This is what it sounds like. Feel free to listen as you read this short description of—you guessed it—Kathmandu traffic.

Parked

About 10% of the time, traffic in the heart of Kathmandu is parked. Taxis, buses, motorcycles, and tuk-tuks alike are sitting still with engines off. The dust from all other traffic is the only thing moving, it seems, for just moments. Then there’s a jolt. Some grinding…

1st Gear

In first gear, the views of Kathmandu aren’t much different. If you’re familiar with putting a manual vehicle in first gear, however, you can imagine the grind and resistance the clutch gives every other second. This is the moment when you peer out the window and meet eyes with a stranger on a small 150cc bike. This stranger is accompanied by his wife, his daughter, and his infant son, who grasps the handle bars with his tiny Nepalese hands. Magically, the bike remains intact, like the refurbished cop car used by Jake and Elwood in The Blues Brothers.

2nd gear

In 2nd gear, you have reached the average speed of traffic—about 15mph. Everything seems normal. This is when you start to see blinkers. Wow! You came all the way from your country where blinkers are installed in vain because they are never used properly, and here the Nepalese seem to be using them. However, this is an illusion. A blinking blinker here is a signal to the car behind to pass. They are never used as indicators of turning. There are no stop signs. There are no lights.

3rd Gear

Hope rises in your heart as you climb speed, as if something miraculous has happened and all traffic has cleared ahead of you, like a sinus cavity surgery that has removed all debris. 30mph, 40mph, this must be good news. A smile comes across your face. Then, as you approach true traffic-happiness, something is moving into the street from the corner of your eye.

Pedestrian.

A no-cares, no-worries, no-caution, and no-remorse pedestrian. And just when you thought nothing could stop you, you’re back at 1st gear. See ‘1st Gear’ to repeat the cycle.

If you ever reach 4th or 5th gear in the heart of Kathmandu, you have witnessed something truly special.

My next post will be an update on my progress as a volunteer. Topical posts like this one will be titled as such.

Arrival.

Airport. Visa. Baggage claim. Sim card booth. Someone waving a sign with my name on it. A dusty dark midnight Thursday ride through decrepit streets made of rocks and sand. Hotel. Shower. A few “new phone, it’s me—I’m here...goodnight” texts. Bed.

I woke up the next morning in what I now know as a quite nice hotel called Hotel prince Kathmandu in the central part of the tourist area known as Thamel (Tom-El), more specifically Chhetrapati (Chet-tra-pot-tee). After a quick breakfast of rice, I was briefed by my supervisor about the do’s, don’ts and tips for my stay in Nepal, then sent on my way to the host family some 30 minutes away in Lalitpur (Lol-eet-poor). I didn’t meet all the family all at once, but was greeted by the mother and the older sister. They showed me my new room. Quaint, minimal. Breakfast at 8, lunch at 1, dinner at 6, they said.

“When do you go to placement?” the sister asked. Placement means my volunteer placement, as in an English boarding school called Sunrise.

“Monday, think”, I said.

“Okay, good. You let us know if you need anything, we will get for you”, she said, “so see you at 6 for dinner?”

“Okay, thank you! Yes, see you then.”

I napped hard.

Dal Bhat (Doll-Bot) for dinner. Dal means lentils, bhat means rice. Lentils and rice. This would become a trend. It turns out that families in Nepal do not traditionally eat dinner together. Elderly people eat first, other men eat second, women eat last. I was eating alone because my host father, Kedar, had not yet come home that evening.

Later that evening, I met the aunt and the host father. They must have understood that I was unbelievably tired because I was encouraged to get some rest. The work week in Nepal is Sunday through Friday, 10am-5pm. In a very generous offer, the host family and the volunteer organization, Projects Abroad, allowed me to observe Saturdays and Sundays as I would in the States.

Sunday. I needed to get back to the only place available to exchange U.S. cash for Nepalese Rupees, Thamel (remember, tourist area). This proved to be much more of an adventure than expected. If you look at a map of Kathmandu Valley, you’ll see that there are about 5 main cities, Kathmandu and Lalitpur just two of them. Although practically within arms reach only a few miles away, it took 1 hour to find a bus that connected to a station near Thamel and 1 hour for the bus to actually get there. Inside the bus I was bone-to-bone with 30 other locals. I couldn’t turn my head or adjust my feet—bodies were hanging out the side of the bus and heads were sticking out the window just to make room. 15 rupees (15 cents). Worth it.

The Placement.

One of the Projects Abroad staff members, Rose, a Nepalese woman, met me outside my host home at 9:30 and walked me to the boarding school for my first day of work as the new American volunteer teacher. Sunrise comprises about 200 Nepalese children, ranging from 2-17 years of age. When I arrived, the principal was outside the school in a suit. We shook hands, then I was taken inside the school grounds. Inside, a sunny stone courtyard separated the classrooms, each designated for different grade levels. What I first witnessed when I walked in made me nervous.

All 200 little Nepalese dark eyes darted toward me as my American presence became bluntly obvious.

A morning routine of stretches, pledges, and the group singing of the Nepali anthem was in process. Reminiscent of my grade school days, I was led to the principal’s office immediately following. A quick debrief from the principal and vice principal was finalized by a ceremonious and very personal welcome to the community: a scarf hung around my neck and -red dot smeared on my forehead-, and a miniature arrangement of wildflowers .

“Welcome to Sunrise, Sam.”

The first week at Sunrise was not too overwhelming and definitely humbling.

I began by observing some of the younger classes—1st grade level and below, even the nursery. The school is surely understaffed for what they want to accomplish. These kids are charged with learning Nepali, a complex and difficult language in its own right, and English...simultaneously. There’s no doubt they can handle it, but it’s nice for the teachers to have an American boy showing up to demonstrate proper grammar and phonetics of English. Later in the week, I decided to take a few matters into my owns hands; I waited outside the toilets and made sure every child washed their hands properly. I brought some English children’s books and read one to the 1st grade class. On Friday, I brought in lots of paper and colored pencils. To motivate them, I told them whoever finished their classwork first would get to draw and color with me. This was a success.

 

Recess, however, will always be my favorite part of school. I pegged a kid in the face with a rubber-band version of a dodgeball, played tag with some 5th grade boys, and owned a bunch of older students in a match of badminton. I’m looking forward to 2 more months at this school, as I’m sure my roles will change and I will learn more about Nepal than from anywhere else. (I will be posting separately for updates on my progress as a volunteer and for topics like weather, traffic, tourist adventures, and the host family. The main updates will always be titled with a week number). 

17 days in Ecuador down! I’ve acclimatized to the altitude, learned how to navigate the bus system, spent a week with a host family, and most importantly, started leading my programs with the Manna Project.

Here is a rundown of my weekly programs at the Manna Project’s community center and library:

Kid’s Cooking: Every Wednesday, I cook a healthy recipe with the kids in the community center’s kitchen. As we cook, I provide information about nutrition and healthy living. While our food is in the oven, we usually head over to the center’s gym to exercise and play sports. My first week leading the program was a success! The kids prepared prosciutto and melon kebabs and chocolate-covered strawberries. They even cleaned up their mess in the kitchen afterwards!

Physical Activity Hour: A new program that I am developing is physical activity hour, a program two times per week that motivates kids to exercise. This week, we played kickball outside, lifted weights, did cardio exercises, and played parachute tag games. Physical activity hour is a great way to channel the kids’ energy and get to know them!

Library Hour: Every Friday afternoon, I lead a story time with the kids. We take turns reading the pages of the books and I give them comprehension questions. Literacy is central to my goals for my time in Ecuador. Along with implementing the story time hour, I also advocated for a new policy at the community center. When kids come in, they must read for 15 minutes before being able to check out games from our counter or sign up for computer time. The kids are trained now to know that the library room is their first stop at the community center. A feature I will also implement for library hour is using bilingual books to simultaneously improve literacy and English skills!

Adult English 1: English is of high-need in the Valley of Los Chillos. I teach a three-hour class on Saturdays. So far, the class has been a great way to relate to the community members and learn about the struggles they are facing with their educations, jobs, and other challenges in the community.

Kids English 3: I teach English to eight and nine year olds on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

General Activity Leader: The general activity leader is responsible for running the floor at the community center outside of program time, which includes engaging the kids in activities such as games, arts and crafts, reading, and puzzles.

Homework Help/Tutoring: The “Sala de Estudios” is a computer lab/study space where kids can bring their homework or study materials for standardized English exams. The homework help that the Manna Project provides is critical; many parents in the community do not have the level of English or expertise in the different school subjects to be able to help their children. The homework help that Manna provides is also helpful for students in large classes in the public schools who receive very little attention from their teachers. 

Chaupitena: In two weeks, I will be starting to volunteer my time with the Manna Project’s partner, Chaupitena. Chaupitena is a public high school in the Chillos Valley. I will offer my assistance as a native speaker at English classes at Chaupitena and assist with lesson plans, presentations, and teaching classes.

So far, my service at the Manna Project has been rewarding. Some children have told me that I give them more attention and spend more time with them than their parents. Many of the kids are regulars that come to the community center from 2 pm – 7 pm every day. I’m excited to boost attendance at the center’s programs and become a steady presence in the kids’ lives that can influence them for the better.

Parachute time during physical activity hour

Kid’s cooking class – I’m also learning to cook alongside the kids!

Sawadee ka, from America!

I’ve been home from Thailand for a few weeks now, and am wrapping up my blog with this final post. Since my return, I’ve been trying to process everything I experienced, and keep the wonderful memories of the Boys and our relationships alive. Stories are the best way I know how to do this (all names have been changed to protect their identities).

Nok is the boy who I probably spent the most time with, who I learned the most from and who was also the most challenging to work with. He is very intense in his facial expressions and the way that he spoke. From the first day we met, he decided my name was Natalie, and would call me that consistently for the rest of my time at Urban Light. For the first few weeks, as I laughingly corrected him over and over again, I wasn’t sure if he just couldn’t remember my real name or was messing with me. Eventually, it was clear the latter was true; we would have lighthearted arguments in Thai over which one of our names was Natalie. From then on, it was a running joke in the center – boys who I’d never met before would think my name was Natalie too!

Nok was very helpful, especially when it came to learning Thai. He would sit with me in the office, distracting me as I worked on my computer, always asking me what I was doing and where I was going, flicking me and talking very quickly in Thai, expecting that I understood him (I couldn’t haha). He would teach me random words in Thai, like chair and shirt, and laugh with me at my atrocious pronunciation. He once helped me count to 100 in Thai on a Friday excursion.

He is a Christian, and when I told him I was too, he made the sign of the cross and invited me to his church. He also brought me random gifts, like a Thai Bible, some self-help DVDs and snacks from 7/11.

Nok could be very up and down, and I had to work to establish appropriate boundaries with him (though no fault of his own – few of the boys have good examples of healthy relationships in their lives). He liked to sit very close, and could be flirtatious and overly affectionate, which I had to communicate was inappropriate. Sometimes, he would say sweet things like “Lauren is like my older sister at Urban Light”; other times, he would tell visitors or other volunteers that I was his girlfriend. It just depended on the day!

Hong is very sweet and soft-spoken.  Also a Christian, I would often find him playing worship songs on the guitar in the center. He didn’t like to sing, though, so he would quietly tell me what song it was (usually, Blessed Be Your Name), and I would sing while he played. Some of my favorite moments in the center were those impromptu worship sessions with him. Once, he began playing Hosanna by Hillsong, which is one of my favorites, and I excitedly sang along with him and Mon, one of the interns from Chiang Mai University.

Hong also taught me to play the card game Skipbo, mercifully providing an alternative to my many games of UNO. He won every single time I played with him.

Hong has had a tough life: his father was abusive, and he desperately needed glasses – he was once hit by a car because he didn’t see it coming – but he had one of the gentlest, peaceful, resilient dispositions I’ve ever encountered.

Tim is a tiny, skinny boy with a big attitude, who claimed to be 18. In reality, he couldn’t have been more than 15. But that is the reality for these boys: they are forced to grow up entirely too quickly. He picked up on the Natalie game, and continued the schtick in weeks when Nok was not around, even calling Chloe and other farong Natalie. He is very clever and always made us laugh, while also trying to find ways to get onto YouTube on our phones and get us to buy him food. He is so precious.

Mot would always tell me he liked me, but clarify with “not love!” because he didn’t want to cross any boundaries. He came into the center one day and gave me a flower. He was on crutches most of the time, after he hurt his leg in a motorbike accident. He is a good guitar player and loves Linkin Park.

Ah has a very stern-looking face, and can come across as intense, but as soon as you get him laughing (or actually, when he laughs at his own jokes), his face instantly changes into a wide grin, and he lets out a long, high-pitched giggle, after which his face immediately goes back to his stern expression. It was so funny, and easy to laugh along. He never wanted to play UNO, but would sometimes come into the center and play ping pong with us. When he was bored with just a regular game, he hit the ball so hard it flew off the roof and into the street, accompanied by his giggle. 

Ah was the first boy to really learn my name. At the beginning of my placement, I started introducing myself as “Lo,” thinking it would be easier to remember than “Lauren.” However, Ah knew me as Lauren, so when another boy called me “Lo,” he got a little upset, and corrected the other boy instantly.

One of my favorite moments with Ah was on one of our Friday excursions to the soccer field. Before we went, Ah showed me his new outfit: a bright yellow duck pajama set. He was so proud of it, and washed and dried it at the center (panicking for a moment when he briefly misplaced it), then wore it on the soccer field. We were giggling the whole time – it was so hilarious and sweet!

Bee was one of the most dedicated guitar players at the center. He loved to play guitar and sing, and wanted to play with Chloe and I, but only knew two songs in English: “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles and “Attention” by Charlie Puth. Suffice it to say, I learned those songs VERY well by the end of my six months...

Bee, along with fellow volunteers Mon and John, was the first to realize that my name sounds like “lolen” – the Thai word for “joking around.” It stuck, and Lolen became my Thai nickname (get it? My life is a joke!).

Sadly, Bee wasn’t around the last few weeks of my placement, because he happened to be in the area where a gambling ring was busted by the police. He was arrested and jailed even though he wasn’t involved.

Tai is one of my favorites, and my hardest won relationship. He is technically a former UL boy, who has gotten off the streets and now helps out around the center and serves as a role model to the boys. For the longest time, I didn’t think he liked me. Every morning, when I came into the center, I would greet him in Thai. Occasionally, he would say hello back, but most of the time would just nod at me without looking up. He would get friendlier as the day went one, even joining us for a game of UNO every now and again, but I still wasn’t sure how to read him.

After awhile, he started to warm up to me, until one day, suddenly, we were friends. He came upstairs into the office space, and in a high pitched voice that was supposed to sound like mine, he mimicked the way I said his name and other Thai phrases. From then on out, that was our “thing,” and I loved it. We would have other conversations too, including one where I asked him how he was, and he responded mai sabbai (not good). I would ask him why, and he would loudly exclaim with a smile “no money, no honey!” He cracked me up, because sometimes the way he treated me was similar to my younger brother – if I made a joke, or did something silly, he would smile and shake his head at me, as if to say, “... you’re not cool, Lauren.”

The week before I left, Tai asked me at lunch what I wanted as a going away gift. Touched by the question, I told him I wanted a picture of him. He smiled and nodded his approval. Then, on my last day, he came up to me and presented me with a beautiful laminated photo of the late king and queen. Now, all Thai people adore and respect the monarchy, but Tai is something special. He views the king as the father he never had, and to honor him, he walked from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, twice. The king meant the world to Tai, so to receive this as a gift from him was a beautiful, meaningful gesture. I will treasure it always!

Moo was one of the most regular attendees at the center. He loves UNO, more than anything else, and we would play nearly every day. Most days, he would walk upstairs into the office, smile mischievously, and ask in a high pitched voice “UNO?” How could I say no to that (I mean, I had to learn how, for the sake of productivity! But I didn’t want to!)? He was the fastest to warm up to me, and told me he loved me on my very first day. He would tell me this every day after, too 🙂 

Sometimes, Moo was my designated protector, and would walk me part of the way home. It was always a sweet gesture.

Moo was always making us laugh, but one thing that cracked me up occurred when I brought my boyfriend Levi into the center for lunch. Moo got a little jealous, and told me in Thai that he didn’t know me. He smiled as he said it, just joking around.

I only met Benz in the last two weeks of my placement, but he was so friendly, it was like I’d know him the whole time. He gave me a permanent marker “tattoo” of a rose, and wrote on my arm in Thai that I owed him 35 baht.

When I met Nu I could tell that he is a leader among the boys. He has the kindest heart, and speaks decent English. Whenever I would see him in the center, he would loudly say “Hello Lauren how are you.” He is a hard worker too; I once sat with him for awhile, going over English words in his learning book. It wasn’t very often that I came across a boy dedicated to learning on his own. I was very impressed!

Nu was very popular with the ladies, and often had a small crowd of teenage girls with him. Once, as we were closing up the center for the day, I looked on in horror as he climbed onto his motorbike with 3 other girls and drove off. My coworker P’Tu laughed at my surprise, and told me I had probably never seen that in America. She was right, and I never did come to understand how Thais could be so relaxed in busy traffic on their motorbikes.

Aod is one of the first boys that I got to know at UL. My first month, I was helping my fellow intern Zuzu with a greeting card project to generate income for Urban Light. Aod was our artist, so I spent many hours with him as we helped him create holiday greeting cards. He apparently was quite the handful when he was younger, but is now a very kind, sweet, thoughtful, talented young man. 

In my last few months, Aod didn’t come around as often, likely because he had a new girlfriend. Sometimes they would come into the center together, and sit on the couch while he played Thai songs on guitar. She’d sing along, and it was too cute.

Andy is also an excellent artist, but he wasn’t interested in designing greeting cards. Truly an individual, he simply wanted to express himself through his art (he drew everything from intricate drawings to Pixar characters). My first encounter with him took place at the table where he liked to draw. I didn’t speak much Thai yet, but he was trying to communicate with me. When I didn’t understand, he wrote a word in Thai and showed it to me. I told him I still didn’t know, so he ran upstairs and had a staff member translate the word: “lover.” He was trying to tell me about his girlfriend! He then showed me her pictures on Facebook – clearly a proud boyfriend!

I enjoyed Andy’s presence in the center so much. He is so sweet and fun to be around. Once, he called my name from another room, and then tried to hide and scare me when I came in. When I told him I was going home to America soon, he just looked at me and said “Nooo.” He had decided I wasn’t leaving, and how could I argue?

Kab always has a big smile on his face, and his presence would light up the center. He is so funny and a big goofball, but is also very hardworking and earnest and thoughtful. Sometimes he would come into the center with a few girls, and it was always clear that he was respectful and took care of them.

Everyday at lunch, I would divide cleanup duties by having the boys draw sticks from a cup. A few of the boys liked to joke around and take the cup after lunch, but Kab was always the funniest: he’d grab it when I wasn’t looking, but made sure I saw his “who me?” face and mischievous glint in his eye. He’d then sprint up the stairs, and I’d follow, to find the cup neatly placed on my desk.

I have so many fun memories with Kab. Once, he brought a balloon animal kit in, and spent the afternoon blowing up the balloons then letting them fly around the office. One day, we pulled up Google maps, and he showed me where his apartment was (he had just gotten a job at one of the markets!), and a picture of his favorite internet cafe. He would often use my camera and take really awesome photos on it. He is so likable and funny and resilient – I will always be amazed by him.

Kab had a friend named Non, who didn’t come in often, but was always a delight when he did. He has the sweetest disposition. At first, I thought his name was Non-krawp (krawp is the words Thai males say at the end of sentences). He didn’t know how to correct me, but eventually UL’s psychologist P’Pop sorted it out, and we all laughed. Non and I would listen to YouTube together – his favorite artists were Slipknot and Taylor Swift (Love Story in particular!).

Tao is the most amazing transformation story that I saw while at UL. At the beginning of my stay, he had active tuberculosis and was very sick. He was working with our staff doctor to treat his illness, but it was a long and rigorous process. To prevent the disease from spreading, he had to wear a face mask at all times and could only be in certain areas of the center. It was clear that he was depressed as well, and had little energy to engage with me or the other boys. It absolutely broke my heart, but I didn’t know him as anything other than very ill.

Needless to say, these boys changed my life, and I miss them desperately. Six months is a blink of an eye, but thankfully, it was enough time to form the most beautiful relationships and memories with the boys of Urban Light. And that’s the joy of this job, and this organization: to get to be a part of their stories, in whatever chapter they’re in. Sometimes, it looks like victory over illness. It looks like breakthroughs and laughter and transformation. Other times, it looks like struggle and injustice and heartbreak and addiction and trauma. sometimes, it’s hard.

First full week in Ecuador: check. I’m currently in the final step of my Ecuador orientation: my host family stay. The Huertas live  in Fajardo, a tiny rural community that is a ten-minute walk from the Manna Project. When I arrived, I was greeted in a house decorated with balloons and streamers and given flowers, a scarf, and chocolate. The family had added an extra room to their house just so that they could be able to host Manna Project volunteers. As I spend more time in the Chillos Valley, I’m learning that I have everything I need. The Ecuadorians give all they have to me, and I don’t know how to thank them.

The Huertas are very proud of the culture of the Chillos Valley, which has deep roots in the indigenous cultures of Ecuador. Almost every house in the valley has a small plot of choclo, the Ecuadorian corn. Corn is a staple of life in Fajardo and dates back to the Incas. I’ve been introduced to various juices of corn, toasted corn, corn soups, and corn kernels that are added to many Ecuadorian dishes. The people living in the pueblo wake up at 5 am to farm the corn and many do not stop working until 9 pm. There are no major grocery stores, only tiendas which are small convenience stores and bakeries on the corners. Fresh fruit and vegetables and meat are sold on the streets, in the patios of peoples’ houses, or in open air markets. Restaurants don’t exist in Fajardo; rather, people cook and set up a table and chairs in their garage or a room of their house for people to visit. The rest of the necessities come from trucks with loudspeakers that pass through the streets selling items such as tanks of gas, potatoes, juice, and water.

The Manna Project was busy this Saturday for inscriptions day. My position was to give the community members diagnostic tests to place them into the correct English levels. The center opened at 9 am, but people began forming a line outside the door at 5 am. In Ecuador, outside of the private schools, the English teachers are usually under qualified. Since they typically haven’t traveled to America, their pronunciations suffer due to lack of contact with native speakers. The community members have shared that the presence of native English speakers at the Manna Project is much more valuable than an English class at a public school.

Inscriptions day was a success. Each level of English (4 classes for adults and 4 classes for kids) is full with 30 students. I elected the programs that I will lead: Adult English 1, Children’s English 3, library/story time hour, kids cooking and physical activity class. All volunteers will take turns being the general activity leader, who manages the center for three hours and plans activities such as games and arts and crafts during that time. The focus of my Lumos service is literacy. I plan to use the Manna Project’s library as a resource to expose children to bilingual books as they simultaneously learn how to read and gain exposure to a second language. I will use exercises such as providing comprehension questions, children taking turns reading a page, and changing a word and having the children correct the grammar. From my first few days at the center, I’ve witnessed that the children are willing to read. Now, I hope to get age-appropriate books in their hands with consistency and use reading to improve their language usage. The children coming to the center from illiterate families and poor public schools are often facing the double challenge of struggling in both English and Spanish. I’ve had to correct children on grammatical and spelling errors in their own language, Spanish. Reading is a great way to help children become familiar with the correct spellings of words and different sentence structures.

I’ve had some challenges in the last week: cold showers, lack of availability of safe water, minimal access to internet, and my big mistake of losing my entire wallet and keys. But, my host family has been a blessing and I feel like I’m in the right place. My twelve-year old host brother Iori told me he starts to cry when children younger than him try to sell things on buses and don’t even have bread. Iori constantly gets up on the bus for older people or people with children. He even went on 30-minute walks with me to the center multiple times to help me look for my keys. The Ecuadorians I know are giving, thoughtful, and selfless. They share everything around them – whatever food they have, stories, their houses, and their culture. I can’t even count how many times I’ve been told the story of Alexander von Humboldt, who famously climbed Ecuador’s highest volcano, Chimborazo. He commented that he was flabbergasted to meet the most peaceful people in the world, given that they lived amongst no less than 50 volcanoes! Ecuador is a special country!

Next week is a full work week at the Manna Project. I will be leading programs on my own for the first time. I already have children recognizing my face, and it’s really nice to see the same kids returning almost every afternoon. For some of them, the center is the best part of their day. Thank you, Ecuador, for all the love and kindness you’ve given me during my first week here.

My host brother and sister: Elaine and Iori

Library hour/story time

The Teen Center

The Chillos Valley

I have officially stepped foot in South America! I arrived at 11:30 pm on Saturday, Jan. 7, but my partner organization had the volunteer pick-up scheduled for 5 pm the following day. Naturally, I wanted to use every minute to get to know my new home! I spent Sunday morning and afternoon with my pen pal, Sebastián, and his family. They graciously invited me to their home and cooked me a traditional Ecuadorian breakfast of tigrillo, which is a mix of eggs, cheese, green plantains, salt, pepper, ahí, and onion. After breakfast, Sebastián gave me a tour of Quito!

First, we walked from my friend’s house to the city center after I emphatically shook my head saying no to taking a taxi. We went up El Panecillo, which is a famous statue of the Virgin Mary sitting on a hill above Quito. I was stunned seeing the panorama of Quito from above. The colored houses stack on top of each other high up in the mountains and the silhouettes of Quito’s historic district dot the valley below. Next, my friend showed me the Iglesia de Santo Domingo, a gorgeous church in the city center with painted blue patterned ceilings. Later, we bought street food for $1.50 in Parque el Ejido, an urban park in Quito. One of my favorite foods here is choclo, which is jumbo corn. In the park, we also rented a bike to see the city from a new perspective. A lot of quiteño children laughed at our horrible bike-steering good-naturedly, and I loved how the whole city seemed to be out and about outside smiling, playing lawn games, basking in the sun, and exercising.

It is customary to give gifts in Ecuador, so I brought my friend a baseball bat, glove, ball, and hat since he is fascinated by American baseball. I taught him how to play in another park called Parque Itchimbía, which has arguably the best views in the city. The park was definitely a locals’ hangout, and I had fun passing soccer balls back to quiteños!

After an eight-hour day of eating street food, biking, playing baseball, and walking miles around Quito (9,300 ft.), I felt very accomplished! Although I need to rest soon to continue acclimatizing, it was more important to me to dive into the Ecuadorian culture from day one! Entering my volunteer service, I now feel that I have a better understanding of the day in the life of Ecuadorians, including their food, culture, dialect of Spanish, and surroundings.

Sunday night, I moved in to the Manna Project house where I will be living for the next seven months. The house is located in Conocoto, a rural suburb about 40 minutes from Quito. I met the other Program Directors I will be living with, who are very internationally-minded people like me! The next morning, the Country Director and Senior Program Director led orientation meetings regarding risk management, Program Director roles, and the culture of Ecuador. Next, the Senior Program Director, Hunter, took me to learn the bus routes and find my way to Spanish school, where I will attend classes during the mornings for one week and the next three consecutive Mondays. Hunter also provided a short tour around Quito to several artisanal markets and the Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesús church, which is almost entirely covered in gold. We ate lunch at Cafélibro, a well-known café famous for offering dance classes, book clubs, and concerts.

This week, my orientation will include shadowing the Manna Project’s programs, additional welcome activities, and an introduction to the community center where I will serve. On Friday, I will move into a host family house for a 1-week homestay that prepares Program Directors with intensive Spanish immersion.

I’m exhausted, but very pleased with the partner organization I chose, the Manna Project. Manna’s Ecuador Country Director Carolyn emphasized the 50/50 mission of Manna facing both Program Director volunteers and community members. The Manna Project will help me grow because it intends to develop social change agents who can thrive working in international settings and continue to do similar work in the future. Simultaneously, the Manna Project aims to support the community with knowledge and better resources through its primary focus: community development using educational programming. I am anxious and excited to meet community members as I shadow programs this week, and can’t wait to begin teaching classes the following week. This Saturday is a big day: inscriptions day. Inscriptions day is when community members sign up for the community center’s English classes and other programs and take placement tests. The community center’s programs are so popular that a line apparently forms out the door starting at 5 a.m. for class inscription at 9 a.m.

All in all, it’s been a fantastic, exhausting, overwhelming, and productive first couple days in Ecuador. I’m confident that I couldn’t personally have chosen a better country for my Lumos service; I’m invigorated and ready to put my Spanish skills to work in a community that is very deserving of help! This is only the beginning of a long relationship with Ecuador and its people, and I look forward to every minute of my experience!

It’s the 5th day of the new year and 12 days until I step on the plane to Kathmandu. I’m taking some time to look back on some of the preparations I’ve made for the trip—what I have done so far and what’s next.

The Lumos Application

When I first heard about the Lumos Award in the Fall of 2016, it filtered through my mind as one of those unattainable achievements that would be nice if I had the opportunity, but “how could I focus on that and simultaneously finish up my last year of classes,  and where would I travel anyway?”, were my questions.

India, of course. This had been a two-year running thought in my head. Let me go to India to get involved with the poverty and poor living conditions of the slums. When this thought actually came to my mind, I’m not sure. Through a few books and articles about India I had read, I had formed a desire to go do these things.

But when this thought re-occured it was just two months until the next application deadline for Lumos. “Great”, I said.

So naturally, I decided to start an application.

Learning quickly that it was expected to take up to a year to secure a Visa to India—I didn’t let that spur the desire to go work volunteer somewhere, so I looked at a world map and picked a small little Arkansas-sized country sandwiched between India and Tibet, called Nepal. I knew, of course, that this was the home of the infamous Mount Everest and legends of monks and sherpas living in the thin air well above sea level. And after a few more Google searches and chats with friends who had been there, I learned that Nepal, like its southern cousin India, has been experiencing severe child poverty, unsanitary water, and slavery for just as many years. Somethign else I noted: in 2015 a massive earthquake shook Nepal, killing over 9,000 and injuring over 22,000. Families and school children were displaced from their homes and schools, and in Kathmandu, the capital, much of the infrastructure had been compromised.

“I have to go there”, I said.

Funding

After an insane month of crunching my time between classwork and researching everything for the Lumos application, I submitted an essay and a budget for my proposed trip to Nepal, set to take place from January-June of 2018, I submitted the application and hoped I would be selected for an interview in front of the Lumos board.

This was nerve-racking.

One week later I was notified about getting an interview. I had 8 big binders full of my project information ready to put in front of each board member, ready to answer most questions thrown my way. This was it! When I exited the room on the day of the interview I was sure I did not get funded for this trip. My nerves, or ignorance, or something got the best of me and they’d decline my request.

But the next week I received an email with the subject line: “Congratulations!”. All of my friends and family knew the verdict within the next hour.  I would be going to Nepal in January.

 

Vaccines, Planes, and Paperwork

Shortly after my graduation in May, I began the preparations for my trip. Vaccines, additional paperwork, traveler’s insurance, payments to Projects Abroad for my accommodation and meals, a week’s worth of cold weather clothing and a high-tech water filtration system and some new tennis shoes.

Of course, I strung these checklist items over the course of 6 months. But now I’m less than two weeks from departure, and I couldn’t be more pumped.