Its raining, its pouring...

Well folks, it’s the rainy season in Guayaquil, and when it rains, it pours! Today we had the delight of experiencing the rainy season firsthand, as we stepped out of our Spanish class to a complete downpour at the University. Not wanting to make the walk from the bus stop to our houses in this torrential downpour quite yet, a few friends and I chose to hop off the bus at the mall until the rain let up to stretch our legs for a bit. The biggest purchase ended up being two umbrellas, with much justification might I add. After about an hour of browsing and hanging out, we thought that maybe, just maybe, the rain had stopped and we could begin the 20 minute walk home. Boy, were we wrong! As we rounded the corner in the mall, we encountered 5 mall employees frantically pushing away the floodwaters that were rising on the floor of the mall from outside. It was quite a spectacle, and we couldn’t help but giggle at their use of broom-like devices to push the water around. Where they were trying to push it? Who knows. After a quick photo op (we had the gringo excuse to whip out a camera in such an instance), we took a look outside and the chuckling continued as we realized there was absolutely no way we were leaving in the monsoon that was happening before our eyes. We headed into a restaurant for some drinks to wait it out, but with evening activities upon us and our stomachs speaking louder than our mouths, we decided our best option would be to leave the safety of Rio Centro sooner rather than later. While calling a taxi probably would’ve been the more sensible decision, we opted for adventure, employed our umbrellas, and with frequent laughter and shrieks headed out of the mall parking lot. The roads were flooded, and we found ourselves treading through almost knee-deep water to cross the street, not being able to decipher between the street and the sidewalk. While I removed my shoes for such an endeavor, Trisha called from a few steps ahead, “I picked a good day to wear my flood pants!” The walk proved to be a comical experience, as the brilliant designers of Samborondón thought tile sidewalks would be a great idea for a country that flaunts a rainy season. Slipping and sliding all the way home, the gringos were given strange looks from the dry passengers in fleeting cars. I could only laugh as my host mom greeted me, soaking wet and shoeless, and I don’t think my typical grilled cheese dinner has ever tasted so good. We continued to converse for two hours at the table about weather, and how it differs from here and the United States. I taught my host mom the difference between hurricanes and tornadoes, and she recounted a story of an earthquake that occurred last year here in Guayaquil.  My family here finds much difficulty in wrapping their minds around the fact that Minnesota contains neither mountains nor the ocean, as my mom asked me a few times if I have ever been in a hurricane or a bad storm while camping in the mountains. I am still not quite sure if she completely understands, but she really enjoyed my explanation of the four different seasons and the snow in the winter. We are really beginning to learn a lot from each other as the Spanish begins to flow more easily. Simple conversations about the weather (like today!) have lead to deeper learning experiences for which I am very grateful. I am sure I will miss this family a lot when I leave, but for now I have much more to gain from our time together. In closing, the rain today has been a nice break from the heat and humidity, and a memory that will give me some laughs when I return to the States!

One month down!

In 3 short days, I will be able to say I have now been living in Ecuador for a month! I cannot believe this wonderful experience is already a quarter of the way done. Time has been flying so fast, days packed with the internship, school, friends, and family leaves little time to sit back at look at what I have been learning about Ecuadorian culture, poverty, power, and politics in the process. Not to mention the exploration of my own values, beliefs, and going outside of my comfort zone on a daily basis. Today after work, my internship partner Nelly and I successfully ran across the entire street before the light turned green (hands glued together, adrenaline rushing as per usual), waved down the correct bus without it going past us, handed the driver our quarters, and took a seat near the front with sighs of relief and smiles of accomplishment. At the first stop along our way back to Samborondón, I found myself not even phased by the wave of men who hopped onboard, running up and down the isle trying to sell nuts, juices and candies to tired passengers before disappearing off the bus again. As the sun beat down a blistering 95 degrees on my shoulders for the fifteen-minute walk from the bus stop to my house, I found myself using all of my willpower to resist the multiple places to stop for ice cream along the way. I was greeted at home with a steaming hot bowl of soup, followed by a giant plate of rice and chicken. Talk about refreshing on a hot humid day, right? It wasn’t more than an hour and a half before I was back at the bus stop to head to the university for some studying and class, meeting a friend Karla halfway to buy our routine cookies that get us through Spanish class. A nice swim with friends after class and dinner and a soccer game on TV with my family completed my evening. After a month of days quite similar to this, I am starting to feel like I’ve got it all down- like maybe I’ve learned everything already and the rest of the trip will be a simple reiteration of what I’ve already accomplished. However, when I take a step back I realize that in fact I have been growing and changing a lot just from the smallest day-to-day accomplishments. Last night, my family and I sat at the dinner table talking for almost two hours as I explained the public and private college system in the United States, and we exchanged stories and insight as to how the school systems vary between Ecuador and the US. Two weeks ago, I couldn’t hold a simple conversation with my host dad, and the fact that my Spanish has been getting to the point it is at without even noticing is so encouraging. I can now call all of my kids at Fundación Cariño by name, and they are even eating for me! The fact as well that I am now confident in taking the public bus system alone through the largest city in Ecuador, whereas I would have been far too frightened to ever do this is Minneapolis, has proven to me that I am becoming a stronger, more independent person through this process. I smiled to myself walking home from class as I found myself surrounded by Koreans, Australians, Canadians, and Americans that I confidently call some of my best friends. Aside from these mini individual accomplishments, I am becoming more and more accustomed to some cultural differences between the US and Ecuador, and would like to share them with you! First of all, the way you greet people here is very different, and I love it! Women greet other women and men with a kiss on the right cheek, men greet women this way as well, and men greet other men with a firm handshake. A hug is additionally welcome in all circumstances! This gesture is also used every time you leave a group of people, and is done with friends, family, and when you first meet people. It is much more personal than a quick wave or nod of the head as you walk by. At first I felt awkward kissing people I barely knew on the cheek upon seeing them, but I have grown to love it. Acknowledging someone for more than a few seconds as you walk by has become something I am learning to do, and it is definitely something that adds to the more relational culture of Latin America. This aspect of friendliness and checking in with people when you see them, regardless of where you are going or how busy you are, is definitely something I’d like to carry with me back to the United States at the end of my trip. Another cultural difference is mealtime and its importance. Everyone in the family comes home for lunch, and although it is blazing hot outside, lunch always consists of a hot vegetable soup, rice, potatoes, and an entrée prepared with chicken. This is the largest meal of the day, and it is fun to check in with everyone midday and just spend time together. However, I have been struggling in the evenings, as dinner is more of a “snack” (at home I have about 3 snacks before dinner, so wow that’s a change!).  I have caught myself often making my own judgments the food here, “don’t they know all of this rice and starch isn’t healthy?” “Are they aware they would be much more comfortable if they didn’t eat a bowl of steaming hot soup when it was 100 degrees outside?” However, I have been learning that there isn’t a “right” culture, and my family could probably fire right back at me that all of my processed food snacking that occurs throughout the day in Minnesota isn’t exactly the best thing for me either. Everything here is prepared fresh, which is definitely a difference from home, and reflects the importance of instant gratification back home as opposed to the careful preparation and value placed on meals here. No, people aren’t eating all the time like they are at home, but when they do eat, it is always together, and a part of the day that is greatly looked forward to. One thing that I am really appreciating about this culture is the idea that not everything is on time, you are not always busy, you don’t buy more than you need, and life will go on.  We have been discussing a lot how one can assess the quality of life in a developing country, and although the global economy is causing a lot of changes, the value here is definitely placed higher on relationships than on anything else. Time spent with others is much more important than time spent at work, and for this many of the families do not live well-off or extravagantly by any means. It is something I very much admire, and will hopefully keep in my mind for the rest of my life. Wow, so much to write, but it goes to show I am indeed learning a lot, and in the three months to come I anticipate my eyes to be opened much, much further.

La Fundación

I have been living here in Guayaquil for a week now, and I am starting to get the hang of things! This morning was my third time going to my internship, which is at Fundación Cariño in downtown Guayaquil. A foundation for kids suffering from malnutrition, my job basically helping to feed kids from 9-12:30 everyday. The first couple of days were quite challenging, as I am working with the one-year-olds and two-year-olds. We feed them breakfast right when we get there, but most of the kids hate the food and refuse to eat it, crying instead. It is definitely hard work to get them to eat, but they desperately need the nutrients from a well-balanced diet. After breakfast, we play games and dance for about an hour, and then it is already time for lunch. The screaming, crying, and kicking begins again as we try our best to give them  a meal. After lunch, we bathe them and get them ready for a nap, and by that time it is time for us to return to the University. Last week, going to the internship was quite discouraging, as I wasn't sure how I would have the energy to continue working with these kids. However, after a weekend of rest, I have discovered that this is more than just feeding a few kids and going home. I am learning so much already about one of the biggest social issues plaguing Ecuador, which is healthcare and specifically malnutrition. I can see the cycle forming already, with 3 out of the 9 one-year-olds coming to the Fundación sick, playing with the same toys and interacting with each other. I am starting to learn a lot about how the wealth of the United States has affected the simplest things- if your kid is sick, you stay home from work to take care of them. You make sure to wash your child's hands with soap after going to the bathroom or before eating. Here, staying home with your child is simply not an option, and there is little knowledge of hygienic habits such as washing hands and brushing teeth. However, the free healthcare plan that has recently been implemented in the country has paved the way for opportunities for many families to see doctors, which hopefully consist mostly of education in order to prevent future sicknesses. There are several small, free clinics that exist in the slums here, where other friends in my group are volunteering. It has already been a week of learning as we share stories of what we see and hear at our internships, growing in knowledge and discussing how power, money, and knowledge all affect who has access to resources and who does not. Ecuador has removed itself from the world bank, and thus it has separated itself from the major American and European corporations that are approaching developing countries offering them loans and money in order to hook them into the system. This has allowed the economy here to grow tremendously, and the tourism industry is beginning to flourish. All in all, I am learning a lot not only about the country of Ecuador, but also of the influence of the U.S. I have had an incredible time so far, and cannot wait for the discussions that are yet to come.

¡Estoy aquí!

After spending the past week doing an orientation in Quito and traveling to various destinations along the Andes mountains on our way to Guayaquil, I am finally here, and I love it!! It is super hot and humid, but a nice break from the snow of MN! We'll see how long that lasts. It is the rainy season, so it rains a couple times during the day and at night also. When we arrived in Guayaquil on Sunday, our host families were at the university (Universidad de Especialidades Espíratu Santo) waiting for us. I was so nervous! I love my host mom though, and she treats me as one of her own daughters. I also have a dad and two sisters, Gabi (24) and Carla (19) and a brother, Ricki (17). It is much more difficult than I had anticipated to communicate with the family, but the daughters help to clarify what mamá and papá are saying. The food here is very different than back home too. Lunch is the largest meal of the day, and dinner is more of a dessert or a small meal of bread and coffee. For breakfast today, I was served a huge plate of fruit, a grilled cheese sandwich, a large cup of tree-tomato juice, which is much sweeter than regular tomatoes, and a cup of café con leche, or coffee with milk. My host mom appeared out of the kitchen after I had eaten this with a box of Fruit Loops, informing me that they had bought it for me, and then asking what it was. I thought this was very cute! Lunch was a vegetable soup followed by chicken, rice, and salad, and for dinner we had hot chocolate (I sweat the whole time drinking that!) and a sweet bread with cheese in the middle. Used to skim milk, wheat bread, and watered-down juices, all of this rich, heavy food has been quite the change! I think it is something I could get used to. Today was our first day of classes also, and because the semester is split into 2 halves I am only taking Spanish. Hopefully it will help with my family! The school is absolutely beautiful, lined with palm trees and fountains. My favorite part of campus: the outdoor pool. The international students have bonded so much as a group over the past week, and our latest adventure was "gringos go to the mall to purchase cell phones." I am excited to see what is in store for us in the weeks to come, but as for now, I can't wait for our internship tours in the morning! ¡Ciao!

Anticipation

Well, I leave for Quito, Ecuador in 5 days and I can hardly believe it! After a weeklong orientation with the other international students in my program around Quito, we will fly to Guayaquil together and get settled in with our host families and schedules for the rest of the semester. The past week has been filled with constant shopping as I prepare to leave snow-filled Minnesota for the heat of the equator. I have had a few emails back and forth with my host family, which has been really exciting! I will be living with two parents, two sisters, a brother, and a grandmother about ten minutes away from Universidad de Especialidades Espíratu Santo, where I will be taking Spanish and a few Sociology courses in the evenings. I have also received an email about my internship while I am in Ecuador, which I am really excited about. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday, I will be at Fundación Cariño in Guayaquil, a center for preschool and kindergarten-aged kids suffering from poor nutrition. It should be a wonderful learning experience, and I cannot wait to get to know the kids! As for now, I am anxiously awaiting my arrival in Quito, and am enjoying time with family and friends before this new adventure!