Click here to see my Ecuador pics!
I am absolutely fascinated by South America. The diversity of culture, astounding range of ecosystems, the delicious food, the art and music: both Peru and Ecuador have been amazing trips. And as a plus, this was certainly one of the easier trips I’ve taken: Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar as its currency, the same plugs, and it’s only a one hour time difference and a 5 hour flight!
While I was there the country was gearing up to vote for a new constitution and that seemed to be all anyone was talking about. Ecuador has had 9 presidents in the past 11 years, so quite a lot of political instability, but it has never erupted into violence, unlike most of the countries surrounding it.
Quito, the capital city, is in a dream setting, set within the Andes at an elevation of 9,350 feet. It has a beautifully preserved historical center, with old colonial plazas and balconies and cathedrals. Wandering through the old town on Sunday, when cars are banned from the road, I felt like I was back in Spain. I really can’t believe that Ecuador hasn’t become a tourist hotspot from the U.S., given Quito, the jungle, the Andes and the indigenous towns. And oh, the food. I love South American food! The ceviche, fresh fish with plantains and maize, avocado with everything and the amazing ajo, a type of spicy salsa, that you find on every table and that Ecuadorians heap on everything.
My trip fell over a weekend, so I took a trip up to Otavalo, an indigenous town in the northern highlands. The drive alone, through the mountains, past active volcanoes and lakes, was worth the trip. I stayed in a beautiful hacienda with a courtyard full of tropical flowers. The indigenous people who live in Otavalo and the surrounding areas have been the most successful at making markets work for their products, and the town reflects that success. It is incredibly clean and nice, with modern amenities, yet has still retained its traditional customs.
On Saturday morning I got up at 6 am to go to the animal market, where all of the people in the surrounding area buy and sell their livestock. It was unbelievable – a huge field full of all different kinds of animals and noises and smells and people bartering over them and carrying them home.
I then went to the craft and food markets, and bought some beautiful art and jewelry and, of course, went from stall to stall sampling the street food. I think I had one of the best meals of my life - pork with maize and tomato and salsa – although it was a bit unsettling that I was staring at the pig’s face while eating it. I went hiking around a nearby waterfall in the afternoon, and then went to a cockfight that night. Yep, a cockfight. They have a ring for it and everything, and go through such a process of weighing them, and matching them up and betting on them. I wouldn’t go back but it was quite the experience!
Similar to my work in Bangkok, I was in Quito to attend a meeting with all of the directors of the countries where we work in South and Central America, so it was fascinating to learn details about some of the political upheavals in the region. We spent one day of the meeting traveling to visit some of CARE’s work, and I went with a group to the education program for indigenous children. 25% of population in Ecuador is indigenous, and they are the most poor and marginalized people in the country. And in many ways their lack of access to education is what keeps them poor.
Indigenous children were rarely successful in school because classes were only taught in Spanish and curriculum were geared toward the dominant culture. CARE has helped set up intercultural and bilingual schools, and doing so has transformed student success rates and the view of the indigenous community that school can also apply to them and their children, and that they have the same rights and abilities as the majority population. And girls were rarely educated at all, because the community had felt that doing so was pointless when the girls are just going to get married soon. CARE's education program has succeeded in changing this perception, and now the community views education as an equal opportunity.
Additionally, most indigenous children stop attending school when they turn 10 years old to start working long hours in local flower plantations, part of Ecuador's lucrative flower export business. Addressing the child labor issue has proven much more difficult, because families are so poor that they need the income that their children bring in order to survive. So CARE has begun income generating activities at the school for older children, so that they can attend classes in the morning and work together with teachers on a project such as a bakery in the afternoons. This approach is proving quite successful, keeping children in school and simultaneously helping provide for their families.
The day after the trip to the rural indigenous community to visit the education programs I flew back to the U.S. and went to my sister's bachelorette party. It was quite the transition!
Oct 22, 2008
Ecuador
Bangkok
I went back to Bangkok on a last minute trip – I found out I was going four days before I left! I was there for a week last year but forgot my camera, so I was excited to revisit the amazing temples and palaces and canals and capture it all on camera…
Unfortunately, the day I got there violence erupted between the anti-government protesters and the police. It’s been all over the news, but basically about 20,000 protesters led by the People’s Alliance for Democracy occupied the Government compound and claimed that they would not leave until the Prime Minister resigns. Last I heard they’re still camping there, and it’s been over a month. I went to dinner with one of my colleagues and her two Thai friends who live in Bangkok, and it was fascinating to hear their discussion about the current situation. It’s really a clash like many happening all over the world in countries we work in – modern versus tradition, rural versus urban, laborers versus the elite. Anyways, the day I arrived the government declared a state of emergency, so I was confined to the hotel for most of my trip and couldn’t put my camera to much use at all!
So it was a good thing that the work part of the trip was fascinating, since the tourist part was virtually nonexistent. I got to be a part of a meeting between all of the heads of the different Asian countries we work in and learning about the operations in each one. It helps put the reality behind the news stories in places such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. A particularly interesting part of the meeting was the discussion about the complexities of operating in a conflict environment and the constant negotiation that doing so requires. It has been particularly difficult for our staff in Afghanistan – it seems to be getting worse every day, and it is heartbreaking to hear about certain situations and the overall downward spiral of chaos. I really believe that the U.S. action in Afghanistan was a major geopolitical opportunity squandered, and it is having ripple effects throughout the region, particularly in neighboring Pakistan. New terrorist cells are popping up every day, and staff are having to deal with the local mafia and kidnappings. The staff who have worked there for a long time see it reverting back to the kind of chaos and intimidation that the country experienced under the Taliban. One of our major focuses in Afghanistan is around girls’ education, and at this point the staff are having to have the conversation of, is it worth risking our lives to educate girls? It’s come to that point.
What’s always fascinating to me as I travel is the in-depth knowledge of and interest in American politics that I constantly encounter in people from other countries. Staff from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan who were attending the meeting had watched almost all of both the Democratic and Republican national conventions, and they peppered me with questions. When I express my amazement at the level of knowledge about what’s going on – much more so than almost any American I know – they always point out that the outcome of the U.S. election matters almost as much to their lives as it does to ours. It is amazing how much Americans are respected, and how much our ideals are valued and emulated, and it is so disappointing to watch that standing in the world be tarnished. It really affects global notions such as democracy and equality. For example, there’s a big conversation going on about whether or not we should claim links to the U.S. in the countries we work in, because having those connections undermines our legitimacy to take stands against wrongful government actions. We cry foul for torture and detaining without trial, they point to our troops in Iraq and Guantanamo. It is so incredibly demoralizing.
So the one night we went out with everyone attending the meeting, the hotel arranged for us to go on a boat cruise. It was quite the cultural experience. If by cultural one means a bad prom out of an 80s movie, complete with corsages, posed photos under an arch with the Thai hostesses, awful renditions of bad 70’s and 80’s music, slow dances, disco lights and décor. It was a riot.
Perhaps the next time I’m in Thailand I’ll finally get to take some pictures, and get to plan my trip far enough in advance that I can do some traveling outside of Bangkok. Click here to see the few photos I took while on the cruise and from my hotel.
