REAL World: Ecuador: Day 2: Visits to Sangolqui, San Francisco y Conocoto

Domingo, 7/13/08

I am getting quite familiar with the kids very quickly. The younger one, Daysi, has already started teasing me (ie, tripping me, tickling me, etc.). We will get along perfectly. Alexandra and I even played “bubbles” for an hour last night. I really don’t know how I managed to blow bubbles for a whole hour, pero es posible.

The Manna’s and I went to Sangolqui, a local Quito market. Now this is what you call “hustle-n-bustle.” You must hold your stuff close, or else your things will somehow disappear one-by-one. These Ecuadorians are very sneaky and very experienced…many of us have found out the hard way. (Almost all of our coworkers have been pickpocketed, mugged, or robbed at least once. One got held up by knifepoint.) Never have I ever seen so many exotic fruits, vegetables, carne, and PEOPLE (not including Shanghai)—I cannot wait to try all these different types of foods. The coconut milk, oh wow, the coconut milk, is orgasmic—for 25 cents a cup. Trust me, it’s worth every cent. I am definitely coming back here. I do want to try the guinea pig and pig testicles.

After Sangloquil, we took the bus (most common place to get pickpocketed) to San Francisco, a rural town just South of Quito where we will be holding our after-school programs for the children. Definitely a 180 from the hustle-bustle city of Quito. At this point, I still felt like I was in a dream, not sure how or when to wake up. The bus system is very, very confusing. Many times, it will stop in random places not enroute, and will take unexpected detours. You really have no idea where you’ll end up, unless you have a decent grasp of Spanish. Really gotta step my game up.

San Francisco. Definitely not the San Francisco I know from Cali. Donde estamos?! Sand, dust, some beaten-down houses, stray dogs, and occasional kids juggling a soccer ball. The mountains in the horizon make the scene seem even more surreal. As we approach our program site, a small boy runs towards us, his dog scurrying behind him.

“Hola jeffe hola!!!” He jumps into Seth’s arms, like he is being reunited with his family. He will be one of the poverty-stricken children we will be working with. We are basically his family. I look around me. Everything is so basic and simple—the houses, the trees, the clothes, the classrooms, the playgrounds…I see no signs of “civilization” except an occasional truck roaming the streets. Yet, everyone greets us with smiling faces and a friendly “buenas tardes.” Kids play futbol on the desolate streets (most are as good as or even better than the soccer players in my college—no kidding. Send some scouts over. I’m keeping my eyes open.), men chat on the street curbs, and daughters help their mothers with household chores. What a dichotomy in comparison to the corporate world. This is all these kids and their communities have ever seen, and frankly, a part of me is relieved that they haven’t been exposed and corrupted by commercial materialism.

We loaded a truck full of stuff from last years’ programs (book shelves, folders, books, etc.) and bounced over to Conocoto, where the Manna house is located.

I can’t really complain. In tres semanas, I will be moving into a 6-bedroom house, equipped with a full kitchen, 2 atriums, a room with just hammocks (with sky view), 2 living rooms, 3 bathrooms, and a rooftop with breathtaking 360 views of the mountains and Quito. And we’re only paying 300$/month…for the entire house. Not a really bad deal. I met the rest of the MPI crew: Zac, Craig, Luke, and Annie, and a few summer volunteers. Everyone was very sweet, very accommodating and divertidos. We spent the afternoon barbecuing old fashioned American food (burgers, deviled eggs, barbecue chicken, potato salad, etc.), then headed over to the local park to play whiffle ball and fútbol. Many of the the local kids riding their bikes stopped by to watch; a couple joined us (and whooped us, unsurprisingly). Most of the locals know who we are, as we have built a positive reputation over the past year. Hope we won’t let them down in the years to come. The community makes me feel so much like home; everyone is so warm to us, very welcoming, and open to let us into their culture, and vice versa. I’m really excited to start programs in August, but first, gotta get my Spanish goin. Can’t wait for Spanish class tomorrow!