Life
Ecuador life - parades, earthquakes, experiences
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International Aid Tents – From Post-Earthquake Tent City to Traveling Circus
“Sometimes by not knowing the truth we make incorrect judgments about situations” — Sunday Adelaja What happened to tents from Ecuador’s post-earthquake tent cities? After the April 16, 2016 devastating 7.8 Ecuador earthquake, international aid organizations raced to Ecuador, assisting those who lost everything. Aid organizations set up tent camps where families who lost their homes lived, some for a few weeks, some for many months, a few for more than a year. As Ecuador recovered from the earthquake, families, one by one, vacated the tents and moved into new homes. A second life with the circus When the circus came to Puerto Lopez recently, performers set up their…
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Wasp Nest Removal – Not A Recommend Method
“Remove the nest at night time. Wasps are more docile during this time so are less likely to sting” — Pretty much every ‘Wasp Nest Removal’ guide, like this one Two young girls had an unhappy meeting with wasps and had no interest in more encounters. It was up to us to remove the threat on the lot next door. While clearing brush, buzzing around us increased, letting us know we were closing in on the nest. It’s size impressed us once we found it. Active wasp nest in tree I suggested we return at dusk to remove and burn the nest. I was voted down. Paul…
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Puerto Lopez Canton Celebrates Anniversary With A Parade
For me, a day spent monitoring the passing parade is a day well-spent. — Garry Trudeau Happy 23rd Birthday Puerto Lopez Canton Manteño civilization artifacts are often unearthed when digging ground for new cisterns or homes in Puerto Lopez. The town has been around for a long time. Although people have lived here for many years, Puerto Lopez Canton was created 23 years ago (a canton is comprised of several neighboring towns and villages, much like a county in the United States). The canton celebrated on August 31 with an anniversary parade in their canton seat, the town of Puerto Lopez. Main street is closed, anyone not participating lines the sidewalks…
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Imagination, Moats And Drawbridges
Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. –Albert Einstein When you were young did you dream of living in a castle with a moat and a drawbridge? Maybe you imagined you were a prince or a princess and your dog was your pet dragon, guarding your drawbridge. Some kids in Ecuador’s rice country have bridges over aqueducts leading to their homes. Parents build the bridge to get from A to B. Imagination turns the bamboo walkway into a drawbridge (albeit one that does not raise) over a moat protecting the family castle. I imagine kids who live here playing on the bridge, calling…
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Painting A Tall Building, Ecuador Style
“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it.” — Pericles Painting tall buildings is not a job for which I will ever submit an application. Heights and I no longer get along. Perhaps Pericles would say I am not brave enough. These four painters in Guayaquil, however, are. I hope they had a clear vision of what was before them when they accepted the work. These guys are each hanging from a single rope, sitting on a short piece of wood, painting the side of the building, bucket of paint hanging…
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Never Ending Aftershocks
“Anyone else just feel an earthquake in Cuenca?” — Facebook post by the author, June 30, 2017, 5:32 PM June 30, 2017, 5:29 PM The building began swaying back and forth, as if an enormously strong wind was blowing. There was only a light breeze outside. My husband, Scott, and I were reading in our tenth floor Cuenca apartment. We looked at each other, both saying “earthquake” at the same time. There was no panic nor even any movement toward getting up from our chairs. We knew it was too light to be a problem for us. We were concerned about those living near the epicenter, wherever that was. I…
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You’ve Got (No) Mail!
“I’ve always felt there is something sacred in a piece of paper that travels the earth from hand to hand, head to head, heart to heart.”― Robert Michael Pyle, Sky Time in Gray’s River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place Millions of people order products online every day simply by entering their address and payment information. Perhaps you are one of them. I used to be. What would you do if you did not have home mail delivery or a post office box? I know the answer because I have neither. I can’t order products online and have them delivered to my home. There is an upside…
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#WATWB – Clean Drinking Water
This is my first post for the We Are The World Blogfest, which occurs on the last Friday of every month. I chose a story I wrote about a man providing clean drinking water to thousands in coastal Ecuador. A few weeks after the April 16, 2016 7.8 Ecuador earthquake, Tennessee pastor Gary Vance arrived in Puerto Lopez. He had a suitcase full of water filters and a plan – provide clean drinking water for those who needed it. Installed water filter post-earthquake, Ecuador Photo courtesy of Gary Vance Gary has made six trips to Ecuador since the earthquake, spent 88 days in country, delivered 1000 filters, and documented…
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Xanthophobia, Xenoepist, Xyzlacatosis #AtoZChallenge
The author suffered from xyzlacatosis. — grab.com Merriam-Webster publishes a list of user submitted new words & slang in their open dictionary. They remain there until they make it into the dictionary. Three words beginning with X caught my eye. First I list the submitted word with definition. Then I use it in a sentence. xanthophobia (adjective) : the fear of the color yellow. One of the primary colors on Ecuador’s flag and national fútbol team is yellow. If you suffer from xanthophobia, Ecuador may not be the best place for you. Yellow shirts are common in Ecuador xenoepist (noun) : someone who speaks with a foreign accent With my…
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Post-Earthquake makeshift camps #AtoZChallenge
“Living outside is crappy.” — Cheryl PaPania, Don Juan, Manabí, Ecuador April 16, 2017 marked the one year anniversary of a massive 7.8 Ecuador earthquake. I described my experience the night of the earthquake earlier. Today is about a group of people I met 12 days after the quake. Our friend’s car had been in the shop, ready for pick up, when the earthquake hit. The car was at her mechanic’s shop in Manta, an hour and a half north. His family and building structures had survived and after 11 days he proclaimed the roads passable. Some of us collaborated to bake and purchase food and drinks for those we…
