August/September Post

I am so excited to be writing my first blog post about my time in Ecuador! It has been such a busy and jam-packed month filled with a lot of great and overwhelming things. I arrived in Miami on August 21st for orientation. I gave my sister a very teary-eyed hug and went through security. I was so nervous and overwhelmed. Of course, I second-guessed myself every ten minutes. Manny, the Program Manager, picked me up at the airport. His presence immediately calmed me. I met the four other volunteers who I would be living, working, and forming a community with for the next year. Nicole is the one to get the conversation started. She made a list of questions our first week together to get to know each other better. I really appreciate this. I love her spirit and her joy. Mark brings the comedy to our group. He is someone who loves jumping in head first to any challenge. Steven is inquisitive and calm. He asks challenging questions which always lead to a fruitful conversation. I’ve loved living with them so far- a little piece of college in Ecuador! (Hey roomies!) Lilly is gentle and fun! We have talked a lot about how we are feeling and always checking in on each other. I’ve appreciated her presence greatly especially when I’m feeling homesick.. We keep saying it’s crazy that we’ve only known each other for a month. It feels like a lifetime, but also only two days. There is so much to explore in these relationships.

Orientation felt like eight weeks long. It was filled with lots of information about spirituality, self-care, and life in Ecuador. It was a great space to begin to know my community and what we wanted this year to look like. We spent time playing card games or spikeball. We went on walks and played basketball. We went to 6:30 am mass and prayed together each night. It was a beautiful start to our time together. We were dropped off at a hotel near the airport on Friday night. We talked about the sinking feeling on our chest about how real this was all becoming. That night we went to Calle Ocho in Miami for dinner. It was fun to share a meal with just the five of us since we had been together with our Directors since we arrived in Miami. We woke up the next morning and got on a plane to Guayaquil. As we landed, the five of us were looking around nervously kind of like “I guess there’s no turning back now. Manny, Erin, Hannah, and Mattie (the fellows), who would be our lifeline for the upcoming weeks, picked us up at the airport. We drove back to Monte Sinai in silence. Taking in the new world we would now live in. I was awe-stricken by the change from city to suburb. The roads quickly become dusty and the houses made out of some concrete and tin roofs.

The first neighbor we met live in the retreat house right next to ours. Monica and David have been keeping both houses clean during the pandemic. Monica made a huge lunch for us, and it was the first meal of many where we only spoke in Spanish. That has been a major adjustment. When we leave our house, it is all Spanish, all the time. I notice my progress already, but it was so hard at first. It takes a lot of energy to be attentive, sociable while also trying to figure out what the heck we are talking about! The first week crept by slowly with overstimulating neighbor visits and helpful tips from the Fellows. Everyone we meet welcomes us with open arms wanting to know how we like Ecuador so far and what food we have tried. Some visits are tranquil, where we stay for a few hours and chat. With a woman and maybe her mother. Others are chaotic with nine children running around, and then the primos come to play and we add another six. Both are so joyful. There is so much laughter whether it’s laughing at a joke or laughing at how badly I mispronounced a word in Spanish. Either way God is present in both moments. Monte Sinai quickly became home because of how warmly the community welcomed us.

In the mornings, I walk to the pandería on our street, kicking up dust and rocks. I buy bread from Christian who greets me with a smile. I walk two streets down to find Maria and Alfredo setting up their vegetable tienda for the day. I ask for 15 guineos (bananas) because they are only 5 cents each and someone will eat them. People say “buenos dias” and greet me with a smile as I pass them. This has been an adjustment for me. Everyone stares as the tall gringos pass. We are always a spectacle when we leave our house. It makes sense, we are different. I have never been in a place where I stand out because of my race. There is a lot that comes with this acknowledgement and something I will be writing more about in my next blogs.

Our first two weeks in Ecuador were filled with visiting our different work sites, meeting neighbors that are close to Rostro de Cristo, and beginning to figure out what community life meant for the five of us here. I mentioned Monica and David previously, but they have made the biggest impact on me thus far. They live right next door so every time we come and go they watch over us saying “Be careful” (Mom, I know you love that). I told Monica I was nervous to cook for everyone because I don’t really like cooking and I have very little experience. She told me to go grab a notebook and we started writing down a recipe. No questions asked, she was there to help. My nerves were immediately calmed. All my meals have been Monica inspired since then!

They have shared their family with us too. Their granddaughter runs around our patio while I chase her. The guys go play volleyball with their youngest son every Friday night. Monica and David quickly became my Ecuador family. We celebrated Adami’s second birthday this week- Monsters INC themed! It is a privilege to spend time with the family and laughter runs through every conversation demonstrating how quickly strangers can become friends. This is kinship.

We ended our orientation weeks in two fun ways! Thursday we went into Center City Guayaquil to meet the Archbishop and explore. We walked Las Peñas, which is five hundred steps to the lighthouse of Guayaquil where you can see most of the city. It was a great day of seeing the difference between city and suburb.

Friday morning we woke up and went on retreat for the weekend at the beach! Friday night was a silent night as we discerned where we wanted to work for the year. It was nice to sit in silence on the beach and just watch the waves roll in. Saturday we made our decisions! I am working at Casa de Acogida, which is a shelter for women who are victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. The rest of the weekend was filled with spikeball, volleyball, and swimming in the biggest waves I’ve ever seen! (Avalon has nothing on Playas). It was great to spend time with Manny, the fellows, and us five. We had spent two weeks going, going, going, but this was time to pause and be together without any distraction.

We got back Monday the 12th and we started work on the 13th. Nicole and I travel to Casa de Acogida Monday-Thursday. It’s about a 35 minute bus ride. We go the farthest out of Monte Sinai, which I like because we get to see different perspectives. I’ve become so comfortable with the public transportation system here, which is something I was so nervous about this time last year when directing PSIP. Nicole and I do an array of jobs at Casa. We spend time in the classroom with the children. Women are allowed to bring their children while they stay at Casa. The women must enter the house willingly, making their own decision to come, and can stay for six months. They provide access to a psychologist, lawyer, and a social worker during their recovery. They have business classes where they learn how to make money for themselves. We put on workshops throughout the week to build community amongst the women. Our first one was a “Getting to Know You’ questionnaire. This week we will have a Zumba class and a painting session. Casa is a special place. The women have so much love to give. I have had the opportunity to bake and cook with one of them. We laugh about the music we like while also exchanging stories from our life. The women are some of the strongest people I have ever met and I’m so grateful to be a part of their journey. Not every day has been giggling and fun, but they have been authentic and filled with Christ.

Our nights after work look different. If it’s your night to cook, you spend most of it in the kitchen with your sous-chef. This is a great time to get to know each other better. If I’m not cooking, I will be in Spanish class or reading a book on the couch. Sometimes we go and chat with Monica’s family or paint with the kids. After dinner, we play games or just talk. Once a week we have community night and spirituality night. I really look forward to these nights because it’s intentional time we spend together with just the five of us. Lilly and Nicole planned a show and tell last Thursday night! It was so fun- I got to show off my RBG finger puppet. It’s been weird to start anew with people my age. I just left a wonderful group of friends in the US, and I’m starting over here with them. It’s also really fun to hear different experiences they have and learn more about each other’s faith.

I cannot believe I’ve only been here a month. It’s everything I wanted and more. We draw with the kids outside of our gates once a week. We play soccer with a neighbor and her family in the street outside her tienda. There is no meeting to attend; no homework that needs to get done. I can be where I am fully. These next months are going to be filled with joy, gratitude, laughter, sadness, and anger. I hope to share as much as I can, but know it’s so difficult to describe it all. Monte Sinai is a place that you must experience yourself to truly know what I am saying. Thank you for all your support back home. I do miss you… a lot! I know this is where I am supposed to be though. Email me if you have questions- maggieinecuador@gmail.com. I love seeing messages in my inbox! Con Paz.