We Run Quito

This past Saturday I joined my friend Emily and her friend Emma to run perhaps the biggest annual race in Quito.  7000+ runners created a mass of red pounding the pavement on a crisp Andean night.  To celebrate our finish, we grabbed pizza with their friend Paco.

LtoR: Me, Emma, and Emily (photo compliments of Paco)

The finisher medal and logo on the t-shirt worn by 7000 people!

After the race Emily spent the night so that she could see Cumbaya (aka CumbayMiami or CumbaYork for the wealth of Ecuadorians in this area and their affinity with travel to the US).  She commented on the size of the houses down here in the valley and we discussed some of the notable differences between our respective neighborhoods of Quito.  We also took some time to bake chocolate-butterscotch chip cookies that melt in your mouth and reminded us of home.

That was a fun way to spend the weekend, and now I'm debating a 1/2 marathon at the end of November...we shall see!

Innovation

I must admit that I've always been a proponent of change.  If I were a scientist, I would probably study enthropy or chemical reactions, but as things stand, I'm more of a social scientist.  Thus my college degree in International Development shouldn't come as a surprise.  Development--as in progress, as in changing from less-developed to more-developed.  Those words are quite charged with meaning that I could explore, but I'd rather focus on another word associated with change--Innovation.

Mirriam-Webster defines innovation as an action--"the introduction of something new" or that new thing itself--"a new idea, method or device."  My thoughts focus more on the action, or at an even deeper level, the creativity and imagination necessary in order to spur on innovation and persevere until a little thought floating on a cloud grows into a ground-breaking invention.

While some people might have been blessed with a greater propensity to create, I believe that we all have a stroke of creativity in us.  After all, if we were made in the image of the Creator God who spoke all things out of nothingness, shouldn't at least a little of that rubbed off on us?  And what then are we supposed to do with that impulse to innovate?

Recently I have seen a number of people dreaming about and attempting new, innovative things.  A businessperson from a recent training class wants to start a business unlike any in the world.  Two people connected to revitalize an industry that had closed when there were no links in the distribution chain.  Another businessperson wants to bring business training and environmental sustainability together in one economically- and ecologically-sound model.

Innovation can be daunting.  Making a new idea a reality is not something that happens overnight, and it takes daring to overcome the very real risk of failure.  However, when I think of innovation in the context of the huge needs in the developing world today, I'm inspired by those who are willing to think creatively in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  We aren't going to eliminate poverty tomorrow, even if we yearn for a world without poverty.  However, if we are going to make progress toward that vision, we need innovative businesspeople who work to create dignified jobs, preserve the environment, and keep working to solve problems with innovative solutions.

Latest training graduates - equipped to create innovative business solutions

One final thought: Gandhi famously said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."  So be innovative--bring positive, lasting, ground-breaking change.

Cruz de Ilaló

I still remember the first time I really saw mountains.  Sure, I had been out to Colorado when I was little, but when I was 10, my family went the Appalachians.  As we left the flat Midwest and approached those ancient towering masses on the horizon, I was overcome by awe at the majesty of God’s creation.  Now I live in a valley high in the Andean mountains, but that amazement still hasn’t ended.  Today was a relatively clear day for the start of the rainy season, and as I look across the valley to where the ridgeline forms a jagged border with the deep blue sky, it reminds me of the song “Hear our Praises” by Hillsong.

From the mountains to the valleys
hear our praises rise to You,
from the heavens to the nations
hear our singing fill the air.

Standing in awe at the beauty of creation quickly reminds us who our Creator is, and praise flows naturally from our awestruck wonder.  But when we don’t have those realizations, it’s easy to go about the day without doing “it all in the name of Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).  Working for Partners Worldwide, I’ve been challenged to explore what it means to do Business as Mission—to run a business or work at one’s job in service to God and others. 

I’m still learning and hope to share part of my journey here in the future, but in the meantime, let me share some pictures of my last time mountain climbing.  This particular mountain has a cross at the top that serves as a reminder that every inch of creation belongs to Him, and we are called to praise him wherever we are—mountains, valleys, or flat prairies!

The view of Chillos Valley at the start of the climb

At the top of the mountain

The Cruz (cross) above the valley

The neighboring hill in patchwork farming plots

Mas Fruta

Yes, that means "more fruit" for those who aren't 100% confident of their Spanish.  Even for those who do know Spanish from some other parts of the world, some of the names for the following fruits might still leave you stumped.  But that's what's unique about Andean fruit--though they might be found elsewhere, many of these fruits, like uvillas, are native to Ecuador, Colombia, and sometimes Peru.

Naranjilla (Solanum quitoense) - the Latin name for this fruit actually means "from Quito," prooving that this is definitely an Ecuadorian fruit.  I actually couldn't find an English name for it (little orange??), but naranjilla, commonly used for juice here, has gone from a "what is this" fruit to one of my favorites!  I'll take it as juice, icecream, a shake, whatever!

Tomate de Arbol (tamarillo) - another native of the region, this fruit is now cultivated as far away as Australia and New Zealand.  Although tamarillo is often used for juice, it's great as a snack - just cut it in half and scoop out the center.  Or you can cut a hole at the top and squeeze out the insides :).  I've also heard that heating the fruit and eating it with honey has medicinal effects on a sore throat.  I'm definitely trying that next time I'm sick!

Pitahaya (yellow dragonfruit) -think "sweet to the 10th power."  I can't say this is my favorite fruit, even though I have a huge sweet tooth.  However, every once in a while I like to cut a pitahaya open and scoop out the juicy flesh and seeds for an afternoon snack.

 
Uvilla (cape gooseberry or Inca berry) - the only time I've eaten fresh uvillas was when hiking with friend.  We came across some growing wild and ate them along the way.  However, my favorite Ecuadorian granola uses dried uvillas as a tangy addition to the mix.  Native to the Andean mountain region, this fruit grows wild and isn't as common to find in a fruit market as the rest. In reality, it looks a lot like a small cherry tomato growing in a pod that refuses to take on any color other than orange.

Guanabana (soursop) - I've never had this fruit prepared in any other way than as a juice, so I'd call that standard fare for guanabana.  However, when I was out on the coast a couple months ago, several people had soursop growing in their backyard, so here's the evidence:

Fruta!

One of the most common questions I get from people back home is--what's the food like over there?  Someday I promise to post pictures of some of the most common main dishes and give an explanation of the general diet, but I'll start off with fruit...

One fruit I really miss from the US is blueberries, which I have yet to find in Ecuador, but besides that, we have all the common fruits you would find in the US--apples, oranges, blackberries, bananas (some of your bananas might actually be from Ecuador), mangos, mandarin oranges (in season now!), plums, and strawberries (there is no season--they are produced all year round!).

On top of those fruits, there are many others that are different, strange, and downright weird-looking.  But hey, as long as they taste good, right?  So here's a few of those random fruits, and I'll tell you about the rest next week.

Achotillo (Rambutan) - I was first introduced to this fruit in Nicaragua, where it's called mamon chino.  The bright red prickly skin is cut or bit open to reveal a sweet, white flesh surrounding a large pit.  When I first tried this fruit, it would take me a full 15 minutes to pry the flesh off of the pit by rolling it around in my mouth.  I'm sure my Latino friends got a kick out of watching me as a gringa try to master the art of eating achotillo.

Taxo (Banana passionfruit) - it wasn't until some Cuban friends recognized this fruit from eating it in their homeland that I dared to try it.  From the outside, taxo could easily be mistaken for a small, rounded banana, but once you cut it open, there are hundreds of juicy pods surrounding bitter seeds.  The best way to eat it is in a batido (milkshake), but if you aren't careful and accidentally blend the seeds, it becomes a bitter drink.

Noni - I'd heard about the medicinal properties of this fruit before, but I didn't know it grew in Ecuador until a businessperson offered me some fruit from her backyard.  When we picked it off the tree (pictured below), the fruit was still yellow-green, but within a day it turned completely white.  I still don't know how to prepare or eat it (it's pretty bitter), but hey, maybe eating a few of these fruits lengthened my life :)

Maracuya (passion fruit) - after living in Central America, I absolutely love maracuya.  It's one of those fruits that's intensely acidic and is best as a juice with lots of sugar, but I would even eat it straight out of the shell.  Even when I'm back in the US, I can often find the juice in Salvadorean pupusa restaurants.  If I had to guess, this is probably the fruit that I'll mot likely be able to eat for the rest of my life.

Granadilla (also called passion fruit) - of the unusual fruits of Ecuador, this is the one that I tend to buy the most.  Although it looks a little like maracuya, granadilla is anything but acidic or sour.  To eat it, you crack open the outer yellow-orange shell, then peel away the skin, and inside there are hundreds of black seed surrounded by grey capsules of sweet juice.  It's a "crunchy" fruit due to the seeds which are eaten with the juice, and since the best way to eat it is by slurping out of the shell, it's also a noisy fruit to eat.  But the noise and possible mess are all worth it.

So there are a few fruits for your culinary enjoyment, with more to come in a future post.

Partners Visit

For those who don't know much about Partners Worldwide (PW), let me preface this post by explaining a little about the structure of PW.  Instead of going to a country and setting up an office and staff and following a set model for international development, PW works internationally by connecting Christian businesspeople from the US (or another more developed country) with Christian businesspeople already living and serving in a given country (like Ecuador).  Really we're all about relationships.  We want to build a strong international partnership between those 2 groups of businesspeople.  We foster relationships with the businesspeople we serve.  This year we're also putting a special emphasis on mentoring relationships, both locally and with international mentors.  All that said, face-to-face contact in a weeklong visit from the North American partners is an important part of strengthening the partnering relationship.

Thus, the end of June/beginning of July was a time of lots of meetings, visits to businesses, and dinners with the various people with whom I work.

The day after everyone arrived, the North American and Ecuadorian leaders talked over plans for the year and had an evening dinner with trainers who help out with the business course.


About 2/3 of our binational team

A special musical surprise during dinner

The second day, we split into two groups to visit businesses in North Quito, South Quito, and the two valleys.  A few of the businesses we visited...

 That evening, the two groups met up in the Old Town colonial area for dinner, and we had a view of the city from the 5th floor Vista Hermosa Restaurant.

Dinner entertainment--halfway thru dinner an elderly man took over the piano at the back of the restaurant.

Looking south--Independence square with Panecillo in the background.

Looking north--La Basilica on the horizon with Toma de Asis in the foreground.

After two days in Quito, I headed to Las Mercedes on the coast with 3 members of the North American team and Edwin, who had led a training course there at the start of this year.  Since Las Mercedes is an agricultural community, we saw lots of cows, pigs, and chickens and ate food that was picked that same day.

Eating fresh cheese at the production site

At the Las Mercedes rice mill

Motorcycle repair--in the past 10 years motorcycles have replaced horses as the main form of transportation within the community.

Lester chopped open a few coconuts so we could finish the day with coconut milk

Scooping out the fleshy coconut meat

 After a quick flight back to Quito and some time together in the airport, most of the team left to spend the 4th of July with family.  A few of us had one last meal together until next time.

 

Ketchup...

...but not the kind that goes with mustard!  After over a month with no updates, I'm not quite sure where to start.  These past 2 months have been full of visits from North Americans and then my trip home to North America.  So here is a feeble attempt to catch up on the last two months in a short summary, with details to follow.

At the start of June I had the blessing of hanging out with my Nizhoni house mentors, their 2 adorable kids, and Noah's parents and siblings.  It was fun to show off my current "home" city, including a trip to the Equator, the Virgin of Quito statue, dinner on the 5th floor of the Vista Hermosa restaurant in the historic Old Town, climbing to a tower of the concrete Basilica, and a Sunday afternoon in the Botanical Gardens and Vivarium of Parque Carolina.  Since I let them take most of the pictures, you'll just have to believe me on all this, but I'd recommend their schedule to anyone else who wants to hit the highlights of Quito.

Riding in pickup truck back-one common activity in Mercedes

At the end of June, our North American team from Partners Worldwide came for a week-long visit to meet with the local board of directors, visit businesses, and take trips to Cuenca and Las Mercedes.  I went with the Las Mercedes group and had the pleasure of meeting graduates from the business training course that my coworker Edwin led over the past 6 months.  More on that later.

Crossing a swaying bridge in Las Mercedes--that's the norm...

The day after the North American team departed, I made my 3rd ascent of the Rucu Pichincha volcano with my PW coworker who was in town for the North Americans' visit.  It was the first time that I climbed on a clear day, and the view was absolutely spectacular!

On top of Pichincha, with Quito far below

Although my return to the US missed the 4th of July by one day, I was in time to see my sister just before my very first niece, Mikayla Grace, was born.  Being an aunt is amazing.  I can't wait to hold that little girl again.

Mikayla in her first Ecuadorian dress

The next few weeks in Michigan included the arrival of my brother and sister-in-law from Honduras, their "Michigan wedding reception," time with my cousins who are scattered all over the US, and my first trip to a ribs festival.  All in all, it was amazing to see so many friends and family and be back to speaking my first language all the time.

The lovely couple

Quality time with awesome cousins

Chowin' down on ribfest ribs with a friend!

Now that I'm back in Ecuador, I'm re-learning Spanish (just kidding, I remember it, though I was pretty rusty when I first got back), helping out with the latest business training course in Quito, and jumping right back into the thick of things at work and church.

So there's the ketchup...ahem, catch up.  And I'll be sharing more details in...less than 2 months. :)