Back from Ecuador!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Buenas! Sometimes I have trouble knowing where to start with my
summary of each port. It feels like so much happens in one week,
especially when participating in an AFP. I was a Participant Leader
in Ecuador for the "Conflict Studies" Learning Circle. I felt really
lucky to be on this AFP because the students seemed to have gelled
from the beginning, and their itineraries have been amazing, often to
the envy of people from other Learning Circles. With that said,
however, the AFP's overall seem to be getting better and better with
each port, and the staff from Port Programs have worked incredibly
hard to incorporate the feedback they have received to enhance the
program and increase the level of participant satisfaction. And
thankfully, it's working because there were some not-so-happy campers.

When we arrived in the port city of Guayaquil, me, Amanda, Mariam,
Dana, and Mel headed into the city to walk around and explore. We
stopped for lunch at this little place on the boardwalk and had
plantains (the first of many many plantains, cooked every which way),
and several meat and rice dishes. And sangria (I still think the
best Sangria I had was in Portugal, but this one was pretty good.).
For my meal, I had chicken with prune sauce and rice, which tasted
good and reminded me a little of this Persian dish called Fessen
Joon, which is made with pomegranate juice and crushed walnuts. Dana
had a traditional dish which included rice, beans, and lentils (I
think it was called Morros, or something close to that.). Dana and
Mel had to head back to the ship after lunch, so Mariam, Amanda, and
I just walked around the city and did some extensive sitting and
people watching until we were to meet Amy, Amy's friend Carl, Alfred,
Trina, Alexa, and Kyra for dinner (Just a reminder: Alfred is the
Director of Onboard Life and is married to Trina who overseas a lot
of Administrative operations. Their two daughters are Alexa--about
age 15--and Kyra--almost 9--two of the brightest kids I have ever
met. Alexa is actually fully participating in the undergraduate
classes and definitely holding her own, and Kyra is one of the
warmest rays of sunshine on the ship, who blesses everyone with her
compliments and hugs. Having them around adds a nice dynamic to the
ship. So that night we found a little restaurant--very local
(meaning no other tourists and everything written and spoken in
Spanish), which came to only $3 per person. Carl is fluent in
Spanish, so we let him take the lead, rather than pointing to a dish
on the menu and getting a surprise...which would have been funny,
too. A great way to end the evening before beginning my AFP the next
day. Alexa and I had a full on MBTI conversation at dinner, during
which she learned type dynamics in a matter of 15 minutes. I guess
this could elicit two responses: a) "The girl is smart." or b) "Yas
is weird." You're allowed to think both:-)

The theme for the Conflict Studies AFP in Ecuador was "The Impact of
Legal and Illegal Immigration on Family & Social Structures." I am
really glad that this was our focus because the whole immigration
issue is something about which I wanted to learn more. With the
issue being such a hot topic in the U.S., I didn't feel like I had
enough information to form an opinion or be able to really discuss
it. So here is the breakdown of the week...

Day 1:
Our original itinerary actually changed this first day, and we could
no longer take the route that was planned. Apparently one of
Ecuador's coastal regions was protesting for the right to establish
its own provence. As a result, the roads were blocked, and some of
the AFP itineraries and the shore excursions had to be changed. In
addition to the protest, some of the itineraries also had to be
changed because Ecuador changed the date of their national holiday,
so some of the businesses were closed, and people were now on
holiday. Although some people were disappointed by these change of
events, it did provide insight into some of the inner workings of
this particular country, and that in itself was a first-hand learning
opportunity.

So, our group still headed up north from Guayaquil, taking an
alternative route, and traveling through some amazing terrain. We
ended up doing a lot of driving driving during the week, but no one
seemed to really mind. Nancy, one of the teaching staff who was my
co-Participant Leader, gave us all traditional flutes to play along
the way. The flute sounds were beautiful...very soft and calming.
Everyone had a "flute partner", and the two together could harmonize
melodies that sounded like lullabies. Some of the students got into,
but for others, the bus ride was an opportunity to snooze. I did a
lot of window-watching. I had no idea the vast array of ecosystems
in Ecuador. We went from fishing villages along the coast to cloud
forests, dry forests, and mountains. We stopped at some of the
little fishing villages to walk around (I believe they were called
Puerto Rico, Salango, and Puerto Lopez.). Throughout the entire AFP
we had two guides with us: Fernando, our Tour Guide, and Luis, our
University mentor. Both were great and provided different
perspectives about Ecuador and its culture. And you could tell that
they really wanted us to get the most out of our time there. What's
funny is that Fernando was also a Tour Guide for Semester at Sea's
voyage this past summer. He was such a kind and gentle man, the kind
of person who lives through his heart.

That afternoon we arrived at this incredible place called the
Alandaluz Ecological Center, which kind of looked like a summer camp
for adults: It was a botanical forest-like place by the beach, with
little tree houses and cottage-like huts. The food was so fresh, and
much of it was actually grown on site. We had a late lunch there and
then walked up the street to a woman's house, who actually works at
the Ecolodge and whose daughter and son-in-law migrated to Spain to
earn money for the family. The area of Alandaluz was very small,
with old dirt roads, tiny little convenient stores, little wooden
houses, a school, and a beautiful old church. The woman we visited
had lived in her same house for 46 years and was taking care of her
grandchildren while their parents were away. This was actually a
last-minute arrangement because we were unable to visit families that
were originally scheduled due to the protests. The students were
struck at the potential effects of this situation on the children and
the overall family structure. It felt a little invasive coming into
the woman's home as a group and asking her such personal questions
about her family's migration experience. And I always feel
uncomfortable when cameras are brought out, even though I know it's
well intentioned, I feel like it sometimes objectifies people and
their lives. The issue of gift-giving also came up with our group.
We felt like we should give the woman something for allowing us to
come into her home, but the idea of giving money felt weird--like we
are rich tourists who will just barge into your home for our own
learning purposes and throw some money at you when we leave.
Fernando, however, spent some time discussing with us the idea of
gift-giving and when and how it was appropriate, which was really
helpful. In the end, we gave the women some TSS squishy ships we had
for the children. The experience gave us something to think about
for future situations.

That evening, we enjoyed a nice meal together: great seafood and
fresh juices, followed by fun tropical drinks at the lodge bar. It
was great to sit down and chat with some of the students and share
more about each other's lives, beyond surface level conversations.
And the craziest thing...While we were all sitting their hanging out,
guess who walk in?! Amy and Carl! Such a fun coincidence. Amy's
great...She pays attention and is real. I love when she's amused,
and she keeps quotes of the funny things we all say. She also loves
Excel as much as I love the MBTI.

Sleep this first night was amazing--drifting and waking to the sounds
of ocean, rain, and birds. And the beds had those little mosquito
nets around them. I felt so "REI", and of course, thought of you,
Sis. I could definitely have stayed longer. Amy and Carl ended up
staying most of the week.

Day 2:
The next morning, our group left Alandaluz and headed north to the
port city of Manta, where we met with the naval captain who leads
rescues of migrants from sea. It was fascinating and really sad to
hear about what happens. People might immigrate for various reasons:
They've been uprooted from their land, they have difficulty finding
work, or they hear about people who have migrated and found a "better
life" somewhere else. The problem, according to the Captain, is that
many of these people have no idea what they are getting into. They
hear about these people called "coyotes" who you pay up to $6000 to
illegally take you from Ecuador to the U.S. by boat. Some of the
boats, however, are filled way over capacity (e.g., 150 people packed
in the bottom of a fishing boat with only one bathroom and a limited
supply of food and water). The Captain was telling us about one
particular instance where the boat sunk and only a handful of people
survived.

Obviously, as with any issue, there are a number of perspectives.
There are the people who migrated, both successfully and
unsuccessfully, illegally and legally...There are the family members
left behind, the coyotes (some of who just want to make money and
others who genuinely want to help), the naval officers, etc. And for
those people who do successfully make it to the U.S. what do they do
when they get there? How do they make a living, especially if they
have an illegal status? And what happens when they return to Ecuador
to find that their family is no longer in tact? I guess through all
of this I realized that it's not just black and white and that there
are many layers and perspectives to consider. Part of what makes all
of these learning experiences so important, too, is not just the new
information we receive, but also the new questions we formulate.
Questions that can then be applied to other contexts, as well. I
think that the situation with the migrants struck a chord in me
because it made me think about my own family and what it was like for
my parents, especially my mom, to come live in the U.S., a foreign
country among strangers, who speak a different language and have
different customs, traditions, and values. I think about how
difficult that must have been, how alone they must have felt at
times, and the sacrifices they have made for our family. Luckily,
they were both privileged enough to have come with an education, but
there are many immigrants who don't have that opportunity. So it's
not that I now have answers or have clarified my own stance on this
issue, universal as it is, but rather I have a new respect for its
complexity.

We stayed with the sea captain a little longer than anticipated. Our
original plan was to get back to Guayaquil in time to watch the
Ecuador vs. Venezuela soccer match on T.V. However, when we arrived
to the city around half time, Fernando and Luis decided to take us to
the Hilton, where we could watch the game in the hotel bar. The
whole thing was kind of amusing because here we are, with a group of
students, all dressed in bright yellow Ecuadorian jerseys, sitting in
a hotel bar full of business professionals watching the soccer
match. I'm still unsure about why we went to the Hilton, whether our
guides thought that we wanted to go to a fancy place, or because they
wanted to be there. So I guess you could say, there was no kicking
back beers at a local bar full of die-hard Ecuadorian "futbol"
fans...but it was still an amusing experience--except for the fact
that "our" team lost.

Days 3 & 4:
The third day of our AFP was also an overnight trip. We drove though
the Andes mountains to a little city called Cuenca. I guess I
shouldn't say "little" because it's actually the third largest city
in Ecuador. But it had this quaintness to it, and we all just fell
in love with the place--cobblestone streets, towering cathedrals, and
marble and whitewashed buildings, which created a colonial air. Two
of our students loved it so much, they've vowed to move their after
graduation (which goes to show the power of these experiences and the
inspirations they awaken). While we were there, we visited the
"Center for Assistance to Migrants", an organization formed to help
people and their family members who have migrated to and from the
highland areas. The center had only been opened about six months--
beautifully decorated and with a very professional staff. No
migrants, though, which kind of struck some of the students as odd.
The question was posed about whether the organization was still in
it's infancy and hadn't yet established the programming which it
attended...or if it was more of a bureaucracy which was too far
removed from the people it was created to serve. I lean more toward
the former. Luis, our University mentor, however, wasn't so sure.
Regardless, it stimulated conversation and rose questions, which in
and of itself warrants the experience.

Probably the highlight of the trip for me was driving through the
Andes mountains. Absolutely breathtaking, with views like I'd never
seen. The mountains hovered over a blanket of white clouds, which
upon first glance, looked like the ocean. I couldn't believe how
high we were. And to top it off, we were driving down the mountain,
as the sun was setting. We asked our guides if we could pull over to
watch it. The roads were very narrow and winding, but the driver
found a temporary little stopping point, and we all got out for a few
minutes so we could truly take it all in. I'll never forget those
moments.

Day 5:
Our last day really sealed our entire AFP experience. We
participated in the Viviendas del Hogar de Cristo housing project,
where we had the opportunity to build a house for a mother and her
three children. From start to finish! And the best part was that
we actually got to see the family walk into their home when it was
all done. The look on the mother's face---She kept saying it was a
dream come true. To think that this family's entire home is the size
of my bedroom really puts things into perspective.

From what I understand, Hogar de Cristo is similar to Habitat for
Humanity. It's a Christian NGO based in Guayaquil, which uses
300,000 bamboo culms annually for the construction of low-cost
housing. The main criteria for eligibility are: low-income, families
with children, possession of a plot of land, and $4 per month to pay
off the cost of the house in three years. Our shipboard community,
however, collected donations so that we could pay for her house in full.

The houses are literally one small room. In addition to building a
house, we also had the opportunity to observe the interview process.
We went with one of the Hogar de Cristo staff to interview a woman,
who currently lives in a tiny hut, with one of her daughters and
several grandchildren. Her daughter, who was only 15 years old, was
nursing her newborn baby, and the woman's husband was in the hospital
and could not be released until the bill was paid, which the family
could not afford. The woman starting crying as she was telling her
case, and although I don't understand Spanish, the pain in her voice
needed no translation.

Overall, a truly meaningful experience. It motivated me to get
involved with Habitat for Humanity. The process of working as a team
to build something with my hands in order to help people who really
needed it was both rewarding and humbling. I admire the people who
dedicate their daily lives to do this line of work. One of the
carpenters who guided us, Carlos, had built 2000 houses prior to this
one!

Definitely a great week, both enriching and challenging at times. I
found that I often had difficulty navigating my role as an IRC and
Participant Leader. Holding those roles created a natural distance,
which was weird for me because I didn't feel like I could connect
with my students the way in which I normally can connect with people,
which also was humbling. I felt more self-conscious and inhibited.
Now that I am removed from the situation, I realize that the desire
to connect was sometimes more about my need and for myself, rather
than genuinely for them. I remember feeling this way on Semester at
Sea, too. I guess at home, I work in a structured setting with
natural boundaries and clearly defined roles, in which I am the
"Counselor" or "Teacher." And my professional and personal lives are
separate. The dynamics here are different, however, because I live
and work with my students, and there is a lot of ambiguity and grey
areas. Plus, enforcing policies and rules (which I don't have to do
very often) aren't exactly my strongest suit, or my most preferred at
that. Part of our jobs as Participant Leaders is to also help
students reflect and debrief their experiences. I think the word
"debrief" (along with "be flexible") are becoming taboo in our
community, however, as students are wanting ownership of these
processes and can be resistant when they are formalized are put upon
them. Once again, I was in awe and admiration of the insight,
intelligence, and experiences these students bring. I learned so
much on the bus ride alone, listening to them discuss and reflect.

On our last day at port, a group of the staff, happy to reconnect
again and have some time to ourselves, took off and went to "Playa de
Silencio." A great day and another story...

Now on to Tahiti!