A special delivery for the orphanage

My sweet sister-in-law Mattea did not come to Ecuador empty handed. A week before she left we chatted over FaceTime and I told her about the work I had been doing at the orphanage and how they had a huge need for shoes. Mattea and her determination had an idea. Within an hour of our conversation ending Mattea posted on Facebook a need for shoes and supplies at the orphanage I had been volunteering at, where she would be joining me for a few days to volunteer while she was visiting.

The response was amazing. We had old friends, past colleagues, families from the school where I teach at and family members offer shoes (new and gently used), clothes and money to support the needs of the orphanage. This is an example of one of the many lumps I continue to find sneaking up in my throat through this trip. People came out of the woodwork to lend a hand. It does take a village.

I would like to bring one point up, especially because I was wondering about this myself… This government funded orphanage itself does have a small allowance available to purchase items for the kids. However, to access this money first they have to fill out a huge amount of paperwork and once they send the request in the turnaround time can vary from two to four months and up to seven. They try and keep a small stockpile of clothes, shoes and other necessary items but it’s impossible to predict how many kids are going to show up and what they will be bringing with them. They do get a regular supply of diapers, soap, lice treatment and feminine hygiene items. My new friend Deanna who works at the orphanage and speaks a little English answers all of my questions regarding this. The orphanage is also next door to the jail.

After Mattea and I spent a couple days in Quito we flew home to Macas. We unpacked her backpacks and I was shocked to find that my entire queen size bed was covered in shoes, clothes and school supplies.

After a day or two of getting Mattea aquatinted with at the orphanage we lugged all of the gear up the hill and to make our delivery. Mattea and I spent the next hour or two sizing kids one by one for shoes or clothes. Sizing shoes was a bit if a challenge, but most kids got shoes their size or a half size larger. Thankfully, no one was stuck with shoes that were too big. There were also enough shoes so that the orphanage has a stockpile of shoes tucked away. Shoes for the teenagers were harder to come by, thankfully an old friend of mine send Mattea with some cash and we were able to purchase shoes down here. The kids were happy. The adults at the orphanage were appreciative. Mattea and I watched Telmo (a four year old resident) take great care cleaning the dirt off his new sneakers the next day.

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A lot of people (Mattea and Blake, especially) put a lot of time, work and/or money into this little project. What Mattea and I walked away from was simple: Kids with new shoes or clothes that fit them and that (most importantly) fit and looked nice. A sense of pride was clear on all of the faces at the orphanage. I walked into the orphanage almost a month ago. The language barrier was superseded by smiles, love and laughter (and the occasional crying baby) everyday. The orphanage has a feeling of family that surrounds it and I was fortunate enough to find my own spot in their family. There was a clear need to get shoes on these kids I’ve been spending so much time with. My sister in law got this ball rolling. Friends and family helped out. There are many forms of family and when you’re family you take care of each other.

Zappato insanity, my time at the orphanage and the arrival of Mattea

I’m proud to say that I have all four boys in the house (Lisandro, Angel, Moises and Joel) all launching the football with a perfect spiral. Weekends here are nice. Silvia, Lisandro (my only true English speaking housemate, therefore my best buddy down here) and I took the boys for a swim in the river on Saturday. Sunday Silvia and I had a makeshift girls day, we went to her fútbol game, the market and then to a spa. The spa was located at a nearby resort and consisted of a sauna that ran at at least 190 degrees, a hot tub and a pool. It was a relaxing afternoon that I needed.

There are no words to express my gratitude to my sister-in-law Mattea for her hard work and effort advertising the dire need for shoes at the orphanage. The people who came out of the woodwork to send a few pairs of shoes, money or clothes for these kids has continued to bring great joy to me. I love how we take care of each other. To say that I am humbled is an understatement. These kids are smart. These kids are intelligent – they’re picking up English quickly! These kids want to be kids. Sadly for one reason or another life dealt them a shitty hand and it makes me crazy. Seeing a teenage girl wearing her one ragged pair of sandals while trying to enjoy the fun benefits of being a teenage girl breaks my heart. Not that they have anyone to look cute for but themselves, but I feel that we often times forget the confidence that comes with wearing nice looking clothes and shoes.

Mattea is traveling to Ecuador with large amounts of donated shoes, school supplies and clothes. It will be so exciting to make this huge delivery to the orphanage.

To say that I’m loving the niche I have created for myself at the orphanage is the understatement of my life. I arrive and for the first hour or so I hang with the kids outside. The first 15 minutes are all just hugs, kisses and lots of affection. A few kids stick around and we sit on the curb in the backyard area. Victoria, on of the teenagers is always at my side. She takes my arm in hers and spends time examining my very blanca skin and freckles. Two of the younger boys usually clamber for my other side and crawl into my lap. Usually one of the other girls sits behind me, back to back or stands with her arms around my neck. We sit quietly and you could say that we finish waking up together. The other kids come in and out and chat with us or just goof off for a few laughs. The language barrier has been long forgotten about.

After a while I make my way into the nursery. The babies seem to stay in their cribs most of the time. The older girls are tasked with watching and changing them. It doesn’t seem fair to me that these girls (only two of which have their own babies there) are now tasked with being the caregiver to a baby. As if they didn’t have other aspects of their life that weren’t challenging enough. I have noticed that some of the older girls tend to be a little rough with the babies and especially the toddlers. It’s hard for me to gauge if this is cultural, a result of their own less than stellar upbringing or the fact that they’re just kids themselves and don’t know how to best handle the situation. I’m sure it’s a combination of this and a wide variety of other factors. I’ve noticed one baby named Max who is always smiling immediately stop smiling when a girl or two have walked into the room. Max, oh my Max…

I’m a little in love with Max. I’m pretty sure it’s a mutual feeling too. I know I shouldn’t have a favorite, but who am I kidding? It’s natural. His eyes, eyebrows and smile are perfect and adorable.

On Wednesday I met Mattea at the airport in Quito. We spent an amazing day running all over Mariscal and enjoying the benefits of being alone together in a beautiful city, sampling food and local cocktails. Running through every part of the Basilica we could and adventuring the La Ronda for drinks and a late lunch.

¡Estoy aquí!

It’s amazing how far away home feels after only being gone for a few days.

I arrived in Quito and my host parents (Edwin and Silvia) met me at the airport with signs and balloons. We found a very (very) simple hostal just outside of Quito to spend the night in. A room with a TV to support my love for late night telenovelas and a bathroom complete with a neon orange urinal cake as an air freshener. For $13 it was perfect.

I woke up well rested and ready to get to Macas. For a late breakfast we stopped at a roadside stand which from what I could tell only served deep fried pork, deep fried plantanos, a variety of corn (deep fried and boiled) and boiled potatoes. In my prior travels through Honduras, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Mexico I had always been conservative with my street food samplings. I decided that this time around that wouldn’t be the case. I tried everything and everything was amazing. Few things are better than heavily salted pork that’s deep fried, especially at 10:30 in the morning.

Silvia and Edwin are incredibly nice. Edwin’s English is decent and we can communicate well. Silvia and I fake it and laugh a lot, but as time goes on I can see this is also improving. They both have a good sense of humor about my Spanish and are very patient and helpful. As soon as I met them I knew I would be in good hands.

The drive to Macas was a little longer than I expected… I believe Google said 4.5 hours when I checked at home. With stops our trip took about nine hours. It was a pretty drive and I loved watching the terrain continually change as we traveled farther inland. We stopped for ice cream in one town and a while later we stopped in Baños for lunch. Baños has a nice accent of tourism to it and Edwin said we would come visit it thoroughly someday soon.

We arrived at Hope House and it is more lovely than I’d imagined. The home is gorgeous and I’ll let the pictures do the talking. I met Gabriella, Edwin’s sister who got me set up in my room. I also met Roxie the dog of the house and her puppy Tyson (à la Mike). Finally I met Moises and Angel, the two boys who are living here now. We had dinner, went to watch Silvia play women’s fútbol and then went to bed.

Then Saturday morning I woke up, I felt fine one second and then the next second I was sick. I’ll just take this opportunity to fast forward the story until Sunday evening. At some point I downloaded the first episode of Downton Abbey and I suppose this will be my guilty pleasure for the foreseeable future.

Today, I woke up feeling much better. I went into the town of Macas with Silvia and Lisandro (a missionary who has lived at Hope House for many years). We grocery shopped and I discovered Passion Fruit flavored Tang. Passion Fruit is perhaps my favorite flavor, if one can declare that. Macas is a nicely sized town that isn’t too intimidating and I’m eager to keep exploring. After seeing my enthusiasm for Passion Fruit, Silvia showed me that they grow here and the fruit is the size of my fist! She cut the top off of one and handed it to me. I was in heaven.

Before lunch I decided to pump up one of the footballs that were given to my via my fabulous connections at UW. While I was sitting on my bed doing this I noticed Angel peeking around the corner watching me. We certainly don’t speak the same language but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that he was vaguely familiar with football and his curiosity was piqued. So, outside we went and a lesson began. Language barriers aside we were quite successful through a few key words I know in Spanish and a lot of entertaining sign language. We nailed the arm and waist motions and the footing too, but the arch-like toss and a spiral is going to be tricky. Needless to say, we had a fun time and I loved every moment.

Tonight was a nice evening complete with an entertaining dinner followed by going to watch Edwin play fútbol. Everyone here is so nice. Tomorrow I’m heading to the local Christian school to volunteer at their Vacation Bible Study Camp. I’ll be working with kids in activities, similar to what I do at work. I can’t wait. Combining all of this with the ability to text and video chat with a couple particular loved ones my heart is pretty full and the distance of home doesn’t feel too far if I don’t dwell on it.