All in all on Thanksgiving
Trip Start
Sep 24, 2008
1
4
41
Trip End
Ongoing
Quito,
Ecuador
Thursday, November 27, 2008
As I lay beneath the stars in a place on earth where they seem close enough to grab, my thoughts run rampant. Rodrigo couldnīt believe that I didnīt want the canopy over the top of the truck. It is cold in Quito at night. Absence of the sun at high altitude, temperature drops quickly. I can hear the traffic passing through the northern end of the city just meters away. Ofelia is an industrial district; it will stay more or less busy all night.
The stars are beautiful, street lamps are sparse and the ceiling can twinkle with the absence of bright lights near the marketplace. My view directly above is the skyscape, in front of me, on the side of the truck is a post leading to a blank billboard. Tonight I am grateful for its lack of advertisement. It brings thoughts of my life into my current situation, comparisons come to minds. I have no idea where I will be in nine months...what will I do with this time in front of me to fill this empty, blank space? Plans constantly fill my thoughts only to be changed or set aside to focus on the present...the billboard, blank, also has so much potential. Who knows what will be advertised, if it will target the audience effectively and accomplish itīs duty, standing high above the ground screaming at itīs spectators for attention, so much potential. Now itīs spotlight is unlit...silence can be such a blessing. I am grateful for the lack of a nightlight.
My thoughts stray a bit. It is Thanksgiving today. My uncles no doubt sang tunes of The Eagles and Credence Clearwater Revival. Hours earlier my family sat around a table and spoke of what they are grateful for this year. Thinking to myself...I ask the same question...What am I grateful for? A single word comes to mind. Access.
Two days ago I was swinging slowly in a hammock as the day winded down. Mimi and Jaime went to a wedding and left me to house sit and watch over the newest volunteers. Mimi arrived that night and was pleased to find a clean house. At the time I was reading Barack Obamaīs autobiography. One of the gringa students was also at their place, Rosa. She spent the two days prior putting finishing touches on her school project that Mimi was overseeing. They were talking about Rosaīs project and experience over the 25 days or so she was in Santa Rosa. It is hard not to eavesdrop while reading a book in a hammock five feet away. Mimiīs questions probed Rosaīs experience, one stuck out a bit more than others. Mimi asked, ĻWhat has stricken you as different more than anything else during your time here?Ļ The response was difficult for her to come up with and had to do with time and schedules. Time is slower here; she a little difficulty with locals not sticking exactly with their scheduled appointments for her project.
For me, this question still today is difficult to answer...It is the question I brought with me when I arrived...expecting to have some profound answer when I finish my stay. As I lay here this evening, I am going to attempt to apply words. One comes to mind again...Access. Access is a major difference, juxtaposing development and unlimited communication next to a life of my Grandfatherīs tools and dollar a minute long distance phone calls to Quito. Giving the idea a bit of thought brings to mind a few experiences.
A week ago there were five young white faces in Santa Rosa. Washington, North Carolina, Minnesota and Wales all were represented. Mary Ellen, a student from UNC, sat down with Andreaīs brother Vinisio one night with an encyclopedia of sorts. They pulled out a map of the world and began to look at the locations of our homes. The conversation ended with Mary Ellen needing a globe to explain that the world doesnīt just end at the edge of the paper. The next day she and I brought a globe and helped Vinisio understand a bit more about the world he lives in. Ecuador is small compared to itīs neighboring countries. In his life, Vinisio has experienced war between Ecuador and Peru. Viewing a map and putting perspective to his story had to be mind boggling. At first glance of South America his words and thoughts dealt with the above mentioned conflict. Seeing their battle over borders in this light can put a twist on things. Peru is 2.5 times the size of Ecuador. The intimidating factors of fighting a much larger enemy can present intense feelings when the smaller stands up to the bigger. National identity and pride was placed before him in relevance to history on the table in the form of a blue ball. That was the first day Vinisio had the opportunity to examine a globe. He is 30 years old with two daughters. One, Amy, lives with him, she is forever smiling. We took the globe out of a dusty box from her school. Access is something we take for granted.
On Monday I will be attending my fourth minga for the bridge. The engineer and I have developed somewhat of an unbalanced exchange relationship based on my need for conversation and his for strength. I have been hiking three or four times a week, passing by the construction site every time. I have not let a chance go by where an opportunity for discussion comes up without stopping for a few minutes to say high. At the last minga, myself and five others from Santa Rosa moved 1200 lb cement tubes down a hill, through the river and up an eight foot barrier via ramps. There were about 20 of them. We used our hands, a rope and 4x4s to create the ramp. At the arrival of each tube to its resting place, shouts could be heard from all of our mouths. Cuidado, cuidado...careful, careful...The last four feet of ramp gave the tube enough momentum to do serious bodily harm to anyone in itīs path. These days are hard work and fun. The locals complain that the river water is cold...it's warmer than lake Goodwin in August...I take the liberty to splash every one of my compaņeros. Reflection on these days brings conclusions to mind, I might not be as close to my neighbors if there werenīt mingas. Often I am 2 or 2.5 times the size of the men. Labor and goals are met with numbers in order to accomplish the task at hand...my assistance is appreciated. My absence would prove the same results in the end, but my presence provides the opportunity to see the work accomplished quicker.
Even in the most remote places in the states, one would find machines doing this labor. John Deer, Kubota and even mores so Tonka are all familiar names. My nephew Sean has Tonka toys that represent some machines that have not been seen by the eyes of children who live in Santa Rosa...Sean is two. Access.
After the Niņo Esperanza concert I was doing a bit of research on the artists. All of them represent countries of South America, mostly Columbia and Ecuador. Their music is well known, with high spin numbers on the radio and many #1 spots on the Billboard charts both locally and internationally. Niņo Esperanza is an offshoot organization of UNICEF, with their support the show was televised nationally on four of the local six broadcast channels to raise funds for street children here in Ecuador. I started my research with MySpace. All of the artists represented throughout the night summed roughly one million hits on their pages. This was a shock for me, I looked into eight musicians. Most successful artists in the United States will have a million plus views of their MySpace page. Internet is a high priced luxury here in Ecuador, anything that requires a cable can be sold for a fat dollar. For service that reminds me of pre Y2K times the cost is forty dollars a month. Forty dollars here seems to be roughly worth about one hundred in the states, needless to say the expense is not cheap. The other option is buying a card for your computer, for a dollar you can surf for about two hours. This option is more reasonable but still intensely slow, MySpace took about two minutes to load. From my perspective the internet is almost mandatory for life, every time I get online down here; I am more than capable of spending two-plus hours on my blog or checking email, aside from surfing. It is amazing how the options that we have in the US make this resource almost immediately available...and for free. In every town, and even more so in big cities, our schools and libraries host unlimited access to the internet, no charge. We are taught at as early as kindergarten how to navigate our way through this vast expanse of information. For people who have not had the World Wide Web integrated into their society, the internet is an intimidating place. Yet for those who dare to muster the courage and patience to explore Google Ecuador, University web pages, and MySpace Ecuador, the world is that much more underneath their fingertips. The problem the people seem to have in overcoming this hurdle starts with access and is highlighted by intimidation.
While I was in Quito with Benito and his family I helped him find information for a US tourist visa. I offered him the mouse more than a few times while we explored the embassy site. He was just simply content with not exploring himself, my encouragement did nothing to move him into independence, pointing at the screen was as far as it went. I saw a shirt the other day, roughly translated itīs message read, ĻIf you find yourself in an unknown place, turn around and return to what you know.Ļ At times it seems that the doors are in front of my new friends here, but due to the doorsī unfamiliar nature, they are passed by. Access is daunting and better off left alone, I come from such a contradictory mind state. I want to push them through the door. I want to stand up and say take the mouse and do it, I know you can.
I can hear a truck pull up in a neighboring space. The people begin to make their arrangements for the morning. The fruits of their labor are pulled out one by one, given a place for the day to come. Each represents a different form of labor; some come from their farm, others from their neighbors, out of the ground, from an animal, and even more from their orchards of various trees. When they are done their display will represent a community. Their neighbors depend on the sale of these goods for subsistence and a bit of spending money. Christmas is coming...
I begin to ponder how access to more developed nationīs tools and ideas would change what is represented in my neighbor unloading their product for the next day. How would their community change if they knew exactly their nationīs position in the world market place? Would a loader and machines to ease their labor, and high-speed internet at their fingertips to sell their product change their circumstances for the better? For some reason I have mixed feelings about this imaginary comparison. One side of me wants Vinisio to know without a doubt that I most likely do not know any of the other volunteers from the states, that the world has just short of seven billion people, and that our planet is round with no end like a sheet of paper. I want him to know what it is like to give his kids all they want for Christmas. The addition of a gas powered rotor tiller to his farm would quadruple the amount of yukka he could plant, in six months this translates to roughly 1000 dollars. This bonus every year would change his familyīs condition immensely. Nevertheless, the given circumstance does not provide this opportunity. I am scared for how far they are falling behind with the speed of progress and our changing global marketplace. Each new day presents new products, forms of communication and world relationships that are very plainly unknown without being included in the loop. The other half of me loves their simple life. Everyday you can see that hard work pays off, where the fruit of your labor is literally on your plate. Santa Rosa is a place where there is one beer...simply said...pilsner...and it is the most delicious taste to hit your mouth after swinging a machete for eight hours. All of the excess that we have doesnīt fit into this puzzle. Entertainment is created with a set of cards, volleyball net, or a soccer field. Kids smile all the time here. When there is music, there is dancing. No one worries that the t-shirt they are wearing was put on their back two days ago. Subsistence is lived everyday. The exchange community that they have would be trampled with our lifestyle. Everything that is so pure about the lack of access would be replaced by the consumeristic need that haunts Americans today. Is this condition better for them? At the age of 26, I donīt have an answer to this question. Yet, I know that this major difference has a profound effect on the mind-set of itīs people.
ĻWhat has stricken you as different more than anything else during your time here?Ļ Mimiīs question comes back to the forefront of my thought. Our access to all that we have and desire makes us fortunate. I hate to quote the disgusting phrase, ĻThe American dreamĻ, but it rings true. Those individuals, who are driven, have a desire as well as the wherewithal and intelligence to live out their dreams...can. I am fortunate enough to have dreamt of a place like Santa Rosa, living this dream changes me daily. My appreciation for our opportunity, access, and circumstance grows with humility. I will write of my experience, and give my whole heart to these people who happened to be born close to the equator. When I leave I want them to question themselves, ĻWhat has stricken you as different more than anything else about this gringo?Ļ When they come to conclusions about my time with them, I want them to believe in confidence that their life is admirable. I want them to know that my desire to know their community was fueled by their honesty, hard work and charity. I have told them my motives every occasion where the opportunity presented itself. Even more so, when the chance to show my intent to their community came up, I demonstrated my heart with sweat and smiles. Their invitations for the future warm my soul. In five years when the developed world has lapped rainforest once more in the race for access, I can only hope that Santa Rosa will still be smiling. Their home is a piece of heaven, barely touched by the devilīs hand. In the near future when my blank slate of a trip has been somewhat filled, I will add another section of memories in Santa Rosa. Sometime in May or June, without notice I will take a bus into Sanjuangal and walk the two and a half hours into their community. I will bring with me a few things that donīt come easy for their community; pictures, pencils and playing cards. My time will be spent a bit differently, lending my strength to four families rather than one. In the end I donīt know if I really expect to have a specific answer to Mimiīs question, everything is different, maybe thatīs why I am so attracted to this place.
As my gaze focuses once more on the stars above, I am reminded of a quote I have read often since I found it.
ĻThis is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one: the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, and being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.Ļ
George Bernard Shaw
Cheers,
Talk to you soon from Peru,
Ryan
Similar are their cell phone costs. Minutes are sold in small packages; three and six dollar cards are popular. Texting on the other hand is free with the purchase of minutes, thus kids spend most of their time on their phone using their thumbs. The cost, if individuals talked on their phones consistently as we Americanīs do, living with a Bluetooth set in our head at all times, would be outstanding. The internet trumps cell phones...
