El noveno día (Day 9)

(Friday, May 29, 2015)

Today was definitely an emotional roller coaster. From walking an exhausting hike to saying goodbye to our amazing kids, our raw emotions were exposed today. This morning we started our day with a hike to the Ingapirca Ruins that took about 3 hours. Even though the walk was grueling, it was fulfilling to get to the top of the mountain and soak in the the beautiful, rolling hills of Ecuador. I realized that while most of our group was complaining about the steep hills and the long walk, the children were crazily giggling as they ran up the hill or picking pretty flowers on the side of the road. They didn't mention the incredibly exhausting, time-consuming walk. They made the best out of this hike that could've been a grueling excursion. When we got back to the school, I was struck by an epiphany. North Americans have a tendency to complain whenever something is difficult or different from what they're used to. However, we have so much to grateful for. We have shelter, food, clothes, the chance to receive an education and so many other opportunities that many of the Huatuc-loma students do not have access to. After working with the students for the past five days and hearing their stories, I am truly appreciative for their positive attitude. They are living a difficult lifestyle that I can probably never relate to, but their giggles and smiles successfully suppress their daily struggles. As a result, saying our goodbyes to them today was difficult because there were so many loose ends that weren't tied together. Cutting our English lessons short, we felt like we were leaving our kids stranded. However, I know that they will continue practicing their English because they are beautiful, diligent students that are genuinely interested in learning this new language.

Ultimately, I am so glad that I volunteered at the Huatuc-loma community with an amazing group of people because I learned more about myself (my passions, my struggles, etc.) and the Ecuadorean culture. All in all, this opportunity has given me the privilege to teach enthusiastic children a new language, interact with the local teachers, embrace the generosity of my host family and the local people, engage in the invigorating city life, and practice a new language.

-Kalala Pines

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Last day at the community. It seems like I have prepared for this day a while ago. It was not hard for me to say goodbyes to the students at the community, like i knew this day would come. One thing I found the most frustrating and rewarding was the hike up to the ruins, which is an hour walk from the school. The way up to the site wasn't as hard as I expected, but the way back to school was the death of me. I hate to say that I'm out of shape, but the hike did take my breath away. However, the scenery along the walk actually made it up to me. It was incredible to see what mother nature can offer to us human beings. Even though the hike was long and rough, I actually did not regret doing it. Also, another thing I appreciate is the walk with other students who I had not had the chance to interact with and communicate. They were a couple of 10th graders that walked beside me and Lauren. We had a pleasant talk about such random things like english-spanish words, girlfriends/boyfriends, etc. The hike was a good opportunity to engage with our students and leave them with a great impression of us volunteers 

-Sophia Vo

 The hike was beautiful!

 Another beautiful view from the hike

 After our hike, the school director and some teachers showed us around a nearby town called Nabón, where there is an orchid place.

 There are more than 4,000 documents species of orchids native to Ecuador! Ecuador boasts the highest orchid diversity of any country in the world

 Some of the older students were eager to have their original poems translated to English

 Some sheep we passed during our hike

 Jori and Haley walk hand in hand with some young girls during the hike

 After reaching our destination, Jori tries an edible plant! 

Playing around the ruins (our final destination of our hike)

El séptimo día (Day 7)

(Wednesday, May 27, 2015)

In the beginning of this trip we have learned that Ecuador is not a place of poverty, but a place of perpetuated social injustices. This is especially seen with young indigenous students. After being in the community of Huantugloma these past three days, I have become extremely conscious about the messages that the students are receiving. In the classroom of the 8th-10th graders messages like “poverty and necessity are the result of personal insecurity, fear, and ego.” When young kids have to see a message like this every day they will begin to internalize this message. These children will grow up to blame themselves for their shortcomings. This is especially harmful because they will not be told about the strategic obstacles placed in front of them because of their social identity—an identity they did not choose and can never change.

For this reason, I wish I could change the message that enduring abuse and mistreatment is a way of life. I wish I could change the individual blaming and shaming they are subject to at such a young age. I wish that I could spark the mind of the child who will spark change. It is my hope that they all can be champions of change—a change that works for them and their surroundings.

-Kalani Johnson

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Today was our 6th full day here in Ecuador. Our experience continues to be an immersion filled with good food, friendly people and rich culture. We started the day with our trip to Huantugloma and as usual, we were greeted with a warm welcome. I spent my time working with the pre schoolers and was excited to see how well they are catching on to the new vocabulary we were teaching them. After school, we went to a youth center in Cuenca where we had a thought provoking talk about the way the indigenous people of this area view themselves in relation to nature, and others. The speaker emphasized the importance of community versus individualism and the idea of nature as an entity that cannot be owned. He explained that we wouldn't say we own the rain, or the air, and how that contradicts our tendency to claim ownership of land and exploit it. The speaker also pointed out how we often see ourselves as the subject and nature as the object. I was moved to thoroughly examine my personal values of materialism, my life choices and their impacts on my physical environment. The ideas discussed during this talk truly support the alternative break goal to help promote individuals that are conscious of their place in society and will use their awareness to bring about positive change. I am grateful for this and the many other thought provoking perspectives that I'm being exposed to during this experience.

-Joyce Marrel Kolenky

El sexto día (Day 6)

(Tuesday, May 26, 2015)

I can breathe, literally. Entering the community today was a breath of fresh air. We were immediately greeted with familiar faces, cool air and a sense of optimism of what the day would bring. The day prior, our group spoke about finding a common ground in order to better communicate with the community's students--a perfect segue into today.

Today, my nerves were calm and I was less self conscious about my Spanish-speaking abilities. I took time to work with group two or the 1st through 3rd graders; I was immediately called to help with math, specially long division. Here, I noticed that where I thought language was the main barrier, the students more than ever just wanted to learn and gain individual attention in doing so. Today was not focused on language, insecurities, or even the feeling of sickness. Today was filled with a need for an instructor and my ability to assist the students in any way needed. This was our common ground.

I hope more than anything that we can continue to help and assist these students as needed. They are bright, eager to learn, and accepting of us all. My gift is being able to teach in the way they need--a small token for all that this community has already given to me.

-India Goodman
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Today was our second day working at the Efraín Naula School, and I can honestly say it went a lot smoother than our first day there. The kids were more open with us since they had an idea of who we were, which then allowed us to feel more comfortable around them. Still, I felt a tinge of awkwardness whenever they would say something that I couldn't understand. As a non-Spanish speaker, I had to learn how to communicate with the kids by using facial expressions and other gestures. It surely is a relief that kids are still accepting of my presence in the community even though it is evident that I don't speak the same language as them. As the week goes on, I hope to continue to learn a little bit of Spanish so that I'm not completely clueless when it comes to talking to the kids. 

-Lauren Lee

 Eating our lunch and enjoying the view

 A group picture with Segundo, our driver!

 So, so beautiful

 A University of Cuenca exchange students gives us a walking tour of Cuenca

 Pretty street art in Cuenca

 Walking down the street in Cuenca

 Learning about fair trade in Ecuador

 The first fair trade store in Cuenca! 

 The owner of the store invited us to join her at one of her favorite restaurants to try some typical Ecuadorian food, including a drink called morocho

 Children play during recess on a cloudy day

 View of the schoolyard and beyond from the top of a hill

 India walks hand in hand with new friends from the preschool classroom

 Bo plays basketball with some of the older boys

 Learning some kichwa, the indigenous language spoken by many people in this community

Jessi getting her hair braided by some of the younger girls. Braids, or trenzas, are very popular in this community!

El quinto día (Day 5)

(Monday, May 25, 2015)

The prompt for today asks me to reflect on both frustrating and rewarding moments from today--our first day working in the community of Huantugloma. This is a perfect prompt; Jori (our staff advisor) clearly anticipated the type of day we would likely have.

The people of Huantugloma are kind, warm, and affectionate. Even after just one day of working with the children, I feel their positive energy. Today, I worked mostly with the classroom of youngest children (3-5 years old). Some of them are very eager to learn English and were excited to practice speaking and singing in English! One little boy was able to pick up the English we were teaching so quickly, and that was very exciting to see. On the other hand, quite a few of them are very hesitant to try to say the new words they're learning out loud. For some of them, music helped ease their anxieties. That was awesome! We started teaching them the head, shoulders, knees, and toes song, and they seemed to really enjoy it. We also referred back to the song to help them remember the word for each body part out of sequence, and quite a few of them were able to remember the words--very encouraging!!

Something that was frustrating for me was feeling torn between translating for other participants who speak much less Spanish and having my own conversations with the children and people of the community. I try to also involve myself in the conversation by asking questions and making my own comments as a way to feel involved as more than just a translator. I definitely want everyone in our group to be able to have conversations with the people in the community, even if they don't speak Spanish, so I have no problem functioning as a translator much of the time. Speaking Spanish constantly and having to translate so much is an awesome opportunity for me to practice, but it is also mentally exhausting.

I am very much looking forward to seeing what is in store for us for the rest of the week. I am sure that it will be full of many more jokes, laughs, and precious moments. There are so many happy moments from today, and I wish I could share more of them. However, I am sure that the other members of my team will be sharing countless stories throughout the week!

¡Hasta luego! (Until later!)

-Jessi Dickens

 Showing off the fresh, delicious frutillas our sweet driver, Segundo, bought for us during our drive to the community

 Older students learned the parts of the body during an English workshop

 Enjoying the sunny blue sky during recess

 Haley and Sophia lead the 2nd-4th graders in an art activity

 Lauren receives a sweet hug from one of the kindergarten students. The people in the community are very warm and affectionate! 

We cannot get over how insanely beautiful this place is!!

El tercer día (Day 3)

(Saturday, May 23, 2015)

For the students in the indigenous town of Huantugloma, access to quality education is hard to come by. Students do not have enough teachers and in fact there are only four in the entire school teaching hundreds of students. The school needed all the help they could get and the vice president of the school along with the president of the parents association welcomed us with open arms during our introduction to the school. One of the teachers of the school mentioned how they recently lost one teacher and in order to qualify for additional teachers the school needed to have hundreds of more students. To make matters worse Ana mentioned also how the government turns a blind eye to the needs of the community. We were able to briefly interact with the students who were ecstatic to meet us. Most of us could not wait to meet the rest of the students.

-Bo Na

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It's our second full day in Ecuador and the pressure to write the perfect blog from my phone is on. Looking back on these mere two days, I’ve learned so much that it’s unbelievable to me. Today was our first day visiting the indigenous community that we will be working with and it was truly awe-inspiring.

We were greeted by one of the teachers who shared with us a bit about the school's history and mission. She, along with the president and vice president of the (their community’s equivalent to) PTA, shared with us the severe need that the school has for teachers. We learned about the inequality that exists in the Ecuadorian education system due to lack of funding for rural schools and the inadequate preparation for the national college entrance exam amongst these communities.

This allowed me to reflect on the parallels in income gaps and achievement gaps in Ecuador and the Unites States. We see this pattern amongst different social classes in the U.S. Additionally; it was powerful for me to see the different realities amongst my host family's lifestyle and those of the community. It's frustrating to see that inequality and to realize that the majority of the population ignores the voices of this community.

Moving forward, I hope to learn more about ways in which we can ally our voices to those of the communities and ways to implement changes for marginalized communities in my future profession.

-Erica Fuentes

 A beautiful view

 The area outside of the school where the children play

 Ana, our liaison who works for the University of Cuenca, introducing us to a parent 

 A poster in the preschool/Kindergarten classroom about the exploitation of oil

 Ana and some members of the community showing us their gardens

 Another beautiful view

 Enjoying a rest after struggling to walk down the hill

 Angie about to try a typical Ecuadorian drink called "chicha"

 Kalala, Sophia, Angie, and Joyce play on the playground. (It was a Saturday, so few kids were around!)

 The altar in the community's small church

 Ana gives our group a talk on the education system in Ecuador

 The "Río Tomebamba", an important landmark in Cuenca. "Which side of the river is it on?" is a commonly asked question!

 A group picture on the bridge over the Río Tomebamba

A beautiful view of the river

El segundo día (Day 2)

(Friday, May 22, 2015)

I came to Ecuador not knowing much about the country. After spending almost twenty-four hours here, I am surprised by how much I have already learned. My very first impression came after spending time in Guayaquil where we spent our first night. I was struck by how much history and culture there is, and how quickly it is evident to a visitor. We were lucky to be accompanied by our guide, Sebastian, who was very knowledgeable and generous with us. His passion for his country was evident and it was inspiring to see someone so proud of where he comes from. It made me think of something I realized a while ago: you should never be ashamed of where you come from. Sebastian told us about all the new developments in Ecuador and how much it has changed for the better in recent years. I was completely unaware of how much everything had changed, so much so that Cuenca is now considered one of the best places to live in the world. Foreigners from all over come to Cuenca to live. I was amazed by how so much could change in so little time. I feel like people write off developing countries and countries that struggle with political unrest and war, believing that they will never change. Ecuador is certainly a lesson against such thought. It also shows that strong leadership that truly cares about the people can make the difference.

The drive up to Cuenca through the Andes Mountains was breathtaking. I honestly felt like we were on top of the world. Actually looking down on clouds was the most surreal feeling. The beauty continued when we got to the city. But the beauty is in the way of life of the Cuencans. Although I have not even spent an entire day here, I am amazed by the healthy living. My first impression was how fresh the air is. The city is clean and there are parks all over. In a city I did not expect to see patches of corn growing, but that made me think of another lesson. You cannot assume things about another place until you have visited. I am sure we all came here today with a picture of what Ecuador would be like in their heads. I know I did. And my picture certainly did not include a national initiative towards inclusivity especially towards those with “special abilities.” I did not picture a sign language translator at the bottom of the television screen or a park specially designed for kids with disabilities. My first impression of Cuenca and Ecuador as a whole makes me extremely excited for the next nine days.

-Angie Barrall

Sebastian, our English-speaking guide, telling us about the history of Guayaquil

Just a few of the MANY iguanas that live in the plaza in the middle of Guayaquil. Although the gates of the plaza are open, the iguanas never leave the plaza!!

Our team in front of the GUAYAQUIL letters

An incredible view during our drive from Guayaquil to Cuenca, a city over 8,000 feet above sea level!!

Some alpacas we saw on the side of the road

Ana talks to us about efforts to improve awareness of sugar, fat, and salt in junk food in Ecuador. They use a traffic light labeling system so that everyone can visually see the levels of sugar/fat/salt in whatever they're consuming.

The front of the University of Cuenca, our meeting point every morning