Yesterday was the 6th grade (grade school) graduation in La Marin and of course they are a pretty big deal, like anywhere. As I was watching all the kids get their diplomas though, I started thinking a little more. My middle school graduation was a huge deal, but honestly there was no question that I would be passing 8th grade and even high school. Both of my parents are college educated and so therefore even the idea of going to college or not never even crossed my mind. Here though, the other volunteers and I teach adult classes - which are literacy classes for those adults that do not even have a primary school education. When I saw 3 of my adult students' children receive awards for being first in their respective grades and then the 25 6th graders graduating, it put it in perspective for me that this really is a big deal! Finishing elementary school already puts most of them way ahead of their parents and on track to get out of poverty. Just a little thought....
Bittersweet (but it will be fun) weekend ahead!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
LA PLAYA!
The end is coming so close now. I really cannot believe it actually. Well, it is kind of a fake end for me actually, but still it's the end of classes and starting early next week people are leaving.
In
order to get our one last time all together in, all of us volunteers planned a trip together to the beach. We ended having an awesome turnout where in the end only 3 volunteers didn't come and 12 of us were there, including the two German boys. It was such a fun time and we really just got to spend a lot of time hanging out and talking. We, of course, watched lots of soccer (sad about the USA) and we were definitely a sight to see in little Same (the beach) as we were the only Gringos and very excited about our soccer games. We also played lots of volleyball on the beach and although my arms are very bruised, I loved every minute of it. We also played cards, took long walks on the beach....oh so romantic ;) And swam around a lot in the ocean.
The only little issue we had was getting home...there was a big indigenous protest that closed down the road from Atacames (the coast) to Quito. We ended up not leaving the coast until 2AM and got back to Quito (for one dollar more) at 11AM. Basically, 12 hours of traveling from the beach in Same to the house here in Quito...yikes! It was worth it though and I am glad I got that time with the volunteers. It's definitely been a growing experience with all of them, but I am really going to miss them and we have experienced a lot together this year!
Graduations and parties this week!! Yay!
Love you guys!!
Taylor
In
order to get our one last time all together in, all of us volunteers planned a trip together to the beach. We ended having an awesome turnout where in the end only 3 volunteers didn't come and 12 of us were there, including the two German boys. It was such a fun time and we really just got to spend a lot of time hanging out and talking. We, of course, watched lots of soccer (sad about the USA) and we were definitely a sight to see in little Same (the beach) as we were the only Gringos and very excited about our soccer games. We also played lots of volleyball on the beach and although my arms are very bruised, I loved every minute of it. We also played cards, took long walks on the beach....oh so romantic ;) And swam around a lot in the ocean.
The only little issue we had was getting home...there was a big indigenous protest that closed down the road from Atacames (the coast) to Quito. We ended up not leaving the coast until 2AM and got back to Quito (for one dollar more) at 11AM. Basically, 12 hours of traveling from the beach in Same to the house here in Quito...yikes! It was worth it though and I am glad I got that time with the volunteers. It's definitely been a growing experience with all of them, but I am really going to miss them and we have experienced a lot together this year!Graduations and parties this week!! Yay!
Love you guys!!
Taylor
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Ultimas Noticias 15K
June 13th 2010…I completed a 15K race! Considering since grade school I was never even able to run the mile, I would never have guessed that I would be participating in a running race voluntarily. But I did it and it was awesome! Cinthya was the best partner to do it with, and we came in to the even
t with great attitudes. We together decided that we were going to walk it and just enjoy participating and stick together. We did walk a majority of it, but we pushed each other and we ran at least part of every kilometer and every downhill section. And we even made our goal which was to finish J and to try to finish in 2 hours! And what was our time…exactly 2:00! Wow! It was so much fun, and being a blonde in this lovely country, I, of course, received quite a bit of encouragement from both people watching on the sidelines and other participants. It 
is awesome how encouraging everyone is in a race and it makes you want to keep going and give it everything you’ve got. We started in the way south of Quito, went through the historical downtown, and ended up in Athaulpa Olympic Stadium – running half a lap inside with the stadium packed with people. About 15,000 officially ran the race, and then with others as well, the newspapers said 20,000 people participated! I would highly recommend doing a race like this sometime in your life…such an amazing and positive high!
t with great attitudes. We together decided that we were going to walk it and just enjoy participating and stick together. We did walk a majority of it, but we pushed each other and we ran at least part of every kilometer and every downhill section. And we even made our goal which was to finish J and to try to finish in 2 hours! And what was our time…exactly 2:00! Wow! It was so much fun, and being a blonde in this lovely country, I, of course, received quite a bit of encouragement from both people watching on the sidelines and other participants. It 
is awesome how encouraging everyone is in a race and it makes you want to keep going and give it everything you’ve got. We started in the way south of Quito, went through the historical downtown, and ended up in Athaulpa Olympic Stadium – running half a lap inside with the stadium packed with people. About 15,000 officially ran the race, and then with others as well, the newspapers said 20,000 people participated! I would highly recommend doing a race like this sometime in your life…such an amazing and positive high! After the race we decided to walk about 3 more miles (yikes!) to the Mariscal bar district to meet up with our German friends for the Germany-Australia game. Another very fun experience! These Germans are crazy for their soccer! They all had flags and painted their faces and were crazy about their cheers. I couldn’t help but get really into it with them. Deutchland…Deutchland…Deutchland! After the game we also had a cook out at the house, so it was an overall exhausting but wonderful Sunday!
I do have World Cup fever! Extremely disappointed by the RIDICULOUS call against the US on Friday, but it’s okay, we just need to win Wednesday! USA! USA! Any time I have I am catching parts of the games and even during class sometimes. It’s so cool how all the world gets into it.
Happy Father’s Day Dad and Grandpa Jay! Love you guys and miss you!
Friday, June 11, 2010
A Family Weekend...
A Family Weekend… I did it! And what an experience it was… I finally stayed over at a Center family’s home on Saturday night. It was three of the kids from this family First Communion on Saturday, so after mass (and then a field trip with my first graders), Cinthya, Adam, and I went over to Luz and Francisco’s house. They live a little over an hour south of the downtown Center, but we really didn’t have any trouble getting there. When we arrived, Diana (the oldest daughter) came running up to us too and took us to the house. It was really fun to hang out with the family and especially all the adorable little kids. It is two families and between the two there are 7 kids under the age of 10. We danced a bit, ate food and jello, played cards, and finally went to bed around 1:30am – exhausted! I slept with Cinthya and Belen (5 year
old) and then Adam and Bryan (9 year old) were in our room too. It ended up being about 17 people between the 3 rooms and 4 beds total, but they definitely know how to make it work. On Sunday, we woke up first and went and bought bread, ham, and cheese to make some sandwiches for breakfast. After breakfast we hung out for a while and then went to the park with everyone. I really love this family and it is a lot of fun to hang out with them…and another plus, I didn’t get lice, which was one of my biggest fears of this weekend!
Beyond the Family time, I also went on field trips with my first graders in Cotocolloa and La Marin the last two weekends…one group to go paddle boating in Parque Carolina and the other group bowling. We also went to KFC with both of them, which was a HUGE hit! I love how the simplest things are so exciting and fun with these little guys. They’re a bit crazy, but irresistibly cute!
Also one more thing, I learned how to play Risk last week and it is so fun! I won twice in a row on Friday night (one by Adam’s vendetta for Niko, but the other I WON!). It is a fun way to bond with some of the other volunteers. We also all went out dancing on Thursday night for Jessica’s birthday and it was a lot of fun. It’s awesome when everyone does stuff together!
Life is good. It is busy and full of visitors and lots of emotions around here, but still good. I ask you all for prayers for our volunteer group. Pray that we can be there for each other and that we all may see how the Lord has been using us and teaching us this year.
“Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve on another with whatever gift each of you has received.” 1 Peter 4:10
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Crazy Times in GUAYAQUIL
I warned you in advance to look out for this blog, because I was hoping Guayaquil would be a fun adventure…and was I right! Going from the highlands to the humid, boisterous, and downright fun coast was amazing. On Friday, Cinthya and I played hooky from work and caught the 8am flight for Guayaquil. It was a bit delayed, but we still got there by late morning and one of our friend Jackie’s friends, Jorge, picked us up and we headed straight to the beach. We didn’t really plan for that, so we the night before we made a cheesecake (shout out to Adam for the great recipe!) to bring to Jackie’s family for letting us stay with them. Well instead we drove the hour to Playas, the closest beach, and we had delicious shrimp for lunch and then between the 3 of us downed the cheesecake! Or at least almost all of it, we had about a quarter
left over and so I thought it might be a good idea to just give it to one of the many beggars that kept coming up to us, but Jorge wanted to keep it. I said it would melt and all, but he insisted we didn’t give it away and instead that we would eat it after the beach. We spent the next 4 hours hanging out, playing cards, and taking a nap on the beach…and it was perfect for me as the sun wasn’t out so we didn’t get sunburned. I was the only gringa at this beach (or at least within sight) so a tv anchor came up to talk to us and tape us. I refused to be interviewed, so Cinthya did the talking and then just zoomed in on me afterwards to encourage tourisms! Oh Ecuador, how I will miss being so special. Around 5pm we decided to head back to the city, but before doing so we bought some water at the store and finished our semi-melted cheesecake J Jorge was in heaven! Friday night we went to Jackie’s house, the friend we met in Cuenca, and spent some time at her aunt’s house and then had some delicious beef (made on a grill with a hairdryer!) and rice at her cousin’s little restaurant. Then we went out to Las Peñas, which are these steps that are lined with bars and restaurants. It was so cool and beautiful. I was absolutely exhausted though, so we walked around for a while and then went dancing for about an hour before calling it a day around 12:30am.
left over and so I thought it might be a good idea to just give it to one of the many beggars that kept coming up to us, but Jorge wanted to keep it. I said it would melt and all, but he insisted we didn’t give it away and instead that we would eat it after the beach. We spent the next 4 hours hanging out, playing cards, and taking a nap on the beach…and it was perfect for me as the sun wasn’t out so we didn’t get sunburned. I was the only gringa at this beach (or at least within sight) so a tv anchor came up to talk to us and tape us. I refused to be interviewed, so Cinthya did the talking and then just zoomed in on me afterwards to encourage tourisms! Oh Ecuador, how I will miss being so special. Around 5pm we decided to head back to the city, but before doing so we bought some water at the store and finished our semi-melted cheesecake J Jorge was in heaven! Friday night we went to Jackie’s house, the friend we met in Cuenca, and spent some time at her aunt’s house and then had some delicious beef (made on a grill with a hairdryer!) and rice at her cousin’s little restaurant. Then we went out to Las Peñas, which are these steps that are lined with bars and restaurants. It was so cool and beautiful. I was absolutely exhausted though, so we walked around for a while and then went dancing for about an hour before calling it a day around 12:30am.
Saturday was spent with Jackie’s family and preparing for her nine year old cousin’s birthday party. We got up and made patacones, AMAZING ‘fried’ plantains! Besides batidos (fresh fruit smoothies), patacones are the best thing about the coast! Then we walked to the supermarket and on the way stopped by the guys’ house of who went with Ja
ckie to Cuenca. One of the guys, Paul, ended up coming with us to the store, but we separated as we shopped. Then he came back to find us and gave me flowers! Oh wow, I was so shocked that I think I had a pretty bad reaction, but the girls at least thought I was pretty funny. These Ecua boys aren’t afraid to take risks. Thank goodness we didn’t meet up with him anymore during the weekend. Well after the store, we went home and cooked in the deadly hot little kitchen all afternoon for the party - little appetizers. Then we went to the party for a while and came ho
me to change to go out for the night. We went to a place called “La Terraza,” the terrace where there were bands playing live music, like oldies (but in Spanish, so I didn’t know them). It reminded in a lot of ways of the terrace at the Union in Madison…oh I miss it! I am sure it is gorgeous and so fun now at this time of year! We stayed out until 3:30am and again I was exhausted, which definitely helped in sleeping the 3 of us girls in a double bed in a room without windows and just one fan trying to create some airflow!
Sunday was Game Day! The main purpose of the trip was to go to the ‘dangerous,’ high energy and emotional Liga (Quito) versus Barcelona (Guayaquil) game. We went around noon to the stadium to see if we could get tickets from scalpers. We saw some guys a little ways away, so we asked our taxi driver to stop to talk to them. There were actually two guys so that helped us in bartering them down. We got the tickets to this huge game for only one dollar more than ticket price – thanks to Jackie! $11 for the game…what a steal. We were planning on spending about $20 or so to go. It was so easy that we just stuck with the same taxi driver, that Jackie even made friends with and was changing his radio! He took us to the mall, the pride and joy of Guayaquil, where we got ice cream sundaes and walked around for a bit. Then we went home and took a nap and waited for Jorge to come over to go to the stadium. 
He finally game around 4pm and we went about 1.5 hours early to the stadium, which was already pretty packed by the time we got there. Jackie really wanted to sit so we kept walking to look for space and we ended in the Liga fans area. Jackie and Jorge couldn’t believe they were actually going to sit with Liga fans, but we did. Now let me explain, people are pretty brutal when it comes to these soccer games and they will even fight, so to sit in the little area designated for Liga fans definitely put us even more at risk, but it was so worth it! There was so much energy from all the people who came, even without any goals; the game ended in a 0-0 tie. The only part that was really dangerous was during half time and after the game, Barcelona fans threw plastic bottles down into the Liga area. 
We had some guys help protect us though! Cinthya did get hit in the shoulder though and Jorge got a bit wet on his legs, but nothing big. Then we had to wait about an hour after the game was over to leave the stadium, so that people would disperse outside the stadium and not cause riots. Thank God we were safe and it was just a really fun event. Also funny thing was just outside the stadium is not a very good area so it is not safe to walk too far, but also there were no taxis. We decided to just try to flag down any truck to see if we could get in the trailer and get out of the area to get a taxi. We weren’t having very good luck, but eventually two recently off duty cops let us get in the back of their truck and we got to an area where we could get a taxi! We didn’t get home until about 10:30pm, but it was so much fun and definitely a crazy adventure.
Monday morning we just got up, packed, and went to a local restaurant where we ate a HUGE breakfast. Then we got on our flight and we were back in Quito by about noon. Guayaquil was a bit risky, a bit crazy, very humid, and I only understood about half of what was being said, but it was also was amazing and fun! Muchas Gracias Jackie y la familia Barrios para toda su muy buena hospitalidad!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Ice Skating and Tie Dying
Does that title make it sound like I'm actually still living in the US? Or maybe just sharing some of our culture with my friends down here in Ecuador! Last Saturday, Adam and I took four of our high school boys that we hang out with at night to go ice skating. Four boys, Manuel, David, Angel, and Ronnie, showed up and we had a blast! Being that boys work and all, they have a lot less volunteer interaction and subsequently get fewer opportunities to go on field trips like this one. They were so sweet and it was cute to see them out of their element. To start they were gripping the wall and barely moving. Then Medina (David) finally was the first to branch off, and did great! The others I had to take around the rink a couple times, holding them up. They got braver and braver and although falling multiple times, after the hour they were all attempting to skate on their own and experiencing success too. After skating, we all went to get hamburgers and french fries. I love teenage boys! They are so 'tough,' but also can be so soft and fun!
Then yesterday, Wednesday, I made tie dye shirts with Lauren and Sarah and all the tercer curso girls. It was definitely a first time experience for everyone and a bit unorganized, but still fun. From the Boys and Girls Club bake sales ("Project Ecuador") I went with kids to buy supplies and gifts for the kids here. Well after doing a little tie dye project for the Boys and Girls Club in the spring, I started thinking it would be fun to do here as well. So I let the kids pick out tie dye colors during our shopping trip at the end of the summer...well to my surprise just this week, the kids picked out all very similar colors: red, pink, light blue, and dark blue. AKA all of the girls' shirts are just going to be purple! I haven't untied them yet, but I am sure they will be great anyway!
Look for the next update next week sometime about GUAYAQUIL! Big LIGA game Sunday!
Then yesterday, Wednesday, I made tie dye shirts with Lauren and Sarah and all the tercer curso girls. It was definitely a first time experience for everyone and a bit unorganized, but still fun. From the Boys and Girls Club bake sales ("Project Ecuador") I went with kids to buy supplies and gifts for the kids here. Well after doing a little tie dye project for the Boys and Girls Club in the spring, I started thinking it would be fun to do here as well. So I let the kids pick out tie dye colors during our shopping trip at the end of the summer...well to my surprise just this week, the kids picked out all very similar colors: red, pink, light blue, and dark blue. AKA all of the girls' shirts are just going to be purple! I haven't untied them yet, but I am sure they will be great anyway!
Look for the next update next week sometime about GUAYAQUIL! Big LIGA game Sunday!
Yo te dare, te dare LIGA hermosa, te dare una cosa, una cosa que empieza con L...con I...con G...con A...LIGA CAMPEON! Yo te dare, te dare LIGA hermosa, te dare una cosa, una cosa que empieza con C...CAMPEON!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
MiNdO
Two weekends ago I had my final high school girls’ field trip…although I switched it up a little: going to Mindo instead of Baños. Five girls came this time: Luisa, Monica, Karla, Jessica, and Paulina. Thank goodness it wasn’t quite as early this time, and we were able to leave from the bus station within walking distance. We got to Mindo late morning and immediately looked for a zipline tour and a truck to take us up to the ziplines. Watching the other people come in on the cable, the girls were a bit nervous but also excited. The tour was a lot of fun. The girls loved the canopy and the thrill of doing the tricks – going upside down (‘t
he butterfly’) or in the ‘superman’ position! Also we were with three European women and it was hilarious as they kept calling them “voluntarios” - as basically all the ‘gringos’ they know/have ever met are all the volunteers at the Center. Also we were with this other fun couple, an Ecuadorian guy and an Italian girl, who were so talkative and cute. When we were eating lunch later in the little plaza, they came by to talk to us and even said they would have given us a ride home if they had room for all of us. It was really a great day with everyone! All bus tickets were sold out to get home to Quito, so we ended up buying tickets to sit in the very front of the bus on the “Tortuga” (engine area)…and this mother that got on for a while asked me to hold her adorable little baby for about 15 minutes, so she didn’t drop him. He ended up falling asleep in my arms J What a cutie! We got home relatively early and overall it was another success!
Funny Mother’s Day Story Addition: On Sunday morning, I went to the park to do aerobics, which I had been doing regularly, but have missed recently due to all my traveling. Well just before the second session started, a man came up to me and said something to me with a couple flowers in his hand. I was confused at what he was saying and jus
t said “what,” in which he responded “te regalo flores” (I’m giving you flowers). All I could say was “gracias” and laugh. This guy (kind of old) and his friend ended up doing the work out class right next to my friends and me, but we didn’t speak anymore after that. My theory is that this guy wasn’t able to find his ‘madrecita’ (mother) so instead he just gave his flowers to a ‘mamacita’ (‘hot momma’)! haha I really don’t know what this man was thinking, but hey maybe God just works through people in mysterious ways to brighten our days! (Also the picture is of these two adorable 2 year olds (Samantha and Dennis) who were on a “date” in the office one night and I happened to have my camera)
May God do something awesome/semi-ridiculous in your day too!!
Love,
Taylor
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)