My First Week

So here I am. One week in Ecuador! It went by fast. Life in Ecuador is very different from life in California. The sun is unpredictable; the weather can be freezing one minute and hot the next. (Mind you my idea of freezing is less than sixty degrees) In Ecuador, the temperatures are rarely seen below 55. But I’m unhappy below 70. Thank goodness I brought layers and warm clothing. I was hesitant at first thinking how close to the Equator I was going to be but then realized how high up in the Andes I really am. Quto sits 10,000 feet above sea level. The air is really thin here. I get winded over the simplest things like walking up stairs or making my bed. I’m still acclimating.

The people of Ecuador are very friendly. You can pass by and give a greeting and they will smile and greet you back. They are also, for the most part, short. I feel like a giant walking among them. I am by far the tallest person I’ve seen in a while. And that’s saying a lot.

I’ve moved in with my host family. The Sarango’s; Carlos, the father, Cati, the mother, and their three children, Jimmy who is 22; Erick, who is 18; and Genesis, who is 10. They don’t speak English at all which is both good and bad for me. It’s good because it will help me learn Spanish that much more quickly; it’s bad because we communicate by hand signals. They are amazing people though. They’ve welcomed me into their home graciously offering me whatever I need. I hope to be a part of the family one day. They expressed it is their greatest wish that I feel like a member of the family. I share a room with Erick. He’s great for a roommate. We are becoming fast friends. So are Jimmy and I, and Genesis, well she’s trouble. But she already sees me as a brother. She’ll come in and sit and talk with me for hours. She’s very curious and a ball of fun. She’s always smiling and cheerful. She’s trouble because she corrects my homework over my shoulder and makes my tutor for Spanish assign me more homework if she feels what’s been assigned for the day isn’t enough. I say good for her, bad for me. She’ll break a lot of hearts one day.

We eat all of our meals together. The family and I eat traditional Ecuadorian food. Food in Ecuador consists of lots of rice, potatoes, and meat. The staple of the Ecuadorian diet. Breakfast is always light; usually just bread and a boiled egg. Lunch is the biggest and most important meal. It’s big. It starts with soup, (usually potato or corn), then the main course which is rice (very important, served with every lunch and dinner), and meat, and maybe side vegetables, and bread. Lunch is most important because the Ecuadorian people believe it’s unhealthy to eat so much before bed, which is true. U.S. Americans can learn a thing or two by this. Juice is the common drink in Ecuador. The people here make juice out of everything. All kinds of fruits are used for making juice; Banana juice, watermelon juice, papaya juice, cantaloupe juice, etc. Juice is served with every meal. At dinner, the meal is light, just rice and meat.

I’m waiting for orientation to begin next week. That’s when my work will really begin. Remember, my job down here is threefold. I will be teaching full time as an English teacher at the Episcopal School, twice a week I will teach English to the diocesan staff, and lastly I will be working as lay support at a local church. I had my first taste of mission work this past weekend. A mission group from Massachusetts is here for the week and they, along with Chris, my regional boss, invited me along to work with them. We worked at Chris’ church in a very poor and rough part of town called Comitero Pueblo. The women helped prepare all the food for the following day’s bbq as a fundraiser for the church. The men built tables for the bbq, then afterwards, we cut out wall to lay electricity in the building. While cutting wall, I accidentally smashed my finger with the hammer and cut a knuckle with the chisel. I had to use electrical tape for a band-aid until I got home to properly clean and dress the wound. The church is very small and meets on the first floor of a two story building. The offices are upstairs. The building is tiny and falling apart. With work, it will be good as new. The mission group from Massachusetts will be working at the church all week. This upcoming weekend, we will be traveling to Otrovalo for some work to be done. Otrovalo is two hours north of here and is a small indigenous community. I’m not really sure of the work we’ll be doing but Chris has relations with this community. I’m only with the group on the two weekends they are here. I’m in school during the week and cannot be with the group. It’s good, because I have my own work to do and even more to prepare for, and I especially need to continue with learning Spanish. At the moment, it’s my number one priority. The group will be leaving to go back to the U.S. on Monday.

Well my friends, I think that’s it for now. This was my first week. I will have more to come. Count on it. My next post will probably come next week sometime when I return from Otrovalo. Until then mis amigos, may the grace and peace of God be with you. Blessings.