on. Depite the craziness of it, I loved being with the children. It was wonderful to see a little baby smiling up at you when minutes before it had been screaming.
I've always liked the idea of adoption. Seeing these beautiful children further softened my heart to the idea. But don't worry Mom, I have a long way to go before I am ready to spend more than 3 hours with a baby!
I spent the morning at Casa Fey, the house for older children. There were several special needs children. They received individualized attention and physical therepy while we entertained 3 of the other kids. The three kids I played with, Jessica, Carla, and Kyle, are 6-7 years old. While we watched a movie, they climbed into my lap. The girls loved to play with my blonde hair. The kids collected leaves, dried flowers, seed pods, and acorns and made beautiful nature collages. After that, we ran around outside and I pushed the kids on the swings. Although the kids seemed to have a lot of fun playing with us, I wonder if that is how everyday is for them. I guess these kids are approaching school age, but when they aren't in school, I wonder if they ever go beyond the walls surrounding Casa Fey. I certainly hope so! They are so full of life and are ready to love. I hope families come in soon and recognize how precious these children are and what a great addition they would be to any family.
Adoption in Ecuador is not nearly as popular in the United States. The upper class do not adopt. Even if they did, there is still a noticable division between classes in Ecuador. Upper class families would not adopt lower class children. Unfortunately, children are usually abandoned or brought to orphanages because their families cannot afford to care them - ophans are most definitly not from an upper class background. I haven't been able to find information to back this up, but I was told that if children (especially special needs children) aren't adopted by the age 13-14, they are admitted to a mental institution where they do not receive necessary care. They are kept like criminals. I certainly hope that this is not true, but my heart breaks for children who aren't adopted none the less.
After a nice two hour break for lunch and a siesta, I helped out with the babies. These kids are adorable! And there are so many of them! When we arrived, several children were just waking up from their naps. As we heard crying, we got kids up. The ones who could sit or lay on their own and be content were put on the floor in the main room. I spent most of the evening holding the little babies. Thankfully I had two very happy ones, who didn't fuss excessively. At dinner time, things became chaotic. There didn't seem to be enough people for all the babies. Maggie (a medical intern) and I were each holding/feeding babies. But we were also surrounded by 13 other children playing on the floor. It was pure chaos. The baby I was holding wouldn't take its formula. Then one little boy pulled at a plug and chewed on the wire. While I tried to free the chord from his mouth, the 2 month old that I was holding started crying. Then an adorable little trouble maker climbed right on top of a little girl who immediately started wailing.....the story goes on and on. Depite the craziness of it, I loved being with the children. It was wonderful to see a little baby smiling up at you when minutes before it had been screaming.
I've always liked the idea of adoption. Seeing these beautiful children further softened my heart to the idea. But don't worry Mom, I have a long way to go before I am ready to spend more than 3 hours with a baby!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Shell - Welcome to the Jungle
Our Group
Ok, we weren't really in the jungle, but it's as close as we will get this summer. HCJB has a hospital and a mission compound in Shell, 5 hours SE of Quito. At 3000 feet, it is much warmer there than it is in Quito. I sent 7 day there, Thursday to Thursday. To summarize my time there, here's a list of "firsts."
This week was the first time I have:
1. Climbed behind a waterfall
2. Driven a 4-wheeler
3. Had cheese in my hot chocolate
4. Heard wild monkeys chattering
5. Taken a steaming hot shower
(it wasn't the first time in my life, but the first time in a long time)
6. Ate fresh maracuya
(a delicious fruit that is abundant here)
7. Climbed a tree, picked lemons, made fresh-squeezed lemonade
8. Taken an aerobics class led by a man in the military
1. Climbed behind a waterfall
2. Driven a 4-wheeler
3. Had cheese in my hot chocolate
4. Heard wild monkeys chattering
5. Taken a steaming hot shower
(it wasn't the first time in my life, but the first time in a long time)
6. Ate fresh maracuya
(a delicious fruit that is abundant here)
7. Climbed a tree, picked lemons, made fresh-squeezed lemonade
8. Taken an aerobics class led by a man in the military
Maracuya - those are the insides in the bowl
I guess some of this could use some explanation. The first three days there, all the interns and our leaders, were in Shell. On our way there we hiked to a gorgeous waterfall. In addition to simply looking at it, we climbed up a small crawlspace cut into the rock that led to an overlook feet from the pounding waterfall. Of course we were drenched, but it was a beautiful view of the falls and the water below. The next day, we drove four wheelers up to the top of a mountain. How incredible! The views of the valley below were breathtaking. I guess my breath also might have been taken away because it took me a while to get used to driving. With switchbacks on the side of a cliff, I learned to drive well (and keep away from danger) quickly. To warm up (it was cold on the top of the mountain), we had hot chocolate. However, it is common in the area we were in to put a soft, homemade cheese in the hot chocolate. I tried it, but I think that I will stick to traditional hot chocolate!
After the other interns left, our task as engineering students was to survey the land around the hospital. They need a new wastewater treatment system, so we needed to know the characteristics and layout of the available land. Never having done a large scale survey before made this surprisingly challenging. "Jungle" as we called it, covered most of the area. There were trees, reeds, and ferns reaching far over our heads. The guys hacked paths through the jungle, while I stayed safely away from their machetes. After a week of work, we finally had all the land surveyed.
1. Surveying (that's me!)
2. Adeline sharpening a machete
We also had the privelege of getting to know several other missionaries who live in Shell. One of my favorite things about the trip was hearing people's stories. It is interesting to hear how people get involved in mission....when they heard and heeded God's call and how He led them to Ecuador. And stories of their time in the mission field....I wish I could remember all of them - there are some incredible testaments to God's faithfulness and His creativity in the ways He decides to work in people's lives!
The suspension bridge leading to the guesthouse
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
