Tech Trip etc.

Image1: Me workin with the machete
Image2: Our class of little kids
Image3: All of us with the after school program

Yesterday Flor got bit by a rabbit. Not just some wild rabbit, but one of our pet rabbits. (Well, I haven’t quite figured out if they are pets or a future meal because they are kept outside next to the guinea pigs.) I wasn’t there when it happened, but each child made sure to inform me individually as soon as I got home. I expected to see a bruise or perhaps a tiny scratch, but was surprised to see a gash about as long as a dime and half a centimeter wide on the middle finger of her left hand. It was still bleeding and looked painful. I asked her how it happened and she told me that the rabbit had accidentally tried to eat her finger rather than the carrot she was feeding it. I could tell she was holding back tears, but she said she was fine and asked me if I was ready to walk up the sierra to go milk the cows like I had promised the day before. I changed quickly and all four children, the dog and I headed up to the cows. When we got up there, the three oldest children picked a cow to milk while Rubi made trips down to the stream to bring them water. I ended up with Flor and her cow, Julieta. She washed the cows udders by hand with the little bit of water that Rubi had brought her in a bucket and sat down to milk. She gave one squeeze and immediately jerked her left hand away wincing in pain. Her rabbit bite looked irritated and was dripping with blood. She made another attempt with both hands but was unable to grip the udder with her left. She started to milk the cow with her right hand only. I looked around the field to see Marta about 50 feet away who was clearly speed-milking her cow and Angel who wasn’t far behind her. Flor needed help. When the kids ask me to come up to the cows with them its pretty much assumed that they are just asking for my company and not actual assistance in milking the cows. Not wanting to watch Flor struggle I offered to take her place. She hesitated and asked me if I knew how. I told her no but that I could probably figure it out. She moved and I sat down in front of the cow. The udders were 13 times grosser looking up close than from a distance. They were shrivily and pink and wrinkly. I touched one quick just to make sure it wouldn’t electrocute me or fall off or anything. Then I grabbed it with my whole hand and pulled. Julieta slapped me with her tail but no milk came out. “You have to grab higher and pull harder,” Flor instructed. This time, I grabbed two udders as high as I could and pulled down firmly. Nothing. Flor giggled and asked me if I wanted her to do it. At this point, there was no way I was going to let an eleven-year-old with a finger that could probably use a stitch show me up in cow milking; even if it was my first time. I reached up and pulled again only this time a tiny stream of milk landed in the bucket. Success. I repeated the action each time getting a bit more milk out of the cow. Marta came over with a full bucket and asked why I was milking the cow instead of Flor. We explained and she asked if I wanted her to take over. I said no and told her I was just getting the hang of it. The two of them watched me struggle to get small amounts of milk into the bucket for a couple more minutes when Marta offered again. I told her I was fine and she politely replied that at the rate I was going we wouldn’t make it home in time for dinner. I decided to take a hint and moved so that Marta could finish milking Julieta.

This Saturday we got back from our tech trips. Tech trips are week long excursions that allow us to focus a little bit more on the kind of work that we will experience in our sites. The PC split our training group into four different trips based on our programs. I was put in the group that was headed to Esmeraldas, a provenance on the northern coast.
The first day of our tech trip we visited a current volunteer in the city of Quinninde. At his site, he was involved in work with a Christian youth organization. Part of his project was creating and maintaining a vegetable garden with the children in order to promote nutrition. On the hottest, sunniest day that I have ever experienced before in my life, we went to the garden to help with the weeding, planting, and removal of garbage. Though the heat was telling me to just sit there, complain, try not to sweat, and watch everybody else work, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to destroy things (weeds) with a machete. I went to town chopping everything within machetes length while the other volunteers used their hands, hoes, and shovels in the garden.
Later that day, after lunch and a quick shower, we came back to help out in the organization’s after school program. It was surprising how quickly the children took to a bunch of weird-looking strangers, but before long we were singing, playing soccer, coloring, and doing workshops together. Two other volunteers and I offered to work with the youngest group of kids who ranged from about 4 to 6 years old. Since its not really possible to talk about more than pets and cartoons with kids at that age, we decided to try to do a simple activity about litter and the environment. Its pretty common in Ecuador to see people just drop their trash on the road or throw it out of the window of the bus. The city of Quninnde was no exception as the streets were lined with used bottles and empty plastic bags. We decided to have the children work together to created a huge picture of how they see their city. The kids came up and one by one added beautiful trees, houses, churches, and flowers to the posterboard at the front of the room. When they had finished, we asked them what they usually do when they finish with their sucker or bottle of Coke, expecting at least one or two of them to say they throw the wrapper/bottle on the ground, at which point we would add the garbage to the picture that they had just drawn. “WE THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE!” They all shouted in unison.
Not the response we had expected. The volunteers and I made eye-contact looking for help on where to go with the activity.
“Ok,” we said, “but what do some of your friends or even your relatives do with their trash?”
“THEY THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE!” The kids all yelled, pleased with their response.
“Everyone…?” We asked somewhat nervous.
“YES!”
The good thing about kids is that an activity like this can go completely wrong, and they will never notice a thing.
“Well, that’s great! Lets make sure we always remember to use the garbage!” The other volunteers and I looked at each other acknowledging the fact that we had just been outsmarted by a room full of four-year-olds.

The rest of our trip went a little more smoothly. We gave a couple HIV AIDS workshops at a high school, visited a teen pregnancy clinic, and had an afternoon of games with some random little kids at a park. Esmeraldas was just as awesome as I had imagined, the kids were great, and the food was fantastic. I am looking forward to my next visit.

Training is almost over. We have less than a week left here in Cayambe. On Sunday we head to Quito, for 3 days, on Wednesday we have our swearing in ceremony with the ambassador, and Wednesday night the 19th we head out to our sites where our two years of service actually begin. Time is flying and as much as I will miss my host family and the sierra, I am pumped to head back out to the coast. I will get my new address up as soon as I find a post office. Take care!!

P.S. I have skype now! It is one of the most fantastic things that man has created! My username is eik.jenn
Get on so we can chat!!