I´m back

Year number two. Here I am, a Rostro volunteer again - back in Ecuador.



I am living in a new place, I have a new job, a new community, a new outlook on what a volunteer year is, but in so many ways many many things are the same.



- s l o w i n t e r n e t . . . I definitely took advantage of wi-fi and instant internet connection while I was at home. Not so easy to find that in Ecuador. In fact, at any moment I may lose this blog and these oh so profound thoughts of mine will never be posted. :)



- the smell. That is the first thing you recognize when you get off the plane in Guayaquil. It is a mix of fresh fruit, delicious food, exhaust, burning trash, and hard workers. It doesnt allow you to pretend you are somewhere else.



- spanish. I feel so much more confident than I did last year, but I have quickly realized that my spanish is not so appropriate for a professional office setting. I am so much more at ease speaking to children, particulary street kids, then the professionals I answer to at work. I often find myself quiet in situations where I would have a lot to say (typical Amy) but I have no idea how to express what I want. I know that will come. Everyday conversation gives me a lot of joy still . . . something to work on.



- food. Fresh fruits and vegetables. Cheap. Mega Big Cola, the official Ecuadorian soda. Delicious chicken and bean dishes. Ecuadorian cheese. More rice on your plate than you should eat over the course of three days.



- calling attention to myself. Right, even after a year I am still not Ecuadorian and whenever I am in a new place someone reminds me of it. Often it makes conversation easier though. I am automatically more interesting being a gringa here.



- soccer rivalries. Ecuador has many of its own teams that play each other every weekend, and I am still expected to pledge my allegiance to one of them. Unfortunately, none of this really holds my attention so I just watch and laugh while people argue about it.



- sweating . . . a lot. It makes you appreciate cold showers.



- God. I came back to Ecuador for Him. I am back in Ecuador, in Guayaquil looking for his face in the people around me. I am constantly reminded here, whether it is by my communitymates, a conversation with a new friend, or my general situation of life here, that I need Him --- that the only way my life will mean something is if it is through Him, following his way. I still find myself working to understand what that means, I am still working to release control of my life, but this is the best place for me to learn.









All in all I am well. Work is starting slowly as the group of youth with Hogar de Cristo slowly forms. Oh right, Hogar de Cristo is a non profit located in Ecuador and in Chile. In Ecuador, the foundation works primarily with women and their families living in extreme poverty. They offer options for affordable housing, microcredits for banks of women to start their own small businesses, they have a new shelter in Guayaquil for women leaving abusive situations, and they also help to organize Christian Base Communities in the neighborhoods on the Perimetral. We spent the first week or so learning about all of their projects (and building a cane house --- 4 hours baby, new record!). The foundation blows us all away. They build 40 houses a week, have 1,400 women receiving loans for their businesses, and 140 young people singed up for their youth program. Right now, they are offering classes for all of the kids on self esteem and self worth. Soon we will be teaching them about microfinancing and starting a business (all of which I have to learn first) and then in Novemeber they will complete their business plan and we will mentor them through the process. Pretty sweet, right? And let me tell you - these kids are so inspiring. Their desire to succeed and their committment to bettering their lives leaves me in awe.



So that is work. Today we were finally able to go to mass in the community where we will be living after our house is built. (Right now we are living in a small house that Hogar is letting us use on the same compound as other volunteers from Spain and Chile. It is super fun, although kind of a hikd to get where we want to be). We will be living in the community of Monte Sinai. The parish there is run by Fr. Colm. He is from Ireland and he is awesome. The parish there is so vibrant and joyful and committed to their work as Christians and their mission to live in community serving each other. Tracy and I both admitted to get a bit emotional at mass. I think it was a combination of factors: watching people worship with such passion, feeling so welcomed into a new community, and feeling so blessed to be in this place - physically, emotionally, spiritually, to really see everything good that God has put in our lives. I cannot wait to spend more time out there. Looks like we will be teaching a lot of CCD - bring on the kids.

So, that is most of what is going on. It is a new beginning for all of us, and still a major transition. The Ecuador that I came to know and love last year is changing, although the hard stuff about living in Ecuador stays just about the same. When stuff gets hard here I want to just run as fast as I can back to Arbolito to be with the people who I love and who I know love me. It is a challenge to be in the same country but also so far away. The blessing is that communication is a million times easier now and I know the day will come when I get to visit. Until then, I am constantly reminded of how much I have here in Guayquil living in community with Tracy, Carolyn, and Danny.

Thanks for sticking with me - through the long blog and the months of poor communication. Below is my mailing address (same as last year) and my phone number. If you feel inclined to send us letters, give us a call, or send us a text - well, now you can!

Amy Piepiora o Megan Radek
Rostro de Cristo
Casilla 09-01-1024
Guayaquil, Ecuador, South America


to call or text from the states: 011-593-8-112-1726

I pray that you are all well and that wherever you find yourselves there is peace.