This weekend marks my third and final Spring Weekend at Fordham - so surreal... just pretending it isn't the last. I am honestly just so excited that I got here and am actually going to graduate on time. What is great is that everyone will be out - especially my EcuaLoves, and I hope to be able to run into them all. Although I am stuck inside at my internship on the Friday of spring weekend, hopping the next Ram Van back to campus is what is helping me out... I may even take a cab back to Lincoln Center because I am THAT lazy.
This is about the time of the year when I start to evaluate my year at Fordham, yet this year it is different because I am looking back at my whole college career. I think that my trip to Ecuador was definitely one of the biggest highlights of my college career, and to think about all that I have gone through, it happened right at the same time. Although I only spent a week in Duran, I have found it extremely helpful to read through the blogs of the current Rostro de Cristo volunteers, like Jamie, Dan, and Tom's blogs. Here are the links... definitely check them out! If you think that I am confused about how I feel and how to relate it back to my life (and even how to understand it in general)!
Jamie's A Nurse Goes to Ecuador
Tom's Tomas in Ecuador
Dan's Babylon Burn Down
They are definitely very enlightening, and are all very deep and impressive writers. Though they don't update a lot, it definitely helps me to read them and better understand what I went through... and what they are going through for the whole year.
Some exciting news: One of the chaperone's from my trip, Danielle, had originally planned on applying for the 3rd round of JVC, but when she found out that she most likely wouldn't get placed, she did not know what to do. At the same time, she noticed that Elyse from RdC was on gChat and decided to just ask her a few questions. After their quick chat Elyse asked Danielle if she could meet with her that Sunday when she would be in NYC, and sent her all the paper work to be a volunteer for RdC. With 2 days to spare, Danielle found out that they had not placed the last spot in the houses yet and told Danielle to apply. Although people were on the wait list, Danielle was in the top 3 for this last spot - Talk about FATE! I am on my toes waiting for her to let me know back about what happened, since she should know soon!
I'll keep you all informed!
Ciao.
Showing posts with label rostro de cristo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rostro de cristo. Show all posts
Friday, April 30, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Boarding: Back to the States
Waking up in a panic, Christine realized right before bed that the itinerary was wrong and that our plane left an hour earlier that we had thought. She woke us up an hour earlier that we thought (not like we knew what time it was anyways), we pounded on the volunteer house door and woke them up to take us to the airport. They were not really happy campers!
We made our plane with plenty of time, and the culture shock already hit, even while sitting in the Guayaquil airport. Televisions, cell phones, RUNNING WATER... it was all too much. Thankfully we had no problems or delays, and things ended up working out really well coming home (which was kind of sad!). We all slept a lot and journaled, and attempted to ready ourselves for our return to the United States.
Upon boarding our flight from Miami to LaGuardia, we got a real reality shock when a group of about 25 Fordham students, tanned and hyper, were on our same flight... they were coming back from Punta Cana (lucky them?). And when we landed at LaGuardia, we were right back into things, almost like we never left. One of the ram van drivers, a friend of mine, picked us up at the airport, and it was almost like we had never been away. It was a crazy feeling since we had just gone through some of the most amazing experiences any of us had ever had. It was hard to not forget, but at the same time, being back in the States slightly forced us to get right back into normal life.
When I got back into my room... all alone... by myself, I sat in front of my turned off computer and cried! I was so overwhelmed, and called my mother to let her know I was back. I hopped in the shower and couldn't help but start crying again - I wanted to turn off the water while I showered! I was wasting water!... but I really wasn't, in US standards. "I pay for this water", I thought, "it's okay, Sarah... just take a REAL shower." The smallest things, since i have been back, still seem to amaze me, like running water and the small things we have that they don't. But as I have been told, in a story by one of my chaperone's, "you can't send the water to them!"
We made our plane with plenty of time, and the culture shock already hit, even while sitting in the Guayaquil airport. Televisions, cell phones, RUNNING WATER... it was all too much. Thankfully we had no problems or delays, and things ended up working out really well coming home (which was kind of sad!). We all slept a lot and journaled, and attempted to ready ourselves for our return to the United States.
Flying back to New York
Upon boarding our flight from Miami to LaGuardia, we got a real reality shock when a group of about 25 Fordham students, tanned and hyper, were on our same flight... they were coming back from Punta Cana (lucky them?). And when we landed at LaGuardia, we were right back into things, almost like we never left. One of the ram van drivers, a friend of mine, picked us up at the airport, and it was almost like we had never been away. It was a crazy feeling since we had just gone through some of the most amazing experiences any of us had ever had. It was hard to not forget, but at the same time, being back in the States slightly forced us to get right back into normal life.
When I got back into my room... all alone... by myself, I sat in front of my turned off computer and cried! I was so overwhelmed, and called my mother to let her know I was back. I hopped in the shower and couldn't help but start crying again - I wanted to turn off the water while I showered! I was wasting water!... but I really wasn't, in US standards. "I pay for this water", I thought, "it's okay, Sarah... just take a REAL shower." The smallest things, since i have been back, still seem to amaze me, like running water and the small things we have that they don't. But as I have been told, in a story by one of my chaperone's, "you can't send the water to them!"
Friday, April 16, 2010
The final supper
When we got back to the house... we expected to have to head right in and start cooking with Ricardo (our other Ecuadorian helper, who loves soccer!), but the door to our house was wide open! And inside we found Jamie, one of the RdC helpers, and Aide's mother and sister making us dinner. What a great surprise! I was so happy to see them (and kind of relieved that I didn't have to make dinner).
We ended up having this huge surprise dinner with all of the volunteers, from both houses, as well as Ricardo and Aide's family. We had rice, lentils, fish, plantanos, and lots of food. Half way through the dinner we lost electricity... and not only that, but the STUPID plastic chairs that we were using, didn't really like me and as I went to sit down (while the electricity was out), the leg gave out and I fell to the ground. Of course I just laughed it off!
After a couple of games of Mafia with the volunteers and our group... a game which I never want to play again, we said goodbye to them and had our last reflection, which ended up going until about 3am with an affirmation circle that must have lasted about 3 hours long. A little packing before bed, and we spent our last night's sleep in Ecuador.
We ended up having this huge surprise dinner with all of the volunteers, from both houses, as well as Ricardo and Aide's family. We had rice, lentils, fish, plantanos, and lots of food. Half way through the dinner we lost electricity... and not only that, but the STUPID plastic chairs that we were using, didn't really like me and as I went to sit down (while the electricity was out), the leg gave out and I fell to the ground. Of course I just laughed it off!
After a couple of games of Mafia with the volunteers and our group... a game which I never want to play again, we said goodbye to them and had our last reflection, which ended up going until about 3am with an affirmation circle that must have lasted about 3 hours long. A little packing before bed, and we spent our last night's sleep in Ecuador.
Our group with Theresa at the top of Santa Ana Hill
Thursday, April 15, 2010
El fin de la semana!
While going into the last day in Ecuador, it was scary and unreal! We had NO idea what we were doing that day but had a small idea that in the morning we would get to have some of our neighbors come back and sell their crafts, etc. Gabriel, the leather man, and Idea's mother and sisters came to sell their crafts like belts and journals, as well as bracelets and purses. Wellington and his family came with all their crafts like earrings and bracelets for us to buy. I got 2 pairs of earrings, a couple thread bracelets for friends, a leather bracelet with my roommate's name stamped onto it, and an Ecuadorian cookbook for my mom!
After cleaning the house... mopping all the floors... and packing a bit, we found out we were heading into Guayaquil for the day! We headed into the center of the city, went to the Iguana Park, the cathedral of Guayaquil, and the Malecon (a 2 mile boardwalk along the Guayas river).
Dennis "petting" an Iguana at the Park
Looking down the Malecon from a tower
At the end of the Malecon, one of the volunteers, Tom, told us to look up at the lighthouse at the top of this huge hill... and told us we would be walking to that! (if you look at the previous picture, you can see it way in the distance on the top of the hill).
At the bottom of Santa Ana Hill
It would be 500 steps to the top of Santa Ana Hill and when we finally made it to the top of the lighthouse we got to look over all of Guayaquil and Duran, and could even see the Andes mountains in the distance. It was an amazing sight and absolutely rewarding after climbing all of those stairs... in the heat and humidity. Needless to say, we were gross!
When we got back to the bottom of the hill, we got yet another surprise....
Annie, Shannon, Nicki, Christine (and Danielle) eating ice cream! Yummm!
ICE CREAM (Penguino)!... which, random fact, has the same logo as Good Humor ice cream product here in the States.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Day #5 - WARNING: Long journaling day!
On Thursday, I really had time to reflect on what had happened and WANTED to (finally!). Four pages of my journal later - here I am! I'm going to share a portion of this with you, since it is a little more personal.
"This week is quickly coming to an end but I think today was my favorite day so far. This morning we went to a couple neighbor's houses in AJS - Wellington and Gabrielle. Wellington* is one of the guards at the other house. They are just so genuinely kind, which is something I have almost been brought to tears by all week. Their willingness to say their door is always open when they are just meeting us is something so uncommon to me...Him and his wife asked a lot of good questions and hard ones too, including how he was interested in the prevalence of suicide in the US. It sparked a lot of tension in the group and debate during discussion tonight...
Next we went to Gabrielle and Theresa's home - an 80 and 68 year old couple simply doign what they do to stay afloat. Gabrielle went around and wanted to know our names and then told most of us we have strong (or sort of strong, in my case) characters. They gave us coke and cookies, and Gabrielle showed us his leather collection, and let us stamp letters and symbols onto some. The spirit that he had was amazing and so inspiring. And even though we did not get much time with them, I was so impressed by their welcoming attitude, kind spirit, and overall generousity... After that we hopped in the van and went to our mystery location...Nuevo Mundo! It was the most gorgeous school ever! We got ot talk to Pat, one of the people who started the school... the school has around 1200 student in the morning and 400 in the afternoon, who are mostly kids from Duran that get bussed in and go for free... It was one of the most amazing schools I have ever seen with one of the most enlightening woman I have ever had the privelege to speak with.
In the afternoon we got to go back to Semillas, do a scavenger hunt, and then played soccer on some teams with kids, and then again after the program with the older helpers - ayudantes. It was so fun and sweaty, and just a good ol' time! Going back to Semillas was the best since it was the group of kids that we felt we got closest with. We really got to work closesly with kids of all ages in the hunt groups and had some authority, which was different. It was also the day that they chose which kids got to go on the field trip (to see Alice in Wonderland at the Cinemaplex), and could only bring 12. It was so sad to see some kids heart broken, as they had behaved all week. The field trips they do are things that these kids could never afford to do, so it is a real treat for them!"
* Wellington had Hansen's disease and spent a little time at Damien House. The house him and his family currently live in was provided to him by Sister Annie (owner of Damien house) and he very humble to have that provided to him.
I really enjoyed Semillas, since I loveeee working with children. To have all these little kids hanging all over me was such a joy, minus the obnoxious ones! But it was so fun and enjoyable, and a great way to wrap up the week.
"This week is quickly coming to an end but I think today was my favorite day so far. This morning we went to a couple neighbor's houses in AJS - Wellington and Gabrielle. Wellington* is one of the guards at the other house. They are just so genuinely kind, which is something I have almost been brought to tears by all week. Their willingness to say their door is always open when they are just meeting us is something so uncommon to me...Him and his wife asked a lot of good questions and hard ones too, including how he was interested in the prevalence of suicide in the US. It sparked a lot of tension in the group and debate during discussion tonight...
Next we went to Gabrielle and Theresa's home - an 80 and 68 year old couple simply doign what they do to stay afloat. Gabrielle went around and wanted to know our names and then told most of us we have strong (or sort of strong, in my case) characters. They gave us coke and cookies, and Gabrielle showed us his leather collection, and let us stamp letters and symbols onto some. The spirit that he had was amazing and so inspiring. And even though we did not get much time with them, I was so impressed by their welcoming attitude, kind spirit, and overall generousity... After that we hopped in the van and went to our mystery location...Nuevo Mundo! It was the most gorgeous school ever! We got ot talk to Pat, one of the people who started the school... the school has around 1200 student in the morning and 400 in the afternoon, who are mostly kids from Duran that get bussed in and go for free... It was one of the most amazing schools I have ever seen with one of the most enlightening woman I have ever had the privelege to speak with.
In the afternoon we got to go back to Semillas, do a scavenger hunt, and then played soccer on some teams with kids, and then again after the program with the older helpers - ayudantes. It was so fun and sweaty, and just a good ol' time! Going back to Semillas was the best since it was the group of kids that we felt we got closest with. We really got to work closesly with kids of all ages in the hunt groups and had some authority, which was different. It was also the day that they chose which kids got to go on the field trip (to see Alice in Wonderland at the Cinemaplex), and could only bring 12. It was so sad to see some kids heart broken, as they had behaved all week. The field trips they do are things that these kids could never afford to do, so it is a real treat for them!"
* Wellington had Hansen's disease and spent a little time at Damien House. The house him and his family currently live in was provided to him by Sister Annie (owner of Damien house) and he very humble to have that provided to him.
I really enjoyed Semillas, since I loveeee working with children. To have all these little kids hanging all over me was such a joy, minus the obnoxious ones! But it was so fun and enjoyable, and a great way to wrap up the week.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Happy St. Patty's Day (from Ecuador!)
So unfortunately I completely forgot that it was St. Patty's day... and wore my only green shirt the day before. So silly of me! Anyways from my journal I find this...:
"Happy St Patty's Day! This morning Christine, Shannon and I went on the bread run with Theresa. The bread is so good here! After breakfast we went to Joceline and Juan's casa. They were two of the kids from Semillas who also go to Nuevo Mundo (a private school in Guayaquil). We talked about Harry Potter en espanol and their mother asked about our customs and daily life in the States (that is really weird to say!) It really made me realize how much they do want to learn about us, just like we are here to learn about them except most of them will never have the chance to visit the US which is very unfortunate. We also went to the Nuevo Mundo day care in Duran and go to do puzzles with 4 & 5 year olds, which is so fun, of course!
In the afternoon we went to the third after school program in an invasion community - a community where people simply just move in and sometimes the owners of the land will bulldoze the land and make them leave, and probably will just come back. This program was at the Alan Lynch private co-ed school and was called Manos Abiertas (Open Hands). These kids were the WORST and didn't listen, plus it was hot as *****, per usual. It was really hard to connect with any of the kids there and all of us just seemed completely drained. I just cannot stop comparing each program to the otehr and reflecting on how the kids act as proving a point about the community or barrio around them."
Wow, holy long journaling day! Unbelievable that here we are about half way through the week. The idea of an invasion community really just blew my mind, that that is how communities start in Ecuador is through a group of people just moving to empty land - EMPTY LAND... now that is a concept we don't understand. The new neighbor, by the way, is called Veintiocho de Agosto.
PS: LOVE that I used some vulgar language to describe the heat. Clearly I was over it!
"Happy St Patty's Day! This morning Christine, Shannon and I went on the bread run with Theresa. The bread is so good here! After breakfast we went to Joceline and Juan's casa. They were two of the kids from Semillas who also go to Nuevo Mundo (a private school in Guayaquil). We talked about Harry Potter en espanol and their mother asked about our customs and daily life in the States (that is really weird to say!) It really made me realize how much they do want to learn about us, just like we are here to learn about them except most of them will never have the chance to visit the US which is very unfortunate. We also went to the Nuevo Mundo day care in Duran and go to do puzzles with 4 & 5 year olds, which is so fun, of course!
In the afternoon we went to the third after school program in an invasion community - a community where people simply just move in and sometimes the owners of the land will bulldoze the land and make them leave, and probably will just come back. This program was at the Alan Lynch private co-ed school and was called Manos Abiertas (Open Hands). These kids were the WORST and didn't listen, plus it was hot as *****, per usual. It was really hard to connect with any of the kids there and all of us just seemed completely drained. I just cannot stop comparing each program to the otehr and reflecting on how the kids act as proving a point about the community or barrio around them."
Wow, holy long journaling day! Unbelievable that here we are about half way through the week. The idea of an invasion community really just blew my mind, that that is how communities start in Ecuador is through a group of people just moving to empty land - EMPTY LAND... now that is a concept we don't understand. The new neighbor, by the way, is called Veintiocho de Agosto.
PS: LOVE that I used some vulgar language to describe the heat. Clearly I was over it!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Adventures of Tuesday, March 16
"We went back to Damien house and got to buy crafts from the patients like earrings, bracelets, and peace birds (little fabric sewn stuffed birds with bells on the end). It was so nice to be able to sit down and actually talk individually with both the men and women, minus the language barrier, but just listen to them and be there for them just to share time. It was very nice and all are such happy people that it made it so much easier to feel comfortable. I wish we could spend more time with them but there are just so many places to visit.
In the afternoon we went to an after school program in the other neighborhood (Antonio Jose de Sucre - AJS), called Valdivia with Tom (one of the volunteers from the Arbolito house) and two of the AJS RdC volunteers. It was definitely very different from Semillas but still good. I got to do multiplication tables with los ninos and they were so fast, well I would be too (in English)! We got to do a chista for the kids, which is a sketch about the theme of the week - sportsmanship. It was fun and the kids like it! Also today was our day to COOK! and we made a BOMB dinner of tortillas de papas con queso (potato tortillas with queso) Sooo yummy!"
At Damien house I spent a good amount of time talking with one of the patients who I could not understand at all. I really didn't care about the language barrier, or even the fact that he had a speech problem and no one could understand him, but he just got to speak and tell stories, and when I did pick up on things, I loved it! Little things like that make me happy and I was just humbled to be there. What else was I going to do with my time!
Making dinner on Tuesday was so much fun, and surprisingly easy, and everyone was very jealous! Tortillas in Ecuador aren't the same as we think in the US! They were just balls of cooked and mashed potatos that we made a whole in before cooking, and put some queso in. We made a "salad" minus the lettuce with lime juice on it for dressing - soooo good! who knew it would be just that easy!
I was surprised during the week of how much onion we ate, mostly for flavor, but it definitely made me like onions more!
Ciao!
In the afternoon we went to an after school program in the other neighborhood (Antonio Jose de Sucre - AJS), called Valdivia with Tom (one of the volunteers from the Arbolito house) and two of the AJS RdC volunteers. It was definitely very different from Semillas but still good. I got to do multiplication tables with los ninos and they were so fast, well I would be too (in English)! We got to do a chista for the kids, which is a sketch about the theme of the week - sportsmanship. It was fun and the kids like it! Also today was our day to COOK! and we made a BOMB dinner of tortillas de papas con queso (potato tortillas with queso) Sooo yummy!"
At Damien house I spent a good amount of time talking with one of the patients who I could not understand at all. I really didn't care about the language barrier, or even the fact that he had a speech problem and no one could understand him, but he just got to speak and tell stories, and when I did pick up on things, I loved it! Little things like that make me happy and I was just humbled to be there. What else was I going to do with my time!
Making dinner on Tuesday was so much fun, and surprisingly easy, and everyone was very jealous! Tortillas in Ecuador aren't the same as we think in the US! They were just balls of cooked and mashed potatos that we made a whole in before cooking, and put some queso in. We made a "salad" minus the lettuce with lime juice on it for dressing - soooo good! who knew it would be just that easy!
I was surprised during the week of how much onion we ate, mostly for flavor, but it definitely made me like onions more!
Ciao!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The travels of Monday, day #3!
I figure now, that I journaled during the entire week, so why not use some of that to recap! Duh!
"Today we visited Damien house in the morning, a house for patients living with Hansen's disease (also known as Leprosy)I was slightly petrified that it would be scary or that I would be disgusted by the people due to deformities and also didn't know a lot about the disease but that was not at all the case. It was amazing and one of the most gratifying experiences. All the men and women were so humble and happy, and grateful for our presense in their community. They shared so many stories and experiences, and just very much enjoyed that time. Tomorrow we get to return and hopefully spend more time with them. In the afternoon we went to an after school program called Semillas de Mostaza, nearby and I got to work with the younger kids. The girl I worked with was named Belem, and she was not having it, but it was good to feel like I had some authority, even with the language barrier!"
A little more information about Semillas and my time there... even though the kids aren't currently in school, they come to the after school programs in the neighborhood. Not all of the kids even do go to school. Semillas was in the neighborhood of Arbolito (where we stayed), and was a quick walk from the house. We were bombarded with children as we walked there and soon our group got bigger and bigger, and by the time we got to the park and cancha (the soccer field). It was our first interaction with the kids of the neighborhood, what I have been waiting and excited to do, and where I first got to really use my spanish (and got laughed at!). Nicki and I found a couple of kids who wanted to play futbol on the smaller cancha. It was so fun to just run around with these kids and not understand half of what they said!
Kids in Ecuador are not different than kids in the US when it comes down to it. They want to play and have fun and just be kids, and they love it. And though half of them go to school and the other half don't, there is no stereotyping or differing in the relationship between those kids, and they don't judge. That was just amazing to me!
"Today we visited Damien house in the morning, a house for patients living with Hansen's disease (also known as Leprosy)I was slightly petrified that it would be scary or that I would be disgusted by the people due to deformities and also didn't know a lot about the disease but that was not at all the case. It was amazing and one of the most gratifying experiences. All the men and women were so humble and happy, and grateful for our presense in their community. They shared so many stories and experiences, and just very much enjoyed that time. Tomorrow we get to return and hopefully spend more time with them. In the afternoon we went to an after school program called Semillas de Mostaza, nearby and I got to work with the younger kids. The girl I worked with was named Belem, and she was not having it, but it was good to feel like I had some authority, even with the language barrier!"
A little more information about Semillas and my time there... even though the kids aren't currently in school, they come to the after school programs in the neighborhood. Not all of the kids even do go to school. Semillas was in the neighborhood of Arbolito (where we stayed), and was a quick walk from the house. We were bombarded with children as we walked there and soon our group got bigger and bigger, and by the time we got to the park and cancha (the soccer field). It was our first interaction with the kids of the neighborhood, what I have been waiting and excited to do, and where I first got to really use my spanish (and got laughed at!). Nicki and I found a couple of kids who wanted to play futbol on the smaller cancha. It was so fun to just run around with these kids and not understand half of what they said!
Kids in Ecuador are not different than kids in the US when it comes down to it. They want to play and have fun and just be kids, and they love it. And though half of them go to school and the other half don't, there is no stereotyping or differing in the relationship between those kids, and they don't judge. That was just amazing to me!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Recap Ecuador Day #2
It really takes a lot for me to get on here and write this. What it takes is meeting with my team and knowing that i need to share this experience... and so it continues.
Day #2: what a crazy first day. Not because it was crazy, but we were still all realizing the fact that we were finally in Ecuador, doing what we have been preparing to do! When we woke up, we found fresh bread for breakfast... and that was what we had for breakfast every morning, as well as bananas. On that first day we had known we would also have bananas, so on the counter we found a banana looking fruit, so we ate them! Come to find out, they were plantains. PERFECT!
After breakfast, we met Aide, our Ecuadorian translator/tour guide around the neighborhood. We headed over to a couple of our neighbor's houses, including Aide's families house where we met her mom, 2 sisters and little brother, and got to talk about to them about the differences between American and Ecuadorian life. We then went to Oscar and Jenny's house, met their whole family, and were very bluntly thrown very hard questions. Jenny told us about her life and how she grew up knowing she was great and very intelligent, and wanted to be a lawyer, but real life called and she couldn't afford the things she wanted. Now she is a very happy mother and wife, and that is her job. It really differed from the US and how if people tell us we are smart - we can go to college (well most of us), but just the difference in opportunities between the two countries and areas. It is too unfortunate that this is the case and opened my mind to a lot of things and made me thing.
After lunch, tuna, fresh bread, and a veggie "salad" (same as every day). In the evening we had downtime while some of the group cooked dinner with Aide, and after dinner and more free time, we had our nightly reflection. it was the first real time when we got an idea of what everyone else was thinking. it was great to just reflect on this true lifestyle changed we had gone through over the past day!
PS: I don't know how i even slept while I was there, since not only was I sleeping in a room with 1 girl and 2 boys, but it was hotter and more humid than I have ever experienced in my life! But some how I did!
Ciao
Day #2: what a crazy first day. Not because it was crazy, but we were still all realizing the fact that we were finally in Ecuador, doing what we have been preparing to do! When we woke up, we found fresh bread for breakfast... and that was what we had for breakfast every morning, as well as bananas. On that first day we had known we would also have bananas, so on the counter we found a banana looking fruit, so we ate them! Come to find out, they were plantains. PERFECT!
After breakfast, we met Aide, our Ecuadorian translator/tour guide around the neighborhood. We headed over to a couple of our neighbor's houses, including Aide's families house where we met her mom, 2 sisters and little brother, and got to talk about to them about the differences between American and Ecuadorian life. We then went to Oscar and Jenny's house, met their whole family, and were very bluntly thrown very hard questions. Jenny told us about her life and how she grew up knowing she was great and very intelligent, and wanted to be a lawyer, but real life called and she couldn't afford the things she wanted. Now she is a very happy mother and wife, and that is her job. It really differed from the US and how if people tell us we are smart - we can go to college (well most of us), but just the difference in opportunities between the two countries and areas. It is too unfortunate that this is the case and opened my mind to a lot of things and made me thing.
After lunch, tuna, fresh bread, and a veggie "salad" (same as every day). In the evening we had downtime while some of the group cooked dinner with Aide, and after dinner and more free time, we had our nightly reflection. it was the first real time when we got an idea of what everyone else was thinking. it was great to just reflect on this true lifestyle changed we had gone through over the past day!
PS: I don't know how i even slept while I was there, since not only was I sleeping in a room with 1 girl and 2 boys, but it was hotter and more humid than I have ever experienced in my life! But some how I did!
Ciao
Sunday, January 31, 2010
The Plan
Since my team meets on Sunday nights, I'm hoping to update the blog after every meeting with the things that came up, including fundraisers, schedules, and other things about Ecuador.
Getting ready to go to Ecuador is kind of overwhelming, especially when we have no idea what we are doing there! As it is a cultural immersions program, the Rostro de Cristo (Face of Christ) organization will be giving us our schedule and we won't know it until we get to Ecuador on the 13th of March. They have worked with hundreds of volunteer groups and know the best way to give us the best experience, which may be way better than us trying to set up things on our own. It leaves us on edge and willing to accept anything on this trip.
I am very excited to find out what is ahead and to use this blog to not only show others our progress, but also use it to grow with myself. Personally, I need to practice more Spanish, really understand the Ecuadorian live style, and the history that blossomed into the culture that Ecuador and Duran currently have!
Stay tuned for another update tonight! Adios
Getting ready to go to Ecuador is kind of overwhelming, especially when we have no idea what we are doing there! As it is a cultural immersions program, the Rostro de Cristo (Face of Christ) organization will be giving us our schedule and we won't know it until we get to Ecuador on the 13th of March. They have worked with hundreds of volunteer groups and know the best way to give us the best experience, which may be way better than us trying to set up things on our own. It leaves us on edge and willing to accept anything on this trip.
I am very excited to find out what is ahead and to use this blog to not only show others our progress, but also use it to grow with myself. Personally, I need to practice more Spanish, really understand the Ecuadorian live style, and the history that blossomed into the culture that Ecuador and Duran currently have!
Stay tuned for another update tonight! Adios
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