A Fresh Set of Eyes

Over Thanksgiving, Mt. Sinai had its very first retreat group, EVER!!! As a house we were able to make our own totally new format for retreat groups... Neighborhood visits, work site visits, and involvement with the parish were all included! For each group, one of us (the volunteers) takes the week off of work to be with the group 24/7, and I was lucky enough to host Pope John Paul II High School from Cape Cod, led by their wonderful theology and Spanish teachers! The group was absolutely wonderful, and such a breath of fresh air for me and for my community.

One of the many things I appreciated about leading this group was how they were able to open my eyes and remind me all over again to the impressions arriving here for the very first time. It's no suburbia here, and sometimes I tend to forget that, because now it's so easy to just see Mt. Sinai as 'home'. One the one hand, I am so thankful that the first thing I see is not a person living in poverty, but a person with dignity, a person who smiles and laughs and cries just like I do. But on the other hand, it's important to recognize that my neighbors do live in a totally different world than I grew up in, and to reflect on that as the year moves on, and what that means for after this year. But I was very thankful to JPII for helping me remember where exactly I am, and why I'm here.

I know it's short today... but things are getting pretty crazy as we prep for Christmas!

Realities

After 3 months, I'm finally starting to see first hand the realities of a place like Mt. Sinaí, an invasion community that is only 9 years old. There are beautiful realities of relationship, compassion, family, and faith-- but there are also realities of poverty, of abuse and child labor.

One afternoon I went with my co-worker, Olinda, to her neighborhood to turn in some paperwork. We visited a friend of hers, and as I gave her a kiss on the cheek, I saw her eye was filled with blood. As I sat there, she told Olinda, with tears streaming down her face, about how the night before her husband had too much to drink and hit her for the first time. Olinda got on the phone and began calling friends to accompany this woman to file a report. We walked away silently, and Olinda and I exchanged few words about what had just happened. This was the first time I really thought about the realities of Mt. Sinaí, what happens behind closed doors that I don't see every day.

I have made a friend in Mt. Sinaí, a 15 year old boy, who can usually be found driving a snowcone cart in the afternoon down the main road. I've run into him a few times on his bike, and we've had some really eye-opening conversations about his life as a working-boy. His family moved here 3 or 4 months ago, and are working to pay off the land. In the morning he sells eggs on the street to cars that are waiting at lights, and in the afternoon he drives the cart until it's all gone. He breaks briefly for lunch, and doesn't sleep more than 5 or 6 hours every night. His older brother also works for his dad, and his mom and younger siblings stay home. This boy isn't in school, although he should be in 10th grade. He says that he wants to start when the new school year begins, but I worry that it won't happen. What's interesting about this boy is that this information came out in the first 20 minutes of ever talking to him... he just let it all spill. It's not something unusual here, that a 15 year old and a 17 year old aren't in school because they have to work for their family. It's just a part of life, "asi es la vida" (so is life).
 
The reason I bring up these two stories is because these aren't necessarily unusual... they are a reality for people here. Husbands hit their wives, kids are working instead of studying (or being kids for that matter). Now I don't want to be unfair and say this is happens everyday, or to everyone, just that it does happen and there isn't much of a system to correct it. These are some things that have started to come to the surface for me as I spend more time in Sinai, and I am sure I will continue to struggle with it. Please keep all of these people in your prayers!

wow TWO (and a half) months!!!

Hello everyone! I hope everything is going well wherever you are, whether that is at home, at BC, or elsewhere!

(October 4th) So after two months I have now officially left Guayaquil and Duran!!! (Not counting RdC things)… a friend from Hogar and the Parish, Victor, invited us to his grandparents house out in the campo, a place called Triunfu. There was a total of 8- Victor, his nephew Damian (who plays music at the parish and also a friend of ours), Carolina (a friend’s little sister) and then 5 of us (Madison decided not to come which was a blessing in disguise as you will see). We took the bus which took about an hour, and as soon as we walked into the countryside we were greeted with a swarm of mosquitoes. And when I say swarm, I mean swarm. There would be 10 on your back at one time, and then 5 more on your arm.  Needless to say, I was already a little nervous. Then, as we arrived at the house, the swarm grew! Victor’s family was joking that we were fresh meat J After a few minutes, the mosquitoes seemed to get bored and left us alone (relatively), so bites were not as frequent. We smashed a fair amount of moscos (as they are called here) that were full of blood, and that always led to a good laugh. I say that it was a blessing that Madison didn’t come because she has tiny allergic reactions to bites, and so 50 bites would alone be incredibly uncomfortable and possibly lead to a larger reaction. Eventually the mosquito shock that I initially felt subsided, and I was able to enjoy the company and the beautiful countryside! Their house is on a beautiful river with a dam (that kind of makes a waterfall at the end!) We walked down to the waterfall and took some beautiful pictures and just took in the view. Back at the house we were fed carne asada, rice and lentils = SO MUCH FOOD. I was full for a very long time after that. Over the afternoon we just relaxed, enjoyed laughs together (mostly about mosquitoes), and took in the views. Next time we go (fingers crossed!) we were told to bring clothes to swim in! Can’t wait J

I really appreciated the time we spent with Victor and Damian… I think it was an amazing opportunity to get to know them a little better instead of just at work or at the parish!

 

Victor and Damian's Family

 


The River

 

Belén, Victor, Carolina and I



 


Rostro and Victor love :)

   


The blondes of the house!







Group shot



 



Mateo, Belén, Elisa, Patricio and I

(October 19th) So then this past saturday came the Reina del Octubre (Queen of October), which is essentially a pageant show. Before, I mentioned that at Hogar I work in an office dedicated to community development. They do that by forming committees in the neighborhood, and each committee is responsible for a ''community event'' every so often (I'm not sure how often exactly). The committee Nuevos Horizontes (New Horizons) decided to do Reina del Octubre, and it was SO MUCH FUN! I was a judge along with 4 other Hogar volunteers from Chile, Columbia and Spain, and we had a blast at the judge table :) There were 4 contestants, all girls from the community, who did baithing suits, traje tipico (kind of like a cultural outfit) and a 'gala' dress. There was a huge stage, speakers, loud music, and tons of dancing. My house knows that I'm not the biggest dancer in public, but I decided to try out a little salsa, and I did have some fun dancing with all of these great people I have met in the community! We stayed until 1 am, but apparently people were up dancing until 8 am! Mt Sinaí sure knows how to party :)

The next day, Sunday, we went to a birthday party after mass and youth group! We spent the sunday again with Victor and his family, but at his godson's house, Ricky. Ricky plays in a group with Damian (which Belén and Mateo sometimes jump into), and so we have spent some time with him, but not too much, so this was a really great way to get to know him and his family better! Victor started the game penitencias (I think), which essentially means you have to do something silly infront of the group like dance with a broom or give someone a kiss on the cheek. Then Elisa started showing everyone the funny dance moves we do in the states like hooking a fish across the room, or some of the classics from Hitch like 'going shopping'or 'making a pizza' or things like that. I think Ecuadorians might think we are a little crazy now :) But nevertheless, we shared some great laughs. For lunch we each ate an entire crab with our hands, which was an adventure in intself but a bunch of fun, and afterwards I think we all had quality time with different parts of the family. I felt so honored that we were invited... it was literally us and Victor's family to celebrate his niece's bday. It was a wonderful way to spend the sunday afternoon, which turned into sunday night! We ended up spending 7 or 8 hours there, which flew by because of all the fun we were having!

So I think that's it from me for now... We are having our first retreat group in November which we are preparing for as a community over dinner every night, because this is the first year that the Mt. Sinaí house has had retreat groups! But more on that later :)

Lots of Love, Katie (Cah-tee in spanish, correction from an earlier post!)



Randomness... kind of like life here!

I've been thinking how I want to be writing this blog... if I want it to be based on stories and experiences, or reflections on life here in Sinaí, and I think I've decided on making it a combo of both... so here it goes!

I haven't talked a ton about community in Sinaí, so I guess I'll start with that. My community, Elisa (Mandi), Belén (Bernie), Mateo (Matt), Marisol (Madison) and Patricio (Patrick) are all phenomenal people. I think that we all bring different strengths to the table, that balance each other well! Somehow, most things seem to get done :) We've organized chores by a chore wheel, which includes trash and water, mopping, sweeping, organizing the common room, cleaning the kitchen, and cleaning the chapel. Each of us is in charge of a different chore each week, which is a very maneagable amount, and keeps things exciting! We also have a wheel for nightly prayers, community, and spirituality nights, so that is also a rotation. In terms of our community time together, I have nothing but wonderful things to say about it. We challenge each other in a healthy way, and can also make one another laugh until it hurts. I'm so thankful to have such fun and lively house, but  at the same time reflective and challenging house :) One game that we have latched onto lately is UNO... We just keep playing and playing, and the laughs and smiles never really seem to end. Recently, we were gifted a zapayo by a neighbor (the closest thing ecuador has to a pumpkin), and so of course we attempted pumpkin pie! and it was delicious! it was nice to have a little taste of home :)

Recently at Hogar de Cristo (HC), we were blessed with two volunteers, Jesús and Álvaro, who are also Jesuits-in-training (they are about to complete their second year). They are both 20 years old, and so wonderful to have as a part of our team. Unfortunately they are only here for a month, so they leave this week, which makes me very sad! I feel like the three of us have bonded as 'newbies' in the office, and have also spent a significant amount of time together just laughing and joking around. They have been really patient with my spanish, and have also helped my get the hang of some of the smaller details of spanish (para vs. por or conocer vs. saber). But I will be very sad to my new friends leave :( Regarding Proyecto Misión (my office), I feel like I have spent a lot more time in the campo the past couple of weeks, which has been nice. There are a couple neighbors that I am becoming more familiar with through Misión, and not necesarily Rostro, which I am interested to see how that will pan out.

So our street is full of animals, and at times I feel like I am walking through a farm to pick up breakfast in the morning. We have a neighbor-pig names Teresa (not our choosing), and we say goodmorning to her every morning as we walk by! There are seemingly infinite dogs running around, as well as cats, ducks, chickens, etc. The other morning I was walking back from getting bread for breakfast, and walking down our street is a man with a goat on a leash yelling "leche! leche!" (milk! milk!)... he was selling milk directly from the goat! It definitely started my day off with a smile :)

Personally, the biggest adjustment I've had to make is just plain old loosening up. At home, I needed to do everything WHEN it needed to be done and exactly HOW it was supposed to be done... life just doesn't work that way here. There is something called Ecua-time (I don't know if I have mentioned it), which means people show up whenever they show up and are hardly ever on time. On time here is usually at least 20 minutes after something is scheduled. And I'm slowly becoming okay with that! Yesterday, Belén and I went to the Rosary in another neighborhood, and we were a tad late (5 minutes), so we were sent to find it on our own instead of walking with the group. Well, we got on the wrong bus which dropped us by the church, and since we knew that someone had gone to wait for us at the bus stop, we walked up to the church to call to let them know that we would not be making it. Of course, because Ecuadorians are so hospitable, they waited 45 minutes before we informed them that we would not actually be making it. So, we enjoyed tea with Patrick (a volunteer helping out Father John), and walked home. Along the way we met the family of one of the youth group brothers, Isidro and Denis, and so that was an unexpected surprise and really exciting! And of course to top it off, there was a BEAUTIFUL sunset on the walk home... So what started as a major bummer (we got lost and couldn't go to rosary) turned into an afternoon of surprises! I'm starting to learn that you work with what you have, and although it probably won't turn out like you planned, it can still turn into something great!

 

Well, that's the best I got.... for those of you who have sent letters, thank you so much!!! they have been such a joy to read :)

 

Lots of Love, Katie

ecuafunfacts

just some fun bits of information about life here: 

 

-the cheese here, queso fresco, doesn't melt. I'm talking, stick it in the oven and wait for an hour, and the cheese STILL won't melt.

-roosters crow at all hours of the night, not just at sunrise. Madison, our resident farm girl (she lives in idaho so we assumed she automatically knows farm things), insists that normal roosters only crow at dawn. I think these roosters get confused by the water tank trucks (tanqueros), and then set off a wave of crowing (cawing?). Little by little I'm getting used to it.

-Water trucks, or tanqueros, start rounds at 5 or 5:30, and they sure do have horns to wake up the neighborhood!

-3 lbs of flour is too much for ecua pancakes for 6 people... oops!

-cow stomach tastes just like you imagine...

-coco means coconut, and coca means cocaine... I will only make that mistake once!

-Never have I ever listened and talked about bodily functions so much with a community! Someone's stomach is always going a little crazy.

-We eat on less than $2/day, and usually closer to $1/day

-piña is heaven. (Pineapple)

-everything here always takes 3x longer than you think it will, we call it ecuatime... sometimes it's frustrating, and at times it's liberating to just not worry. For example, we went to pick up some kids the other day to go play soccer, and what would normally take 30 minutes took an hour and 30 minutes.

-I eat meat maybe twice a week.

-morning prayer is a wonderful day to quiet my heart and mind and prepare for the day.

-I have never appreciated letter writing so much!!!

-not worrying about a phone or facebook is AMAZING

-the buses are an adventure... anywhere on the street is a bus stop, you just hail it like a taxi. Then, the bus doesn't really stop fully so you just hop on (buses cost around 25 cents, which is a chunk of money for the people here). Then, vendors come on the bus selling oranges, frozen yogurt, agua de coco (coconut water), and other fun things... I always have my eye out for the frozen yogurt, which costs 10 cents.

-chocobananas are delicious... just a frozen banana covered in a thin layer of chocolate, and can be just what you need after a long day.

-sunsets here are the most awe inspiring, beautiful sight I have ever seen... the sun is BRIGHT orange, with a pink/orange sky... it always seems to take my breath away.

 

lots of love, kmaude

 

Getting into the swing of things

anddd I'm back! Getting to the cyber is tough because I work until 1:00 or so, and then school is out and so all the kids are here playing games, doing HW, or on facebook, so all the computers fill up pretty quick.

Here's what's been going on the past week or so:

-Work is really getting under way! I work with Gabriel, Alexis, and Olinda (2 hombres y 1 mujer), and they are AMAZING! The call Gabriel the comandante, because he's the point person for Proyecto Misión, Alexis is wonderful, and Olinda is the new addition to the team. Right now, the first year of the project just ended so we are writing the plan for the second year (they call it the POA, Plan Objetivos Anual). I've been in the office in the mornings working on it a lot with Alexis, and he is really looking for my input which I really appreciate. It's hard when people think that because you don't speak fluently, you're not any of use or just can't handle something. If I have a question about what something means, he will explain it in a different way, and then I usually understand. But it also feels really great when I can read something in spanish analytically, and question WHY something is said, instead of what it means.

-I've been able to spend more time in the neighborhood, which is really exciting. There are a couple neighbors that I've spent more significant time with--- Monica and Luisana. Monica lives a 3 minute walk away, and she has three kids: Maricio, Angie and Samuel, and is married to David. She is such an amazing woman, so welcoming and loving. The other day I stopped by to drop off a card (Amy, consider your note delivered!) and I ended up staying for over 2 hours. She invited me in to eat, then taught me how to cook a few dishes which was really cool. I stopped by Luisana the other day, and ended up staying for three hours! I met all of her kids, and then we headed over to her mom's house! Her mom has a younger daughter who just turned 5, and she invited all of the Rostro Volunteers to her birthday party this Saturday night!

- Belén, a community mate of mine, is singing in a concert this weekend!!! She also works at Hogar, and through a language barrier miscommunication, she committed to singing a song by the Cranberries, Zombie, at this big concert on Saturday to celebrate Hogar's 40th birthday! The concert is at the big touristy boardwalk, called the Malecón, in downtown Guayaquil, and this HUGE ecua reggaeton star Au-D. Mateo, another community mate, also got roped into playing the drums, and so he will be performing too! We are all making the trek out for the concert, I can't wait!

-The parish here, Bautismo de Jesus, is SUPER active in the community, which I am really excited for. There are three churches (San Felipe, Santa Teresa, and Corpus Cristi), and all are very connected to each other. The priest, Father John, is from Ireland and has been out of the country since may up until YESTERDAY!!! Patrick (another community mate) and I were waiting outside the house because we didn't have keys, and up drives a man in a grey truck. As soon as he said hello with a thick Irish accent, I knew it was him! It was really great to finally meet him, since we've heard so much from the community and the old volunteers about how great he is.

-On Sunday, I was able to talk to the fam.. It was really great to hear their voices! We spoke for the whole hour, and I was so happy to begin to share my experience with them :)

-Quick shoutout to Chris Darcy, congrats on finally tying the knot!!!! woooo!!! Wish I could have been there!

As Father Tony says (BC reference), that's the best I've got.

love, katty (my spanish name, pronounced CAT-E)

Officially 2 Weeks in Ecuador!!!!

Wow time has flown by. Its officially been two weeks in ecuador, and we are officially volunteers!!! also, the punctuation on this keyboard is not really functioning, so excuse the lack of apostrophes and such.

So here is what I have been up to:

The last two weeks have been in country orientation, and that officially just ended, so now we are OFFICIALLY Rostro volunteers!! so exciting.

We start our work placement on Wednesday... I am working at Hogar de Cristo, a Jesuit non profit that started as a housing project but has since grown. The organization is huge, and does so much good in the community. I am working in Proyecto Mision, which is equivalent to community organizing. It is a three year project, just starting its second year, and I will be working in a team with 2 or 3 other Ecuadorians. It is working directly in the Mt Sinai community, where I am living, so it will be a wonderful way to get to know neighbors and become more familiar with the community in general. Ill post when I know more about what I will specifically be doing, but for now all I know is that this is going to be a very exciting year for the project. It has set up different committees throughout the community, and this year the committees will start working with Hogar to address issues such as water access, trash, and environmental concerns.

We have started to become more familiar with neighbors, and so walking down the street I sometimes run into people I know which is so exciting! Everyone says buenas dias to everyone, and so there is a bunch of that flying around. Plus everyone loves to say hello to the new gringos in town.

The other night we got back from Duran, where the other volunteers live, and there was a HUGE street party that the government was throwing... there was a stage with dancing and singing, and so we decided to treat ourselves to a milkshake (thanks Beth!), and check it out. We got there close to the end, but after it ended a few people we knew wanted to take a picture with us, and as soon as the camera came out, 30 people wanted to be in it, and soon the governement officials came over to capture the moment. Maybe we are somewhere on the government webpage! But it was a fun night to be out in the community and maybe start to become more familiar to the neighbors (vecinos in spanish).

The sunsets are absolutely beautiful, and it really hasnt been too hot yet!

In terms of what we are eating, its usually a piece or two of bread in the morning with a banana, at lunch we have a roll with some veggies and tuna, and dinner varies between rice, spaghetti, lentils, veggies, eggs, plantains (which can be a pain to prepare but so delicious), and fruit. Meat and chicken is rare because its so expensive. We did the math, and we are each living on around a dollar and sixty seven cents a day of food, which seems shockingly small but is really enough. Bread is ten cents a piece, and is kind of in the form of a croissant, bananas are 3 for 10 cents, eggs are 10 cents each, a pineapple is 80 cents, etc. So breakfast is 23 cents each, which wouldnt pay for a tenth of my starbucks coffee. (also, there is only instant coffee here, which at first was a huge bummer but something I have gotten used to).

We are no longer sleeping in the retreat house, and have officially moved into our volunteer house for the year! it is a perfect amount of space, smaller rooms which will be easier to keep tidy, but a great common space for us to hang out together.

We had our first community night last night and played fishbowl, which was a blast... I got really into it and yelling a little too loud...oops!

Also, a shoutout to my bro, his birthday is on the 22nd!!!!!! HAPPY 21st BDAY MADDOG!!!! Feliz Cumpleaños, as they would say here.

Thats it for now, I have to go get my laundry to hang on the line!

Also, dont forget that you can send me mail!!! It is really exciting to get letters, and I promise to write back! my address is:

Katie Madson o Megan Radek
Rostro de Cristo
Casilla 09-01-1024

Guayaquil, Ecuador

Lots of Love, or as Dad says, LOL,

Katie

Is this real life?

If you didn't catch the reference, it's from a viral youtube video where David, a young boy still under the influence after a dentist's appointment, questions if he is indeed in the real world. One week into orientation, I'm beginning to realize that yes, these are the people with whom the next year of my life will be spent with, and yes, we will be spending the next year in Ecuador together.

My mom has requested that I update this blog as often as possible, and although I may not be able to do that as much as she might like, I am going to try my best. And since I'm at Boston College, I might as well take advantage of the computer lab!

A few major events this week...

• One day we were taken by surprise with rice, beans, and corn for all three meals. The point wasn't to try to acclimate us to Ecuadorian food, but rather begin to realize what happens when real life doesn't meet our expectations, and how we react to that.
• We received our house and community assignment!!! I will be living in Mt. Sinai with some amazing people!!! They are: Bernadette, Madison, Mandi, Matt and Patrick (and myself). Rostro's presence in the community is brand new, only two years old, and so living in Mt. Sinai will provide so many new experiences and opportunities! To learn more about the neighborhood, check out Rostro's page on it: http://rostrodecristo.org/community/sinai.html , it has a really great slideshow if you click around (the youtube video doesn't seem to be working right now). Also, please take the time to check out the rest of the website, the mission, etc, especially if you need a distraction. Below are pictures of all of the volunteers, and of Mt. Sinai volunteers!

 

•  
• This isn't exactly an event, but there has been a lot of time this week to spend in quiet, on our own, and really take the time to reflect about how we are feeling throughout this entire transition process. I am so thankful to be able to really sit with how I'm feeling, what I'm anxious about, what I'm excited about, and then be able to share that with so many amazing people. It's also encouraging to know that I'm not the only one who is just plain old nervous about this whole thing! At some points I think to myself  "what in the world did I get myself into??" and at other times I know that this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing... and almost everyone has shared that they are going through the same roller coaster, it's so nice to know that I'm not alone in those feelings :)

that's it for now... we leave on august 1st, so hopefully I will be able to post again!

P.S. Sign up on the left side of this page to receive e-mail notifications, so that you get an email when I update the blog! You will ONLY receive an e-mail if I update, no spam!

Adios, Bellevue

Sunday is quickly approaching, which means orientation in Boston, and Ecuador 2 weeks later. This past Sunday, my family threw a Goodbye/Send Off party for me, and most of the important people from all corners of my life were able to make it! I had a wonderful time catching up with a lot of people I hadn't seen in a while, and so thankful that everyone took the time on a beautiful sunday afternoon to come and see me off! Here are a few pics from the night...

The Coles and Rich 

Hannah, Sarah and I 

The Eckharts 

The Sievers... all the way from Whidbey! 

The Cooleys 

The Tudors 

Cousins :) 

Michael Jay and the softballers!

Also, this week I have been learning to drive stick shift! The Coles have been so generous to teach me how to drive a manual. I've driven by a few construction crews, stalled out, and got a few laughs. But I think I'm getting the hang of it! 

Well, T-minus 5 days until Beantown... yikes! 

The Beginning

Hola Everyone!

Thanks for checking out my blog!  Beginning in August, I will be spending the next year in Ecuador, with a service program called Rostro de Cristo. My time there will be spent alongside 15 other volunteers from across the nation, serving the community, in relationship with volunteers and neighbors, and challenging myself and my faith. 

This is where I will be posting updates, pictures, stories, etc from my time in Ecuador this upcoming year. 

Also, I need to fundraise a significant amount of money ($2,500!) as a part of my role in this program. If you are able to help, I would greatly appreciate it! You can donate at https://www.wepay.com/donate/katiegoestoecuador, or send a check to

Rostro de Cristo

PO Box 920433

Needham, MA 02492

Please keep me in your prayers, and know that you will be in mine this year!

Love, Katie