Monday, April 09, 2007
March 2007 Recruiting Trip to Seattle, Portland and Colorado
My booth at the Portland College Fair(notice the beautiful 3 Ecudorian scarfs I used as a table cloth)
My Spider Web at Shining Mountain Waldorf in Boulder, CO
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Recruitment Trip
I will be in the United States from March 14-28. From March 14-17, I will be in Seattle. From March 17-21, I will be in Portland. From March 21-28, I will be in Colorado.
I can be reached on my rental cell phone at 619-301-7260.
I can be reached on my rental cell phone at 619-301-7260.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Indigenous Wedding, Cotacachi
Typical Andean music
The groom feeds the bride, to represent he will always take care of her.
Family circle around
Notice the rose pedals on the groundWorking on a Chakra, Rio Blanco, Amazon
Mica uses a machete
Nadia carried yuca on her head
Tina and Kayla learn how to plant platano
Kayla and Alex dig holes for platano
Friday, March 09, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
The Amazon
We left for the Amazon on Wednesday. The long and beautiful drive over the “paramo” (highlands) of Ecuador was exhausting and extraordinary because we passed through several kinds of ecosystems. We arrived Port Misahualli that night and rested so we would be energized for the next four days in the jungle.
On Thursday morning we went in boats along the huge and wide River Napo to the “Parque Amazoonico,” which is an Animal Rehabilitation Center. We took a tour and learned about the variety of animals that live in the jungle, like monkeys, snakes and cats, and discovered why so many of these animals are in danger. Hunting. Pets. Humans.
Then, we split into two different groups, and one group traveled to the Kichwa indigenous community called Machacuyaku and the other group went to the Kichwa indigenous community called Rio Blanco.
I went to Rio Blanco.
The hike into Rio Blanco was about 2 hours up and down a muddy trail, and our two young guides stopped often to explain different properties of medicinal plants along the way.
Thank goodness for rubber boots! And mosquito nets!!!
In Rio Blanco, we went to the community, visited the school, played duck-duck-goose with the kids, made “chicha” out of yucca and toured the botanical garden of medicinal & edible plants.
I was fascinated with a 99 year old woman that did not speak Spanish. She babbled to me in Kichwa and we smiled at each other. =)
We also went to a small farm and planted yucca and platano, and realized how hard farming is without machinery. Also, we realized how important yucca and platano are for these people’s diet, and culture.
We went on a medicinal plant hike to a paradise-like waterfall. Our guides baptized us all with nature-oriented names in Kichwa and then we swam in the pools of cold water below and above the powerful waterfall. My name was “Reina de la Cascada,” Woman of the Waterfall. All of the traditional drawings with natural paint on our face washed off in the water. We returned to our lodge down the river in tubs and dug-out canoes. In the rain.
We also had a craft demonstration and learned how to make fish traps, baskets, string and necklaces out of natural fibers from plants.
We had a cultural night, where local people from the community performed for us their traditional wedding dance, their peace dance, and their small band played some traditional songs with a guitar, a violin, a drum and a natural wood instrument. In turn, we explained where our ancestors came from, and I played the guitar and we sang Redemption Song, You Are My Sunshine and Blister in the Sun. And we did the Hustle dance. It was a time of intercultural sharing and friendship building.
We did so many activities and we felt the peace of the jungle. We learned about the struggles of the indigenous in the Amazon, against European gold mining companies and Japanese oil companies, along with their economic struggle of sustainability. We understood the Kichwa´s attempts to revive their culture and maintain their language. We explored their methods of holistic health with alternative and natural medicines. We got a taste of their lives.
We left the jungle with hundreds of bug bites and an initial understanding of the forest’s inhabitant’s lives.
We are now in Quito and we are returning to Costa Rica today. Changed. Two and a half weeks later. Ecuador has been an excellent case study for us about Latin American Issues, Global Studies, culture, economics, politics, gender studies, indigenous movements, alternative medicine, globalization, and, and, and, and, and, and….
On Thursday morning we went in boats along the huge and wide River Napo to the “Parque Amazoonico,” which is an Animal Rehabilitation Center. We took a tour and learned about the variety of animals that live in the jungle, like monkeys, snakes and cats, and discovered why so many of these animals are in danger. Hunting. Pets. Humans.
Then, we split into two different groups, and one group traveled to the Kichwa indigenous community called Machacuyaku and the other group went to the Kichwa indigenous community called Rio Blanco.
I went to Rio Blanco.
The hike into Rio Blanco was about 2 hours up and down a muddy trail, and our two young guides stopped often to explain different properties of medicinal plants along the way.
Thank goodness for rubber boots! And mosquito nets!!!
In Rio Blanco, we went to the community, visited the school, played duck-duck-goose with the kids, made “chicha” out of yucca and toured the botanical garden of medicinal & edible plants.
I was fascinated with a 99 year old woman that did not speak Spanish. She babbled to me in Kichwa and we smiled at each other. =)
We also went to a small farm and planted yucca and platano, and realized how hard farming is without machinery. Also, we realized how important yucca and platano are for these people’s diet, and culture.
We went on a medicinal plant hike to a paradise-like waterfall. Our guides baptized us all with nature-oriented names in Kichwa and then we swam in the pools of cold water below and above the powerful waterfall. My name was “Reina de la Cascada,” Woman of the Waterfall. All of the traditional drawings with natural paint on our face washed off in the water. We returned to our lodge down the river in tubs and dug-out canoes. In the rain.
We also had a craft demonstration and learned how to make fish traps, baskets, string and necklaces out of natural fibers from plants.
We had a cultural night, where local people from the community performed for us their traditional wedding dance, their peace dance, and their small band played some traditional songs with a guitar, a violin, a drum and a natural wood instrument. In turn, we explained where our ancestors came from, and I played the guitar and we sang Redemption Song, You Are My Sunshine and Blister in the Sun. And we did the Hustle dance. It was a time of intercultural sharing and friendship building.
We did so many activities and we felt the peace of the jungle. We learned about the struggles of the indigenous in the Amazon, against European gold mining companies and Japanese oil companies, along with their economic struggle of sustainability. We understood the Kichwa´s attempts to revive their culture and maintain their language. We explored their methods of holistic health with alternative and natural medicines. We got a taste of their lives.
We left the jungle with hundreds of bug bites and an initial understanding of the forest’s inhabitant’s lives.
We are now in Quito and we are returning to Costa Rica today. Changed. Two and a half weeks later. Ecuador has been an excellent case study for us about Latin American Issues, Global Studies, culture, economics, politics, gender studies, indigenous movements, alternative medicine, globalization, and, and, and, and, and, and….
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Otavao day 5
On our last day in Otavalo, we woke up at dawn and piled into the back of a truck and traveled a long distance, standing, to some natural warm springs at the bottom of a beautiful ravine surrounded by farmed mountains. We experienced a cleansing ceremony with an indigenous shaman and were purified both individually and as a group. He played music with natural instruments, burned natural incense and spoke in Kichwa. Then, many students jumped in the water and bathed in the springs with smiles.
And THEN, long & colorful table cloths were laid out on top of long natural grass mats on the flat ground, and a thick row of many kinds of beans were poured out along the 10 foot long cloths and then surrounded by rows of rice & potatoes. We were each given a spoon and we knelt down to eat the delicious food on top of the earth. All of us surrounded those cloths and dove into the food, experiencing a traditional ceremonial way of eating close to the earth, and filled our bellies with the heavy and substantial food.
We left that valley with our tummies full and our souls cleaned. What a unique and amazing experience that will stay with us forever.
That afternoon, we stopped at the “Mitad del Mundo” monument, hence we took pictures of ourselves at the Equator, with one side of our bodies in the Northern hemisphere and the other side of our bodies in the Southern Hemisphere. I flushed toilets on both sides, and it is true, the water swirls counter-clockwise in the North and clockwise in the South.
And THEN, long & colorful table cloths were laid out on top of long natural grass mats on the flat ground, and a thick row of many kinds of beans were poured out along the 10 foot long cloths and then surrounded by rows of rice & potatoes. We were each given a spoon and we knelt down to eat the delicious food on top of the earth. All of us surrounded those cloths and dove into the food, experiencing a traditional ceremonial way of eating close to the earth, and filled our bellies with the heavy and substantial food.
We left that valley with our tummies full and our souls cleaned. What a unique and amazing experience that will stay with us forever.
That afternoon, we stopped at the “Mitad del Mundo” monument, hence we took pictures of ourselves at the Equator, with one side of our bodies in the Northern hemisphere and the other side of our bodies in the Southern Hemisphere. I flushed toilets on both sides, and it is true, the water swirls counter-clockwise in the North and clockwise in the South.
Otavao day 4
We were all divided up into pairs and then divvied out to different host families that came afar from neighboring communities. I was placed with my particular host family because they were going to attend a traditional indigenous wedding that lasted 2 days.
Hence, I went to a wedding up on top of the mountain at the couple’s newly built house in the middle of rural corn fields that had a spectacular view of the valley and mountains. The first day of the wedding is for celebrating, dancing, eating and drinking. There was a live Andean band and we marched around in a circle in their traditional steps and celebrated with everyone.
Our homestay family´s house was very beautiful and old. Our host father is an extremely important figure in the Indigenous movement. He started the Organization of Kichwa indigenous of Cotacachi in the 70s. He has been the president of not only this Organization, but also the National Bilingual Education Association. He has traveled to almost every country in the Americas, along with France and some Asian countries. Thus, he shared with us his experience as an indigenous leader in Ecuador and how he has represented his country around the world.
The next day we went back to the wedding and we participated in the ceremony that lasted all day. Wow…. It was amazing and it was a privilege to observe their customs and traditions. Wow…. So beautiful. They ate CUI, guinea pig, and drank CHICHA, fermented corn, but I politely said “no gracias “with a smile. Wow…. Wow!
All of the students had unique experiences with their host families and many of us made quick connections. It is amazing how we learn to communicate and form friendships that we will always remember. What a cultural exchange!
Wow.
Hence, I went to a wedding up on top of the mountain at the couple’s newly built house in the middle of rural corn fields that had a spectacular view of the valley and mountains. The first day of the wedding is for celebrating, dancing, eating and drinking. There was a live Andean band and we marched around in a circle in their traditional steps and celebrated with everyone.
Our homestay family´s house was very beautiful and old. Our host father is an extremely important figure in the Indigenous movement. He started the Organization of Kichwa indigenous of Cotacachi in the 70s. He has been the president of not only this Organization, but also the National Bilingual Education Association. He has traveled to almost every country in the Americas, along with France and some Asian countries. Thus, he shared with us his experience as an indigenous leader in Ecuador and how he has represented his country around the world.
The next day we went back to the wedding and we participated in the ceremony that lasted all day. Wow…. It was amazing and it was a privilege to observe their customs and traditions. Wow…. So beautiful. They ate CUI, guinea pig, and drank CHICHA, fermented corn, but I politely said “no gracias “with a smile. Wow…. Wow!
All of the students had unique experiences with their host families and many of us made quick connections. It is amazing how we learn to communicate and form friendships that we will always remember. What a cultural exchange!
Wow.
Otavalo day 2
During our second day in Otavalo, we had a lecture from an extremely important indigenous woman named Carmen about the history of the Indigenous movement in Ecuador. Carmen has played a very significant role in the progress of Indigenous rights, as she was the president of one of the national organizations of Indigenous peoples for many years, plus she is a woman. The lecture outlined the difficult struggles the indigenous peoples in Ecuador have faced, and their future challenges.
That afternoon, we went to some art craft workshops and actually learned through experience from indigenous experts how to spin wool & dye it, and how to make grass mats, wool tapestries, bracelets, etc. Then, we all united in an indigenous family’s house and celebrated a huge party with about 50 other indigenous invites. We watched the children dance group, the adolescent dance group, and we ourselves danced to a traditional indigenous Andean band. Two representatives from an organization/union spoke to us about the problems their community is facing against a Japanese company that is tearing up their land with mines in search of gold. We ate typical food with everyone and drank typical beverages, =). We shared with the indigenous peoples and made friendships.
After the dancing was over, we said our goodbyes and we all piled into the back of a truck and were transported back to our hostel, standing and singing.
That afternoon, we went to some art craft workshops and actually learned through experience from indigenous experts how to spin wool & dye it, and how to make grass mats, wool tapestries, bracelets, etc. Then, we all united in an indigenous family’s house and celebrated a huge party with about 50 other indigenous invites. We watched the children dance group, the adolescent dance group, and we ourselves danced to a traditional indigenous Andean band. Two representatives from an organization/union spoke to us about the problems their community is facing against a Japanese company that is tearing up their land with mines in search of gold. We ate typical food with everyone and drank typical beverages, =). We shared with the indigenous peoples and made friendships.
After the dancing was over, we said our goodbyes and we all piled into the back of a truck and were transported back to our hostel, standing and singing.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
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