Tuesday / Martes
So yesterday (Ayuda) in the morning, we catch the bus/trolley to work, and on our walk to the bus stop Laura runs into another one of her volunteers who is there for a year from Italy. So far I am the oldest volunteer I’ve met but there is a Retired pediatric surgeon (68) who has visited every year for a long time to volunteer and also an older nurse. I’ve seen photo’s.
We visited el expenal Garcia Moreno with the rehab patients. The prison is in old quito and is now a museum having closed 5 years ago. It is challenging having a tour in Spanish with my limited spanish but I improve everyday. It was about 15 minutes walk up hill from Shelter that I work in. We took the 8 resident occupants. The prison used to hold addicts, alcoholics, debtors, political, bank robbers, drug traffickers.
If you think the irony of taking 8 recovering addicts and alcoholics to a prison which used to hold them was lost on me it wasn’t.
The prison has 3 tiers in the cell blocks, first tier for the poor, second for those with some money, 3rd for those with lots of money. In the bottom tier they were keeping 10 people to a cell built for 3 people. The negrillo’s (blacks) had their own wing. The top wing people had tv’s, microwaves – for the ex-presidente and other wealthy individuals. Though it had a school – how South American and Latin prisons work is the guard have routines the prisoners follow but everything inside the prison is the responsibility of the prisoners – cooking etc.
As we were walking down the hill from the museum, I saw Jose, one of the addictos pull his morning orange (naranjo) from his pocket. Walk to one of the homeless sitting in a door and offer it to him. These people have nothing, yet they still have compassion. Everyday they ask how I am and they practice their English with me and correct my pronunciation.
As we stand next to the shelter door and count the addictos there is a young man asleep on the door, Jose turns to me (who has ok English) and says the problem is that Quito is very easy to buy drugs and lots of robbery. We discuss the young man who Jose speculates is a runaway and says it’s common.
After the walk back I laid tables and helped put the food together. It arrives in boxes, tubs and bags and just needs to be assembled. The attendees (referred to as addictos) get a carry out container with pollo (chicken), arroz (rice), and some ensalada (salad). They also get a plastic container of soup, a cup of jugo (juice) and a piece of fruit. Everything is equal. They come in, stand for prayer/words and sit down. So breakfast is not dissimilar.
When lunch is served I leave (vamos) back to the Casa for lunch and then to study. Laura is still with me today so I say – you tell me about the robberies and drugs but I don’t see the prositutes. She laughs and says look for the ladies with the parasols (remember this for later), and gestures to some ladies near the corner of the square we are on. I ask if they have an STD problem and she say’s no, the government issues Cartera. At this point I realize that Ecuador has legalized sex works.
Before our Trolley ride back I get the check from Laura – nothing in my pockets and my sling bag in front of me. Pickpockets on the bus are common. The buses are always crowded (rush hour crowded).
I normally have a break between lunch and study so I search the web and find a book chapter on the subject. So Ecuador has legal prostitution where they are government rated and Chongo’s (Brothels). Unfortunately due to the migration problems and poverty most of the street workers are illegals needing it for drugs or money to feed their children. Ecuador has a large trafficking problem both with children and also (discussion with Laura the next day) with university women (middle class or above) getting trafficked – they disappear and….. they use to have more control over it but in the last few years the problem has got worse. The reason that prostitution is an issue is that if you look at poor jobs, drugs, robberies and prostitution. Prostitution is the most obvious sign which means if you see prostitution especially illegal/street it means the other things are in operation (in reverse). In America or other countries this normally applies. As I travel widely its normally a sign that I’ve taken a wrong turn or I should turn around.
After lunch – more chicken and rice! I study with Karina – she marks on the map for me where Gringolandia is – mentioned in one of the online articles as where a lot of gringo’s are who complain they don’t get out of gringolandia. I am near the Colon sector so I am actually far more an ecuador native. She also marks some other places I might want to check out – we discuss the city in English and french. Yesterday – we discussed the issue of prostitution and how the coast of Ecuador is actually liberal but the center (Quito) is much more conservative. Then we study.
Tonight I have dinner with some contacts I have from an internet course I did this year – the lifebook course sub group I’m in. So my phone cannot get Uber. I don’t know why but it’s really slow and bad. I go upstairs and ask one of the young men to order (you can pay cash here). The first Uber cancels, the second waits 20 minutes then cancels – some of them will accept but see if you will cancel so they can get money, 3rd Uber cancels. 4th Uber an hour and a half later shows up.
Finally I get to dinner at La Casa de Milanese where I meet my new friends, a lovely couple who are opening up their own business. She is Ecuadorian and he is Columbian/American. They met while he was taking 18 months with a friend driving a car from America to Venezuela after he’d finished his Masters in the US and France. He worked 7 volunteer projects on his way down and on one of them met her. 2 years later they started dating. I am envious of his courage. We talked about dreams, future and life. Their business and the nature of the universe. It was lovely. I did ask them – look is the theft really that bad or is it just the perception of everyone. They said it’s not as bad as people say but more problems recently. I think everyone warns me because they expect the 18-25 year old naieve tourist/volunteer. At the restaurant I had a Argentina dish I had this meat covered with cheese and pineapple which was quite tasty. I said order me anything but chicken – it wasn’t, and I was happy. The bill for their meal (hamburgesa) and mine which was a full entree was approx $31 in a nice restaurant.
They drive me to Laura’s Casa and depart in the night back to their daughter.
Wednesday / Miercoles
This is the first day I’ve probably felt lonely and isolated. I don’t hear a lot of English in the day and waking up with the internet not working made me realize how alone I am or isolated. I usually need a lot of social interaction. On the plus side I’m no longer used to not flushing the toilet paper but putting it in the little bin next to the toilet. It doesn’t feel unnatural anymore. I did almost scold myself to death in the shower as the shower handles works a bit differently – every day a new experience.
So my first day without Laura I ride the bus to work. There are 4 prostitutes in the square where I get off, all holding parasols over there heads!! So now I know. Of course sometimes a parasol is just a parasol but not on a street corner standing like this. So I walk uphill the 15 minutes to the shelter. I pass indigenous people from the mountains setting up food and little shops on the blankets on the street. Fresh corn, apples etc. Many are wearing babies in a little poncho. The streets smell a bit of urine but the stores are clean and nice. I am not in the nice part of Quito of course but the old part. Lots of picturesque churches but its not the modern part with malls and skyscrapers. Like many cities it is the tale of 2 cities.
I get to the shelter and go work in la Cocina (the kitchen) and setup breakfast for 32 people (Trentaocho). On somedays the shelter opens up so you have more than the residents who are there for 4 weeks with rules (no drugs/alcohols). After breakfast I go and sit in the main room to make sure there aren’t any issues – they like a volunteer/project staff to always be there. The TV is on – every morning there is a difference bunch of Chica’s dancing on their morning show.
I should say that Chico’s and chica’s have several meanings. Positive/Negative depending on the area. “Oh the Chica’s are dancing in the bar” is more like the sexy ladies are having fun in the bar – its not negative. Often the project staff will go “Chico’s Vamos” – “Chico’s lets go”. However the tone can be negative. Most often its playful in the context I’ve had it.
While sitting in the room I pull out my little notebook and practice my spanish with the addictos. I always get Buenos Dias from the 8 who know me – sometimes a handshake, sometimes a handshake and fist bump. From the project members I now get the handshake and kiss on the cheek. I have to bend down of course. They practice Ingles con mi (with me). One of them says for $3 per hour he will teach me spanish – he asks this after asking how much la professora en la tarde gets paid (professor in the afternoon). Of course I decline.
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this – if you teach kids you are a maestro (maestra for feminine), if you teach adults you are a professor – its not based on your credentials.
Outside the director is frustrated because they wanted to put flowers in the second story window boxes however the ladder is to short. The workers put it on a table. She goes that is not safe and no. Still a little upsetting.
Today’s activity is football. So we troop down to a concrete pitch 20 minutes away down the hill. It was nice to hear a project member to say – Stay with me, stay with Alan (con Alan). As We walk down La Ronde which is a cobbled stoned beautiful street with nice giftish shops – its old. We see several police on it as it’s considered safe for tourists. The addictos say hola to tourists but are ignored by the one American man and his wife with 2 giant camera’s and a “Hawaii” shirt. I know they were American because of the accents. I know it’s odd to recognize that I’m irritated they aren’t acknowledged when I have probably been guilty of the same. We talk in Spanish and English with people saying – Como se llama en Ingles and me having to translate the word – then there is lots of beaming – for me to ask the same thing. A project member only had to pull a phone out twice.
The group of 35 now splits into 2 groups – about 16 to play football (futbal) and the rest get coerced into excercise. No Exercise, no eat. It’s stretching and bending. Another addicto who is not a regular asks me for money – Jose had to translate and says no for me.
I join the group for football and get picked as first player by one of the 2 captains – like been 2 of every player would make me good. I volunteer for goal and are grateful ours is the side which gets to keep our shirts. We play – we’re up 4 goals – I at one point passed a penalty to a no shirted player and got yelled at by Quido that “no ropa” (no clothes is the other side”. After I saved 2 goals I redeemed my self. It’s interesting to hear cries of usar (use it), Aqui (here) on the pitch. Half time comes – we swap sides. I go to kick the ball and I slip feet up, head right on the concrete floor, glasses went about 5 feet, hat about 3. I sat down and they poured water over my head. I took 2 minutes and went back to the game. I mean it’s not like “Medico” is an option at this point. 10 minute later the game ends. We make the long climb back to the shelter where I put out lunch for everyone while my breathing calms down.
Lunch is served at the shelter and I leave. I am warned by the project member I most closely work with that this area is very dangerous with thieves. I show her my bag on my front and she nods. I walk back to the bus stop – at least one indigenous beggars try to get the solo gringo to give them money. 3 prostitutes are still near the bus stop but 2 are different. The bus is really busy, at one point I feel a hand tug on my pocket – accident or not – nothing for them to get. I get off the bus and walk to the casa. I am on the 4th floor, Laura and family is on the 3rd.
Laura looks at my goose egg and is like “Oh no!!!” And tries to mother me. I promise I won’t sleep and can take care of myself. I’m aware that I’ll be with people for the 4 hours since the head injury so I’ll be fine.
After lunch – more spanish lessons and discussions on what I’ve seen today – and machismo culture etc. Karina leave me with an Ejercicios (Exercises) to work on before tomorrow!!!!
David comes out at some point to see if I can help with Polygon theorem – I look at the problem and go… no. lol. Longtime since I saw that stuff.
I’m off to dinner now.