Success in Puyo

Although Puyo´s Center for Special Education was much more progressive than we had seen in Mindo, the educators, psychologists, therapists and mothers were still very eager to participate in our workshops. The facility had relatively many resources for special educational needs. Nonetheless, the CITTI Project had inspired new ideas that soon translated into realities. One teacher even noted that a lot of the presented adaptations are great alternatives to materials that the center did not receive enough funding to obtain. It was personally inspiring to see such collaboration and enthusiasm from everyone. What a great finish to yet another year!

-Anna Isachenko

Workshop in Puyo!

Our arrival to Puyo this morning was earlier than we had originally anticipated, and so after setting up the workshop stations, we were able to tour the school. I couldn´t believe the differences between Puyo and Mindo!

It had been to my understanding that Puyo would be similar to Mindo, and the concept of ¨basic education¨ was stressed. What I discovered, however, was an advanced facility (in comparison to Mindo), with thoughtful adaptations and beautiful classrooms packed with equipment. There were so many great things that I had never thought of, nor seen, before!

I´m always a little nervous before the workshops because I don´t know how actively engaged the participants will be. Within the first ten minutes, the air was filled with a buzz of excitement and people were immedietely picking up materials and developing ideas of what they wanted to create.

I was fortunate enouhg to have the experience of introducing a mother to the head of a special needs committee. He was interested in creating a button hook that we had on display. I was in the middle of helping a mother create one, so rather than re-explaining all of the steps to the gentleman, I introduced the two and the mother took it upon herself to help him along. What was perhaps even more remarkable, was that this was a man who needed his own adaptation. The mother immedietely catered to his needs, while also giving him enough room so that he could independently carry out the tasks that he was capable of.

In Mindo, people seemed to have an idea in their head and carry it out on their own away from the rest of the table or group. Here, I got to witness professionals and parents, students and children, actively engage with each other and share ideas.

It was wonderful to experience both towns and see the similarities and differences between the communities. Both are filled with wonderful, dedicated, hard-working, loving individuals who have forever left an impression on me and inspire those around them. Great job, everyone! It was a collaborative effort between locals and CITTI Project, and I think it couldn´t have gone more perfectly!

Katherine Behrens

Hot Springs in Baños

Today was our free day in Baños. We slept in and then went to breakfast at the hotel.  Then Katherine, Andrea, Taylor, and I went to the hot baths.  We had expected natural springs but were told they were public pools filled with water from the springs.  When we got there, we were surprised to see that two of the pools were murky brown and one was blue, although I guess brown makes sense if it´s coming from nature.  The blue one was cold so we went to the big brown one in the middle. It felt kind of like warm bath water, which was pleasant.  But it was crowded and there was one woman near us who kept kicking to splash water on people when they got too close.  We decided to try the other brown pool.  It turned out to be a good decision because that one was like a hot tub.  It felt very nice. 

After awhile we got out and jumped in a stream of water coming out of a pipe in the rocks.  It was cold but not too cold, just shockingly refreshing.  Then we rinsed off in a warmer shower.  It was a good excursion, and you´ve gotta check out the hot springs if the town you´re in is named for them.

Renee Metzger

Citti Project from the point of view of an Ecuadorian Brown Velvet Tarantula

So I was minding my own business, hanging out at my home, Indi Wasi, in Salasaka, Ecuador.  Night fell and I was starting to get cold so I sauntered over to room 6 of the hostel, assuming it was unoccppied.  I crawled under the door and found myself a nice warm crack to curl up in for the night.  Room 6 has always been the best room to squat in, as it has many entrance points for a limber guy like me.  Just as I was dosing off a ruckus awoke me.  I peered up, sleepy eyed, to see a couple of tourists staring at me, wide eyed and speaking a language I didn´t understand.  They were pointing and looking at me, which I thought was a little rude.  I mean, how would you feel if me and my buddies were dangling over your bed and causing a ruckus while you were trying to sleep?? 

Anyway, thankfully they took off in quite a hurry and I settled back into sleep.  Not five minutes later they´re back, talking loudly and gesturing toward me.  Now what? I think to myself, sleepily eyeing the group that has now entered my room.  Before I know it I´m covered in a poncho and being squished and stomped by a heavy foot....

I bet you´re wondering how my story ends.  You might think I´m dead.  Well, you would be right.  I considered taking an early entrance to spider heaven but I´m really way too young for reitrement.    I have opted to roam the earth in ghostly form.  I now haunt room 6 of Indi Wasi, hobbling around on my 8 legs and waiting to get my revenge....  Watch your back CITTI Project!!

-Gabrielle Heselton

Enjoying the Indigenous Community of Indi-Wasi

The Community of Indi-Wasi is always a wonderful place to be.  We hiked up the sacred mountain and came back down the Inca trail.  Food is wonderful and plenty.

Hiking up the sacred mountain

Making our way down the Inca trail

An abandoned wolf cave!

Bridgett & Francisco

Grinding corn for humitas de choclo

The final touches of making our dinner

Musings from Salasaka

Writing from the indigenous community of Patuloma, in the town of Salasaka.  A little boy with rubber boots up past his kneecaps is running around, pretending to shoot white people with a peeled ear of choclo corn.  Two women in long black skirts and woven ponchos just walked by, carrying armloads of corn and conversing in the hushed, reproachful tones of Quichua.  Three horses laze in the background.  And in front of me, a mixed group of special education professionals and indigenous women is peeling back corn husks to make dough for humitas.

Dahlias and tree tomatoes grow in the garden; every now and again, the donkey brays a little.  The sky is the exact blue of the clothespins Gladys and I bought earlier today from a black-market vendor at the side of the street in downtown Ambato--little wisps and smears of clouds float slow across the sky.

Life in this community seems calm and quiet, well defined.  Weave.  Cook. Eat, and feed others.  Shower the children with love and concern.  Indi Wasi is a community tourism project, started by one of the leading families in the area--a part of a process of exposure and development that has, among other things, paved all the roads in the past few years and opened a local college.  It is more common now than I remember from my last visit for folks to wear modern dress, waist up or waist down.  Sometimes entirely.  But sometimes not at all.

I´ve been thinking alot lately about what one accomplishes with one human life.  Are we doing enough, if we just try to be happy?  What kind of mark should we make on the world?  Give me a few summer days without work or expectations, and I´m climbing the walls--I need to be doing stuff, getting things done.  Gladys is a hurricane of activity: when she isn´t organizing the smallest details for our travelling group, she´s shopping for materials or helping serve dinner.  Her ringtone circulates through my mind like a pop song, because there´s always someone needing something from her.  In Patuloma, the whole of your life could be cooking, or spinning.  You could spend the next several months on a second tank for water.  You could, perhaps, be happier than most of us imagine.

Team Spirit

As we travelled to Banos, we learned that the promised translators (German volunteers) would not be forthcoming.  A bit of scrambling later, we were able to be joined by a local who typically works as a tour guide in the rainforest.  He did a most impressive job, sliding right in to our work and supporting it.  On the way back from Puyo, he convinced our bus driver to stop for a few minutes by the side of the highway, and gave us a quick photo opportunity at the mouth of the Amazon:

Note that the back row is spelling out ¨CITTI¨.