Fantasy Football Champ!

Well, I did it.

I managed to not watch a single minute of NFL football, and still beat 7 others in fantasy football. While I chalk this up to beginner's luck (I didn't draft, the computer did), it's still thrilling to win. And as much as I hate to admit it, I did check progress of the final game of the night (Minnesota @ Carolina) to watch if the last player in the match-up (Adrian Peterson, RB, Minn.) could garner the 11+ points I needed him to win championship. And I was pretty nervous, as moments before FOX Sports updated me that Mr. Peterson had just caught a 63-yard pass, I typed, "so what did MIN do, pull their starters? all I need is for AP to get 8 yards," for all the league to see. The best part is I can laugh about it.

I owe thanks to James, Robel, and Colin, fellow alumni of Vanderbilt, for being in the league that kept me attached to America's favorite sport (baseball is still my past-time). Special thanks goes out to Robel for inspiring my team identity ("Robel = Detroit Lions of 2k9").

Fantasy Football

I got an email from a friend and former roommate in August asking if I'd be interested in fantasy football. While I love college football, the NFL has never been something that has interested me- there is way too much emphasis put onto it when there are so many other sporting events going on in the fall (like cross country!) Never the less, I joined, thinking it would be a good way to stay connected to James, Colin, and Robel while I spent a year abroad. I am happy to say, that today I am entering the playoffs as a number 1 seed, 4 games ahead of 2nd place, with an 11-2 record. This is completely unexpected, not just because I could care less about the NFL, but because I have seen a total of 35 minutes of football this year (split between 2 college football games) and 0 minutes of NFL. I've been away from all the ESPN Sports Center analysis; Fox, CBS, and NBC broadcasts; and newspapers which cover "American football".

With the playoffs starting, there is renewed pressure to figure out who to play. Luckily I found the the website helps with this (that could have been helpful in the previous 13 weeks), and I hope to make it to the championship game next week. I'll keep you posted.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

To quote Andy Williams, December is "the most wonderful time of the the year." Starting backwards, you have New Years Eve, proceeded by Christmas, Christmas Eve, my birthday*, the last day of Hanukkah*, and the first day of Hanukkah, all days that lead to general good cheer (*generally in that order). Well this year, we must tack on to the end of that list Feria de Quito, the 9-day festival celebrating the (re)founding of Quito on December 6, 1534.

The Feria de Quito, among other things, celebrates Quito's Spanish heritage, complete with a compliment of parades; chivas parties, occurring on large trucks with live music; and bull fights (more about that later). It's also a time to celebrate Ecuadorian culture, with local artisans touting panama hats and leather goods, available for sale in the markets and near the Plaza de Toros.

Another highlight of December is our Secret Snowflake. Similar to Secret Santa but with more irony (snowflakes in this equatorial sun?), we have all drawn names and sworn secrecy until the exchange Sunday. While a limit of $5 would stifle any gift attempts in the States, it has only spurred creativity, due to a penchant we all share for baked goods and the still-coolness of Ecuadorian markets. Shawn, Chet, and I all picked up our gifts Friday, leading to the most difficult part of me as I have to wait 6 more days to give my gift to a certain MPI hermano.

While I am not joining the seven other PDs going home for the holidays (the joys of a one-way ticket), I will have to opportunity to celebrate Christmas with my family here in Ecuador. This will be only the second time I'm not in Michigan to celebrate with extended family, and while I'll miss the snow and cold, I'm looking forward to showing off my new city to my mom, dad, and sister.

I hope to wish you and your family a wonderful December filled with family, friends, and, perhaps, a little reflection; after all, New Years resolutions are only a few weeks away (followed shortly there after by my second favorite month- February, when we break our New Years resolutions).

Besitos,
Mike

Song of the Post: "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Andy Williams

A version of this post appears on Open Hands and Dirty Feet, the MPI Ecuador blog.

Feliz Dia del Escudo

While most of you celebrate Halloween on 31 October, we can't do that here. It's not for lack of desire to dress up like the Joker, Jack Sparrow, or some feline (in effort for full disclosure, we did not see Ms. Spears in Quito), as I saw a few of these characters last night. It is, however, illegal to celebrate the day of jack-o-lanterns, witches, and trick-or-treating. In 2007, President Rafeal Correa banned the holdiay, instead insisting that children, both young and old, celebrate the "shield," the insignia on Ecuador's flag that distinguishes it from that of Colombia and Venezuela. Today, kids are learning a now holiday, one filled with national pride (sorry for the Spanish).

So what, you may ask are the ever-intrepid MPI volunteers doing to celebrate Halloween, however illegal it may be? Krysta & Haley made orange cupcakes (sorry no picture, we ate them all), and all of us (falta Erik) are headed to Canoa, a beach about 8 hours away by bus. It helps that Halloween is quickly followed by El Dia de los Muertes and Cuenca's Independence Day, giving us a nice four-day weekend to use at our digression.

As I've mentioned before, I'm on an Ecuadorian soccer team, Rumiñhaui SC. Today, Chet and I played in our 2nd and 3rd games, respectively (there was a mix up with my number), and I scored the first goal of the game. It was not pretty, but it was not a day for pretty play, as the field, which is sand, was turned into a mud pit, making for super slow play. The ball went in off my thigh (thank God for my big thighs?) and we went up 1-0, which was all that mattered at the time. Overall, we ended up losing the game, bringing our record to 1-1 with Mike playing (we're 1-2 w/ Chet, but that does not reflect on Chet's football skills, as he his way better than me). I'm looking forward to our game next week, which could either be scalding hot, a muddy mess, or a cold and dusty day. All is fun with Rumiñhaui!

Happy Oktoberfest!

While Oktoberfest is not officially celebrated here, we are still enjoying a holiday by grilling out on the roof and celebrating Guayaquil's Independence Day. Since it's a 3-day weekend, the Manna house is a little lonely, as some have taken this as an opportunity to travel- Sonia and Ricky, her boyfriend, are in Tena exploring the rainforest, Bibi is in los Bancos, while Haley and Sarah are in Otovalo getting away from us. Most of the rest of us have tickets to the Ecuador-Uruguay World Cup qualifying game tomorrow. All in all, it should be a nice little vacation from everything Mannan

Happy holidays!

Weekend Update

Friday the Teen Center hosted its first movie night, screening I Am Legend, or Soy Leyenda in Spanish. We ended up with 7 kids, which was a little disappointing, but much of that was probably due to the early time and the rain that began as the kids were supposed to arrive at the library (which means they still had about 30 minutes to travel). Hopefully our next movie night, in two weeks on the 16th, will benefit from a later start time and more attendance.

Saturday Chet and I went to our first soccer (futból) game. We are now proud members of the Ruminhaui Sports Club (RSC) football team. The game was just up the road from out house, between Puentes 3 & 4 (all the bridges are numbered; we live close to Puente 7). After a slow start, RSC pulled out a 3-2 win over the blue and grey Hyundai (??) team. I know some of you are surprised to hear I'm on a soccer team, especially since I've only played on an intramural team in college (bet you didn't know that either), but rest assured I didn't play this past weekend, only watched, as the place that was supposed to make our uniforms ran out of material (white and blue, basic, no?). Instead, Chet and I cheered from the sides, thanking God that we got to see what we're getting ourselves into for the next 4 months. After watching the whole game, we feel good about our ability to hang in with the Ecuadorians.

In addition to Chet and me, Sarah, Krysta, Haley, and Jackie are joining the women's RSC team. They had a practice Sunday: it lasted 3 hours, complete with yelling from their coach to one of the new players to "just stand there be big!" and a visual uniform fitting that resulted in two of the women being told they should wear the same uniform sizes as Chet (just plain wrong). Luckily, the women's coach, Patricia, is the wife of Raul, our contact for the team, and always goes to our game, so I'm sure any advice will get passes on to us, in one form or another.

I fared much better Sunday, reading The Godfather (I've been trying for 4+ years) and meeting our neighbor one street up. Marcia has 4 kids in their 20s or early 30s, of which we got to meet 3; she also has a basset named Paco. After a hot fruit drink and bread (during which more and more people showed up), the all of us played Jenga, during which time we had lots of conversations in Spanglish and were invited to Byron's (a boyfriend) 25th birthday celebration in Quito Wednesday. Hooray for networking! (With Guayaquil's Independence Day Friday and Ecuador's World Cup qualifier game Saturday, this week looks to be a good one.) The evening ended with all of them (Marcia's 3 children and their 2 friends) walking us home, kissing cheeks, and giggling about our new friends.

I'm so cool, I'm featured on another blog!

That's right folks, my blogging is so HOT it's tough to contain it in a single blog. As a result, you can catch me on our

Actually, it's my turn to write a guest blog for MPI Ecuador's daily-life blog. The blog- at Open Hands and Dirty Feet- discusses my involvement with the Teen Center and where we (Shawn, Bibi, & I) hope it ends up by the end of the year.

Same Situation, New Concerns

Classes start tomorrow!

This phrase has always given me anxiety, a feeling that another semester's worth of work and reading was about to start. Not that I wasn't excited to start a new term- new things to learn, new ideas to pursue, friendships renewed- but deadlines never excited me, and knowing that all the great things came with a price caused me pause.

This year, I get to be in a different spot- supporting our teachers get underway teaching the kids in the library. We are running kids and adult English, kids art, and women's exercise classes out of the library starting tomorrow. I do not have the usual jitters- I won't have test, or papers, or have to figureout how to weave me pervious experience into something a professor will find academically worthy; instead, I've traded those doubts with others, namely, will we have people there at all?

There are always trade-offs, and going from a student to the "profe" as we're called, is one I am eagerly anticipating. Sure the doubts about the success of the endevour are there, but this time they are different. I am sure I don't know half of the things that should be worrying me, but I'm content in a break from the predictable cycle that school had become. The unknown is exciting; let's get started!

Blog 2.0

If you are my mother, you'd know I don't update my blog very often. Well, I am out to change that. Starting today, I'm going to post more often. Originally, I had planned to offer some insightful tidbits, something that was well written or witty; as that as not worked well (a single blog post in a month), I've decided to forgo my pride and just write.

With that said, I should let you (mother) know what's been going on the past few weeks. Ten days ago we rapped up our kids' summer camp. We had a pretty good turnout- 17 kids came of the two-week camp. We played games, made art, learned about the environment, and took trips to watch a movie and to the pool. My favorite part were snacks on the roof: it offered time for both kids and profes to catch a breath, enjoy the sun, and eat a couple of oranges. Overall it was a good way to get to know some of the kids we'll be working with in the coming year.

Last week we re-opened the library, which had been closed while the kids' camp was underway. Jackie and I are responsible for the administrative duties, while everybody uses the space as a base of operations within the community. We've been cleaning, organizing, and reworking policies and procedures in order to be reading for next week, when we begin our semester-long programs.

On a more personal note, I hiked Pichincha, the active volcano that forms the western border of Quito, on Saturday. After taking a few wrong turns (did you know you can actually climb a mountain the wrong way?), Sarah, Sonia, and I made it to the top, paused briefly in the cold wind for a few pictures, and then made our way down the rock and sand face. After making it down, we visited Erik's favorite Chinese restraunt and ate everything we could (it was 6, we hadn't had anything to eat since 9am). All in all, not a bad way to spend 5 hours on a Saturday.

Thanks to those who have donated, followed along on the blog, and who are sending encouragement over email. It means a lot to me to have such as great support group back in the states.

-m-

Premier

Tonight was the premier of the third season of Mad Men, an AMC show that goes behind the scenes of an imaginary advertising agency on Madison Avenue beginning in 1960. It is now 1963 and much will change in the lives of these characters; while history tells us that much will happen this year- the first and second Beatles albums, the Birmingham bus boycotts, the end of the Mercury space program, the March on Washington, the deaths of Thich Quang Duc and President Kennedy- the lure of the program is the drama that unfolds as the characters experience and react to their changing world.

Right now, I feel like Don Draper and the other employees of Sterling Cooper will in this season of Mad Men- my world is changing from the comfortable life I have built since I left for college. However, unlike Don, Betty, Roger, and the rest, I have a bit of say in how my life will change. I chose to come to Ecuador, to work as a volunteer, and to engage directly with community development. I get a hand in the change that is coming.

Though I chose this path, there are a number of happenings I am missing to be here- my sister's return from a year abroad in Germany, the phone calls to my parents just to see what's going on, all of college football, spring baseball, and the two hours I got to spend with friends on Sunday nights watching The Real World and Mad Men. Additionally, there are new challenges that I wish I didn't have to combat- keeping up with friends and family solely through electronic media, living with 7 women and only 2 other men, and making lunch without peanut butter or tortillas. Still, this is the place I should be and this is the time to do it.

I am no professional actor or screenwriter, so I cannot aim to match the storytelling ability of the writers and actors of Mad Men; I can, however, share my experiences and reactions to what is sure to be a life changing experience. In that regard, the stage has been set- I've taken a crash course in Spanish, gain my bearings in my new city, met some of the community members, and helped in a summer camp for teens these past two weeks. Tomorrow, we, the 2009-'10 PDs, take over the show, starting our own summer camp for kids in the final weeks before school. The preparation has been done; now it's time for action.

The past three weeks

Three weeks after arriving in Quito, I finally got the opportunity to set down and establish roots in Ecuador: this past weekend, all 9 of the new PDs moved a minivan's worth of clothes, computers, books, and a cape into the Manna House in Conocoto. While we all appreciated our time in Quito (especially its convinience to many historical and cultural venues), the opportunity to communicate in our native language, choose what we eat, be with our new friends, and put down roots is something all of us appreciates. That certain tasks accompany the move (cooking, cleaning, bussing, taking over for the old PDs) make this time more exciting.

So what have we been doing all this time that it's only now, 3 weeks into our stay, that we're putting on the big kid pants? "Cultural immersion." Every morning we spent 4 hours in language school, working one-on-one with our Ecuadorian profesores on a range of topics, from the basic present tense (Chet y yo) to the development of the Mariscal (Erik), the neighborhood in Quito home to travelers, as well as our language school. [The Mariscal is affectionately known as "Gringolandia" by locals for its abundance of hostels, foreigners, bad Spanish, and overpriced everything.] Our afternoons were filled with almuerzo with our host families, a siesta (after 4 hours of learning a language while adjusting to altitude, it's much needed), and activities around the city or talks from the outgoing PDs about their work with Manna. Since the city is large and Manna has already done a lot, there is a lot to learn. As we begin our work, we've learn we don't know half of what we should. Fortunately, the outgoing PDs and Mark, the outgoing Country Director, are here this week to guide us.

Highlights of the past three weeks include:

• Yaka Water Museum- water & bubbles are great for kids aged 21-24
  
• Salsa lessons- taught by an hombre, with all the girls followed along closely
• Watching the MLB all-star game while helping a group of UK people win at trivia night
  
• Obtaining Ecuadorian IDs or censos
  
• Celebrating Chet's birthday with cake and Harry Potter- The Half-blood Prince
• Cooking lessons- how to make traditional Ecuadorian almuerzo and guacamole
• Networking at an talent show sponsored by an Ecuadorian non-profit, FEVI
  
• TeleferiQo- a gondola up Pinchincha, the volcano that forms the western boarder of Quito
• An afternoon in Parque la Carolina
• Celebrating Sarah's birthday at a Mexican restaurant owned by a former telenovela star
• Getting a classroom management talk from an Ecuadorian now teaching in Denver
• A trip with Luis, the director of the language school, for an almuerzo of cuy, better known in the states as guinea pig
  

Through these experiences and others, we've grown closer as a group as well as grown more confident in our ability to navigate what this city and country will throw at us.

Hasta luego,
Mike

Internet is expensive

I've made to Quito safe and sound. In the past week I had my first set of Spanish classes (and realized how much I'd lost), made it to the famous Beatles bar (aka Strawberry Fields), and battled my first "gripe" (flu). All in all, a pretty busy first week, although we are not done yet. Tonight we (all the new PDs and a couple of the old ones) are going to see Harry Potter! Yes! I don't know if there is a more American thing to do than that (except maybe talking loudly and complaining about how bad Ecuadorian food is [which it is]).

I hope to post more soon, but as my battery is dying and I'm supposed to meet up with to walk around the old city, I'm going to have to leave you with this short message.

Best,
mike

Layover

I am currently in the Bogota airport, sitting at a computer terminal. This is an update for those who may be wondering about my travels to Quito (Mom, Dad). Before I tell you too much about what is going on here, I wanted to bring you up to speed with what I have been doing the past week.

Tuesday morning, after running through the baggage check and security, I caught a plane to Miami to meet the rest of my group for a three-day training. The other PDs trickelled in throughout the day, and we took the evening to begin to get to know one another. On Wednesday, we had a formal introduction to the organization, learning about its foundation pillars and meeting the executive director and a board member. Then Thursday, the real for for the Ecuadorian PDs began. Unlike Nicaragua, Ecuador requires volunteers to have a visa before they enter the country. To do this, we had to go the Ecuadorian Counselet, in Miami. There we learned that we did no have the proper background checks: for some reason we needed Florida checks, even though nobody is originally from Florida. The difficult part is that the only way to get a Florida police records check is to be a Florida resident. After much driving, calling, and the great pursuasive skills of Mark (the country director), the woman at the counselet caved, and accepted the checks from our home states, telling us to come back tomorrow at 9:30 to sign for everything. We did this today, breathed signs of relief and headed to Miami International Airport to catch our flights.

Waiting in airports has never been a top to-do of mine, but it certianly has its perks. Given that we arrived at 11:30 am and my flight wasn't until 5 pm, I had plenty of time on my hands. Fortunately I was able to relax with fellow PDs Sarah and Krysta, have a last American meal of pizza, and make some last minute phone calls.

I still have a couple hours of travel left tonight- I leave Bogota at 9:30 pm and arrive in Quito at 11. Then I meet the family I'll be living with for three weeks and head to their house for the night. Tomorrow, all the PDs are getting together for a tour of the language school and a BBQ at the Manna house in Conocoto.

My half-hour is about up, so I just want to say thanks for all who are following- thank you for the interest, the prayers, and the funds to make this possible.

I hope this post is legible; we've been spending a lot of time getting to know one another in Ft. Lauderdale, and that, combined with the awkward keyboard, has made this a particulary difficult post to create.

Getting Ready

It's been a busy 4 weeks- totaling a car (stupid coyote), moving from Nashville back to Michigan, sorting through years of accumulated academic paraphernalia, celebrating matrimony, and raising money for the trip. At the same time, I've been getting to know my future coworkers better as we email back and forth regarding flight plans, recommendations about packing lists, and determining who is bringing which books and DVDs. Judging by their taste in books and films, it looks like we'll have a great group of PDs.

As fast as the past month has gone, I know the next couple of weeks in the states will go even faster. I have a nervous excitement about the trip. I am eager to get started with this experience, yet there are a number of things that have to get done before I can go- things like getting a physical, going to the dentist, gathering the necessary documents for a visa, and packing. Pretty soon, July 7 will arrive and I'll be off to Miami to meet everybody.

I want to extend thanks to McFadden's of Nashville, Marcie Allen & MAC Presents, Rick & Jenny Routson, Karl & Doris Gabrys, Karen Gabrys, Russell & Barbara Jones, Joe & Susan Rizzi, Scott & Cynthia Wirgau, Chuck & Sue Bares, Chuck Lowe, Kyle Southern, and Drs. Bares & Routson for their financial support. I also want to thank those of you who have been keeping me in your thoughts and prayers; I appreciate them, as does my mother.

-mike

Conference Call

I just finished up the first conference call with the 2009-10 Manna program directors (PDs); Mark, the outgoing country director; Bibi, the incoming country director; and Dana, a 2008-09 PD who will be with us until October. It was nice to hear everybody's voice, as well as get some useful information about Ecuador. It sounds like we're going to have a good year.

Points of interest for family and friends:
1. Don't send anything valuable in the mail. The higher the value of the package, the lower the likelihood it will actually be delivered to its destination. In Mark's year-plus in Ecuador, he's had success with his mail 80-90% of the time. Also, writing No Value on a package can save me (or any other recipient) from paying customs fees for anything coming into the country.
2. Phones. Manna provides the PDs with cell phones so they can call one another or other Ecuadorian numbers; the phones do not dial out. Instead, we have a Skype account from which we can call the United States landlines, cell phones, or other Skype users.
3. Visitors. Visitors are welcome and encouraged! The policy for visitors staying at the house for the upcoming year will be determined by us, the PDs when we get to Ecuador, but hostels can be very cheap, in the $7-$9/night range. I will let you know more about visiting when a policy is determined.
4. Language. To help me out with my Spanish, all the PDs will be spending the first three weeks enrolled in language school and staying in Ecuadorian homes. These days will immerse us in the language; hopefully some of it will stick.

I want to take this time to thank those who have supported my by sending donations into Manna- Nick & Janine Stafani, Jane Routson, Butch & Lea Shefsky, Edgar Lowe, and Brian & Mary Morrow. This trip can't happen without the generous support from friends and family.

mike

Welcome

Welcome to my blog about my upcoming trip to Ecuador. If you've found this, you are probably a friend or a benefactor, so thank you!

I hope to use this blog to keep those at home updated about what I'm doing with Manna throughout the year. I hope to include stories and pictures from my time in Quito. Additionally, I'll be keeping everybody up to date on my fundraising efforts, with pleas and requests for help throughout the year.