I celebrated a South American Christmas and was it a new experience. I mostly spent the majority of my time traveling as I had two weeks off from work. It was nice, but I didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked. Anyways, on to the meat of this blog post.
Christmas in Ecuador is a lot like our Halloween. But instead of children coming to your door trik-or-treating, entire poor families come looking for Christmas charity. They go door to door ringing your doorbell and when you answer they simply state, 'Dame Navidad' which translates to 'Give me Christmas'. Sometimes they will add, 'por favor' (please) to their asking. Normally it is traditional to have prepared fundas de comida/caramellos, bags of food/candy, for the families and children. In church, at the Christmas eve service, we collected clothing and food, and gave them to the poor that regularly attend the service every year looking for help and food. The poorer people from outside the city wil come down from the hills and mountains and spend a few days in the city looking for charitable donations. They will also come to line the highways that lead out of the cities looking for charities. Some families would drive out of the city Christmas day and leave things on the highway for the poorer people to collect. AS I was traveling out of the city Christmas day, I saw hundreds, if not thousands of people lining the highways, and generous passerbys stopping to unload their cars for these people. If/when a car stopped, they would be immediately rushed by the people looking to receive something from the generous givers. Others did not stop and simply through food or items from their car to the people lining the highways. It was quite a site to see.
At the Christmas eve service, we celebrated Eucharist and gave a first communion to a young girl. Although we do not do this in the Episcopal Church in the United States, here Catholic influence still plays a large part on the culture and the way many will begin receiving communion and taking communion on a regular basis. For example, some in the Episcopal Church will confess before taking communion, and others will not be satisfied with a morning prayer type service...all must have the Holy food with EVERY service. The parents will also have their children attend first communion classes before receiving their first communion. For most of the year now, we've had a class of first communion participants attending church every Sunday waiting for when they can receive. The service was beautiful and afterwards, we distributed the food and clothing we had been collecting to the poor who had attended hoping for some charitable help. 'Dame Navidad' was all they could say, and after receiving, could only mangage a faint 'Gracias' as you saw tears come to their eyes.
Christmas eve is the bigger day than actually Christmas day. Gifts are exchanged and opened on Christmas eve and the big dinner also takes place. I spent Christmas eve dinner with Padre Eduardo, my boss and director of the school, and his family for Christmas. The dinner was absoulutely incredible. Marjorie, Eduardo's wife, is quite the cook. I've been spoiled with every new family I have a meal with. They're such great cooks here and Ecuadorian food is so rico (rich)!!
I stayed the night Christmas eve at Padre Eduardo's and on Christmas day we traveled to his family's house in Ibarra, where he and his twelve siblings are from, and had a huge family reunion. It was insane. We ate so much food and played so many games from futbol (soccer), volleyball, board and card games. We also spent one day at the hot springs in Ibarra and just relaxed. It was nice.
Also during the break, I visited Colombia for a couple of days to visit with some family of theirs who are missionaries working in Pesto, Colombia. It was a nice smaller city. I was concerned about border patrol as recently relations between Colombia and Ecuador have not been great and Colombia is always going back and forth from closing it's borders to prevent immigrants hoping to escape the bad in Colombia and come to Ecuador. We didn't have any problems and we spent two days visiting the family of my host family. I also met up with the Bishop, his wife, and family to visit with him as Colombia is his home country. He took the week and a half of break visiting back home with his family so I briefly met his family in Colombia as well, before returning to Quito to celebrate the New Year. The traditions and customs of the new year will be saved for my next post. Until then, take care and here's wishing you all had a wonderful Christmas and a Blessed and Prosperous New Year! Blessings!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Dia de los Disfuntos and Quitofest
Well now, in my brief time here (now a little way into my fifth month here), I have celebrated more holidays than I thought possible. I thought we had a lot of holidays in the United States. It seems every time I turn around, classes are cancelled for another holiday. I now wish to share some of these unique holidays with you.
To begin with, let's start with the Ecuadorian days (that's right, days, plural) of Independence. Ecuador has three official days of Independence. All of which are celebrated and the days taken off. The reason for their being three days of Independence is because the country of Ecuador celebrates the major cities victories over the Spanish as well as the day the country decided to be free from Spanish rule and declare independence. It was on August 10 of 1820 in the city of Quito that a representative council of Ecuadorians called for Indepence and so have now established the first celebrated day of Independence in Ecuador. The second day of Independence is celebrated by the victory of the city Guayaquil, being the first to win independence, over the Spanish in October on the 9th in the year of 1820 and so October 9th is the second Independence Day of Ecuador. The last and final celebrated day of independence in Ecuador is on May 24 where in 1822 the rest of the country of Ecuador gained it's independence from the Spanish. The Ecuadorian Independence Days aren't heavily celebrated as the fourth of July back home, but most major businesses are closed for the holidays.
The next big day of celebrations that gave me a respite from work came in November. While I was hoping to celebrate Halloween on the 31st, here in Ecuador and many other Latin American cultures, Dia de los Disfuntos or Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on the first and second of November. It is on these days that families celebrate the love of loved ones lost and will share a meal at their graveside in honor and memorial to them. You dress up in your best clothes and leave food and flowers for them. A special bread is made for the occasion called pan de gua gua (pronounced wa wa) and a special drink that I can't seem to figure out what it's made from called colada morada. The entire celebration is very unique and lots of fun. The pan looks like little gingerbread men and stuffed with jam! Yum! It's also sad though becuase you're visiting lost loved ones. Sometimes, small children.
Quitofest, or the festival for the foundation of the city of Quito, is a week long celebration. Schools do not take the entire week, but do take from Friday through the weekend. During the week of Quitofest, students at elementary schools are taught the history of Quito, it's foundation, traditional dances during the time of the foundation, and other fun facts and put on a presentation for the families. The children work really hard on these presentations. During this festival, it is customary to crown the Quitena Bonita or the most beautiful Quito girl. During the school presentation, through an election of the teachers, we crowned the most outstanding girl from each grade. In the city however, there is a giant pageant in which girls compete for the honor of Quitena Bonita. The winner is presented on Saturday during the city's parade. Each night, the city was regailed with fireworks and their were three parades. Within seperate neighborhoods of the city, were block parties and concerts were held in every major park throughout the city. It was a fun time and to see the people of Quito so proud of their heritage was a week to remember.
This about wraps up this blog and these two unique holidays that I wished to express. Until next time...Bendiga con Dios
To begin with, let's start with the Ecuadorian days (that's right, days, plural) of Independence. Ecuador has three official days of Independence. All of which are celebrated and the days taken off. The reason for their being three days of Independence is because the country of Ecuador celebrates the major cities victories over the Spanish as well as the day the country decided to be free from Spanish rule and declare independence. It was on August 10 of 1820 in the city of Quito that a representative council of Ecuadorians called for Indepence and so have now established the first celebrated day of Independence in Ecuador. The second day of Independence is celebrated by the victory of the city Guayaquil, being the first to win independence, over the Spanish in October on the 9th in the year of 1820 and so October 9th is the second Independence Day of Ecuador. The last and final celebrated day of independence in Ecuador is on May 24 where in 1822 the rest of the country of Ecuador gained it's independence from the Spanish. The Ecuadorian Independence Days aren't heavily celebrated as the fourth of July back home, but most major businesses are closed for the holidays.
The next big day of celebrations that gave me a respite from work came in November. While I was hoping to celebrate Halloween on the 31st, here in Ecuador and many other Latin American cultures, Dia de los Disfuntos or Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on the first and second of November. It is on these days that families celebrate the love of loved ones lost and will share a meal at their graveside in honor and memorial to them. You dress up in your best clothes and leave food and flowers for them. A special bread is made for the occasion called pan de gua gua (pronounced wa wa) and a special drink that I can't seem to figure out what it's made from called colada morada. The entire celebration is very unique and lots of fun. The pan looks like little gingerbread men and stuffed with jam! Yum! It's also sad though becuase you're visiting lost loved ones. Sometimes, small children.
Quitofest, or the festival for the foundation of the city of Quito, is a week long celebration. Schools do not take the entire week, but do take from Friday through the weekend. During the week of Quitofest, students at elementary schools are taught the history of Quito, it's foundation, traditional dances during the time of the foundation, and other fun facts and put on a presentation for the families. The children work really hard on these presentations. During this festival, it is customary to crown the Quitena Bonita or the most beautiful Quito girl. During the school presentation, through an election of the teachers, we crowned the most outstanding girl from each grade. In the city however, there is a giant pageant in which girls compete for the honor of Quitena Bonita. The winner is presented on Saturday during the city's parade. Each night, the city was regailed with fireworks and their were three parades. Within seperate neighborhoods of the city, were block parties and concerts were held in every major park throughout the city. It was a fun time and to see the people of Quito so proud of their heritage was a week to remember.
This about wraps up this blog and these two unique holidays that I wished to express. Until next time...Bendiga con Dios
Amenities and Life in Quito
It has come to my attention that I haven't really discussed what it's like living here in Ecuador and what I have available to me in terms of living conditions. Currently I live with an Ecuadorian family in Northern Quito that is only three blocks from work. The house is really tiny and I share a room with my two host brothers. The room we are in is pretty tiny as well, perhaps the smallest in the entire house. If I were to put my hands outstretched over my head, my feet and my hands will touch the walls on opposite sides of each other in both directions of the room. Ecuadorian people are a shorter people by average and so roofs and doorways are smaller. I've hit my head numerous times on doorways in houses because they are made smaller, at least the houses I've been to, and so I have learned to instinctively duck at doorways. At public buildings, this isn't a problem. I'm not tall by any means or by definition in the United States, just shy of six feet, but in some doorways in Ecuador, they are a bit small for me.
I will not lie and say that I expected such modern ammenities when I signed up for missionary life. When mission work came to mind before I left, the typical stereotype came to mind. Living in terrible conditions, without the possibility of bathing often or having running water from a tap in the house. I have learned not to think so stereotypically since my arrival and have learned much about the modern city (by standards of developing world countries) of Quito and Ecuador. Don't get me wrong however; there have been places I have visited in Ecuador where the people live in grass huts and do not have the modern amenities that exist in the city.
When I wake in the morning, I have the ability to shower with hot water before work as I enjoy for I like starting the day with a shower. It helps me to wake and start the day. I don't have to go and draw water from a well and heat it to take a bath haha. You do have to switch a plug to turn on the hot water so as not to wast the electricity. This is something we could learn to do in the states I think.
Kitchens are equipped with stoves and ovens and are run on gas not electric. However, gas is not piped to houses directly. Instead, families buy their propane gas in tanks like we have for our bbq's in the states. Several trucks drive around the city honking their horns selling the propane gas tanks for the stoves. You give the empty tank to them upon the exchange and purchase. This is typical vending in Ecuador and is often how you do business. Many people don't have cars and can't just run to the market in their own vehicle but rely on public transportation and the traveling vendors. The vendors start the day very early and often times you will wake up to the screeching howl of a vendor selling their wares or the honking of the propane truck or even taxis and buses waiting outside to pick up their passengers. The concept of ringing a doorbell is foreign to Ecuadorians and so taxis and buses honk their horns to alert their passengers of their arrival. The horn is also greatly overused in driving in Quito and all of Ecuador for that matter.
Heaters within houses are non existant. This is because of the weather here. At ten thousand feet elevation, even the coldest days and nights will only see a low temperature around the low 50's. This really isn't all that bad. At night you just throw on a sweatshirt with your pajamas and call it good with the four or five blankets on your bed. Seven in my case with my weak Hawai'ian blood.
I am also able to keep in contact with family and friends through a wireless internet connecrtion within my house. Without this, I think I would go nuts. Staying in contact with family and friends is what helps keep me sane. It is also what allows me to keep this blog updated.
Through all this, I have learned to not be so stereotypical in thoughts, but have also realized that I have spent time with people here in Ecuador who live how I imagined mission life to be like. While visiting parishes throughout Ecuador, I have lived in grass huts for a weekend and other similar style housing without any regard as to how fortunate some people in Ecuador are over others. It also really made me thankful for what I have as well. But to some, this is a way of life and don't know any other. I spent time among an indigenous tribe in the Amazons who do not know electricity and hunt with bows and spears. The diversity of living in Ecuador is extensive and the culture and the amenities change between the cities, the countryside, and the rainforests. It is truly a unique experience living among the several different cultures and lifestyles of Ecuador.
That wraps up this blog. Until next time, as always, may the blessing of God be always with you.
I will not lie and say that I expected such modern ammenities when I signed up for missionary life. When mission work came to mind before I left, the typical stereotype came to mind. Living in terrible conditions, without the possibility of bathing often or having running water from a tap in the house. I have learned not to think so stereotypically since my arrival and have learned much about the modern city (by standards of developing world countries) of Quito and Ecuador. Don't get me wrong however; there have been places I have visited in Ecuador where the people live in grass huts and do not have the modern amenities that exist in the city.
When I wake in the morning, I have the ability to shower with hot water before work as I enjoy for I like starting the day with a shower. It helps me to wake and start the day. I don't have to go and draw water from a well and heat it to take a bath haha. You do have to switch a plug to turn on the hot water so as not to wast the electricity. This is something we could learn to do in the states I think.
Kitchens are equipped with stoves and ovens and are run on gas not electric. However, gas is not piped to houses directly. Instead, families buy their propane gas in tanks like we have for our bbq's in the states. Several trucks drive around the city honking their horns selling the propane gas tanks for the stoves. You give the empty tank to them upon the exchange and purchase. This is typical vending in Ecuador and is often how you do business. Many people don't have cars and can't just run to the market in their own vehicle but rely on public transportation and the traveling vendors. The vendors start the day very early and often times you will wake up to the screeching howl of a vendor selling their wares or the honking of the propane truck or even taxis and buses waiting outside to pick up their passengers. The concept of ringing a doorbell is foreign to Ecuadorians and so taxis and buses honk their horns to alert their passengers of their arrival. The horn is also greatly overused in driving in Quito and all of Ecuador for that matter.
Heaters within houses are non existant. This is because of the weather here. At ten thousand feet elevation, even the coldest days and nights will only see a low temperature around the low 50's. This really isn't all that bad. At night you just throw on a sweatshirt with your pajamas and call it good with the four or five blankets on your bed. Seven in my case with my weak Hawai'ian blood.
I am also able to keep in contact with family and friends through a wireless internet connecrtion within my house. Without this, I think I would go nuts. Staying in contact with family and friends is what helps keep me sane. It is also what allows me to keep this blog updated.
Through all this, I have learned to not be so stereotypical in thoughts, but have also realized that I have spent time with people here in Ecuador who live how I imagined mission life to be like. While visiting parishes throughout Ecuador, I have lived in grass huts for a weekend and other similar style housing without any regard as to how fortunate some people in Ecuador are over others. It also really made me thankful for what I have as well. But to some, this is a way of life and don't know any other. I spent time among an indigenous tribe in the Amazons who do not know electricity and hunt with bows and spears. The diversity of living in Ecuador is extensive and the culture and the amenities change between the cities, the countryside, and the rainforests. It is truly a unique experience living among the several different cultures and lifestyles of Ecuador.
That wraps up this blog. Until next time, as always, may the blessing of God be always with you.
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