Final Days

Only a few more days of the Banos Project. The year has been full and exciting both for the students and myself, however, I am ready to head home... I miss my coffee pot!

Next week the class will repeat their puppet play for the entire school population and parents. The teachers who observed what the 'English teacher' really does in that classroom were all smiles. Since there is a language barrier, the projects turned more into a show and tell rather than sharing of curriculum.

For example, once they saw the mural, heard the story from a BOOK, btw, reading is not a component down here :(, observed the little ones connecting with the story / play through puppets, heard the students speak in English AND Spanish... they were starting to 'get it'.

With the invitation to share again, the students are now more aware of their actions, words/speaking, moments of needed silence. We are not performing in the classroom, so we will miss the added visual stimulation of the mural, but in the salon where there is a stage. However, the space is like a bowling alley with marble floor and walls - horrible acoustics -, so they will be introduced to a thrust stage and be 'in' the audience on ground level for projection purposes and the audience being able actually see/touch the puppets. I will have 2 students doing photo documentation to round out participation.

Photos of that rehearsal coming up next... stay tuned!

Rehearsal, theatre, puppet play, English

The mural is complete, the puppets are made and now the 'rehearsal' phase begins.

Started off with basic trust games in the courtyard. Little did we know the entire school was an immediate audience; standing, sitting, stopping, wanting to join. This was something very NEW to see. Luckily, it didn't completely break down into a romper room type day!

Then reading the script.... The students had to SIT and LISTEN to each other which is a challenge in itself. But, as they got into it, they eagerly got up to do their lines and repectfully waited for their turn.

The day of the presentation, the Madres asked if the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades could watch. So, they did 4 little 'shows' with the last one being for the parents. The local paper was called and came to take photos of the kids. Suddenly, stardom!

It was in the classroom against the mural and the little ones were mezmerized. Titeres (puppets) are now a rage at Sagrado Corazon!

:)

Everyone had a great time

Puppet making

Well, our beautiful mural taught by our own Miss Patty will be the background / set for our play with puppets.

On Friday, April 30, we will perform a little play adapted from The Great Kapok Tree for the 1st grade, 2nd grade and parents. The students were highly charged for the puppet making and came up with some great ideas!

Next week they will memorized their lines in English and Spanish, so the little ones will understand better (the parents, too!)

Mural Project

OK... settling down for the last trimester. The kids 'read' The Great Kapok Tree, an American favorite then we did a mural based on the theme of the selva, or jungle. It was a bit of a mess, but the day went quickly and everyone participated.

Next step is to do a presentation for the 1st and 2nd grades of the book. I've adapted it (loosely) into a little play with the students being the characters using sock puppets.

We'll see!

Decision

At the beginning of the meeting they said ... YES we have a problem! A big problem! All of them shaking their heads and understanding my situation.

By the end of the meeting they ALL said, oh no... there's no problem. You're ok... Banos is a tourist town (that was my personal favorite).

So, will just continue what I'm doing, and pray I won't be arrested or kicked out!

What the .....?

VISA nightmare

I just spent 3 days travelling around Ecuador and Columbia to secure my visa. I went to the immigration police in Banos who said I could renew it IN that office just a day or two before it expires... and not pay a $200.00 penalty (after it expires)... so, 5 days before, I went to the office and said "I'm ready! Have all my paperwork, photos, contract, etc!" They said...oh no, you have to go to Quito. So....

The 5am the next day loaded on the bus to Quito, so I'd be the first in line and be able to be back home by dinner. I was told the bus was direct to the terminal. Well, it stopped in Ambato, 5 miles or so, on the street, away from the terminal. One guy said, oh, it's only 2 blocks ... that way... another said it's 3 blocks that way... so, just jumped in a cab and it was a 10 minute ride. But, got on the next bus to Quito and made it to the Immigration office. Called my friend, Cecilia, to see if she wanted to met for lunch when I finished and we had a plan. The IO said, oh, no... you have to go to ANOTHER office for renewals. Ok. So, jumped in a cab to the other office. Well, that office is closed on Wednesday, and it was Wednesday. Started to raise my voice and a very nice lawyer came by and after looking at my visa explained my situation.

1. I needed to have my degree in hand and stamped from the US or EC. A bit of a problem and it's in US.
2. I needed it in hand tomorrow, as the office is closed on Friday because of Semana Santa (Easter)
3. With an expired visa it would cost me $200.00 to leave the country.
4. With an expired visa I and remaining in EC, I'd be an illegal alien.
5. As an illegal alien, I couldn't return to EC for 1 year.
6. With out a work visa I can't get paid for any work... my teaching...
7. I could just keep quite, return to Banos, stay as an illegal, keep teaching, get paid, then pay the $200.00 fine and not return.
8. If I came to the office 30 days BEFORE it expired, I'd have no problem... ahhhhhh no one could tell me that before!??

OK. Great options.

So, jumped in a cab and called Cecilia to tell her I was on my way but she was on a cab to the first IO... her daughter called her to tell her to turn around and come home. When we got to her house, she thought I maybe had lost something in translation, so after lunch we went back to the 1st IO. They explained to her why I wasn't on a permanant work visa: school did not do the correct paperwork. We then trucked over to the other office, in hopes of finding the lawyer but he was gone. I had a BLAZING headache, but on the way back, she thought about me crossing the border into Peru, get a 30 visa, which would by me time... that sounded pretty good, so went to the bus station and every Ecuadorian was travelling somewhere and there were NO seats on the Trans Am bus, so we went back to her place where I took a nap and we decided I'd just spend the night. When I woke up a new plan was in place. Go to Tulcan, EC on the Frontera which borders Columbia. There are more buses going and most go to Peru, so next am loaded the 5am bus to Columbia. 5 hours later checked out of Ecuador and into Columbia, exchanged dollars for pesos and went to a hostelria that was suppose to be nice to spend the night. Got there and it looked like a Stephen King hotel, so walked back to the border (a $9.00 cab ride) in 3 minutes and Columbian Immigration said I had to stay in Columbia for 24 hours.

Walked to the EC border and Immigration looked at my passport and wanted to know if I was here on a visa. Showed them my papers, visa, censo, etc and he said, 'This expires tomorrow'. Well DUH! I smiled and said I understood that and every single person I talked to, from Immigration to school officials to lawyers, told me different stories, with no 2 stories similar. He rolled his eyes and said... welcome to Ecuador!

I asked if he wanted to see my contract and plane ticket home and he did... I told him I was ready to go home NOW! He took all my papers to 2 different immigration officers, they talked for a bit, he came back, asked me more questions: where are you living, when did you come here, why are you here, etc. I told him, he left and went into a back room. He came out and asked me to go to the back room with him. He punched my passport and I followed him.

Once there, he showed me he stamped my exit for June 29, 2010. I now had a 3 month tourist visa! No penalty, no illegal status. I thanked him profusely and nearly RAN out of the office. 10 minutes later I thought he probably wanted me to pay him something... which I did not. Oh well.

Getting back to Banos there were no busses due to the caminada (religious walk over the pass to the church here). After 7 more hours on the bus got to the closest city to Banos, Pelileo, and took a room and after a hot shower and a beer, died! 7am next day, loaded the bus to Banos, but the pass was gridlocked due to walkers. Took the back way through the campo and finally got CLOSE 1.5 hours later. This is usually a 25 minute ride.

Jumped off the bus and walked the rest of the way home.

Thank God for Cecilia and her loving ways!!! I don't know WHAT I would've done with out her!!

Tonight I have a meeting with the parents, staff, etc to explain THEIR problem, now. The English teacher can't teach unless she has a work visa. So, I'm planning to GIVE them this month then say chao.

Will travel for 2 months through the rest of Ecuador, in Peru and would love to get to Argentina.. any takers to join me??!!

A hike to Cascada del Silencio with shaman Pato

A dream of mine was to meditate in the Andes with a Shaman has come to pass.

No rain and no harsh sun met us for our walk to Ulba, a small canton outside of Banos, but still part of Banos' government. Along the way we passed flowers, foliage and cactus that are other worldly. We ventured across a mama vaca with THREE horns, a dried and vacant forest of arbol de tomate, river moments and pauses to capture the vistas of mountains and clouds. Pato pointed out 'special' leaves, plants, sticks, rocks and stories of the river, stories of the mountain(s), stories the heart. He explained in Spanish and I probed with more and more questions, all in Spanish.

First stop was just that, a stop. While he settled for a moment, I blissfully did a chakra centering and cleansing meditation. During this time, to realize a dream can become a living moment, filled my eyes with tears that didn't drop. Warmth and kindness was all around. When I had completed my placement, I opened my eyes... looked around to make sure I was really where I was. Looked at him, he smiled and nodded and without saying anything, asked if I was ready to continue.

Walking a bit, we came upon an indigenous woman of the mountain. She was dressed in a deep, bright purple jacket, skirt and brimmed hat. As we passed she looked up and smiled, stopping her hoeing and gardening. She was planting seeds and tending her garden of corn, tomatoes, radishes, herbs, potatoes. She was so gorgeous with her leather-tanned face broad smile with no teeth I was salivating to take a photo. I asked Pato if I could... no... then let me know she was 93! Todo bien! Her baby cow was tetherd to a rock and looked at us curiously. On our way back, Pato made friends with the vaca and offered it food.

Once at the cascada, he prepared for his meditation ritual. Fruit, herbs, water and rocks were placed on a rock/alter. He proceded to strip to his undies, walk barefoot to the base of the waterfall and chant, partly in Kichwa, partly in Spanish. After 10 minutes or so, I heard him chant "alegria, corazon, cuerpo"--joy, heart, body in repetition. Immediately, the sun broke through and the air was glistening with diamond water drops.

He came back up, dried off and dressed. Then we ate the food.

Taking our time, we walked back to Banos re-enjoying previously seen things, seeing new things and talking about how the heart is the source of joy. Picking a bit of strange Andean fruit along the way, eating freshly plucked coffee beans off the trees and savoring mandarinas.

I spy question: Can you see the walking man??