Agualongo

6/28:  Agualongo 

I woke earlier today with the rest of the fam...well, most of them.  Alex & Mario slept in b/c they didn’t have school today, but Ramiro, Maria Juana and the two little ones (who all share a bed) were up & at them.  I took the extra time to stretch my aching body.  The rocks are taking their toll to be sure, but I’m hoping I’ll just get stronger and my body will remember those years spent on the farm doing daily manual labor - was that really 10 years ago?

My stretch was followed by a “dinner for breakfast” of the same potato/cabbage/oat soup from the night before, followed by mild queeziness exacerbated by the 40 minutes of bumps and bounces on the bus ride to the vivero.  The mountains were in all their glory today and for the first time we saw the snaw capped peak of Cayambe, ECU’s third tallest.  Imbaburra & Cotacachi rounded out our bowl and were clear as bells.  The combined beauty was enough to quell the queeziness and keep my breakfast down.  

We split the group up for some much needed variety of tasks, but I was feeling zen about pushing the wheelbarrow full of gravel up the hill and stuck with it all day.  Maybe I’m already getting stronger - I knew my body would remember.  

On average, spirits were high, but both Catie & Lizzie were feeling the effects of something and were more or less out of commission. Catie blew chunks and felt a little better, Lizzie pushed through several false alarms.  Edward was also feeling ill and after thorough cross examination admitted to having loose stool and to taking imodiums and not drinking enough water.  This kid is a bit of an inigma to us and we’re not sure if he’s having any fun at all.  As I think about it now, he shows some signs of asbergers.  He doesn’t quite know how to interact with the other kids and during pre-trip he asked me why that scene in Pulp Fiction when Travolta & Uma are dancing is considered so cool.  “It’s considered cool because it’s cool” was my smart ass response, but he didn’t get that either.  These kids of privilege are so gifted in some ways and yet so deficient in others.  

Three things in homestay tonight blew my mind:  1) the look on my host brothers’ (and cousin’s) faces when they invited me to play cards and I sat on the (dirt) floor - they immediately went and grabbed a woven mat to sit on; 2) when the cell phone rang, they nearly jumped out of their skin and raced to be the first to reach it and answer it - Mario won, and with a tone as if he was communicating with an extra terrestrial said very loudly and slowly “alo”; 3) Cesar, mid-card game, stood up, walked to the bucket between the stove and the door, dropped his pants and took a piss.  So that’s what that bucket is for!  And I thought the pigs just ate the food scraps that were thrown in there - they get a little urine to wash it all down.  

Our group meeting went well tonight - I had them make 4 lists:  1) most challenging moments thus far; 2) biggest differences noticed; 3) proudest moments thus far; 4) goals for week 2.  After making the lists, I had them pair up and share, making sure to mix up juniors and seniors, and after that we shared with the whole group ‘fish bowl’ style where the speaker sits in the middle of the circle.  I made them do it Southern Baptist-style encouraging Amens and hallaluyas from the circle when they agreed or related to what was being said.  It was probably my best work yet, which means that after a week, I too am finally feeling comfortable enough to focus on the work at hand.  I closed it out by reading my last journal entry and then helped rally a poop team to unclog one of the toilets in the community center that we were all using.  It was pretty MacGuiver as we took a long piece of conduit and used it to blow air into the clogged pipe - apparently, plungers haven’t made it to Ecuador yet.  

The Vivero

6/27:  Agualongo

You know you’ve been accepted when the family dog no longer barks at your approach to the house.  The dogs out number the people in this community of 37 families and they’re constantly barking at something.  When we did our rounds to check up on everyone’s homestay sitch, we disturbed and heard them all.  Most do this bark/wag thing sending quite the mixed signal, but some put on a dogs-playing-poker face and act all tough.  But even those ones will turn tail with the simple motion of bending down to pick up an imaginary rock.  

Our service project at the vivero (tree nursery) continued today as we turned one pile of rocks at the bottom of a hill into another pile of rocks on top of a hill.  Our lungs are acclimating to manual labor above 10,000 ft, but we still get winded by the smallest of climbs.  We shall no doubt return to sea level in amazing shape if we keep up this heavy lifting at altitude.  The end goal of our Sisyphus reenactment is a new cistern that will supply not only the vivero with much needed water, but the neighboring houses as well.

  

Our host and task master is a 63 year old indigenous man named Mathias.  He’s about 4ft. nothing with teeth that go every which way and a thin black braid that dangles from under his well-worn hat.  I should mention that all the men in this part of Ecuador wear their hair long and usually braided, so it’s not at all strange for Mathias to be sporting one, his is just a little thinner than most.  I ate a PB&J with him today at lunch and though it seemed out of place in his leathered hands, he devoured it like I’ve seen thousands of kids do in my years doing EE.  When I asked him how he liked the sandwich, he responded, “que rico”.   

Mathias is big on ceremony.  We’ve worked with him for 2 days now, and both times he’s started our day with long-winded speeches, thanking us on behalf of USINQUI (the local indigenous organization), it’s president who left him in charge of this project, the surrounding community of Achupallas, the province of Imbabura, and the entire country of Ecuador.  If it were anyone else, the pomp and circumstance might be annoying, but with Mathias you can tell it’s sincere.  It blows his mind that a group of gringo teenagers would want to help him with his little project to grow more trees for Ecuador and he’s truly grateful for our contributions.  He also likes to have his picture taken, and so of course we oblige.  

Mathias makes me think that age has a way of teaching us to slow down and appreciate even what seem like small events and accomplishments.  Then again, if Mathias and Monica, his Peace Corps volunteer who kind of looks like MC, had to move all those rocks by themselves it would take months, so perhaps this accomplishment is not so small.  Perhaps then, age teaches us about perspective which often times leads to appreciation.  There’s a lesson in there somewhere - one that I hope to teach these kids before our month is up.  

Agualongo

6/26: Agualongo

Angel, 4 with Oso the dog

We arrived to our new home in Agualongo yesterday afternoon.  We came fully laden with bags of groceries for the week.  This is how Tandana compensates host families - there’s no money involved.  Shopping for said groceries was great fun, and I could easily get addicted to it  - it’s amazing how much you can get for $20 here:  several lbs. of grains/beans (rice, quinoa, lentils, popcorn, pasta), bags of tomatoes, apples, avocados, oranges, peppers, onions, carrots, salt, sugar, bunches of onions, bananas and cilantro, garlic, a few bars of laundry soap, a few cans of tuna and a whole chicken.  I wanted to buy everything, it was so colorful and so much fun bargaining with vendors.   Tempted though I was to go ‘off script’, I did my best to stick to the shopping list provided.  I’m already looking forward to next Tuesday, though, next market day to see what deals I can make.  

My new family consists of Ramiro + Maria Juana, two young-looking, hard-working & joyful indigenous people and their 4 sons:  Mario, 17; Alex, 13; Cesar, 6; and Angel, 4.  They have 2 older children as well:  William, 21, who returns from his construction job in Quito on the weekends to stay with the fam; and Gladys, 18, who is married with 2 kids of her own and lives with her husband in a town the next valley over.  

The white roofs belong to a large rose plantation;
we found Ramiro at work in an adjacent field

Only Mario, Angel and Maria were home when I first rolled up.  The unavoidable awkwardness of welcoming a stranger into your home lasted all of 5 minutes until I suggested we take a walk and see the countryside.  Mario jumped at the out and suggested we walk over the hill to meet up with his dad at work in the fields.  Angel came with and we made the arduous trek over hill and dale to find Ramiro tinkering with his tractor and monitoring the irrigation of some freshly planted alfalfa.  He was way younger than I expected.  We said hello, made small talk about farming for a few minutes, and left it at that, there was daylight left to work.  Mario, Angel and I and turned heel and went back the way we came.  And this was my re-introduction into the slow rhythm of life in the country, regardless of what country.  There’s never anything going on, but there’s always something to do.   

Having grown up with 3 brothers, I feel right at home in this male-dominated household.  The accommodations are sparse to put it nicely, and it’s much colder than I anticipated (I could see my breath when I woke this morning at the break of dawn).  I’m glad I decided to buy this sleeping bag liner on a whim and bring it along, and I’m really glad I opted to be in a homestay.  My co-leaders, have been put up in the casa communal (the community center) which also houses the village preschool.  They have very little privacy, and while I have to sleep on a dirt floor, they have hard tile.  And while I have the din of my little family to wake to in the morning, they have the din of preschool starting.  I’ll take awkward over comfort any day if it means more sleep.  

Home sweet home

While my homestay is going well, some of the kids are having a tough go at it.  For some, the difficulties are self-inflicted.  Paul, especially is just a little too high strung/uptight and therefore an easy target for his host brothers who may or may not be bullies.  Breanne & Nate are very quiet/shy & seem to need extra encouragement to break the ice and insert themselves into situations.  I need to find a way to improve the sitch or at very least, show compassion and understanding.  This is, after all, a hard thing for which they’ve volunteered or been prodded to do by their parents.  I was like Paul somewhat when I was hi s age and can still be overly sensitive.  Perhaps I have something to share with this kid.  And maybe he’ll be receptive.  

Another student, Jamie, is doing fine on the homestay front, but her allergies are causing much discomfort - so bad she got 2 bloody noses today.  We’ve taken her out of her homestay for tonight and already symptoms have improved, but we don’t know what else to do - will call HQ in the AM for backup.  Jamie is one of my faves and has such a great attitude, but we may have to send her home if things don’t get better.  We’ll see.  

Dinner tonight was over the open fire again - soup with potatoes, pasta, broc., carrots, &  onions with a little cilantro and avocado on top.  Que rico.  The family is starting to warm up to me and I to them.  Deeper conversations lie on the horizon as my Spanish strengthens and comfort level grows.         

Otavalo

6/24:  Otavalo, Posada del Quinde 

After 24hrs. of solid travel, we finally made it through a fog delay that routed us through Guayaquil and a customs ordeal with Lizzie’s semi-expired visa to land comfortably into our bus, Otavalo bound.  We would arrive to our surprisingly swank accommodations at Posada del Quinde two hours later and crash like waves.  Five hours after that, we were “up & at them” receiving orientation from our partner organization, Tandana, comprised of Maggie (who met us at the airport and who was also running on empty), Na, Emma V., Emma R. & Sara.  The last 3 were fresh off the boat - brand new interns specifically brought in to help teach “coursos” (summer school).  They had been there for a week, but acted like they owned the place.  Ahh, to be 21 and know all once again.   

Na has been with the organization doing these programs for 1yr+ and Maggie for 9 months +/-.  Na was trained by Lizzie (one of my co-leaders); Maggie was trained by Na.  It’s a crazy little system of telephone that the founder, Anna Taft, has set up, but it seems to be working for them.  With this new cast, I’m not only the solo male in the leadership group, but I’m also the elder - crazy.  As far as my role goes, there seems potential for me to mentor these younger leaders and maybe offer some guidance.  I’ll daydream that I’m back at Islandwood, only this time as staff - it’s a daydream I have often and know well.   

Speaking of dream jobs, I randomly checked my email while the students were lesson planning to find a fresh one from Seattle Audubon - an invite to interview for a position I’d applied for at Seward Park.  I replied, offering to meet over skype.  If they agree, this will be my first actual skype, and that prospect makes me a little nervous.  In interviews past, I’ve relied on charisma and being able to read a room, but I suspect these attributes will be lost in cyberspace this time round.  Oh well, I’m a long-shot anyway, and maybe I’ll get brownie points for being in Ecuador.  

Coincidentally, I sat next to a guy on the plane who works for BirdLife International, a bird conservation group with an office in Quito.  His name was Voltar.  He’s Hungarian but married to an Ecuadorian woman.  He was an interesting guy and had a lot to say on the subject of bird conservation, especially in relation to forest preservation and carbon credit markets.  I can’t help but think our chance encounter was by design and bodes well for my future interview.  But then again, he also had a lot to say about how dangerous Quito has become and how just last month his mother in law was at dinner when the place was sprayed with bullets and the patrons robbed at gunpoint, so maybe our meeting forebodes disaster.  Only time will tell.  

I would feel more than just a little guilty/sad to leave the Arboretum, but it’s been a good run and I’ve done a good job.  If I am to leave them, I will be leaving them better off than when I found them.  So I hope Audubon agrees to interview me over skype, I hope I nail it, and I hope I get the job.  Clara would be ecstatic to not have to listen to me gripe and a fresh challenge with more responsibility and greater power would suit me well.  I could likely still work with UW students, still be able to garden in the little garden I’ve built up over the past few years, and still be able to ride my bike to work - three facets I love about my current job.  It probably wouldn’t be any less paperwork, and I would likely have to give up doing these GSL trips with Lakeside, but that too has been a good run.  

We leave for Agualongo tomorrow pm & will be in our homestays starting tomorrow night.  I’m mostly excited for this new experience/adventure and only a little nervous.  If this is to be my last GLS trip, I’m going to suck the marrow out of it.  As far as the kids go, they haven’t quite figured out how to feel comfortable yet, with each other, with Ecuador, with the leaders.  HQ did a good job of putting together 12 kids who are practically strangers.  Strangers in a strange land.  But then again to paraphrase RLS, there are no strange lands, it is the traveler only who is strange.  We’ll see about that.