OTAVALO/COTOCACHI

Hope everyone is staying safe! The hurricane is all the news here. I’ve been super busy at Academia Cotopaxi getting ready for the new school year, attending orientation meetings and setting up my classroom. It’s huge! I have a SMART board in front, an entire wall of windows with a million dollar view of the rolling Andean hills and volcanos, lots of little nooks and spaces that 7 year olds will love! We begin September 5…so much still to prepare!

But, I’ve really been getting the royal treatment here. Yesterday, the school took us to the market in Otavalo, stopping along the way at the “real” equator site. (Yes, there’s some debate as to the location of the actual line!). The best part was the Hacienda where we stopped for lunch. Just an exquisite presentation of all the food…for all my foodie friends let me describe it. For those of you not interested in these sorts of things skip to the next paragraph! So, we arrive, the doors are held, we are greeted with hot towels. The starter was ceviche in a music box! Then a delicious rich plantain soup followed by  a palate cleanser of basil sorbet. The entrée was coconut shrimp and fish. Really flavorful. Followed by passion fruit mouse.  Yum. Apparently foreign dignitaries and other wealthy travelers stay in the Hacienda which also includes a full spa.

Cotocachi was after lunch…it’s a town full of leather. I got a nice light brown satchel. I’ve just been go go go-meeting new folks at social events, arranging the room, reading a new curriculum. It will be nice to relax today!

Stay safe!

Rachel

Pictures of My Room

Wow! I’ve been so busy lately, haven’t taken the chance to update my blog. I have a feeling that it’s going to be this way for the next couple of months while I get my feet on the ground, so I apologize for that.

I’ve been busy getting my classroom all set up. I have a HUGE room with a million dollar view of the Andean landscape. I’m really happy with the layout and space.

We’ve got orientation and in-service week these next two weeks, so I’m busy with that. I’ll give you more details once I know them. For now, enjoy the pics!

Llfe Since Peace Corps

The following is a newsletter article I wrote for Peace Corps Ecuador Volunteers about my life since the Peace Corps. I thought you might be interested:

Life Since Peace Corps

I was a Rural Public Health Peace Corps volunteer in the province of Chimborazo in the years 2004-2006. I lived high up in the Andes in a little village called Pulucate. Most of my work was with women and children, so I became pretty good with Quichua. Every day I wore the clothing of the women of Pulucate. Long anakus wrapped with a chumbi, lots of brightly colored shawls, gold necklaces and of course the fedora hat. I taught family planning courses in the health clinic, invited women over for cooking classes in my home (banana bread was a huge hit), started a peluqueria with a SPA grant for the young people of the town, volunteered my time in the health clinic for patient intake and such.

But what really changed my life was teaching the children and teenagers in the schools and high schools. Even though I was not an “English Teacher” volunteer as such, I still taught English and this was what allowed me to also teach health-the importance of hand washing, eating a balanced diet, taking care of yourself, recognizing abuse, how to say no, and even more serious issues.

As a child, whenever anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I never pictured myself as a teacher. I think I wanted to be a social worker, but honestly, I really, really come alive working with children. Teaching is my life’s calling and I’m lucky to have found it. Especially the younger kids, they really appreciated my lessons, begged me to come again, loved my energy (I got it from them) and having so many young people depending on me filled what could have been long, lonely afternoons and evenings. (And, of course, working with children is the best way to break into a community and get to know parents too).

After two years of teaching, I had formed many relationships with the children of my village and had seen how education can really make a difference. Most of them who were serious students would leave Pulucate and study in Riobamba ( where the schools are much better). This was discouraging to me because only the kids whose families had a little more money could afford to send their kids away to school. So, I formed a life goal one early morning towards the end of my Peace Corps service. My life goal is to start a high quality school in the rural countryside so that children and young people can receive an outstanding education in their own village. Now that I had my goal in mind, it was very exciting because I could see the exact steps I needed to take to reach it.

After my Peace Corps service I enrolled in a program sponsored by Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. I took evening classes to obtain my teaching certificate and Master’s Degree while working as a paid teacher’s aid in a 5^th grade classroom. After those two years I was ready to conquer my own classroom and began teaching 2^nd grade. The school where I worked was wonderfully diverse, filled with children from all over the world, mostly Central America but also Asia, Africa, South America and the Middle East. It was wonderfully challenging to teach children for whom English is not the maternal language, but rather the common language for instruction. (I loved the children who would translate literally from Spanish and say, “Ms. Howard, can I broom the floor?) Or one boy who wanted to complement me on my fashion as I was wearing a big belt and said, “Oh, Ms. Howard, I just love your new seatbelt.) Because our school serves children in poverty, we received federal funding to reduce class sizes, hire extra teachers for academic interventions and give all the kids free breakfast (many received free lunch too).

My Peace Corps experiences were so valuable working with kids in poverty and kids from other countries as well as their parents. I understood exactly why sometimes parents didn’t feel comfortable coming to after school or evening meetings because they felt embarrassed by their own lack of schooling or were working two, three jobs trying to hold it all together. I also understood that I was the teacher and many parents saw their jobs not to help with homework, but rather to provide their kids a safe place to sleep, food to eat and clothing to wear.  (Not to mention, the Spanish language was invaluable working with ESL kids and parents).

Every summer since my Peace Corps service ended, I continued to travel every summer to Ecuador to visit my godchildren, my friends and just to soak up the sun. So, I maintained close contacts with Ecuadorians. Just last summer, August of 2010, when I was visiting I dropped my resume and portfolio off at Academia Cotopaxi, an International American school in Quito. It was something I had been thinking of for awhile and in February of this year (2011), after many long Skype interviews, I was hired to teach 2^nd grade. This placement is ideal for me because it allows me to teach at a high quality school, have a standard of living that I’m used to (no more latrienes, dirt floors and fleas!), yet still be in a country where I can travel just a few hours and be in a completely different world. I’m so thrilled to be back in Ecuador, although in a very different experience than my Peace Corps experiences, I know this one will be equally challenging and rewarding as well. I wish you all the best of luck with your service.

If you’d like to ask me other questions, please feel free to email me at: rachelhoward82@yahoo.com And you can follow my blog at rachelsecuadoradventures@blogspot.com

Nuevos Companeros

Whew, it’s been a busy few days…haven’t blogged in awhile. Finally met some new teachers that I’ll be working with for the upcoming school year (Sept. 5). They are a great group of folks with so many different life experiences. For example, I met several young women who have been teaching at international schools in Thailand and one in Beijing, China. Then there’s a couple, from Alaska. They both taught together in Managua, Nicaragua and have two young kids. Then there is the new art teacher. He is Belgian, but has been teaching in International Schools in Africa for awhile. He’s married to a Tanzanian and she will come to Ecuador in a few months and hope to find a job in Hotel/Restaurant management. Then there’s two more young women who’ve been teaching for awhile in the US and are embarking on their first overseas adventure. It’s a fun group of people.

I was lucky to have my apartment fully furnished, (thanks to my contacts with Ann J and her wonderful parents). But lots of folks have been having to go out and buy everything to furnish their places with limited Spanish. That’s really hard.

Let’s see what else is new…I’ve got just a few more free days before we start orientation on Thursday. 

Adopt a Tree-Save the Paramos

Adopt and Tree-Save the Paramos www.fundetecuador.org

It’s funny how small the world is! My second cousin, Gail taught school for years and years in Vermont. She rented out a room in the home of a lovely older couple. This couple has a granddaughter, Lindsay, working here in Quito on her PhD in anthropology. I met with Lindsay the other day and she invited me to a meeting of a program that her boyfriend, an indigenous leader from the province of Cotopaxi started called, “Adopt a Tree, Save the Paramos.” Now you know all the background.

I went to this group’s second meeting, -a really neat group of young people, passionate about saving their environment. I love being around folks who have a vision, an idea and are doing concrete things to solve problems. So many times folks just talk talk talk about global warming or erosion or water problems. But what’s a concrete thing you can do to solve the problem? Well, this group found a solution-plant native trees. They encourage folks (from Quito or the US/Europe) to pay $10.00 and adopt a tree. Then they (the group of young people, along with friends and family in the rural communities) reforest the eroded paramos. This is important because when there are no trees, the wind causes crop problems (and leads folks to use many dangerous chemicals in their farming practices), and having a tree line helps confront global warming because the trees store atmospheric carbon.  

They also educate members of the rural communities about using organic farming practices, and have begun the idea of starting an eco-tourism project. They are also organizing ecotourism project where they will bring folks from Quito for a weekend trip, take them to waterfalls, hiking, camping and finally to plant the trees on the weekends.

Right now, the project is just getting off the ground. I might go with them one weekend, soon to help lead an environmental education workshop and help plant some of the trees they have donated so far. I’ll post photos when I do! This idea, “Plant a Tree, Save the Paramos” is a simple program that one group of young people has started so try and solve the complicated problem of global warming. If you’d like to contribute to their project, please check out their website (www.fundetecuador.org). They have a link for PayPal and some wonderful photos. Muchisimas Gracias, 

Quito by Bike

Ciclopaso

I love this city! I’ve never lived in such an urban area before…there is so much going on at all times, yet it doesn’t feel chaotic, crowded or noisy.

Every Sunday, the main street of Quito (going from North to South) is closed to all traffic and open to bicyclists, runners, walkers. It’s known as the Ciclopaso. Yesterday, I rented a bike with a friend and we rode a large length of the city. Quito is very long but narrow, stretching about 40 miles or so. Most of us on the ciclopaso are not really bicyclists, more just going along for a Sunday stroll without having to worry about cars or busses. But there are a few cyclists in their spandex and cycling shoes, zipping past us slow pokes! The cool thing about exploring a city by bike is passing through all the little neighborhoods, people watching and just taking it all in. One of the funniest things I saw was an older man on his bike with his frou-frou doggie sitting in his lap. The doggy was wearing bright red aviator-style sunglasses. It made me laugh out loud.

So, the ciclopaso starts in the north of the city, beyond the airport. This is Quito moderno, where I live. There are nice restaurants, shopping malls, modern apartments, basically middle to upper class living.

Then after 10 miles or so, you get to the Centro Historico, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage Sight. I haven’t spent too much time in Europe, but Centro Historico de Quito reminds me of what I think a European city is like with cobblestone streets, white buildings, balconies. Every Sunday, since the main street is closed to cars, people come out and stroll the city streets. There are artisans, musicians, dance troupes. I love the atmosphere.

Further past the Centro Historico is Quito Sur. This is more industrial, working class, dirty, etc. Not really a place for tourists. Just nitty-gritty life. I turned around at Centro Historico for the hilly ride back to Quito Norte.

The ciclopaso is well organized with water stops along the way, folks in neon green outfits to guide you incase you get lost, well marked signs, police directing traffic, etc.

Just another great thing about Quito is all the cultural events that are happening. For example, right now in the large city parks there is an outdoor exhibition of photography. The themes vary-I think there are about 500 pieces on display at parks around the city. One very impressive exhbit is photographs taken by a woman of life in South Quito, the working class neighborhoods. Her photographs of daily life were on display at Parque Carolina (the main park near where I live). Really beautiful pieces of art, on display for all to see.

This week, I’ll probably be taking care of stuff in Quito, maybe climbing a volcano or two (J). Love, Rachel

Poverty and Happiness

Poverty and Happiness

Some scientific studies make you say, “duh!” For me, it was the study that came out between the relationship between income and happiness. Basically, the scientists found that people need a certain amount of money for happiness (to pay for food and other life necessities). But beyond that income level, more money does not equal more happiness.

Now, I don’t want to romanticize poverty, but I do think there is something to be said for having less stuff, for living simply so that others may simply live. Staying with Adrian’s family in Puyo for several days reinforces this study for me.

This family is poor…but happy.

They do not have internet in the house. Instead of sending emails to family members to say hello, they walk three hours and visit them.

There is no dishwasher. The kids splash water and play while taking time to hand wash each dish outside in the sun.

There is no washing machine. Two women spend hours scrubbing clothes, slapping them against the concrete slab, hashing out their frustrations and conversing about life.

There are no video games. Kids spend hours outside, climbing trees for fresh guavas and mandarin oranges, playing soccer, inventing their own games. After dinner, cards are brought out for hours of games.

There is no microwave, fridge and prepackaged food is expensive. Women shop for fresh ingredients daily. They spend hours preparing a huge midday meal where the entire family gathers. Naps are normal after a big meal. People are not sleep deprived.

There is one TV for the whole house. Everyone watches TV together. They discuss the news, or the soap opera or the cartoon programs. TV is a social occasion.

There is no alarm clock. Roosters will wake up starting at whatever hour they feel is appropriate (this does not make me happy!)

I think I will keep adding to the list as I experience more examples of simple living. Feel free to add some too!

Puyo

Puyo

I’ve spent most of my time in Ecuador so far settling into Quito and staying at really beautiful lodges, traveling around, resting, relaxing, healing. IT’s pretty much been me time. Now for family time…

This week I’m staying with my ten-year old godson, Adrian and his family in the jungle in Puyo. (Priscilla is Adrian’s mom). I have know this family for ten years…I first met them because I dated Hector, Adrian’s uncle. This family has always taken care of my like a sister, a daughter, etc. Now that I am Adrian’s godmother, we have ties that will last forever. (They are so generous despite their poverty that I have my own room here for whenever I come to visit. They have decorated it with photos of me and keep it empty and very clean).

This is a family that is poor. But I don’t feel sorry for them for one instant (except I wish they had money for Priscilla’s thyroid operation). Why don’t I feel sorry for them? Because Jimmy (Priscilla’s husband and my compadre) works from home installing windows and constructing doors and other metal parts. The four kids are all in school and when they aren’t they play soccer, climb trees, bother each other, run around like crazy people and blast music at todo volumen! The house is always loud, noisy. The kids are so incredibly affectionate. They all sleep together and can’t imagine why I don’t want to get in the same bed with them too! This is a family that loves each other, takes care of each other and spends all their time together.

Breakfasts are prepared by Priscilla or Christian, the oldest son-rice with eggs and too sweet boiled tea, maybe a hotdog split between all if there is any extra money. Prepared with love. No running water, electricity “stolen” from the power lines. Chaotic. Roosters crowing, radio turned up. Clothes being scrubbed before the day’s heat and humidity make it too hot. Days here are so unscheduled…it’s good for me. Getting up when I feel like it, helping to prepare a big midday meal, hanging out with the kids, being lazy, watching movies during the day, helping the kids with school work, singing songs in English, Spanish and Quichua. Conversing for hours about nothing significant…They, of course, are thrilled that I’m going to be in their country for two years. Quito is a bit far (6 hours by bus), but I’ve invited them to come stay with me any time they have a free moment. I’d like to return their generosity.

The rain is another thing…we are, after all in the Amazon RAIN forest. The home is simple, made of wood slabs and a sturdy tin roof. The rains come mostly in the afternoon and evenings and they are deafening against the tin roof. There’s no way to keep talking or keep watching TV or really do anything except appreciate the power of the rain. I love to just lay down and listen.

Today, we’re going to spend all day at the swimming pool. This is a real treat for the kids, they look forward to it all year. Let’s hope the rains hold off!

Priscilla

This entry is for the sake of a young woman, Priscilla, my comadre. Comadre is a strong tie in Latin American culture. I’m the madrina (godmother) of her son (Adrian), so that makes Priscilla and me comadres. Last year, I came down to Ecuador for Adrian’s baptism and big party. I’m sort of like Adrian’s second mom, although she is much more maternal than I am! I’m here right now with Priscilla and her family in the small jungle town of Puyo. I have a long relationship with this family because Priscilla’s brother-in-law is Hector, my ex-boyfriend and longtime friend. Anyway, I was telling Priscilla about my thyroid problems, my symptoms that have lasted about 2 years and how much better I feel now that I have my thyroid out and am taking thyroid replacements.

Turns out Priscilla is experiencing the same exact systems that I was and her thyroid is noticeably swollen. She also has a nodule that has hardened over the years, which indicates cancer. She’s so worried about her health and I’m worried for her. She’s a beautiful young woman, just 30 years old (one year older than me!) has four wonderful children, a loving husband and wants to enjoy life again. She’s depressed, she can’t sleep at night, her children are driving her crazy, she has no appetite and has lost a considerable amount of weight. Now the scary part-her heart has begun to race, she’s having cold sweats and feels like she can’t breathe. She went for an EKG and they said everything is normal…but she feels as if she’s having a heart attack. Scary. All of these are some of the very same systems I was experiencing too. Now Priscilla is Quichua, indigenous and very, very distrustful of hospitals, western medicine and doesn’t understand why she feels the way she does. She’s tried natural medicine, feels a little better, but not really cured. (My thoughts are that she can try and alleviate the symptoms like insomnia but the only cure is to remove the thyroid)

Prisiclla’s doctors have sent her to Ambato and Quito to do some more blood tests but I think she will need the same surgery I had and will need to be on thyroid meds for life. However, she is very poor, has zero savings and has no idea how much an operation like this will cost, nor the cost of good quality thyroid meds, blood level checks every six weeks, etc. will cost. I don’t have any idea either. I know that in this country there exists two heath systems. The government run one which is free but the quality is very poor and the private system that is quite expensive.  I am seeing an endocrinologist in Quito, but of course, I have health insurance that will cover my medical bills. She has nothing. And thyroid surgery isn’t something to be taken lightly. I offered to take her with me when I go see my endocrinologist to see if he has any advice. What she really needs is one of those medical brigades that come from Canada or the US. She’d be a perfect candidate for a free operation because she really has no money. I’ll have to see what I can do to help her out…but if anyone else has any suggestions I’d love that! 

Raquel and the Boa

Let's Go Fly a Kite

August in Ecuador is known as the Kite Month because it’s so windy. The other day I was at the main park and it was full of kids and families flying kites. In the city, if you’ve got a little bit of extra money, you might buy one of the cheap kites that are for sale in the park.

But a lot of folks make kites out of nothing! Trash, nada mas. (what’s the saying, “from trash to treasure). What you need is a plastic bag, and some light sticks and some string or yarn. In the country side you can see lots of kids flying their homemade kites. It’s a really beautiful sight, especially when you think about the fact that this was all going to be thrown away.