Two weeks ago, we went to the second tallest active volcano in the world--and climbed it.
Yeah... I was proud.
The coolest thing though, was that I was really able to enjoy it, to soak in the sheer beauty surrounding me and truly admire this feat of God's creation. I mentioned in an earlier post that I was having trouble enjoying nature, but this day was very different. I was meditating on the verse I last posted--about not worrying about anything, but instead praying about everything. And as we climbed higher and higher up the volcano and into the fog, I felt the most incredible peace come over me. The thin, cold air, the lack of any sound but the wind against the rocks and my own heavy breathing... not worrying about anything. It was like I knew in that moment I was completely taken care of and everything was as it should be.
It was pure.
Click the Pic
Thanksgiving
I contemplated cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my family since they don't celebrate it here. But knowing my cooking skills and how different cooking is in Ecuador, I knew it wasn't going to turn out the same. Nevertheless, I attempted... with a lot of help from my mom and aunt. Nothing comes in a box or a can here. Nothing is premade. And nothing is pasteurized or clean. Even just to make a salad, I had to wash and disinfect all the fruits and vegetables, which let me tell you is no easy "rinse with water" process. We ended up with chicken and stuffing, salad, fruit salad, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie, and rice--you can't have a meal in Ecuador without rice.
It actually all tasted pretty good--thanks to my mom and aunt. Before we ate, I shared a little bit about the first Thanksgiving and some of the traditions we have. One tradition I had heard of and thought was cool was to go around the table and say what you're thankful for. So we did-- all 14 of us. And when we got to Emi, she started crying and saying how she was thankful for everyone there ... and everyone that wasn't there--referring to her brother.
Understandable. Completely understandable. But I felt sad and started crying too. I felt like I must not be a suffient enough sibling for her and that I had failed in that respect. Although after some encouragement from Kim, I realized that she's going to miss her brother whether or not I'm a good sibling. (Thanks Kim : ) )
Keilah's Birthday
Two days after Thanksgiving was my cousin Keilah's birthday. We went to High School Musical 3, which was surprisingly good. All through the movie, Keilah was saying things to me like, "This is a movie theatre, Heidi. People come here to watch movies on a big TV!" And then about half way through the movie, she asks me, "Heidi, do you like it? It's High School Musical 3!" I laughed. Really? That's what we were watching?
She's cute.
Afterwards, we went back to the house for shishkabobs and hotdogs, and I ended up having an interesting conversation with my uncle Vicente. It started with him inviting me to go on a trip to visit some lakes, but I was already planning on helping at the dump in Zambiza (a city here). Immediately, he told me, "You don't want to do that. It's sad."
"...That's the point," I said.
"What, to be sad? You want to be sad?"
"No. The point is that this sadness is a reality for the people who live there. I can't pretend like it doesn't exist just because it's sad to think about."
"But you're not going to make a difference, Heidi. You can't do anything in 1 day."
"If I can bring a smile to the face of 1 child for even a moment, I will have made a difference in the life of that child."
"Well, why don't you do stuff like that all the time or in Tulsa?" he asked me very accusedly.
"Well, I do."
"Oh yeah? How?"
I went on to explain to him some of the things I do to help out, the whole time him criticizing me for it. "You can't make a difference, Heidi. Did those people even ask for your help? Maybe they didn't want it!" Then he tells me that my only job in life is to make sure that I am happy. That happiness is the point of life. I told him I didn't agree, and he left the room.
Very mature.
I'm pretty sure God didn't create us and then place us in a world that we turned to crap, all to be happy. Not saying God doesn't want you to be joyful and happy, just that I don't think it's the point.
I talked to him again a little later. He acted like we never had the conversation. ha.
Fiestas de Quito!
That weekend started a week and a half of fiestas in Quito to celebrate its foundation. We had off of school for almost 2 weeks! All over the city, there were "chivas," (two decker trucks with people crammed on them dancing and drinking and playing music) cultural things going on in the centro historico, art displays, concerts, typical food fairs, bull fights, card championships, and neighborhood parties. It all looked fun, although I didn't get to do a whole lot of it. Sebas and I went to some museums and art displays, and the family and I went to a typical dessert fair and a Christmas concert. Both very fun.
Sebas' birthday fell during the fiestas, and he had to play a concert at the conservatory that day. So I went to watch him play, and the conservatory happened to be having fiestas as well. There were games of soccer, volleyball, ping pong, cards, and typical food. It was a fun, outdoor concert, and we had planned to go to a restaurant with a fabulous view later in the evening, but when we called to ask my mom if it was alright, she sounded mad at us. So we went to the restaurant early, when the view wasn't as cool, so that we could be home early to appease my mom. But we couldn't enjoy ourselves. The whole time we were worried about what my mom was thinking and why she would be mad at us. So really, even going in the first place was a waste. Because it wasn't fun. Sebas looked so down the whole night, and I felt like I had ruined his birthday. It wasn't just this night either. Almost every time we would leave the house or ask permission to go somewhere, my mom would respond like, "...I guess if you insist on leaving. But it's dangerous! Be very very careful," and would say it with a face of disgust or anger.
Sebas left that night fairly sad, and I went up to my room and started crying. It was an accumulation of a lot of things, but mainly, I just didn't understand why my mom would be mad at us, and why Sebas' birthday had to be ruined for it. My mom came in, thinking I was on SKYPE with Jessica (it was her birthday too) and found me crying. I tried to cover it up, but then she asked me if I was alright, and I couldn't hold it in.
"What's wrong, Heidi!? What happened?"
Through the tears, I told her why I was upset and that Sebas and I had thought she was angry with us and therefore couldn't enjoy ourselves when we went out. She felt horrible. Which made me feel horrible for making her feel horrible. Which just sucked all around.
She told me she had never been mad at us, and that sometimes, she just wears the face of her work or of her studies and that that's not always a face of happiness. She said I had a lot of freedom, but that if I wanted, she would give me more.
WOOT! I got really excited inside,
but that wasn't the point of the conversation, so I told her that freedom wasn't the problem, and that I was just afraid she was angry with us.
It all came down to miscommunication and misinterpretation.
Imagine that.
So the liberty situation has been really good since then. I ask if I can go places with confidence, and she is more careful of the way she responds--and always says yes!
Oh communication.
Praise God.
Zambiza
A few days later, Extreme Response Missions put on a Christmas party for the people who live at the dump in Zambiza. (The place I couldn't make a difference) It was INCREDIBLE! There was a line of about 3,000 people to come in and play carnival games, get their faces painted, take a picture with Santa, do crafts, dance, watch dramas, and get a hot meal and groceries for a week! Before the people came in, some kids sat on the other side of the fence watching us get everything set up, so I went and talked to them. I can't tell you how incredible it is to be able to talk to children in Spanish. We talked about school--which half of them weren't in-- about their lives and the families they did or didn't have. They told me they would come find me and play the game I was in charge of once they had gotten in, and about 30 minutes later, 5 kids with the biggest smiles were standing in line to play my game. They didn't have any candy yet, meaning they had skipped everything else and come directly to my game. I felt special : )
There were 6 other people manning our game of ring toss, so I figured it would be okay to leave and hang out with the kids. It was a beautiful day spent loving God through his children : )
That was December 6th, the actual day of Quito's foundation, so the parties and fireworks were all over the place. Though after Zambiza, the fam and I spent the day playing Rummy Q. lol
It was actually really fun, though. It felt like Christmas vacation in Tulsa, playing cards in pajamas all day : )
Stories
Orphanage
I was helping out at the orphanage the other day, in the house with 2 and 3 year olds. I was in the living room with some children playing dress up, when I heard the faint cry of a child in a room far away. I figured one of the other volunteers would take care of it, so I stayed in the living room. About 5 minutes later, I still heard the cry, only louder, so I went to see what was wrong. I followed the cry to an empty room where I found a little boy sitting on the floor, crying his eyes out.
"What happened, baby?" I asked as I picked him up. He just continued to cry.
"Did you fall down?" I asked.
"*sniffle sniffle* Hu uh (no),"
"Did somebody take your toy?"
"*sniffle sniffle* Hu uh (no),"
"Are you hungry?"
"*sniffle sniffle* Hu uh (no),"
"Do you need to go potty?"
"*sniffle sniffle* Hu uh (no),"
"... Did you just... need somebody?"
"*sniffle sniffle* ... Uh huh (yes)," and he cuddled up in my arms.
"Aw! I'm here baby!"
It was one of the most precious moments I've ever had in my life.
Guitar
A few weeks ago, I asked my guitar teacher why they don't use the general "ABCDEFG" music system here. With animosity, he answered me, "Because we're in South America. Not everything is universal or like the United States." I looked at him with this face of "why the crap would you say that?" It was probably the 3rd or 4th slam he's given me about the U.S. Later I asked him if something bad had happened to him in the States, and he was like, "No. Why do you ask?"
"Because you always say crap about it and give me a hard time!"
"What!? What are you talking about?" he asked me. So I recounted all the things he's said, and he was like, "Oh, crap. You understood me...I'm sorry. I'll watch what I say." haha. Then we talked about the crappy things that are going on in America and the things we both don't agree on. So it ended well : )
Thoughts
To all of you back in the U.S., enjoy your lovely Christmas : ) Don't take for granted that fact that you are spending it with your family or in the way that you're used to--not even the little things. They may mean more to you than you think. It's hard to know what you have until it's taken from you or you from it.
