The trip to the home for the elderly was very similar to my previous volunteer experience at a retirement home. Some of the residents were not able or willing to communicate while others were quite talkative. Some of them needed assistance with eating and walking. The level of interactions were very similar as well as far as listening to their stories, playing games, or just giving a pat on the shoulder. It was interesting to see the similarities, and the experience reminded me that I would not mind working with the elderly in some capacity. I think, as a future professional, it is important to understand the perspective of the elderly but also to understand how this potentially affects their loved ones.

Festival of the Rooster

This was by far one of the best cultural experiences of the trip! A small group of us walked through town towards the music that we heard at the Hacienda. We arrived at an event that looked like an outdoor block party. It was an annual celebration called Festival of the Rooster in which people celebrate and hope for more chickens and roosters the next year. There was dancing, eating, drinking, and three live roosters hung upside down by their feet under a volleyball net! The locals were extremely welcoming, which really surprised me. They offered us drinks and invited us to dance. The kids ran and played with us. One girl in particular was very friendly and appeared to be quite poor. Her hair was matted and her clothes were dirty. She could not wipe the smile from her face though.

The Orphanage 7/20

The experience at the orphanage was quite different than I anticipated. It seemed as though they had too much help and weren't sure how to delegate various tasks. I was able to spend some time with the children and even went on a walk with them. They seemed happy and did not appear to be in need of new toys or better facilities. The majority of the time was spent doing yard work, such as pulling leaves and raking.

Towards the end of the day, I was by myself raking some leaves when I heard a knock at the window. Two kids were waving at me from inside of the house. I started thinking about how I would feel if I worked at an orphanage or in the foster care system. I first gave this some thought in the Spring after I interviewed one of my coworkers who grew up in foster care. This is something that I would like to keep as an option because I could see myself working well with this population.

We also stopped by a beautiful waterfall on the way back to the Hacienda.This trip has definitely reignited my travel bug.

The Lake & The Game

A group of us walked about 45 minutes to the lake this morning, and it was a fantastic way to see the town around the Hacienda.  Our destination near the lake was definitely a tourist trap consisting of a hotel, restaurant, mini golf course, and kayaks for rent. On the walk to and from the lake, we saw locals including a woman walking her cows down the road. The town was so quiet, and we stood out as the group of loud Americans walking in the street.

Later that night, we gathered in the classroom for a game called Star Power. I was feeling irritable after just discovering my $400+ phone bill, but I did my best to trade coins of various amounts. At the end of the first round, I had the absolute lowest value of coins. As a result, I was placed in the green triangle group. It didn't take long to realize that this was a game about privilege, oppression, and everything that comes along with it. Our lower-class group immediately banded together and decided not to trade at all in the next round. Our strategy continually changed, but we remained loyal to each other throughout. The game became heated when the upper class decided not to consider our proposed rules for the game. There was definitely an "us and them" mentality throughout the game which fueled the fire. The most enlightening part of the game was the discussion at the end because we discovered that some people did not actually agree with what their group was doing and felt attacked.

In the end, the game showed me that we often are so quick to judge others because they are part of a certain group. It also demonstrated the influence of group mentality as well as the power that comes with privilege. In my career thus far, I have always chosen to work with a low SES population. This experience paired with aspects of the class has reminded me that the middle and upper class come with their own issues as well, and I should not pigeon hole myself into working with one specific population. 

Wed., 7/18

After breakfast this morning, we boarded the bus and began the two-hour drive to the city of Quito. The driver went in the wrong direction, which landed us in a cute town with a little city square/park area and adorable stray dogs everywhere. Ecuador has so many strays, but they look healthy and happy as opposed to the strays we usually see in the US. We got back on track and arrived at the day care. The oldest children there are four years old, so they were so fun to be around!

I was excited to speak to them because since they're so young their Spanish skills would be on my level. I approached the kids as they were eating their bowls of soup at the short, cafeteria-style table. Immediately after the introductions I was lost. The kids spoke quickly and with vocabulary that I did not know. As they napped, we helped with a craft project and spoke with one of the employees. I was very thankful for my classmates who translatted the conversation for me because it was very interesting. The woman works at the daycare and attends night school. She has a 2 year old boy and dreams about going to a great university. She asked us about exchange student programs in the United States, and we clarified her misconception that she would be owned by the family. She also worried that she would be killed for entering the States, so we shared with her that there are legal ways to obtain a visa and study in the country. We also learned more about the day care and the country.

We were able to spend some time with the children, and it was very fun. I allowed a boy named Carlitos to take countless photos with my camera, some of which turned out quite nicely. My classmates and I discussed afterwards that the camera helped to break the language barrier because the kids enjoyed having their pictures taken and seeing themselves on the screen.

The experience at the day care reminded me that I do enjoy working with kids, and I have a certain talent for it as well. As a future professional, this confirmed a couple things for me: I am not interested in working in a day care setting, and I still have a desire to work with children.

Nick & the Tour, 7/17//2012

After a good night's sleep and a shower, I felt refreshed for the first full day at Hacienda Cusin. The meals have been extraordinary. Breakfast is a served buffet, and lunch and dinner are cloth napkin, three course events. Each day we have a new fruit juice to try: pineapple, tree tomato, and raspberry.

Class went well yesterday. Some of the information was a review from previous courses, but it was a good refresher. We also had some thought provoking activities regarding our racial identity. Then we were asked to draw what we value in day to day life. I drew Bri and Mia in our house. I also drew Mom, Dad, Tommy, and Elizabeth. I thought it was funny that my picture was so similar to what I drew as a kid: family, house, pet. I suppose the most important aspects of my life have remained the same.

We also discussed various counseling skills, and my classmates made references to their current jobs. I found myself wondering how happy I would be in their careers: social worker, preschool teacher, case manager, or working with autistic children. I am trying to keep my options open for what to do with my degree instead of pigeon-holing myself into being a school counselor.

Nick, the British owner of the Hacienda, gave us a tour of the 30 acre grounds with a detailed history. At the end, he invited no more than ten people to join him for tea. I was one of seven who stayed. Nick was sharing stories about his former teaching career, and I felt that love of teaching spark inside of me for the first time in quite a while. I started thinking about how so much of our happiness comes from our perspective. During the tour, Nick showed us two side-by-side paintings that were created by two travelers while passing through Ecuador. One man was very religious and seemed to paint as though God was in the mountains and the lake. The other saw something different; his painting was a mix of the landscape of his home in Europe and the actual landscape in Ecuador.

Overall, an excellent day!

(Side Note: I'm typing this on the bus. An ambulance just went by on a windy two lane road, and no one pulled over. They all kept moving and just pulled closer to the shoulder. It's so interesting to see how the traffic, seemingly chaotic, works. It's as though everyone works together without being competitive about who should be ahead.)

7/16/2012

- I had my first glimpses of Quito, Ecuador today. Globalization was apparent through the food establishments and car dealerships that I saw in the city as our taxi driver zipped between cars and through round-a-bouts.
- Hotel Quito has a gorgeous view of the mountains, houses, and buildings in the city. The majority of the day was spent in the seventh floor dining area where we had lunch and worked on assignments.
- I realized how shaky and minimal my Spanish is today.