tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91940302011-12-19T18:33:36.278-05:00Rostro de Cristo is a Catholic program whose mission is to provide spiritual and educational opportunities for young people from the United States to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ together with the people of Ecuador.Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.comBlogger1021100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-51169735878974697152011-06-28T21:23:00.003-04:002011-06-28T21:25:12.471-04:00

This past Sunday was the celebration of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, uniting them in God’s love, and inspiring them to continue to live out the message of Jesus Christ. As I sat there listening to the Gospel I was able to picture the apostles. At first they seem confused on how to continue living out Jesus’ message of love. However, upon receiving the Holy Spirit,

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-5901073562861346182011-04-15T19:12:00.001-04:002011-04-15T19:14:28.870-04:00

As we move into our ninth month in Duran, I struggle more and more with the idea of leaving. Just last week, I had a long talk with my boss and mentor, Patricia McTeague, about the possibility of teaching at Fundación Nuevo Mundo for another six months. Our conversation was part of a longer discernment process that began a couple of months ago:While the volunteer year ends in August, schools in

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-22403402250734176232011-04-14T20:57:00.000-04:002011-04-15T21:01:24.661-04:00

"Easter is itself now the cry of victory. No one can quench the life that Christ has resurrected. Neither death nor all the banners of death and hatred raised against him and against his church can prevail. He is the victorious one! Just as he will thrive in an unending Easter, so we must accompany him in a Lent and a Holy Week of cross, sacrifice, and martyrdom. As he said, blessed are they who

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1389886005876223492010-11-23T22:15:00.004-05:002010-11-23T22:29:11.876-05:00

The Proyecto Salesiano "Chicos de la Calle" (Salesian Program for Street Children) is a prevention and intervention program for street children with a presence in cities throughout Ecuador. In Guayaquil and Duran, the program currently operates 3 shelters for boys who are at-risk or have been living on the streets, and 4 outreach and prevention centers for at-risk boys and girls from some of the

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-59098230278733056442010-11-23T21:14:00.000-05:002010-11-23T21:15:35.841-05:00

During the past couple of years, I have had the opportunity to speak about Rostro and my experience in Ecuador to parish audiences in Chicago through the Missionary Cooperative Plan (MCP). I know that most people reading this can appreciate the life changing impact that our time in Ecuador played (and continues to play) in our lives. Being back in the U.S., I sometimes struggle to maintain a

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-49160954380378620702010-10-02T12:22:00.000-04:002010-10-16T12:23:28.802-04:00

For those of you that aren´t aware, Thursday was a crazy day. In the morning, Megan(my boss) left for a long awaited vacation to California. Now, because of my job as logistics coordinator, I was left as ´el jefe´ of the other volunteers. That day, as you may have heard, there was an attempt at a coup. The whole country´s police force decided to go on strike because of an issue of how they were

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-62614286853484548122010-08-12T20:04:00.001-04:002010-08-18T21:40:06.134-04:00

So our two week Ecuador orientation is coming to a close and I´m getting ready to start the real thing. We spent the first week with last year´s volunteers getting to know our neighbors, learning the bus routes, and visiting possible work sites. We gave last year´s volunteers a sad sendoff at the end of the week and made a trip to the beach for some much needed rest and relaxation. We visited a

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-6209165691283914612010-08-12T20:02:00.000-04:002010-08-18T20:03:38.780-04:00

Trembling out of BedI experienced my first earthquake this morning! That goodness Jenn and Marita woke me up, or I would have snored straight through it. We must be pretty far from the epicenter because it was just a minute of minor shaking. What a way to start the day! Aaron and Jeff made us girls (who tend to take advantage of every moment of shut-eye) eggs and toast this morning. We are

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-86907274082842760822010-04-23T20:54:00.003-04:002010-04-23T21:02:02.383-04:00

A trip to Ecuador,south of the United States;11 students, 3 staff,1 God ready to fill our plates. We hopped on a plane,dreaming what God had for us as we roam;Secretly wondering, ‘How we could survive a week,without our cell phone?’Touching down in Duran’s sticky hot mess,The bugs make our group squeal;We ride home in silence, taking it all in,not sure how we should all feel. Shacks with no floor

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-13558929110292899852010-04-23T20:31:00.000-04:002010-04-23T20:32:23.124-04:00

In the soft morning sunlight the Arbolito guarderia seems to shine with excitement and wonder. The children rounding the corner with their parents catch a glimpse of their magical oasis and grow in excitement knowing that once they cross the purple threshold they enter into their very own special place. A place where the children are cared for on an individual basis, where they are given

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-31143138790889830472009-12-07T20:23:00.000-05:002009-12-07T20:24:23.829-05:00

Wow, am I really here? Again? A little over a year ago, I was at orientation at John Carroll University, preparing myself for the journey ahead surrounded by my newly introduced community mates and other Jesuit Volunteer International volunteers. I began to think to myself, ¨God bless the JVI volunteers. They are giving up two years of their life to do service. I could never do that.¨ Well, as

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-31171753587036496222009-12-07T20:21:00.000-05:002009-12-07T20:22:47.955-05:00

Life as a second year volunteer has been an exciting whirlwind of activities and progress since we stepped foot in the Guayaquil airport that emotional September evening.  We hit the ground running with our new partner organization, Hogar de Cristo, as the first several weeks were spent learning the complex infrastructure of the corporation before starting at our perspective work-sites.   I have

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-133592505315054662009-12-07T20:20:00.000-05:002009-12-07T20:21:35.281-05:00

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I have been thinking a lot lately about gratefulness. It occurred to me on Tuesday during a very fruitful Spirituality Night led by my community mate Danny that the word ¨gracias” literally means “graces.” I can’t believe that after all of the times that I have used and heard that word, I had never come to that realization before. Graces. I love that. It’s like

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-6051150473758473232009-12-07T20:19:00.000-05:002009-12-07T20:20:34.364-05:00

It’s starting to feel right. It took a little while, I must admit – two months of homesickness (and not just for friends and family in the states anymore), learning new buses, new smells, a new routine, getting used to living my life in Spanish again . . . but here I am, finally.Things are moving slowly – no big surprise considering this is still Ecuador. I am still negotiating my place at work

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-76172246613223637522009-12-02T20:35:00.000-05:002010-01-22T20:35:57.554-05:00

Hello! Happy Thanksgiving a week late, and happy Advent to you all! It's hard to believe that we are already in the midst of the holiday season. It feels very strange - and sometimes lonely - to be spending my holidays here in Ecuador, to be preparing for Christmas when it's getting hotter and sunnier every day, to hear Spanish carols pouring from cane houses, to be celebrating advent in Spanish

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-33669757704930776172009-11-11T20:15:00.000-05:002009-11-20T20:18:03.383-05:00

This is my attempt to keep my word and try to stay in touch moreregularly. Perhaps then I can keep my notes a little shorter and moremanageable... thanks to all who actually made it through my lastmessage! Very impressive.So here is some of the news from here in Duran, Ecuador:I have been back for a week from my vacation in Baños in the Andesmountains - which was incredibly beautiful - and I am

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-43952755998779198282009-09-10T22:20:00.003-04:002009-09-22T09:30:57.005-04:00

I've been planning to write this next update for a while now but it hasn't happened. I feel a little as though I have been waiting for inspiration to strike, but it hasn't been coming. The problem isn't that I have too little to report on but rather too much... how can I even begin to explain lifedown here?In the end perhaps I will have to settle for sharing a few snapshots of my daily life:First

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-91935494487110902772009-08-23T22:19:00.001-04:002009-09-22T09:31:22.366-04:00

It´s a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon here in Ecuador! The firstdraft of this note was composed from the hammock on my front porch,where the shade hid me at least from a bit of the heat. Right now weare in the coolest part of the year for Ecuadorians and lots ofmornings it is cloudy and cool, but when the clouds burn off it getsreally warm. This morning there were no clouds and the heat

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-72948300649358861302009-08-15T22:17:00.001-04:002009-09-22T09:31:38.010-04:00

So after two weeks of orientation in Cleveland, I'm a week and a halfinto my incountry orientation in ecuador... a few more days and thatshould all be finished and i will be, i hope, VERY well orientated bythat point!We spent our first week here living in the retreat house, where highschool and college kids stay during their immersion trips here.Saturday night we got split into two different

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-9057280803060901102009-07-23T16:35:00.000-04:002009-07-30T16:36:21.075-04:00

I spent last weekend at Playas Beach with my community and with 2 former volunteers, Mike and Jill, who flew down to direct our last community retreat of the year. Our last retreat...the fourth out of four...so hard to believe. I remember loading up the van in November to head to Crucita or our first retreat of the year. What a different place I was in then! At that point, I was looking ahead

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-51390428671207351752009-06-30T16:40:00.000-04:002009-07-30T16:40:38.503-04:00

I was sitting in church the other night, enjoying the pleasant breeze that drifts through the open rafters above the lit up auditorium of a holy space, when it dawned on me that love is a choice.this seems obvious, basic to the most elementary of schools. however, somehow in my mind I was caught up in this idea that love was something God did in me, and that the more time that passed in my life,

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-25304973522792711672009-06-12T16:42:00.000-04:002009-07-30T16:42:45.605-04:00

¨Under the Cherry Tree¨The other day I was at a neighbors house and was invited to go pick cherries from their grandmother´s tree. The kids and I popped over the 2 houses to a small, empty dark house, whose backyard hosted a magnificent array of green leaves sprinkled with red small fruits. The grandma of the little children hoisted herself up upon the rusty old trash can that sat dormant in the

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-28320668371437505172009-05-05T16:38:00.000-04:002009-07-30T16:39:06.863-04:00

Easter was one of the most joyous and real holidays that I have celebrated in a while. Somehow the meaning of holidays and events seems to be a little shaded or tilted towards family traditions or individual preferences for me in the states, but here, it is dominately celebrated in the same union of spirit, for the same singular cause. Easter here was about Christ, walking with Him in a way that

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-38015884794117590432009-04-29T16:33:00.000-04:002009-07-30T16:34:48.722-04:00

Yup...I am still alive, and still in Ecuador, although you might not be able to tell from the lack of blogs I have written in the last few months. I even got an email from one of my biggest fans...a man named Dan Kemme...asking me to please update, even if its just a few sentences a week. haha! It really is not in my blood to write short things, but I will try to be better about updating!Washing

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-64045509894814777502009-02-13T16:43:00.000-05:002009-07-30T16:44:36.468-04:00

I´ve learned something about God´s love this past week. Mom and Dad were here visiting, and in their week here we received countless invitations from neighbors to share meals with them. So we accepted, and ate homemade ecuadorian meals until our sensitive american bellies were full, full, full. Mom and Dad offered to buy the food they´d cook, or to pay for the desserts they served us that they

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-61576210347990463392009-01-22T18:31:00.000-05:002009-02-01T18:31:37.997-05:00

I find it hard, as the days pass here, to find the time and space to write out my feelings and thought processes. For those of you who know me and what a journaler I am, you will appreciate the fact that I am on my fifth journal (thanks Dawnie for #5!) and the entries keep getting longer and longer as more and more of my life spills out into the open cracks of this country. I will try to relay a

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-20227141174514693842009-01-08T18:30:00.000-05:002009-02-01T18:30:57.142-05:00

As haunting as it may appear to seem, this has been the theme of my past few weeks. Not only in the physical sense, but also in the metaphyscial, the emotional self that I carry here, and the ideas that I hold tightly. Let me explain.Christmas here was a wonderful time, we crammed into a small church to witness the birth of Jesus with families with babies brimming over the church pews in

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-40361623636535710752008-12-31T18:32:00.000-05:002009-02-01T18:33:32.559-05:00

Two weeks ago, 10 wonderful students, a campus minister, and a religious studies professor from Cabrini College had the courage to come live in Durán for a week, and i was blessed enough to be their retreat leader. We spent time with several neighbors in AJS and in Arbolito, and visited some of RdC´s partner foundations. As it turns out, my Spanish is good enough to translate day in and day out

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-6978235591018021712008-12-20T18:33:00.000-05:002009-02-01T18:34:56.048-05:00

Right - so it has been forever and a day since I have written anything up here, and I havent been as good as I would like at the emailing either. Please accept my apologies for this, and also accept this (probably long) blog post as a long delayed update.Where to even begin? So much has happened and so much is going on. Okay, lets start with the obvious - it´s Christmas. Right, to be completely

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-52733892542526132262008-12-15T18:28:00.000-05:002009-02-01T18:29:43.938-05:00

I spent this Sunday morning at Jenny's house after singing at weekly Sunday Mass in Arbolito. Her three little boys Oscar, Luis, and Nico, are absolutely adorable, and they're starting to feel like my little brothers (They call me ñañita - Ecua way of saying lil sister). Oscarito loves to sing, especially when he has an audience. Sunday morning, he put on the Aventura concert DVD (Aventura is a

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-24646001268903269662008-11-25T11:49:00.000-05:002008-12-06T11:52:11.120-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Week! I hope you all enjoy your breaks this week...Unfortunately, Ecuador doesn't celebrate the coming of the Pilgrims to the USA, so I will be working as usual Thursday and Friday. We are all really looking forward to Thanksgiving Day anyway...Pat, one of the founders of Nuevo Mundo and an American, has graciously invited us over to her house to share a traditional Turkey Day

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-49735586621925772072008-11-24T11:47:00.000-05:002008-12-06T11:49:12.960-05:00

Funny things happen here a lot. Some of those things are really only funny in the context of life in Ecuador. For example...For most of my life whenever I say that my last name is Raby, I occasionally hear some kind of joke along the lines of ¨oooh, do you have rabies?!¨ ha, funny. Not. Anyway. One of the teachers at Santiago, Junior, asked me my last name last week, and i said Raby, with a

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-20441662381970547162008-11-22T11:40:00.000-05:002008-12-06T11:47:08.518-05:00

W explains a part of Ecuador to Melissa and TracySo this past week Tracy and I gave a presentation on the benefits of breastfeeding at work and afterwards headed off to don W´s house to visit him. When we arrived he wasnt there so we sat and talked to his mom and learned how to make another yummy dish out of plantanes where it is basically this massive plantane ball that you eat... super yummy

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-30092431054239282722008-11-18T11:37:00.000-05:002008-12-06T11:39:32.159-05:00

After more than 3 months (I can barely believe its been that long!) my life is starting to settle. I am definitely not in the honeymoon phase anymore - the kids are used to me, Im nothing new, so now we are trying to learn each other better. In both of my jobs I feel like Ive moved out of survival mode and into a more confident and critical space concerning the places where I work, the jobs Im

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-44485127512844037552008-11-05T18:41:00.003-05:002008-11-05T18:45:10.001-05:00

Life looks like...children in school uniforms; beat up and ripped soccer balls; brightly painted canchas (paved soccer fields) and schools; acres of cane houses strewn among swampy standing water and dirt roads; cattle, chickens, and mangled stray dogs; smoke rising from piles of burning trash; dark skinned, dark eyed Ecuadorian faces; kids running toward you with open arms about to hug you;

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-21861913173544961232008-10-28T18:35:00.000-04:002008-11-05T18:37:23.476-05:00

Friday we got to take the Manos kids on a paseo (field trip)। It was by far one of the best experiences I have had with them so far. There is no way I can describe how it felt to see 22 kids waiting for us as we got off the bus in 28. All of them were dressed in their nice clothes and most had been recently bathed. All we were doing was taking the kids to a park in Durán and then buying them

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-16770149258374494562008-10-27T18:48:00.000-04:002008-11-05T18:50:31.099-05:00

Nuevo MundoSaturday night, I felt truly alive. Nuevo Mundo, the school where I teach English in the afternoon, is celebrating its 25th birthday this year, and they had an event here at the school Saturday night to celebrate. It was a classy event, with cocktail dress, entertainment, presentation of awards, etc. For the first time since mid-July, us girls blow-dried and straightened our hair and

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-19694504394096011492008-10-24T18:37:00.000-04:002008-11-05T18:39:18.437-05:00

So, something that most of us do here, well actually all of us, is work in some way with the education of young minds। A few of us are working at prestigious schools, and the rest of us are doing are best to run educational afterschool programs. I work in the morning teaching English twice a week to 19 boys, so I call myself a teacher.Being a teacher here means that I get an up close and personal

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-45848012851488344972008-10-11T18:39:00.000-04:002008-11-05T18:40:54.469-05:00

Well, I figured it was about time that I added an update so that the first thing you saw on my blog wouldnt be the title of my last entry about hating ants :)Overall things have been going pretty well here. Things have been difficult lately because I have really wanted to be with family-my great aunt Lorraine passed away this past monday and I really wish I could be there for my family and to

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-8962705813556109052008-09-17T20:54:00.000-04:002008-09-17T20:56:10.777-04:00

Yes friends, we have done it! All 12 of us have survived our first month living in Duran Ecuador as Rostro de Cristo volunteers। Some days it feels like Ive been here for longer, like I got the hang of everything. But then an hour will go by and I will realize that in fact I know very little in comparison to everything I have yet and need to learn. What a cool way to live life, right!Okay, down

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-31057780761936932892008-09-14T20:54:00.000-04:002008-09-17T21:02:56.001-04:00

Vicente is 5 years old। He is small for his age, as most kids here are, with sweet expressive eyes. He isn´t very talkative but is energetic and always engaged in activities, whether it be coloring or soccer. He lives behind the school, right where our bus drops us off, in a cane house with his brother Ricardo, 9, sister Julissa, 7, and a baby less than a year old. Sweetest kids. Their mother

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-79084625299147152982008-09-03T20:54:00.002-04:002008-09-17T21:00:31.882-04:00

Hola todos!Soooo usually I only update this thing on the weekends when I have a good chuck of time, but I just HAD to share with you a hilarious little glimpse of my life here while it is still fresh in my mind। This morning, Melissa and I went to the house of one of our AIDS patients that we visit often. We saw him last Thursday, and we made arrangements to come back this week to spend more time

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-38771241984760484222008-08-16T09:54:00.000-04:002008-08-22T09:57:15.994-04:00

Hello from Arbolito!!! Sorry it has taken me a bit longer than I anticipated to get something up here on this blog. I hope no one has lost faith in my ability to stay connected Stateside from Ecuador . . .I just wrapped up my last week of Orientation - after 2 weeks in Cleveland and another week or so here in Ecuador. I will start work on Monday . . . but there is so much to catch you all up on

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-70041875533679604022008-08-14T09:57:00.000-04:002008-08-22T10:01:27.172-04:00

I´m in Ecuador. How on earth did i get here?Two days ago i came to this cyber cafe (internet access for 50c/hr), did the email thing for an hour, and decided it was time to head home (just 2 blocks away) to start preparing dinner. I left the cyber realizing that this was the first time i was outside of the gates of our Rostro de Cristo home alone - big deal! I´m officially one of those

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-35660987506474987032008-08-14T09:53:00.000-04:002008-08-22T09:54:27.850-04:00

Well, I’ve made it to the 10 day mark in Ecuador. Things here have been very busy and this is my first chance to really spend some time at the cyber (internet cafe). To start with I had two great weeks of orientation in Ohio, my RdC group of 12 was also with about 25 Jesuit Volunteers International (JVI) who were all going to different parts of the world. It was great to meet such a diverse group

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-77863320676186746532008-07-16T19:53:00.000-04:002008-07-23T19:57:50.691-04:00

“May God bless us with discomfort At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships So that we will live deep in our hearts.May God bless us with anger At injustice, oppression & exploitation of people and the earth So that we will work for justice, equity, and peace.May God bless us with tears To shed for those who suffer,

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-36760564630119288172008-06-23T22:06:00.000-04:002008-07-14T22:09:07.139-04:00

What’s next? That’s the question I constantly find myself avoiding. With less than two months until my tenure in Ecuador is over as a Rostro de Cristo volunteer, the thought of what comes next is both exciting and daunting. The problem isn’t that I can’t find a job, no less, a job that benefits others. The problem, the real catch-22, is finding a direction that both helps others and invigorates

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-74798457334254558122008-06-21T22:04:00.000-04:002008-07-14T22:06:26.635-04:00

There are lots of things to share with you all that I’ve experienced in the last 10 and a half months, in fact, lots of things that I already should have shared, but I’ve found that I need more time than normal to make sense of them. There have been big events, small events, small conversations, exhausting conversations, lots of noise, lots of silence, dreadful days, joyful days, deep sadness,

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-40918569719376271152008-05-15T15:08:00.000-04:002008-05-15T16:07:46.101-04:00

Hello all,This is the first of the Asst. Director blogs so I would first like to thank you for reading. This blog will be used to let everyone in on what's going on in the life of RdC now.Some big news now is that all of next year's volunteer have been selected. We have 12 great people getting ready to head down in August. We have Andrew DoRosario (Easton, CT), Danny Carlin (Milwaukee, WI),

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-84619754289823581902007-12-01T13:37:00.000-05:002007-12-16T13:42:00.919-05:00

Hello hello! How are you? Well, I have a couple of thoughts right now, and they are young so there is room for them to grow and your input would be greatly appreciated.But first, I would like to thank all of you again for reading. More importantly though, I want to thank you for your kind words, your love, your care, your support and your wisdom. It really is nourishing to know that I am making

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-75485867206302572952007-11-22T13:27:00.000-05:002007-12-16T13:42:20.876-05:00

it's weird to think that today is thanksgiving. it's not celebrated in ecuador, so it hasn't even been on my radar. they started preparing for christmas two weeks ago (i was in a mall in guayaquil last weekend, on a computer while a chipmunk's christmas was playing in the background-the stuff we export is ridiculous). but as i was on my way to work a few minutes ago i realized that exactly one

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-87308752277809044892007-10-26T19:15:00.000-04:002007-10-26T19:17:45.108-04:00

Aracely, our Ecuadorian ¨liason¨took me around 28 de agosto to get to know some of the people. First, we visited her aunt who she hadn´t seen or talked to in 7 years. We left there & met an older couple in their 50s who were in the trash dump site. Ara and I walked through all the trash to talk with them, a dense blanket of flies parted for us. They had been piling up paper, plastic, & glass to

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-9021610579153129552007-10-21T19:18:00.000-04:002007-10-26T19:20:56.849-04:00

it's funny to realize, but i've had more time to think in the last three months than i did in four years of college. i constantly find my mind somewhere else, thinking about a myriad of things, mostly concerning my future: what am i going to do when next august roles around? will i go live back in the states? will i do another volunteer program? will i move to argentina? will i go home for six

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-32937563881648303232007-10-13T17:33:00.000-04:002007-12-16T13:43:13.242-05:00

The formating didn´t work on this comp, so it might be spaced out weird sorry...Well, well, well...we meet again! I have been out and about doing a number of things and I apologize it has been a while since I last wrote.Before I came to Ecuador, I knew this year was part¨selfish.¨ I wanted to be in South America, in a country that enjoyed soccer, had good food, had a program where I could live in

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-18069641644761457232007-10-05T17:21:00.000-04:002007-12-16T13:45:31.656-05:00

First a quick response to Jenny's comment: You're spot on Jen. I wrote that last post in a particularly low moment when my level of jealousy of all the volunteers who have something to cling to in the day to day--be it a job or grad school-- was particularly high. I don't mean to say that any one's Ecua experience is getting put on a shelf. I know that it permeates everything you do. I am

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-41037758704374185932007-09-29T17:29:00.000-04:002007-12-16T13:46:13.601-05:00

How do I overcome the desire to guard my territory and my time and let others take part in my life? How do I let the present moment take precedence over the planned future?Here, I do this more easily. My schedule changes in the three seconds it takes a neighbor to invite me in for lunch, or as soon as the herd of children see me and sprint to tackle me into a game of Cafe Chocolate. Here, I let

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-90960227665025592632007-09-23T17:18:00.000-04:002007-12-16T13:45:14.477-05:00

"Not all who wander are lost."- J.R.R. TolkienI am definitely wandering. Maybe I am lost, but I don't think so. I am without direction that is for sure. I talked to Jenny for 5 minutes and spent the next half hour in tears.Everyone else has a life, they have a an income, they have put Ecuador in it's big, important, painful compartment and they have moved on. They are grounded in other things. I

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-39659300427367871242007-09-15T17:27:00.000-04:002007-12-16T13:44:26.133-05:00

Así ando, con gripe. I´m sick as a dog with enough junk leaving my nasal cavity to question what modern medicine teaches about the human body´s maximum volume capacity. I wonder if I´ve leaked any brainpower in the process. The last few days have left me bedridden and this is my first exciting foray into the world since Wednesday. Who knew buying bread and hitting up the Internet cafe could be

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-39765837425672886332007-09-11T17:25:00.000-04:002007-10-15T17:27:27.419-04:00

Dear friends and family, past, present, and future,¡Feliz dia!I am in Ecuador. July 31, 2007 marked my first night and I´m dumbstruck when I see today´s date. 6 weeks? Really?When I first arrived, a veteran volunteer told me that his days in Ecuador dragged on, but weeks and months flew by. Now I sit in the front office at work, scribbling notes in a small book filled with prayres and Spanish

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-39558552745846422112007-07-31T17:23:00.000-04:002007-10-15T17:24:55.070-04:00

Hey all!After these last few weeks of goodbyes and trying to take in all of Ecuador, it´s about that time to head off to my buddies wedding in California and then head home to MN for a few months.We have made the most of our last few weeks with farewell parties, our boss getting married and enjoying last conversations.I want to thank all you guys who have been praying for my journey here in

Ethanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968198910795388086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1176228576402504122007-04-10T13:57:00.000-04:002007-04-10T14:09:36.413-04:00

seeing things on the surface... everything can parecer muy bien... looking at a picture, for example, or even the video I made for the clausura of Santiago... but that is hardly a representation of reality. My kids can look great in a picture, afterall, they are beautiful children of God... but can you smell them? Can you tell that they haven´t been bathed in days, maybe even weeks? can you see

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1170092901945770952007-01-29T12:02:00.000-05:002007-01-29T12:48:21.990-05:00

wow...so as i came into this year, i thought i would be writing blogs all the time, i love writing and sharing, so it just made sense....but alas, we have been here now for about 6 months, and this is my second one....why? well, i could obviously say lack of time, limited computer access, inability to speak either language: english or spanish, etc. But i think the other very important factor is

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1169229683357276182007-01-19T12:45:00.000-05:002007-01-19T13:01:23.370-05:00

Since I've last written, I've shared much with my neighbors and fellow volunteers - Jesus' birthday, a 4th of July Christmas Eve dinner, an Italian Christmas day dinner, New Year's Eve craziness, electricity problems and therefore a candlelit dinner with Raul, a death, and the last week of classes at Mundo before vacation.Christmas Eve was an experience. That morning we went with the Shalom group

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1165334554296102632006-12-05T10:38:00.000-05:002006-12-05T11:02:34.566-05:00

So.... Can it be that Thanksgiving is passed and Christmas is on its way? It must be the case as we lit the first Advent candle at mass on Sunday, but I think maybe it´s all one big trick, because the weather´s only getting hotter, and my little mind doesn´t understand. On Thursday I helped hang up Christmas decorations at the dispensario, which actually did increase my excitement for the coming

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1163528141258626912006-11-14T12:52:00.000-05:002006-11-14T13:15:41.413-05:00

Finally some pictures of these fabulous people....without further ado the Rostro de Cristo volunteer class of 2006-2007. Sam, Dan and Kevin (aka the Jefe) at a rare, but delicious dinner out!Mike, Alberto, and Ricardo trying to look tough and Kareliz making sure that they don't succeed. The Arbolito volunteers (past and present) give Jorge Ricardo a lift for his birthday. Sam, Dan, Mara and Mike

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1163084530967921992006-11-09T10:00:00.000-05:002006-11-09T10:02:10.986-05:00

My housemate Mara, in moments of stress, when anger or frustration could get the better of her, sings one word over and over to bring her back: "Love, love, love!" Be it the sweltering heat, parasites, relentless noise, frustrations with Spanish, or the inevitable difficulties that result when you put 11 very different people together in Duran, Ecuador for one year, her song reminds me of how I

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1162404244060979762006-11-01T12:57:00.000-05:002006-11-01T13:04:04.073-05:00

One of my communitymates from last year sent me the following piece to reflect on, an excerpt from Tuesdays with Morrie..."I heard a nice little story the other day, " Morrie says. He closes his eyes for a moment and I wait. "Okay. The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He's enjoying the wind and the fresh air--until he notices the other waves

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1161981904549462752006-10-27T16:35:00.000-04:002006-10-27T16:45:04.560-04:00

So it's been a long, long week here in Ecuador. At least for me anyway. I got in a long and confusing situation with my 6th grade class (which is my pride and joy) and chances are good that they will hate me for much of the semester. But like Mike says, it's not my job to be their friend. It's my job to be their English teacher. It's not my job to make them like me. It's my job for them to speak

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1160602392304529182006-10-11T17:13:00.000-04:002006-10-17T14:17:21.323-04:00

Buenas Tardes!I am finally getting to the blog and my apologies for not writing sooner. I have been very caught up in my own reflections which usually get funneled to my personal blog. But as I tell my Nuevo Mundo students "No quiero excusas!" (I don't want excuses) so here I go.I am living in Arbolito with 5 other fabulous volunteers and their dedication to this life teaches me daily. If there

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1160588377958080902006-10-11T13:16:00.000-04:002006-10-17T14:17:50.760-04:00

Hello all! Being a part of this program is a HUGE blessing and I am so thankful to be in Ecuador.To preface...I feel very unqualified to write about my experience or about Ecuador. Like a mouse in the middle of a maze, I can´t see the big picture right now, and things are always clearer in retrospect. So por favor take everything I say with a grain of salt - my thoughts today might contradict my

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1159888894829326092006-10-03T11:07:00.000-04:002006-10-03T11:21:34.910-04:00

Hey everybody! So this is my first post, and I promise there will be much more to come; but not until I get this cast/splint off so that I can type with two hands. Basically, I just wanted to let you all know how extremely grateful we are for all your interest, support, prayers, and love! We really can`t say it enough! If it wasn`t for that, a lot, if not all of us, would not be here! You,

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1159470601046737302006-09-28T14:34:00.000-04:002006-09-28T15:10:01.110-04:00

Buenas a todo from the new group of volunteers. Yes, we have in fact been here for almost two months now. What slackers we all are for not having blogged sooner (sorry Jackie)! I don´t really know what to write here, as others, Meredith and Jenny mostly, are probably a lot better at blogging than I. At any rate, I think we are doing well here, "well" being a relative term for trying to take in

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1151688531105425952006-06-30T13:19:00.000-04:002006-06-30T13:28:51.146-04:00

So here it is, my last blog...I guess this is the beginning of many lasts as I had my last spirit night this week too...it seems to early for "lasts" but as time picks up faster and faster each day I suppose it is time to come to grips, I also suppose the only certain thing we knew when we came here was that we would one day leave...I just never knew how hard that would be...It will be hard to

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1148748070731687242006-05-27T12:17:00.000-04:002006-05-27T13:00:59.836-04:00

i'm still smiling from reading what jackie and emily wrote. i couldn't say it better myself. through all the fun and laughs, through all the challenges and awkward moments, and through all the times I counted how many more days I had until I could go home (only once or twice :)) , we have become more than friends. we have become family. what an amazing experience. life is better with more ñaños.i

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1147808253484891842006-05-16T15:04:00.000-04:002006-05-16T15:37:33.513-04:00

I must apologize for neglecting to blog, but thanks to a Erin, Em and Kerry, there are still updates! So as much as I try to stop talking about how little time we have left, and my house gives me a lotta crap about that (sorry Em!), I am reminded by many a neighbor or coworker that August is slowly approaching. And this really scares me, for many reasons. Like Emily was saying, this community

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1147101325424607192006-05-08T10:55:00.000-04:002006-05-08T11:15:25.463-04:00

It all started as one of Juanito´s funny asides, "Hey guys, Javier from downstairs called me ñaño (brother) and I thought it would be nice if we called each other that..."A few months later, the ñaño phenomenon has really caught on, we all find ourselves reffering to each other as such. I never really thought about it, what it actually meant to call each other brother and sister, until a member

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1144773050257581542006-04-11T12:10:00.000-04:002006-04-11T12:30:50.370-04:00

Hard to believe it is the middle of April. Semana Santa is in full swing. Life is good.I had a great weekend with some of our neighbors, Patricia and Jefferson (the gardener at Mundo). Emily and I went with Patricia and the three boys, Jefferson, Joel and Abrahm, to a town about an hour north of here, called Nobol. This town is the birthplace of Saint Narcisa de Jesus. Although she lived in

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1144170382513608842006-04-04T12:51:00.000-04:002006-04-04T13:06:34.136-04:00

Winter in Arbolito is hard. I dont think I quite realized how bad some parts of Arbolito are until the rains came. Some parts of my neighborhood are literally a swamp (all of Duran was in fact a swamp before people started to fill in land and settle here, so some areas apparently aren´t as far along as others!). After a night of heavy rain, the calle principal (main street) is literally a small

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1143309084448807802006-03-25T12:45:00.000-05:002006-03-25T12:51:24.513-05:00

Happy Lent from Duran!Things here have been a little rocky over the past month or so with dengue, broken bones and strange stomach issues...but we´re still luchando-ing, so that´s good. I think we´ll all be happy to kiss the month of March goodbye as it seems to be a bit cursed! Oh well! Valdivia summer project is finishing up this week with a week of fun. We´re going to include our geography

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1140024688049689702006-02-15T12:09:00.000-05:002006-02-15T12:42:09.883-05:00

Hello to all our devoted blog readers...All is good here in Durán; summer is in full swing and everyone is now accustomed to new schedules with a renewed energy and high spirits, much of which I think can be attributed to our awesome retreat two weeks ago. Thanks to Kevin, Chelsea and Marissa for planning that. Time is flying, just as everyone warned us, but everyday here is amazing and fun (well

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1139693885558015672006-02-11T16:26:00.000-05:002006-02-11T16:38:05.580-05:00

Dear Friends,This time last year I was discerning about coming down here, my how time flies and how things can change in a year. I have received quite a few emails from future RDCers and I know how hard the decision is. In true ignation fashion, the best advice I can offer is to imagine yourself here, pray on that, go through a whole day here, what do you see? what do you do? HOW DO YOU FEEL?

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1138220079895052842006-01-25T14:51:00.000-05:002006-01-25T15:14:48.273-05:00

Buenas!Hope everyone who is reading this finds themselves doing well and keeping warm in the cold January weather. We have no trouble doing that here in the scorching heat that January has brought Ecuador, so no need to worry about us! Despite the sun and the invasion of the grillos, everything is rolling along just fine here in Duran. Yesterday I finished my Mundo class and was sad to say

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1138218881458868552006-01-25T14:28:00.000-05:002006-01-25T14:54:41.490-05:00

Well hello and welcome back to the blog. Things on the island (aka arbolito) have been going pretty well lately and a lot has happened since our last blog. I'll try to hit the high points for you.In Semillas news, the kids have finished their school year and are now all coming to Semillas without homework. So now we are able to prepare our own lessons and teach the kids lots of fun things.

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1136842567359225822006-01-09T16:14:00.000-05:002006-01-09T16:36:07.400-05:00

I'm with everyone else. It is HARD to believe it is already January. Christmas feels like years ago, but what a good time it was. January, for me, feels like a transition period. Classes are wrapping up at Mundo...well, that is the rumor. Anyone who has been here before knows that we don't find out anything for sure until the week of. But I am sad my class will be ending; I enjoyed it

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1136310861877710502006-01-03T12:39:00.000-05:002006-01-03T12:54:21.916-05:00

After traveling a bit after Christmas I returned to Duran on New Years Eve and prepared myself for the night ahead. We burned a muñeca in the street outside the house and were invited over to Jesus and Walter for a second dinner and some dancing. We lit sparklers with Brian, Andres and Dennis and had a fun time watching Brian try to ride a adult sized bike. He made it alright until he hit the

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1136308363130326732006-01-03T12:05:00.000-05:002006-01-03T12:12:43.146-05:00

Greetings from AJS 2006!Things seem to be winding down after the whirlwind Christmas season. Between visitors, trips and Ano Viejos things flew by!! The Valdivia Christmas Party was rockin´...We had some dancing, food, and my personal favorite the nacimiento, it was awesome...The kids did such a great job and it was heartwarming to see them all come together, working hard the week leading up to

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1135981446228002982005-12-30T16:36:00.000-05:002005-12-30T17:24:09.426-05:00

The following is a true story. Whether or not you choose to believe it will likely depend on whether or not you have ever visited a charming little country south of the equator called Ecuador. (Note: some names have been changed to protect the people who have been effected by the following events) Once upon a time there were three panas who were in cahoots with one another as the holidays were

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1135189889529838802005-12-21T13:25:00.000-05:002005-12-21T13:31:29.546-05:00

Hello Everyone!Almost at the five month mark, I am still alive and healthy (knock on wood). A little too healthy, seeing as the ¨third world diet¨ has not been working in my favor due to the overwhelming presence of carbs in the food! I am still teaching my four classes of reading, regularly visiting the Hansen´s Disease hospital, as well as tutoring a couple of students in English. In the

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1134506248812510382005-12-13T14:48:00.000-05:002005-12-13T15:37:28.840-05:00

Awesomely obnoxious blinking lights that line the streets and climbing tempretures only mean one thing here...tis the season in Duran, Ecuador! With Christmas programs, parties, and a flood of family and friend visitors, it is starting to feel a lot like Christmas. That is, besides the fact that we are singing Jingle Bells in scorching weather. I continue to be humbled and honored by the the

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1134152345138838832005-12-09T13:08:00.000-05:002005-12-09T13:19:05.160-05:00

Things continue down here at two degrees latitude. Some of the biggest news as of late in my community might be the fact that I will have actually gotten this blog up on time... however, there have been other events taking place these past few weeks. Last weekend the Arbolito church band (Nueva Generacion) put on a concert, which also included a couple of other groups from the community. I

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1133288365761360262005-11-29T13:07:00.000-05:002005-11-29T13:19:25.776-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Or in Spanish, feliz día de acción de gracias. I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing holiday back in the US. Although Thanksgiving isn't really celebrated here, the other volunteers and I were still able to stuff ourselves in true American fashion. Last Thursday we were invited to the house of the directors of the high school where many of us teach English. It was a

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1132078121164614612005-11-15T13:06:00.000-05:002005-11-23T14:49:51.673-05:00

I think I am officially becoming ecuadorian. i walk down the streets at night when its in the 70s, and i´m FREEZING. feel the need to put on a sweatshirt. whoever thought life would come to this.things i´m missing - glasses of milk, cereal, my boyfriend, beer (sad but true), grass, sitting and talking to someone who´s known me for more than 3 months, big saladsthings i´m not missing - malls (such

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1132002965777219102005-11-14T16:01:00.000-05:002005-11-14T16:16:05.793-05:00

Give me an R-O-S-T-R-O * D-E * C-R-I-S-T-O!R is for Reina. Arbolito finally has a reina and we are so proud!O is for Oh my God it´s hot here!S is for Scrooge. Dias Verdes is performing Scrooge for the church Christmas play and it wouldn´t be complete without our very own JASON starring as Jacob Marley, a script by Kerry, and some mad directing skills from yours truly (Marissa).T is for trips to

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1131662811361197342005-11-10T17:29:00.000-05:002005-11-10T17:46:51.373-05:00

Thomas Merton wrote in a prayer:My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you and I hope that I have that desire in all that I

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1131489530861908952005-11-08T20:38:00.000-05:002005-11-18T16:59:42.080-05:00

While little has changed since the last entry, I have a new proactive attitude (as of yesterday) and have decided to be punctual with my blog. All is well in AJS. We are back to normal activities feeling renewed and refreshed after last week's change of schedule. It was a bit hard to wake up for PE this morning, although seeing the kids again reminded me of how much I love it and how lucky I am

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1131240997632307872005-11-05T20:35:00.000-05:002005-11-05T20:36:37.643-05:00

Well things in Duran have begun to settle down a bit, and yet at the same time is beginning to fly by. Each week more busy than the last and each weekend filled with bailes, church concerts and soccer games. This past week was vacation for most the public schools and so I found myself with lots of free time. It was nice because I was able to spend some time at the hospital playing dominoes with

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1130564362008219332005-10-29T00:46:00.000-04:002005-10-29T01:39:22.176-04:00

Saludos desde Duran!!Things down in Antonio Jose de Sucre neighborhood are rolling right along....a few things changing but many remaining the same. As part of Marianita´s (mayor of Duran) long obra of improvements around the city, our streets are looking like they are getting closer to getting pavement! This means that there have been bulldozers building up and leveling the dirt on the road to

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1129871539563153172005-10-21T01:08:00.000-04:002005-10-21T01:12:19.573-04:00

Greetings from the Antonio Jose de Sucre Community. Again thank you for reading our updated postings and many blessings to all. My emotions in Duran have been nothing but unsteady. The challenges that I face are ones that are uniquely composed of unforeseen events. This means that there is not one day that is predictable and because they are unpredictable the struggles trigger other hidden areas

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1129749413646057762005-10-19T14:47:00.000-04:002005-10-19T15:16:53.670-04:00

Greetings from Arbolito! Things are moving along, especially the time, and it seems that all of us are keeping quite busy in all of our various work sites. Semillas is going well, and it has been very inspiring to see how much ¨Semillas pride¨has been worked up over the past month or so. It has been commented by Conor, one of its main coordinators that we are beginning ¨to feel like a

dannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194030.post-1129148177247934702005-10-12T16:06:00.000-04:002005-10-12T16:16:17.273-04:00

Greetings! Here's the latest from Arbolito.First of all, on Saturday, Ecuador qualified for the World Cup! Now this may not be big news back home, but here it is huge! The whole country was celebrating and everyone is super excited. One reporter on tv said that these 11 players have given happiness to an entire nation that the government, due to its corruptness, never could. The statement is

dannoreply@blogger.com0