Moving Day!

What was lost is once again found. I have been urged back to writing on this here blog by my fan base. Mom and Mimi this is for your guys! Hope this fills your "Todd Tank" until I write another blog post or at the very least come home . With my attention span however, it's probably going to be the latter...

I am not going to take up much of your time but I do want to describe the progress on the English A/V lab in my high school. For those of you that are new to this blog I will try to bring you up to speed. About a year ago a fellow volunteer and I had the idea to create an English Lab at our school that would bring English education into the 21st century, or at least the mid 1990s. We asked for a classroom, desks, a whiteboard, a projector, a computer, a printer, speakers and microphones. Most  of that list is not available in the average Ecuadorian classroom.  The grant was approved by the National Peace Corps Association and publicized on their website. Thanks to great friends, wonderful family members and even the generosity of random strangers we raised the all the funds for this undertaking.

I took this photo the day we acquired the room

The grant is aimed to help those that help themselves. The school had to raise or provide at least 25% of the overall budget. This makes the school community involved and more importantly, invested in the project. My school went above and beyond by providing a full third of the budget through much needed "in-kind" donations and labor.

We have run into a few speed bumps along the way but this was to be expected. At one point the classroom was appropriated to a different subject. After a few weeks of negotiating and politickin' we were able to reclaim was what rightfully ours. I now have a written letter of agreement from the Rector that states our right occupy and use the classroom as we see fit.

Today we just finished moving all the furniture that the English area has accumulated over the 50 years our school has been in existence. All in all we have a dusty book shelf and a half broken cupboard. We aren't the best equipped English Department but we have to start somewhere. Also, when I say "we" moved the furniture it should be noted that I mean the collective "we". That is what I call using the "student body" in a productive manner.

Starting tomorrow I will begin installing the electronics and figuring out how it all works. I am still not very tech-savvy. After getting it all set up I plan on having a few training sessions for my English teachers in the lab. I want them to understand how everything works but more mainly I want them to know how to apply appropriate, engaging activities with this new technology.

Improving the feng shui

My goal is to have everything up and running smoothly before January 1. Also, by the same date I want to establish a regular teaching schedule for my English Professors. My hope is to have the lab full of students learning and broadening their horizons on a rotating schedule by February

Finally got the whole bunch of us together

As I am working on the implementation of this lab I realize how little time I have left here in Ecuador. I cannot believe that almost 2 years has gone by this fast. Thinking about my future is both exciting and frightening. It is exciting because the my future is full of different possibilities and paths. On the other hand it is frightening. What will it be like leaving all of my great friends behind? Will it be another culture shock going home? How will I cope with rapid lifestyle back in the States? These questions and many more slip into my thinking and I start to feel overwhelmed. Luckily, I have this lab to focus on until then. Speaking of, I should get back to work!

Oh, and one more frightening question. Where will I find grilled guinea pig in the good ole US of A!?

School’s Back in Session

Summer vacation has been tough but I made it through. As my amount of blogging can attest, I have been on the road. I have traveled far and wide over the past month enjoying this magnificent country that I call home. I sprinkled in some work in Quito at a TEFL seminar and worked a summer camp for the US embassy.

Fire Starting Competition

Singing campfire songs

The English intensive embassy camps are the best. I really enjoy working in these types of non-formal educational settings. This year we camped in the jungle and we appropriately themed our camp “Extreme Jungle Survival”. We took inner-city kids camping in a remote area of Ecuador. The high school students, as well as the university volunteers, had never been camping. It was a real treat to see them experience the real outdoors for the first time. Campfire building, s’mores, knot tying, campfire songs, and ghost stories ranked high on the students lists while the spiders, ants, mosquitoes, jungle bees and sleeping on the ground were all at the bottom. All in all it was a great trip and I hope I get the chance to participate in one more before I am out of here.

Goal 2 of PC: Share American Culture

BIG NEWS!!

Fundraising for the English Area Audio/Visual Laboratory is finished! I want to thank each and every one you that donated to this project. My teachers were elated to hear that funding came so quickly. You are a part of something that has the potential to change the future of my high school, my students, and especially my teachers. Thank you so much! In the coming months we will buy the materials, set up a schedule of usage and finally implement the lab.

English Area cleaning up the room for the lab!

I want to preface the implementation of the lab with a disclaimer. This lab will be considered very low-tech by first world standards. We are starting from scratch and our budget is small. The lab will consist of a desktop computer, a speaker system, a projector, a printer/scanner, and a whiteboard. While this doesn't sound like much, it is more than these students have ever had in an English class. My teachers have not had the opportunity to teach with the type of technology that this lab will provide.

This year my largest goal is to work on the English lab with my English teachers. I feel that if this lab is implemented correctly it can remain sustainable after I am gone. The goal of Peace Corps is that our job will be temporary and our impact everlasting. Sustainability is a lofty goal but one that I desire to achieve. I do realize that the lab won’t be there forever. Computers break, things are stolen, and school goals change. However, maybe through the technology that the lab will bring to our English classes our students can envision, and in turn achieve, a brighter future. I will try my hardest to get my teachers to see the benefit of using alternative teaching methods rather than relying solely on the book that the Ministry of Education supplies. These are my hopes.

Panoramic of the room

Well the last school semester of my service starts tomorrow. Just writing that sounds crazy. I cannot believe I am more than three quarters through this experience. I am going to work hard this year to push my English teachers out of their comfort zones and prepare them for when I am no longer here. I am optimistic about my remaining time and the possible outcomes. If I weren't, I wouldn't have made it this far.

For my birthday a friend made a dream of mine come true. I shot at at map blindfolded to determine our next trip. 

Camping on vacation

Mojandas (wildfire damage on the the left)

Livin' the Life

I need your money!

Ok, so asking others for money has never been my strong suit. I was never good at fundraising. I dreaded going door to selling over-priced popcorn so I could go to summer camp. Let's see if I have gotten any better.

Today I am proud to announce that the grant for the English Audiovisual Lab has been approved by Peace Corps Ecuador and Washington DC. After months of work on the grant it was finally pushed through last week and placed on the PC website. All we lack now are the funds!

Some of the English Club kiddos you would be helping

The grant is specifically set to boost the level of English of my teachers and in turn, their students. Right now, English is taught with no materials aside from a book and a white board. Furthermore, the same book is taught to each level so the students see no new material. This grant allots funds for a computer, a projector, a speaker, a microphone, headphones, a printer/scanner and desks. Peace Corps stresses that the community must be responsible for 25% of the total cost of the implementation of the lab. In agreement with this, the school will provide the physical classroom, security systems, and the remaining chairs and desks that are required.

What my normal classes look like

I know that the implementation of lab will have a profound effect on the school. Last year we did not have electricity in every classroom and the possibility of leaping from there to the 21st century would make a world of difference to my school and my community. I would really like my teachers to experiment with new methodology and bring the world beyond my community into the classroom. I won't be here much longer but hopefully this can be something that I can leave behind in hopes of bettering the tomorrow of my teachers, my students, and my community.

The full amount of the grant is $3,7488. After subtracting the 25% being donated by high school the total comes out to $2,478. I have a little less 8 months left here in Ecuador

and I would really like to see the implementation of this laboratory before I go. Any amount you can give is appreciated even if just 5 dollars. You can rest well knowing that in a small way we are making a change.

Ok, how was that? Sappy enough? Please Please Please! It is even tax deductible!

Here is the web page where you can donate!

Peace Corps Donation Page for My Lab

Corpus Christi all over again

No this is not a post about the city in Texas but I hope the title garnered a few extra readers.

The small nearby town of Pujilí had their annual festival this weekend. It is honoring the Holy Communion and is celebrated with a large parade, music, dancing and drinking. It is a rather well known celebration and dance teams from other South American countries come to show their stuff.

Last week my friend asked me to dance in the parade with him and his high school. I was happy to accept the invitation and showed up at his house early Saturday morning. There we ate a giant breakfast to “give us the necessary strength” to make it through the day. We gorged ourselves on “jugo de carne con huevos tibios” or meat juice with soft-boiled eggs. It seemed like too much food but in hindsight I probably should have eaten even more.

Dance group from last year

We donned our ponchos, indigenous hats and pounds of sunscreen and we were out the door. We arrived at the starting point and I was introduced as a special guest to the crowd. Our specific group was comprised of the parents of the students of the school. They were to dance with large stalks of sugarcane. I don’t know how many times I got hit in the face by the long leaves.

Danzantes

My position was up front with my friend and 3 teachers of the school. I asked the women how I was supposed to dance. I had accepted the invitation to be in the parade and at the last minute I realized I had no idea what I was supposed to do. The instructions given to me were simple, dance the way the music makes you feel. Clearly the Gringo heard the music differently than the rest of the group. There was a lot of arm flailing and shuffling to the beat from this guy.

Throughout the parade my friend would dart around yelling to the crowds and leaving me alone out-front. At times it appeared like a Gringo was leading the high school in the parade. In those moments I would yell to the crowd “Viva Corpus Christi” to which the crowd responded “Viva!” It felt odd yelling, “Long live the corpse of Christ” but when in Pujilí, do as they Pujilense do...

Can you spot the Gringo?

Dancing under the strong equatorial sun for more than 2 hours really took its toll on us. We were exhausted. At the terminus of the parade we congratulated one another and made our way back to the where my friends were watching the ongoing parade. I finally was able to sit down my and was just about to eat lunch when friend informed me that the dance team from his high school would be passing by and we should support them by parading with them past our group of friends.

Sure, why not?

Once I saw how happy my friend was to start the parade over again I realized what I had gotten myself into. Our small gesture of support turned into another 2 hours of dancing. People immediately recognized the indigenously-clad Gringo and no doubt wondered why he was taking a second lap. This time the dance was a bit different. Every 10 minutes we had to stop and pick people out of the crowd to dance with. This was always awkward and I tried to only pick women who would be eligible for AARP.

At the end of the second lap I was beyond exhausted. We once again returned to our friends who were watching the last bit of the parade. Once the parade ended we all went indoors for dinner. A bowl of chicken soup and fried pork awaited us. Fritada has never tasted so good.

Over dinner my friend and I were able to reflect on the day and entertained our friends with our tales. As we spoke I realized that this is what integration feels like. Even though I didn't even live there I felt a part of the community and a part of the family.

It is hard to believe that this was my second Corpus Christi and I won’t be here for the next one. I don’t know where the time has gone. I suppose as long as it is spent making memories like this it really doesn't matter.  

The thrills derived from routine!

The past few days I have been pondering what to write about here on my little stage. I like to write about wild things that I am doing, eating, or experiencing here in South America. Since coming back from Belize I haven't really had anything interesting or out of the ordinary happen to me. Between co-teaching, co-planning, afternoon teacher classes, the university class and English club I haven't really gotten out of work mode. Things have gone relatively smoothly and nothing really new happened over the past 3 weeks. Just plain ole work. 

When thinking about this post and what I would write I got kind of bummed. Then it hit me. I am accustomed to working and living in Ecuador. The fact that things seem normal is in of itself something abnormal.

I have posted how I have become accustomed to living here with all the eccentricities of the culture and food but now I feel like even the job has become normal and routine. In the past this has been a problem. I like my life to be fun and interesting and when things get monotonous I like to change, even if the next option is uncertain. I guess you could say I am more comfortable when I am uncomfortable. Luckily, I realize how short my time here really is and this malady of the past should not present a problem in the present. Im’a be just fine living out my last ten months here.

Now, if you made me really dig I could tell you three cool things that have happened.

-A man who owns a small store near my house greets me every day but we had never spoken more than a few seconds. The other day I went into his store for some apples and after hearing my Spanish he made a comment that he knew I wasn’t from here. I admitted I was not. Being completely serious, he responded that he had never met a Cuban in real life.

-I took the GRE in Quito. I knew that I needed to take it and start at least THINKING about my future but kept putting it off. Then I came back from Belize and looked online for test dates. I assumed I would schedule it for a month or so away in order fully prepare myself. There was only one test date and it was in five days. I threw caution to the wind and dropped the two hundred bucks to register.

The test was challenging but I did well. It was excited to be mentally challenged again. Is that the best way to say that? Oh well, at least I had the fortune of speaking English as my first language. All the other test takers that day were Ecuadorian and were really sweating it during our break. A few were ready to throw in the towel during after the verbal reasoning section. I cannot imagine being in competition with native Spanish speakers on a logical reasoning exam in Spanish. No gracias…

-A local gymnasium sponsors inexpensive day trips to areas of natural beauty. The idea is to get the people of Latacugna moving and outdoors. This sounds strikingly similar to my nature club, wonder where I got the idea…

The mud from a certain rock was a natural bug repellent. Cute huh?

This weekend we went to the Amazon rainforest. We hiked for hours and ended up at two different waterfalls. They, along with the views of the rainforest, were spectacular. The second waterfall required that you swim upstream to it. The guide kindly shuttled our cameras for us so we could devote our hands to swimming. There was a felled tree that you could climb and jump from into the pool below the waterfall. I was just like a five year old again, hold the jokes please, climbing and diving over and over again, much more than most of the Ecuadorians.

Look out point

Not the Giving Tree....the Jumping Tree

That night at dinner a woman asked if my head and shoulders felt okay. I responded I was fine but was curious why she might think my head might hurt. She and her friend both said that after all that “falling” I did off the tree I was sure to be sore in the morning. I would like to think that my diving doesn’t look as if I am simply falling off things… At any rate I am a sophisticated faller.

The Amazon. ---

Natural decongestant. I snorted this stuff and cried my eyes out...

Hola Vida waterfall

First waterfall

Yeah waterfalls!

Belize: Welcome to the Jungle

I have just returned from a week long trip visiting my pops in Belize. My dad and stepmother are serving as missionaries for young men that attend their school, Belize Vo-Tech. The schools mission is to train the high school aged students in technical skill in a Christian environment. The 28 boys live on campus and visit their families once every three weeks. Essentially, my parents are raising, teaching, and leading the boys of Belize Vo-Tech.

Dad teaching

I told my dad that he should plan whatever he wanted for my trip. I would leave it completely in his hands. I had assumed that my trip would be filled with pristine beaches, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, and maybe a resort or two.

I was traveling with a Hemelstrand, I should have known better.

Ceviche! Yum!

I landed in Belize City after 24 hours of travel from Ecuador. Stepping off the plane and onto the tarmac felt like stepping into a Satan’s sauna. I live high in the Andes where the temperature never gets above 75 and Belize promised to be a bit of a change. After making it through customs I was reunited with my dad and stepmom. The first thing they said was how lucky I was that it was so cool that day. To me it felt about 120 degrees. I never truly cooled off until I got back on the plane the following week. I was starting to understand why so few volunteers travel from their post to another developing country.

We spent a few hours driving around Belize City where I ate the best ceviche of my life! For being a major tourism port I was surprised to see the level of poverty that exists there. Nothing in that city suggested that tourism was the major industry of the country. I had expected to arrive in a posh city that would not compare to Ecuador but I was surprised to see the opposite. Later that afternoon we drove a few hours into the jungle to the campus of Belize Vo-Tech where my parents work and live.

Saw this little guy in Belize City

The campus itself is beautiful. The surrounding jungle is full of life and very lush. My dad showed me around the school. We went to the wood shop where the boys and an instructor make very nice mahogany furniture that helps pay the bills of the school. Then we went to the mechanics shop where the boys learn how to work on cars. The boys also learn to work on different things that break around campus. For example the boys were re-roofing one of the dorms while I was there.

That night I took a cold shower hoping to cool off a bit and it helped to an extent. My parents do not have air conditioning in their house but have an absurd yet necessary amount of fans in the house. I slept with 3 going full blast and this allowed me to sleep in relative comfort. Around 4:30 in the morning the jungle comes alive with the call of birds, monkeys, and assorted other creatures. They are a rather pleasing alarm clock.

The next day I was able to meet the boys before breakfast. Though the national language is English in Belize, most of the boys spoke Spanish as their first language. This certainly helped me get through to the kids and get to know them quickly. Before breakfast is their daily devotional time and my dad asked me to lead it. I had a tough time deciding what to talk about but eventually decided to talk about my life in Ecuador. I wanted the boys to see that there are poor people all over the world and Christianity doesn’t just exist in the States and Belize. I think I got through to them. My PowerPoint over Ecuador helped too. I don’t know how many times the boys asked me through the week what guinea pig and worms taste like.

My dad took me on his daily errands to every hardware store in a 20 mile radius to buy tools and implements for the school. The first store we went into the people lit up and say “Hello Mr. Neil!” with a big smile. Dad would respond with their name and ask how they were doing. This did not just happen at one store, seemingly everyone my dad saw would know him and ask how “Mr. Neil” was doing. My dad has never met a stranger. It is funny seeing how my dad has adapted to Belize and made it just like home. In the States my dad would be on a first name basis with everyone and was liked by all. Though he is living in a developing country that doesn’t share his native language he still has made it just like home. To me, this means it is all about one’s personality and demeanor rather than location that determines happiness and comfort.

One interesting side story has to do with the Mennonites in Belize. In the 1950s they arrived in Belize from Mexico and now have lead quiet farming lives in the jungle of Belize. At large intersections in the jungle it is common to see a few Mennonites with their horse and buggy selling watermelons or other produce.  My father has befriended a few through the sale of a cow and I was able to meet them and see a bit of how they live. They were all very nice people and see their culture and language in contrast to that of Belize was very surreal. It takes all kinds…

In a Mennonite community, read closely

One afternoon I taught class on knot tying to the students. Seeing how the kids work with their hands, my pops thought it would be a good idea to teach a few basic knots. I think dad may also have wanted to learn a few himself and the boys were a good cover. By the end of the class we were having races and the boys consistently would beat me and Mr. Neil.

Knot class

That weekend the boys went home and dad and I were headed on a few adventures. The first was to go to Mayan cave that was used 1100 years ago for human sacrifices and bloodletting ceremonies. You are required to swim upstream through the cave with a helmet and headlamp. After driving an hour of bumpy dirt roads in the jungle we were made aware that we needed a guide as well. Dad thought we could save some money by just showing up at the gate and getting a guide there. We were turned around and told to come back the next day with a guide. The “Hemelstrand Shortcut”, as well called it as kids, still exists...

Friendly critter dad caught

We instead went to a Mayan ruin that was very impressive. We climbed up and down the ancient pyramids and read about the history. The following day we returned to the cave with a guide and hiked to the cave entrance. We went about 2 miles into the cave half swimming and half wading. It was a wild experience. At a set point we started climbing up one of the walls and arrived in a large chamber where the Mayan people had made human sacrifices. There are 14 skeletons in total in the chamber. One of the skeletons is covered in calcium deposits and in the light of the headlamps it looks crystalized. It was amazing.

Mayan Ruin

The last adventure we had came the next day. We hired another guide and drove to another cave system. There we were provided lifejackets, headlamps, and inner tubes. Before we started the float I jumped off a small cliff into the river which I eventually convinced dad to do too. Shortly thereafter we got in the cold water and started paddling downstream. Soon we entered a cave and turned on the headlamps. It was very dark, very quiet, and kind of eerie. Every half hour or so the river would emerge into the sunlight and then quickly go back into the cave. 

Jumping into the river

Cave Tubing

Inside the cave

The following day I had dad take me back to the airport and in true Hemelstrand style we showed up about an hour before my international flight. But I got on the plane just fine. My trip was full of fun but much too short. The boys and employees at Belize Vo-Tech told me I had to come back next year and stay for a longer period. I think I will but maybe not in the hot season…

Roadside Pupusas (El Salvadorian Food)

A short note to my dad and stepmom:

First, dad, I am impressed that your childlike humor has not matured a bit since you have been there. It was nice to still be able to roll my eyes at your moronic jokes. Also, I am glad you still want to be adventurous and have fun. You still have one good hip, keep living it up!

Family friends

On a serious note, I could not be more proud of what you guys are doing in Belize. To do what you are doing requires so much faith and perseverance. I knew we were going through similar experiences but didn't realize we share almost the exact same trials and tribulations. I hope I don’t burst your bubbles, but you two aren't spring chickens and to be willing to make such a change in your lives shows true devotion to the Lord’s work. A son getting to see his parents working in such a way was a blessing. I am in awe of you two and only hope that I can one day measure up to my pops and stepma. Dedicating one’s life to the Lord’s work may not be the easiest path but it is the path you were called to and I am proud to call you guys my parents.

See ya in a year!

Viva el Capitán!

This morning if you had told me that instead of a normal co-teaching and co-planning day at my high school I would be dancing on an Ecuadorian military base I would have thought you were crazy. I had already made plans with my teachers and planned to have a meeting in the afternoon with the English Area.

At 7 this morning a teacher called me frantically and directed me to get my "Mama Negra" military uniform and get to school as soon as possible. The avid reader of this blog, mom, will remember that "La Mama Negra" is the annual festival in Latacunga held in November. I was invited to take part in the parade last year and had a uniform made to fit my Gringo-sized body. I remembered the men saying that we should keep our uniforms handy throughout the next year in case we were asked to represent the high school at some city wide function. Apparently the authorities got the call this morning, cancelled school and assembled the ranks.

I was lucky enough to be one of the 12 selected by the authorities to march/dance at the military base outside of Latacunga today. I hurriedly packed my uniform and rushed to school. There we rehearsed the march that we had done for the parade. For the parade in November we practiced for almost 3 months beforehand. Today we practiced for less than half an hour. I was a little rusty but soon got back into the swing of things.

Chiva time!

We then loaded ourselves into the "Chiva" and drove the 20 minutes to the military base. When we arrived we were told why we had been asked to come. The women of the Ecuadorian military were at the base. There were about 150 women that were in the military and maybe 50 wives of the upper echelon of the Ecuadorian military. The women were taking a tour of the base and we were there special surprise at the end. We marched in with the military band and did a few laps around the gym where the women had ended their tour. Then we went into our dance routine. Soon our ranks broke and the women mobbed us with cameras. Not to be too modest, but the women really liked the Gringo in uniform.

Can you spot the Gringo?

After half an hour of photos and dancing we loaded back up into the open-air party-mobile and headed back to campus. The women of the school awaited us at the gate and rushed us into the school and told us all to get changed ASAP. Unbeknownst to me, the authorities didn't get permission to leave the school from the district. Our whereabouts had been found out and someone had made a police report that all the authorities had left the school and were dancing at the base. Apparently driving through the center of town wearing gaudy uniforms and shouting  is not the sneakiest way to get from one place to another.



Things blew over quickly once someone from the district arrived and observed that we were all in the school where we were supposed to be. Appearance is everything. The case was also made to the district that even if we weeerrrreee at the base, we were just being patriotic.

I think she is probably in Recruiting

It seems like every time I get into a routine and start to think I know what is going on here south of the equator something  like this happens to put me back into my blissfully ignorant place. And you know what, I wouldn't like it any other way.