How safe is San Cristobal? (Teresa)

We had heard even before we came here that this island is so safe that the police are bored.  It seems to be true.  The times we've seen a police with its lights on it was driving very slowly; locals explained that they have to test their lights to make sure they work!  Today we learned that the police escort school field trips; a class of pre-schoolers was transported in two police vehicles.

Also today, I learned that this place is so safe you can leave your child with any stranger!  We had begun our after-school class indoors, but when it was time to play louder percussion we moved our group outside to the boardwalk area.  As has happened before, a mother and young children stopped to watch us play.  Her 4 year old came closer to get a better view, and when I glanced toward the mother she asked of it's OK to watch.  "Of course," I replied, and we continued with our class session.

After 20 minutes, when it was time to end class, we packed up instruments and our students left for home.  But the 4 year old who had watched with great interest was still with us, and her mom was nowhere to be seen!  I was to quick to assure the girl that her mother must be close, but the girl didn't seem concerned.  So we set off, first looking around the immediate area, where benches and the playground are.  To my surprise, we were going to have to search harder.  We began walking, hand in hand, along the store fronts.  She had some ideas of where her mom might be; some I couldn't understand (soft, rapid, child's Spanish), and some I was able to understand.  Then, as we made a second lap past the shops (after 15 min or so) an older sister came running toward us.  The sisters happily hugged, and soon their mother and younger sibling had joined us.  The mother apologized, thanked me, and noted how safe it is here!

Mailing address

Some of you have asked about sending a letter or package to us by snail-mail.  It seems that the postal service is reliable but takes at least several weeks to go between Galapagos and the U.S.

Here's our address:

Familia de Pepe Galarza
Ambato y Colon
Algarrobos
San Cristobal, Galapagos
Ecuador

When do we begin the after school classes? (Teresa)

We are aware that plans and schedules mean different things in different cultures.  And yet we realize again and again that it is one thing to be aware of cultural differences and it is another thing entirely to deal with the clashes that the differences create!  A commonly used word here is "tranquilo" (calm), used as a reminder or even a command when someone seems overly concerned about a problem.  We have received this reminder quite a few times as we've tried to figure out our teaching schedule, most recently regarding the after school classes that we thought would begin several weeks ago.

Certainly there are other factors impacting the scheduling of these classes.  The office staff are relatively new to this work.  There is a lack of classroom space in which to hold all of the classes which Project Galapagos would like to offer for children and adults.  The project is a small operation, in terms of local staff and budget, but hosts and organizes 20-40 international volunteers at a time who spend 2 weeks to 6 months volunteering.  That's an awful lot of organizing of host families and work projects!

When we were in Mexico Kent and I read a book about cultural differences, Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot and Cold Climate Cultures.  This book utilizes generalizations about hot-climate and cold-climate cultures in order to give an introduction to basic differences.  For example: cold-climate cultures tend to be task driven while warm-climate cultures tend to be relationship driven. We in the U.S. are concerned with getting something done and getting it done on time. For those in warm climate cultures the entire event is considered.  In some places it is offensive to arrive on time for dinner; it seems you are only arriving for the task and not for the relationship.  In other places it is offensive to arrive late for dinner; it seems you are not respecting the other person's schedule.  

I've thought about this book often since we've been here. Many of the volunteers with the Project are 18-22 years old and this is their first cross-cultural experience.  We were talking to a volunteer who recently arrived from Australia and was very frustrated that she wasn't able to start in her teaching assignment immediately.  She had finished work in Australia just in time to make the trip here, and didn't like waiting for her volunteer assignment to begin.  She wanted to be busy and efficient.  This desire is neither good nor bad, but is certainly cultural, and sounds very familiar to me.

Also recently, Kent has been making plans for a trip to the island of Isabela during the time when his parents will be with us.  (Yes, we're excited to have them visit!)  So, he's been asking various folks for recommendations regarding modes of travel, accommodations and sight-seeing.  Yesterday he was reporting to Pablo, of our host family, that he had bought the plane tickets for our return trip and wished to buy boat tickets soon for the trip to Isabela.  Pablo inquired as to when we are making this trip, and when Kent told him that we are planning to go in November 21, Pablo simply smiled.  We could easily guess what he was thinking, and he went on to explain, "if we were going to Isabela by boat, I would go the morning of the trip to buy the tickets to Santa Cruz (the island in between ours and Isabela) and then once we arrive in Santa Cruz I would buy the boat tickets to Isabela."  

Kent and I would be glad for some of this "tranquilo" to rub off on us, as we are often overly attached to a certain plan or schedule.  And actually, as we look back over the past 7 weeks we recognize that we are adjusting.  During our first week in Guayaquil, we had a hard time with the constantly evolving schedule.  When plans seem unorganized, through our cultural lens, Luisa can get quite upset and threatens to take over the whole show!  But, even she is reacting less and going with the flow more.  The more we take on this "tranquilo" the more we'll enjoy the moments and the relationships along the way.

Oh Mama! (Luisa)

          For those of you who know my mom, you know that she has a clumsy record. After we snorkeled at Isla Lobos for a while Magdalena, Mama, and I got cold and  were ready to get back in the boat. First, Chuleta helped Magdalena in to the boat. It was a little hard for him to pull her up but he was able to. Next he helped me into the boat, he easily lifted me up and put me on the seat.
        Then it was time for Mama. He pulled her up and almost got her in but then something happened.  He flipped over her, head first into the water. (Another thing added to her clumsy record.) He was freezing and quickly got in to the boat. Then he tried to pull Mama back in again and this time he was able to get her in without him falling out of the boat into the water.
          Everyone in the boat was cracking up, especially Jacqueline who said it was her favorite part of the trip. Chuleta accused Jacqueline of pushing him in to the water. Then he quickly changed clothes but was still freezing. When we got home everyone got a kick out of the story.

Snorkel away (Magdalena)

On Sunday we went to León Dormido (Kicker Rock) to snorkel. The waves were pretty big, the current was strong and the water wasn't clear so we didn't snorkel there. We went in the boat a couple minutes away to Isla De Lobos (Sea Lion Island) instead. There weren't any sharks and manta rays to see there like there would've been at León Dormido but there were lots of different kinds of fish and they were all really close to us since we were in shallow water (4-8 ft). There was a huge school of tiny fish that was really fun to watch because they would all change direction at the exact same time as if they had a choreographed dance. There were a few fish with yellow lips. There were some big fish but they were boring so I didn't watch them long. There were sea urchins on the rocks. There were lots of rocks.

I was looking at one of the fish with the yellow lips when all of a sudden something bigger swam right in front of me. I thought it was probably a person but it seemed to have swam by really fast. I turned my head to where it had gone. It was a lobo! This lobo continued to follow our group and swim around with us. A couple times it swam right at me looking me straight in the eye and then when its nose was a couple inches from my face it would turn away.  Also, Kassandra was diving and kind of playing with the lobo. She would dive and the lobo would go down and show her some tricks. She got a couple of pictures of the guy that I haven't seen yet.

The Whistle (Kent)

I am very intrigued by the use of "the whistle" by native Ecuadoran Spanish speakers.  Maybe it's a Galapagos thing, but it's common for people here to use a light whistling sound with a particular motion that goes with the action that the whistle is representing.  In other words, the whistle is often used here in place of an action verb.  Two people in our household family are particularly found of "the whistle":  Pepe (the grandfather), and Chuleta (nickname for the nephew fisherman).  They use it so well and effectively that it's now inspired me to use it more in my speaking, both English and Spanish.

Pepe, who's quite the joker, (and the one who calls me "Clark Ken") likes to tease me a lot about eating prohibited animals, like iguanas, giant tortoises, and sea turtles.  They are, after all, protected species here in the Galapagos, which also happens to be a national park.    However, the law that protects these species is only 25-30 years old.  Pepe, who is 58, grew up in the Galapagos before these animals were protected and before the population and tourist boom, which started in the 1970s.  So, Pepe has eaten most of these animals, and likes to talk about it around me because he knows that I wouldn't think of eating illegal meat from a national park.    He was especially fond of sea turtle meat, which he tells me nearly every day tastes really good:  "La tortuga es muy rico!"  He also tells me to bring him one the next time I go snorkeling so that we can have a BBQ.  "Bring me a sea turtle," he tells me in Spanish, "and (light whistle sound accompanied by the cutting of the throat motion) . . .  a very delicious BBQ!"

Yesterday Chuleta and Pablo took us on a very nice boat adventure in the family's small fishing boat.  In the morning we went to a very nice beach. Nine of us from the household went and all of us ate a wonderful lunch in the boat.   During lunch we were asking Chuleta how he (and the other 2 guys he works with) lives on the boat.  It's basically primitive camping on the water.  They are gone for 3-4 days at a time and they sleep on the boat.  There's a small covered area where the 3 of them sleep.  It's barely big enough for 3 men, and the fact that Ecuadoran men tend to be shorter than men from the U.S. helps.  It's basically a crawl space with no windows.  The boat is maybe 30 feet long, and doesn't have any regular seats.  We didn't really know what to expect because he said that he had a kitchen.  Chuleta's "kitchen" consists of a little gas stove that he takes out of the crawl space, along with a few pots and pans.  "The boat also has a bathroom," he says.  "Really?  Where?"  some in the boat ask.  "Well," says Chuleta very seriously, "for 'po po' (poop), you come over to this side of the boat, drop your pants, lean your butt over the side of the boat and (light whistle sound accompanied by his hand making a quick downward motion representing the falling feces)."  "And to wipe?"  someone asks.  "You reach your hand down into the water and (light whistle sound accompanied by a splashing/wiping motion)" says Chuleta.  "And to pee?" someone else asks.  Chuleta replies with, "You go to the other side of the boat and (light whistle sound accompanied by the motion of a man peeing over the side of the boat)."

That's all for now.  I gotta go (light whistle sound accompanied by the motion of a man putting on underarm deodorant).

Gratitudes! (Teresa)

For times of boredom that lead to new creativity....
... Magdalena has begun knitting a sweater (her first!) and is hoping to be able to find enough of the same color of yarn for the whole thing :)
... Kent went off to locate the kena music we often hear in the evenings, and has made plans to exchange lessons, electric bass for kena & charango!
... coming up with topics and stories to write about on our blog....good for reflecting and for sharing!

For challenges that require adaptation and growth...
... as we figure out what new things we can deal with and what we can't
... as we try new foods....there are some types and preparations of fish that Luisa can tolerate!
... as we make mistakes and practice humility
... as we process cultural differences with our host family
... as we practice patience with each other and ourselves when learning seems soooo slow
... that I (Teresa) am still young enough to enjoy a walk on large rocks, sometimes with a fall or two
... in the stories (that we are hearing and reading) of the animals, plants and people of these islands

For sightings of God's goodness....
... a 4 yr old boy with special needs sinking into Magdalena's lap and relaxing peacefully for a bit
... sharing in the joy of our household for Julissa's (long awaited) pregnancy
... after a stressful class session, Teresa received a lovely handmade bracelet from a young student
... in the new relationships, grace, and goodwill between host families and foreign volunteers
... when we each find ourselves content and happy with our particular stage of life
... in the church service when we "Pass the Peace" among our little family, host family, and strangers seated near us
... in a treat of ice-cream or fresh mango
... rhythms of ocean waves and tides, of sunsets and sunrises

Go Luisa and Magdalena!! (Teresa)

Luisa is learning Spanish quickly!!  And it is very fun to watch her learn, and to experience it with her!  Today the grandma of our house came to inform us about a water contamination issue in the city.  Yolanda explained the situation to me, with Luisa present.  Then, she requested that I explain the situation in English to Cassandra and Isabel (new German volunteers) who were in the same room.  Before I even turned around to translate, Luisa had already begun....and translated the whole situation just as Yolanda had described it!

Meanwhile, Magdalena continues to build on the good language foundation she came with from two years at Bethany.  How about a SHOUT OUT to Spanish teacher Craig Mast for insisting on speaking  Spanish in Spanish class?!!  Magdalena has met other volunteers here who also had two years of high school Spanish, but aren't able to communicate much at all.....makes her realize what a good teacher she had :)

Luisa and her Spanish (Magdalena)

Luisa has been taking Spanish classes for three weeks but at the beginning of this past week she still wouldn't speak to me in Spanish. Then Ashanti came home on Wednesday after being gone for two weeks. That's when Luisa started speaking. She even speaks at meals with everyone around. Sometimes she doesn't make any sense but that's okay. 

When Ashanti came back she was telling us what she did on the trip. She was asked why she likes Quito so much and she responded really quickly so that none of us could understand. So she had to repeat it slower. She repeated it   v e r y    s l o w l y. "Yo (pointed to herself) tomé (motion of a camera) una foto con una culebra (motion of a snake around her neck) esnake." She likes to use the English that she knows to translate words.

Another time she was telling a joke to Luisa and first asked if she knew a few key vocabulary words: elefante (elephant), girafa (giraffe) and refrigerador (refrigerator). She also asked Luisa if she knew what pon was. Luisa didn't know so Ashanti got a rock and put it in her cousin's backpack. Then she told the joke: "¿Cómo pones una girafa en un refrigerador?" Luisa didn't know. "Open door, pon la girafa en el refrigerador, close door." I'm not sure where the elephant part comes in.

Today when our family was talking about whether we use preterit or if we just use imperfect (the two past tenses) Luisa said "I don't use the imperfect unless I do on accident, but I haven't learned it yet so I don't think I'm using it, but I don't really know." The three of us cracked up. Luisa's a little cutie-pie especially when she is speaking Spanish and then stops midway through her sentence because she doesn't know a word and then there's a long silence until someone decides to give he the word she's looking for.

Magdalena and her Spanish (by Luisa)

          Everyone who knows Magdalena knows that she doesn't like to speak in English very much. Which means that in her second language of course she speaks even less. Since Ashanti came back from vacation in on the mainland I have been speaking a lot more Spanish, especially with Ashanti. But I don't have very good grammar and I'm not very good at conjugating yet. So of course Magdalena loves to correct everything I say. But when it comes to talking in Spanish Magdalena is mute.
          Last night Magdalena, Daddy, Mama, Ashanti, Isabel, Kassandra (the other volunteers staying in the same house as us), and I all were playing Farkel. We had already taught Ashanti how to play a few weeks earlier but Isabel and Kassandra didn't know how to play so we were teaching them. But Ashanti still didn't quite get everything in the game and so Magdalena was trying to explain something to her the best she could.  Magdalena was talking quite a bit trying to tell Ashanti what to do on her turn. But Ashanti was looking at Magdalena like she didn't know what she was saying.  But Magdalena just thought Ashanti was tired and so she kept talking.
         Then finally Mama said to Magdalena (in Spanish), "Magdalena, you're talking in English," but Magdalena didn't know why she was saying that because she knew what language she was speaking. Although, what she didn't think about was that the person she was talking to did not speak English. Then finally she figured out what she was doing wrong and started laughing.  She also said that she was the one who must be tired!  Then she explained the same thing in Spanish and Ashanti got it right away. Although Magdalena can speak Spanish pretty well she still hasn't started speaking very much, she doesn't always speak the right language at the right time, and sometimes she still is a little bit of an annoying messiness.

Rice, rice, and más arroz (Teresa)

We're practically living in paradise, yet there are a few things I get tired of here.  Like rice.  We're served a generous portion of plain, white rice every lunch and dinner.  I shouldn't complain, but I do (only to Kent and to you).  With meat and veggies, it's reasonable.  But we also have the same portion of rice when we have spaghetti -- which is noodles, with a bit of tomato and chunks of beef or chicken.  We also have rice alongside mashed or cooked potatoes, and alongside a large helping of yucca, a locally grown root.  My mom taught me that we only need one starch at a meal!

Of course, different foods and diets are to be expected in a different culture.  And, the house grandma (and boss of the kitchen) made it clear that we should tell her if we like or don't like particular foods.  But, I make a good attempt to eat everything, even things that are hard to stomach.  Even when the meat is hard to cut, much less chew.  Even when it's an unidentifiable sea animal.  They have enough work trying to prepare foods that Luisa will eat, much less enjoy!  (They noticed that she ate two large helpings of the Haystacks we prepared!)

Finally, when the two new German volunteers arrived (slender young teen women) our cook realized that most of us weren't finishing our rice.  She reduced the portion size from ~2 c. to a more reasonable ~1 c.  What a relief!  I've also realized that there are times when we are served rice (like with spaghetti) but some of our local family aren't served rice.  So, if they don't have rice at every meal, neither do I have to force myself to grin and eat it!

All in all, I have been pleasantly surprised at the variety of foods they serve here.  It's a much wider variety than we were served in Mexico, even in the urban areas.  And it's more variety than we'll likely have later in our sabbatical year.  We regularly have some variation of fried rice or Chinese-style stir fry, we've had Tex-Mex style burritos, and they prepare a good balance of seafood and regular (for us) meats.  And sometimes, we even have legumes, either brown lentils or pinto-style beans (fresh or dried).  At times I really crave fresh veggies, and then our cook prepares a new type of veggie salad.  A recent salad was red beets, carrots and potatoes with a simple lime and cilantro (hierbita) dressing.  Yummy!  And I'll look forward to a fresh veggie diet, and less rice, when we return home....

Kent's Top 10 Things to Do in Nature on San Cristobal Island

Kent's Top 10 Things to Do in Nature on San Cristobal Island
Note:  All are within walking distance to our house except for 4,5, and 10.

10.  Hike to El Junco--This is a a volcano crater lake, and one of the only fresh water sources in all of the islands.  The reason this isn't ranked any higher is because the day we went here, it was foggy, rainy and muddy and we couldn't see much.  We have heard that birds like this place.  We'll try again another time.

9.  Playa Mann--this is the most popular "hangin' out" beach.  It's a nice symbol of world peace because tourists, locals and sea lions all share the same beach in harmony--except of course if the bull sea lion is chasing one of the females towards the sun bathing tourists.  Then everybody scrambles to get out of the way!  This is sea lion "baby season" so it's great fun to watch these cute little pups.  Luisa and I saw one yesterday with his/her umbilical cord still attached!  Because of so many sea lions here, it can also be a stinky place at times.  There are also vendors selling ice cream, empanadas and other yummy things.

8.  Punta Carola--this beach isn't too far from Playa Mann, but is a little more remote because it doesn't have road access.  Beautiful place to watch the sun set and watch sea lions.  You can also get a glimpse of some marine iguanas here, and there is a lovely little lighthouse lookout on a small peninsula.

7.  Strolling Along the Malacón--With the Malacón (board walk and city center) being just 3-4 blocks away from our house and less than a block from the office we work out of, we go to the Malacón everyday.  Everyday there is something new to see and discover.  There are always tons of sea lions and Sally lightfoot crabs.  Usually we see some small iguanas and frigate birds.  Sometimes we see blue footed boobies, sea turtles swimming, brown pelicans, lava herons, night herons, and sandpipers.  Besides sleeping on the lava rocks, the sea lions also like to sleep on the docks, on the city benches, and sometimes on the sidewalks.

6.  Snorkeling at Las Tijeretas--Beautiful bay with lots of great fish and some caves.  Have seen sea turtles here, and the only place we have seen a marine iguana actually swimming.  Usually there are some sea lions hanging around.  Once when I was snorkeling there, a sea lion was swimming and dancing around me so close that I thought he was going to touch me.  They are very playful.

5.  Surfing at Puerto Chino--This is the beach where we went surfing on Luisa's birthday.  Nice sea lion beach with nice "beginner surfing waves."  There are also nice rocks to climb there, and a trail that we haven't explored yet.  We had lots of fun trying to surf even though none of us really stood up.  This is the same beach where Luisa and Magdalena were body surfing and swimming with the sea lions.

4.  La Galapaguera--"The Place of the Giant Tortoises" is the controlled breeding and nesting center for the San Cristobal islands.  This is the easiest and most accessible place to see the giant tortoises native to San Cristobal islands.  The place where they can be seen in the wild is not very accessible to humans.  This center is home to hundreds of San Cristobal tortoises until they are large enough to fend for themselves in the wild, which is about 5 years old.  They also have adults for breeding purposes there.  Beautiful creatures.

3.  Hike at La Loberia--"Sea Lion Beach" was the first place Pablo took us on our first Saturday.  I think I will always remember this particular hike because it was our first introduction to the natural areas of the Galapagos.  I was overwhelmed with both the scenic beauty on this hike as well as the vast quantities of strange and incredible wild life.  Besides sea lions, it is common to see small lava lizards scurrying around, large marine iguanas basking in the sun, red Sally lightfoot crab colonies decorating large lava rocks, frigate birds soaring in the sky, and brown pelicans looking for their next catch.  The hike at times involves jumping from lava rock to lava rock and is marked by white posts sticking out of the ground.

2.  Snorkelling at La Loberia--Great thing to do on a Saturday morning.  Morning is the best time to see sea turtles.  The two times we have snorkeled here we have seen a number of sea turtles quite easily.  They are usually hanging out in waters that are not too deep.  When they swim it is fun to swim behind them at a safe distance.  Although these large, peaceful and majestic creatures tend to capture all of our attention, there are a lot of interesting tropical fish to look at as well.

1.  Hike to Las Tijeretas and Beyond--"Las Tijeretas" is the name for frigate birds because their tails resemble scissors (tijeras).  From the highest point you can see the beautiful, sparkling bay, two different rock islands, frigate birds (both flying and in their nests), blue-footed boobies, and the town (Puerto Baquerizo Moreno).

Thanks be to God!

Gracias a Dios,  Jens was found this morning and is OK, all in all!  We don't know many details, except that he is at home and sleeping.  Thanks for joining around the globe to carry this burden....now we share the gratitude!!

Prayers (Teresa)

Last evening we learned that one of our volunteers is missing.  A group of 20 went camping together, and when it was time to hike back out, one young man took off on his own rather than staying with the group.  He is a big, strapping 20 yr old from Norway, but it's easy to get lost in these natural areas.

Many mobilized last evening to look for this young man, but didn't have much time before dark.  This morning they are searching again.....the National Parks personnel, the police, and the firefighters.  We are hoping, praying, and thinking positively!  At breakfast Magdalena confidently told us "Jens is fine and they've already found him! I read it on facebook!"

Pray with us for Jens, for his parents, for the local staff, and for all the locals and volunteers who are very concerned.  Also pray for those a who are searching.  Hopefully, by the time you read this Jens will be found, and back in town!  For now, I pray he can remain calm and know that he is in the care of his Creator.

Funnies (Teresa)

^^ Magdalena was enjoying a coconut popsicle as we walked together. Suddenly, she had a thought, "they don't seem to grow coconuts around here, do they?" In the next moment she looked up into a tree with large green fruit hanging in it and inquired "what fruit is that? Papaya?" I looked up the tree and began to laugh.... "that's coconut!"

^^ One afternoon the girls were lounging together on the couch.  From a distance I heard Luisa:  "oh, that sounds cool, stay still so I can hear better!"  As I entered the room, Luisa squealed, "Mama, you have to come here and listen to Mags' belly gurgling, it sounds so cool!"

^^ The morning after surfing, Kent came out for breakfast and began to talk without thinking too much....he quickly explained to us (in his 2nd language) that his legs were smelly.  All of us around the table, who understood what he said, stared at him wondering what in the world happened to his legs.....then Yolanda, with kindness and a slight smile, repeated to Kent what he had said.  While we all broke into laughter, Kent tried to explain what he meant to convey: his arms were sore from surfing!!  (He just changed 2 vital words!)

^^ At times Kent relies on me to say words for him that he can't easily pronounce....often they're words with lots of vowels.  At the supper table he wanted to say "Europa" (Europe) and looked at me for the word....I spit out a word that sounded something like "arepas" which is a popular food in other parts of S. America.  But really I just said a nonsense word that gave us all a good laugh!  I wonder if Kent will ask me for any more help with pronunciation....  I have figured out why our host family enjoys hosting foreigners:  we're great entertainment :)

Langosta (Magdalena)

We have had some very good lobster here so far. We've eaten it five times, prepared three different ways: seviche twice, fried twice and once it was cooked in soup. Each time I enjoyed it a lot. Last Friday we had lobster that was cooked in soup for lunch. It was very good but a couple hours later a few of us were going to go on a walk so I stood up to leave and all of a sudden I had a really bad stomach ache. So, I decided to stay home. I went to my bed to lay down and after lying there for ten minutes I felt my normal self again. Then, last Sunday we had lobster seviche for lunch. It was so good that I had seconds. Then about an hour later we went for a walk. We had been walking for about ten minutes when all of a sudden I got a horrible stomach ache. I stopped walking and sat down for a while. After sitting for five minutes I didn't feel any better so I walked over to a park bench and laid down. Once I had been laying down for a couple of minutes I felt my normal self again so I stood up and we walked home. On the way home my mom and I thought back to my stomach ache on Friday and what we had eaten. Lobster. Well that didn't make sense why I had gotten a stomach ache the past two times but not the first two times. Since I was feeling back to my normal self again I decided not to worry about it but if I had a third stomach ache after eating lobster than I would stop eating it. So then last night me, my mom, Luisa, Kassandra and Isabel (the two other volunteers staying at our house) went to bailoterapia (kind of like Zumba) at seven. When we came back I was starving and really excited about having fried lobster for supper (that's my favorite way to eat lobster). I gobbled it up and wanted seconds but there wasn't anymore so I asked for more potato salad but there wasn't anymore so I asked for more rice but there wasn't anymore so I showered. At about 11:20 I woke up because my saliva started getting thick and gross like I was about to throw up so I drank some water to wash it down. Then it came back so I got up and went to the bathroom. I had just lifted up the toilet seat when a bunch of puke sprayed out of my mouth. I hadn't had enough time to turn the light on so the puke didn't go in the toilet. I reached behind me and turned on the light just in time so I could puke again. My rice and potato salad and lobster kept coming out until there wasn't any left. Then, with puke in my hair, I went and woke up my mom so she could clean up the mess and I got in the shower with my pajamas on and I washed my hair. I can now proudly say that I am allergic to something!

My birthday scavenger hunt (by Luisa)

For my birthday present Magdalena planned a scavenger hunt for me for the day after my birthday. She made us go all over town for the scavenger hunt. From home we had to go to the sea lion's playground where I had to take a selfie with two sea lions, then we had to go either on a hike or snorkeling but it was cold so I chose a hike. We went to a pier where we were able to see at least two turtles swimming in the water. Then we had to go to the main beach in town, Playaman, where we collected lots of long dark shells and used them to make the number 13 on the sand. Then we went home and Magdalena gave me a T-shirt that she had bought for me. It was a fun birthday present.

My Birthday Celebration (Luisa)

For my birthday yesterday we took a taxi to Puerto Chino with one of the staff members from Projects Abroad, Jonathan, to have a family surf lesson. On the way to Puerto Chino we stopped at La Galapaguera because Daddy hadn't been there yet and wanted to see the giant tortoises. Then we went to Puerto Chino. When we got there Jonathan gave us a short safety lesson, then we stretched and got ready to get in the water. Mama stayed out of the water and watched while the rest of us got in the water with our surf boards and started trying and failing over and over. Jonathan helped me get the waves and it was fun when I got a good wave, but I never stood up although I did make it onto my knees. We kept trying for a while and Jonathan went and got his body board to join us after we knew more of what we were trying to do. We tried to surf for about an hour but then got tired and hungry and took a lunch break.

Jonathan did the barbecuing because none of us knew what we were doing. He barbecued chicken, potatoes, and carrot slices. It all tasted great. We also had cucumber slices, pop, and chocolate cookies for dessert. While we were preparing lunch we heard people singing happy birthday and coming closer to us. I didn't know who it was but then saw that it was three other volunteers Isa (from Holland), Leo (from Germany), and Manos (Norway) that were surfing and had found out that it was my birthday. They stayed and talked for a little while before going back in the water to surf again and Isa gave me a bracelet that she had made the day before when she found out it was my birthday.

When we finished eating we packed up and went back into the water to surf some more. We kept practicing and Magdalena was able to get up on her feet a few times when she got a good wave but then she would get to excited and fall over. Mama came into the water and tried Jonathan's body board which she really enjoyed but then she tried the surf board and didn't really enjoy that very much. We surfed for about two hours after lunch but then it was five o'clock and our taxi came back to pick us up and we had to go home. On the way home Magdalena and I sat in the back of the pick-up with the surf boards and it was fun although it was a little cold and rainy part of the time it was still fun.

When we got home our host family had a surprise party ready with lots of decorations, food, and family. There were 13 balloons on the wall, a cake with 13 candles, and lots of chips, cookies, doughnuts, and marshmallows. For super we had very good chicken and rice with corn in it. After super we had cake and by then I was very tired and went to bed soon after super at 8:30. Later that evening another volunteer Joel from France, who is living in the house beside us and loves to bake, came over with a piece of carrot cake he had made for me for my birthday. I didn't get to see him but I ate it this morning and it was really good. It was a birthday I will never forget.

Spanish Classes (Magdalena)

Luisa and I started taking Spanish class this Monday. Luisa was really disappointed when she found out that we would be having one-on-one classes. On the other hand, I was really happy about having one-on-one because I knew I would learn much faster and better. We have both really liked the classes so far and we both have learned a lot already in four days. I'm learning the present subjunctive which is interesting and Luisa is learning the difference between ser and estar and learning how to conjugate them. We really like our teacher, Consuelo, who we learn a lot from because she is a really good teacher and also because she doesn't speak English. Already I've noticed that Luisa has become more comfortable talking with Ashanti instead of using sounds and hand motions. I don't really talk to anyone other than Consuelo so I'm not sure if I'll ever feel more comfortable speaking Spanish. Maybe I should become more extroverted and talk to everyone I walk past. Nope, that's not going to happen :)

Teaching at Music Camp (Luisa)

Monday we started teaching music classes at the Projects Abroad office in the mornings since all schools here have a two week vacation this week and next week. And after vacation we will continue teaching at the preschool and do the classes that we are doing right now in the afternoons instead. The afternoon classes will  each be one hour long instead of one and a half each. We are teaching two classes, one class is ages 5-8 and the other class is ages 9-14. There are about 15-18 kids in each class. The younger class had been about 23 kids but then they took out three and four year olds because they thought there were to many and it was a big age range to work with.

With both groups we are doing stick games, body percussion, dances (mostly in spanish), singing games, singing, and percussion making (out of trash). We are also teaching the older group to play the recorder. We found lots of bamboo on the side of the road and so we chopped it up and took it home to make instruments out of it. We chopped the smaller bamboo into sticks to play stick games and we're making guiros and wood blocks out of the thicker bamboo. We also are getting small scarves made in colors of the ocean for dances in the classes. So far the classes are going great!

Top 7 Cultural/Linguistic Misunderstandings (thus far, by Kent)

(Why not 10?  We've only been in Ecuador 3 weeks!  How much trouble do you think we've gotten into already?)

7.  What to bring to music camp.  On our first day of music day camp, a young boy (7 years old) brought a very large bag almost the size of him.  He was the first one there and was 45 minutes early.  I could tell by the shape of it what it was:  an electronic keyboard.  Were the others going to bring instruments?  Was this on the information?  No, it's just what this boy thought he should bring to music class.  Why not?

6.  El Concurso de la Langosta.  One Friday on my daily walk along the coastal malacon (park district), I stopped to look at some large lobsters in a tank under a tent.  A man invited me to a  "concurso" later at 2:00.  I was sure this meant a course/lecture about lobsters (langostas).  Wanting to learn everything about the local culture and not wanting to miss a thing, I showed up promptly at 2:00.  There were a bunch of men under the tent, talking excitedly.  Then a man with a mic said that the "concurso" was about to begin.  They took out a large lobster out of the tank and began to measure it.  Then it dawned on me that probably "concurso" did not mean what I thought it did.  "Concurso" = contest/competition

5.  Kent's Problem with Accents.  It's very important to put accents on the right syllable.  I seem to have more problems with this than others in the Dutchersmith family (but then again, I talk more than the others).  The blue-footed booby is a funny looking bird that is a huge attraction around here.  (side note:  I do not plan on buying the very popular tourist t-shirt, that says "I Love Boobies!")  In Spanish, the booby (the Galapagos is also home to  the red footed booby, the brown booby, and the Nazca booby) is "piquero, " with the accent like "piQUEro."  However, I kept saying it like PIquero (similar to Figaro), which means a crazy obnoxious person.  Actually when I was trying to talk about blue footed boobies, I was really talking about all the blue-footed crazy obnoxious people.

4.  Teresa's Waving Problem.  Teresa loves waving to cute children, people in parades and people in boats.  Teresa and I were on the pier one day watching sea lions and Teresa starts waving to 3 yellow boats because "the people were staring at me."  They were staring at them because they were water taxis and wanted their business.  A wave means you want their business, so the water taxis started coming towards us to pick us up.  Teresa had to do the "no thank you" signal to ward them off.

3.  Kent's Special List.  One thing we have in common with our host family is that we are both on various lists to host international people.  I was trying to tell our host family that we are on a list with the MCC IVEP program, we are on a list to host long-term international students from Bethany, and we are on a list to host international students short-term.  Well, instead of saying "short-term," I said that we are on a list to host short people, which got some very strange looks and laughs from Magdalena (what's new?!).

2.  The Water Bottle Hunt.  We brought four water bottles with us to Ecuador.  By week 2 we had lost our best two water bottles, and by week three we broke another one.  So, we needed at least one new water bottle.  I went on a water bottle hunt, not really sure where to get one.  I went to a grocery store, but once in the  store, I began to have doubts on what to even call it.  Do you call a water bottle something different than a bottle with water in it?  At the grocery store I asked for a water bottle, and sure enough, they gave me a bottle of water.  So then I asked if they sold water bottles without water in it.  The woman running the store looked at me kind of funny as if she was saying "well if you want a bottle of water without the water then buy the bottle and just dump it out."  This was a bit of a demoralizing moment for my Spanish confidence.  The next day, Pepe (the grandfather in our household), was filling up his water bottle.  So, I asked him (in Spanish) "where can I get something like that?"  He said that he got his free at some sort of promotional event.  Again, I apparently wasn't communicating well, so I asked if there was a place where I could buy "one of those things."  He said (in Spanish) that he did know and that he would be happy take me right away.  So, we hopped in his car.  When we got near the store he yelled out the window and asked a really fast question, presumably "do you guys have any water bottles?"  In the time it took to do a u-turn and pull up to the store, they had 4 different kinds of water bottles ready to chose from, but they weren't as big as Pepe's water bottle.  By then, I finally caught the word for water bottle:  "Tomatodo!"  Which literally means "drink everything" because you can put any drink in it.  Pepe asked if they had any tomatodos that were bigger (like his).  The young man went back into the crammed general store and came back with several pitchers. "Those aren't tomatodos!" said Pepe.  "Sure they are!" said the young man who began to demonstrate how you could drink directly out of a pitcher.  I politely told him that a smaller tomatodo would be better, and selected a nice metal one with some soccer players on it.

1.  What's That Song and Where is it Coming From?.  It was a Wednesday evening, and our first week in Ecuador, in the city of Guayaquil.  Jennifer, our host and guide, told us to take out the trash that night at 8:00 p.m.  We should take it to the guarded gate of the housing complex we were staying at.  So, a little before 8:00 I took the trash to the front gate.  Not really sure where to put it, I asked the gatekeeper.  The gatekeeper said that I was supposed to have a key that opened up a door to the place where the trash was.  I could either ask the woman at the housing complex's small general store, or he could wait their until the trash truck came.  Well, not sure if 8:00 really meant 8:00 or if I'd have to wait for awhile, I decided to ask the woman at the store.  The store looked closed, so I headed back to the apartment with the trash.  We decided to wind down the evening by playing cards.  We heard this very short, loud catchy whistling song, and assumed it was recorded music coming from the neighbors.  Then I heard it again, and again, and again--for at least 30 minutes.  The first three times the music played, it was kind of a cute little song, but then it got more annoying the more it played and it seemed like it was traveling around the neighborhood.  When it got close again, I ran out to see if he could figure out what the heck it was.  Then he heard the familiar sounds of a garbage truck--with the music blasting from the top of the cab.  OOOHHHHHHH!!! The garbage truck plays music so that people know when to put their garbage out!  Jennifer later confirmed this, saying that if the trash is out for too long, dogs just get into it.

Kent's Top 10 New Spanish Vocabulary

10.  po po--poop
9.  Magnum (mog-noom)--The name of the delicious ice cream bars that every other Ecuadoran store sells.
8.  perforadora--hole puncher
7.  remolacha--red beet
6.  bacalao--a type of cod (delicious!)
5.  bailo terapia--literally "therapeutic dance," it's a popular kind of Zumba/aerobic dance/workout.
4.  zayapa--Sally lightfoot crab (they are all over the Galapagos)
3.  piqueros patas azules--blue-footed booby (yes, it's the name of a real bird)
2.  maracuya--a fruit similar to passion fruit that makes my favorite juice in the world.
1.  tomatodo--literally, "drink everything."  It's what Ecuadorans call water bottles.

Who lives in our house? (Kent)

After one week of living with our wonderful host family, I had to ask the grandmother, "so, just who lives in our house?"  The concept of both space and family in our Ecuadoran family is more fluid than what we're accustomed to.  The grandparents have lived in their house for about 25 years.  Over the years, they added on to their home as they had time and money, which is typical here.  Our family of four lives on the main floor of the house, right off the dining room.  On the first floor is a living room, a kitchen, a dining room and 3 bedrooms.  We are occupying two. The other people live in other rooms connected to, but not necessarily with access to, the central part of the house.  We have not been given a "tour" of the rest of the house because we don't really have a need to be in the other bedrooms/living spaces.  Spaces and rooms are added as needed.  There are a few other rooms on the main level (from what I can tell), plus two more stories above.

At every meal, people come and go at different times.  There are two tables in the dining room:  a large main one that can seat 6-8, and a smaller one for 2-4 people.  In our two weeks here, there has been virtually a different combination of people for every meal, some of whom live hear and some of whom don't.  In the two weeks we have been here, there have probably been a total of 12 extra family members (not living in the house) who have eaten here at least once.

So, who lives at our house?  The grandparents (in their late 50s), their son, their daughter and her husband (in their 30s) and daughter (10), their teenage nephew, another nephew who works on a fishing boat half the week, and the cook/housekeeper.  Including us, that makes 12.  It doesn't feel like 12 people living here because not everyone eats every meal here and people eat in shifts.  It seems a lot of them hang out in their own rooms, some of which have TVs.  Without many people around, they have said, it feels boring and not quite right.  We're honored to feel at home with our Ecuadoran family.

Health update

We are all healthy again!  What a beautiful day!!

We were glad for the small medicine cabinet that we brought with us....and have learned what's available here.  Everyone had a recommendation for what we should do, especially for Luisa.  Quite a few recommended the hospital; fortunately our hosts are more calm.  They did buy Floratil (a probiotic), especially for Luisa.....and it seemed to help.  Gracias a Dios!!

Passing Time (Magdalena)

A couple of days ago, Luisa and I realized how much free time we were going to have here. We were getting bored of sitting around waiting for the next thing to happen and we needed something to do. We asked our host family if there was any place to buy yarn and needles to knit and they said there was a store a few blocks away. So we went. It turns out it was a little craft store. It was the kind of little store where you can't walk around, you just ask for what you want and they show you what they have. We asked to see their yarn so the woman there went into the next room and brought out three different skeins, each a different type of yarn. We told her which type we wanted and then she went back into the other room and brought out a whole trash bag full of different colors (most were variegated) of that type of yarn. Luisa and I each picked out the color we wanted and then we asked her for needles. We paid and then the woman there brought out some crafting thread stuff that she showed us how to make bracelets with. Then she let us keep it so we could finish it on the way home. Everyone here is so nice :)

A bit of birding

We have been enjoying three kinds of herons which are common along the rocky coast:  the Lava heron (unique to the Galapagos); the Great blue heron (a bit smaller and darker than the one we're used to seeing in Goshen); and the Yellow-crowned night heron.  They enjoy hunting around the large volcanic rocks that line the shores (and cover much of the island) where they find plenty of crabs, lizards and insects!

To see pictures and find out more, see:

http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~kpt/terraquest/galapagos/wildlife/coastal/herons.html

The ups and downs (Teresa)

It seems we are settling in to this place....little by little.  We have washed clothes (more than once) and have them in drawers.  We have learned the basic patterns of the household.  We are comfortable tooling around town and waving to familiar folks....even the girls can do so on their own (together) during the day.  We know the appropriate greetings for each time of day, and when coming and going from the table or the house.

And now, we're also figuring out how to be sick in a new place and culture.....and learning the vocabulary for all of it!  No, not fun, but a regular part of life, and an expected part of changing routines, foods, climates, etc, etc.  Kent was down with a cold for a few days this week....slept lots, but kept going with morning music classes.   (I wondered how we 3 would do them without him!  We would've managed, but glad we didn't have to.)

And then, last evening, Luisa came down with a fever and stomach ache.  She slept good, but she and I are home this morning.  Her fever continues....and stomach/bowels are off.  She wants so badly NOT to miss anything, like the dinner for volunteers this evening.  She's not too sick to whine, "but I'm an extrovert!"

Generally, I'm feeling like we are ending the "honeymoon period" of our trip, and entering "reality"!  Crossing languages and cultures is feeling hard/complex (as it is!), so I retreat to our bedroom and play a game on the ipod :)  Or read about the Galapagos (in English) or read the Bible (in Spanish).  Or practice ukulele.

As is typical in Latin America, our hosts are VERY concerned for our well-being....and they go out of their way to check on our sick ones :)  Very sweet, indeed.  It seems they go to the doctor much sooner than we do....but, why not?  It's free!  We are cared for well, by friends near and far.  And God's presence is as close as the warm breeze, and the wonderfully fresh morning juice (from naranjilla fruit).

These are the ups and downs of real life.....no matter where we are!

How's the weather? (Teresa)

It depends who you ask....  According to Luisa, it's perfect for roller-blading along the beach in shorts and t-shirt.  According to Ashanti (10 yr old host) it's a good time to curl up in a warm blanket to do homework on the couch.  Her mom wears a fleece poncho inside during these days.  After all, it is the coolest month of the year, with high temps in the low 70s and low temps of 60!  Our host family is looking forward to November when it warms up, around 80 in the days.  We think this season is just grand!!

The weather also depends on where you currently are on the island.  The first weekend we were here, we left town (where we live on the SW coast) in mid-day when it was sunny and 75.  Fifteen minutes later we were in the hills where is was a cooler, cloudy 65, and with some rain it felt chilly to us Hoosiers.  As we hiked up to the top of a volcano, the wind increased.  We were glad our hosts prompted us to bring our raincoats and long sleeves along!  But, after another fifteen minute drive to the other side of the island (SE) we were again on a beach, in full, warm sunshine.

Blog comments and email messages

We've heard from some of you, dear friends and readers, that you've tried to post a comment on this blog, but it didn't "take" for some reason.  You do need a gmail account in order to post comments.  The other way you can comment is by sending an email to one of us:

Teresa:  tdutchersmith@gmail.com
Kent:  kdutchersmith@gmail.com

We like hearing your reactions to what we post!  Thanks for thinking of us :)

Snorkeling (Magadalena)

On Sunday I snorkeled for the first time. It was really scary because I didn't know how to breathe in and out of my mouth. I kept trying to breathe in my nose and I couldn't so I freaked out and started breathing really fast in and out of my nose which I couldn't do and then I freaked out more and went to the surface. Then I took the tube out of my mouth and accidentally got salt water in my mouth which is gross. And I was still was breathing really fast which made me lose all my energy and so then I struggled back to shore. I took off the mask, put it on a rock and was going to go swim, but my mom said that I had to try again because there was such cool stuff on the bottom. I put on the mask again and practiced breathing in and out of my nose slowly and then I went under. Wow, it was really easy! Then when I looked around on the bottom I saw all shapes and sizes of fish and lots of sea urchins and then I saw a huge sea turtle! It was about 3 feet long and just about 5 feet under me! I went above the water and yelled fast to my mom with the tube still in my mouth, "tortuga! tortuga! tortuga! tortuga! tortuga! tortuga!" She came over and we both floated above it watching it eat for a while. So cool!