Quilotoa!

What a weekend that was!

Hey folks!  Sitting down with my morning cup of joe reflecting on an amazing retreat we just returned from in Quilotoa.  Resting about 14,000 feet above sea level, this amazing crater lake was formed about 800 years ago after the collapse of a volcano and expands about 2 miles at its widest.

Arriving Saturday midday, we spent the afternoon huddled around the wood stove with cups of tea for our group discussion on changes in our programs after the holiday vacations and the cultural differences we have encountered so far here in Ecuador.  After a lengthy but quality conversation and dinner, we retired to our room for a good nights rest.

Sunday morning we filled our bellies with a hearty breakfast and set off for the lake.  Only about a half-hour descent, we "chilled" on the beach below as the wind whipped the cold through the valley, taking photos, skipping rocks, and enjoying the natural beauty of the area.  Going down was the easy part, going up is another thing.  After completing the ascent back to the hostal, we packed our bags and heading off for our next hike of the day.  Completing the trek from Quilotoa to Chugchilan took us about 5 hours, with an hour detour (maybe my fault..) and stopping for PB&J and tuna sandwiches.  The 10.25 km hike took us high on the ridge of the crater, dropping us down through the sandpits, into another small village where we purchased lollipops and continued our journey.  Feeling the burn of the workout and sun at this point, we thought we were closing in on our destination. Wrong.  With another 6.5 km to go we strolled the main road, the only road, to our next descent.  Squeezing our bodies through tight corridors of rock and sand, we dropped another thousand feet or so into the valley below.  Meeting an nice family who offered Joey and myself some pineapple soda, we continued onward, and upward.  Seeing Chugchilan atop the valley walls seemed like an insurmountable task.  Crossing the bridge below and up through the fields of the locals' farms, we finally returned to civilization.  Walking through the town of Chugchilan was short, but not in terms of sights.  Families were out in the streets, grills were fired up with chicken and plantains, Ecuavolley (their version of volleyball which consists of three players to a team with rules somewhat similar to the original sport); the streets were alive with all 30 families that make up the entire village.  Exhausted but feeling accomplished, we enjoyed our dinners and retreated to our rooms for some much needed rest.
With all this adventure and sight-seeing, you would think that we were done.  Little did we know that one of the most enjoyable, or at least memorable experiences would consist of a milk truck.  The only transportation out of town from Chugchilan, besides the 4 am bus, is a small truck that drives the mountain roads collecting milk from the locals.  Jamming ten of us into the back along with the workers and other travelers, space was tight but we all seemed to be enjoying it.  Getting a little bored, I decided to help out and be part of the crew.  Riding fireman style on the back bumper my job was to run and collect the milk containers, measure the volume, hand it over to the worker who would then fill up the large barrels of fresh cow juice.  The other guys decided to participate too.  Before you knew it, we had three Americans riding rear bumper, hopping off and scrambling to find the containers which were either hidden on bank ledges, hanging from some apparatus, or just sitting there on the side of the road.  What a way to travel and to be part of the whole experience.  Laughter filled the back of the truck regardless of our sore, tired muscles.  We loved the milk guys so much, we decided to stay on until the next town where we would be connecting via bus back to home base. 

Exhausted? Yes. Sore? For sure.  Feeling accomplished and enriched by all these experiences? Most definitely.  This week we are closing down the library, finalizing our semester with a good library cleaning, writing up quarterly reports, program meetings, etc.  Secret Santa is tonight and we will be saying bye to most of the group as they return stateside for the holidays with friends and family.  Joey and myself are staying in Ecuador, traveling to Colombia and making the most out of our time here in South America.  One of our group members will not be returning come the new year.  Sarah will be returning home and continuing her passion for non-profit work.  We will miss her for her translating skills and huge contributions to the Small Business Development program, as well as for her love of reggaeton and dancing.

Check back in with us later this week.  All the best to everyone who has been following us throughout the year.  Have a safe and happy holiday break!

Besos,
Pete

Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Break Group: Afterthoughts..

After some minor internet disturbances, we are back to blogging.  Here is a follow-up from one of the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving break volunteers, Andrew Legan. 

Our first two days in Ecuador introduced us to a world of spontaneous
catch phrase tournaments and mystery meat street foods.  After touring
Quito and the surrounding area, we six Vandy volunteers were excited
to get to work renovating the Teen Center.  Our work began on Tuesday
and finished on Friday.  During that short time, the Teen Center
received a new dartboard, expanded space for activities, Koosh
basketball, corn hole game supplies, a new paint job, and much more.

Friday’s debut of the Teen Center was a success, bringing both old and
new faces to the Center.  The jóvenes thoroughly enjoyed the new goods
and the renovated room.  The party proceeded virtually without
discipline problems (except for a stuffed animal’s mysterious loss of
a leg) and served to show the kids how cool the Teen Center can be.
Hopefully, from now on, the Teen Center will be the popular place for
any idling teens in Rumiloma.

All in all, our week with MPI was an excellent introduction to a new
country and to new friends.  Although we were only there for a week,
in hindsight the trip seems like it lasted a month thanks to
everything the Program Directors had planned for us.  Our excitement
complemented the energy of the PDs, and our two groups mixed
perfectly.  We returned to the US with an expanded perspective on
service and with new friends in the Chillos valley.

Teen Center: Before and After

The new and improved Teen Center has been open for a week and there has been in a noticeable uptick in attendance. We've already had two big events as well. Our party to open up the new space last Friday was an awesome time. We had about 12-15 kids come through with the biggest draws being the new koosh hoop and dart board. We're getting a new xbox and new N64 games so I'm sure the new video game corner will re-take its rightful place as the most popular area. Peter, Joey, and I are planning on having an all-night video game party with the projector. We thought about inviting the kids but realized we should probably test everything to make sure it works properly first. You know, for the kids and all. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking for me.

Before

 

Dirty, disheveled, a downright downer

 Jenny: Sad and Lonely

Eh

After

 Getting some teen help with the projector screen

New paint, new lights, new friends

 

Some of our volunteers, PDs, and the boss. 

I need a haircut

Video game and computer corner plus some cornhole

 

Our new permanent contrct

More Internet Excuses/Volunteer Group

We've had some shaky internets over the past couple of weeks so prepare yourself for a slew of posts spanning our Teen Center revamp with our great volunteer group from Vanderbilt to a new video chronicling a day in the Ecuador PD's life. We'll start out with a post written up by Colin, one of the volunteers that were here last week.

Earlier this week, an awesome group of six Vanderbilt students arrived to spend their Thanksgiving break with us.  So far, it's been an incredible time.  We started off the week by spending a couple days touring around Quito and other sites in the area.  Some of the highlights included the Oswaldo Guayasamín Museum, the markets at La Mariscal, old town Quito, and the equator line(s) at Mitad del Mundo, "lines" being plural because there is one that is purely a tourist attraction and one that is actually the equator line.  Unsurprisingly, the real equator, complete with shrunken heads, is the better attraction.

After getting our feet wet and refining our Catch Phrase skills, we began our work at the Teen Center.  Despite the fact that the Center has lost some of its usual crowd due to technical problems with the videojuegos, it still has a lot of potential.  Hopefully we will see some new faces around after repainting the walls, adding a projector screen, bargaining with our carpenter amigos to help us build some new muebles, and purchasing a few more items, most importantly a Koosh basketball hoop.  The reopening party on Friday is destined to be a success.

We'll keep you posted!

So the posting was a little late, but you can get the general idea of how enthusiastic they were to get started. And yes, we did end up Koosh basketball hoop and the kids love it.

Rock Climbing!

Maria and Joshua demonstrating correct form.

Jessica scales the wall as Jefferson looks on impressed.

Steven enjoying the view.

What a beautiful day and view!

Just too cute to ignore.

Last Saturday the Teen Center team had a rock climbing field trip.  With the help of our good friend Joshua, a professional mountain guide, the team along with the teens set off for a morning of climbing cliffs.

Joshua knows this area close to our neighborhood where him and his climbing buddies practice and hone their skills.  Apparently the family who owns the property allows for climbers to enter for a small fee.  From there we descend down the steep hills, cross over the crashing cascades of a small river, and through the forest out into the open field where the cliffs stand tall.  

Jenni, Jefferson, our boss Heather and myself had a wonderful time watching the kids reach new heights.  Some had never been rock climbing before, but this was not obvious as nearly everyone scaled the face and reached the summit about thirty-five feet up.  Jenni and Heather were our belayers, while Joshua coached the teens through the cracks and crevasses.  After seeing Sebastien, one of the teens, master the toughest route, I decided to give it a go.  What a great workout and experience for everyone involved.  A definite success and a great shared experience, we returned home bug-bitten and tired. 

With little rest we welcomed the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving-break volunteer group that very night.  Look for more posts this week about their activities with us and at the Teen Center, where most of our efforts will be focused this week revamping the space, constructed organizational materials and games, and revitalizing the space for our teens.

Thanks for checking in folks - stay classy!