Dec 2005

HI all,

Second day of work, much better than the first.
All the children are just really special, I get so much gratification from working.. its a bit much to say on the second day, but we have alot of ideas regarding the project, because as I said there is a hell of a lot to do..
Some of the nuns are really unpleasant, quite unfriendly to us the volontaries and the children as well. There isn´t so much dedication put into the project, partly due to the lack of financial situation, but also personal dedication is lacking in parts.
There is one child I am absolutely in love with. Because we are few volontaries you really have to watch out that you don´t spend more time with one than the other, because the children will take it much to heart if they feel that you like one more than the other. all the children are so affectionate, always hugging you and talking to you.
One child was crying today because he misses his parents. I was talking to the children today about where they come from and the destinies are so tragic, just really sad. Parents were alcoholics, or just didn´t care about them, dead or work really hard doing some bad job so I guess they lack the time, energy and patience to care for their children.
Some children are really quiet and obviously have experienced things no child should do. Then again on the other hand it is amazing how happy they can be at times.
Today perhaps going to an Ecuadorian movie, have to see. I am so busy with classes, homework, work and trying to sort out the everyday stuff. Next week my classes stop as my Spanish is at quite a good level and I learn most from practicing.

Anyways,
got to go shopping for food and handing out leaflets for a fundraising event we are doing.

Laura

Going to make this one poignant, as I am quite tired..

Yesterday we went to view the project and afterwards for a walk around the old town which is stunning, the part where we are working too.

In the evening we went to a catholic mass which was quite beatiful in a really big church resembling the stephansdom, with a woman singing with microphone who has a very meditational voice. The service was very traditional and in the way of catholics, quite official yet passionate and glorifying of their God.

Afterwards I went out with a very nice Ecuadorian boy who has studied classical music in Moscow and Stockholm and is very informed about Sibelius..

Today in the morning we started work. The centre is very disorganized, headed by catholic nuns who are quite authorative and distanced with the kids. One of the nuns is very pleasant though. There are two other nice volontaries apart from us who are very friendly, Michael a german boy and Nelly a british-indian girl.
They have been in the project for over a month so they are very helpful. the centre is quite dirty and obviously lacking in financial resources. It is however very beautiful with large balconies overlooking the city.

In the mornings we have classes with the kids, usually in small groups, teaching them to read and spell and more according to their level which is obviously very variant, some old kids can not read, whereas some young ones have gone to school for some time before landing on the street. The children are incredibly sweet and obviously in need of some affection, they are always hugging you and blabbering on about their days. There are some really special kids, who are obviously very intelligent and compassionate, and others that don´t really have a sense of discipline or why you need to learn things, sit down and listen to people etc.
the volontaries have a huge task as they are the only ones apart from 2 teachers of which one is only present each day, who teach the children and really spend time with them. There is some racial discrimination between the black children and Ecuadorian ones. The children are forced to do tasks in the kitchen, carpentry, which at times is in too vast plentitude, especially when it comes to the black kids.
Spending time with the kids is so rewarding and they return the favour with lots of affection.

Afterwards, two hours of intensive Spanish, only reciting irregular verbs, which I thought was a little unnecessary in that extent. My teacher is really sweet and once you get her talking she blabbers on and on and repeats herself atleast 5 times.

today we are handing out flyers for the project to collect money through a fundraising event.
Otherwise I have nothing in mind but cooking some tortillas and enjoying the delicious array of fruits available. You can buy fresh thick pure juice of Guanabanas and other exotic fruits for less than 50 euro cents.. heavenly, empanadas etc. the food here is very good, I guess a little bit of an international mixture of Latin and spanish foods.
I will have to try Cuy.. Guinea pig sometime which is an indigena traditional dish.. hmm
Ok stopping as need a little rest, have been on my feet for ages.
Laura

Hello all,

Time has passed quickly here. There is so much to do and see.
On saturday morning we left for a trip outside Quito. At first we took the bus to a bit of a tourist location: the equator monument. It was nothing very special, but I guess a little bit of a reminder that you are somewhere else and I guess kind of cool. After that we took the bus to a small village and climbed up a huge hill to a volcano Pulaluhua (I am not entirely sure that that is how it is spelled.) Its a dormant volcano since long and theres a little village in the crater. It was worth the hike.

Afterwards we took another 2 hour bus ride and afterwards a hitch which is very common in Ecuador, as you do pay to get the ride on the back of a landwagon to Mindo, a very small town in the midst of forests and next to a river Mindo. The town was very small, very basic and surrounded by amazing landscapes. Ecuador is so beautiful with lots of mountains, volcanoes, forests, rivers, coast also etc. it is just so variable. As we ascended the volcano, the mountain peaks were embedded in clouds and fog as we were really high and it was just quite spectacular.

In Mindo we were invited to a fiesta by someone at the street so we ended up going to a house party where we met lots of nice people, the people hosting it were from galapagos islands, we also met 2 German girls working in the embassy in Quito, 2 girls doing stuff by the UN in quito, there are many foreigners that have some weird job or reason to be here.

Today we took seriously a 6 hour hike to a waterfall and down again. I am so incredibly tired and a little sunburnt.. yes it is around 20-25 degrees here.. sunny but not too hot.

Yup and then another long busride, tourists pay a different price than locals here for everything, which I guess really is quite fair. The door of our bus fell off and we didn´t even stop for a second longer. as if it was totally normal, I guess it is?

The people outside Quito I guess are a little friendlier and a lot poorer too.

The indigenas are pretty much doomed for the worse jobs.

Anyways I¨ll stop here because I really am quite tired.

Hola,

i´m alot more rested now, I slept lots last night.
There´s a really nice Belgian girl staying with me in the appartment. Otherwise there aren´t any other volontaries, because it is just a small hostel with lots of different people. A group of volontaries are arriving next week.

Yesterday was another added day of fiesta here with lots of fireworks and different events, we just saw a glimpse because we didn´t really know where to go and it is not advisable to just start walking around at night.. we were also very tired. went to the airport to try and pick up my rucksack with little success. The Ecuadorian service consists of people who tell you to go to someone else as quickly as possible and it hadn´t arrived, another try tomorrow. One man even pointed to a wall "tiene que seguir todo recto!".. hmm, nothing there.

Today I had 4 hours of spanish classes in the afternoon. My teacher is really young, very friendly and speaks soo fast... I don´t speak anything but Spanish here, also with the Belgian girl, its really good for learning the language but quite tiring, because you´re always figuring out what to say.

We also took the morning to walk around the city as well as having a meeting with the project leader. I´´m definetly working in the street children project and might even live there later, not sure yet. The project requires lots of independence, sounds very demanding but really interesting.
The new part of the city which we walked around today is quite oldfashioned in the European sense but with big office buildings, lots of authentic small cafes and restaurants. It is quite broken and dirty, often we almost walked into a very deep pit, which they have lots of. However there are lots of big beautiful parks with street artists and interesting sculptures. Ecuadorians are very helpful and friendly, but quite quiet and seem a little serious too. There is a big difference between having some relation to them and talking to strangers who are perhaps a little hostile even. All the people I´ve really met are very sincere and friendly, they ask lots of questions and are really interested in you. That is perhaps one thing i could characterise them by, sincerity. They are quite calm and relaxed about life, content. They don´t put so much emphasis on everything like in Europe, but I can´t really put things into words yet as I´ve been here for such a little time. There are pretty many poor beggars and people who try to sell you little things like chewing gum or ask to polish your shoes. Lots of children too which is really sad, a really nice man of the organisation drove me to the airport yesterday in the evening and at night you see very young kids , around 4 years old on the streets.

Today we are celebrating the hostel owners, who is so friendly birthday. He has a little boy with epilepsy who we are also helping to take care of a little later on, because he has alot to do.

I am doing only Spanish courses this week, but on monday I already start working half day. I´m excited to start and meet more people, because we are a little lonely with the belgian girl because there is no one else at the hostel and neither of us know the city at all, but that will come with time.

Take care

So I have finally found my way to Quito.. after my little problematic flight, plane to Milano was cancelled, had to fly through London and Miami instead and stay a night in Miami, don´t think I´ve ever staid in a weirder hotel, from having somebody strange call me in Spanish at 5 in the morning and ask me how I am just in general and then let me know that she instead was looking for her husband to a very funny dinner with really a "glass" of wine like you serve a big portion of water.. .
Coincidentally however I met a really nice girl in the cue who had missed the exactly same route to quito, who also ïs here for 3 three months doing her dissertation for international development about the different working conditions of women on flower plantations in Ecuador. If you buy flowers from Ecuador in Vienna try to buy those that have been harvested in just working conditions, theres a whole fair trade kind of thing going on there so you just need to ask.
So I have atleast one contact in Quito, somebody to perhaps travel with. Sometimes you think whether it is more than just luck that you meet someone you get along with so well just by immaculate chance.

My English is already stuttering. Probably as I am very very tired from my 40 hour journey as well as the fact that I need to get used to speaking only Spanish. Somehow I am making myself understood and its not all that difficult. Understanding is quite easy as in Ecuador they speak very clearly and the words are basically fancy English words with an o at the end and said more aggressively.
I havén´t met anyone yet, theres noone at the appartment which is very central, well organised and has a really nice aesthetic touch and design.. The owner is a very friendly man.
There are alot of foreigners in this district.

I still have to pick up my backpack from the airport as it stayed somewhere in London and is arriving today later. That was an interesting conversation with the person in charge as they really did not speak English and I had to talk in all different tenses and answer lots of questions.. I wouldn´t want to hear that translated.

The city is extremely quiet today as I just missed a week of fiesta and bullfighting and because everyone is tired from the fiesta, there is a holiday today.. I like this attitude..
It looks very Southern, very shabby, I can´t really say as I just drove through, but its surrounded by beautiful mountains and a volcano.

Laura, it was such a lovely time in the Christkindlmarkt, it was really something quite special. thank you so much for coming to the airport so early...
Muchos besitos,
hope you are all fine and happy
Laura