My Week

This is what a typical week looks like:

Every Monday-Thursday I wake up around 6:45 am from a usually restful evening with a sheet and light blanket (at night it gets to be a nice cool temperature) and begin to get ready until my host mom comes in and tells me breakfast is ready. Every morning, I eat 2 scrambled eggs, a roll (with a choice of cheese and/or marmalade), freshly squeezed juice (tomate de arbol (tree tomato)), and hot chocolate. In the beginning, I was really excited about this meal, especially coming from the first home that barely fed me. However, my diet here is dominated by carbs (rice and bread), enough that, one day I asked my host mom if I could have fruit in place of my bread. This worked for one morning, but then the next, it was back to bread.

Side note: Health here is extremely different than at home. From what I can see, it seems to be funny or cute here to be overweight and there's very little concept of restricting types of food/eating healthy. I think this is definitely because of poverty, and also lack of education. I've experienced a couple of things here that are very different. My host brother (who doesn't live with us) is in his late thirties and has 2 children. When he's over, I usually only see him horizontal on the couch, and I often hear about how he eats the last of the dessert. His son, who's about 5, was eating bread and stuck his finger in the butter and ate it - my host mom saw this and giggled. While this used to surprise me, I have gotten used to it. But, I try to be careful with my own diet. My host sister's boyfriend last night told me that if you don't have a belly you are thought to be gay (oh no). There are many things here that make me think Ecuador is about 20 years behind the US (health education, religion in schools, sex education, social politics). While my host mom does have some kind of concept of what is good and bad for you (for example, once we ate cholesterol free sausage), there are times when we eat things that are not as healthy (hotdogs cooked in coke and ketchup (I kid you not) or a lunch that is bread, rice and spaghetti). There are some things my host mom hears from her doctor (although only those who are well off have doctors) - water is better to drink than soda, olive oil is better than butter (doesn't mean you should douse your rice in it), or that 'pan negro' (black bread - meaning multigrain bread), is better than white bread (but not a substitute for fruit). Anyway, it's been interesting eating here, and sometimes I have to be (what I feel like is) rude and ask if I can make a fresh green salad. I feel a difference in my energy when I eat fruit/veggies. While I do think this lifestyle is unhealthy (obviously no blame), there are definitely times when I am happy that I don't feel judged eating dessert, or when I wish there were more instances in the US when it's okay to have "piernas grande" (big legs), which I was told I have last night at the dinner table by my host sister's boyfriend's mom. Haha. (Don't worry everyone, I work out everyday at the university gym!)

After breakfast, I get ready (a white t-shirt, my chacos, and either a skirt or my gouchos) and make sure I have money for the bus (50 cents there and back). I walk a short distance to where I have to wait for the bus - which I dread every morning. This includes flailing my arms around in the street, getting passed often, and resorting back to my tree stump. Eventually I do catch the bus and once I'm on, there's always music playing and usually only about 5-10 other passengers.

Side note (another!): I talk a little more about my bus experience in a different post, but I just wanted to explain more. To catch it you have to walk out into the street, make eye contact with the driver, stick out your arm with a pointed finger and shake your wrist (at least this is what I've learned). You either get it or you don't. If you're a woman and you catch it, the bus stops for you, but if you're a man the bus only slows down. So, the men have to run and find the matching speed to the bus, then grab a handle on the door and swing themselves up. Sometimes the ride is very enjoyable and sometimes extremely terrifying - I had some very scary dreams the first few weeks. When the bus driver is not so nice or in a rush to make his deadline, people are thrashed around on the bus, which makes it necessary to hold on to something. I'm always really impressed with the little children who have learned that to make it to a seat you have to be a monkey and pull your way through while trying to stay balanced. I will say though that while the drivers may not be my favorite, that they are masters at getting around in a city with very few traffic laws (or at least those that are followed), with pedestrians, cars and tons of other buses around.

I then hop off right in front of the airport, which is right next to my foundation. My goal is to get there by 7:45 am so that I can meet with the other volunteers to decide what game we want to play with the kids that morning. 8 am rolls around and we begin a game (usually Duck Duck Goose (or Pato Pato Ganso) (it's a favorite)), with the same 10-12 kids, which lasts for about 10 minutes. Then we try to think of something else that will be entertaining and play that. We've learned that because the majority of the kids have not eaten yet, that they are often tired and don't want to run. Also, the girls wear skirts, so we have to mindful of that (*please read below*). At "8:20" the kids line up for formacion (formation), in which they recite some sort of morning prayer and then go to breakfast. On Monday and Tuesdays they have religion (which basically teaches them that abortion is wrong), and then after, class begins. While they're eating breakfast and in religion, the other volunteers and myself go to la biblioteca (the library), in which we plan our day and help each other with lessons. Then we begin 'the day.' Our director, Johnny, visited us a few weeks ago to see how things were going and we ended up making a schedule for me together. This is what I've been trying to do during the class hour times Monday - Thursday at the foundation. I tutor one-on-one with Melissa, the girl who's having trouble with math (I think because she only has one arm), and Jefferson, who has trouble reading/writing. The past week and a half (before my vacation week), I had been working with them and making progress. It's much easier working one-on-one with the students. We can actually accomplish something! However, I don't want to jump to conclusions, and I'm obviously not certified for this kind of diagnosis, but I'm nervous that Jefferson has some sort of learning disability. I'm hoping that's not the case, since I have no idea how they would diagnose that, and even if they could, how they could assist him with the challenges the foundation already has. (I'll keep you posted!)

We've started to plan a mural that we want to make in the back of the school. The plan is to have every student take some time to draw a picture with their own idea about growing, community, friendship, and learning. Once we've collected them all, one of us (I think me), is going to draw three different pictures from their ideas, and have them vote on what they think should be painted. Then, we'll paint the scene in the back, and have them come out in small groups to help. Normally you'd think I'd be cautious that this would be disruptive to their class time, but it is so unorganized that it doesn't really matter. They have class from literally 9:30 - 12:30, with no break ("because if they had a break they would have to go outside and then they would never come back in"). Finally, after Dia de la Bandera and their week of vacation, I've seen progress in the classes, but their is still a lot of class time wasted (in my opinion). I've been on vacation for a week, and there are supposed to be some sort of test for the students at the end of October - this week! I end up leaving between 12 and 12:30 and usually get home around 1 pm.

Shortly after I arrive back home, my host mom's sister walks over and we (including my host parents), eat lunch, which always begins with a warm soup of some vegetable, and then eat some kind of meat with rice, and usually there's bread and sometimes cooked vegetables. During lunch we usually have some light conversation, and there's often loud music playing in the background (this cracks me up). After, I have a couple of hours for my siesta. My host parent's go to their room, and the sister leaves. I usually fall asleep for a little, then do some homework. Then, around 4 o'clock I begin a 10 minute walk to a different bus stop for the university bus.

I attend UEES (Universidad Espiritu Santo), which is the wealthiest school in town. Ha. This sometimes makes me uncomfortable, like when I'm waiting in public for the (air conditioned) bus with my fellow peers who obviously have a lot of money, though it also makes me laugh. The students dress so nicely for class. They must think I have no idea how to dress myself since all I brought is cotton, semi-conservative, plain, and comfortable clothing. Anyway, a good portion of the students speak English, have blackberry's and look like they're going out for the night. Many students also have full time jobs during the day, since class is in the evening (because it's too hot during the day and because of jobs), so they're dressed very nicely. I have Spanish class from 4:30 (more like 4:40) to 6 pm with about 9 other international students (Germany, Japan, Canada, US, Belgium). I really love this class! My professor, Carmen Rosa, is very nice and I think she really likes us. She knows very little English, which is sometimes frustrating, only because her exams and quizzes are very difficult because she doesn't know what kind of concepts are hard for us. It seems very easy to her (before she hands out the test we usually get a little song from her that goes like this "Muy facil, facil, facil... (looks at it) Si! Muy facil!" ("Very easy, easy, easy... Yes! Very easy!")), but when WE see it all of our faces turn into frowns.

After Spanish class I go to the gym, which always makes me feel better. In general, I'm very tense here from the combination of taking the public bus, walking around in public (Guayaquil is dangerous), and speaking in Spanish. For working out, I either swim in the beautiful outdoor pool or run. Sometimes I opt for swimming more than running because the gym can be very crowded. There are a couple of funny things about the gym: the guys rarely work on cardio, all they do is muscle-build, and the ladies do only a little cardio with all of their make-up on, sometimes matching outfits and even ribbons in their hair. They all look so good while working out! In the beginning I was slightly embarrassed with the buckets of sweat that dripped down my face (it's so hot!), but now I just don't care. There have also been a few Ecuadorian boys, who were a little bothersome at the gym, that I've been able to successfully avoid.

I then catch the 7:30 pm bus home and walk in my not-so-well-lit neighborhood back to my little house. I eat supper, which is usually the same meal (without soup) as there was for lunch. My host mom and/or dad sit with me while I eat. Supper (dinner) here is a very light meal, and so usually my host dad just has hot chocolate with bread. Sometimes I don't think my host mom can believe how much I eat. After, I basically hide in my room for the rest of the night, and either do some homework, check my email, or just pass out.

Friday rolls around and I'm usually pretty tired from the week, and from going out the night before :). I catch the 8:15 am bus and have class from 9 to 1:15 pm. This is the class for my program (IPSL), titled "Institutions in Ecuadorian Society." A man named Jorge teaches the class and although I think he's very interesting, my peers and I (4 other Americans) have titled the class "4 hours of story-telling from Jorge." Education here is SO (SOOOOO) different from home. I attend one of the best university's in the city, and the amount of, what I consider, unprofessionalism amazes me. The professor knows a lot (the class is in English) and he has done a lot in his lifetime, but there's absolutely no structure to the class. We have to write a journal, and read 2 different readings for each class, and we rarely get to the readings because we usually just go on tangents. I love how relaxed the class is in that it's mainly discussion, but I do miss learning things in a structured manner (who would've thought I'd ever say that!).

When 1:15 rolls around, I'm usually quite relieved. I go home, eat, and pack my bag for whatever exciting adventure awaits me that weekend. And now that I know how to do it, I usually take the public bus to the bus terminal...

*** Please post ANY ideas you have for games that children ages 8-14 would like outdoors that does NOT involve a lot of running (for the children's sake) or talking (for my sake)! ***