Story-telling

I've decided to collect some of the funny memories I have from my amazing times in Ecuador right here in this blog. I will eventually put them in order but for now, I just want them here for safekeeping and for your reading enjoyment. :)

SMACK Went the Lizard:
One of the first times I visited the beach town of Salinas (back in Spring 2000), I was over at a friend's aunt's house in Salinas and I saw a little lizard or gecko crawling up the wall. Right as I was saying, "Oh, is that your pet?", the woman went SMACK and killed the little lizard with a shoe! (I have a hard time not chuckling while writing this now, but it was definitely a little disturbing at the time!)

Cucarachas in the Fridge:
Another somewhat funny-somewhat horrifying story was when I first moved into an apartment in Salinas way back in Fall 2001, I didn't have any furniture and no refrigerator, which is a little challenging in a hot climate. (My roommates and I pretty much bought the food we needed to cook for that day and didn't have leftovers!) Within the first month though, my dear friend, Andres lent us his uncle's fridge which he wasn't using and was being stored in his back patio. I was so grateful to finally be able to keep milk and other perishable items at home! But about a week later, I heard a scream from the kitchen and my friend and roommate, Alli came out running--there were multiple cockroaches creeping out from under the refrigerator!! (It still makes my skin crawl to think about it!! Ooh, I just got the shivers!) I guess storing a fridge, even if it's empty, is not a good idea in tropical places, because they become shelters for you-know-whats! Eeww! Luckily after the fridge incident, the cockroaches I saw were mostly outside, not inside, but I usually freaked out or got grossed out when I saw them outside too. You just don't see them much in the Great Northwest so I'm not used to them. (Although I did see a big beetle that was border-line cockroach size) outside my condo here in Kenmore this past summer...ahh, climate change!)

Taking Joy in Little Excursions

Ever since I was little, my family would go on little excursions somewhat close to home but far enough away to feel like we were tourists and getting a break from our "normal" life. I remember traveling with my mom to Friday Harbor, Concrete, Port Townsend (I loved the camping trips to Fort Worden!), Fort Flagler, all over Whidbey Island, Mt. Rainier (when my mom drove in the middle of the road so she wouldn't get too close to the roadside cliffs!), Vancouver (BC), The Dalles (Oregon), Point Roberts (a very tiny tip of Washington that requires entering and exiting Canada to get to!) and so many other places, which really showed me and taught me a love of travelling, no matter where you go.

My dad also took me on excursions as a child to places like Twisp in the heart of the Northern Cascades, Florence (Montana), a small town covered by an ancient volcanic eruption in Alberta, and a weekend road trip to Northern California (just so I could say I had been to California!). A very fond memory I have growing up (in my expanding geography world!) was planning and navigating a trip we took to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming--way before the internet and GPS devices!

Through both of my parents's travel nurturing spirits, I became fearless in my travels as I grew older and I ventured to Ecuador multiple times to study and work abroad. Now that I think about it, one thing I missed at times while living and working in the small coastal town of Salinas were the weekend excursions. I didn't have a car and taking the bus could be difficult sometimes. I do have great memories of the excursions I did take--a visit to the Chocolatera where the water churns so much it looks like a chocolate maker, the beautiful wooden church at Colonche in the interior coastal forest north of Salinas, quick trips to Montanita were always a blast, and most recently going with a friend, fondly nicknamed "Abuelo," to the San Vicente thermal hot springs where I bathed in mud! Of course, I went on many other trips while in Ecuador to places far away, but really during my time living in Salinas, I could only afford the little excursions, which I still cherish.

Most recently, since I have been living in the United States for 5 years now (so hard to believe!), a way I cope with my "travel bug" and not being able to travel that often is by going on little excursions, sometimes to the same places my mom took me to years ago! I've found that it's really helped me get through stressful times at work or the nostalgia I feel for Ecuador and the relaxed lifestyle there.

Just this past weekend, I ventured up to Vancouver, British Columbia, where I hadn't been since high school when my mom and I went up to see a play. (Before that, when I was in elementary school, my mom and I took the train up to Vancouver to see Expo '86--and my mom would remind me to add that we left the tickets to the Expo in the freezer (don't ask me why the tickets were in the freezer) so we had to go a second time! :-)

Last month, my three college roommates and I went up to see the tulips in Skagit County and stayed in Anacortes. We didn't find tulips but the daffodils were in bloom and we had a wonderful time window shopping in La Conner, Fairhaven and Bellingham that weekend. And since I didn't get to see the tulips, my mom and I went up to see them later that month (in April) and had a great day trip, just like old times!

Even on a boring Saturday recently, I didn't have any plans so I decided to go to Snoqualmie Falls and because I had a coupon for a local brewery there, I ate dinner in the little town of Snoqualmie after hiking down to the foot of the falls for pictures and relaxation. I love day trips!

Last fall, in an attempt to have a trip to look forward to during a stressful period at work, I decided to go to Oktoberfest in Leavenworth, a small Bavarian town in the Cascade mountains, and had an absolute blast! I mean, how can you go wrong with a beer festival?! I plan to return this fall.

My love for little excursions was also enhanced when I got a summer job in college as a tour guide/activities coordinator for students coming to Seattle on a short-term study abroad program. I absolutely loved showing the students around and inventing different places to take them! I also enjoyed seeing the places I'd visited as a child through my young adult self's eyes.

All of these experiences combined have taught me to cherish the interesting places where you live and go and enjoy them! As I was just talking with a co-worker who said I'd been on a lot of little trips recently, she also commented that I'd probably be happy wherever I travelled. So true--the act of travelling itself makes me happy! And spending time with those I love.

Awakening the Dreamer--Changing the Dream!

Recently I attended an amazing, awe-inspiring workshop called "Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream" at my workplace on a special day dedicated to building community. The workshop was created by the Pachamama Alliance, originally inspired by the Achuar people in Ecuador and later continued by a group of people from across the globe who inspire others to work toward environmental sustainability, social justice and spiritual fulfillment. I would like to work on reducing my global/carbon footprint and on inspiring others to the same.

Environmental Sustainability:

• My first plan is to somehow get a composting bin for my workplace and if possible, for my home. So far I haven't heard back from the recycling guy at my work, so I need to contact someone else.


• My second plan is to not buy new things as often. For example, I have started buying clothes at consignment stores, not department stores.


• I support organic farming by receiving organic fruit and vegetable deliveries twice a month from Full Circle Farm in Carnation, WA (check out the Full Circle website to sign up) .

Social Justice:

• My current work as an advisor in providing almost free English classes to immigrants and refugees so that they can feel empowered in the community and obtain better jobs here in the U.S. is part of my fight for social justice.


• I also attended a workshop recently on the New Paradigms of Social Justice, facilitated by Theryn Kigvamasud'Vashti and hosted by the Northshore/Shoreline Community Network and CARE (Cultural Awareness Resources and Education) Team. We created a quilt which represented what social justice means to each of us. (The picture of the quilt is above.)
  

Spiritual Fulfillment:

• I take joy in being outside and I enjoy hearing the birds sing, watching the squirrels climb up trees, feeling the breeze in my hair, smelling the lilacs in bloom, touching the soft pussy willows before they turn into beautiful pink flowers.


• Currently I'm reading a great, short book by John Perkins called The Stress-Free Habit which explains how people around the world meditate and I plan to try meditation soon. First I have to figure out a good time and place.

I will continue updating this blog with more ideas for nurturing our relationship with the Earth, with Others and with Ourselves.

Playing For Change | Peace Through Music

Playing for Change is such an amazing and inspiring project! Here is their first song, created by a collaboration of street musicians worldwide:

Playing for Change-Stand by Me

The project is also creating a documentary which will come out this Fall and you can read more about it on their blog at:

Playing For Change Peace Through Music Blog

Reasons I love Ecuador:

I love that there are maps drawn on public walls, that from childhood Ecuadorian youth are taught about their country and its boundaries, and that people in Ecuador have a genuine curiosity for the world and where people are from. This could be in part because of territory disputes with Peru and because of the huge population of Ecuadorians living abroad in the U.S. and Europe.

I love the fact that you can just sit around and chat with people spontaneously—no need to plan a “get together,” you can get together with friends while you walk along the waterfront.

I love the fact that I’m never lonely in Ecuador. There are always good friends and family around to talk with me, entertain me, eat and drink with me.

I love how proud most Ecuadorians are of their country, despite its troubles in politics and economy, they love Ecuador and I do too. Along the same lines, I love how the entire country stops to watch the Ecuadorian national soccer team play. For example, when Ecuador played in its first World Cup in 2002, I was in Ecuador working at the Navy base and classes were postponed or cancelled so staff and students could watch the game! Of course they didn’t tell me that until I had already painfully missed the first part of the match while trying to get to work, a little peeved that they hadn’t cancelled.

I love how relaxed people are in Ecuador and how they relax me. Sometimes it drove me crazy because I’m American and need to be productive and always doing something, but it was such a good lesson to learn to calm down and “take it easy” and not worry about rushing to finish everything as soon as I could. “As soon as you can” isn’t a phrase I hear very often in Ecuador and if it is said, it’s definitely not meant with the same intentions as it is here in the United States. Phrases like “mañana” or “más tarde”—translating to “tomorrow” or “later” in English—I’ve learned really mean I’ll get to it when I feel like it or it may never happen. Once I understood this and stopped getting annoyed with people for not doing something when they said they would, once I stopped taking the words literally and placed what they said in an Ecuadorian cultural context, things started to slow down for me too and I didn’t stress out as much.

-Written on 10/16/08