21K Mitad del Mundo

Back when I wrote about the We Run Quito race in October, I mentioned the possibility of running a half marathon (21 kilometers) at the end of November.  Well, it happened.  Without training and without much forethought, I paid the $15 registration fee, caught a cab up to Quito in the wee hours of the morning this past weekend, and embarked on my first half marathon at daybreak.

2 hours, 12 minutes, and 51 seconds later I crossed the finish line, having fought and won the mental battle to force one leg to lift and then the other, placing one foot in front of the other.  Since "not walking" is some sort of bragging right for runners (not sure why!), I'll mention that the only walking I did was at hydration stations, and walking at those points is actually recommended by some top runners.

 In addition to receiving some cool gear, I come away from the race with a renewed appreciation for the importance of hard work and training.  The course route is unique in that it's set up as a double out-and-back.  As I was running out toward the 5k turn-around, I could see the top runners coming back to finish the first 10k of the race, and as I was around kilometer 11, I watched the soon-to-be-winner coming down the home stretch.  Observing those top Ecuadorian runners, I was impressed by their extreme focus and the extent of their training.  Someone doesn't win a road race by accident.  It comes through hour after hour of grueling physical and mental training.  Applying that to the spiritual life, the Apostle Paul said,

Do you not know that in a race all the runner run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to gain a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.  No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. ~I Corinthians 9: 24-27

I Have a Dream

I have a dream that one day Ecuador will be a country of peace where children play in parks and mothers walk through the streets without fear.  I have a dream that one day sicarios will not exist, and youth will play soccer and read books instead of robbing their neighbors.  I have a dream that one day each Ecuadorian child will have access to education both in Spanish and in Kichwa.  I have a dream that one day the mestizo, the indigenous, the montubio, and the afroecuadorian will join hands and proclaim freedom and equality for all.   

I have a dream that jobs will be available for those willing and qualified to work.  I have a dream that businesspeople will see their work as service to the Lord, and wealth will be used to improve the lives of those who have the least.  I have a dream that one day corruption will be stigmatized and honesty will take its place.   

I have a dream that one day the Evangelical Church of Ecuador will not have the reputation of being so divided that it is no “threat” to political leaders.  Instead the government will be run by Christians who are passionate about leading their country with integrity.  I have a dream that one day the Gospel will be proclaimed from the peak of Chimborazo to the Napo River to the lagoons of Cajas to the Galapagos Islands.  I have a dream that we can conserve the natural beauty and diversity of Yasuni and Sumaco and minimize our human impact on the jungle.  I have a dream that the beauty of this rich country will one day be complemented by the beauty of a truly free, peaceful, transparent, flourishing society.

This is my dream, but it cannot only be mine.  Will Ecuadorians dare to articulate a bold vision for their country?  Can they see the current reality and yearn for a better future?  Can that yearning become so great that we are discontent with the current state of things and determined to bring about change?  Will we never settle for anything short of our most lofty vision?  I know that there are others who dream, but we are too few.  Too often I hear of problems, but rarely do I hear a call to action or dreams of a better Ecuador.  

 I have only been in Ecuador for a year and a half and may not have the legitimacy to propose a larger vision for this country.  However, I have been ripped off, outright robbed, and subjected to machista comments.  I have seen children begging in the streets; youth who can’t find jobs; and adults who see corruption, cronyism, and dishonest behaviors as completely acceptable.  I’ve complained about all these things, but if that is the only thing I focus on, it will suck up all my energy and distract me from the good things in life.  Instead, I have a dream of a better Ecuador, and I am determined to be part of making that dream a reality.

Ecuador Cities

When I was looking up a details about Cuenca for my last post, I came to a realization about how ridiculously long the official names of Ecuadorian cities are.
In truth, Cuenca is just a "short version" of the city's name.  Full name: Santa Ana de los cuatro rios de Cuenca.  Translation: Santa Ana of the Four Rivers of Cuenca.  Most cities in Ecuador are similar in keeping very long names.  For example, I live in San Juan de Cumbaya, right outside of San Francisco de Quito, and I helped on a medical brigade in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas.  Notice the trend of including the name of the Catholic patron saints in the name of each city.  If that's not enough, most of the original city names had "Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de..." before their titles.  I find that ironic because "Very noble and loyal city" doesn't really fit with the whole revolution and independence from Spain part that happened a few years later.

Speaking of independence, Ecuador does have an independence day (August 10), but the real celebrations are on  the independence days of the three main cities of Ecuador (Guayaquil - October 9, Quito - May 24, and you already know Cuenca's).

As if Ecuador doesn't have enough holidays with its 4 official independence days, the days on which the principle cities were founded by the Spanish are often celebrated as well, albeit on a regional level.  Personally, I'm looking forward to Quito's founding on December 6, but there are also celebrations in Guayaquil on July 25, in Cuenca on April 12, and probably in some other cities on other dates as well.

This trend toward regionalism is important for understanding Ecuadorian culture.  You can tell just by the way a person talks whether they are from the coast (Guayaquil), Quito, Cuenca, or an indigenous group.  Quiteños call people from Guayaquil monos (monkeys), and the monos respond with something like "potato eaters."  Diet, agriculture, and industry change dramatically when one moves east from the Pacific Coast to the Andean mountain highlands to the Amazon jungle.  While Ecuador might be about the size of Colorado, the regional diversity noted in the distinctions between cities goes far beyond that which is noted in any one US state.

Happy [Cuencan] Independence Day

This last week Quito was dead.  As in, no traffic jams, very rare honking, and the street outside my apartment was eerily silent.  That was all thanks to a 5-day weekend in honor of Dia de los Difuntos (All Soul's Day on Nov. 2) and the Independence day of Cuenca, Ecuador on November 3, 1820.  While I decided to take the time to relax here in Quito and stay away from the huge crowds, I figure this is a good time to share some pictures from my trip to Cuenca last year for the celebration. Since my now apartment mate is from Cuenca, she invited me to visit her city and her family for the holiday.

Cristina and me at the Turi church above Cuenca

Turi Church

The highlight of my time in Cuenca was the burning of the castillos or "castles," which can best be described as 2-story towers of metal and paper machete riddled with firecrackers and other dangerous pyrotechnics.  This celebration happens in the evening in the central park, which was packed to the gills when I was there.

I think from those images you can get the picture--sparks flying everywhere.  The fun thing is that they set up the castillos all around the central park, and you never know which one they will light next.  So everyone crowds around one only to be part of the crowd running to the other when a different one is chosen.

Everyday in Cuenca during the holiday there were fairs, parades, and other celebrations.  I went to two fairs with Cristina and her family.  The first reminded me much of of a typical county fair, and the second was a lot like an arts and crafts show. 

This aint your typical Midwestern fair--llamas and alpaca are a prominent fixture.

As are guinea pigs

Mariachi band at the arts & crafts fair

 Cuenca is a World Heritage Site because of its well-preserved colonial architecture.  A few evenings while we were waiting for events to start or driving around town, I captured these pictures:

Next time I get to visit Cuenca I hope to see more of these buildings, and maybe not just from the outside.  Another goal for the future is to go hiking in the Cajas National Park, which has hundreds of lagoons.  The closest I got was fishing along the roadside on the outskirts of Cajas, but even what I could see of the park from a distance was beautiful.

Have you ever?

Sometimes my life seems ridiculous.  As in, I ask myself, "did that really just happen?"  The thing is, many of the events that I now accept as "normal" are completely foreign to my upbringing in white, suburban, Midwest middle class America.  So...

Have You Ever...

Lived through an earthquake?  Just last Saturday--it was a 4.0 centered less than 10 miles away.

Had a guy hit on you by calling you fat?  Definitely--what other terms of endearment are there?

Cut the umbilical cord for a kitten?  Twice.  What else would you do if your apartment mate's cat suddenly started giving birth?  Go to the vet?  How absurd!

Mama "Missy" cat with the new kittens

When they were big enough to really be "cute"

Faked you were sleeping as soon as a guy asked if you spoke Spanish on a bus?  Of course!  Otherwise the next 2 questions would be "How long have you been in Ecuador? (polite conversation) and "Do you have a boyfriend?"  (what he really wanted to ask.)  Don't worry, I never actually sleep.  I usually keep my eyes half-open and am laughing on the inside as the guy tries to decide if he should ask again, just a little louder.  I think next time I'm going to start fake-snoring, just in case.

Had the airport police confiscate your still-valid ID only to have them send you to another branch of the police to get a police report that the ID was lost/stolen so that the same 1st branch of the police could issue a new ID?  Yes! (Did you even understand that illogical series of events?)  Oddly enough, everyone after that first police officer admitted that the whole process was pointless, but they insisted on following it.

Chased a llama?  Well, I wanted to pet it...

Worn sunscreen everyday, 365 days a year?  Almost yes--otherwise I'd be burned in about 15 minutes.  Direct sun on the equator + less atmosphere in the mountains = higher chances of skin cancer.  Not going to take the risk.

Eaten a guinea pig?  Sorry to anyone who has one as a pet, but it's just a fact of life in Ecuador.  So yes, I have.

Señor Cuy

Run away from firecrackers flying into the crowd from a burning "crazy cow" that a nonchalant guy was carrying?  Um, yeah.  I think my friends here are still laughing at me for that.  Vacas locas are part of any real fiesta.

So for anyone who thinks life in Ecuador is just like life in the US--think again!

No Typical Bus Ride

Climbing onto a bus in Ecuador is always an adventure.  You never know what might happen in the next few minutes, or hours, of your time in that enclosed space.  There's always the cute little babies on their mother's laps--cooing, making faces, and sometimes crying.  Then there are the school children dressed in their uniforms, which come in every color of the rainbow (although mainly blue, red, black, and yellow).  For girls the uniform is usually a short pleated skirt with knee-high socks and some schools make the boys wear full suits.  I always am amused by the 10-year-old boys who look like they just came out of a board meeting.

Beyond the normal--the people sitting or standing, waiting to get home--there are sometimes unusual events that just make me want to laugh.

Street vendors aren't the only informal business feature of Ecuador.  There are also what can best be described as "bus vendors."  These people wait at the major bus stops to ride a bus to the next major stop, and since my route to Quito is a relatively uninterrupted 20 minutes long with few stops and distractions, it is a favorite for bus vendors.  You might be able to best understand the experience as a live, moving infomercial.  Here's one of my favorites:
Guy gets on bus and introduces himself, "Sorry for the inconvenience or for making you uncomfortable.  Some of you might not want to listen to me, but thanks for listening anyway [as if we have a choice...talk about a captive audience].  Many youth my age are stuck in drugs and alcohol and gangs.  I used to do that once, but now I've turned my life around and am working in a dignified manner to feed my wife and 9 children [okay, so maybe only 2 kids]."
"As you all know, we Ecuadorians love greasy fast food--hamburgers, french fries, hot dogs, etc.  You know it's bad for your health, but did you know that it can cause hepatitis A, hepatitis B, prostate cancer, and many other diseases?"  [insert here a long, non-scientific explanation of the connection between hamburgers and prostate cancer].
Now for the kicker:
"Do not worry, today I am selling this bag of tea made from natural sources that will clean out all the grease and fat and save you from hepatitis and prostate cancer.  For the low price of 50 cents [you can miraculously buy a healthy life]."
Good thing I don't get my medical advice from bus vendors.

Some other good ones:

Last Friday I was headed up to Quito when traffic came to a standstill right before "la bomba" in Miravalle.  Let's just say that we were 5 minutes into a 20 minute ride.  After waiting 10 minutes and not moving an inch, the bus driver decided to make a 3-point, ahem, 9-point turn across 4 lanes of traffic.  We returned from whence we came and then took a cobblestone street up to the highway connection.  All the way back down the hill the cobrador flailed his arms anytime another bus passed, trying to get them to turn around.  The question is--since there are no cross streets on that stretch, how were they going to turn around?  Another 7 buses doing 9-point turns?  That's something I'd like to see.

One weekday on my way to work I was riding the Ecovia line.  A little girl, perhaps 5 years old was sitting right by me on her mom's lap.  She looked at me for a while and then all of a sudden she started telling her mom in English, "I love you. I love you. I love you."  She paused for a second and then asked her mom in Spanish, "What does that mean?"  Well, I'm glad the presence of a gringa caused that little girl to express her love for her mama, even if she didn't know what she was saying in my language.

That's Ecuador for you--rarely a dull moment on a bus.