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Buenas tardes from Duran!
Holy guacamole, I cannot believe how long it’s been since my last update—over five months! Time is absolutely flying and we are well into our last half of the year here. Though I’ve been terrible about making time to go to the cybers and keep you in the loop, you have been on my mind and I have been so excited to share what these past months have meant to me and I thank you for keeping me in your heart and prayers while I have been MIA!
If I were to sum up late October through March in one word, it would be Abundance. Abundance of emotions across the spectrum reaching deeper into the human experience than I ever have before. Abundance of love from neighbors, family, worksite mentors, community mates, and strangers. Abundance of transitions and visitors. Abundance of rain and Ecua-bugs (what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!) And abundance of new perspectives on faith, questions about life, and beginnings to discernment of my own next steps. The only thing that seems to be lacking in abundance is time to sit down and write about it! Asi es la vida
October brought a special opportunity to translate for a medical team from the States called “Project Perfect World” comprised of doctors, nurses, surgeons and biomedical engineers who donate a week of their time and talent to perform orthopaedic surgeries and construct braces free of cost for children with conditions ranging from cerebral palsy to paralysis at a children’s hospital in Guayaquil. It was an honor to witness the compassion of the U.S. medical providers and the deep gratitude of the Ecuadorian families while providing a bridge for their communication. I was also able to observe a four hour hip- replacement surgery from within the O.R.! I assumed I would faint from the sheer amount of blood and incisions, but awe of the incredible workings of our anatomy along with the chance for a glimpse into my grandpa’s life’s work overshadowed queasiness and I loved every minute! Most imprinted on my mind though is the collaboration and exchange of techniques I saw between the U.S. and Ecuadorian surgeons, showing how beneficial intercultural exchange can be from a life-saving standpoint.
My birthday also snuck up at the end of the month, and between exploring a lush island in the Guayas river with preserved indiginous habitation and crocodiles with my community mates, receiving the most unexpected treats and sweet notes from neighbors and random kids, having my face smashed in a homemade cake (per Ecua-tradition), and being showered with a mailing of your extremely thoughtful cards (thank you!!!), it was a day to cherish for a lifetime. And finally, we decked out our retreat house as a haunted house for kids from all our after school programs. We went from teachers to clowns, mummies and gruesome surgeons and the kids haven’t looked at us the same since! I’m consistently begged to make my “scary surgeon voice” and show kids my collection of teeth (popcorn kernels), bones (dry pasta), and organs (overcooked rice clumps) to this day.
November can be characterized by adventure and new life. We received our first long weekend off and took full advantage as a community by traveling to Baños, a town in a valley of the Andes Mountains filled with endless outdoor activities. Community bonding was at its finest sharing a room between the six of us (sibling-like love and bickering in abundance!), and our days were spent mountain-biking, hiking, joyfuly getting soaked by enormous waterfalls, swinging from a tree house over a cliff, bathing in the natural thermal baths (its namesake), exploring the quaint downtown’s artisan markets, dance clubs, and microbreweries, and attending Mass in the centuries-old, Spanish-style cathedral where music resonated in a way that gave us chills. We also had the chance to witness the unique Latin-American cultural traditions of reverancing deceased loved ones on Día de los Muertos in cemetaries filled with large circles of families praying together, vibrant flower arrangements, music, and special foods (like “wawa” bread–shaped like a baby, and “colada morada”– a warm purple smoothie). Most saliant though, was the personal plunge I decided to take during our last few hours there. We had been watching people jump off a bridge throughout the weekend, and after hearing the testimony from my community-mate, Jimmy, who did it a couple years ago and is alive to tell the story, I decided, along with my community-mate Joe, to go ahead and leap off the 115ft bridge stretching over the white-waters of the river. I don’t think that event went unheard by a single soul in Baños! The scream of terror turned into exhilaration pretty fast though, and I will never forget the sensation of flying over the waters and lush green valley with the Andes mountains in the backdrop. It was an incredible trip and such an awesome chance to experience a whole new perspective of the country.
In the spirit of work-hard, play-hard, we received our first retreat group soon after, a highschoolers from Cape Cod, and the fun took on a whole new dimmension. I was the logistics coordinator, meaning I coordinated each of the neighbor visits, drove all fourteen visitors in a 16-passenger van on the loco ecua-freeways, translated for each of the visits, made sure they were consistently supplied with jugs of purified water for drinking and cooking, and was entrusted with being keeper of the clock to keep everyone on schedule (ha!) Needless to say, it was a bumpy road filled with (endless) opportunities for building patience and endurance 😉 I learned a lot about where my strengths and weaknesses lie as a leader, and it was also a good wake-up call, through their questions and observations, on how unique the lifestyle is here from our experience in the States in terms of simplicity, community, spirituality and hospitality. There is so much to be learned on an immersion trip like this, and retreatants expressed that it provided a totally fresh view on service, wherein presence–simply listening to someone’s story with compassion–can be the most impactful way of dignfying them, “being versus doing” in Rostro terms.
November also held some special opportunities for quality time with neighbors. Rosita, an entrepreneurial woman who designs and sells clothing and has become the big sister I never had, celebrated the coming of her beautiful baby girl, Saori, (“princess” in Japanese). At her babyshower, we played hilarious games (like competing in taking off clothes pinned to a clothesline without using our hands) and danced for hours. No true ecua-party excludes dancing till everyone drops and the gringos are drenched in sweat! The long-awaited mango season also came into full bloom, and a few of us took advantage of the chance to accompany a neighbor from Sola to her childhood home in the “campo,” where rice patties stretch for miles and mango trees of countless varieties flourish. We met her family, ate our weight in the sweetest, juiciest mangos, then dragged home several sacks more to become smoothies, cobblers and snacks for weeks to come. I also had the chance to accompany Sister Gladys, the women of the sewing co-op out in Sola (on whose porch Joe and I set up our mini afterschool program while Sister Fanny was gone), and their families on a fun recreation day at a pool. I am consistently amazed by these religious sisters’ work in this minimally-developed neighborhood to provide skills for helping the people (especially women) build autonomy and self-esteem, while nurturing their spiritual growth and family unity. I could not have been blessed with more inspiring mentors who give their time, intellect, talent and energy to living the gospel on a daily basis.
Along with the first showers of the rainy season, which sent kids bolting out of their houses to splash and play in puddles, December showered us with unforgettable experiences of Latin American Christmas and New Year’s celebrations along with the highly-anticipated visits of many of our families! Each year, Rostro volunteers are corralled into participating in the church’s live Nativity on Christmas Eve. This nativity is not your typical quick play though, rather, it is a “Posada” procession wherein scenes from the story surrounding the birth of Jesus are acted outside several houses and tiendas, commemorating Mary and Joseph’s inability to find room in an inn, and finishing in the church, a covered outdoor facility that doubles as a soccer field, where a beautifully-crafted manger (made from a soccer goal) receives them. Joe, my community mate, was chosen as Joseph (thanks to his beard) and wowed us all with his unsuspected abilities in acting, steering a live donkey through the streets with “Mary” on top, and keeping baby “Jesus” quiet through most of Mass! Grace was an innkeeper, Jess was the dancing North Star, Jimmy was a Magi king, and I was essentially Buddy the Elf in a shepherd costume prancing around with a group of children two feet shorter than me. Classic. We enjoyed the traditional hot chocolate with Pannetone bread as well as dinner with a neighbor’s family, and then joined right in the craziness of jumping over fireworks and sparklers with the neighborhood kids.
I met my family in Quito soon after, where they surprised me with Santa hats in 85 degree weather and I surprised them with pink hair! (After losing a bet and dying it with a neighbor) There is nothing like hugging with all your might and laughing with your most loved ones after six months of being apart!! We had such a special time touring this culturally-rich Andean city, where we visited the equator, hiked around the 13,000ft mountains (where being “cold” never felt better after 6 months of consistent 90 degree days and sweltering humidity!), learned about indigenous culture and art of the Andes, and explored “Mindo,” a cloud forest with beautiful waterfalls. My favorite part of their visit though, was introducing them to the people I most love. Our neighbors in Arbolito embraced them with the warmest, most eager hospitality, insisting on serving a meal (despite their own struggles with ensuring food on a daily basis), and talking for hours about life. I was so proud of Brendan’s abilities to understand and translate! My parents mentioned that in that short amount of time, they realized how rewarding prioritizing time for neighbors is, and that we certainly don’t need to travel to a developing country to encounter someone in need of accompaniment that allows us to share in what it means to be human. I took them through my daily schedule, and at the preschool where I teach English, they were received by sixty 3-4 year-olds bursting with excitement to perform songs they’d learned, both in Spanish and in English. My parents’ eyes filled with tears of joy seeing how much the kids enjoyed learning English and watching me so integrated into my element.
At my afternoon ministry site in Una Sola Fuerza, they had the chance to meet my incredible mentor, Sister Fanny, and learn about her initiatives in natural medicine and education, and witness the striking sight of cane houses, which had begun to flood, in this minimally-developed barrio. Sister Fanny explained that her programs were born of needs expressed by the people during her first five years living there. I admire this model of service so much, because rather than come in as a foreigner and impose what one thinks is beneficial, Sister Fanny and Sister Gladys, both native Ecuadorians, lived among the people for years, then went back to school to be able to provide the medicinal, spiritual, educational, and entrepreneurial services the people most yearned for. I also loved showing my family Nuevo Mundo, a non-profit bilingual, Christian elementary-high school, (the umbrella school of the preschool), where I had found a wellspring of passion and purpose. And our time together ended with a BANG experiencing Ecuador’s unforgettable New Year’s Eve tradition. Giant, home-made paper mache characters representing figures popular during the year, called “monigotes,” are stuffed with fireworks and blown up on every single street corner at every home. They symbolize the “burning of the old year,” with all its struggles and joys, to freshly ring in the new one at midnight. Hours of dancing, multiple monigote explosions, and endless generous neighbors offering food and drinks later, my family had integrated into the fully-alive culture that characterizes Ecuador.
January and February seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye between retreat groups and transitions of all kinds. Our in-country director as well as our assistant state-side director transitioned out, and we welcomed in two new key people to our lives, Manny and Michelle, who led our midyear retreat to Manta. We are very grateful for Manny’s presence here in Ecuador because he has provided special opportunities for spiritual growth, his main motivation. Hannah, our community-mate, had been struggling with a variety of illnesses and decided it was best for her health to go home. It has been a challenge transitioning to a community of five, but we are grateful she is taking care of herself! The school year ended in February as well, and I watched my little four year olds sing ceremonial songs and walk across the stage, with home-made caps and gowns, to receive their preschool diploma. I already miss those little munchkins so much! But, I’m proud that many will move on to the main Nuevo Mundo campus to commence in April some of the most fruitful experiences education can provide. I also had the chance to join a beloved neighbor, Jenny, and her kids on a visit to the coastal region of Ecuador, Manabi, with my community mate Jess, to celebrate her niece’s confirmation for a weekend escape. Getting to be a part of the family in sharing rooms, eating fish soup (encebollado) for breakfast, riding in the open-air truck bed down the coastal highways to church and spending hours in the sea, their backyard, was a true gift.
Mid-February was absolutely loco with the arrival of the annually-anticipated “Carnaval,” preceding the beginning of Lent. Never have I ever seen a week filled with more energy, colors, scheming and absolute filth! Powder paint and foam canisters are sold on every street corner, and as soon as one leaves their house, they are fair game for everyone to attack! My first day, I was hammered with eggs, foam, paint of all colors, soaked with a bucket filled with milk and tossed in giant mud puddles. After scrubbing down and heading to an unsuspecting side-street tienda for dinner ingredients at the end of the day, I was swarmed by my Ecuadorian friends and community mates, who had been on the look-out, hiding on all surrounding street corners, with purple dye and the thickest slime I have ever seen! By 9pm, we were purple smurfs, and subjected to scrubbing down outside of the house using a hose, laundry detergent (the only thing that dissolves slime!), and the help of our guard Eduardo! The dye left me with purple raccoon eyes for at least two days, and our hair still has purple highlights. On the final day of locura, after chasing and being chased by people of all ages with everything imaginable to make someone’s skin unrecognizable, I unexpectedly joined our little neighbor kids in an inflatable kiddie pool (planted outside most homes during that week) after being tossed in by our guard and his friends who, along with everyone else, thoroughly enjoyed scheming against the gringos. Viva la vida loca!
March, as the saying goes, came in like a lion, and (seems to be!) going out like a lamb. March 1st walloped me with strange stomach bacteria, double pink eye (“patada china” here) and remnants of lice. A couple days later came the arrival of the retreat group I was assigned to lead from Catholic University of America. Though coordinating logistics for several previous groups exhausted me, getting to choose the neighbors for the group´s visits and accompany them, facilitate discussions, and join in their nightly reflections brought me so much life. Some of the most impactful moments for me were hearing retreatants connect neighbor’s deeply-emotional stories with moments in their own lives and learn how the neighbor was able to form those wounds into sources of healing for others. One of my favorite ministry site visits was to Nuevo Mundo, where the co-founder, a former religious sister, talked to us about the difference between poverty and abundance: options. Education is the bridge between poverty and abundance because it opens the way for options. This feisty role model also explained that we are each unequivocally endowed with a gift. It is up to us to be fearless inusing our gift, because applying our talent where there is a need is the only way to make a difference. The seeds of passion planted in my heart for education have certainly been watered by Pat and are sprouting exciting ideas for my future!
At the end of the week, we also had the chance to share the core of faith lived by so many of our neighbors here by bringing the retreatants on a processional Stations of the Cross (held each week during Lent) which consists of walking through the neighborhood while playing and singing music and stopping at homes offered by parishioners to read and commemorate each of the milestones of Jesus’ Passion leading to the crucifixion.
Among the most memorable moments for me during this entire retreat group though, was sharing Mass together on the third-floor terrace at the home of our neighbor, Gloria, an Afro-Ecuadorian Catholic lay missionary, and her family (mother of Nacho, who Jimmy and I regularly practiced English with and recently moved to Chile to pursue his dreams in the tourism industry using his bilingual abilities!). Experiencing the fusion of Afro-Ecuadorian traditional “arrullos” (religious chants accompanied by bongo drums) with Mass presided by a priest from Ireland and a priest from the Philippines (faculty leaders of the retreat group), U.S. young adults and Ecuadorian neighbors young to old praying the responses together in both English and Spanish, and all sharing together in thanking the same God was the most exemplary image of “Catholicism,” meaning “Universal,” I have ever experienced.
In the past couple weeks, we have kept busy with a room switch – asked of us in order to be reminded that the house is not our own and to strive towards solidarity with our neighbors, many of whom live in unstable circumstances that call for packing up and leaving on short notice (and to make sure we get in a deep cleaning!); a funeral for Rosita’s beloved aunt, beginning an English class with teenagers in Una Sola Fuerza while Joe does carpentry work for the Sisters, finding a gigantic 1.5 meter venomous snake in our compound and watching our guard fearlessly chop it up with a machete, rehearsing songs with the church’s music group for Easter, celebrating the initiation of a new pastor in our church, and welcoming in another retreat group tonight! Never a dull moment in the ole Ecua adventure 🙂
That’s all for now, folks! (And I know it’s more than plenty, so thank you for persevering). I pray that this Easter season was filled with an abundance of special moments with your families and friends!
With all my love y un abrazote,
Brielle
An UnECUAled Experience 2017-2019 