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!

Seeing my world through a 1st world lens

At a lookout point in Cuenca

My mother recently came to Ecuador to visit her favorite son. She and a friend were here for 12 days. We were able to travel a little bit around Ecuador and take in some sights and absorb a bit of the culture. I could write an entire post about the things we did and where we traveled but instead I would prefer to write about the impression that Ecuador left on my visitors. 

I have been in country for about 10 months now and have pretty well settled in. Things that seemed strange or difficult to deal with have now become the norm. I am no longer surprised by things that shocked me upon arrival. The reactions that my mom had to my day to day world were intriguing to say the least.

There were many things that I knew would surprise her here such as lack of air conditioning and heating, non-potable water, and bus transportation. These were to be expected. However there were far more “unknown unknowns” that popped up along the way. For example, I had forgotten the dependency that my mother has on Diet Coke. Seemingly every half hour I would have to venture out and search for the rare drink. “Diet” anything is not in high demand here. Lack of refrigeration and ice were a major issue when it came to this sacred drink as well. By the end of the trip mom had sworn off Diet Coke until she reached American soil where she could get a proper fountain Diet Coke. I can only imagine the trumpets that played in her head during that first sip of DC she had in Miami!

Mom even tried Cuy! (Guinea Pig)

Another comical example would be the lack of toilet paper in this country. I cannot tell you how many times my mom asked if there was a paper shortage here in Ecuador after returning from the bathroom. The bathrooms here largely do not have toilet paper. It is necessary to carry extra “important papers” most everywhere you go. I might have failed to mention this to my mother and her friend upon their arrival. After each trip to the bathroom they would report back whether or not it was acceptable and would rejoice if they were lucky enough to encounter both toilet paper and a toilet seat. It is the little things in life.

This pretty accurately describes the energy level after 8:00 in the evening

There were also other, less humorous, differences that my visitors noticed. We spent a considerable amount of time in my site, Latacunga, meeting my friends, seeing my work and where I live. When I took them to the school where I worked last year I thought little of the state of disrepair it was in. We walked around some of the classrooms and I explained a few of the difficulties that my teachers face. Having close to 50 high school students in a cramped room with open windows is not the most conducive learning environment but it is what we deal with here. I explained that I no longer think about my old American classroom. It is not that I don’t miss it; I simply have accepted this job and it’s restrictions as my reality. This, I told them, is now my life. 

As we walked around the school I noticed my mom and her friend were in a state of disbelief. At one point one of them said something to the effect how the school was in such bad shape and how it would be impossible to hold classes in such a place. This caught me off guard. Like I said, the school and its teachers are my reality and I have a sense of pride about the place. I wanted to make a stand for my school and defend it. Then I remembered back to when I arrived and the way I viewed everything here. It all was so backward and things seemed pretty hopeless. Now that I have been here for a considerable amount of time and know the people, I don’t constantly think about how rough life is. Granted, there are many days that are tough and lonesome but on the whole I am happy working and living here. The people here make it all worth it. 

For me it is wild to think about how much my thinking and my life has changed since moving here. I don’t constantly think about the lack of American commodities and luxuries. I no longer walk by the men peeing on the street and make a disgusted look and think how primal they are. I do not find it odd that 5 year olds are on almost every bus selling gum or asking for money. When I see drunken zombies walking around at 10 in the morning I do not cross the street and avert my gaze to avoid being near them. My desensitization is not fully complete but has come a long way. I am not sure that it is positive or negative change but it is a necessary one to live in a developing country. 

My boss and her family took us to Quilatoa

My mother was able to meet most of my Ecuadorian friends at a local market the following day. Despite the travel and beautiful sites we saw, she told me this was the best day of the trip. My mom likes to worry about me but she said she felt much better about me living here after meeting such great people that were in my life. It was great seeing the interactions between my mom, who speak NO Spanish, and my Ecuadorian best friends and co-workers. My English teachers threw a little party my guests when they visited the school. They all said very nice things about me and our work together. While they probably would have said nice things about anyone who brought their mother to school, it was still very nice to hear. 

Having my mom here was great. I was happy to host her and allow her to see a glimpse of my life. It taught me several very valuable lessons. My life here is much different than my previous life in the States, I am even more adaptable than I thought, and I have the best, toughest momma in the world. Oh and the most important lesson, if you are having two American women visit you, remind them to bring toilet paper everywhere you go or you are liable to have two very upset Gringas on your hands…

I found DP!!! 3 bucks though....

Mitad Del Mundo

Ladder to the top of a church. Like I said, tough momma

School's back in, BYO fresh produce.

After a very busy summer I was looking forward to getting back to normal school so I could rest. In cruel irony this came full force.

Teachers here, similar to the US, are mandated to return to school a week prior to the students arrival. This period is to plan and prepare. I came in each day of this period in order to get an idea of what the next year would be like. After an initial meeting where the new Rector, principal, explained a few plans for the school year and then we were all dismissed. I then asked around about what we would do for the following 5 work days. My English teachers have been told that we will be using a new English textbook this year. However, we did not and still do not have them so planning was almost impossible. We spent the week playing cards, chatting about vacation, and watching some of the male teachers gamble. (I literally watched one man run out of money and use avocados as a currency substitute.) This is not to say that the week was not productive. I did get pretty good at spider solitaire.

On the Friday before the students returned I asked for each English teacher's schedule. This would prove impossible because not one my teachers had been given a schedule from the authorities. Coming from the American world of education this astounded me. The entire weekend I stressed about what would happen when the students showed up on Monday. Even the students schedules were not prepared. Thoughts of complete and utter chaos filled my head. Of course this did not happen. Monday came around and everyone milled about chatting about their weekend and the crazy weather we were having. Students played soccer and basketball to pass the time as their parents watched.

Around noon we had a school wide meeting where the Rector welcomed everyone and officially kicked off the new school year. Teachers received their schedules and everyone moseyed on to class. Classes went on with relatively few hitches. Teachers vamped and created interesting assignments for their new students on the spot. After school was over all the teachers met in the library and went on about their milling.

After some introspection I realized that those two weeks taught me a few things:

1. I am a planner. I never realized that order and structure were so important to me. It takes losing something to realize how much you miss it.

2. My worrying is of no help. The week leading up to school I was stressing due to the fact that we had no schedules or books with which to plan. However, things are running as smoothly as they were when I arrived. My stress only affects me and is not productive.

3. Productivity is relative. Coming from the American way of life I have a mentality of go-go-go. I remember as a boy hearing that, "If you hands ever go into your pockets it should be a reminder that you could be doing something, be productive". This logic does not apply here. It is neither good nor bad, simply not applicable. In order for me to be productive here I need to have my hands in my pockets from time to time and chat away with my co-workers and the administrators of the school. Coming into school with a go-go-go attitude quickly bogs one down.

4. I need to take a step back. Many times when I see things that I think I can do better I need to distance myself from the situation and ask questions about it rather than immediately try to change the way things are. While I have made some changes and suggestions, there are many things here that I simply need to cope with even if I do not understand the method to the "madness".

5. This is what I am here for. Despite some impatience that I experience from time to time I remind myself that this is what I signed up for. I am an incredibly blessed and lucky individual because I am  living a dream of mine. I am in a magnificent country surrounded by people that accept me for all my American "oddities" and I am going to make the most of my time in wild Ecua-land.

Now, a positive note:

In the last school year my school was divided into two campuses. This year the administration decided to combine the two campuses. Now, all levels are packed into one high school. The ages range from 11 to 18. What a mix... Anyway, there were many teachers that I had never met from the other campus. I had been told it was a bit of a boys club there and I wasn't too sure how well they would accept the new Gringo. To my surprise I was warmly greeted by all of the faculty and especially so by the men. I am greeted daily by each the guys with high fives and even bear hugs from a few, especially jovial, individuals. This is something I know I will miss when I return to the States.

And now for a funny story about sarcasm:

Over the break I attended a conference with some of my English teachers. We were walking back from a coffee break and I spotted a tall Gringo backpacker walking far ahead of us on the other side of the road. I pointed at him and asked aloud what my brother was doing in Latacunga. I have a very sarcastic sense of humor and this was yet another instance that I was reminded that sarcasm is not used or understood here.

The ladies looked at me and then looked at him. No one laughed and they then started telling others in the group that my brother was in Latacunga and had the audacity to not tell me. It took me a second to realize that they did not understand I was joking. One of the ladies even called out to the guy. I had to act quickly in order to stop the confusion and potentially embarrassing situation. I explained that I was joking and my brother was actually back in Amarillo and they should not to be alarmed. A few awkward laughs and we moved on. Yet another lesson learned.



Oh, care packages full of avocadoes are appreciated, I may want to get into gambling.




 I have attached a few photos from a recent adventure. Hope you enjoy, we sure did.


Have a friend milk a cow...

...then drink warm the goodness as the momma's calf watches on.



Rode in the back of a truck half the day with this kiddo.

Life is good my friends.

Summer Camp: Cuidarte Los Huevos!

“Holding a two week summer camp that one created from scratch is the best and most relaxing way to spend one’s vacation time”, said no one ever…

Ok, so that may be a bit overly pessimistic. While the camp was a lot of work and drained me a bit I am happy to have had the opportunity to hold such a camp for kids who likely had never had the opportunity to attend a summer camp until a couple of Gringos showed up. For sure the rewards outweighed the drawbacks.

The idea to hold a summer camp was hatched by a fellow volunteer who lives in a small community about 15 km from my site. Her site, Pujilí, is comprised mainly of indigenous Ecuadorians and the city is at a significantly lower economic state than my site, Latacunga. My friend suggested we hold a free summer camp for the youth of Pujilí giving English classes along with other typical summer camp activities. I initially had reservations about jumping into such a large project so early into our service but was eventually convinced that we would be fine and the camp would be great. I would be lying if I said that I did not think back to my initial feelings of doubt when the going got tough over the past two weeks but I am still very glad that my friend twisted my arm just enough to get me to commit.

Chillin' wit da homies

The camp was…

…a day camp running from 8:30 until 1:00.

…held at a local high school that allowed us to use their campus.

…open to any youth in Pujilí ages 5-16.

…free.

…created completely from scratch.

…ran by two PCVs that looked like they had it all together when really we would meet every afternoon and scratch our heads as we tried to plan the activities for the following day.

…exhausting yet exhilarating.

The camp was attended by about 30 kids depending on the day. Many of them were from the city of Pujilí but after we were featured on the news a few students from very rural very indigenous areas joined the camp as well. I remember working at summer camps in the States and how accountable the counselors were for the safety and well being of each and every student. Those summer camps assumed the liability for the students that are at their camp. Here it is just about the opposite. Children here are very independent and this was reflected in their behavior during the two weeks. Many times a group of three or four students would simply leave our camp to go buy bread from a store down the road. Invariably they would return though with their bread and things would continue. It was my instinct to immediately ask where they went and instruct them that they could not simply leave whenever they wanted to. I was responsible for them and didn’t want them to get hurt. (My very American fear of being sued for losing a child sometimes gets the best of me). The children did not understand why we wanted to know where they were at all times and this was something that I had to adjust to.

My sunglasses and my backpack made Joel look so cool

The students ranged from 4 years old all the way up to 16. This presented a special challenge. Keeping all ages busy and happy was something that undoubtedly expedited my premature balding. We planned activities we hoped would appeal to all ages. Many times we would ask the older kids to help the younger ones to keep everyone working.

The children were not required to come every day. We told them that we had fun activities planned each day and if they wanted to take part in them they would have to show up. This enticed them enough and we had steady attendance from almost everyone. It probably didn’t hurt that we had a tall blonde American female leading the camp.

Camp Activities:

English classes: We started these with the best of intentions. We wanted only to play games that involved English words and phrases. I allowed my friend to teach these because I had had my fill of English education for the year. These classes ended up being a time for the older kids to ask us questions about the United States and how to say certain phrases in English. I think I taught more English at times when a kid would want to know how to say a random word. For example, a young boy ran up to me and grabbed my stomach. I told him he was grabbing my fat, in Spanish of course. He then wanted to know how to say “fat” in English. I suppose learning  how to say “fat” is better than nothing.

Scouts: This was my specialty. I wanted to teach a few basic things dealing with the outdoors and survival. On the first day we did a challenge course where the teams had to complete certain tasks and the team that finished them all first would win a sticker on their team’s card. This was our monetary system that we used to keep track of who was winning. One activity in the challenge course was searching for food, shelter, and water which were represented by three discs. Another activity was to get every member of the team over a “poisonous rock” that was represented by a rope that was about 4 feet in the air. If a member of the team touched as they tried to get over it the entire team would restart. This activity led to only one kid landing on his head from five feet in the air so I consider it a success.

Como Planear Mi Vida: This is an activity that the Peace Corps encourages us to implement in our sites. I realize not everyone who reads this blog speaks Spanish so I will translate. The direct translation of Como Planear Mi Vida is “Not a good activity for 6 year olds.” Actually it means “how to plan my life” and basically it is meant to make children think about the decisions they make and how they can affect their future. My friend decided she would use an activity where each child is given an egg and told to take care of it as if it were a baby. The activity is meant to give kids an idea what it might be like to take care of a child. On paper it sounded like a great idea. But when you give a room full of little kids eggs, the results are predictable. Within the first 10 minutes we had 3 baby casualties. Egg yolk was everywhere. As the day progressed I found “baby brains” in many random places including the bathroom. Hopefully when these kids actually have babies they will try and take care of them better than they did with their eggs.

Sports: I decided the kids needed to learn American sports. The first sport I taught was Ultimate. The kids took to it pretty quickly and even asked to play in the following days. We also taught kickball. Man those Ecuadorians kids can kick a soccer ball (couldn’t locate a kickball). Those two sports were fun but the kids fell in love with Capture the Flag. After we taught that game that was all they wanted to play. They would just scream “Bandera, bandera, bandera!” when we would ask what they wanted to play. (We told them that the name of the game was “Capturar la Bandera”.)

Recycled Art: Because the camp cost nothing for the kids we had no budget. Every resource we used was either something of ours or we purchased it. Therefore recycled art was very appealing to us. We made wallets out of used milk cartons. The kids really enjoyed making these and I enjoyed seeing the kids using them throughout the camp.

Recycled milk cartons turned into wallets

Music Class: A local musician offered to teach a music class to the kids. The younger kids really liked the class. The older kids decided they were too cool for music school and hung out outside with my friend and me. This was when we had “cultural interchange”. We would chat about the States and the differences between Ecuador and the USA. I call it “cultural interchange” because that is one of the main goals of the Peace Corps and just in case my boss is reading this I want to cover all my bases. Hey Maria Dolores! J

Musical production put on at the final meeting

Olympics: On the last day my friend planned Olympic Games for the kids. We set up 6 stations that the kids would have to complete. The team that finished all of the stations in the quickest time would win. Though the games were very simple and short the kids loved the activity.

It may look like gambling but really they were bowling down water bottles

Working within the system to get the camp set up and ready to go was probably one of the most difficult things about the whole ordeal. There were many leaders in the community that pledged support for our camp. While one of them was able to come through and deliver what was promised many fell through due to various reasons. It was frustrating to rely on someone and then when you really need them they fail to hold up their end of the bargain. Improvisation became the name of the game many times. This taught me the value of two things. 1) Rely only on people that you really trust and 2) have really good backup activities.

Each day I would return to Latacunga around five in the evening thoroughly exhausted. On Wednesday of last week my students at the university called me and asked if I was busy. I told them I was not but I had not planned on coming to the university that evening. They pleaded with me to come because they were not going to have classes on Thursday, the day I normally taught them. I wearily agreed to come even though I had no lessons planned. I arrived to a surprise party they had planned for me and another teacher. We ate dinner and the students thanked me for working with them. It was a very nice surprise. Near the end of the evening a student stood up and gave a small speech about how grateful she and her classmates were. She concluded her speech by giving us matching leather jackets from the class. I have never owned a leather jacket before and I like the one they gave me. I look as if I just got off a Harley. It was very nice of them and I am truly grateful to get to work with students that want to learn as strongly as they do.

University students in an English Masters program

Now that the camp is over I have been working on a presentation that I will give in Quito in a week. The work of a volunteer is never finished. Next Wednesday I will go to Quito to work at a summer camp for the US Embassy. It promises to be a lot of fun. Hopefully they don’t plan on giving the kids eggs…

Last day. I bet in a week or so I will miss them!

Todd, the Foreign Diplomat

So what is new in the life of this lowly Peace Corps Volunteer?

 

For starters, I am working on my community surveys and school authority interviews. The Peace Corps has all the new volunteers complete a mountain of interviews, surveys, and assessments so that we can better know what our community needs of us. I think many volunteers use these interviews and surveys to really determine what their secondary projects will be in the following two years. In my case I am almost certain that my job will primarily consist of one thing. Teaching English. Seemingly everyone I encounter wants to learn English or has kids who “want” to learn English. This is to be expected. I am a white guy in Ecuador that speaks English. Therefore my projects will mainly be comprised of me speaking in my native tongue. But these surveys are not as fun as they sound (and they sound boring). Many people have no idea why I am asking them questions and it takes awhile to calm fears that I, as a PCV, am not a part of the CIA like Ecuadorian government officials have hinted. I have to complete all of my surveys and interviews and then compile the data I received. I will then “analyze” the data and put my findings into a presentation that I will give at a conference in Quito in August. That all sounds very fancy and important but really I could probably just stand in front of my boss and say “I will teach English” and accomplish the same goal as a complex presentation would.

I do, however, have exciting news. I was recently invited to take part in a summer camp program from the US Embassy. The Embassy is trying to promote English learning through fun summer camps for high school aged Ecuadorians. The embassy held a three day training session for those interested. Seven Peace Corps volunteers and I went to Quito this week and received training on how to plan an English intensive summer camp. We worked with about twenty other Ecuadorian volunteers that will host the summer camp with us next month. We spent most of the session planning our camp. The activity that I came up with for the summer camp was an outdoor survival course with the students. I am excited to see how well all my planning turns out. The Embassy was very supportive of our plans and really let us have the reigns as we planned our camp. I could not have been more impressed with the training staff from the Embassy. They were great facilitators and I can see why they are so valued at the State Department. These “big-wigs” were not only professional but approachable. The “Senior English Fellow” from the Embassy actually came outside after training and played Ultimate Frisbee with us. 

"Embassy of the United States"

During  Peace Corps training I had encountered the Embassy a few times and was relatively impressed with them. However, after attending this most recent training and seeing how dedicated they were to helping Ecuador by supplying both trained individuals and the money to make it all possible, I am a believer in humanitarian aid on the part of the United States. I feel that this exemplifies American values and we need to show the world that we are not all greedy and self-absorbed. One of the three goals of Peace Corps is to share American culture and values with host country nationals. I feel that through this training and these camps we are doing just that. I don’t know that a goofy white guy like me is the best example of America but it will have to suffice for Ecuador. 

 At the end of the training they gave out English curriculum to each Ecuadorian volunteer and invited them to make copies for their co-workers. This sounded so strange to hear an American Diplomat say that they should reproduce the information but then I realized that this is about reaching as many people as possible rather than working within copyright laws. I think that these English camps will really have an impact on the youths that are able to attend. Even the Ecuadorian volunteers were ecstatic to work with the embassy. They all wanted to learn as much as possible and were so happy to receive the training and the teaching materials. I guess the thing that I would like to get across to the astute readers of this here blog is that the USA has reputation everywhere in the world.  We, in Ecuador, are working towards making that a good reputation.

Trained!

To close this post I would like to reminisce about the time when I met the American ambassador to Ecuador. We were told to stand when he entered the room and only sit after he instructed us to do so. We were also only to address him as “Mr. Ambassador”. I am now a proud “trained informal diplomat” of the United States of America. I would not go so far as to ask you to stand when I enter the room nor would I ask you to address me as “Mr. Trained Informal Diplomat”, that title is simply too long. I supposed you could just address me as something more humble like, “Mr. Diplomat”. Yes, I think that will suffice.