Las Flores, El Barney, y La Vida.

Translation: Flowers, Barney, and Life ! Mas o menos (more or less), just an update!

What have I been up to lately? Well, for one thing, we started our final class this past week! We’ve had 1 class per about every 3 weeks- it’s been intense. But this final class is about Ecuadorian culture and issues- all in Spanish of course! Our professor is amazing (as in, she asks us very difficult but great questions i.e. first day of class, “Cuales son tus suenos?”: What are your dreams?) and the content is incredibly interesting. We’ve been studying immigration, drugs, and flower workers, all within an Ecuadorian context. We even visited a flower factory on Monday. (Flowers are the #1 export of Ecuador). The hombre (man) who guided us around, Francisco, was charming, and we were happy to be out of the classroom! Mostly young people work (hard) at this flower factory- people about 18 years of age. It was absolutely bonita (beautiful) to see so many roses in one place, and even more interesting to see the entire packaging, shipping, etc. process. We often forget that our “things” come from somewhere else, yeah?

(Una rosa, claro.)



Speaking of flowers, there is an expression that is said here, “Una rosa sin espinas, no es una rosa.” Rather, “A rose without thorns is not a rose.” I thought this was beautiful. And I wondered, what exactly does this mean? Those of you who have grown up with me know how much I adore simple, make-you-think quotations, and this hasn’t changed much. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not sure what it means. But we speak so often of the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly things of Ecuador in class. Perhaps it is difficult to have something beautiful, maybe create something beautiful, without pain, without hard work. I’m not sure. I’ll think about it some more. Let me know your thoughts all you little poets out there.

Que mas? (What more?) We went to the park yesterday to eat, play, and be merry. We played some Frisbee, ate some Oreos, watched dirt bikers, clowns, and all sorts of typical Ecuadorian people. Oh, and we ran into Barney! He refused to take a picture with me without me buying a stupid dog balloon from him. Sorry, Barney! No gracias! And you might notice my hair is a little darker- I colored it Saturday night. I wanted so desperately to grow my hair out my natural color. But some of you (cough, cough Rachel and Drew) know that I have some delightful gray hairs. So, shucks.


(Barney resisting- he wouldn't even look at the camera.)







I’ve had a few nightmares about being back in the states without having said good-bye. Apparently I’m not ready to leave. I love it here. Life is tranquil, simple, but so lively. It seemed as if the entire city was in the park on Sunday, just enjoying each other, being with one another. That is one thing these people value so much- togetherness, family, people. It seems that I’ve lost sight some of this, with the business of life. With our independence in the U.S. we are so free to do as we please, whenever we please, and we often do it quickly. (i.e. runs to Target, the grocery store, drive-thru for a coffee). But here, time is a gift, conversations are so valuable, people are so valuable. And I personally feel valued. I hope I have, and will better be able to make the people in my life feel valuable. Thank you, Ecuador for teaching me more of how.

Heading to the orphanage tomorrow- will post pictures and write of this next.

Tu Amiga Ecua-Americana

(Yo)

San Francisco Plaza

Awake me please when this is over.

(El Bosque in Mindo)





I reference this certain song lyric because I am living in a dream!

Well, fortunately, I am not- but I have just returned from a trip to Mindo; a little region a few hours northeast (I think) of Quito. It is in what they call a Cloud Forest, so with the clouds in full view outside of my windows it truly felt as if I was in a dream. In addition to the setting (which honestly, our hotel was a treehouse- SO chevere), my experiences were unreal. We started out Saturday going tubing. Folks, this was no typical tubing. There were about 10 huge black tubes tied together and we were going to be riding down a freezing cold, choppy river. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. The gentlemen who accompanied us on the tubes were what I liked to describe as water cowboys. I hope that gives you a sense of how they had to control the tubes as we ventured down the rio (river). It was a rush, and totally dangerous! But we all survived, and were undoubtedly able to experience a certain type of informal tourism. I highly recommend it.

While we only had 2 days and 1 night in Mindo, we managed to get our fill of hiking in the forest. Saturday we hiked a shorter trail but were able to learn a great deal about the biodiversity and history more or less of the Cloud Forest (while wearing big rubber boots of course). But yesterday, oh yesterday! We saw Tucan Sam, hummingbirds and their nests, flowers that have patterns as if they are hand painted, hiked up a river, and proceeded to climb cascadas (waterfalls). It was incredible, tiring, beautiful, muddy, and was nothing short of the set of Ferngully- if that movie hadn’t been animated. I feel in awe once again as I reminisce of this weekend’s adventures.



(Rubber boots!)




But you must know, I feel most as if I’m in a dream because of something quite different. This past week I have finally begun helping out at an orphanage! It was something I knew I would want to do here, and I’ve got the place! With all of the free afternoons I have here I’m going to be able to help out at least a few times a week. I went for the first time on Thursday, took a short tour of the orphanage, and fell in love. The orphanage is beautiful, clean, well-run. I was impressed and so thankful that such a place is available in Quito. And the little ones!! Oh my gracious I can’t even express how much life they give me! On Friday I spent a few hours with the toddlers- my favorite age, and made so many new pals. Isn’t it a mysterious and beautiful gift children have- the way they have so much energy, are so honest, so life-giving, so unconditionally loving. They are undoubtedly giving me just as much love as I am trying to offer them. It’s true that when you give you receive so much more. What a wonderful new hello from all of the children, but I am foreseeing that I will be having a very difficult time saying goodbye.

I’m headed there this afternoon so I’ll be offering many more details about the orphanage and all its little characters- just you wait!!

Sending you mucho sol (sun)!

Una Foto de Galapagos

A Summary: Las Islas de Galapagos

I did it- I had the privilege of visiting one of the most radical, raz-ma-taz places in the entire world: THE Galapagos Islands! Let me begin by saying that it was not what I would have expected (as often things never are). We arrived in what appeared to be the desert. 20 minutes into our bus ride it felt as if we were in the jungle. And eventually we landed at our hotel right on the white, sandy beach. What an arrival- this was the island of Isabela that captured all of our hearts. Isabela is less developed than most of the other islands, which was so wonderful. We were able to wander and see "real life" (oh yeah, and wildlife like this crazy marine iguana) in this place. The people were so kind, so relaxed, so often laying in hammocks. What tranquility in Isabela!

I may have mentioned in my previous blog that I swam with sea lions, and sharks, and mantarays, oh my! Honestly, swimming with sea lions was like a dream. The blue-footed boobies were cool, too. Their feet really are so vibrant!

I am at a loss for words today, so I hope that my photographs will give you a glimpe into the Galapagos. I checked out a photography exhibit the other day in downtown Quito- I must write about that another day. A photographer had said that photography is a "universal text". Therefore, I hope my pictures speak for me!

But now I am back home, in Quito. (My home is Quito, how crazy!) And I have to deliver a presentation in about an hour regarding illegal immigration- in Spanish of course! But I wanted to be sure to get this thought down before it leaves me.

Loving Jesus is a daily decision, a daily choice. If we wish to grow, be changed, love more we must put him before us daily. We must cling to his truths, Him, daily. Easier said than done, I know. But life is just a blink and we must live every moment fully and well. A Robert Frost excerpt I recently read reminds me of all of this. Take a look!

...why abandon a belief

Merely because it ceases to be true.

Cling to it long enough, and not a doubt

It will turn true again, for so it goes.

Most of the change we think we see in life

Is due to truths being in and out of favor

As I sit here, and oftentimes I wish

I could be a monarch of a desert land

I could devote and dedicate forever

To the truths we keep coming back and back to.

Feliz Dia de St. Valentin mis amigos!

Finally, fotos!

Lo siento for the extremely late postage of photographs! It's an ecclectic selection, but those of you who know me know how "ecclectic" I am. Enjoy!

(Brent and I at the Basillica)



(Cutest chicos en la calle)



(A hostel up near Cotopaxi)



(Fresh Fruta)

Please, won't you rock my boat?

Karla, this blog's for you, amiga!

I just received an e-mail from my dear friend Karla who stated that my blog is like eating a cracker a week. She added that she would prefer to eat a whole loaf a day! I love the way she put that. And I am grateful that some of you are continually checking up on me! Hopefully you will get what you wished for, Karla! I'm going to do my best to fill you all in on la vida aqui (the life here).

Please don't be muy celoso (very jealous), but I am writing to you from THE Galapagos Islands! I just got back from hours upon hours of snorkeling with sea lions, sharks, mantarays, and lots and lots of fishies! For those of you who went to Washington with me over the summer, you'll know that this was a dream come true! There were so many Manny look-a-likes! But these sea lions were super playful! I was in heaven- but much wetter!

We spent the last few days on an island called Isabela. It had so much character I'm not even sure where to begin. We were basically the only Caucasian people on the island with a bunch of natives- such a blast, our hotel was right on the beach, sand/dirt roads, warm sun, warm rains, marine iguanas, and the stars at night lit up the entire sky. PS- the Big Dipper is upside down here!! One negative point (I know it seems that this is impossible), but they too were celebrating Carnaval- right in front of our hotel. We had the pleasure of listening to Daddy Yankee's reggaeton albums until about 3 in the A.M. Heather, you'd love it. Rompe is your favorite song, isn't it? But other than that I can't complain too much. I have had a bit of a cold, but the incredible things we are doing have a way of making me feel so much better.

Nonetheless, now we are here, in Santa Cruz. This island is much more "developed" for lack of a better word. I type to you from an Internet cafe without Dial-Up. That's right, the Internet Cafe on Isabela was Dial-Up. Talk about a lesson in patience. But in all seriousness, again I felt like God was revealing the beauty of simplicity in Isabela. There were so many less distractions, and so much more beauty in nature to admire. And for me I am unable to separate the beauty of this place and the existence of God. I wake up and see him everywhere.

Something I learned today. Like the tide, we often feel that God retreats, and returns, retreats, and returns. But if we could just raise our eyes for just a moment we would see the ocean. We would see that God is so immense, so huge, and so near to us, all of the time. What comfort! What a promise.

Perhaps I'll write again tomorrow- I must schedule my classes for this spring before the sun sets! I love you all so very much.

Mucho sol, y mucho amor from the Galapagos Islands!

I´m happy inside, all of the time!

(Jessica, Johanna, y Mildrida conmigo!)




¡Hola a todos! I have discovered a simple truth about living in Ecuador. It is this- anything can happen. For instance, I have a friend in the program who lives about 2 minutes from my house, so we spend a great deal of time together. We take strolls to the Internet cafes, the supermarkets, the panaderias for the most incredible freshly baked bread in the world, and back. We were walking from her house to mine the other day when we saw before us a group of boys with water balloons in their hands. DD said out loud, ¨How cute! They are playing with water balloons!¨ It wasn´t soon after that we realized they were staring straight at us, smiling widely. We took off running, claro (of course!) Unfortunately I don´t run as fast in this altitude and I had several water balloons broken over my head, and at least twenty thrown at me. We were SOAKED to say the least. This is an example of how Ecuadorians celebrate Carnaval. I´m not exactly sure what Carnaval is celebrated for... I´ll let you know when I find out.

One of my more dry experiences (as in my clothes were dry, the experience was not) occured this past weekend. Side note: I´m pretty good at making lame jokes in Spanish as well. Karla, I know you´ve been dying to know whether or not that would be the case!

Let´s get back on track. We had the privilege of staying with indigenous families for a night up in a village called Otavalo over the weekend. There were 6 children in my family- ages 2 (two of the most beautiful little Latin American girls, Johanna y Mildrida), 9 (spunky Jessica), 10 (cool young Sesa), 17 (shy Christian), and 18 (got it together Cristiana). My time with them was short, but more valuable than I could´ve ever imagined. In a nutshell I just played with the kids the whole time, they were irresistable. I would´ve packed them in my suitcase had they not been such rambunxious little ones. This family taught me so much of what life is. It is family. It is simplicity. It is appreciating what you have, what you´ve been given. It is tranquility. I am so grateful that they opened their home and lives to me. Their way of living patiently and with so little was refreshing. Oh, how I long to be free of distractions! What beautiful, beautiful pèople. There are not adjectives in any language for their beauty.

Unfortunately, it´s getting dark and I must return to my humble abode! Wish I could add more detail. Will soon! And I promise photographs tomorrow.

Amor, amor from Ecuador!

Livin´ La Vida!

(Success at the top! With one of our rockin' guides. . .)




Mis amigos! Hope you all are well! I write to you with a happy heart but a very sore body! Yesterday a group of us went on a hike up a huge volcano called Cotopaxi. We proceeded to ride bicycles down the volcano once we were through climbing. It was muy dificil (very difficult) to say the least. But what a beautiful experience! Once again I was given the opportunity to see the beauty of this place from a different angle. I promise I´ll post photos soon!

What is new? I went to a family fiesta on Sunday that lasted all day. Ecuadorian families really know how to get down. There were over a hundred people there, and we were celebrating 15 birthdays over the last few months. It was there that I played futbol (soccer, of course) with a big group of Ecuadorians for about three hours. You´ll all be so proud of me- I scored a goal! I think that signifies I have officially been immersed into the culture of Ecuador.

I think it might be appropriate for me to simply list a few of my favorite things to try and give you a picture of vida (life) here: clothes lines (are everywhere!), incredibly bright colored buildings and houses, feeling as if I´m riding the Millenium Force every morning and afternoon on the bus, being serenaded by my host father with Mexican music at breakfast, the Ecuadorian countryside, the lights of the city at night, eating the most incredible helado (ice cream) for 50 cents, the sound of house slippers skimming across the floor, and trying to hold all of these experiences in my heart without it bursting! La vida is so good here.

La vida is also difficult here, a veces (sometimes). It can be a discouraging feeling, not being understood and not being able to understand others. This ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a language barrier. While my Spanish is skyrocketing, there are days when I am completely burnt out. It too is difficult to be without close-knit community. I miss you, Peacemakers! But it is also a gift, to learn to listen hard for God, alone. He has been teaching me a very valuable lesson. It is this: that what has been gained, has been gained. Some days I feel like my faith is being rocked and that it is being depleted. But, what has been gained has been gained. Yesterday, while I was climbing this crazy volcano I often wanted to stop. To give up. And it was a hard place to be in, a heartbreaking feeling to feel. But when I looked behind me, what had been gained, was still gained. When we follow the Lord he constantly molds us and teaches us. When we begin to feel like we have lost our momentum, and perhaps much of our faith altogether, we must cling to the encouragement that what has been gained, has been gained.

Photographs will be up soon, keep checking back!

Chao,
Hilary

Estoy aqui in Quito! (Translation: I´m here in Quito!)

(A piece of artwork done by Ivan)




¿Que pasa mis amigos? (What´s up my friends?) I apologize for my delay in writing- it´s been a bit of an obstacle finding Internet access here!

So! Where do I begin in describing my nueva vida (new life)? I feel as if I´ve been experiencing ¨various states of madness¨. (Gracias Lorah for my Ecuadorian mix! It´s been fitting.) Some of the madness has truly been mad, but most of the time I´m just falling madly in love with Quito. Let me tell you why!

I´ll begin with the basics. I live with two artists- ¡Que chevere! (How cool!) Ivan´s paintings cover the walls of our humble abode, or perhaps I should say pueblo. He also plays the guitar. . . and he often plays at breakfast! What a way to start out the day- Ecuadorian comida (food) with genuine Latin rythyms! Pati and Ivan are incredibly kind and have been so helpful as I continue to adjust to Ecuadorian life. Initially I was totally bummed there weren´t any niños (children) in the house, but fortunately they flood the streets, buses, and neighborhoods. Their little Spanish voices are the soundtrack of my life! I can´t get enough.




The first day I was here in Quito my family took me, along with otros amigos, down to Quito antigua (old Quito). The churches, brick streets, and beautiful people assured me my time here would be worthwhile. As we were walking, a nun invited us into a small convent tucked neatly aside one of the streets. Again, ¡que chevere! It was there that she explained this convent was also an orfanito (orphanage). Oh, my heart! Unfortunately all of the orphans were about visiting people in the city. But as I raised my eyes up to a window, what did I see? A precious Ecuadorian face peering out! This little one was enfermo (sick) and was unable to go out with the others. While he was probably quite sad, our eyes meeting made me happier than he could ever know. A picture of Ecuador I can never forget.

What am I learning of God? That he too, is an incredible artist. His work is displayed in the Quito mountains, the faces he has sculpted, and all the incredible beauty I am priveliged to witness here. Every day that goes by I grow more hungry to see this world that he has created.

Lo siento (I´m sorry) I have to keep it short tonight. I will continue to write for as long as you will continue to read! I miss and love you all so very much. ¡Hasta mi proxima! (Until my next!)

Hilary
(Pronounced Heel-ah-ree here. Roll your Rs por favor!)