Dear friends and family,
We’ve had two very busy and enriching weeks! We apologize for not writing last week. We have some exciting news! Summer camp begins on Monday! We will be departing today to Chuya Yaku- a two hour bus ride our very first camp site!
We’re making a few changes to how we go about writing blog posts. In order for us to share our personal experiences, we have decided to break each blog post into three sections so that we each share our weekly happenings with you all. Enjoy!
New people, new experiences (Mariela)
Our second week at Km 6 has brought the ARP crew closer to the community. We are a family that keeps on growing. The volunteers living at the old volunteer house moved in on Saturday, so we had a full house! We welcomed Mungo, the previous ARP coordinator who’s been in Ecuador for about a year., and Matthew, the new volunteer from Maryland who will be staying with us until mid-July. Mungo, of Scottish background recounted his experience living with an Achuar community in southern Ecuador. On Monday, he and Maria prepared a delicious meal that brought the directors and volunteers together.
On Tuesday, we began our second project – getting the dining room ready to paint! Rodrigo taught us how to plaster the walls.
Let’s get to the part we’ve all been waiting for – the four hour motorcycle ride to Paparawa! I finally got to fulfill one of my dreams – to ride on the back of a motorcycle. I woke up before 6am to get ready and get picked up by Rodrigo, the co-director of ARP. We left at 7am just as it started to drizzle. We made several stops along the way to stretch and eat breakfast. For the first hour of the trip, we had a smooth ride until we took a right turn into the Ecuadorian selva (jungle). The rest of the trip was very bumpy. I can’t begin to describe how beautiful the journey was, so I will share pictures very soon!
To end the week, we had a celebration at Diya’s apartment where we had a taste of Spain, India, and Mexico. Maricruz and I made guacamole, Maria made tortilla de patatas, and Diya shared some of her Indian snacks.
I am really enjoying my time here. Though we’ve had exhausting days working on new projects, we’ve gained new skills and have shared in great conversations.
New Discoveries Everyday! (Kanika)
So far things have been going amazing. We have gotten to meet so many new people. During the beginning of this week we got to meet Mungo, a previous ARP coordinator. He had spent six weeks in the deeper part of the jungle, and had been getting to know the communities that lived there. He had many interesting stories to tell from his travels and meetings with the community. We also met Matthew, a volunteer who will be staying with us for about three weeks. Also, the volunteers living in Puyo moved to Kilometro 6 and got their stuff set up. While helping them set up. I had many enjoyable conversations and felt that I grew closer with Diya and Carmen, the volunteers who were previously living in Puyo. Now all the people are gathering together in KM 6, and we have had many a interesting conversation and story swap session.
In addition, we have gotten the chance to get started on some of the projects that we wanted to do. We have started to add empaste on the kitchen walls so that we can paint them a orange. In addition, we have gotten the chance to meet with some of the communities and are now ensuring that the key logistics are in place. I am looking forward to helping run the summer camp!
Tantas historias que contar (Maricruz)
It’s the second week and time has started to pick up. The first week went on at a very slow and relaxed pace. Now that we are beginning to keep ourselves busy with ongoing projects and meetings time seems to escape us more rapidly. I have however, had enough time to think and reflect constantly about my experience here in Puyo.
I’m not sure what is the best way to summarize my second week with ARP or how to accurately portray everything I am feeling and experiencing in this wonderful community. I’ll start by saying that the children at Km 6 have gotten very comfortable of the idea of us being neighbors. Everyday after school ends we sit on the porch and play with the deck of cards I found during the organizing of the office. I now have a bunch of games I can share with friends back home thanks to them. Plus, I’ll always remember them because of that and that makes me incredibly happy.
Another game that has brought us closer together is futbol. Everyday we hear the same question from the youngest of the boys at Km 6, “Jugemos futbol?”. Sometimes, we have to say “no” because rain is constant here in Puyo. We have learned to appreciate the sunny moments of the day, and to also appreciate the unification powers of futbol. The game never fails to make us laugh and to keep us sore for days. Some nights, the community members gather at the field in km 6 to play a friendly game of futbol. We have never joined in (we dont have the skills yet!), but I do enjoy these nights because it gives us, the volunteers, an opportunity to really engage and get to know the community members.
I’m beyond excited to get to know more of the communities along the Arajuno road. I’ve already learned so much about them and about myself by simply being here. I wish I could write in detail all the things I have in my mind, but I would probably spend a whole day typing and to be honest I rather be out experiencing life. I hope all my friends and family are well and that you know I am thinking about you and keeping you close. I can’t wait to see you all and share many stories and pictures with you.
Con cariño y amor,
Maricruz