When the cat is away...

The mice will work on Saturday at our second Minga.

That was my weak attempt at a joke, trying to scare Mark (who is currently on a plane back to the states) into thinking all we're going to do for the next week is sit around feeding each other pineapple on our roof. He'll be gone for the next week, but honestly things are picking up so quickly down here that we really won't have much of a chance to even pretend to slack off in his absence :)

This post is late in coming today because we just got back from Quito, where we watched the Vice Presidential debate between Governor Palin and Senator Biden. Disclaimer: I promise I won't use the daily life blog as some kind of political platform from which to spew my ideas, unless those ideas include the establishment of a mandatory dessert hour. While we were all nervous (and some of us a little too eager) to watch Palin after having youtubed her interview with Katie Couric many times, overall both candidates presented their platforms in respectable manners. Which platform is respectable in its own right I'll leave up to you to decide for yourself.

I write about this because, for the first time in our lives, we’re experiencing a presidential election while not actually living in the States. Granted, most (all?) of us have only been able to vote in one prior presidential election, so a precedent hasn’t really been established. Yet it is incredible how passionate we’re all feeling about the whole deal. It’s as if the distance has made us even more involved, wanting so badly to taste the electoral anticipation and read as many articles and editorials as we can, to keep track of our state’s polls and to find key policy pieces which tie us to certain candidates. Maybe every young person experiences this as they become more aware of the scope of elections, but this time around it just feels different; fresher, bigger, closer. And that, written from south of the Equator, is truly saying something.

Holly

(colors in our curtains)

Fresh fruit makes any day better

Usually Wednesdays are reserved for guest blogging, but as I’m sure you’ve come to realize by now, sometimes things don’t go exactly according to plan out here in Manna Daily Life world. Just me tonight :)

Today was a packed day for everyone around the house; survey computation, food runs, finance turnovers, website edits, Apoyo Escolar poster making, church visits to advertise upcoming english and exercise programs, new handbook writing, flyer designing, minga coordinating, language school (love you Dana); we all had our spoons in about 6 different bowls today. Every time I am in charge of venta runs, I’m absolutely amazed at how far our money goes. Here’s a glimpse into this morning’s purchases.

20 bananas
10 apples
5 peaches
3 papayas
10 mini plums
30 eggs
2 heads of broccoli
3 cucumbers
10 carrots
10 red/green peppers
10 aji peppers (similar to jalepenos)
2 mangos

grand total: $10.40...
is that not ridiculous?! As was so kindly pointed out to me tonight, we’re going to have a great time adjusting back to state-side prices after this year.

As some of you may know, we’re in the process of re-writing/re-designing the Manna website, giving her a little love and attention. Mark and Dunc have been persistently pushing for a Spanish language version of the site, and our first translated page is up! Really exciting stuff.
http://www.mannaproject.org/ecuador_es.asp

Also, I’ve been working on writing simplified explanations of all of our programs and the first version of the page is up as well! Check it out for a better understanding of what exactly it is that we’re doing down here, other than befriending dogs and baking cookies. http://www.mannaproject.org/ecuador_programs.asp. Pictures to come, clearly.

(random anecdote) Tonight marks a big step in house bonding, as all the other newbies were able to convince me to watch Donnie Darko. Ever since I saw that movie four years ago, I have had recurring nightmares in which the rabbit Frank watches me from the corner of my room. Serena and Jocelyn have been leaving little “notes” for me around the house (ie. IN MY CLOSET) from Frank in anticipation of tonight’s showing...I can’t tell you how sweet that’s been. I was surprised to find that I really did like the movie, and was even able to watch the parts I missed (while ichatting) later ALONE in my room. That’s huge. They're all pretty proud of me.

Until tomorrow,
Holly

(Dennis, one of our Apoyo Escolar students, playing in the abandoned altar to Mary)

So much time on their hands...

Tonight marked the last night of the two week small business course that Dunc and Eliah organized with the local Cooperativa, and we all tagged along to lend support and applause as the class presented their business plans.

As we sat down to await the first presentation, I found myself looking around the class at all the participants. Ranging from two stylish 20-something girls to a silver-haired man dressed in a dapper suit to a young couple who couldn't find a babysitter for the evening and thus brought along their 2 month old daughter, the class was an eclectic mix. And of course our two gringos were the cherry on top. (Eliah even borrowed a pair of Dunc's pants for a change from his hole-infested jeans!).

Each group presented their plans (a construction company and two papelerias (paper shops)) with a combination of pride and nerves to members of the Cooperativa, the local organization which stands as a potential lender in starting up the businesses. It was exciting to watch Dunc and Eliah and their respective teams put into action all that they'd learned in the past two weeks. After it was all over and the champagne toasting had finished, the boys had looks of semi-disbelief on their faces. Having spent four hours every day for the past two weeks in class, Dunc summed it up when he said "Well, now what are we going to do at night? Hang out?!". We're glad to have them back for dinners :)

Holly
(outside the local Cooperativa (The Hope and Progress of the Valley), co-sponsors of the class)

The Weekend Wonders

This morning, sometime circa 4:45am, Jocelyn and I started making a list of everything I have to daily life blog about after this weekend. No, we’re not insomniacs; the overnight bus we all hopped on Sunday night at 10pm had broken down somewhere in the Ecuadorian countryside, and we were all cuddled around, cranking at each other in garbled Spanglish and trying to focus on all the good that came from Cuenca. Which was a really easy task for Jos and I once we started. Thus follows the list I have to build from this week in the daily life blog.

1. 10 hour bus ride out to Cuenca, the first 2 hours of which were spent listening/watching/avoiding Big Mama’s House, dubbed in horrifically hysterical Spanish.
2. The incredible architecture of downtown Cuenca, especially the central church.

(church arch-ways)

3. The random break-dance off we came across taking place in a gazebo in the middle of Cuenca
4. The feisty (read: MEAN) little old Ecuadorian woman who became incredibly territorial while washing her clothes in the local river, ending in her running at us with a stick.

(right before she started using the stick as a weapon, photo taken from inside my purse...)

5. The Ecuadorian election which happened this weekend, deciding whether or not to pass the new constitution put forth by Corea. Voting in Ecuador is mandatory, thus everyone was traveling, voting, and conversing about it all weekend.
6. Cajas National Park. Incredible.
(one of over 230 lakes found in the park)

7. Our encounter with a self-declared ‘revolutionary’ dressed up as Che, who owned a restaurant called Che, and served us a very strange almuerzo (coupled with a few anti-Bush tirades)
8. The visit to the Panama Hat Museum, and subsequent purchasing of said hats.

(Holly, Jocelyn, Dana (NEWBIE!!), and Serena modeling our new wears)

Thanks for tuning in to yet another wild week down on the Equator!
Holly

Oops...

Greetings from Cuenca!

Don´t have enough time to write an actual update, but I realized this afternoon that in my haste to last minute pack on Thursday for our 10 hour over-night bus, I completely forgot about the daily life blog!

As much as I wanted to just blame it on S.W. (remember, Shifty Wireless?!), I really have no excuse. And seeing as how I´m sitting in an internet cafe next to Serena right now, there really is no way to post a daily picture either!

That said, expect a grand update come Monday. Extending the olive branch NOW :)

Holly