Bienvenidos a Ecuador

¡Buenos días!

I’ve finally settled into my new home at the Working Boys’ Center in Quito, Ecuador! So much has happened in the past eleven days that I feel like I’ve already been here for at least a month… (in other words, this post is long so you might want to settle in with some fuzzy slippers and a cup of coffee).

After two flights and a six-hour layover in Guayaquil, Joe (fellow University of Scranton grad and WBC volunteer) and I landed in Quito around 1:15pm on Saturday, August 20. I recognized immediately some of the differences in the Spanish spoken in Ecuador as compared to the Spanish that I’m used to from studying in Spain. I also noticed that I’m probably one of the tallest people currently in the country; almost all of the Ecuadorian women in the airport were wearing high heels and I could still see the person at the front of the hour-long line at immigration. I can only imagine what kind of food they think Joe (who’s at least 6’1) ate as a child.

We were greeted at the airport by Madre Cindy (Sister Cindy). She along with Padre Juan (Father Halligan- the original founder of the CMT) and Madre Miguel (Sister Miguel- the one who rescued Padre Juan when he realized he was in over his head) are the head honchos around here (and they’re hilarious). Madre Cindy drove us from the airport to the Center’s Cotocollao campus (where one of the schools and our house are located), but not before warning me to check that our luggage sitting in the bed of the truck made the entire journey with us. We got our room keys and were taken to the volunteer house. I was amazed at how pleasant and HUGE the property, the school, and the house are. Even in the middle of the summer (no classes) there were kids playing everywhere, and they all greeted us with a smile and a wave. It didn’t occur to me until later that it’s probably much safer and more enjoyable for the kids to hang around at the Center than to go home.

We were introduced to Cory and John, the parents of former WBC volunteer, Jessica Cochol. They’re both retired teachers who will be here until the end of September to teach those of us without teaching degrees or experience (me!) how to teach. We’re extremely lucky to have them here since, from what I understand, volunteers in the past were pretty much just given classroom keys, a schedule, and an encouraging pat on the back at the start of the year.

The hallway with the volunteer rooms is on the top floor of the house and resembles a college dorm, except for the fact that I have my own bathroom in my own room (#17), which is larger than any quad I’ve ever seen at Scranton. Although I appreciate all of the space for the various activities that could take place (like a baseball game or a circus), I immediately rearranged my furniture to try and make the walls look smaller. On the floor below is a giant kitchen, usually occupied by our Ecuadorian kitchen mom, Maria (who makes more delicious food for one dinner than should be allowed in five). There is also a giant living room with several sitting areas, which is where all of the games and late-night shenanigans happen after the Madres and Padre go to sleep. Finally we have the volunteer room with a TV, more movies than can be watched in a year, some teaching supplies, and the internet (well, sometimes- when the guy who fixes it isn’t on vaccaciones). Further down the hall from these rooms are more bedrooms where groups of temporary volunteers (usually high school and college groups) stay when they come to visit. Below that floor is the ground floor, where former and current students of the Center run a bakery (the smells drive us crazy), a restaurant, a furniture store, and a beauty salon. Although we’re in the same building, the entrance to our house is on the opposite side from the store fronts which face the street on that edge of the property.

There are, however, some less desirable characteristics of the property, including the fact that we’re right below the take-off/landing path for all of the planes going into or coming out of Quito’s airport, which means every five minutes or so it feels like we’re in a war zone. I also discovered that my bedroom window faces the vet hospital across the street where the dogs like to greet the city’s entire population every morning around 7am. The planes and the dogs combined with the typical noises from any busy city street make for an excellent night’s sleep (though I’m already getting used to it). Furthermore, Madre Cindy enlightened us to the fact that there is a good possibility that we will get fleas and/or lice at some point during the year since we will be interacting with kids who have both, and the bugs will most likely get into the house (good thing I donated most of my hair before I came!). On a brighter note, I learned that we’re lucky to be able to flush toilet paper in our house, since most of the plumbing in Ecuador can’t handle it.

Throughout the remainder of the first weekend more and more volunteers arrived from all over the US and Germany as well! We currently have fourteen volunteers from the states and two from Germany (with whom we communicate more easily in Spanish than English), and a third German will be arriving just before classes start (she’s a second-year volunteer) for a grand total of seventeen volunteers. Our pictures and brief bios are posted on the WBC website.  There are three Julia/Julies, so we’ve decided to go by Julie, Juliana, and Jules (me, of course!), though the kids will probably call Julie and me both Julia (Hoolia). All the volunteers get along really well so far and we've had more than our fair share of fun staying up late playing games and getting to know each other.

Sunday morning those of us who had already arrived went to Mass at a church down the street from the Center. Normally Padre Juan says Mass at the Center every day, but he was out of town. There were a couple things that were noticeably different about Mass here as compared to in the states. First, giving the sign of peace doesn’t last just a minute or so; it lasts a good ten minutes. Even though Quito is a populous city, each small community is tightly knit and the families all know each other; though I have to admit it was sort of awkward standing there as a group of gringos who hardly knew each other while each of the families around us gave peace and kisses to everyone and their mom (literally). Second, communion was a race to the altar from all corners of the church. After waiting patiently for our turn, we realized that if we wanted in on the action we were going to have to make moves soon.
We observed the same type of behavior when Padre Juan returned from his travels and we attended Mass at the Center on Monday. However, Mass at the Center was definitely something special. Mass at Cotocollao is offered usually everyday at noon in the same large multi-purpose hall where all of the meals are served, assemblies are gathered, and big events take place. As soon as the volunteers walked into the hall we were greeted by dozens of kids who gave us hugs, grabbed our hands, and took us to the seats right next to them and their families. Madre Cindy led the children’s choir with her guitar while a Center worker walked up and down the aisles to make sure that none of the kids wandered during the homily.

After Mass all of the families eat lunch, their biggest meal of the day, at the other end of the hall. While most of the volunteers decided to go back to the house for lunch that day, I decided to eat with the families. I was summoned by Armando, a very affectionate special needs boy, to sit with him and his family. I learned something VERY important during that time at lunch. The first course served was soup, which meant that someone came around to each of the tables and handed out a certain number of spoons depending on how many people were at the table. We then get up one table at a time to pick up our soup and circle back to our table. After eating the soup I realized that I should probably head out before the main course was served because the volunteers were scheduled to travel to our downtown campus. After struggling to figure out what to do with my bowl and spoon once I was done with my soup, I carried them over to the counter where I saw everyone else placing their empty bowls. I then went back to the family to thank them for letting me share their table and to let them know that I had to leave. Immediately they began grilling me about what happened to my spoon. I didn’t realize that the spoons that are handed out at the beginning of the meal are later collected and counted to be sure that none were stolen. The family was concerned that they would have to pay for a new spoon because I had misplaced mine. I felt terrible and immediately ran back to fetch my spoon, returning with apologies. I won’t make that mistake again!

Our first trip downtown was on Sunday in an attempt to go see Art in the Park, where local artists display their work at El Parque Ejido. Lucky for us, one of the volunteers had studied abroad in Quito and was somewhat familiar with the bus system. We learned quickly that the buses in Quito hardly ever come to a complete stop when a passenger is entering or exiting, and on average they pack about fifty more people onto a bus than what I had previously considered humanly possible (which means sometimes it’s impossible to pay, too), not to mention the fact that the driving here is completely haphazard on small roads and nearly so on main roads. Unfortunately, on our way downtown it started to pour, which meant that all the artists had packed up for the day. Once we got downtown, however, we decided to walk around the area anyway since we had just been on the bus for about an hour and didn’t want to turn back. We saw the downtown WBC school (the original site, also known as the school at La Marín where we will be teaching the other half of our classes), as well as some of the government buildings and churches in the Old Town. We wandered over to a part of the city called La Mariscal Sucre, which is the touristy part of the city where all of the nighttime action. We stopped at a café for drinks and then made our way home. I didn’t think it was possible, but the bus on the way home was even more crowded than the first.

Monday after we attended Mass at the Center we toured both our downtown school (La Marín) and the school in Cotocollao (on the same campus as our house). We didn’t know our schedules yet at that point so each time we stepped into a new classroom I wondered whether or not I would be teaching there.

After spending a few days in the city I realized that I was going to need a warmer jacket. When the sun shines, the temperature feels like it’s 80 degrees, but when the clouds come, it feels like it’s 50 degrees!

Most of the rest of our first week was spent in morning meetings with the Madres and Padre (when he was in town) reflecting on the contracts we signed and what it means for us to be committed to our duties at the Center. We also discussed the values upon which the Center is founded and how the classes and the routines we teach tie into those values. For example, every person in every family that is a part of the Center is required to shower daily at the Center. This promotes the values of personal formation and health. The Madres explained to us that it is difficult to get the people to shower daily because they often use cold water as a form of punishment at home. Also, the people are at first uncomfortable with showering nude because they feel that it’s inappropriate before God. It is our job to teach them that first of all, God’s seen it all, and second of all, He wants us to take care of the bodies He gave us. All of the girl volunteers were also told that while we’re here we should expect to be asked if we have children or are pregnant, since we are well beyond the age at which girls start families in Ecuador.

Our afternoons were spent with Cory and John in an intensive crash course on teaching. As I mentioned before, we are extremely lucky to have them here and I definitely feel more confident stepping into a classroom after this week. Some days after our afternoon session were spent playing with the kids on the playground, on the basketball court, or throwing a frisbee the field. They also LOVE when we put them on our backs and race each other across the field or spin them in circles!

Aside from our discussions and “teacher lessons”, the rest of our week was spent out in the city visiting the homes of some of the families who are part of the Center. One day we hopped in the Center bus and traveled up the mountains at the edges of the city until we were literally among the clouds (which really isn’t that high up compared to the rest of the city since it’s already at such a high altitude, though I have to admit I didn’t think the bus was going to make it up those hills). While the view from up there was amazing, the houses were the opposite. It was difficult to comprehend the fact that the kids who are so happy at the Center live in such miserable conditions. It made me happy that these families were able to find the Center where they can get (at the very least) a free education (which does not otherwise exist in Ecuador) and three decent meals every day.

It was also interesting to observe how many stray dogs there are in Quito. When I traveled to Greece while studying abroad the stray dog population was equally as noticeable, but I am surprised by how many different breeds of strays there are in Quito. One day we even saw a stray basset hound running across the street! Unfortunately, since I love dogs, I have to remind myself that it’s not OK to pet every dog I see.

One morning we made a trip to another house up in the mountains where we performed a “minga” (“work gang” in Quichua, the indigenous language of Ecuador). A minga is when the volunteers have the opportunity to help promote the value of housing by going out into the community to help Center families construct and improve their homes. We’ll go on mingas several times during the year. For this particular minga we were set to work digging a plot of land into the mountain where a new house will be constructed next to the family’s existing house. We then hauled the dirt to the end of the road where the family was constructing a volleyball court (my kind of people!). We worked for about four hours and then the family served us a delicious lunch of chicken, potatoes, and rice. We exchanged thank yous and went home (and then napped for 234234 hours).

Friday night was our first night out in the city, and although some of the volunteers who had visited here in the past were disappointed that we couldn’t go into the Mariscal, we still had a good time at a club in a different part of the city. It was a great chance for us to relax, get to know each other better and to mingle with the Ecuadorians, though I was kind of disappointed that they played more disco music from the 70s than salsa!

Saturday we went to the Mercado Artesanal which is a marketplace where the locals sell their wares. It was fun haggling with the merchants and I ended up with some great buys and a few ideas for Christmas presents!

On Monday we FINALLY got our class schedules! I teach every morning from 8am until 11am, every afternoon from 2pm until 5pm, and every night from 6:45 until 7:45. I will be teaching Music at La Marín (which will be a two hour total commute two days a week), and Music, Phys. Ed., Marketing at the high school level, Adult Ed. (which will cover varied subjects), English, and the Girls’ Program all at Cotocollao.

The Girls’ Program teaches the girls to work while the boys are out working in the city. The WBC is based on the fact that while many people, like most from the United States, recognize child labor as a problem, the people of Ecuador recognize it as a necessity in order to support their families. The reality is that while many cannot imagine having a child go out into the streets to work, the people of Ecuador (and many other countries, for that matter) cannot imagine surviving without the additional income. Therefore, the WBC promotes the value of work and takes in families in which there is a working boy (hence the name, The Working Boys’ Center). While the boys are out working for their families three times a week (under the Center’s supervision), the girls are learning how to make and sell crafts of their own, which is essentially the focus of the Girls’ Program. Friday afternoons instead of teaching from 2pm-5pm I will be visiting families throughout the city, recruiting for the Center, and helping to keep track of the boys who are out working. I am extremely pleased with my schedule and cannot wait to get started!

This week we began discussing our curriculum in more detail now that we have our schedules. We also got to introduce ourselves to the entire faculty from both Center locations. The rest of the week we will continue to plan lessons and prepare for the start of classes on Monday. I’ll probably post again after classes begin, provided I survive them!

Jules