The last two weeks have been just as eventful as any other period of time here. My work weeks have been filled with attending my teacher’s classes and trying to work with them on their methodology. My work schedule was changed recently and now I work three morning shifts and two afternoon shifts. The schedule is difficult for me because I prefer to have a set routine. I suppose it is time for me to live up to all the talk I spouted during the application process about being “flexible”. Change and progress here will certainly come slowly but I can be patient. I think.
Many times when I feel that I am not being productive or useful
I have moments of clarity when I look out my window at the snowcapped mountains
and rolling hills that surround me and I remember how lucky I am to be here. Life
is good and I need to remind myself of that fact from time to time. Another
thing seems to always happen when I am feeling listless. A man that is probably
in his late sixties crosses in front of my house two times a day. He uses arm
crutches and has a very difficult time crossing my street due to the uneven sidewalks
and steep curbs. If I see him resting and preparing to cross I hustle down to
help him. As we laboriously cross the road we have a set script. I ask him how
he is doing and the response is always the same. “Well, my legs hurt, my knees
really hurt, my back hurts, I am tired and I am going to eat lunch with my
daughter”. I am not sure if he ever remembers who I am but that is of little
importance to me. While I sympathize with this man and his troubles it makes me
feel somewhat useful on days that I am bummed out.
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| Cotopaxi from my bedroom window |
On to more entertaining stuff. After I climbed Pichincha two
weeks ago I got pretty ill. I ate at Mexican restaurant that was delicious but
it turns out the savory taste was not worth the effects. I spent three days in
bed and in the bathroom. After speaking with the Medical Unit of the Peace
Corps I was given some drugs and eventually I began to feel better. My body is
adjusting to Ecuador slowly but there are times that I get a shock to the
system as I did in Quito.
Last weekend I went to a parade in a largely indigenous community,
Pujilí, that is situated about 10 miles
from Latacunga. The celebration is called Corpus Christi, or Body of Christ. I
was invited by my Ministry of Education Coordinator to sit with her and her
family. As usual I was welcomed with open arms by everyone in her large family.
By the end of the day I felt as if I had many new friends. One man that I had
met once before came up to me and saw a healing cut on my face that I recently
got while running with my hand in my jacket (foolish, I know). He was appalled
that I had not called him right when it happened despite that fact that I did
not have his contact information. He, along with everyone else here was
distressed over something that really needed little attention. Ecuador is
community oriented. This cannot be overstated.
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| Group from Columbia |
The parade started at 9:00 am. I expected it to last a few
hours and then go eat some good street food. As usual, my expectations were way
off. We settled into our seats and watched as the many colorful dancers and
entertainers shuffled down the street. The cultures and traditions were on full
display during the parade. Many groups donned the enormous headdresses that
have been worn year after year during this parade. I was told the original
headdresses from many years ago weighed close to 200 pounds. Of course they are
much lighter and more maneuverable now.
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| Traditional Headdresses |
The parade went on and on and on. I asked someone how long
the parade would last and was informed it would probably last until 2:00 pm.
That was fine with me. I was enjoying the parade and the company I was with. 2:00
pm came and went and the parade continued. The last portion of the parade was
filled with dancers and groups from Peru and Columbia. One of the last groups
to meander by was dressed as if they were from Mexico. Of course they were not
but it was funny seeing Ecuadorians dressed up as Mexicans. At 4:30 in the afternoon,
with my butt completely numb from the wooden bench I had been sitting on, the
parade drew to a close. The festival was a lot of fun and I was glad I was
invited to attend.
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| "Mexidorian" |
This past week has been filled with acrylic paint under my
nails. A fellow volunteer that has lived here for a year asked if I would help
her paint a World Map at another campus of my high school. While new volunteers
are really supposed to focus on settling in and less on starting projects, I
jumped at the opportunity to “get my hands dirty”, plus I really love maps. The
World Map is a project that many volunteers do around the world. It is a great
way to teach geography and the English names of countries. There are countless
activities that schools can use with this giant map.
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| Nearly Finished |
We started on Monday by projecting the map on a large
interior wall of the school. Throughout the week many students helped us trace,
paint and repaint the map. I spent a good portion of my week at that campus
working on the map with my fellow volunteer. She was really the boss lady and I
sort of assisted. This was more than fine with me. She did a great job of
organizing the whole thing and it was really cool to see a project go from an
idea to a finished product. Though many students and teachers helped us paint,
a majority of the school just stared at us. The male professors at the school
would constantly come up and jokingly harass me or poke me when I was “in the
zone” painting. The male professors enjoy having me around to joke with. I think
the whole idea of being a volunteer is not the manliest thing to them. This
machismo society is an odd thing. Where exactly I fit in on their hierarchy is
somewhat of a mystery to me and possibly to them as well. But for the most part
we all have a good time and they have welcomed warmly.
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| English teachers working hard on the Ecuadorian Map |
The map came along fine throughout the week. On Friday a
parent of a student showed up to help. It turns out he had some real artistic
ability. He finalized a lot of the map and helped us mix colors to match what
we had already painted. We asked him to paint a small Ecuadorian flag above the
map. I assumed it would be a basic rectangular flag. Nope, in about 15 minutes
he created a sweet flag billowing in the wind. Impressive. The map turned out
great. It is a tangible thing that my fellow volunteer and I can be proud of. I
encourage any currently serving volunteer to try it. I am not artist and the
map turned out alright.
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| Awesome Improvised Flag |
On Friday of this week I was invited but the male professors
from my high school to go watch a professional basketball game here in
Latacunga. Considering it the Finals are on in the States I figured I could use
a little b-ball action. Latacunga was in the playoffs and the men were excited
to go watch the game. I paid my three dollars to get in and we sat in the best
spot we could find. When the players took to the court I was surprised to see
so many white guys. It was explained to me that the teams here hire American
players to compete during the playoffs. The other players were large
Afro-Ecuadorians. I was hoping to see a bunch of stereotypically short Ecuadorians
battling it out but that was not the case.
The game was very entertaining for several reasons. There
was a large television screen that was streaming the Venezuelan soccer game
behind one of the goals just in case you were bored with the game right in front
of you. Also, watching the Gringos that were playing try to communicate with
their teammates and coaches was hilarious. Hand motions and frustrated broken
Spanish came from the white guys. I watched the same tall Gringo get two technical
fouls because he was trying to explain to the ref that he did not foul another
player. The ref assumed the player was spouting English profanities at him
rather than simply pleading his case. Gotta love miscommunications.
Latacunga ended up losing the game pretty badly. In the
final three minutes I watched as two Americans on the opposing team did some
crazy alley-oops to rub the loss in Latacunga’s face. Oddly enough, when the
final buzzer sounded the entire crowd erupted in cheers. All the men slapped me
on the back and told me how great the game was. I am not used to celebrating a
loss but these guys were just happy to watch such an exposition.
As usual the last two weeks have been full of new experiences
and adventures. I am learning more and more that I still have no idea what is
going to happen next. It is kind of like the more you know, the more you know
that you don’t know anything. I am on a journey into the unknown and I know
that I like it.
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