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)
No comments:
Post a Comment