Thursday's post from Cathryn and Nika

Hey guys!!! Today was awesome!!

We got to Huantugloma early in the morning like usual and began our day by splitting up with our pairs and working with a classroom we haven't worked with yet. Nika and I were in different classroom. She observed the first grade classroom today. The kids did this cool activity where they cut out pictures that they felt represented their country from old books and used them to created posters. At the end of class, Nika, Mallory and the kids worked together to clean the classroom by sweeping the floors and picking us scrap paper. Funny/cute moment from the first grade class: The kids used their hands to swipe elmers glue over their pictures and got their hands so sticky. Nika offered them handwipes and they loved them! lol. They all wanted a handwipe.

In my class, 10th grade, Cindy and I taught the kids basic words in English. We covered how to hold a basic convo (Hi, how are you, whats your name, my name is, etc.) Then we taught them how to ask questions by going over the "question words" (who, what, when, where, why, how...). We practiced by going around the room and asking questions. I really loved this and the kids seemed to really enjoy it to. They are so smart and learned quickly. Afterward we did some vocabulary. Cindy went over how to say different nouns in English like boy, girl, mom, dad, friends, etc. When we got to girlfriend/boyfriend - the boys all wanted to know if she had a boyfriend! LOL

After a short break, we began our sustainability workshops. Plastic is one of the products that pollutes the most in the rural areas - so we tried to focus on how to re-use or avoid using plastic. This was very successful!! Nika led a workshop with Stephanie, Semira, and Melissa for the youngest kids. The main activity was making posters. On one side of the poster the kids drew a "dirty world" and one the other side, a "clean world." The posters were very beautiful. The kids drew pictures of the dirty world with a world smiling and included things like flowers and green grass and trees. The drawings of the dirty world had the world frowning with garbage and trash everywhere.

The main activity for my class (third grade) was showing the kids how to reuse plastic bottles. We cut plastic bottles to make a little at-home garden. We filled the bottom with water and the top with dirt - then planted a seed for them to grow at home. The kids absolutely loved this! They we so excited and interested!! After our activities, we taught the kids the difference between recyclable items and items that belong in the trash. Then we had them go outside and pick up trash laying around the area and throw them in the correct bin. We found SO many bottles/plastic and trash laying around the area so this really helped to tidy up the community. The kids had fun doing it too and some even raced each other to get the most trash!

After this we ate lunch and played with the kids!! One cool thing from today was when Dian and Michelle showed the oldest boys how to write words in Chinese! The boys really liked this. The little ones have really warmed up to us too and have even started to greet us in English (which makes us happy that they learned/remembered their greetings we taught them). They love dancing and piggyback rides. WHY IS TOMORROW OUR LAST DAY CON LOS NIÑOS PEQUEÑOS Y GRANDES?!?!! Ah!! We are going to miss them so much.

Then we left for a bumpy ride to a local lagoon. It took us about 20 minutes to get there. It was beautiful there (except the giant cow poop)! This was nice because we got to take a break and appreciate the beauty of Ecuador. We took lots of pictures and left our mark on the mountain stone (thanks Cindy!).

After this, we went to visit the Pumapungo Archaeological Park. The site had a beautiful garden with native plants from the region and had a small zoo of lovely birds (important symbolism for pre-Columbian cultures. We also saw the remains of an Incan city in the 1400's. So awesome. We stopped for delicious ice cream too (so sad they only had 2 waffles left LOL) ...and then we ended with a great reflection of our time here in Ecuador.

We can't believe we are leaving so soon. It seems like we just got here. We discussed our feelings about leaving this beautiful city during reflection and also talked about how much of an impact we are having in Huantagloma. This experience has been amazing so far - but it's not over yet so we will make the best of our last days here!!

After this longggg day, Nika and I got to go out to eat with our host family. We went to Tutto Freddo to celebrate our host mom's 10 year old niece's cumpleaños! We ordered awesome BOMB tasting pizzas and milkshakes. Afterward, we walked through the Parque Abdon Calderon across from the Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción to get home. The park is so beautiful at night - we saw people dancing, a guy selling bracelets, and a bunch a cute couples everywhere. It was a great night. Now time to sleep so we can give our best selves tomorrow!

Las queremos mucho Ecuachicas!!! Hasta Mañana!

Cathryn & Nika

Jump On It

Today, we began our trek up the mountain to Huantugloma, singing a hand washing song in Spanish to the tune of the famous "La Cucaracha." It will be forever stuck in our heads. Why were we singing this song, you may ask? Why, we were preparing for the first aid workshops that we would be leading for the kids later that morning.
Upon arrival, we were surprised to see the children all dressed in what looked like the warm up suits of an Olympic team. We later discovered they were not dressed in their normal school uniforms because it was Gym Day, a great excuse to play as much soccer as possible. After stepping off the van, we split up in our little partner groups and went off to observe different classes. In the first grade class, we worked on counting and addition, and each kid got the chance to meticulously draw twelve or thirteen different items on the board (cell phones, chickens, cats, and soccer balls).
During recess, some of us got schooled in soccer, some of us went exploring with kids, and some of us lead a super fun English lesson!
Once recess was over, we split up into our groups for the first aid workshops. The oldest group learned about the contents of a first aid kit, including rubber gloves which supplied endless entertainment hours afterward. The younger groups had an absofruit blast learning the hand washing song (in Spanish and English)! Easily the highlight of the workshop though, was the Glo-Germ--a chemical substance that once it is rubbed all over your hands, illuminates germs upon close inspection with a black light. A little gross, but totally awesome. Once we all washed our hands, making sure to sing the song simultaneously, our workshops were done.
COMMENCE IMPROMPTU DANCE PARTY. We wanted to teach the kids and the teachers some
American dances and they wanted to teach us some Latin-American dances, and the result was a beautiful mix of "Play That Funky Music" and Enrique Iglesias. We danced for two hours, joyously with the kids.
After we said, "Ciao" to everyone in the community, we began our long, but determined trek to the Cuenca Canopy (a zipline adventure)!!! We took a nice unexpected, extended tour of the area before reaching our destination. Once we got there, we took our crotch-enhancing equipment and bright orange helmets,as a great opportunity for some group selfies. We Ecuachicas, are fiiiiiiierce. After the selfie session, we began the zip lining course. Major props to everyone for doing it, because it got increasingly terrifying. Although we were instructed not to look down, it was hard not to, BECAUSE WE WERE FLYING OVER A FREAKIN MOUNTAIN AND IT WAS BREATHTAKING.
On the van ride home, we played the stress-inducing "Two Truths and a Lie." Some of us are great liars, and some of us are not. As stressful as this game was, (it's hard coming up with a lie!!) we all learned a tad more about each other and about how cool we all are.
Can't wait for tomorrow's adventures!!

Love,
Miss Serenity and Miss Luscious Lips

(Mallory and Naomi)

Day One at Efrain Naula School: Lindsay and Dian's Monday Post!

We woke up early this morning and departed from Cuenca University exactly at 8:07 AM. We were prepared and excited for our first day teaching and observing in the Efrain Naula School in the Huantugloma community. 

We started our school day by observing the teaching techniques used by the teachers in the Efrain Naula School. We observed various subjects, including fourth and fifth grade Spanish. During this class, each student read from a textbook and responded to the comprehension questions asked by the teacher. Later in the class, the students presented traditional songs and dance for us. We were then asked to sing a song in English.  We sang Happy Birthday, which the students thought was pretty entertaining! After the classroom activities, the students moved outside to play various games related to their classroom lessons.

UMD Terps conducted art and English workshops during the second second part of the school day. For the art workshop, we divided the Efrain Naula students into three large groups. Each group chose a story, myth, or legend from their community culture as a basis for a play.  Tomorrow, we will help the students make puppets and masks to present their plays at the end of the week.

Durning the English workshop, the youngest students learned colors and greetings and sang Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes in English, Spanish, and Kichwa. Older students played games like Simon Says to learn English verbs and talked about their favorite kinds of music.

During recess, we played many different games like "keep away," which included lots of laughter and lots of running. Our school day concluded with an informal presentation by the teachers about the reality in the Huantugloma community. We learned about the negative effects of the currency change to the US dollar on the community and about the community's own customs and traditions.

We returned to Cuenca University and concluded our day with a reflection and street food!

Peace out from your #EcuaChicas,
Lindsay and Dian

Our Visit to a Women's Shelter: Star and Angie's Sunday Post

Today we visited a home for women that had been victims of domestic violence – Casa de Acogida Maria Amor. It shocked us to find out that 6 out of 10 women in Ecuador are victims of domestic violence. As we contemplated this harsh truth, we focused our energy in supporting the efforts of this organization in very way possible. Our main work was split into three tasks. The first was removing chunks of grass and soil from one big area; the second was separating small pieces of wood from ones that needed to be chopped and placing them in respective storage areas; finally, we were asked to prune dead leaves, plants, and grass so that the remaining vegetation could grow better.

However, for us, these simple tasks meant so much more. We felt that we were almost called to be there. As a group of 14 women, it was inspiring to work alongside such a wonderful organization. The solidarity of women working with and supporting other women was almost indescribable. But we soon came to realize that this organization was bigger than just helping these women in that moment. It worked to bring a new future free of domestic violence by encouraging women to bring their children and raise them in an environment that promoted harmony with one another and with nature. We had the opportunity to talk briefly with some of these women and play with their children. Meeting the people that we were working to help truly brought our service full circle.

Driving onto the property of the Casa de Acogida Maria Amor and walking into the buildings, we were in complete awe at how beautiful the place was. It really looked like a gat-a-way/spa/vacation spot with a very “homey” feel to it. The newer buildings were made with a lot of eco-friendly materials. (Bamboos, cement, clay ect.) There was also a section in the center of the property, which was just for the kids, a playground! We were just so happy to see that in a country where domestic violence is such a big issue, there is a place like Maria Amor where women can come to, away from society and truly find themselves in a community of other women undergoing similar struggles.

 

Visiting Huantugloma

Today, we got up bright and early for our first visit to Huantugloma, the community in which we will do most of our service this week.  The drive to Huatugloma from Universidad de Cuenca took over an hour, winding up in the mountains to the primary school at the very top of a hill.

When we got to Efrain Naula, the school where we will do our workshops, we 
visited the classrooms of each of the ten grades the school teaches.  We saw recent class projects, student work, and vocabulary words in Spanish and Kichwa.  These displays should help those of us who are Spanish beginners to catch up to a first grader's Spanish language skills.  Miércoles!!

After we toured the classrooms, we went on a "walk up on a hill" that people who are not from the Andes region would call a "strenuous hike on a mountain."  Our host from the Universidad de Cuenca, Ana, said this walk was preparation for a much harder walk we would take later in the week. ¡Dios mio!  Here's our victory photo: 

We spent the rest of our time at Efrain Naula playing futbol with neighborhood niños and giving endless piggyback rides.  We are very excited to return to the school on Lunes to begin our service there!

Time is Life #intheclouds

May 23th, 2014

       We made to Cuenca, Ecuador!! We started our journey from Guayaquil this morning. We had traditional Ecuadorean breakfast, which was bread with butter and jam, freshly squeeze cantaloupe juice, and milk with coffee. After breakfast, our day started with a tour of the city of Guayaquil at 8:00AM. We were tricked by our EL's that it was going to be cold in Ecuador so we wore jeans, but in reality it was sooo hot throughout the whole tour of Guayaquil. Some things that we saw on our tour, were iguanas (aka their squirrels), the Cathedral,  and the harbor.

After our tour, we made our way to Cuenca! On our three hour bus ride we slept, saw sheep and llamas, and drove into the clouds. Driving through the clouds were breathtaking and so unreal. We made a pit stop at the highest altitude location (13,000ft above sea level)! That was pretty awesome!

Also, we stopped at a location called Tres Cruces, which is translated to Three Crosses. This place was to honor hikers that passed away from the cold intense weather of the mountains. It is a custom to leave a rock near the three cross to ask for protection during your travels. A few were able to find some rocks and leave them near the cross. At that location, we also meant a guy from Brazil that was traveling from Africa and making his way back home. At that point we were only 30 minutes away from Cuenca!
      Once we arrived to Cuenca, we were greeted by our host parents, Sr. and Sra. Gonzales! They provided us with some delicious lunch. We had chicken broth with popcorn as our starter and as the main course we had chicken, rice, and cooked carrots. It was soooo good! After lunch, we made our way back to the Universidad de Cuenca to have an orientation about the norms, safely, and culture. Then we had a tour of the university by one of their students, Cecilia. She us around the campus and we were able to see a girl basketball game.
   

After our tour, we went to Circus Social. This is a program for young kids in the community who are at risk of violence, drugs, and bad influences. The program teaches kids about confidence, trusting others, and never giving up through learning circus activities/exercise. The students have been practicing for a whole year, and we were able to see their first debut.
     Then we headed back the Universidad and went our seperate ways to our homes to have dinner. For dinner our host mother cooked a fabulous meal. We had rice, a mushroom sauce, and fried plantain. It was a great and exhausting first day! Now time to go to bed!

Peace out from your EcuaChicas,
Semira, Cindy, Michelle, and Melissa