Mark's Thoughts

       This trip has been very fun so far. It has made me realize how well off we are compared to the rest of the world. I didn't think it would be as obvious how much some families are struggling but this is a developing country and is always growing. They are not oblivious to the rest of the world and know that there is a better life out there. A lot of high schoolers are working towards scholarships for universities in the United States. But I also realize that they don't need the great computers and phones and little things that we take for granted. They don't really want them either, they seem much happier on average then me or my friends would ever be if we didn't have our phones and computers. I have also realized that they work very hard towards their goals. I think they see some of the 1st world countries and strive to get there. I don't have the same determination that they have. I think that people from the nice cities and towns from the US and the rest of the world do not have the same determination that they have and it is the Ecuadoreans' greatest asset. They are the some of the hardest working people in the world.

-Mark Bobich

Where it all Began

Yesterday (Tuesday) we met at 8:45 at the office gate to go on a tour of the city. We started at Gota de Leche. This is another part of the CMT, the building is an old house from the 1920's that Padre Juan bought and renovated in 2000 as a maternal health center. (It's located directly across the street from a public hospital and a maternity hospital). At La Gota, they provide milk for mothers & infants and medicines, free of charge. The CMT has agreements with the neighboring hospitals so if any of the members need additional services, they can get them at a reduced cost. 

When we arrived, Marcia greeted us and asked us to play with the kids for a little while before our tour. The two little girls that "supervised" me serving soup at CMT #1 were there, Nicole recognized me immediately and came over and gave me a big hug and led me around to all her friends. All the children want to take our photos or at least be photographed with us. I think they like to see themselves on a screen (like TV)!

These are two of Nicole's friends and David in the back!

In order to make more space at CMT #1, the elementary grades were moved to La. Gota a few years ago, so we visited the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade classrooms. Each class had prepared a song, or poem for us, one had a mime who "performed" a skit about waking up in the morning. It was early cute!

From there, we got back on the CMT bus with Vincente as our driver and went to La Compañía (a Jesuit church which was built in the 1600's) for a tour. It cost $2 per person, and Marcia arranged an English speaking guide for our group. The inside of the church is entirely covered in gold leaf, over 120 lbs of it and it's amazing. You are not allowed to take pictures inside the church for security reasons. 

However, there is one area where the original bells are housed (the bell tower collapsed in an earthquake, but there are restoring it). 

For the first time (for Maria and I) we got to see the attic of La Compañía. Since this is the 50th anniversary of the center, there are festivities planned for the attic area - a cocktail party and mass is the church in November. Because of that, they are working on getting the space ready. 

In the early days of the CMT, they had 250 boys in the space, which they quickly outgrew. In the early 1970's padre Juan bought the land and started building CMT #1 downtown.

After our tour of La Compañía, we walked across the Plaza de la Independencia, which is the square across from the presidential palace. There were several paintings on display and there have been protests about the water laws here in Ecuador, so there were people gathered, speeches being given and lots of police out in force. 

When we arrived at CMT #1, Marcia gave us a brief tour of the center. Then a lady named, Marta rode the bus back with us to CMT #2. During the bus ride, we met a man from Switzerland who had worked at Hewlett Packard for 20 years, retired from there and took a trip around the world. He was in Ecuador and decided that the best sun was here, so he bought land and built a house near Mitad del Mundo. 

Coby's Thoughts

This trip has been quite the experience. Overall, I’ve loved being here. Being in El Centro del MuchachoTrabajador (The Working Boys Center) has really been a blessing, as it’s really shown what the world is like. There is real poverty in this world, and the people at CMT are doing the real legwork to help. I’ve had many highlights this week, ranging from our experiences with the people to my time with my friends, but that would have me writing all day. I have to focus, for my highlight, on our trips to the homes of the impoverished during our time in Quito.

 

When we boarded the bus to go on house visits, I was not particularly excited. Part of this was because it was extremely early, but the other part was that I had encountered extreme poverty before in my travels to China. So I wasn’t about to be shocked or awed. Saddened, definitely, but not shocked. When we got to the houses and as the day wore on, shuttling from place to place, I was shocked. Not by the poverty, but the attitude of the people who lived in the houses. Despite their run down and frankly unsanitary conditions, they seemed close to content or happy, when I know I wouldn’t be. This got me thinking as we reflected later in the day, and everyone talked about how we should feel selfish for wanting and taking everything we have as Americans for granted. I don’t think we should. The difference between them and us is exposure. We, as residents of a first world country, are exposed to someone always being “better” than us. Having more, earning more, and dreaming more. Inherently, it’s hard to be satisfied in an environment that tells us to stay hungry. Here, however, that culture doesn’t exist. People in poverty-stricken Quito are focused on living their lives and maximizing what they have. They aren’t resigned to their fate; they are embracing it, living happily and simply with what God gave them. I’m not saying we should abandon what we have or that American culture is evil. Just that we can learn a little by embracing what we have now before looking on to our next challenge.

Ryan's Thoughts

The St. Pius/St. Matthias Mission Trip to Ecuador has been a great experience. Both parishes have really bonded and got to know each other well. As the trip slowly comes to an end, the days seem to go faster. I don't want to leave Ecuador yet and I'm sure the others feel the same. The people, especially the kids, in Guayaquil and Quito are really nice and welcoming. They made us feel like we belong in Ecuador and that we are all one big family. The work our group has been doing put us in the Ecuadorians shoes and we experienced what it was like to be less fortunate. One day, we went on House Visits (HV are when a group goes to people's houses and see what they're like) and saw about 4 different houses. Its really sad to see what these families have to go through and the struggles they have. One family we visited had a 3 room house with about 8 members living in it. That opened my eyes to the world and i learned that some places are really poor, but they make the best of it. In life, for both them and us, it's the little things that count. I wish that more people would take the opportunity to go on these mission trips because it is life-changing and they would learn that you don't need expensive things to be happy. To be happy, all you need is God and family. And with these, comes love.

 

-Ryan Chang

The "Real" Equator

Today we went to the real Equator as well as the "fake" Equator. We got to sleep in a lot more than normal because we didn't have to meet until 9:45. Today I got to take my first actual warm shower since I've been here. It was amazing. Anyways, we got on the bus across the street from the center and started a 35 minute ride to the Equator museums. The driving is much different here in Ecuador. It works your arms a lot because the drivers tend to put the brakes on as late as possible so you have to hold on or else you will go flying. So we had been in the bus for a while and we were all kinda anxious to get off because we were bored. So we finally reached our stop where a young boy greeted us and handed us some papers advertising his restaurant. We started to walk the wrong way then realized that it was the opposite direction. We started walking and ended up in the middle of the street. Some of our group didn't really listen because it was a really busy street and when we had to cross. It was kinda like snails, a little on the slow side. We got across the street and finally reached the indigenous (and correct) museum. We walked up some stairs and finally got to the start of the museum. We had a very nice tour guide and she seemed like she spoke very good English. Some of us got some drinks at the stand and then we started our tour. She showed a lot about how the Equator was found. We then got to the REAL Equator. It was a painted red line. We did many experiments on both the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. We did things like balancing an egg on a nail on the Equator...much harder than it looks but I did it! You would never know but walking on the Equator is really difficult because the pull is really strong and makes you fall. I know this off experience. We took many pictures and had a lot of fun. We then decided to go to the "fake" Equator museum, which was made by the Spanish. It was not as exciting because we didn't have a tour guide. We explored and went to some of the shops. We were going to try some food, but nothing really looked appetizing. Some of us went shopping and bought a few things. We then got on the bus and went to mall. We walked into the mall and went all the way up to the food court. We ended up getting fried chicken and french fries. It ended up being a really cool day. Can't wait for what tomorrow brings us.

--Claire Scannell 

It's not the end of the world...it's the middle!

Today, we had a free day. We chose to sleep in (not leaving the house until 10am). We took a public bus to Mitad del Mundo (the middle of the world) which is the equator. There are two museums close by each other. The first one we visited, Museo de Intiñan is the solar museum and based on indigeous cultures of the area. 

I bought our tickets ($4 each) and arranged for an English speaking guide. We learned about the 5 cultures that still exist in the rain forest areas of Ecuador, Colombia and Peru. There is a culture that still practiced head shrinking until the 1950's! They believed that a persons spirit was contained in the head, so shrinking the head ofe an enemy would impart their power on the person who possessed it, and they also practiced head shrinking of revered members of the tribe which they wore around their necks. 

First, they would cut the head off the person, and remove the skull from the skin. 

Nex, they would boil the skin in a mixture of herbs (which herbs were used is still a mystery).

They they would sew the nose and mouth holes closed, because they believed that the spirit could escape through the holes if not sealed. 

Heads of enemies would be displayed on the end of their spears, while heads of important people would be worn around their necks. 

Our guide lead us through some experiments on the equator with balance & strength. The most exciting was the egg test. On the equator, there is a pull to both poles, north and south, so it is incredibly difficult (if not impossible) to balance. So the egg test involves a nail and an egg, the object is to balance the egg on the head of the nail, long ways. Here's Mark's accompishment! When you succeed, they issue you a certificate!

Laurel was the egg mistress - she was the first to do it, but several others did it as well (unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of Laurel).

Once we were finished at this museum, we walked back to the Mitad del Mundo museum. This open air museum is a tribute to the French expedition in the 1730's to map the equator. They thought they found it, even though it's not in the right place. There's is a cool monument there and several countries exhibits. Needless to say, the kids were not impressed, so we only stayed there for an hour.

We caught ef the bus back to the center, but stopped at the Condado Shopping Mall for a late lunch. As soon Asa we were getting ready to get off the bus, it started pouring rain! Luckily, we only had to walk across the street (actually two streets) to get in. We hung out in the mall for an hour or so, then walked back to CMT#2.

Siena's favorite part of the trip

My favorite part of the trip so far was our second day in Guayaquil, helping at the Damien House. Claire, Carrie, and I went around to visit the patients with Abel, a high school student who is learning English. He translated so that we could hold conversations with everyone. We spent a while with Esther, a woman who makes bracelets to sell to visitors. She brought out her cart, which had all kinds of craft supplies. She taught the three of us how to make some of her simpler designs. Carrie caught on very quickly, and Esther gave her a bracelet to finish. I, however, was not blessed with such nimble fingers. Esther guided me through a set of stitches, and praised me once I caught on. I really felt like I connected with her, and I was sad when we had to move on somewhere else. I had hoped to see her the next day (which was also our last), but she was at a religious service when we came back. I never really got to say goodbye to Esther, and I have no way of keeping in touch with her. But I did buy some of her bracelets, and each one reminds me of the short time I spent with her. I really hope that she will still be at the Damien House in two years, because I would love to embark on this trip again.

-Siena Falzon 

Too Fly to Pass By

After our day in Otavalo, furing our reflection time, we displayed all the things that we bought - we had a little "show and tell". (We took pictures, but the kids asked me to not post the photos because so much of what they bought is intended as gifts :) For our journaling exercise, I asked them to reflect upon all we saw on the way to Otavalo;  the different countysides we saw on the three hour drive, how the landscapes changed, the way the people looked and dressed differently than here the closer you get to Otavalo. There is a greater indigeous influence the further away you get from Quito (that's not the say that there's no indigeous influence in Quito). Otavalo is an amazing place, the people come from all over the countryside to display and more importantly to sell there items - many of which are hand-made. As we were sharing all of our purchases, someone shared that their items were "too fly to pass by"!

All you Need is Ecuador

This is the slogan for the Tourism Board is Ecuador, commercials are set to the Beatles song, All You Need is Love.

Tonight, Maria and I were walking back from Mass (the kids had walked back with two other groups of kids and their chaperones) and we passed by a group of Ecuadorians - it's very obvious that we are Americans to them, but they all stopped what they were doing to say "buenas" to us and one man very excitedly, in English, said, "All You Need is Ecuador". My sentiments exactly!

Today was our minga day. One of the year long volunteers, Julia was our guide to get us to the CMT#1 on public transportation. The bus system here is very good, buses come to each stop with great frequency (every 5-10 minutes) so if you miss one, you never have to worry. We took the bus to CMT#1, which is about a 1 hour long ride. While we were waiting for the bus, I noticed that this Ecuadorian woman was looking at me, I turned and smiled to here, recognizing that I am a visitor in her country and therefore, need to be humble and friendly. 

Once we got on the bus, I sat down and there was an open seat next to me. That same lady sat down with me! We talked (in Spanish) for almost the whole ride. I learned that her name is Zoila, she has 5 children, 4 boys and 1 girl, that she was on her way to Church (evangelical - which is very prelevant here) and that she likes the President, Rafael Correa because she feels as though he cares for everyone in the country (as opposed to favoring one region or people) and that he's working hard on development projects like electricity, better roads, security, telephones, internet, schools, etc. 

Once we got to CMT#1, we met up with Joe (a former year long volunteer who's here visiting), Anton, the leader of a group of adults who are social workers or psychologists doing profesional development in Ecuador for a year, and Edison, our guide. (Julia went back to CMT#2).

We got back on a bus and went to a transfer station. We transferred to another bus, which was very crowded despite the fact that it was a "double" bus. We ended up standing the whole time, which was very exhausting - was coined the term "bus surfing" for this experience. Almost all the cars are manual transmission, so there's a lot of jerking on the rides. On this bus, I was standing next to Laurel and a man got on and stood next to her. He had a crate inside of a gunny sack tied at the top so that it can be carried. He asked us if we were from Canada or the United States, we told him and then he very warmly welcomed us. 

After about 3 hours, we finally got to Carlos' house where we would be working for the day. When we first arrived, the little boys of the house showed off their baby kittens -the cat had a litter of 8 kittens that were just born (they barely had their eyes open). Maya and Ella held two of them. We immediately noticed a pile of garbage burning, which was giving off some noxious smoke, which made it difficult to breath. After a few minutes of figuring out what to do and gathering equipment, Edison and Anton gave us some instructions. At the site, there were two families living there. There was already a small house built with 2 bedrooms and a rudimentary bathroom (toilet and non-functioning sink). Then, they were building a larger house in front of that one, the walls had already been started, and were about 1/2 way up. 

Because there were so many of us (Anton's group of about 25, and our 12), we formed an assmbly line to move some of a pile of dirt from outside to inside the new house, which we then mixed with cement which would go between the cinder blocks. Carlos and two other men were working on the walls, adding cinder blocks to raise the walls. 

This is Carlos, working on one wall. the new part of the house is two storied, this is the down stairs area. There are three rooms, two bedrooms and a kitchen - all three rooms were of equal size. 

Carrie and Mark working together!

Ryan dumping a bucket of dirt into a wheel barrow which would be mixed with water for the mortar (not sure that's the right word!) to use between the bricks.

This is the outside of the house - after we had completed our work - it's the one of the green doors. Like so many houses here, it has outside walls, a passage way, then the rooms are to the left side.

Maria and Claire on the bucket brigade!

Siena and Claire on the bucket brigade in the outside of the house, moving the dirt to inside the new part of the house.

Coby, Travis, Carrie, Siena and Claire. 

The crew taking a break!

Carrie and Mark.

At 12:30 pm, we politely excused ourselves to go back to CMT #1 where w departed from Anton's group. The Edison took us back on the bus, rode with us back to CMT#2. We were so exhausted when we got back at 3:30 pm, but wanted to go to mass. So we all showered and changed our clothes and walked to Iglesia del Divino Niño which is a Franciscan church in the neighborhood, it took a good 30 mins to walk there. The St. Peter's Prep and Wisconsin groups bet us somehow! 

When we returned, we decided to order pizza for dinner. A girl from the newly arrived Xavier Prep group from Phoenix, Amy, helped us to order dominos pizza & chicken wings which is what we had for dinner. It was pretty good! 

Laguna de Cuicocha

Today we went to the lake as well as otavalo. When we were driving to the lake it was really interesting to see where the body of water was going to come from because we were in the middle of nowhere. We stopped at an outlook to take some pictures of the beautiful valley and mountains. Once we got to the volcano with the lake in the crater, we bought our tickets put on our life vests and got in line. There was 2 boats running and one boat with some new York people left then we got on the 2nd boat. I was sitting next to Sabrina and some Ecuadorians. We started of with going at a slight speed then we got faster then we got sprayed by the wake and the winds. We started taking some really sharp turns, to the point that I thought I was going to fall in...kinda scary. So then we got to stop behind 2 islands that formed after the second eruption. We stopped and we were in the swampy area. The water was really calm because the driver turned off the motor. He explained the history of the 2 islands and the volcano, of course it was in Spanish so one of the year long volunteers has to translate. Then we looked in the water for volcano bubbles from bottom. That was one of the coolest parts. We then took about 5 more REALLY sharp turns and then we ended up back at the dock. We took off our life jackets and hung them up for the others in line. On our ticket was a voucher for free tea after our ride. I tried it and actually really enjoyed it, surprised because I don't drink my tea.  So that was just barley half of our day, more to come later. 

                                                                                  

                                                                                            Claire Scannell

Otavalo & Bizcochos y Queso

Today was a lot of fun! First of all, we got to sleep in a little bit longer than we normally would because we left at 9 for Otovalo.  It was really cool to see all the different houses and plants on our way to our next adventure.  Then, we stopped to go take photos with our entire group with a beautiful canyon in the background.  Then, we drove for 30 more minutes and ended up at a gas station with really good cheese and cracker kind of things.  We then left, drove for another hour, and pasted a really pretty lake and blue mountains.  After the long drive, we stopped at a lake with the name I can't remember right now.  It was a volcano crater and we got to go on a boat ride and got a little wet.  Then, we drove to the market in Otovalo.  Otovalo seemed like a pretty big town and there was a massive block with a massive clothing market.  We got to buy a bunch of the stuff and we did not want to leave.  There was so much to see and buy and I ended up buying an entire duffle bag full of stuff.  Then, we went back to bus and drove for another 2 and a half hours.  I also fell on the floor of the bus when the bus breaked while going uphill.  Fun. Overall today was pretty chill.

- Ella Naylor

El Mercado, Otavalo & Laguna de Cuicocha

An Yesterday afternoon (Thurday) after shops, Teresa took us to a local, open air market (think Farmer's Market X 10). We walked there with two others groups - it was about 10 blocks away from the volunteer house (CMT#2). On the way there, we saw the many obligatory stray dogs, but the most interesting thing was the two donkeys tied together walking down the street by themselves. 

  

At the mercado, there were areas for fruits and vegetables, including about 15 different types of potato (the Andes region is where potatos are from, and there are over 300 varieties of potato here). 

Then there was an area to buy pork products ... like these guys and all different parts of there brothers, sisters and cousins (feet, heads, hearts, intestines, kidney's, etc.) I'll spare you those pictures! 

An area for fish/shellfish and even turtles...here are some crabs in ingenious carriers of banana leaves.

And finally, live animals to buy; chickens, chicks, guines pigs, rabbits, ducks, geese, and even a few kittens. In this area, I happened to look down and saw two discarded chicken heads on the ground (I'll spare you that pic too!) Some of the girls (especially Siena) were very upset about the way that the animals are treated so I had to explain that animals are viewed differently than back home. All the animals are either food or work animals. Cats help control the mice & rat population, dogs protect the homes and all the others are food. 

I'd have to say that this was the coolest cultural experience I've had - it was new, we've never done this before on previous trips and both Maria and I found it challenging to not stop and buy things to bring home to cook! I took tons of pictures and will create a food slide show when I get home.

Today, we went with St. Peter's Prep and Fordham Prep (both from the Northeast) to Laguna de Cuicoha for the boat ride on the volcanic crater lake then to Otavalo, the largest open air craft market in all of South America.

At the lake, there is a small craft market and snack bar area, then you buy your tickets - $3.25 each and put life jackets on and get on the boat. The ride takes you around the island that's straight ahead and slightly to the right in the picture. They pull into a little cove, turn off the engines and tell about the lake, while you watch for the bubbles. The last time it erupted was 3,000 years ago, the mountain blew it's top off and fell into the crater. The lake formed in the crater. The bubbles are caused as a result of the volcanic gases bubbling to the surface. At the end of the ride, when you get back to shore, they serve "canalazo" which is hot, sweet cinnamon tea - exactly what you need after the cold boat ride.

From there, we got back on the bus and drove to Otavalo. The kids all bought lots of souvenirs, had fun bargaining with the vendors and choosing from all the craft items offered.  

Tomorrow, we go on our Minga. "Minga" is a Quechua word for "work gang". We will go with one of the members of the CMT and help with a building or cleaning project at their home. It will be a long day full of hard work!  

Shops

Today was "Shops" with Marco Polo. In CMT#2, (where we are staying) there are 6 different vocational training programs. In Ecuador, elementary school is now 10 years (prior to two years ago, it was 6 years) and then High School is 3 years. As an option to High School, the kids can choose a vocational training program which they do for 3 years (they enter vocational training at between 12-13 years). So, by the time they are 15, they can be gainfully employed either here or in the community.

We each had the opportunity to choose one of the shops to work in today. There is Cosura (sewing), Automotriz (automechanics), Belleza (beauty salon), Panadería (bakery), Metal Mechanica (metal mechanics), Carpintaría (carpentry). Ryan, Mark and Coby went to auto mechanics, Travis went to carpentry, Siena and Claire went to the bakery, and Laurel, Ella, Maya, and Carrie went to the beauty shop. And finally, Maria and I went to the sewing shop. Not sure yet how it went with the kids, but Maria and I were given an embrodiery project. We were each given a rectangle, a needle and thread and shown an example cloth. We were told to copy the design, but that we could use any color we wanted. My outside outline was red. Inside was orange, then I had chosen other colors for the inner designs. Maria had chosen purple for the outer, then orange, then teal for the inner design. I had assumed (wrongly) that we were going to be able to keep our fabrics, but at the end of our time there, the profesora collected ours! I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed, both that our time was over, and that we didn't get to keep what we had made! 

Travis got to make and bench - he will be bringing it home, and the girls took advantage of the services offered in the beauty shop. Mark, Coby and Ryan got to learn about the fluids in an engine, how to take off and change a tire, and about the difference between disc and drum brakes. Oh, and Claire and Siena got to make bread! 

This afternoon, we're going to El Mercado (an open air market, similiar to a farmer's market) down the street. More later...

Underrated Form of Travel

   A mission trip is probably one of the most underrated forms of travel. Instead of being put on a show on a typical vacation that "enhances" your experience, the mission trip lets you see what the local people REALLY do during their daily lives...

   This has easily been proven during the mission trip to Ecuador since we arrived one week ago. In Guayaquil, we got to hear stories by people who have Hansen's Disease along with interacting with them. They even threw us a farewell party for being their with them, something an average vacation tour would lack. In Quito, our group got to watch a World Cup game (Ecuador vs. France) with hundreds upon hundreds of native Ecuadorians, including the vice president of the country, Jorge Glas.

    Mission trips also alters your perspective on your own life and the world around you. At the Working Boys Center, you meet people who have a desire to work and be successful, not to become wealthy, but to support themselves and their families. Compare that to many students in California, who seem to believe that they are entitled and don't have to work for anything. Also, seeing how people live in the northern area of Quito live in small "shacks" with almost no luxuries is shocking, especially for Americans. However, the most amazing thing was that despite their living conditions, they seemed extremely happy. People in wealthier places always seem to want more, and don't feel impressed by what they have, which is sad as there are people who have a much harder life.

    Overall, this trip has been eye-opening, inspiring, culture filled, amazing and more. I cannot wait to see what the next week will bring to our group as we experience more of Ecuador.

                                                                                                                  - Travis Bender

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

...to get away from the pig!

Today, we met Vicente at the office gate at CMT#2 to go on home visits at 7:00 am. (Vincente drives the small CMT bus) We met Teresa a another lady who stayed with us for the day.

We drove about 1 hour (we had to drop two people off at various locations) to get to CMT#1 (which is in the La Marín section of Quito) to use the bathroom. The kids didn't want to use the bathroom, but I explained to them that they would not get another opportunity to do so until about 12 noon when we returned from the home visits. They finally agreed and we all took turns. 

The first two houses we visited were in the South (Sur) of Quito in the Metropolitano area. The first one was relatively nice, there were 5 people in the family and they had 2 bedrooms, a small kitchen with a washing machine, and a bathroom. The living room area also had another bed set up in it. 

The second house we visited was in the same area, it was 2 bedrooms, but 9 people lived there. The family owes a huge black pig and several chickens. 

After visiting these two homes, we got back in the van with Vicente and drove to another neighborhood, Paquisha in the southeast of the city. This area was much hillier and rural. We walked down a big hill to visit the first house. It was small, only two rooms and a family of 5 lives there as well. 

We walked further down the hill and visited another house. At that one, a young girl and her 2.5 year old daughter, Diana were there. The whole family are members of the Center, her mother just graduated from the program. They had lots of animals, a cat, sheep, guinea pigs, rabbits, goose, and several chickens. 

We had to walk up an enormous hill (not really that big, but with the altitude, it feels huge, you get so out of breath so fast) to get to the van with Vicente. He drove us back to CMT#1 at La Marín just in time for Mass and lunch. 

We stopped for a photo op.

Padre Juan said Mass, we all remembered to raise our hands so that we'd get communion and sang in Spanish. Claire said that she wished we could sing those kinds of songs at St. Matthias!

We went downstairs for lunch and tried to help, they put us to work dishing our soup and juice. I had a little girl helping me named Laureth who could say the Sign of the Cross in English! We ate lunch with the people, soup, rice, hominy, and tomato slice. 

We were supposed to have a work project at 2:00 pm with someone named Angel Chisiluisa, but Teresa told us that he got sick and wasn't there. So Vincente drove us back to CMT#2. We thought we'd have free time so the kids scattered, some went to play basketball, some soccer, Maria took a nap, and I went to the furniture store downstairs to check on something. Later, Teresa found me and said that there was a painting project here. After gathering the girls, we learned that it was really a coloring project - some posters that needed to be colored in. (Pintar is the Spanish word for painting, I didn't realize that it was the same word for coloring!)

We completed that, had some free time, then reflection. It was an emotional day, full of shocks and surprises. We talked about how we tend to keep money at the center of our lives more than God is, and what we could do about that. 

How Much Do You Bench?

Today was a mellow day. We started at 8:00 am and walked up to the laundry room to drop off our dirty clothes. Then walked back down the hill to start our project - cleaning the restaurant, Mi Olla Quiteña which is run by the Working Boys Center. When we arrived, Maria (the manager of the restuarant) told us that she wanted us to wash the windows, inside and out, and wash the walls in the kitchen. Then she gave us the materials that we'd be using - buckets with soapy water, rags, a squeegee, one sponge on a pole and newspaper. We started right in! 

After figuring out that soapy water leaves hugh streaks, we determined a good technique. We'd wash with the soapy water, then wipe immediately with damp newspaper to combat the streaks. We worked in teams and felt accomplished! While, Mark, Ryan, Coby, Maria, Claire, Siena, Laurel and Travis and I were working on that, Maya and Ella began sweeping the floor in the restaurant - they put all the chairs in the tables and sweep underneath. 

Once we were alost done with the windows, Siena, Laurel and I went into the kitchen with bleach and water and a few rags to begin wiping down the walls. 

As soon as we started that, Rodolfo came into the kitchen and asked for the boys to go help him. They left to go move all the tables and benches (about 100 of them) to the back of the dining room so that the TV's and chairs could be set up for the Ecuador v. France game. We were told last night, that the Vice President of Ecuador, Jorge Glas was coming today to watch the game with all the children and families at the Center. They even bused everyone over from La Marín (CMT#1) to watch and be part of the festivities. The air was electric with excitement today - almost everyone we encounted was wearing an Ecuador jersey. Maria in the kitchen joked that she was routing for Francia - when Madre Miguel heard that - you should have seen her face!

Once we were finished with our cleanign projects, Maria served us cake and juice that she had bought to treat us! We dismissed the girls after that - and told them to go play with the kids in the playground and scope out where the game was going to be shown. The weather was beautiful today, warm and sunny so it was perfect. 

Maria and I went to the Muebles y Más store (another of the CMT run businesses on site) they sell the stuff from the carpentary shop, and sewing shop and bought souveniers. Then we went to the Beauty Shop (another CMT run business) and I got my hair done (for $5), and Maria got her toes done (for $6).

Then we went to the restuarant for lunch. The kids found us there and told us what they had been doing. Siena and Carrie played soccer, the other girls watched and played with the children. The boys played basketball with some of the other volunteers. 

After lunch, it was alomst time to go up to the Dining Room (it's really a mulit-purpose room as they have Mass there and all big events) for the game. When we arrived, the equivelant of the Ecuadorian secret service was there - bomb squad and all - to protect Mr. Glas, the Vice President. 

The game itself was nerve-racking! The VP had brought flags for everyone, and most people had jersey's. I'm totally gues-a-mating, but there were probably 500 people there. When he arrived, we walked right through the crowd, stopped, hugged the kids, talked with people. Nothing like that would happen in the United States. There were news cameras, watching him, watch the game. 

The goalie for Ecuadors team, Dominguez, was amazing! France shot over 20 times - at least ten shots would have been good, but he caught or blocked them all! The game ended 0-0 which means Ecuador doesn't move on to the round of 16. Despite that, people were still excited.

After the game, the VP sat on the bleachers outside, surrounded by the children (in his jersey) for photos. He talked to folks more and took more photos with individuals and groups. It was such an exciting day. Maria and I waited until he drove off. A little boy came up to us and wanted to use my camera - I took his photo first, the he took Maria's and mine. 

He was super sweet and wanting hugs and kisses. It was a great ending to an exciting day!

   

Dream Job

It is Day 5 in Ecuador and we have already seen, experienced, and felt so much. In Guayaquil, the patients at La Fundación Padre Damien we so happy and welcoming to us. We could hear their stories of how they were diagnosed and ended up at La Fundación, how La Fundación has impacted them, what they enjoy doing there, and celebrate Ecuador's World Cup win! Every patient had something wonderful to say about La Fundación and Sister Annie. Sister Annie's passion for the well-being and happiness of the patients was overwhelming. She was always talking about how we could help, how the patients' stories were unbelievable and inspiring, how she loved them all so much, and how much the loss of one of the patient's lives was so hard for everyone at La Fundación. Saturday and Sunday we had the opportunity to meet and get to know some teenagers from Guayaquil who wanted to practice their English. I immediately became friends with Genesis and we talked about everything; we talked about food, music, school, and so much more. The other teenagers, Abel, Joselin, and Bryan, helped us translate when we talked to the patients. They were wonderful translators and they were all from Durán, the very poor city we visited Durán. I was amazed that they lived there because you would never guess that they lived without electricity or running water since they looked and acted just like us, and it was the same for every kid we saw from Durán. It really put the reality of "being happy with only a little" into perspective. Sunday, our final day in Guayaquil, we had a "despidida" or farewell with all of the patients. We had an opportunity to say something to the patients and have it translated by one of the teenagers, but I decided to step out of my comfort zone and say "thank you" in spanish. I was really nervous, but I did it with the help of Genesis and my eyes began to water from all the different emotions I felt. 

Now that we are in Quito El Centro del Muchachos Trabajador, it feels completely different. In Guayaquil it was hot and humid; here, the altitude of 9,300 feet gave me a painful headache and it is much colder and it has sprinkled outside everyday. We have a set schedule for every day we are here, much unlike Guayaquil and the flexibility of our schedule there. Our first day here was a free day, so we took the day to relax and recharge after our early flight and long bus ride. Today, we began our day with orientation to get our schedule and learn about El Centro. We then had a tour of the place with Rodolfo, who didn't speak English, so Sabrina and I were the translators for the group. We made a great team! After our tour we helped serve lunch (which was very hectic and crazy but the kids were so cute!). After a short break we went to play with the kids in the Casa Cuna, or daycare. The kids were so happy and excited to see us and  be able to play wiht us. It amazed me that even though there was a language barrier for most of the group, everyone had a little kid that wanted to play wiht or climb on them. The work that El Centro does for these family is so amazing and inspiring; this mission work is something I consider to be my "dream job" so the work done both here and in Guayaquil at La Fundación has driven me to reach that goal. The happiness that the people we have met get when we meet them is so overwhelming and excitng to see; it gives you a warm feeling of love that is addicting. Just like how difficult it was to say goodbye to the kids in the Casa Cuna, I don't know how I'm going to be able to say goodbye to Ecuador. And it's only been five days...

--Laurel Naylor 

Casa Cuna

Today is our second day in quito and we went to Casa Cuna (a daycare) to go spend some time with kids between the ages of three to five. When we got there we instantly connected with the kids and started playing with them. They started to climb and jump on us as if we were trees. After a while of playing with the kids, half of us went into the other room to watch Snow White in Spanish with the kids while the remaining people stayed and continued to play with the children. By the time we had to leave, everyone was upset because we wanted to spend more time with the kids, but hopefully we can get another opportunity to visit them again.

Maya Woodbury

Cultural Differences

Throughout this trip, cultural differences have been abundent. From streets having no lanes, to iguanas running wild (compared to our squirrels). Today, I experienced a huge barrier. Language. I know the least amount of Spanish in the group, since I've never been in a Spanish class before. Ecuador is a better way to learn the language than sitting in a classroom, but it has it's difficulties. However, the one place that I found where speaking the same language has the smallest effect, was the day care. We visted the kids today to find joy in us stepping in the room. The boys and girls jumped into our arms, onto our backs, and into our hearts with the biggest smiles they could ever show us. One boy showed affection for me in a different way. He tugged on my hair. During the small mass earlier in the day, I felt someone tug on my hair. But I didn't remember him until I was sitting with another kid, and felt the same tug I felt earlier. I turned to him to see him run from me, giggling as he went. However, it wasn't until later when I was standing that I felt a tap on my back, to see him smiling at me with arms raised. As I picked him up, he did the weirdest thing. He rubbed my lips with his fingers, pulled off lip balm I had on. I was temtped to stop him, but I felt there was no harm. Until he took that finger, and smeared it on my eye lid. Whether it was funny to him or a form of love, I'll never truly know. But I laughed very hard as he continued to do it until we had to leave. Before I put him down, he gave me one hard squeeze and rubbed his cheek to mine. I left that room smiling from ear to ear, even when I didn't even know his name!

~Carrie Fulton

Tour of CMT #2 & Serving Lunch

We bagan the day today with our Orientation by Madre Miguel, Judy Conway (Madre's sister) and Kelly Jessup (Madre's great-niece) at 8:30 am. They shared all the house rules with us, plus the schedule. Padre Juan would normally join us for the Orientation, but he had a dental apppointment at 6am this morning. Madre Miguel also shared some of the history of the Working Boys Center. Padre arrived in Ecuador in 1961 to Chimborazo. He was working with the young men there, but his Superior of the Jesuits was unsatisfied with the mission because he didn't belief that it had legs. Since Padre was spending time in Quito, his Superior encouraged him to study the situation with the street boys in Quito. At first, he was not in favor of working with street boys because of his experience growing up in the Bronx with rebels and holligans. But once he began to get to know them, he began to see them as working boys and felt connected to them because he himself had been a working boy. 

The first thing he started to do was offer basic education, like reading and writing. The superior of the Jesuits gave Padre Juan the attic of La Compañia (the Jesuit Church we will visit in a few days). He did what he could in the space for about 10 years. During that time, he asked for help, and Madre Miguel's community (the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - BVM's) sent her to help in 1967. By that time, they were offering three meals a day, basic education, and daily baths for the boys. However, they soon recognized that in order to truly help, they would need to minister to the entire family.

Padre Juan, having a builders mind, got a donation of a few thousand dollars and bought a lot in downtown Quito and built the Center #1. They began offering vocational training programs and education for the entire family. We'll find out more as the days go on.

At 8:30 am this morning, we met Rodolfo for our tour of Center #2, where we are living. Center #2 is the largest of the three facilities and where the volunteer house is located. We visited the Beauty Salon, the Restuarant, Bakery and Furniture store. 

All the businesses are open to the public and are where the students are trained. They receive 3 years of training then they get jobs in other shops in the community. Then we visited the Rincon de Arte - the girls study business skills there - they learn Microsoft programs, how to sell things, English skills, etc. There is also an auto mechanics program, carpentary shop, metal shop, and sewing shop. 

We also visited the school - there are 6 grades, then the young people choose a vocational training program to do. Betty in the library has degrees in library and information. She offers classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the children to learn how to use the library and find information. And during the evenings there are literacy classes for the adults.

After our tour, we went into the large dining room to dish out the soup and juice the would feed the entire population of the center - about 300 children, teenagers and adults. 

After the soup and juice was set out, we went to Mass. Amazingly, Padre Juan was still able to say Mass for the community. During Mass, Padre Juan asks for a show of hands so that he consecrates the correct amount of hosts (since there's no tabernacle). I forgot about this so forgot to cue the kids about it! 

After Mass was over, Mark and I worked with some students - Cristoba & Nicole to hand out the bowls of soup and plates of rice and potato salad. The others in the group worked with Ecuadorian volunteers dishing out the rice and potato salad. After all the center members were served, the kids got their lunch and ate. 

We have free time now, until 4:30 pm when we'll go to the Day Care Center and help with the children.