Ecuador: The Humbling Experience of Being Foreign

There's nothing quite like sharing a meal with the host family. The conversation, the inside jokes, and me sitting there, dumb as a rock, grasping for any hint of the general topic of discussion. As a result, I have learned what I call Meal Survival Spanish, a more primitive Spanish dialect which includes an equal amount of phrases and hand motions, sometimes used in conjunction with one another. Below is nearly comprehensive list of all phrases I use during meals.

• "Gracias."
• "No, Gracias."
• "Estoy llena." ("I'm full," usually paired with a casual wave of the right hand.)
• "Cómo?" ("What?")
• "(Slight smile and head nod, to indicate a mild level of comprehension.)"
• "Más despacio, por favor." ("Slow down, please. I feel like an idiot.")
• "(Slight smile and head nod, to pretend to indicate a mild level of comprehension.)"

So as I recline at the table, I have plenty of time to ponder the benefits of my ignorance. I am served just as much humility at every meal as mote. Nothing busts an over-built self-confidence like a few well-meant, extremely simplified questions. Usually this occurs in the middle of an animated conversation. Then one member of the family will turn to me and ask me something like "Le gusta la cerveza?" ("Do you like beer?") or "Ha visto Titanic?" ("Have you seen Titanic?"). I smile and answer like a five-year-old at parent-teacher conferences, and the conversation picks up where it left off, at Mach 5, leaving me in the dust.

I want to tell this family that I'm not a freeloader, that I'm grateful for all that they do. I want to tell them about myself, my life back home, my friends at Taylor, all the stupid pranks we do, that one time we stayed up till three throwing popcorn all over the floor. But right now I have the opportunity to not hear the sound of my own voice. I have the opportunity to love with actions, because I can't love with words. I say thank you ten times more than is necessary (or even sane), I make my bed in the morning, I offer to help with family chores, I give gifts, and my Bible is getting more use than it has in a very long time.

The book of James comes to mind. It's basic message is this: "So you say you're a Christian, great. Now show me by the way that you live." Walk your talk. Listen to God and do what He says. Don't just say you will serve others, really serve them.

"If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom." -James 3:13

Ecuador: Gringos and Guinea Pigs

The past few days have been so incredibly full of new experiences, I don't know where to start! So I'll start with this little beauty right here:

The List of New Things I Have Done in Ecuador (So Far):

~I have eaten Cuy (fire-roasted Guinea Pig)
My family took me out into el campo (the country) on Sunday, where we joined some of my host dad's clients for a traditional dinner, surrounded by beautiful grass-covered mountains. (I fully embraced my gringa-ness by bringing my camera and taking pictures of everything, so check out Facebook.) My first impression of the Cuy was, unfortunately, not positive. A casually-dress woman was holding a long, thick wooden stick, three inches wide, over the flames of a cooking fire. I followed the stick with my eyes to its end, where I discovered -- unexpectedly -- the smallish naked mammal. It had been placed on the stick in such a way that it appeared the little guy had tried to swallow the hefty cooking stick post-mortum, and had in fact succeeded. When the food was ready, my host dad made a point of personally bringing one to me on a fully-decorated platter, breaking off a piece of the crispy-fried skin, and offering it to me. Being the tallest and the whitest at the party, I'm pretty sure everyone was looking at me when I put it in my mouth. But... it was good! The meat tasted like chicken, and it was the kind of food that even the young kids at the party really enjoyed.

~I have had water balloons chucked at me in the street 
For the annual holiday called "Carnival," which is apparently a really big deal here, people throw water balloons at strangers, especially gringo strangers. Everyone's a target. During a period of time in which I got slightly lost in the streets of Cuenca (slightly lost = lost with three maps and a cell phone) there were two instances in which balloons were thrown at me from moving cars. But, by the Grace of God, I narrowly avoided certain soakage. I plan to participate in the fun when Carnival week actually arrives.

~I have attended a Spanish church service
I was able to grasp very little of the sermon, but the lyrics of the worship songs were posted, so I was able to understand and sing along. We sang "Revelation Song" in Spanish (Santo, Santo, Santo, Dios todopoderoso!)

~I have danced to Ecuadorian music at a house blessing ceremony
Most people here are Catholic, and the serious one's do house blessing ceremonies. From what I could gather, all you need is a priest, about a hundred of your closest friends, and tons of food. It's definitely a family event, but when you add a little alcohol (not for me and the priest, of course) to the adult population, it turns into a mini dance party. Very fun. We also got to throw coins off the roof to the guests below. Amazing.

~I have gone downtown!
After almuerzo on Tuesday, we got rides to el centro, downtown Cuenca. We went to a really cool heladeria (ice cream place) called Freddo's (shout out to Scott Painter and Armila Francis!). We walked around a bit and felt (almost) Ecuadorian.

~I have made talking to God a regular thing...
... and I love it! Let's face it, it's easy to get lonely here. I only see my friends for classes and outings; most of the time I'm at home. My family is great, but due to a significant language barrier, I can only talk to them so much. But God speaks English, and Spanish, (and Libbyish) and He has been drawing me closer through this experience. I depend on Him more, and He refreshes me and gives me true joy when I feel especially alone. But don't wait until you go to another country to enjoy learning more about God. Make time. Pray. Chat it up. LISTEN. He's worth it. =)

Please continue to pray for my group and I. We're just starting to get to know the city, the culture, and the people. The initial shock is over, but pray that we will lean on God when it really hits us that we're so far from home. Pray for health, safety, and fun. Thanks so much for the prayers already; I know we have been especially blessed so far!

Love in Christ, Libby

Ecuador: Becoming Part of the Fam(ilia)

So I'd thought I'd start out with a little narrative to snag the attention of my readers:

Once upon a time, there was a girl who thought she could speak Spanish pretty well.

Then she went to Ecuador.

The End.

I compare my knowledge of Spanish to a typical Tabloid-reading female's knowledge of celebrities. I KNOW all about it; I know the particulars, the dirty details. I've stared at it for years. But, since I've never actually spent quality time with it, sat down, had coffee with it, I really don't know a darn thing about it. These people talk fast. And they tend to be totally fine with letting the ends of words disappear like salsa de tomate in a house full of kids.

We've been living with out host families in Cuenca for three days now. Our first two days were spent touring Quito, visiting el Mitad del Mundo and experiencing a very interesting cultural dance performance, with special guest, deer/man-in-loincloth. (warning: not appropriate for children under the LTC). The landscape is beautiful here. It's easy to forget how big mountains really are until you're standing at the bottom of one. The weather is mild. Not too hot, not too cold, not too rainy. It's like living in one of those greenhouses at the local gardening center. Please look at the pictures posted on Facebook for a wow.

The last three days have been a rush off new people, new places, and mucho embarrassments. I have already accidentally told my host family that:

1. I have a boy living in my dorm room at Taylor.

2. I would like to wait in the face.

3. My host father is a woman.

4. Something incorrect about a shower. And since the word for shower is "ducha," I would really prefer never to find out why my seventeen-year-old host sisters were laughing at me.

Not to mention I set the house alarm off one night...

There's nothing quite like sitting at the table with extended family and having no clue what they're saying. That plus the face-reddening mistakes above makes for a very humbling experience.

In all honesty, I have been very frustrated with myself in the past few days, so if ya'll could pray for me, that would be better than best. I know it's only been three days, but I feel so stupid sometimes. Questions need to be repeated and rephrased for me. I can't tell if people are insulting me or complementing me. I'm  taller than everyone. EVERYONE. I add to conversations whenever I can, but most of the time I just can't. They might as well be speaking Arabic when they talk to each other. No lo comprendo.

As a result though, I have been praying and reading my Bible on my own more often. I'm a bit scared now when I think about being here well into May. I have definitely stepped outside my comfort zone. I miss the comfort of being able to control the details of my life and to share them with the people I live with. Everything has changed.

Almost everything...

My God is the same. He was with me in the States, He came with me on the planes, and He was waiting for me in Ecuador. Dios me ama.

Only when we step off our familiar foundations and become drifters do we learn what it really means to make God our permanent Rock. A Foundation not bound to a place, person, or group. I'll go for that.

Hasta luego!!!

Libby