Sunday, December 13, 2009
One of My Favorite Days in Ecuador
Yesterday I went to Chota--one of the two Afro communities here in Ecuador. I had been wanting to go since I first got here and finally made it this weekend. The community is about 3 hours north of Quito and is actually made up of 10 different pueblos. Each pueblo has around 50 households in it. I have an Afro Ecuadorian friend named Manuel who was born in Chota, and so he went with me to show me around.
When we first got there we saw Manuel's uncle right away. So he walked around with us a little bit. I wanted to buy some art, so they took us into this little room in the community where they keep crafts that people in the pueblo have made. Two men from the community also told me about the history and struggle of the Afro Ecuadorians. It was really interesting, and not exactly the same story that they taught us in the classroom (big surprise). They also told me that 60% of the people in their community don't continue school after age 12, simply because there isn't money.
We visited 3 of the 10 pueblos and during the visits I met so many really sweet, really humble and happy people. I met an older women who had been in a wreck in a bus and so can only do activities sitting because it is almost impossible to walk. But she was so content, laughing while washing clothes, watching over her grandkids. She was SO happy that I wanted to stop and talk to her. She wanted to know if Manuel was my husband and I told her no. So she asked him why not, because she had already fallen in love with me, haha. And she said even though my skin is lighter and his is darker, it doesn't even matter. Glad she thinks that way :)
Soccer is literally one of the most important aspects of life here in Ecuador. And many of the Ecuadorian soccer stars come from Chota, this Afro community. The community is so proud of them, with posters and pictures everywhere. I actually got to meet one of the players, he was really friendly. But the people also told me that many of these men go professional, make millions of dollars and then forget about their community. Chota is extremely poor, with many education and health problems. But most of the players who have made it big don't give back.
I met one woman who sells fruit by the roadside. She had such a spirit, so happy to be there everyday talking to the people, selling them food. She takes care of her grandkids and one of them has a skin disease. The medicine for him costs something like $30 a month, but that is a lot of money here and she doesn't have it. So she says that the disease will just keep progressing. Right now it's only on his face, but they expect it to spread to his whole body.
Most of the people in Chota live off of the land. They grow beans and fruit primarily and sell it to the neighboring pueblos. They are also close to a highway, so when the buses stop on the highway all the women put their baskets of food on their head and run to the bus. They get on and try to sell their food to the passengers.
It was really awesome to see all the kids there. They all were just outside playing, without adults around, not caring about what got dirty. They don't have money for toys, so they made their own--trucks, balls, volleyball courts and soccer fields. It was all so simple and it still made them happy. I saw one little boy who coulnd't have been more than one year old and he was walking around with a plastic bottle and a stick, hitting it and dancing as if it were a drum.
It was such a great day, one of the most memorable, one of the best I've had in Ecuador. When I come back I definitely want to spend more time in this community. The people were poor, working hard to be able to keep feeding their families. But they were so calm, so happy to just listen to music and work. One man told me that the community knows there are richer people who have more things, but they are ok. They are living, and they do so with such an incredible spirit.
When we first got there we saw Manuel's uncle right away. So he walked around with us a little bit. I wanted to buy some art, so they took us into this little room in the community where they keep crafts that people in the pueblo have made. Two men from the community also told me about the history and struggle of the Afro Ecuadorians. It was really interesting, and not exactly the same story that they taught us in the classroom (big surprise). They also told me that 60% of the people in their community don't continue school after age 12, simply because there isn't money.
We visited 3 of the 10 pueblos and during the visits I met so many really sweet, really humble and happy people. I met an older women who had been in a wreck in a bus and so can only do activities sitting because it is almost impossible to walk. But she was so content, laughing while washing clothes, watching over her grandkids. She was SO happy that I wanted to stop and talk to her. She wanted to know if Manuel was my husband and I told her no. So she asked him why not, because she had already fallen in love with me, haha. And she said even though my skin is lighter and his is darker, it doesn't even matter. Glad she thinks that way :)
Soccer is literally one of the most important aspects of life here in Ecuador. And many of the Ecuadorian soccer stars come from Chota, this Afro community. The community is so proud of them, with posters and pictures everywhere. I actually got to meet one of the players, he was really friendly. But the people also told me that many of these men go professional, make millions of dollars and then forget about their community. Chota is extremely poor, with many education and health problems. But most of the players who have made it big don't give back.
I met one woman who sells fruit by the roadside. She had such a spirit, so happy to be there everyday talking to the people, selling them food. She takes care of her grandkids and one of them has a skin disease. The medicine for him costs something like $30 a month, but that is a lot of money here and she doesn't have it. So she says that the disease will just keep progressing. Right now it's only on his face, but they expect it to spread to his whole body.
Most of the people in Chota live off of the land. They grow beans and fruit primarily and sell it to the neighboring pueblos. They are also close to a highway, so when the buses stop on the highway all the women put their baskets of food on their head and run to the bus. They get on and try to sell their food to the passengers.
It was really awesome to see all the kids there. They all were just outside playing, without adults around, not caring about what got dirty. They don't have money for toys, so they made their own--trucks, balls, volleyball courts and soccer fields. It was all so simple and it still made them happy. I saw one little boy who coulnd't have been more than one year old and he was walking around with a plastic bottle and a stick, hitting it and dancing as if it were a drum.
It was such a great day, one of the most memorable, one of the best I've had in Ecuador. When I come back I definitely want to spend more time in this community. The people were poor, working hard to be able to keep feeding their families. But they were so calm, so happy to just listen to music and work. One man told me that the community knows there are richer people who have more things, but they are ok. They are living, and they do so with such an incredible spirit.
Last Week of the Semester
This past week was the last of the semester. I was really busy, trying to spend time with friends and then also finish up school work. The week before was the last week of my internship in popular finance. I learned a ton at the internship, but was happy to be done with work and get back to school. This week we had to write a paper, give a 30 minute oral presentation over our internships and then we had to turn in our 20 page paper putting together the internship experience/research with what we had learned in the microfinance track. And the paper was in Spanish! So I got everything done and my professor was impressed with my work, so hopefully I come back to the States with a good GPA.
It was sad to say bye to all my friends. I met SO many awesome people on this program, and have made 5 really, really good friends. We are already planning a reunion! The semester has been absolutely amazing. I have traveled so much in this country, seen so much, been able to ask so many questions. At times I got frustrated, but overall it was incredible, the least stressful semester I've had since I started college. I have loved the experience not because everyday was perfect and wonderful, but because everyday I learned something new, something I could never learn anywhere else.
Tomorrow my best friend Melinda will be flying here from Peru. We are going to an island just off the coast of Ecuador and then will be in Quito a few days. On December 22 we are flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina to see the city, go to Uruguay and also see some really amazing waterfalls. 3 weeks and I'm back in the US!!!!
It was sad to say bye to all my friends. I met SO many awesome people on this program, and have made 5 really, really good friends. We are already planning a reunion! The semester has been absolutely amazing. I have traveled so much in this country, seen so much, been able to ask so many questions. At times I got frustrated, but overall it was incredible, the least stressful semester I've had since I started college. I have loved the experience not because everyday was perfect and wonderful, but because everyday I learned something new, something I could never learn anywhere else.
Tomorrow my best friend Melinda will be flying here from Peru. We are going to an island just off the coast of Ecuador and then will be in Quito a few days. On December 22 we are flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina to see the city, go to Uruguay and also see some really amazing waterfalls. 3 weeks and I'm back in the US!!!!
New School
The institution that I attend here in Ecuador just moved a new building. It is really beautiful and really huge, with an awesome view of the city. We had a inauguration ceremony that was really cool (but also super long). There were tango dancers, indigenous and afro music and dancers and lots of rituals. 6 or 7 people from the University of Minnesota came to be a part of it, including the Vice President of International Studies (don't worry I got a photo with her). Maybe that will be a good connection for the future :)
Saturday, November 28, 2009
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