A number of years ago I heard a song on the radio called He Reigns. It talks about people all around the world worshipping God in all sorts of different environments. I loved the idea that even though people's situations are different, they still praise the same God that I do. My favorite line, though, was "it's the song of the forgiven, drowning out the Amazon rain." Every time I heard that, it reminded me of being here, in Macas, in church services with the rain pouring down so hard on the metal roof, that you could hardly hear the preacher preach, but the singing, that you could hear. :) I kept thinking, I've been there, I've done that! It makes me want to experience the rest of the song, praise God with my brothers and sisters in other parts of the world, too. Then I think, that the song is also a bit of a foretaste of Heaven, where we'll worship God with people from every tribe and language. I can't wait to talk to people from all over, from all different cultures and times, to ask what it's like where they're from, how did they learn about God, what was life like.
It was pouring here, earlier. Macas is in a valley in the Andes' foothills and normally you can see all the mountains on either side, but when it really rains, the mountains disappear and all you can see is Macas. This morning was hot and sunny, but a few hours after I got home from church, I started hearing rain. I looked out the window and Quilamo (the closest hill/mountain) had disappeared and the rain was coming down in sheets. The streets were starting to turn to rivers, hiding the cobblestones and washing all the dust down the drains (either that or making mud). I just sat and listened to the rain on the roof, there's nothing compared to the sound of the rain on the roof for relaxation, and watched the rain was the down clean. After remembering the song, it brought back childhood memories of Oregon rain. Whenever it would rain really hard, the living room window would turn to a waterfall and we'd bring out the legos and make Noah's Ark, joking that we were going to need it soon. I realized that I need to soak these things in, I'm going to miss them next year! Thankfully it rains a lot in Oregon, too. :) And there's snow there! I'm determined to enjoy and be content where I'm at, at least most of the time. :)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Seasons
I've been thinking about this for quite awhile, over a year now. Seasons are important to me. I've always known they were, but never realized HOW important they were until I moved to a place that didn't have them. Granted, if you go to different websites about Ecuador, they'll all tell you that Macas is in the Oriente, in the jungle and here there are 2 seasons, the wet season and the dry season. My friends and family were asking me what the seasons were like down here, which is why I was looking at that portions of the websites, and I wanted to know how to answer them. When was Macas' dry season and when was the wet? The problem I ran into was that some sites said the wet season was from June-December, while others said October-July and still others said other durations. I quickly realized, that if I averaged the information out, Macas was in a perpetual wet season, from January-January! I remembered the administrator's wife telling me, the first summer I was down here, that they were ending their wet season then, in July, but after reading those websites, I was curious as to how I would perceive it, as well as how others would describe it. So I got here in August of 2009 and it didn't rain much until about November or so, the entire time everyone told me that we were in a drought and it wasn't normal to be that dry and hot at that time of the year. As I started to hear more and more about the weather, and talk to different people about it, I realized something. People here don't consider their seasons wet and dry, but winter and summer. However, they think nothing of having winter Sunday-Wednesday and summer coming in on Thursday and having Saturday be winter again! Summer and winter here don't actually correspond to seasons, but to weather. Whenever it's rainy and cold (and yes, my body thermometer has gotten completely messed up down here, next year should be entertaining!) it's winter and when it's sunny and hot, it's summer. Theoretically, you could have 2 seasons in 1 day, and I think I've actually had days where different people have told me the season, but 1 said summer and the other winter!
The seasons here don't bring a sense of rhythm to people's lives. Maybe I'm too much of a country girl, although, I really only ever technically lived in the country 1 year, my senior year of high school, it seems to define me better than city girl! I've always looked to the seasons to help me relate to things and get ready for events and things that happen year after year. For example, as the weather gets colder, the leaves start to fall, it rains a lot more and I know that Thanksgiving is around the corner. Once we celebrate Thanksgiving, it's time to prepare for Christmas. After Christmas comes my birthday (and now both my nephew and niece also have birthdays then!!!!) and then spring. With spring comes Easter and my sister's and brother-in-law's birthdays and my mom's, too. Then it starts getting a lot warmer, school gets out and we have summer, with my other sister's birthday and then school starts. Then my dad's birthday and it starts getting colder, which means that it's time for Thanksgiving. I realized, last year and this year, that without seasons, it's as if my body's in limbo, there's no passage of time and the calendar has no meaning, so Christmas really snuck up on me both years. I have no frame of reference, aside from the seasons, that's enough to get it sunk into my head that it's time to prepare for Christ's birth! Oh, people here decorate for Christmas and give presents, albeit, not as many presents as is typical in the States, but the tradition is still here, but even with seeing all of the decorations up and getting ready for the big Christmas program, it still surprised me when it happened and I, to this day, have a hard time convincing myself that it's actually passed.
I was trying to figure out why this was and the only thing I could come up with is that my mental annual rhythm is set to the seasons and I need them to help me mentally prepare. It reminds me of the difference in how I celebrated Easter the few years that I didn't go to my church's Good Friday service. A friend of mine's dad is a pastor and she asked me if I wanted to help them out on Good Friday, when they had their Easter service, since the building they met in they rented and was occupied Sunday mornings, so they couldn't meet then. I said sure and had a lot of fun playing with the kids and celebrating Easter with them. But, come Easter morning, the service didn't hold nearly as much meaning for me. The first year I couldn't figure it out, just figured it was my mood or something, but after the 2nd year, I realized what was happening. One year, the pastor was talking about why we celebrate Good Friday and said that without mourning, the celebration doesn't have as much meaning. If we don't remember what was so horrible about Good Friday, how can we celebrate how good Easter is? I realized that, for me, I needed that reminder on Good Friday, of why Easter was so special. So the next year I went to the Good Friday service and really enjoyed Easter that year. I'm beginning to think that I need seasons, in the same sort of way. The change in seasons helps me anticipate what's coming next, so that I can mentally prepare for it and have Christmas (I noticed it most with Christmas and Easter) in my thoughts, so that when it comes, I've thought about it and remembered what it is that we celebrate then.
Plus, I like the cold, so it'll be nice to experience that again, even if I'll need a few more layers than I did 2 years ago!
The seasons here don't bring a sense of rhythm to people's lives. Maybe I'm too much of a country girl, although, I really only ever technically lived in the country 1 year, my senior year of high school, it seems to define me better than city girl! I've always looked to the seasons to help me relate to things and get ready for events and things that happen year after year. For example, as the weather gets colder, the leaves start to fall, it rains a lot more and I know that Thanksgiving is around the corner. Once we celebrate Thanksgiving, it's time to prepare for Christmas. After Christmas comes my birthday (and now both my nephew and niece also have birthdays then!!!!) and then spring. With spring comes Easter and my sister's and brother-in-law's birthdays and my mom's, too. Then it starts getting a lot warmer, school gets out and we have summer, with my other sister's birthday and then school starts. Then my dad's birthday and it starts getting colder, which means that it's time for Thanksgiving. I realized, last year and this year, that without seasons, it's as if my body's in limbo, there's no passage of time and the calendar has no meaning, so Christmas really snuck up on me both years. I have no frame of reference, aside from the seasons, that's enough to get it sunk into my head that it's time to prepare for Christ's birth! Oh, people here decorate for Christmas and give presents, albeit, not as many presents as is typical in the States, but the tradition is still here, but even with seeing all of the decorations up and getting ready for the big Christmas program, it still surprised me when it happened and I, to this day, have a hard time convincing myself that it's actually passed.
I was trying to figure out why this was and the only thing I could come up with is that my mental annual rhythm is set to the seasons and I need them to help me mentally prepare. It reminds me of the difference in how I celebrated Easter the few years that I didn't go to my church's Good Friday service. A friend of mine's dad is a pastor and she asked me if I wanted to help them out on Good Friday, when they had their Easter service, since the building they met in they rented and was occupied Sunday mornings, so they couldn't meet then. I said sure and had a lot of fun playing with the kids and celebrating Easter with them. But, come Easter morning, the service didn't hold nearly as much meaning for me. The first year I couldn't figure it out, just figured it was my mood or something, but after the 2nd year, I realized what was happening. One year, the pastor was talking about why we celebrate Good Friday and said that without mourning, the celebration doesn't have as much meaning. If we don't remember what was so horrible about Good Friday, how can we celebrate how good Easter is? I realized that, for me, I needed that reminder on Good Friday, of why Easter was so special. So the next year I went to the Good Friday service and really enjoyed Easter that year. I'm beginning to think that I need seasons, in the same sort of way. The change in seasons helps me anticipate what's coming next, so that I can mentally prepare for it and have Christmas (I noticed it most with Christmas and Easter) in my thoughts, so that when it comes, I've thought about it and remembered what it is that we celebrate then.
Plus, I like the cold, so it'll be nice to experience that again, even if I'll need a few more layers than I did 2 years ago!
Guayaquil and Christmas
I just got back from spending Christmas weekend in Guayaquil, with some friends of mine. Ivan and Tannya are students at the Alliance Seminary there and invited me to spend Christmas with them, since all of their family is here, in the Amazon region and they like to spend time with me (well, for Ivan it's more of a desire to tease and matchmake for me!) :) I had tons of fun, even though it was a shorter visit than I would have liked. If I had been able to stay another day, we would have gone to the beach and gone swimming (something I'm still not used to, swimming, OUTSIDE, in December)! But I had to be back at school and really had a ton of stuff to do to get ready for January, so it wasn't TOO bad. :) I didn't actually take any pictures, aside from when I went with Tannya and Ivan to the youth group that they're interns in, it was a weekend of watching movies, eating, hanging out and sleeping! (oh and talking with my family on Christmas morning, my nephew's a goof!) The strangest part, aside from not being with my family, oh and not getting my presents yet (it's not the getting of presents that I want, but to know what they are, surprises drive me crazy, if I know they're coming!) was the weather. I'm used to cold and rainy, wishing for snow, aside from one Christmas in the early 90s when it was warm and sunny and I wore a t-shirt outside. Guayaquil's definitely in the southern hemisphere, which means that December is the warm time of year! Although, it makes me laugh, since Ecuador's on the tropics, people don't really know what summer and winter are really about and call any time that it's raining winter. And, since December is also the beginning of the rainy season on the coast, it's called winter, even though it's much hotter and more humid with the rain! It actually wasn't as bad as I was led to believe the weather would be, there were a couple time I felt drenched in sweat from the humidity, but it was actually pretty comfortable, well, while wearing shorts and a tanktop! :)
So for some reason, I wrote this and never posted. Oops! :) Well, here it is now.
So for some reason, I wrote this and never posted. Oops! :) Well, here it is now.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Random
Some random thoughts, sights, or questions I've had recently...
Is it bad that, while cleaning, I'm happy about the fact that there were more cockroaches in my kitchen than in my bedroom?
Am I sadistic to enjoy watching a cockroach squirming around on its back and not squish it, but kill it much slower with bug spray? Those things are creepy!!!
A lady was walking down the sidewalk, the other day, carrying several chickens by the legs, not so odd to think about, but then, as she readjusted them in her hands I realized that they were alive, as at least one started squirming and flapping its wings. I guess she wanted really fresh chicken! :) (Normally people carry them in a sack, plastic if dead and woven if alive.)
The other night a squad from the fire department was marching down the street, at about 9:30pm or so, and chanting, like I've seen the military do in movies. At least, I assume they were the fire department, the police, soldiers and firefighters all wear camo, but in different colors, the police in blue, soldiers in green and firefighters in red, and I think they were wearing red, although that late at night, it's kinda hard to tell. :)
I found chedder cheese at a new store in town!!! Life is great! :) Although, it's more mild than I prefer, it still has a slight cheddery taste, yum!
Is it bad that, while cleaning, I'm happy about the fact that there were more cockroaches in my kitchen than in my bedroom?
Am I sadistic to enjoy watching a cockroach squirming around on its back and not squish it, but kill it much slower with bug spray? Those things are creepy!!!
A lady was walking down the sidewalk, the other day, carrying several chickens by the legs, not so odd to think about, but then, as she readjusted them in her hands I realized that they were alive, as at least one started squirming and flapping its wings. I guess she wanted really fresh chicken! :) (Normally people carry them in a sack, plastic if dead and woven if alive.)
The other night a squad from the fire department was marching down the street, at about 9:30pm or so, and chanting, like I've seen the military do in movies. At least, I assume they were the fire department, the police, soldiers and firefighters all wear camo, but in different colors, the police in blue, soldiers in green and firefighters in red, and I think they were wearing red, although that late at night, it's kinda hard to tell. :)
I found chedder cheese at a new store in town!!! Life is great! :) Although, it's more mild than I prefer, it still has a slight cheddery taste, yum!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
FAQ
When I was first getting ready to come down here for 2 years, I sent out a list of Frequently Asked Questions that I kept getting from people. Now, almost 2 years later, I thought it might be interesting to do another one, but of questions that people here ask me, along with my typical response.
Where are you from?
~depending on my mood, how ornery I'm feeling that day, will change my answer, but it's usually a combination of: for the past year and a half, Macas, the United States, or Oregon. Which leads to the next question...
Oregon? Where's that?
~It's on the north Pacific, just north of California. Or, if they've said that they have relatives on the East Coast (where approximately 99% of Ecuadorians move to, based on my informal poll here), then I'll say that it's on the other side of the country, about 3 or 4 days driving in the car.
Do you like it in Macas/Ecuador?
~I love it here! It's so pretty and everyone's friendly. I also like living in a smaller community where you can know a lot of people.
Do you have an Ecuadorian boyfriend?
~nope, just friends. Which leads to the next question...
So you must have a boyfriend in the US, right?
~nope, just friends there, too. Which leads to the next question/suggestion....
You should marry an Ecuadorian and live here for the rest of your life!/Why don't you marry an Ecuadorian and live here for the rest of your life?
~I'll marry whoever God wants me to, whether he's from Ecuador, the US or somewhere else, I don't know. :)
What do you do here?/What are you doing here?
~I teach English at Emanuel Christian School. Which usually leads to either a comment that they know someone there, or me being asked if it's an evangelical school.
How do you get paid?
~I'm with a mission organization, which sends me money to live on.
Do you miss the States?
~I really, really miss my niece and nephew, one was just born last week and one turns 1 tomorrow. I miss having my own classroom and being close to my family, but I love being here, with many of my friends.
When are you going back to the States next?
~I'm going back the end of July. Which leads to the next....
When are you coming back here?
~I'll come back during vacations (there's no summer here, so saying during the summer holds little meaning!) for the students' graduation and for summer school.
How did you learn Spanish?/You speak Spanish really well for only having been here for a year!/etc
~I took classes in high school, just like my students are learning English and I was a Spanish kindergarten teacher for 6 years before coming here.
Do you like the food here?
~I love it! My favorite's maduros con quesillo (mature plantains with homemade soft cheese). :)
How can you walk barefoot?! (asked when I was dressed as a Shuar for the parade last spring)
~I'm from the country, I'm used to going barefoot outside, it's more comfortable! :)
Can you teach me how to make cookies? (mostly by students)
~I'd love to, but I don't know when I'll have time. (a few students have come by and made cookies with me and we always have fun!)
That's all that I can think of, off the top of my head, I'm sure I'll come up with more later. :)
Where are you from?
~depending on my mood, how ornery I'm feeling that day, will change my answer, but it's usually a combination of: for the past year and a half, Macas, the United States, or Oregon. Which leads to the next question...
Oregon? Where's that?
~It's on the north Pacific, just north of California. Or, if they've said that they have relatives on the East Coast (where approximately 99% of Ecuadorians move to, based on my informal poll here), then I'll say that it's on the other side of the country, about 3 or 4 days driving in the car.
Do you like it in Macas/Ecuador?
~I love it here! It's so pretty and everyone's friendly. I also like living in a smaller community where you can know a lot of people.
Do you have an Ecuadorian boyfriend?
~nope, just friends. Which leads to the next question...
So you must have a boyfriend in the US, right?
~nope, just friends there, too. Which leads to the next question/suggestion....
You should marry an Ecuadorian and live here for the rest of your life!/Why don't you marry an Ecuadorian and live here for the rest of your life?
~I'll marry whoever God wants me to, whether he's from Ecuador, the US or somewhere else, I don't know. :)
What do you do here?/What are you doing here?
~I teach English at Emanuel Christian School. Which usually leads to either a comment that they know someone there, or me being asked if it's an evangelical school.
How do you get paid?
~I'm with a mission organization, which sends me money to live on.
Do you miss the States?
~I really, really miss my niece and nephew, one was just born last week and one turns 1 tomorrow. I miss having my own classroom and being close to my family, but I love being here, with many of my friends.
When are you going back to the States next?
~I'm going back the end of July. Which leads to the next....
When are you coming back here?
~I'll come back during vacations (there's no summer here, so saying during the summer holds little meaning!) for the students' graduation and for summer school.
How did you learn Spanish?/You speak Spanish really well for only having been here for a year!/etc
~I took classes in high school, just like my students are learning English and I was a Spanish kindergarten teacher for 6 years before coming here.
Do you like the food here?
~I love it! My favorite's maduros con quesillo (mature plantains with homemade soft cheese). :)
How can you walk barefoot?! (asked when I was dressed as a Shuar for the parade last spring)
~I'm from the country, I'm used to going barefoot outside, it's more comfortable! :)
Can you teach me how to make cookies? (mostly by students)
~I'd love to, but I don't know when I'll have time. (a few students have come by and made cookies with me and we always have fun!)
That's all that I can think of, off the top of my head, I'm sure I'll come up with more later. :)
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