As May comes to a close, I am reflecting on my time in Ecuador as a whole. I have less than a month left, and I cannot believe how quickly the year has gone. May has been one of our busiest months between visitors, retreat groups, and work.
Work has been just as crazy. The students get cuter and crazier each day. We have two weeks until summer vacation! This month we learned how to call 911, the patriotic symbols of Ecuador, and different forms of communication. The two examples we teach them about when to call 911 is when someone is trying to get into your house or when dad comes home drunk and starts hitting mom. Domestic violence is something kids witness at age 3. I am sure this happens in the United States too, but it was not something taught in my classroom. My sweet Fabio or Ailyn already have to be on alert fr violence in their homes and that breaks my heart. I was able to visit a few students' houses this month with the social work team. I love meeting their parents and seeing how they live. I have learned to be more patient and love a little bigger because of the kids.
The best part of the month was our trip to the zoo! It was most of their first times at the zoo! It was so fun to watch them experience it for the first time. The lions and monkeys were a hit! While my calling is not preschool, I will miss these students dearly as we wrap up the school year. They have been a great sense of joy since I moved to Quito. I will miss their little hugs and sweet voices yelling Maggie as I enter the classroom each morning.
We had a teacher vs social work soccer game at the beginning of May. I played on the social work team. It was very intense with practice a week beforehand and a coach. I played goalie and we went to penalty kicks! So stressful, but so fun! We won the game and celebrated after with some cake! I have not played sports with just women since high school. It was fun to build comradery and work as a team. I felt more connected to El Centro after the game too because I became closer with a few more of the women here.
Mark’s friends came to visit us at the beginning of May. It was great to get to know them! We all went to Cotopaxi one night and stayed at this
amazing hostel. We ended up getting a house all to ourselves since we were such a big group. The next morning we hiked Cotopaxi, one of the tallest active volcanoes in Ecuador. It was TOUGH for me! We hiked to 16,000 feet and I was struggling to breath. The wind was blowing in our faces and since the volcano is active, we all got faces full of ash. I am glad I did it though. It was an amazing view and I felt accomplished afterwards. It actually erupted a bit the next day! It was special to share this experience with my community as well.
Lilly and I celebrated Mother’s Day with our Ecuadorian community mates Pablo and Pilar. We went to brunch and then took a walk on a path in the Valley. It was so peaceful to be in nature on a beautiful sunny day. It reminded me of how important spontaneity is too. We did not plan this, but just decided to go for a drive and get some coffee. The little moments and laughs matter. This trip gave me some energy I needed for the following work week. I’ve learned it’s important for me to make time for people and sunshine to keep the attitude I want to bring to my kids during the school week. I feel like I’ve been giving from an empty cup, and that just does not work.
Lilly and I led the John Carroll retreat group. I am so glad I got to have this experience as it was supposed to be a large part of my experience in Guayaquil. We took them to our classes, went on home visits, and explored a bit of Quito.
We also took a trip to San Clemente. This is an indigenous community outside of the city of Ibarra. Rosa took us into her home and taught us about her culture. We shared meals and asked questions. We took a walk to learn about the plants she has and their healing powers for her community. We learned about their connection to nature and how much they rely on the natural world to give them what they need based on the calendar. We danced to traditional indigenous music with members of the community. That was really special because it reminded us of being at the indigenous church in Monte Sinai. They used the same instruments and wore similar clothing. The night brought us back to sharing meals and prayer with our neighbors there. It was also a new experience of translating for me. Lilly and I switched off translating the conversations and talks we had with the community. It was great to be able to translate, but also exhausting. I had to be paying attention to each word to ensure the group was able to experience as much of the conversation as possible. I am so grateful for that experience.
We reflected with John Carroll each night and they were asking important questions like “Why are we here?” It allowed me to reflect more on my experience too. I am learning how to love differently in my year. I love differently because of the hospitality I have received, because of the stories I have heard, because of what I have witnessed. As my time comes to a close in the next few weeks, I reflect on what I want to bring home, and this love is absolutely one of them. I want to love my family and friends differently, in a deeper way. I want to love my new co-workers and students differently. I want to love the grocery store clerk or my new community mates differently.
We are winding down here with only two weeks left of school. Mark leaves us next week to go home for his sister’s wedding. The goodbyes are starting, which is all bittersweet. The four of us will travel to the Amazon when we are done in Quito for a week. From there, everyone is coming to my house in New Jersey. We were hoping to do a beach week together before leaving, but since Mark is not coming back, we are doing it at my house! I am looking forward to time together and closing our time in a fun way! It will be so sad to leave them, we have actually spent just about every waking moment together for a full year- I have never done that with anyone else in my life. I am excited to share my experience with those who ask but also knowing that words will not be able to fully encapsulate everything. For this reason, I am grateful for my community mates because we know what the year was like, what we went through in a way no one else will be able to understand. I will rely on them in my transition back to the US even from miles and miles apart. I am looking forward to the next chapter too! I will be doing the ACE Fellowship at SJU! I will be working part time at Guadalupe Family Services in Camden and part time in Campus Ministry at SJU while getting my Master’s in Organizational Development and Leadership. I need some comfort and familiarity in my life after this year. I think this program will provide that along with new challenges and experiences. There is so much to process and so much to look forward to as well.
