Working in South America, specifically Ecuador, I wondered just how dangerous life might be. You hear of the notorious stories of international kidnappings for money, muggings, or even the run ins with unstable governments or violence over drugs. However, if I were to get hurt or be in any form of mortal danger, it won't be from any of these. My peril will come in a different form; the most dangerous activity I have experienced thus far here in Ecuador. That peril is being involved in a car accident.
I just recently returned from traveling to Santo Domingo, and I thanked God upon my arrival in Quito after praying for the two hours asking for His guiding hand in safety. There is no regard to speed limit here and passing on blind curves because of impatience is sport here.
I've always been the type of person to be able to read when I am traveling if I get bored and not get sick. Five minutes into riding the bus to and the car from Santo Domingo, my stomach was in knots and I knew I was going to throw up. (Sorry everyone.) I recently needed to download a new attachment on metric to American conversions so I could comprehend just how fast we were taking these blind curves. It seems the Ecuadorian people have no sense of patience and love a good thrill ride.
Also, hitchiking is very popular here as well.It is not uncommon to see a family or strangers catching a ride in the back of a pickup on the way to their destination. Seat belts are a foreign concept and most don't use them. The majority of taxi's, approximately ninety-five percent of them don't even come equipped with seat belts except for the driver's seat.
Although I have been robbed only once (outside a bus station by a man keeping one hand in a pocket and shouting dame, dame, which means give me, at me. Robbery does not scare me. It is not my greatest fear here. You simply hand over what you have on you so they leave you alone. Fortunately all I was carrying was my wallet at the time with sixteen dollars and a photocopy of my passport (which is why I carry copies and never the original). Fun fact for you, U.S. passports can be valued as high as 1500 dollars on the black market. I now no longer carry more than ten dollars on me. You also stay away from the areas of high crime activity. It's the same in the U.S. If I were in L.A. I wouldn't go straying into south central or Compton, nor would I venture into Richmond or Oakland in the Bay Area. Common sense is what keeps you from trouble, and small robberies such as the one I experienced could happen to anyone, anywhere. What I fear the most of my time and work here in Ecuador is everytime I board a bus or a taxi. With the way they drive here, the Ecuadorian impatience and the need to break land speed records, it is public transportation that makes me nervous.
I apologize for the long lapse in postings. Thank you to my readers for your patience and more to come and follow. Blessings and peace be with you all.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Football, Mayonnaise, and the Catholic Influence
We've all heard the arguments of which sport is undoubtedly the favorite among sports fans. In the United States, American Football, Baseball, and Basketball dominate the leading popularity of sports among sports fans. Football(Soccer) is not even a blip among popularity in the United States (unless you're a UCSB Gaucho!). Here in Ecuador, there is no such thing as another sport other than soccer. Don't get me wrong, they play baseball, basketball, and volleyball on occasion for fun, but football in Ecuador is more than just a game; it is a religion and a way of life.
It did not dawn on me just how important soccer is to the Latin community until I witnessed two very extraordinary events. When Liga, a professional soccer team from Quito, Ecuador, hands down the best in the country and a top contender in all of central and South America, played for the South American championships back in September, the game was played on a Sunday morning and every church I knew of, had moved service times to accomodate the spectacle watchers. This included the Catholic Church. No joke. It blew my mind that God was put on hold until after a game. The second event was when I went with my family to watch Liga play an away game at a near by restaurant to cheer on our team. It was raining and rather cold that night. Outside the restaurant and outside a nearby television electronics store, I witness people gathered in the freezing rain to watch the game because they can't afford to enter the restaurant or don't have a t.v. at home. I don't care who you are, that's dedication. I don't know too many people in the U.S. who would do that.
The atmosphere of soccer games in Latin America is absolutely intense. I thought Locos at Gaucho games were intense but UCSB doesn't even scratch the surface of the atmosphere of games here in Latin America. I realize that the Locos at UCSB is just that; college level fun. Let me tell you now though of the intense atmosphere at a soccer game in Ecuador (or in any other part of the world for that matter where soccer is life).
We're no different from the Ecuadorians in cat calling when players are not playing their best. However, an entire stadium, even fans will do that whistle when your cat calling a woman when a player is being thought of as playing, well, like a girl. It is tradition you stand through all times during play in respect for your team. I wondered where that tradition came from at UCSB. When your team scores, it is not uncommon to start a fire in the bleachers while singing at the top of your lungs your teams anthem. I kid you not, fires in the bleachers, and the police can't get to the sections because of the crazy fans. The fires are quickly put out but I can't even imagine doing something like that. In the two games I've been to thus far, I've seen fires started and then put out. Fans, those who have one, will bring in large drums to bang away at during the game to keep the stadium loud, and set the beat to the songs being sung for their team. Professional soccer players are treated like gods and walk on water in their hometowns. The atmosphere is absolutely one of a kind and different.
Quito is home to five professional teams alone, and Ecuador, for a country the size of the state of Colorado, has a total of twenty-four professional teams. In Quito is home to one of the best professional soccer teams in all of Central and South America. They are Liga. They are by far the most popular team in Quito and all of Ecuador for that matter, and have won the South American Championships numerous times and even have a few International championships under their belts. Most recently, they have just won another South American championship making them the best team in S.A. this year. Liga is who my family cheers for, and by default, who I cheer for. Games are a must see, and you don't miss them. If we're not at the stadium, we're at a nearby restaurant that plays the game cheering on with other fans who aren't at the game at the time. The Liga stadium actually is not too far from the Cathedral and where I live and so home games at night can be heard from where I live, and I even have a great view of when they set off fireworks. Soccer truly is a way of life here and a unique and incredible experience. I've been to my share of professional games in the U.S. and watched on television, but nothing I feel compares to the wild excitement of the most popular sport in the world.
Mayonnaise is used here to the equivalence of our use of Ketchup in the U.S. Ecuadorians use it for everything! It is the preffered condiment for dipping fries, it is heavily layed on thick with sandwiches, and put on as a salsa for all foods you eat. This is difficult for me as I am not a huge fan of mayonnaise. My extensive use of mayonnaise is simply for sandwiches, spread thin, and at times on hamburgers, spread thin. The thought of simply eating mayonnaise as a dipping sauce for my fries or as a salsa to cover my rice and potatoes is absolutely disturbing to me. I politely not use mayonnaise the way Ecuadorians use it, and when I order a sandwich, I ask for mayonnaise spread thin which always gives me strange looks. It is definately different but it is a favorite among the Ecuadorians.
As I have mentioned before, Catholicism is the dominant faith here in Ecaudor even though a lot don't practice it. This is especially among the young adults. In fact, I look around, and I don't see much difference from young adults here, and young adults in the United States. Relationships are just as common with public displays of affection as we would see in the the United States. I have even lost count of how many women I have met with children at such a young age (most confessing having had the child out of wedlock and were forced to marry as soon as they were found out to being pregnant). I'm getting a little off track with this, and I did not mention this to bash on the ideals of the people here, for they are not much different from what we see in some people in the United States, but to show what I have found to be what is more 'common' in the United States and not seeing that strict Catholic stereotype I've always heard about.
Where I do want to go however with the Catholic influence is within the Episcopal Church itself. Recently, around the beginning of October, the Cathedral and many other parishes around the city have begun classes for first communion and confirmation. Now many of you who know you're way around the Catholic faith, all faithful must first attend First Communion classes before being allowed to receive the Sacrament of the Great Eucharist. As you know, we as Episcopalians, the shunned cousins of the Catholic Church, do not believe this is necessary and we will never turn anyone away from the Lord's table who wishes to receive. This is not the case with the Episcopal Church here in Ecuador. As I have mentioned before, there is a very strong Catholic influence among the people and is to be expected as it is their history. It was by the Spaniards that conquered the native people of Ecuador and brought with them the Catholic faith. This influence has spilled over into other denominations of Christianity. It is most seen in the Episcopal Church in Ecuador through the first communion classes.
It would be unheard of for a child to be receiving Communion within the Episcopal Church here in Ecuador under the age of nine. The adults with their strong Catholic influence upbringing would take offense to this. It is around that time of nine years old that a child may begin the classes of first communion and take the steps to receiving communion. Here in Ecuador, the Episcopal Church's first communion classes are far shorter than the Catholic's and so each year, the Episcopal Church receives numerous Catholic children into the classes of first communion so they may begin receiving communion within the Catholic Church much sooner.(The Catholic church accepts the Episcopal certificate of first communion classes. The length of time for classes with the Episcopal Church is more or less a year long where as the Catholic Church's classes are around two years long.)
Chris and myself have voiced our absolute distaste in this situation. We feel that it is misleading of our church to be allowing these classes to continue when we do not abide by that rule nor is it a requirement of our church. We feel that it is not appropriate for a church to be misleading about who it is and it's clear structure of receiving the sacrament as outlined in the Catechism of our faith. It is our job as members of our church to portray who we are and be true to the full elements and structure of the church and not bend here or there to satisfy the lingering influence of history that has become of the people of Ecuador. I feel it is the responsibility of the members of the church to uphold the structures of our faith and not be misleading about it. If you are to be a contributing member, you need to fully commit to the ways and foundations of the church and not conform to misleading ways. Some traditions are not to be tampered with in my opinion, especially if those traditions are clearly misleading the ideal faith and intended mission of the church. Many of us Episcopalians have seen our church evolve and conform for the better...it is what a growing church needs to do to survive in an ever changing world. We have seen recently that even the Catholic Church has made astounding changes, but has never been misleading. I feel we need to return to the firm stance of being who we are and not changing the traditions that are not meant to be changed.
If there is to be an upside to this however, it is that Chris and I are taking the opportunity to share with the classes what the Episcopal Church is and teach them about us. We hope to see this as an opportunity to share the point of view of the Episcopal Church and hopefully bring new members to the Episcopal Church and build up the Episcopal Church in Ecuador.
Until next time, God's peace and blessings be with you all!
It did not dawn on me just how important soccer is to the Latin community until I witnessed two very extraordinary events. When Liga, a professional soccer team from Quito, Ecuador, hands down the best in the country and a top contender in all of central and South America, played for the South American championships back in September, the game was played on a Sunday morning and every church I knew of, had moved service times to accomodate the spectacle watchers. This included the Catholic Church. No joke. It blew my mind that God was put on hold until after a game. The second event was when I went with my family to watch Liga play an away game at a near by restaurant to cheer on our team. It was raining and rather cold that night. Outside the restaurant and outside a nearby television electronics store, I witness people gathered in the freezing rain to watch the game because they can't afford to enter the restaurant or don't have a t.v. at home. I don't care who you are, that's dedication. I don't know too many people in the U.S. who would do that.
The atmosphere of soccer games in Latin America is absolutely intense. I thought Locos at Gaucho games were intense but UCSB doesn't even scratch the surface of the atmosphere of games here in Latin America. I realize that the Locos at UCSB is just that; college level fun. Let me tell you now though of the intense atmosphere at a soccer game in Ecuador (or in any other part of the world for that matter where soccer is life).
We're no different from the Ecuadorians in cat calling when players are not playing their best. However, an entire stadium, even fans will do that whistle when your cat calling a woman when a player is being thought of as playing, well, like a girl. It is tradition you stand through all times during play in respect for your team. I wondered where that tradition came from at UCSB. When your team scores, it is not uncommon to start a fire in the bleachers while singing at the top of your lungs your teams anthem. I kid you not, fires in the bleachers, and the police can't get to the sections because of the crazy fans. The fires are quickly put out but I can't even imagine doing something like that. In the two games I've been to thus far, I've seen fires started and then put out. Fans, those who have one, will bring in large drums to bang away at during the game to keep the stadium loud, and set the beat to the songs being sung for their team. Professional soccer players are treated like gods and walk on water in their hometowns. The atmosphere is absolutely one of a kind and different.
Quito is home to five professional teams alone, and Ecuador, for a country the size of the state of Colorado, has a total of twenty-four professional teams. In Quito is home to one of the best professional soccer teams in all of Central and South America. They are Liga. They are by far the most popular team in Quito and all of Ecuador for that matter, and have won the South American Championships numerous times and even have a few International championships under their belts. Most recently, they have just won another South American championship making them the best team in S.A. this year. Liga is who my family cheers for, and by default, who I cheer for. Games are a must see, and you don't miss them. If we're not at the stadium, we're at a nearby restaurant that plays the game cheering on with other fans who aren't at the game at the time. The Liga stadium actually is not too far from the Cathedral and where I live and so home games at night can be heard from where I live, and I even have a great view of when they set off fireworks. Soccer truly is a way of life here and a unique and incredible experience. I've been to my share of professional games in the U.S. and watched on television, but nothing I feel compares to the wild excitement of the most popular sport in the world.
Mayonnaise is used here to the equivalence of our use of Ketchup in the U.S. Ecuadorians use it for everything! It is the preffered condiment for dipping fries, it is heavily layed on thick with sandwiches, and put on as a salsa for all foods you eat. This is difficult for me as I am not a huge fan of mayonnaise. My extensive use of mayonnaise is simply for sandwiches, spread thin, and at times on hamburgers, spread thin. The thought of simply eating mayonnaise as a dipping sauce for my fries or as a salsa to cover my rice and potatoes is absolutely disturbing to me. I politely not use mayonnaise the way Ecuadorians use it, and when I order a sandwich, I ask for mayonnaise spread thin which always gives me strange looks. It is definately different but it is a favorite among the Ecuadorians.
As I have mentioned before, Catholicism is the dominant faith here in Ecaudor even though a lot don't practice it. This is especially among the young adults. In fact, I look around, and I don't see much difference from young adults here, and young adults in the United States. Relationships are just as common with public displays of affection as we would see in the the United States. I have even lost count of how many women I have met with children at such a young age (most confessing having had the child out of wedlock and were forced to marry as soon as they were found out to being pregnant). I'm getting a little off track with this, and I did not mention this to bash on the ideals of the people here, for they are not much different from what we see in some people in the United States, but to show what I have found to be what is more 'common' in the United States and not seeing that strict Catholic stereotype I've always heard about.
Where I do want to go however with the Catholic influence is within the Episcopal Church itself. Recently, around the beginning of October, the Cathedral and many other parishes around the city have begun classes for first communion and confirmation. Now many of you who know you're way around the Catholic faith, all faithful must first attend First Communion classes before being allowed to receive the Sacrament of the Great Eucharist. As you know, we as Episcopalians, the shunned cousins of the Catholic Church, do not believe this is necessary and we will never turn anyone away from the Lord's table who wishes to receive. This is not the case with the Episcopal Church here in Ecuador. As I have mentioned before, there is a very strong Catholic influence among the people and is to be expected as it is their history. It was by the Spaniards that conquered the native people of Ecuador and brought with them the Catholic faith. This influence has spilled over into other denominations of Christianity. It is most seen in the Episcopal Church in Ecuador through the first communion classes.
It would be unheard of for a child to be receiving Communion within the Episcopal Church here in Ecuador under the age of nine. The adults with their strong Catholic influence upbringing would take offense to this. It is around that time of nine years old that a child may begin the classes of first communion and take the steps to receiving communion. Here in Ecuador, the Episcopal Church's first communion classes are far shorter than the Catholic's and so each year, the Episcopal Church receives numerous Catholic children into the classes of first communion so they may begin receiving communion within the Catholic Church much sooner.(The Catholic church accepts the Episcopal certificate of first communion classes. The length of time for classes with the Episcopal Church is more or less a year long where as the Catholic Church's classes are around two years long.)
Chris and myself have voiced our absolute distaste in this situation. We feel that it is misleading of our church to be allowing these classes to continue when we do not abide by that rule nor is it a requirement of our church. We feel that it is not appropriate for a church to be misleading about who it is and it's clear structure of receiving the sacrament as outlined in the Catechism of our faith. It is our job as members of our church to portray who we are and be true to the full elements and structure of the church and not bend here or there to satisfy the lingering influence of history that has become of the people of Ecuador. I feel it is the responsibility of the members of the church to uphold the structures of our faith and not be misleading about it. If you are to be a contributing member, you need to fully commit to the ways and foundations of the church and not conform to misleading ways. Some traditions are not to be tampered with in my opinion, especially if those traditions are clearly misleading the ideal faith and intended mission of the church. Many of us Episcopalians have seen our church evolve and conform for the better...it is what a growing church needs to do to survive in an ever changing world. We have seen recently that even the Catholic Church has made astounding changes, but has never been misleading. I feel we need to return to the firm stance of being who we are and not changing the traditions that are not meant to be changed.
If there is to be an upside to this however, it is that Chris and I are taking the opportunity to share with the classes what the Episcopal Church is and teach them about us. We hope to see this as an opportunity to share the point of view of the Episcopal Church and hopefully bring new members to the Episcopal Church and build up the Episcopal Church in Ecuador.
Until next time, God's peace and blessings be with you all!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
A Government Coup with A Blessing from God...an Ordination
By now, most of you know and have been in contact with me in regards to the political unrest and brief government coup of Ecuador. Be assured, I was/am well during the situation and just kept put during the excitement. I thank you all for your prayers and well wishes during the situation which believe it or not, is still undergoing.
I know I promised this post three days after the event took place, and as it is now almost two weeks since the eventful day, I do heartily apologize. I'm finding it more and more difficult to sit down and write. I thought this part would be easy as I love to write and I knew that this year was going to be full of adventure. Well, as I was warned, and either I didn't believe or didn't listen, I have become very busy. But this should not deter me from my job to keep those supporting me here from knowing of my work and the going ons of my stay here during this year of God's work. If some of my fellow YASCers can make a new post every week, not mentioning any names in particular...Ann! (you're killing me by the way), I should certainly hold up to the same expectations as well.
Although things have settled down significantly, the country of Ecuador remains in a delicate balance. The people have completely lost faith in their system of public protection and they don't know how they will ever regain their trust. It's a scary feeling to think that the people whose job is to protect you from crime and other dangers of civilization, can become the very people they're supposed to protect you from. Quito, being the capital of Ecuador, remains in a State of Exception for an additional sixty (60) days which means that both the military and the police force are in charge of law enforcement authority.
The day began like any other. Thursday, September 30th, I awoke at six a.m. to begin my day of teaching at the cathedral and work at the diocese. When I arrived at school all was well, classes ran normally, but by the time recess came around, I left my class to see my fellow professors talking in hushed voices with somber looks on their faces as they ushered for me to join them. I walked over and the first of the news of the riots breaking out has reached our school. It was not long thereafter until the first student heard the news and it spread like wildfire. Classes were unable to continue due to the concern and worry of every student and the professors became occupied with settling and comforting the students, some of which were in tears, fearing the noises and news of violence in their own city and throughout their country. Parents began to arrive and within no time, all students had returned home with their families before noon. School normally ends at 1:20 in the afternoon here. When the last student left, the professors, myself included, began looking for ways to get home safely.
On this particular day, of all days, I had forgotten my cell phone at home and was unable to reach my host family on their whereabouts and what their plans were for the current situation. I wanted to call my host father to meet me at the church and walk home with me in case I may have come across trouble on my way home for who knows what reason: being a gringo, wrong place wrong time type thing, or what, but without my cell, I could not do this. I braved walking home, only living four blocks from the school and made it safely home.
My family was all perched around the television and I joined them, eager to learn of what was going on. I had checked my cell phone, and I had numerous missed calls; one from the diocese of Central Ecuador, the bishop personally, calling to check on my well being, the permanent placed Episcopal missionary from the U.S. and his family called to see how I was, and of course, the National Church, my boss, calling me to see about the situation and my well being. I was surprised by the concern of everyone and thankful for their checking in. I returned all the calls, and rejoined my host family watching the news.
As I sat with my family I learned of the terror unwinding within the country of Ecuador.
All branches of police had gone on strike after receiving word that their benefits were being cut or even diminished in some way by a new government bill. This began the rioting, and here in Ecuador, the riots began like all others, the statement of buring tires in the streets. Early in the morning, the President had left his home to address the rioters, explain the situation and the bill to the rioters in the streets. It was there he was attacked by the very police guarding him, his gas masked removed, and was exposed to various gases. He was taken to the hospital to be treated for the various gases. Throughout the day, the police continued to riot, taking control of the Quito airport shutting it down, and closing all major highways and roads throughout Ecuador. Thre was no entering or leaving by any means. With the police force on strike, public citizens took it upon themselves to begin looting and robbing major banks and stores, especially in the major cities of Quito, Guayaquil, Latacunga, and Cuenca saw the most violent string of robberies and crime with no police force to keep it in check or enforce. The police throughout the day continued to riot and take over various public locations, including the President's personal broadcast station to prevent him from communicating with the country.
Later in the evening, the police force attempted to kidnap the president from his hospital room, but was safely evacuated by the Ecuadorian military which had taken place of law enforcement within the country, and returned the president safely to his residence in Centro Quito. During the attempted kidnapping of the President, the streets of Quito near the hospital and Centro had become a warzone where the police, armed to the teeth, were exchanging fire with the Ecaudorian military force. It was a frightening day for everyone and for me. When the president returned to his residence, he immediately addressed the people of Ecuador and the protestors, with a vow to meet with their representatives and discuss a solution to the situation.
The U.S. Embassy sent out warnings and postings of advice throughout the day to registered U.S. Citizens within the country, and advised sitting tight in our homes and not explore for trouble. I did just that and maintained my distance until the situation was over.
Miracle upon miracles, the major parts of the riots ended the following day, and the Chief of the National Police force submitted his resignation to the president of Quito. Ten percent of the police force returned to work on Friday, October 1st, the following day, with the promise of the return of the rest slowly throughout the weekend as negotiations began with the police forces and the government.
That weekend of the first of October, I was due a visit from my boss at the National Church in NY and was wondering if he would be able to make it in. Surprisingly, the airport reopened Friday, and my boss, David Copley arrived. The reason for his visit was not only his check in with me, but for the next part of this blog post: an ordination service of three new priests to the diocese of Central Ecuador!
On Saturday, October 2nd, amongst the ugliness of the political situation in Ecuador, the Episcopal Church was able to celebrate the ordination of Chris Morck, and two other deacons of the diocese to the priesthood. Chris, who is the other American Episcopal missionary here in Quito, but a permanent missionary, was ordained a priest and celebrated his first communion that Saturday amongst a gathered faithful of three hundred or more at the Catedral de El Senor, in Quito, also the location of the school where I teach English. The bishop of Central Ecuador, Louise Restreppo, presided the service and was joied with two visiting bishops who also presided in the service. One was from Nicaragua, the other from a nearby diocese. Many of Chris's friends and relatives flew in for the ceremony, before the airport was shut down, including Chris' and my boss, the Reverend David Copley, from 815 in New York. It was an amazing celebration and a gift from God to allow the ceremony to continue amongst the current ugliness going on in surrounding Quito and Ecuador. What a momentous day it was and I was so glad to have been able to share the happy day with Chris and his family, as we have become fast friends during my time here in Ecuador. The family and I have become such fast friends and I have gained their trust, that they call on me to babysit their two young daughters when Chris and his wife Trish need a date night or have to work late. I have become like an older brother to the girls and we have such a great time.
Candidate Chris Morck with fellow candidate...Chris is the Gringo if you're wondering!
Candidates kneeling before the three bishops, taking their consecration vows.
Chris' wife Trish and their two daughters vesting the newly ordained Reverend Chris Morck
The Reverend Chris Morck with his wife and two daughters...Isabel, 4 and Claire, 8
The Reverend Chris Morck with Family and our Boss from NY the Reverend David Copley
The weekend with my boss was enjoyable. It was nice to catch up and visit and express my concerns, happiness, and overall well being with the YASC program in Ecuador. After Chris' ordination, we all went out and celbrated that night, Chris' closes friends, family, and our boss, and saw no problems amidst the unrest going on in the city. We were robbed after dinner saturday night, but God was looking out for us on that blessed day, and security at the hotel were able to recover our belongings, my wallet, with twenty dollars, (thank God I emptied it before we left for dinner of my credit/debit cards and $300 cash (rent was due), a friend's camera, and the other's wallets.
I joined my boss for church Sunday morning where we celebrated Chris' first solo Eucharist at his home church where he had been working as a deacon, and he said his goodbye's as the bishop of the diocese has assigned him to the Cathedral as the new rector. I will be seeing Chris a lot more!! It was no secret that my boss at the school, the Reverend Eduardo has more of a love for the children and the school than he does being the rector of the Cathedral, has asked to be assigned full time to the school as the administrator and Padre of the school and leave the care of the church in the hands of Chris. Padre Eduardo is getting old after all and cannot both manage both the cathedral and the school.
After church, David visited with me and my host family for a short while where my host family was anxious to meet him. They wanted to know what kind of man my boss was and thank him for his generousity and work with the church and for allowing me to stay with them. David inquired about my stay with the family, if there were any problems and generally wanted to know about my host family. It was a great visit, brief, and satisfying. My family reported how happy they were to have me and that they had no problems. I said my good-bye's to David after the visit, as he was returning to the U.S. that night, Sunday, October 3rd.
Well, that about wraps up this entry. It was an exciting weekend, with a brief government coup, an ordination, and an old reunion, I was blessed to be able to have experienced it all, and it has only enlightened me further on the extent of the situation of the country I now call home, and the ability to celebrate the blessing and consecration of new priest and close friend Chris Morck, just makes my time here all the more memorable. Until the next post, may the blessings and peace of God be with you all.
I know I promised this post three days after the event took place, and as it is now almost two weeks since the eventful day, I do heartily apologize. I'm finding it more and more difficult to sit down and write. I thought this part would be easy as I love to write and I knew that this year was going to be full of adventure. Well, as I was warned, and either I didn't believe or didn't listen, I have become very busy. But this should not deter me from my job to keep those supporting me here from knowing of my work and the going ons of my stay here during this year of God's work. If some of my fellow YASCers can make a new post every week, not mentioning any names in particular...Ann! (you're killing me by the way), I should certainly hold up to the same expectations as well.
Although things have settled down significantly, the country of Ecuador remains in a delicate balance. The people have completely lost faith in their system of public protection and they don't know how they will ever regain their trust. It's a scary feeling to think that the people whose job is to protect you from crime and other dangers of civilization, can become the very people they're supposed to protect you from. Quito, being the capital of Ecuador, remains in a State of Exception for an additional sixty (60) days which means that both the military and the police force are in charge of law enforcement authority.
The day began like any other. Thursday, September 30th, I awoke at six a.m. to begin my day of teaching at the cathedral and work at the diocese. When I arrived at school all was well, classes ran normally, but by the time recess came around, I left my class to see my fellow professors talking in hushed voices with somber looks on their faces as they ushered for me to join them. I walked over and the first of the news of the riots breaking out has reached our school. It was not long thereafter until the first student heard the news and it spread like wildfire. Classes were unable to continue due to the concern and worry of every student and the professors became occupied with settling and comforting the students, some of which were in tears, fearing the noises and news of violence in their own city and throughout their country. Parents began to arrive and within no time, all students had returned home with their families before noon. School normally ends at 1:20 in the afternoon here. When the last student left, the professors, myself included, began looking for ways to get home safely.
On this particular day, of all days, I had forgotten my cell phone at home and was unable to reach my host family on their whereabouts and what their plans were for the current situation. I wanted to call my host father to meet me at the church and walk home with me in case I may have come across trouble on my way home for who knows what reason: being a gringo, wrong place wrong time type thing, or what, but without my cell, I could not do this. I braved walking home, only living four blocks from the school and made it safely home.
My family was all perched around the television and I joined them, eager to learn of what was going on. I had checked my cell phone, and I had numerous missed calls; one from the diocese of Central Ecuador, the bishop personally, calling to check on my well being, the permanent placed Episcopal missionary from the U.S. and his family called to see how I was, and of course, the National Church, my boss, calling me to see about the situation and my well being. I was surprised by the concern of everyone and thankful for their checking in. I returned all the calls, and rejoined my host family watching the news.
As I sat with my family I learned of the terror unwinding within the country of Ecuador.
All branches of police had gone on strike after receiving word that their benefits were being cut or even diminished in some way by a new government bill. This began the rioting, and here in Ecuador, the riots began like all others, the statement of buring tires in the streets. Early in the morning, the President had left his home to address the rioters, explain the situation and the bill to the rioters in the streets. It was there he was attacked by the very police guarding him, his gas masked removed, and was exposed to various gases. He was taken to the hospital to be treated for the various gases. Throughout the day, the police continued to riot, taking control of the Quito airport shutting it down, and closing all major highways and roads throughout Ecuador. Thre was no entering or leaving by any means. With the police force on strike, public citizens took it upon themselves to begin looting and robbing major banks and stores, especially in the major cities of Quito, Guayaquil, Latacunga, and Cuenca saw the most violent string of robberies and crime with no police force to keep it in check or enforce. The police throughout the day continued to riot and take over various public locations, including the President's personal broadcast station to prevent him from communicating with the country.
Later in the evening, the police force attempted to kidnap the president from his hospital room, but was safely evacuated by the Ecuadorian military which had taken place of law enforcement within the country, and returned the president safely to his residence in Centro Quito. During the attempted kidnapping of the President, the streets of Quito near the hospital and Centro had become a warzone where the police, armed to the teeth, were exchanging fire with the Ecaudorian military force. It was a frightening day for everyone and for me. When the president returned to his residence, he immediately addressed the people of Ecuador and the protestors, with a vow to meet with their representatives and discuss a solution to the situation.
The U.S. Embassy sent out warnings and postings of advice throughout the day to registered U.S. Citizens within the country, and advised sitting tight in our homes and not explore for trouble. I did just that and maintained my distance until the situation was over.
Miracle upon miracles, the major parts of the riots ended the following day, and the Chief of the National Police force submitted his resignation to the president of Quito. Ten percent of the police force returned to work on Friday, October 1st, the following day, with the promise of the return of the rest slowly throughout the weekend as negotiations began with the police forces and the government.
That weekend of the first of October, I was due a visit from my boss at the National Church in NY and was wondering if he would be able to make it in. Surprisingly, the airport reopened Friday, and my boss, David Copley arrived. The reason for his visit was not only his check in with me, but for the next part of this blog post: an ordination service of three new priests to the diocese of Central Ecuador!
On Saturday, October 2nd, amongst the ugliness of the political situation in Ecuador, the Episcopal Church was able to celebrate the ordination of Chris Morck, and two other deacons of the diocese to the priesthood. Chris, who is the other American Episcopal missionary here in Quito, but a permanent missionary, was ordained a priest and celebrated his first communion that Saturday amongst a gathered faithful of three hundred or more at the Catedral de El Senor, in Quito, also the location of the school where I teach English. The bishop of Central Ecuador, Louise Restreppo, presided the service and was joied with two visiting bishops who also presided in the service. One was from Nicaragua, the other from a nearby diocese. Many of Chris's friends and relatives flew in for the ceremony, before the airport was shut down, including Chris' and my boss, the Reverend David Copley, from 815 in New York. It was an amazing celebration and a gift from God to allow the ceremony to continue amongst the current ugliness going on in surrounding Quito and Ecuador. What a momentous day it was and I was so glad to have been able to share the happy day with Chris and his family, as we have become fast friends during my time here in Ecuador. The family and I have become such fast friends and I have gained their trust, that they call on me to babysit their two young daughters when Chris and his wife Trish need a date night or have to work late. I have become like an older brother to the girls and we have such a great time.
Candidate Chris Morck with fellow candidate...Chris is the Gringo if you're wondering!
Candidates kneeling before the three bishops, taking their consecration vows.
Chris' wife Trish and their two daughters vesting the newly ordained Reverend Chris Morck
The Reverend Chris Morck with his wife and two daughters...Isabel, 4 and Claire, 8
The Reverend Chris Morck with Family and our Boss from NY the Reverend David Copley
The weekend with my boss was enjoyable. It was nice to catch up and visit and express my concerns, happiness, and overall well being with the YASC program in Ecuador. After Chris' ordination, we all went out and celbrated that night, Chris' closes friends, family, and our boss, and saw no problems amidst the unrest going on in the city. We were robbed after dinner saturday night, but God was looking out for us on that blessed day, and security at the hotel were able to recover our belongings, my wallet, with twenty dollars, (thank God I emptied it before we left for dinner of my credit/debit cards and $300 cash (rent was due), a friend's camera, and the other's wallets.
I joined my boss for church Sunday morning where we celebrated Chris' first solo Eucharist at his home church where he had been working as a deacon, and he said his goodbye's as the bishop of the diocese has assigned him to the Cathedral as the new rector. I will be seeing Chris a lot more!! It was no secret that my boss at the school, the Reverend Eduardo has more of a love for the children and the school than he does being the rector of the Cathedral, has asked to be assigned full time to the school as the administrator and Padre of the school and leave the care of the church in the hands of Chris. Padre Eduardo is getting old after all and cannot both manage both the cathedral and the school.
After church, David visited with me and my host family for a short while where my host family was anxious to meet him. They wanted to know what kind of man my boss was and thank him for his generousity and work with the church and for allowing me to stay with them. David inquired about my stay with the family, if there were any problems and generally wanted to know about my host family. It was a great visit, brief, and satisfying. My family reported how happy they were to have me and that they had no problems. I said my good-bye's to David after the visit, as he was returning to the U.S. that night, Sunday, October 3rd.
Well, that about wraps up this entry. It was an exciting weekend, with a brief government coup, an ordination, and an old reunion, I was blessed to be able to have experienced it all, and it has only enlightened me further on the extent of the situation of the country I now call home, and the ability to celebrate the blessing and consecration of new priest and close friend Chris Morck, just makes my time here all the more memorable. Until the next post, may the blessings and peace of God be with you all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)