And now for something different.

Perhaps as a reward for the abuse of the preceding few weeks, the volunteers scattered to the wind around Ecuador in small groups to visit current volunteers at their job sites. Jenny had an overnight bus ride to Loja in the south of the country while I was sent 4 hours north to Ibarra.

Jenny first.

Jenny dreaded the idea of such a long bus ride, but it wasn’t actually too bad. The bus was luxurious with seats that reclined almost into beds, but that didn’t make up for the rough and curvy Andian roads that made her feel like she was on a mail boat in the middle of the Atlantic sea. That said, she loved Loja, liked all the volunteers she met and traveled with, and commented that she would be happy if that turns out to be our permanent site.

Jenny pretending to sleep. Notice her foot through her backpack shoulder strap to keep it from being stolen.

Jenny and the other volunteers who traveled to Loja.

One of the sites they visited was the Ecuadorian Red Cross.

At the Red Cross they prepared bleach solutions to distribute.

Another site visit was to an orphanage that was more than a little heart breaking.

The historic center of Loja was clean, safe and beautifully preserved.

Then there’s Andy.

Overall my visit to Ibarra was good, but I didn’t love the town. It sits at 7,000 ft, so it was nice to escape the altitude of Quito (9,300 ft.), but the city itself was kinda blah. That said, we visited a site where the current volunteer has created, in cooperation with a division of the mounted police, an equine therapy program for kids with developmental disabilites. It was really sweet to see the impact Natalie is making in the lives of kids and families.

The other cool thing we did was attend an indigenous celebration called a “pampa mesa” which translates to “field table.” It’s a communal feast where community members dig a large hole in the ground and fill it with hot rocks.bring potatoes, carrots, corn, beans, plantains, pineapples and meat.

The indigenous people, especially the women, dress in traditional clothing every day. There was nothing performative about it.

They washed and rinsed leaves used to wrap chicken, beef, and pork.

It’s a kind of pot-luck where community members bring what they have.

They lined a large hole with banana leaves and filled the bottom with super hot rocks.

The food, along with fresh herbs, was dumped into the hole, covered with a cloth and then soil.

Then came the fun part! Everyone, including the gringos, removed our shoes and danced on the soil to pack it down. It was so fun. See a video here»

And two and a half hours later, we ate!

In case you missed it above, here’s a YouTube link to a video of them dancing on the earth oven.

The community is working to move from agriculture towards tourism, which explains the film crew there. The event will air on Ecuadorian TV in August on a show called, Dia a Dia, the equivalent of our 60 Minutes.

This week we are back in the PC office for more training, then on to another cultural trip at the end of the week. Stay tuned!

Hugs, Jenny and Andy.

P.S. Please feel free to share this blog with anyone you think might be interested. Muchas gracias!