Otavalo goodbyes

Yesterday we hugged goodbye two of our numbers, Dunc and Eliah. It should come as no surprise that the two cuarenta partners planned their Ecuadorian evacuation together; yes, they both claimed Graduate School as their individual reasons for leaving on the same day, but I'm not buying it. They just couldn't stand to be down here if the other was not :)

In anticipation of their departure, last weekend all eight of us oldies piled into a bus headed for Otavalo. I have to admit I was a little hesitant to go there; in our trusty Lonely Planet guide book Otavalo is written up as a "must see place for tourists of all kind, due to its enormous weekend market,". The last place I wanted to stay with my seven people was a touristy market town, surrounded by leather key chains and alpaca floor rugs and painted shot glasses...no thank you. So imagine my surprise when our camioneta drove out of the town, up the cobblestone street right into the mountains and just kept going. Up, up, up we drove, jostling around in the back of an old white truck, backpacks and knees and laughs jumbling around with us, until we came to La Luna, our hostel picked by Dunc.

It was perfect. Nestled into the side of a big old hill covered in golden grasses and swaying trees, the place had crisp white walls, fire places, colorful hammocks, homemade guacamole, and a ton of board games. But most importantly it had connecting rooms and one big dinner table for all of us to sit around and reminisce, eat, play and read.

Here's to our last hurrah together! It's been a great year, huh.
-Holly

Serena and Jos goof around while running back down to the hostel.

Serena and Eliah get ready for a serious game of Guess Who?

While Dana and Mark battle it out in Cuarenta.

View on the way to the waterfall.

Love that self timer.

Spot Serena.

Recreating a Quito statue we pass every time we bus into the city.

Trying to squeeze everyone onto a small rock. Why not.

Eliah and I share some rock space.

Rousing game of Clue next to the fireplace.


Mark tries to roast a marshmallow with a piece of burning paper...?

Dunc takes in the view on a Sunday hike.

The steep trek up to the summit begins.

View of Cayambe from the top of Fuya Fuya (my first Ecuadorian summit!)

Danabean and I channel our Colorado mountains.

The climbing crew.

A condor sighting from the summit. Rare and wonderful, as it's estimated there are only 65 in the whole country.

The Year Ahead

(Kicking off Monday right, a new voice in the 'guest blog' world, MPIE's new Country Director, Bibi Al-Ebrahim)

"Last week I was not here in Ecuador. I was across the globe at my brother’s wedding and fully enjoying a family trip. But, it was impossible not to think of Ecuador, not to think of the new Program Directors with whom I will spend the next year, not to be concerned with what I may have been missing. I suppose angst stemmed from my fear of missing out on some group adventure or inside joke.

As the new Country Director for Manna Ecuador I too am starting a new adventure. And it may be just that that this group of new PDs, the first group of PDs under my supervision, will prove to be the most influential and sentimental in my experience. Although Ecuador and Spanish are no longer new to me, the position of Country Director and the responsibility that comes with such a position are. With such responsibility comes my wish to do the job well, not just for the organization, not just for me, but for us- a group comprised of individuals with different histories, and clearly different futures, but with the same desire of spending the next year together. Right now, in the present, we have chosen to do this together, encouraging me to do my best.

And in wanting to do my best I often have to tell myself to take one step at a time, to not expect to know everything only six weeks into the game. Under Mark Hand and the 2008/2009 PDs my transition period has been wonderful; I’ve been pushed to learn Manna ways and all its various components in a positive, patient, and gentle manner. It’s in this same way that I hope to guide the new PDs into Spanish, into Ecuador, and into Manna. The more I think about it, the intimacy of my six weeks with the old PDs acts as a reminder that the beauty of the new PD transition period and the year to come does not only lie in inside jokes and adventures, but in the learning together. And that I should not worry about missing out on, because I too have a lot to learn.

-Bibi"

Brass Kunckles and Birthday Cakes

Hey all.

It's been a week since there's been anything new on here, hasn't it? Seeing as how this is in fact called the "Daily Life Blog", that is a little more than shameful. Sincere apologies all around.

Right now it feels like my sinus cavity has been punched a few times by someone wearing brass knuckles while his friend poured molasses into my lungs and is now sitting on my chest. And I'm not the only one who is feeling like this, so things are pretty good down here, as you might have guessed.

Aside from that delightful update on the health status of the Manna house dwellers, I'm at a loss for where to start with recapping the past few weeks. And so I turn to the trusty Manna camera to do the job for me. Thanks Manna Cam!

(And ps. Happy Birthday today to Sarah Scott!)

Tuesday sports day at the library; nothing like an obstacle course competition to release pent-up library energy.

The picture doesn't actually do it justice, but when Dana and I saw the hills alight with glowing red sunset shadows on Tuesday evening, we very nearly wept from the grandeur of it all. Very nearly.

Wednesday at the library is Theater Day, taught by two friends from a local Theater company. The kids are in absolute LOVE with Wednesdays.

Just look at those engaged faces! Like I said, LOVE.

Chet Polson celebrates his 22nd birthday with a cake that braved 2 forms of Ecuador's public transportation with me.

View from Pichincha.

Mike Gabrys, Dana, Sarah Scott, Serena and Chet Polson strike a one-legged (?) pose up on Pichincha.

Sarah and Chet bond on Pichincha.

Serena and Dana love each other and Pichincha.

-Holly

Old and New

(And now, a special weekend update from Dana Conway)

"So as you've heard, it is in fact true. The new Program Directors arrived late last week and have been through a whirlwind of events beginning with orientation in Miami, meeting the Nicaragua team along with MPI's staff, juggling their way through customs with the swine flew scare, waking up in home stays with Ecuadorian families, being shoveled into one-on-one language classes for four hours a day while also taking salsa lessons, visiting city parks and worrying about what Spanish homework they have due the following day . I'm afraid we've barely given them enough time breath, let alone to decide if this is at all what they had in mind as the beginning of a year long adventure.

I was lucky enough to get to spend the last few days with our new PD's in Quito, exploring the city and introducing them to all of our favorite hang outs we have discovered in the past year. Hearing all of their questions and inquiries, I was quickly reminded of my first days in Quito and my first impressions of what would be come my new home. While I had an experience different than most, spending my first three weeks in the city alone, seeing their wide eyes and exuberant stairs brought me right back to where I was nine months ago. The city felt unimaginably large, the buses were just as confusing as they were intimidating, and the way the metropolis tangled into every corner of these heaping mountains was more stunning than any city I had ever seen. While some of that has changed, (I now know my way around Quito and exactly how to get to the places I need to go), I still loose breath at the site of this massive capital tucked away into the Andes Mountains. Despite that I have been here for months, I blended right in with the all the new kids as we gazed in awe looking down into chaos from the western hills above.

Now it is beginning to sink in that these are the people I will get to spend my next four months with, living and working and learning with each of them. From the start of my time with Manna I have been the newbie, arriving late and consequently leaving late too. And here I am once again, the awkward newbie. Their four days in Miami and synchronized schedules for the next three weeks left me wondering if I would be set apart from the nine of them once we began our work in the valley. Fortunately, I'm confident we did one hell of a job selecting applicants and no longer fear forever being the newbie, but now instead dread the thought of only having four months with these guys, while they get to have thirteen with each other.

These next few weeks will prove to be quite the challenge sorting out how to let go of the people who first welcomed me. Together we formed a bond with each other that is not only stronger than anything I have ever experienced amongst so many unique people, but beyond irreplaceable; Its hard to imagine my daily life here without them. However change is often refreshing and usually for the better. Therefore I cant wait to see what kind of exciting things this change will bring.

-Dana"

Limbo Day at the Library

(Guest Blogger of the week: Jocelyn Lancaster!)

"Programming at the library during July is a bit different than the rest of the year. We have dismantled Children’s Art and English classes to give Holly and Dana time to focus on other projects that have been put on the back burner throughout the year, and implemented new activities for each day of the week. Tuesdays are sports day, and the first Tuesday of July, Dana and I were in charge of planning the day’s activity.

During our weekly meeting, I had been struck with a genius (if I do say so myself) idea of organizing a “Limbo Day” sometime in July. Nothing gets kids of all ages (even 23 year old kids) excited like the prospect of cha-cha dancing to fun beach music in a line while putting your balance, and your spinal cord, to the ultimate test- over and over again. While Limbo isn’t what you would traditionally consider a “sport”, Dana and I were rushed to come up with something for sports day since the meeting where the weekly responsibilities are assigned took place at 9pm the night before (here, our work literally never ends- in case any of you parents were concerned about our daily routine)!

That Tuesday at 3, Dana and I took over the teen center with our speakers, iPod, stickers (for incentive), and broom, and waited for our students to arrive. They piled in with their jack-o-lantern smiles and listened as we explained the rules of the game. Now, Limbo is a fantastic game, but even the most amazing, fun, and inspired game in the world can get boring after a while. Anticipating this inevitable reality, Dana and I, being the clever and responsible people that we are, had planned a second activity to follow Limbo- another fantastic game called Musical Chairs. Unfortunately, the inevitable reality of boredom does not only apply to games such as the former, but to the latter as well. Do not be mistaken into thinking that Dana and I retreated into a state of frustration or chaos when our carefully planned activities took up only half the time they were supposed to. If living in Ecuador has taught us one thing, it is to never accept defeat, especially in the presence of 6-11 year olds. Thinking quickly on our feet, we led them in a surprisingly successful “human knot” activity (where you stand together and grab random people’s hands before attempting to untangle yourselves) followed by an exhilarating leap-frog competition spanning the length of the teen center.

Looking at our watches at 4:05 with a sigh of relief, we accompanied the kids back out to the library where they quickly dispersed to take part in their activity of choice- puzzles, reading, blokus, mancala, drawing, etc.- happy and fulfilled. After being consumed with leading the summer English program in San Juan for the past two months, I sure have missed the excitement and unpredictability of the library. Limbo day with Dana and the munchkins was a perfect way to be welcomed back.

-Jocelyn"