This whole posting after our Sunday meetings is getting a bit hard... especially when we start at 10pm and run till after midnight sometimes. Forget homework, it is time for bed!
Well here I am, Monday afternoon, and up to it again.
Last night, after anxious awaiting, some of our prayers were answered, a real normal Rostro de Cristo person sitting right in front of us! Elyse came into New York from Boston (where the RdC headquarters are) to answer a lot of questions and give us more detail into what RdC does and what we are going to be doing.
If you look back to my 2nd previous post, my anxiety about the weather, well let's just say Elyse confirmed it... but instead of 91 degrees, it will most likely be 97, humid, and rain a good amount! My favorite conditions! None the less, she did provide us with a great packing list and more information about the area, showed us a slide show of people and places around Duran, and let us know (not exactly) what we will be doing. Since this is a "BEing rather than DOing" project, the RdC volunteers with pretty much give us only a half day schedule every day. No watches needed to keep time, no cell phones needed to communicate, etc.
A normal day would entail something like this:
7:30am - Wake up!
8:30am - Get bread from local bakery and make breakfast with the help of RdC Ecuadorians
9:30am - Head out on our first "adventure" of the day, which could be going to hang out and chat with the local neighbors (who love the retreat groups!), stop by the health clinic, or look into the schools
Noon-ish - Lunch of pre-processed and packaged foods like tuna
1:00-afternoon session - Go to the kids after school programs and work on an educational project for up to an hour, then have recess! (they LOVEEEE soccer!)
6:00 - Dinner, made by our team with the help of the Ecuadorian staff.
Later - Reflection time and bed by 11pm.
Generally an overall exciting day, filled with a lot of interactions, Spanish speaking, and Ecuadorian food making!
Better start to work on my Spanish skills!
Peace
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Sounds like you are going to have an awesome trip. I think the half-day itineraries are good because you really get to bond with your team AND the country by "wasting time" all together.
ReplyDeleteBed by 11 is a good idea. When we were in Belize some of my team called themselves the Late Nite Crew and stayed up til 2 am or more. I felt like such a grandma when I could barely make it to midnight.
Most of the GO trips have students working for specific "purposes" - how do you feel about having your main goal be cultural immersion? Do you think it will help your experience?
ReplyDeleteGetting to work with the kids will be such a great experience - you'd better work on your soccer skills! Do most Ecuadorian children learn English in school, or not?
I am really excited. I'm not one to want to build houses or do physical labor, which is why I think this trip is truly for me.
ReplyDeleteMy face lit up last night when Elyse was talking about working with the children. Sooo amazing.
The whole education system in most of Ecuador is very corrupt, and "rich" children go to school 7am-1pm (and pay for it) and the street kids go to school from 2pm-6pm as paid for by the wealthy family's tuition! That will be another post for sure