Sumak Kausay Yachay...Good Life With Education.

For almost three years I have been posting the adventures of my life here in Ecuador. Not the, volcano climbing , river running extreme adventures that many seek out, but the adventure of living....One day at a time. I am amazed at number of people who are interested enough in what I am doing here to read, comment and sometimes donates to one cause or another. Some are family, others are friends who I have known and loved in times gone by, but the vast majority are people whom I have never met, and most likely never will.

For what it's worth I would like to tell you a little about me. What I am doing and just maybe you would like to help.

In a few more months I will be 75, and life just gets better and better and fuller and fuller. I am asked often, "why are you here in Ecuador?" My only answer is....who knows. I don't know how many more years I have left on this planet....a day, a month or years? The answer is not important, what is important to me is that I put that time to good use. At times, I feel like Charlie Brown did in a cartoon where he is contemplating the things he has to do, and says...."God has given me so many things to do, and I am so far behind that I may never die." As long as I am healthy and happy....I'll go for that. But when I can no longer function and become a burden to others, I will be ready to give up my space on this earth to someone else.

Meanwhile, life goes on. When I first arrived in Ecuador, I went directly to Baños where I lived for almost a year before moving to San Francisco, about 25 km from Baños on the Pastaza River. A place that is as close to paradise as you could ever find. No telephone, no Internet, water directly from the river and all of the physical work that you could handle. It was wonderful. However, something must have been missing because early in 2006 I ended up in Ambato. Who knows how or why. I had an opportunity to take over a spa that was about to close. "No investment, live on the premises, pay me rent when you can, here are the keys and good luck." Well, the conversation was a little longer than that. But it was easy. So here I am, a year later, spending most of my nights in Ambato...running a business called Splash, Baños de Cajon y Masajes.

I love Baños and I travel there often. I love the San Francisco area and I don´t visit there nearly as often as I would like. Ambato is a city of 200,000 or more, full of cars, people and noise. So why am I here?

Ambato is not a tourist town. It is the capital of the Province of Tungurahua and an industrial center. Living here has given me the opportunity to get to know the Ecuadorian people that are not involved with tourism. How they live, what is important to them and what is not.

Here at the spa I have the opportunity to to talk with the people, listen to the their problems, learn from them what life is really like. My first employee was from Salasaca. A friend of mine brought her over and said she needed a job. She was only 19 and very timid. She talked with her head down and you had to listen very closely to hear her. Now after a year she is outgoing, talks back, and is a good friend. She is now helping me with the English school in her pueblo and I am the "padrino" of her brother....And I am not even catholic.

The spa is not a good business....every month I need to take money from my pocket to pay the bills. So why do I continue?. I have four employees. Each adds something to my life and I add something to theirs. There is Martha....a woman with arthritis, who has no money. She comes three or four days a week with an armful of eucalyptus branches in exchange for a session in the steam box. Another woman comes for a leg massage because she is always in pain.... but has no money to pay. I could go on and on. The paying clients are becoming friends. We talk politics, the need for education, and the tragedy of not being able to go to a doctor because you have no money. So, I listen and learn.

Because of the spa I got to know more of the indigenous people of Salasaca, a community only 14 km away on the road to Baños. When the protests were taking place here in Ambato last year, some of my friends walked the 14 km to chant "No TLC" and "No OXY" in front of the city hall, stopped by for a rest before heading back home by bus. I asked them what is the "TLC". (Free Trade Agreement). Their answer was "I don't know".

Since I believe education is the key to solving many of the political problems in Ecuador, when I was asked if I would give some English lessons to some kids in Salasaca, I could not say no.
Keep in mind that I am not a teacher, but maybe I was better than nothing. So I rented some space and started the English School.

I am glad to say that we now have a girl from Holland who is conducting the classes. In addition to the private classes we now are giving English lessons to the children in the Katitawa School.

Last week, we expanded the space at the private school so we now have a separate room for the library. We have more than 60 books so far, of which most are in Spanish.

The funding for these projects are from my pocket and donations from friends. We are not associated with any government agency or charity. For the time being, we would rather save money by not having to go through a lot of red tape to get things done. Personally, I have everything I need. I have a small income for the rest of my life and I am doing what I can with that. I would however like to move a little faster and if anyone out there in never-never land, would like to help, we would accept your donations gladly.

We are also looking for another volunteer teacher. We can give you a place to live and put food on your table. Let us know if you are interested.

Anyone who made it this far....Thanks for reading.

How Would You Like To Learn Kichwa In Salasaca?

In the past there has been some interest in learning Kichwa, by tourists who spend time here in Salasaca. I have found some potential teachers if there is any serious interest. We do have space in the mornings at the English School and on weekends. It would be a basic class with emphasis on pronunciation. A small dictionary with popular words and phrases would also be available.

Why would you want to learn Kichwa or Kechwa depending on who is doing the writing? (At this point I am not sure which is correct or if they both may be.) When I was trying to find the words to answer that question I ran across these words on the .Ermal Garinger Academic Resource Center, University of Kansas web site. They say it much better then I.

With 6 to 10 million speakers, Kechwa, the language of the Inkas, is the most widely-spoken indigenous language in the Americas. For many years, western historians and anthropologists have predicted the disappearance of the Kechwa language and its cultures. Instead, both are becoming stronger.

Learning Kechwa will be a meaningful adventure. You will learn a new language and be exposed to the ideas of an indigenous American culture that is vastly different from Euro-American cultures and languages. By stepping outside of your own culture and identity, you will learn to see yourself, your culture and the world through new eyes. You will acquire a much deeper and realisitic understanding of globalization and the problems humanity faces. And you will enrich your understanding of the human experience and condition through knowledge of one of the America's great but too little known civilizations. If you supplement your study with travel to Andean countries, you can live in contexts that are entirely different from your current cultural reality. There are opportunities to live in Kechwa communities, to visit Kechwa bilingual schools in the Andes and to take part as a direct participant or co-teacher with native teachers in Kechwa.

This is just an idea. Please comment if this is something we should pursue

Carnival in Ambato

For the the 56th year Ambato will present their Annual Fiesta De La Fruta y De Las Flores. This fiesta lasts for most of the month of February and coincides with Carnival. The festivities start on Friday, February 2 and officially ends on February 20th.

This fiesta was inaugurated 56 years ago after an earthquake leveled most of the city. It draws people from all over the country and for at least a month Ambato is the distination for hundreds and maybe thousands of tourists who put Ambato on their itinerary. This year the big parade is scheduled for Sunday the 18th. Every year it is bigger and better and should not be missed if you are anywhere near Ambato. It is definitely worth a detour.

Ambato is located in the center of the country and is the capital of the Province of Tungurahua. It is easily reached from most parts of the country and is only two plus hours from Quito and a hour from Baños.

There are more than 100 events scheduled and are varied enough to be of interest for almost anyone. From special presentations at museums to musical concerts to bull fights.....and everything in between. Many of the musical events are free or the cost is nominal. A schedule of events is posted on the Official Site for the events and you can access here. http://www.fiestasdeambato.com/2007/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7&Itemid=5http://

Now Buy Salasacan Tapestries Directly From The Weavers.

For centuries the Salasacan weavers have been turning wool into clothing, but the tapestry is a relative new endeavor. Sometime in the last 50 or 60 years (my best guess), they discovered the potential for sales of more colorful woven items such as the very popular wall hangings that in recent years have garnered international acclaim for quality and beauty. Today however the number of weavers in this community of more than 12,000 people, have shrunk by as much as 80%. Many have moved to other parts of the country to pursue work in construction and other trades because there is more money to be made elsewhere.

When I learned how many hours it takes to weave a tapestry and the price they can sell it for, I see why there is an exodus of these fine craftsman. For example, my friend Lorenzo who is pictured with one of his products on a previous post, sells these for $22.00 to his wholesale customers who in turn sells them in the world famous markets in Otavalo. From there it ends up in homes all over the world. Depending on where you happen to shop they will cost anywhere from $40 up. His production is limited by the number of hours in the week as it takes him approximately 16 hours for each piece of this size. So you can see why the weavers are looking for a different line of work and it will be a sad day when the machine made products are the only choices available.

This morning I had a visit from three of the top weavers from Salasaca. They were looking for other ways to market their products as the competition between machine made and hand made pieces keep the prices low.

Hand made versus machine.
First of all, we are talking about two different products, even if at first glance, they look and feel the same. The machine made pieces vary in quality and precision depending on the machine. In many cases they are perfect replicas of an artists conception. They are all the same in their perfectness. With the hand made product there are differences....No two, of the same design, are exactly the same. There is an uniqueness to each of the hand made pieces even if they are the same design and created by same artist. There is a market for both.

Selling through the established channels or directly to the consumer.
At the present time many of the Salasaca weavers travel once a month to Otavalo to sell their work to a buyer who cleans, packages and puts on a label that says it is a product of Otavalo. There is no protection for the weaver who has created a new design. Once he sells his products he may, on his next trip to market find copies of his design. To counter this a weaver could weave into the design their name and date so they could establish a reputation, and in time, if their work is appreciated it can demand a higher price. The other consideration is to put a limit on each design that they make. For instance if they have a design that is truly different they could limit the number to say 200 and sign and number each piece. Once an artist established a reputation his limited editions could demand more money.

We believe there is a market for hand made pieces of exceptional quality so we are going to this new marketing strategy a try. We will introduce these three artists with a short bio and introduce the products via the Internet and market them to the end user. We will market these products through our new Sumac Kausay Yachay foundation who will add a small commission which will be used for our education program and library.

If you have ever been to Salasaca or Otavalo, and bought or wished you had bought more of these beautiful works of art...you now have a second chance.
Here are three hand woven stock designs that are available on an on-going basis.

I will have more pictures soon and you will be able to order direct from the maker.

Tomorrow Rafael Correa Takes Office.

Tomorrow we will have a new president, for better or worse. We will have to wait and see. However if you judge a man by the company he keeps, then we are in for some rocky roads ahead.

In Ecuador the people are fed up with politicians. It is not that the people who elected Correa are so far to the left, in my opinion, they just wanted a new face, and when this unknown shouted from the rooftops that he was going to take his belt to to the old politicians in power and run them out of the congress....the masses responded loud and clear....Yeah!!!!!

Correa has called to his supporters to take to the streets if the Congress does not give in to his demands, so tomorrow, after his inauguration, I would expect our first demonstration of his presidency. It should be interesting.

My Trip To The Dentist

Many have asked over the past three years....What is the quality of health care available in Baños or Ecuador in general? Up until yesterday my only experience was with my friend Magda, when she had her hip replaced, and that was only as an interested observer. However that changed yesterday and I was the subject. I am happy to say that my experience yesterday was pleasant and quite painless and that is a lot to say about a having a tooth extracted, at least as far as I remembered. I am not committed to the old adage "see your dentist once a year" and I am sure my teeth show it. I think my schedule has been more like once every 15.

For several nights I suffered, (mildly), with a tooth ache so yesterday I told a friend and she took me to a dentist that was only two blocks from the spa. We walked into a beautiful suite of offices that belied the building's exterior and after a five minute wait, only because my friend was chatting with the receptionist, I was ushered into an ultra modern room with all, I suspect, the latest equipment, and after a brief consultation they removed the molar. After the offending tooth was removed the dentist checked the other teeth and being an excellent sales person, it was recommended that I have a good cleaning, a root canal on another and finish off with two crowns. The cost for the extraction was $35, and the future work work would be $300. The service was great, the place was spotless and although the price sounds expensive for Ambato where the majority of the people work for less than $200 per month, business was booming, if the number of people in the waiting room is an accurate indicator. By the way they were dressed, I suspect, they were from the upper levels of society. I would be curious as to how much this would cost in other countries.

The rest of the story...When I left the offices I had a prescription for pain pills, "if I needed them" and an appointment for the rest of the work for Friday. Two days later, my cheek was swollen and I returned on Friday morning to find out what went wrong. The dentist asked if I had taken the pills that she had prescribed and I said no because I had no pain. She then got very defensive, gave me another prescription for an anti-inflammatory and penicillin tablets and told me it was all my fault because I did not take the pills she had prescribed. I guess she was right....I should have had a lot of pain. I left the office, went home and took some raw garlic and in two days the swelling was gone..

My question....Why do people have to get defensive and negate all the good feelings that they had built up previously?

Sumak Kausay Yachay. Foundation for Education

Sumak Kausay Yachay...is the new name of our Foundation in Salasaca. I had asked my friend Jose who is with the folkloric dance group to come up with a name in Kichua that would be representative of what we were trying to accomplish. The words in English means....Good or beautiful life through education. Through this foundation we will accept donations for the education programs in Salasaca.
At the present time we have three projects:
1..English classes at the Katitawa School in the hills overlooking Salasaca. The school has thirty students ranging from six to 14 years old and classes are conducted by Janneke Robbe, a volunteer from Holland.The foundation provides her with a place to stay and food.

2. We also have a small private English school in the center of town where we have two classes a day with a total of six to eight students. There is a small charge of $2.50 per week per student, however if the parents have no money we accept almost anything. A bag of potatoes, or corn or rice or whatever they can afford. So far we have not collected any money but we do eat. We feel that it is necessary to charge something for the classes, because if they are free they loose their value.

3. We have started to collect books for the new library. These books are now in the English school. We are looking for books in any language, however Spanish are the preferred at this stage.

If you would like to donate to this worthwhile cause we would welcome your contribution. There are no middlemen or government agencies involved, so your contribution goes directly to the cause.

Thanks you.

Looking Forward To 2007

I love the first of anything and the first day of the new year is no exception. It is a beautiful day here in Ambato and I plan to enjoy it.

As I reflect briefly on 2006, it seems that the year passed like a hurricane in the night, but when I think about all of the things that happened, both good and bad, happy and sad....I wonder how could all of those things have taken place in those 12 short months. All in all....it was a wonderful year full of surprises and I am glad that I had a chance to live it.

I do want to thank all of you who have visited this blog, and a special thanks to those who have donated to any of my projects. Your generosity has been accepted by everyone, in the manner given.... “con coriño”. Join me, as we rush head-long into 2007, with all of its unknowns....that is what makes life the adventure that is worth taking. At the risk of repeating a favorite poem, I invite you to join me. ”Come to the edge”, Life says. “I can´t, I am afraid”. “Come to the edge”, Life says. “I can´t, I am afraid”. “Come to the edge”, Life says. I went. Life pushed and I flew.

Feliz año nuevo.