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-
Showing posts with label summer camp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer camp. Show all posts
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
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.
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.
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