I've been in Ecuador for three weeks now. Time is a funny thing; it's hard to believe that three weeks have already passed, but it's also hard to believe that only three weeks have passed. Maybe that's because my existence here is so different from home that it almost feels like an entirely new lifetime. Before I left, people warned me that this experience would fly by. People also said that to me about college, and I didn't fully believe them until I noticed it myself. Similarly, I didn't fully believe that about this year until a few days ago when I realized that we are closer to October than we are to August. Soon we'll be closer to the end than we are to the beginning. I already don't want to think about the end... let's talk about the beginning.
We landed in Quito on August 28th. In our first few weeks here, we took time to adjust and visit our work site options. We started going to the after school program at the church in the second week. I'll be helping there on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for the rest of the year. The kids show up around one, and then we serve them lunch. After lunch, we help them with homework until snack time around four. When snack is over, we have more time for homework help and time for games until they go home at five. My elementary level of Spanish has caused some pretty comical moments at this program. I often have no idea what these kids are saying to me. When that happens, I usually just smile at them. If they repeat themselves, then I know they are expecting a response. In those cases, I either try to figure out what they need, or I go get help. The good news is that I don't need much language to chase them around a court yard. That's my fallback bonding strategy, and I think it's working pretty well. During homework help, I'm mostly helping with English and math. It's extremely humbling when you don't know how to do a 3rd grader's math homework, but it's even more humbling when you don't know how to explain to that 3rd grader that you can't do their math homework because you have the language skills of a 1st grader. I'm learning to laugh at myself in those moments.
On days that I don't help at the after school program, I'll be working with a program at the local church called Caritas. There are dozens of abuelitos in our neighborhood who live alone or with a spouse. Marcia, a woman who helps with the program, visits these abuelitos in their homes whenever she has free time. She brings them food and medicine, or takes them to appointments, if need be. For the rest of the year, I'll be accompanying her on these visits. I anticipate a lot of challenges and blessings coming from this opportunity. First challenge, of course, is Spanish. I have never really been characterized as shy before in my life, but that's different here. These abuelitos probably think I don't have much to say. That could not be further from the truth, but I'm learning how to deal with it. You can express a lot of love and care through body language: smiling and nodding. Regardless, even with my limited langauge skills, the time I've spent with these wise and life-tested people has already been incredibly meaningful.
I read a book over the summer called 10% Happier. The author, Dan Harris, was a workaholic ABC News anchor who noticed in his 30s that he was basically sleep-walking through life. He was constantly either ruminating about the past or worrying about the future. This was painfully relatable. My college experience was a non-stop marathon of productivity. I was always running, and by the end of it, I couldn't catch my breath. That's why I wanted my next adventure to force me to start walking. I wanted time to stop and smell the roses, if you will. That's why I made a goal for myself to be as present as possible while I'm in Ecuador. To be where my feet are. To live one day at a time. It's already clear to me how much more there is to life when you're actually living in the moment you're in. Things are overall harder, happier, funnier, and far more beautiful.
I'll finish with one other sorta related, but sorta separate, thought. During the early stages of covid, I went on a bit of a health kick. I wasn't eating much processed sugar, and I started to notice that other foods tasted sweeter. I used to think that carrots had basically no flavor, but during this time, they were distinctively sweet. I've noticed something similar here. Because I have less validation and instant gratification (technology, academic achievement, material goods, etc.), I'm feeling everything more intensely. The good moments are better and the bad moments are harder. In other words, the carrots are getting sweeter.
There's so much for me to learn here. I'm looking forward to using this blog as a record of every lesson, and of life generally, in Ecuador. It's bitter-sweet to realize you're living through a moment that will one day be a heart-warming memory.
Ciao for now,
Grace <3
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