Part 1: Business Class... in Spanish...

(Today is Part 1 of this week's Guest Blog from Mr. Chet Polson, king of garbage take-out, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and incessant reader of the mummy book to Selena - imagine Chet semi-yelling, "UNAAA MOMIAAAA!" roughly 50 times per day in the library and you've got a pretty good idea of the mummy book's plot. Chet recently completed a small business course, along with microfinance partner-in-crime, Erik Swanson. Here's what Chet had to say about the course... Enjoy! Look out for Part 2 tomorrow!)

Blog-writer side note: sorry for the on-and-off blogging around here... these power outages/internet failures make blog writing (and showering) a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type thing.

"It has been a while since I last checked in. Too much has gone on in the interval to fully describe, but there is one recent occurrence that sticks out when I think about everything I want to write about (other than my current attempt to grow a mustache). Erik and I (team Microfinance) are now CERTIFIED to TRAIN small business class INSTRUCTORS here in Ecuador.

Sounds pretty cool right? Well it is; I have my certificate/diploma/licensure propped up on my bookshelf. “But what is this certification? Where did it come from? Why was it more than a waste of time? Do you have any good stories from the class?”—Those are all good questions imaginary readers, so let me try to fill you in.

This was put on through CIDE (Centro de Innovación y Desarrollo Empreserial), a section of ESPE (Escuela Politécnica del Ejército), our local military polytechnic institute. Dunc and Eliah put on/attended a small business class through them last year, but due to the rather large time commitment this class wasn’t as accessible to the communities we work in as we’d like them to be. Erik and I underwent this training to become capable to teach these very same courses on our own in the community. After much discussion all around, we decided on the certification to train instructors rather than simply attending the basic small business class and taking good notes in order to seem more qualified to put on a class in the community (and also to get a better handle on the information). As an important side note, we were able to pay the fees for this class with some of the funds I have raised over my initial obligation; so thanks donors, for helping bring small business classes to Rumiloma and the surrounding area.

This class had its fair share of difficulties getting off the ground. We initially met with CIDE to talk about this in July. We were told to check back September first. After several more meetings about what course we wanted to take, costs, and students, we set a date for the second week of October. This fell through. We set a new date for the last week of October. We got final confirmation and a large supply list Friday morning before class was to begin the following Monday, which made for a busy weekend.

This class was tough, readers. The material was straightforward, but getting through the class was quite difficult. It was a 25-hour certification over the course of the week: we had class from 8am-1pm Monday-Friday. We then had to roll straight on into programs at the library (which got sequentially harder as the days went on) making for 12-hour work days (which was a "good" experience). We had to be out the door around 7:15 to complete our mile walk to the puente, fight the morning commuters on the bus, and be sitting in front of our classroom by 8am. The class was also completely taught in Spanish (Surprise!). This wasn't exactly to punish us, in fact, most of my notes are in Spanish, which is helpful, but it was certainly challenging. This course was designed for people with or actively seeking college degrees, and with only 5 people in the class total, a lot was expected of Erik and I participation-wise..."

... to be continued tomorrow.

Electric Feel

As I'm sure you've noticed, our blogging has been a little haphazard throughout the last week and a half. Although we always have excuses, this one is actually legitimate (ie: not because of travel, procrastination, or forgetfulness): The Andean region of Ecuador is in the midst of the worst drought in four decades.

What does this have to do with writing the blog, you may ask? Well, when you live in a country that gets about 60% of its energy from hydroelectric power, severe droughts lead to power outages and subsequent lack of internet. At first we weren't aware of any set schedule of blackouts and would find ourselves abruptly interrupted while nuking coffee mid-morning or feeling around for toilet paper in a dark library bathroom stall. But now, thanks to some local friends, we have a website (www.eeq.com.ec) that gives us daily power outage updates, which Chet graciously e-mails out to our list-serve each evening. It looks like tomorrow's blackout will be taking place between 7 and 11p.m. which leaves us with a candle-lit family dinner and making flashlight puppets on the living room walls to entertain ourselves until bedtime.

Besides living by the moonlight, we've also been up to a few productive things since we've talked to you last. This past Saturday we participated in a very successful town meeting discussing both health and environmental topics with community members. Erik and I took the stage first, presenting our survey findings about installing public trash bins, cutting down on litter, and combating trash incineration. We were ecstatic at the enthusiastic response supporting these projects and numerous inquisitions about starting a public recycling program to raise money for the municipality. Sonia and Krysta also presented forum questions about whether a preventative health clinic would be something our community would both want and need. The lively discussion brought up concerns about topics ranging from increasing cancer victims in the community to parasitic water. The response was overwhelmingly in favor of such a facility and is a big step for our efforts to research and start our own preventative facility.

Keep on truckin,

Jackie

ps. For an accurate depiction of what the rainy season is supposed to be like, please see any one of these entries: http://openhandsdirtyfeet.blogspot.com/search/label/rain

Vamos a la Playa!

Thanks to back-to-back feriados on Monday and Tuesday, we had a four-day weekend last weekend (couple that with practically daily power outages and that would explain the extended blog absence). Eight of us chose to pack up and head for the coast for some much-needed R&R. (Erik had a rugby game in Quito, which they won!) The travelers hopped on a night bus from Quito to Canoa on Saturday night... and after some really great sleep in the really comfortable chairs (ha.), blaring Reggaeton music, the coldest air conditioning known to man (who knew they had AC in Ecuador?!), and a water taxi ride at 6am... we made it to Canoa. At 7:30am on Sunday.

Thankfully we had plenty of time to catch up on our lost sleep, as we spent the majority of our three days laying on the beach, napping in exquisitely-placed hammocks, eating lots of seafood, frequenting the Magnum ice cream bar shops (try 2-3 times per day...), and drinking as much ice cold Fanta as physically possible.

We headed back to Quito late Tuesday night and arrived home at about 7am on Wednesday... with plenty of time for naps and showers before opening the library and teaching English class that afternoon. :) Oh the joys of overnight buses... but definitely vale la pena.

Krysta and Haley show off the comforts of the overnight bus

Shawn loves them, too!

The beach in Canoa

More of Canoa's beach... and some of the little tienda huts that line the main road

Dinnertime at a local pizza place

The other half of the table

The beach at sunset

The girls grabbed dinner while waiting for their bus back to Quito... and consumed just a few Cokes along the way. (Did I mention there were no bathroom stops during the 7-hour trip? Painful.)

Krysta demonstrates the proper reading-on-the-overnight-bus strategy. We were THOSE gringos on the bus...

Thanks for checking in...
Sarah

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

This week's guest blog comes from our boss, leader, and most importantly, friend and compañera, Bibi Al-Ebrahim. Bibi more or less started her time with Manna at the same time as us and has been doing an unbelievable job guiding our projects, running her own, and moderating anything and everything that happens in the house. We look up to her for most everything including motivational talks, coffee-making skills, and (especially) fierce leadership on the soccer field. Thanks for putting up with all of our antics; we love you B-squared!

"I haven’t told anyone, but I think I may be falling in love. I don’t want to admit it, or lose any street cred, but it’s true, I am falling in love…with a group of people - all younger than me. I never anticipated the extent of such a sentiment and had you told me a few months ago, I would have called you crazy for thinking it possible. But here I am, months into our adventure together, and I find myself always thinking about, and even missing them. It’s not healthy, and although I have yet to draw ‘Bibi hearts Ecuador10’ in my notebook, I never-the-less always find myself wondering about what they’re doing, whether they’re safe, what they’re learning, and even what cool idea they’re going to come up with next.

Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. I just read the first guest blog I wrote months ago when I was considered to be in the ‘transition stage’ of the Country Director position. I did anticipate some of this happening, but like I said, not to this extent. As predicted, this group of PDs, my first, has been an incredibly influential group - impressing upon me positive and lifelong experiences and lessons learned. How could that not carry or llevar some sentiment of love?

Now, you may be asking why I’ve chosen to write about this in my second guest blog and not about something more Country Director-like, such as programs, or community affairs, or organizational future plans. I’ve chosen to write something cursi (cheesey), because 1) the PDs have been doing a great job updating you with programs and community affairs; 2) sometimes I think it’s necessary step back, see the bigger picture, and focus on the positive; and 3) I’ve just finished one-on-ones. For the last four weeks, I have spent a few hours with each PD, alone. Most have been lunch dates, and typically meant trying something new and adding some variety to my not-so-diverse diet. We spend the few hours together talking about social contentedness, professional fulfillment, personal tidbits that often only come up in more intimate settings, and how their overall experience could be improved.

A few pounds heavier, I proudly confess to the blogging world upon completing all the one-on-ones, that my love for this group of PDs is deep and true. Incredibly different, at first, the group didn’t have the chemistry many wished for or even expected, but they have worked non-stop to build, from great differences, friendships. It is clear that despite the constant loss for words and confusion of living in a different country, the glue that binds this group together is Ecuador and our work. With a few last words, Ecuador10, I would like to say something positive, as both motivation and straight up recognition; I tip my hat to you, for sticking with each other despite the occasional (or not so occasional) aggravation of it, for sticking with Ecuador even when you’ve been so uncomfortable you’ve wanted to hide, and in light of all of that, finding a way to make this year happen.

Ecuador10, admiring our fearless leader

- Bibi"

"App-lays" and "Grap-ays" - Welcome to Children's English class

This week marked the beginning of a new vocabulary unit in my section of Children's English. My little students (ages 5-9) are currently learning the names of different foods (fruits, vegetables, etc.) in class. Today, in order to add a little spice to the potentially monotonous review of vocabulary words, I decided to take my kids down to the nearest tienda to purchase the ingredients for a fruit salad. Each student had his or her own note card with a picture of a piece of fruit and a number on it, and they were required to retrieve that fruit for the salad. The kicker: they had to ask me for the fruit in English, before I would translate and ask the woman who works the tienda in Spanish.

Picking out fruit at the tienda

Trying not to go crazy with kids pushing each other to be first in line, yelling, etc...

The kids were super excited when they found out we'd be taking a trip during class... even if it was only a few blocks down the street. :) Thankfully, I had the help of Krysta to keep their rambunctiousness down while we took turns asking the tienda woman for our ingredients. After we finished buying everything, we walked (ok, so the boys raced... typical) back to the library and began making our fruit salad.

Krysta getting the kids to line up and stop shouting (thank goodness she helps out on Wednesdays...)

We let them peel and cut the bananas, oranges and strawberries (with butter knives, of course!)... while Krysta and I worked on the pineapple, apples, kiwis and mangoes. By the time we finished cutting and eating, we had 9 extremely sticky, but happy kids... and a huge mess. But it was well worth it.

My sticky, but happy, English class

Here's a short video of the kids during the eating process... we asked them what they thought of the fruit salad, to which they replied (in unison), "RICAAAAA!" or "DELICIOUSSSS!" We also asked what fruits were in the salad... they answered in their super cute accented English (i.e. "app-lay," "grap-ay," etc.). This is just a small taste of what we get to experience every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. :)

Hasta la proxima vez,
Sarah

PS. Here's the view from the roof of the library at sunset... pretty sweet, yeah?