Hello again from Ecuador!

I apologize for the long absence in my entries. I have now been back for 7 weeks since my visit to the US to visit my new nephew. Part of the reason I have not written has been due to illness. Never have I appreciated being in good health as much as I do now. I passed most of January and the beginning of February viewing every class as a challenge to get through while waiting for the weekend where I could sleep until Monday and start all over again. My view towards what I am doing was considerable pessimistic during that time. When the students here have more energy than I do, it feels like an impossible task to manage a class, much less teach them and make progress. I was angry with myself for not being able to do a better job, angry at my immune system for taking such a long time to recover from an illness, and just frustrated in general with life here and the cultural differences. 

           Fortunately, I finally kicked whatever I had about 2 weeks ago and was able to enjoy a 4 day weekend on the coast. As much as I love Quito, we are in the rainy season here and it is depressing getting up at 6 every morning to catch the bus and it is dark and raining. Being able to go to the coast was a very nice break and probably much cheaper than any beach vacation in the states. We camped for $2 a night, and bus tickets for the 14 hour ride run between $12-15. Being able to come back and teach healthy and well rested was a great experience. 

            The time here is going faster and faster, and I feel like the habits developed by the volunteers have become very ingrained. Obviously this is can be a positive or negative development, and I hope that with constant self evaluation I will be able to maintain good habits and make progress in bettering my bad ones. Specifically, I teach two English classes at the same level but one is all boys and the other all girls.  I have always used the same lesson plan for both classes and have had more success with the boys. They boys have always paid attention better, performed better on exams, and understood concepts faster than the girls. I have always finished teaching the girls class exhausted.  As soon as I explain something, three girls are passing notes, three more are playing with their hair, and various others seem to have just zoned out. I am constantly reprimanding them, giving them incentives to do better, but nothing seems to work with them. They laugh and giggle when I have to repeat something for the third time, and cry and whine when I take something they are playing with away from them or scold them for cheating. I want to put all the blame on the girls for my frustrations but I know it is also my fault for not trying more teaching strategies. Anyone who has teaching strategies specifically for 10-11 year old girls, it would be much appreciated. 

            It is interesting to be on the other end of the grading system, the giving end that is. Everything here is graded out of 20 here, and students are often used to receiving 17-20 for grades. I had to talk to a lot of angry parents whose children failed English (meaning less than 10). It is accepted that if you attend the majority of classes you will get a good grade, never mind if they spend their time in class goofing off and fail every test. I apply American grading system logic of averaging all their test and homework grades along with a behavior evaluation. When I tried to explain this system of grading to their parents, many of whom have less education then their children, I got more blank stares and cold shoulders in the days to come. Many would ask me why their children needed to learn English if they were going to eventually going to become auto mechanics, carpenters, or bakers. I think I have a valid point. I also think any class in any subject is worth while if only for the sake of learning to be more disciplined and responsible. Again, this view is not often shared by many of the people. I am motivated when I do meet some of the few people in the center who do share my sentiments.

            I am hoping to keep these entries coming more frequently. I equally hope to stay in good health until the end of this year, which has not been going as well as I have had another stomach bug for the last few days. If karma has anything to do with health, hopefully I have many healthy years to look forward to after this.

Entry 6:

Feliz Navidad from the Working Boys Center! I apologize for the long absence between entries (about 2 months), December is a crazy month around the center and these updates were put on hold for a while. Now I am back and have much to catch up on.

            The last entry I wrote was shortly after Halloween. Since then I have been extremely blessed in that I have had my longest period (2 months) of health in Ecuador without any parasites or other maladies. The pace has picked up these last two months as well, so I feel all the more fortunate not having had to miss the activities. The month of November flew by, with the volunteers more or less hitting their stride as new teachers. We have all been guilty of complacency as well. By this I mean we have lost the initial vigor and thrill that comes with something new, and we have fallen into routines for better or for worse. Now I know they say, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it”, but the thing about complacency and routines is that small slips into laziness and apathy, such as poorly planned classes due to a lack of initiative, gradually accumulate into larger problems.   Thus the volunteer is largely ignorant of their fault, as many others may be doing the same thing, and the people in the center suffer for this reason. 

            I want to clarify that I do not consider myself apart from this problem, but it has occurred to me through reflection and I plan to take appropriate steps to remedy the places where I have made mistakes and improve areas which can be made better. For example, many volunteers view weekends as strictly their time. I understand their stance, as there virtually no free time during the week. The problem occurs when we have not planned sufficiently for Monday classes, which leaves little to no chance for successful classes the remainder of the week. 

            The sad part for me is that the kids are not disappointed when they are obviously slighted in one way or another. They have become accustomed to sup par treatment by society and, often, those around them that when someone gives up on them it is nothing to be surprised or ashamed of, it is expected. It is similar among some demographics here in the United States, where failure is the norm and success is the exception. What I love about the center is that they are focused on breaking the destructive cycles that so often classify the people and families who come from these backgrounds. Families where neither parent has completed the equivalent of a 6^th grade education, where alcohol abuse is pervasive, spousal abuse is common, living conditions are sup par and not conducive to any sort of learning, dads often leave the families, and the children who see this while being raised in these conditions accept this as, well, acceptable and often perpetuate the cycle. 

            After 23 years of observation and having traveled a decent chunk of the world, they keys to success for any individual seem to be a combination of accountability, discipline, and persistence. In the center these values are held in the highest esteem. For example, during the Christmas season the volunteers prepare bultos or bundles of clothes and presents for each family. They consist of clothes for every member of the family, along with some small toys and maybe a kitchen accessory. In order to receive a bulto, the family must fulfill certain requirements. For example, everyday the boys go out and shine shoes for a few hours (hence the name “Center for Working Boys) and they must save some of the money they earn. I am not sure if there are quotas they must fulfill, but the boys are then expected to turn in part of their earnings in a “bank” that the nuns here have which records how much they have saved on posters for all to see. It is pretty impressive, as some boys have saved over $700 if my memory serves me correctly. That over 2,800 pairs of shoes shined. I do not remember the other requirements for receiving a bulto. It was pretty sad for me the day we handed them out to the families. One of my favorite little girls, her name Ivon and she is one of four or five siblings to a mother who sells ice cream on the streets for a living and the father also recently left, did not receive a bulto because the brother was not working and saving. I asked one of the nuns in charge if they did not make exceptions for families who were not able to save that money due to economic demands, and she assured me that this was not the case. It broke my heart to see one of my favorite amigas looking through the bultos without finding one with her family’s name. At the same time, even though I know they will have a Christmas with less presents to go around, I also know that the son of that family will be busting his rear to save money for the next year. 

A quick summary of the last few months before I continue my pontificating. November was largely uneventful, and we had a large thanksgiving celebration will all the food to make us feel right at home. December was filled with festivities of all sorts. The Center celebrated a birthday on December 6^th, and the city of Quito also celebrated the founding of Quito with lots of dancing and merry making throughout the streets. The birthday of the Center was extremely fun, as everyone was invited and we spent the night dancing away to cumbia music with all our students and their parents as well. Its amazing how all the bad sentiments and tension from the classroom seem to melt away on the dance floor, with the kids who usually seem terrified of you lining up to dance. Most recently, we have had a medley of Christmas activities including special masses, plays by all the different grades, and novenas every night leading up to Christmas. Sadly, I had to miss Christmas Eve and Christmas in the center due to the restrictions of frequent flyer tickets during the holiday season.

            I am ecstatic to announce that I am the uncle to a beautiful, albeit a bit gassy, Luca Vricella. Even though I am sad to have missed the experiences of Christmas in Ecuador, I am glad I made the decision to some back and spend time with the newest member of the family. As we sat together Christmas opening presents, I couldn’t help but think that the amount of money invested in Luca in just the presents he received compared to the resources put into babies in the center. From the moment of birth and the care he received, he was on a path of privilege of which the majority of the world can only dream. 

Every person who performs missionary or volunteer work must consider the similar life of privilege they were born into. I feel like some of the volunteers I work with have a self glorified perspective of what we do. We complain about the hours and the frustrations of the daily trials we face. We complain about the stresses of choosing the next step after returning to the United States, the next step often being medical school or law school. We feign self-righteousness in our reflections upon our work.

We forget that only the rich are able to travel for pleasure. We forget that while we perceive ourselves as poor having just completed college, we have the assets of families and friends who are willing to support us as well as a level of education that sets us apart from an overwhelming majority of the population in the most advantaged nation in the world. We forget that we were raised being told that we are special and unique. Most importantly, we forget that we are lucky (I really want to emphasize “lucky”) enough to have been dealt the best possible band in life. 

Often I see the rich attribute their success to their own sweat and hard work, while the poor view themselves as having received less than their fair share in life. I will make no attempt to speculate as to why some of us are born with silver spoons in their mouths while others are born hungry.  I will attempt to expound some light on my own view of how I think I must act in my own life situation, for that is all I know.  I believe as a person of privilege, we have a humble obligation to help and serve those who have not been so blessed in life. We should not be boastful, or glorify our works, for we could have easily been born into a world in which the roles may have been reversed and we may have known true hunger and poverty.  We need to be thankful everyday for our lives of privilege we were blessed with, and use our gifts to ease the suffering of others.  

Entry 4

I feel bad that these entries may be getting shorter and shorter as our schedules become increasingly more and more full.  We started classes with our adults this week and I feel like it is going to be one of my favorites here.  I am working with some of the more advanced adults.  We did a diagnostic writing sample asking them about their hopes and dreams and the responses were all centered around their kids.  They all hope to study so that they can help improve the lives of their children.  Many of them hope to one day start their own business.  I think the classes are as much a chance for them to take an hour each day to reflect upon them selves away from their families and jobs. 

            It is interesting as the weeks progress how the volunteers deal with stress.  Every night at dinner there is usually story of a breakdown of some sort or a class spinning completely out of control.  On more than one occasion I have sent over half of a class to the office.  Things have been getting easier to manage though.  After the initial authority has been established, and the kids have the chance to test and see if the teacher will really follow through with their proposed punishments, control of a classroom becomes much simpler.  One of my more interesting classroom experiences here has been working with the girls program.  I was told I would be an assistant to another teacher who knew how to cook all the food the girls then sell.  This turned out to be a woman who comes about once a week and tells me what to make (with out a recipe) and how much the food should be sold for.  They found it hilarious that I did not know how to make empanadas from scratch.  Now I do. 

            We had a three day weekend this past week and we all went to the beach town Atacames to recharge.  We had a five dollar hostel on the beach and went whale watching for ten dollars.  We had seven people on a boat which was powered by a motor fit for a go cart.  We saw nothing for two hours (minus some oil tankers and some sea birds that seemed to be trailing us), and then the whales began jumping.  We first saw a large male jump entirely out of the water, and then we watched a baby jumping over its mom.  These were huge hump back whales.  It was almost eerie when two whales swam within fifteen feet of the boat and we could hear them talking.  It was one of the more impressive things I have witnessed.  We also saw blue footed boobies, which were not as impressive but nonetheless fun seeing if only for the sake of saying that we saw blue footed boobies. 

            Every Tuesday night we have a spiritual reflection which is great for recharging our motivation.  Before coming here I had a skeptical if not critical view of what I perceived missions to be.  After witnessing the sense of purpose and community that is here in the center, I can only hope that someday there will be more centers like this in the world.  A common observation here is how different the church masses are compared to those in the States.  From my experience, I have always found churches at home to be a bit daunting, centered on the actual entity of the church rather then the people.  It often bothered me how much people talked or somehow compared their level of faith to their peers rather than striving for change through action.  Here at the center the masses feel warmer, with a pervasive sentiment of family.  It is hard to explain why the masses feel the way they are.  Possibly the only explanation I can think of is that after working hard within a large community of people for a purpose larger then yourself, communication seems to transcend far beyond the verbal into a realm more of mutual love and respect.  A close friend of mine once told me a favorite quote of hers, “when you pray, move your feet”.  I have really grown to like this quote being down here.

 

Entry 3:

            After the initial craziness of the first week, week two started with a near robbery on the bus.  I caught a team of pick pockets after I realized my wallet was gone and they had opened my backpack (which I had resting on my lap).  They were actually really embarrassed to be caught in the act.  After yelling at them for about a minute (and having them give me their wallets), I got mine back from them.  Law enforcement hear is not exactly what it is in the states, and after the robbers were escorted to the front of the bus they all just walked off past police officers despite the protests of other passengers.  Luckily that experience was the low point during the week.  I am slowly getting used to getting up before dawn (which is around 6 AM here) for the twelve-thirteen hour days here. 

            I feel like a lot of these entries will be getting much shorter as my routine gets more solidified.  This past week was much less chaotic and I felt much more productive.  Classes are much easier this week after establishing authority in the first week.  With the exception of PE this week, I found my self yelling much less which made me a much happier person. 

            Among the volunteers, there have many occasions of heightened stress which has caused some friction in the group.  We all have variable schedules, which allow some more free time (or free time at all).  There have also been some sickness going around, leaving some volunteers in bed all day with others absorbing the work load.  We all forget at times (myself included) that the sole reason we all should be here is to help the people of the center.  Personally, trying to keep my focus on the people and off my self helps make me a better volunteer and a better person. 

            Never until now have I fully appreciated the complexities of the English language.  If anyone can explain why we use ´do´ and ´does´ when asking questions (ie. How many markers does he have?)  I would be very appreciative.  All the English teachers here have come to the conclusion that the title Machu Pitchu comes from Ecuadorian kids trying to say ‘nice to meet you’.  I will be interested to see how much my students like me this up coming week after I return their quizzes from this past week. 

            During this past week, I interviewed adults for our adult night classes here in the Center.  I really enjoyed interviewing them.  It blew me away how there were people who were my age who had 4 children and had not been to school in sixteen years (I am twenty three FYI).  I really admire the adults who have not been to school in about 35-45 years but have come back to finish their grade school education.  Tomorrow night we have our first night classes.  For some classes, we will be teaching them how to hold a pencil and then begin with how to shape the letters.  Hopefully next week I will have some good stories from these programs. 

            This past Saturday, I took a gondola to some mountains above Quito.  It was great to get away from the city and the leaded air.  We did not know at the top that there were hiking trails at the top, so we were not prepared for a trek.  We could see a volcano in the distance and were told that there the trails that went there would require a 5-6 hour hike.  I plan to go back soon better equipped.  I did not realize that Quito is actually in the Andes, and it became apparent when I got outside of the city.  If you have all seen Brave Heart when he is running along the mountain ridge, that is what it looks like in the mountains here.

            Now time to plan for the next week of classes.  Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.  If you have time, drop me a post card to help decorate my extremely barren walls.  Hasta la proxima.

Entry One:

                Hello from Quito!  This is my first entry of many, in an attempt to accurately explain what I am doing and also to persuade those on the fence about volunteering abroad to go ahead and take the plunge.  I have been in Quito, Ecuador for only 6 days, but it already feels like much longer.  I am working in a Catholic community center called El Centro para el Muchacho Trabajador, which translates as The Center for Working Boys.  It is unique from other missions and community centers in that they only accept entire families as members.  The idea is to break the destructive cycles which often plague poor Latin American families.  For example, during the mornings the boys go out on the streets and shine shoes while the girls are instructed in a variety of trades.  At noon, there is a short mass followed by a community lunch for the children as well as for the adults.  After lunch, the children have a short recess and then have more school.  During the evening, the adults come and take classes in a variety of classes depending on their education level.  Some come to the center not being able to read or write their own name, and some of the new families have to be taught how to eat with a knife and fork because they have never seen them before.  The men and women are separated into different classes, as they respond best to different styles of teaching.  Many of the women are middle aged and have been told their entire life that women cannot learn.  From my personal background this seemed absurd, but then again I have had a life much different then the families here.  The men are taught separately largely because they have been raised in a world dominated in all aspects by men, so women who may learn faster than them create an environment that is not conducive to learning for any parties. 
     After all the children have completed their primary education, which is our equivalent of grade school through middle school, they have the option of obtaining a certificate provided by the center in a number of vocations here.  On the community grounds, there is a bakery, furniture shop, restaurant, beauty parlor, carpentry shop, metal working shop, sewing workshop, and computer labs.  There is also a day care for the parents while they are attending school.  The certificates issued by the center are the most respected throughout Ecuador.  Students also have the option of taking advanced classes in business and mathematics and being tutored for national exams to help them get accepted to a university.  This is all provided free of any monetary cost. 
      What is expected of all the families is that they attend their classes, assist in community activities, save money that they make, and attend mass as a family.  The center runs a small bank where the families are able to keep the money they make while working in the center (such as the furniture or clothes they make and cell).  The goal is that when they have saved enough money, they buy materials for building a house and the whole community spends a Sunday building.
      Before building a house, the families live all across the city in shacks (which I use for lack of better word and also the most accurate way I can describe them).  It makes me wonder if this sort of program could work in the states. 
         As for me in the center, I will be teaching health, English, and a PE class.  The health class is not what I thought it was going to be.  I will be teaching first, second, and third graders as well as adults.  While I envisioned myself teaching about all the systems of the body, instead we focus emphasizing the importance of basic hygiene and good manners.  Domestic violence is a huge problem here, with between 50-70% of women and children being victims of domestic abuse.  While initially I did not fully understand what was meant by abuse, it soon became apparent with many women sporting black eyes and mothers beating their kids for acting out, which is how they were disciplined.  So I guess the best way to describe what the center does is attempt to break destructive cycles perpetuated within the families.

   I am especially excited to start my adult education classes, which I learned can range from teaching parents the alphabet and eventually being able to spell their children’s names or helping them with an advanced degree.
     I feel like I may have painted a very grim picture about life here at the center, but the feeling of community here is in fact very comforting and the Ecuadorians are very warm and welcoming.  I love all the kids around, and whenever we volunteers come out to play with them they all want to be picked up, hugged, and played with.  I think at one point I was walking around with as many as 5 little Ecuadorians hanging on me.  I think I should contact Guinness Book of World Records to see if human jungle gym qualifies as a bonafide record, because if so I think I may have a shot.
      As for my actual schedule, from Monday through Friday I will catch the 7 AM bus down town and teach in our second center until around noon, then take the bus back to the main center and teach until around 8 PM.