Things You Don’t See at Home: Part 1

Even though we live in a city with many modern conveniences there are just so many things you don’t see at home!

Students in uniforms – On our walk home from school we must share the sidewalk with hundreds of students from many different schools all either making their way home or to school for the second shift of the day. We have never seen so many students in one place. They all seem to converge on the street we take to get home. Between our home and our school we have encountered students from at least 10 different schools, all in their school uniforms. The uniforms are all similar, in that the girls all wear pleated skirts, some plaid and some solid colours, with knee socks and black shoes. The boys wear dress pants with black dress shoes. They all have some kind of a sweater or jacket with the school crest on it. Each school also has their own track suits which we presume are for phys ed.

The goat lady – We live on a busy street where the traffic rarely slows down. This is not so different from a city at home. But what we don’t see at home, walking down the sidewalk of a busy street is a woman leading five goats. She calls as she walks, letting people know she has milk for sale. We have watched her stop at a house across the street where a man brings her a small jar and she milks the goat right there on the sidewalk. He pays for his milk and she and her goats carry on down the sidewalk.

Manual labour - House construction is done much differently here. We have watched with interest as an addition takes shape on the house across the street. Since lots are small, the only way to get more space is to go up. Everything is cinderblock/brick construction. We have watched one of the men throwing bricks one at a time, to someone on the next level. This is after they have carried the bricks up two floors to the current top floor. We have watched the welder standing on a narrow piece of steel as he welds two pieces of framing together. We have watched them haul gravel for cement up to the roof by hand. They fill a pail on the ground and then pull it up two floors with a rope. (We really don’t spend all of our time watching the neighbours. It’s just that it’s all happening right outside our window!)

People riding in the back of a truck – If there isn’t enough room in the cab, just hop in the back. Children and adults alike use this form of transportation. We have seen construction workers arriving at the job site in the back of a truck ready to begin a day of cementing. We have seen sanitation workers, police officers, soldiers all getting a lift to where ever they need to be in this way.

Bakeries and chicken restaurants – Apparently Loja is known for its bakeries and chicken restaurants. You may think you see these at home, but you don’t see four or five bakeries on every block! On our walk to and from school we pass by so many bakeries. It’s hard for Dave to pass by so occasionally we stop for some treats on our way home. We have been told that most of the bakeries actually bake on site. How they all stay in business I don’t know. There are also several chain restaurants specializing in rotisserie chicken: Super Pollo, Sandi Pollo, Pavi Pollo. Downtown they are almost as numerous as Tim Hortons at home. So far we have tried two of the three and found them to be quite good.

Garbage collectors running to do their job – Yes, running. There are four men working on one garbage truck. The truck never stops unless it comes to a red light. The men seem to have a rotation as they run to pick up the garbage cans, empty them, drop the garbage can back on the sidewalk, run to catch up to the truck and hop back on for a few metres. Often all four of them are running to pick up the next four garbage cans. We are always careful to stay out of their way when we meet them. We wouldn’t want to mess up their rhythm.

Fireworks in the square – Soon after we got here there were a lot of celebrations with fireworks going on. We were at the main square one evening when the fireworks were beginning. They were being set off from a makeshift ladder affair, somewhat like a mini oil derrick, right next to the buildings, with crowds of people all around. I think there was a fire truck nearby.

Dogs – Yes, we do see dogs at home, but most of them are in a fenced yard or attached to their owners with a leash. We do see some dogs with leashes, often wearing little sweaters, but by far the majority of dogs we see are without leashes, collars, or owners nearby. They don’t seem to have had a “control the pet population” campaign here. With so many dogs running loose, you can imagine all of the mixed breeds of dogs around. We have never seen so many different and sometimes funny-looking dogs. The other problem with dogs on the loose and very little green space … well you can probably imagine that too. They have not adopted the “poop and scoop” motto here either. So we have learned to keep a watchful eye on the sidewalk as we walk.

Stay tuned for Things You Don’t See at Home: Part 2

The Sounds of Loja

Before coming to Ecuador, we would never have thought about the sounds of a place. But the sounds of Loja are different than the sounds of Rocky Mountain House. Now that we have been here for a little more than two months I think we’ve heard it all. So here are the sounds of Loja:

The garbage truck – You’ve heard about this one before but it still amazes me that a garbage truck plays such a friendly little tune. We hear it every day at all hours.

The gas truck – At first I thought this 6 note tune would drive me crazy if I had to hear it all day long. Surprisingly, it’s one of those things that you seem to block out, like the traffic noise. Jenna, on the other hand, would be singing, humming, or whistling that tune all day! Now that would drive us crazy!

Our washing machine – They do like their tunes here. Even our washer plays a happy little song when the cycle is complete. It’s much nicer than the annoying buzzer on our washer at home.

Horns honking – Okay, sometimes they honk at us when we don’t cross the street fast enough but usually it’s at other drivers. No sooner does the light change to green and everyone honks their horn, as if the driver at the front might not have noticed the change. As also mentioned in an earlier blog, drivers tend to honk and go at a stop sign. Taxis also honk at us frequently, but it’s just a friendly little toot, offering us a ride.

Car alarms – We have never heard so many car alarms! They are constantly going off and no one pays any attention. It’s not a simple alarm but rather a whole series of sounds that continue for quite some time.

Parrots – We only recently heard parrots outside the school. Unfortunately, the sound is not as pretty as the bird and is only somewhat better than the sound of a magpie.

Roosters – Often on our walk to school in the morning we will hear a couple of roosters crowing behind someone’s fence or on a rooftop.

School bells – They aren’t so much bells as sirens. At first we thought there must be an emergency nearby but were told not to worry; it was only a school bell indicating the end of a class.

Venders selling their wares – It is not uncommon to hear people walking down the street calling out what they are selling: anything from candied apples, to brooms and mops, to goat’s milk. The market also gets very noisy with everyone shouting, trying to be heard above their neighbour.

Loud music – You may think you’ve heard loud music but we’re talking rock concert volume everywhere, even in church. When the bass makes your chest vibrate, that’s loud. We have also been in some of the plazas for some outdoor musical events which were at a similar volume.

Noise makers – People here seem to be very fond of loud noises. These sound just like fireworks and go off at all times of the day and night. For what purpose? We’re not sure!

Crossing the Street

As we were walking down the street after an English class, one of the students said to me, “My English teacher told me that in the United States cars stop for people.” I said, “Yeah, in Canada too!” He was incredulous. If you have travelled at all, you will know that only in North America do pedestrians have the right of way. This has taken some getting used to, and crossing the street is still one of our daily challenges!

Since we are here short term we don’t have a vehicle as most of the long term missionaries do. Not only that, but we live in a fairly central location and really have no need for a vehicle. Consequently, we have been walking everywhere we need to go: to school, to church, to Supermaxi, to the market. This then, involves crossing many streets. You really wouldn’t think it would be that difficult.

Many of the streets are one way and some of the intersections have traffic lights. This doesn’t necessarily make it easier since there are no lights for pedestrians. In Canada, if the light is green, you go and trust that if any cars are making a left turn they will wait for you. Here you have to first look in all directions to make sure no cars are going to turn down the street you are about to cross. With no posted speed limits, they can sometimes seem to come out of nowhere. Streets without traffic lights usually have a stop sign. In Canada, even if a car is approaching, you know it’s safe to cross because they have to stop. Stop signs don’t seem to have the same meaning here. It’s more like, honk your horn and go.

One must also be careful of oncoming cars turning right onto the street you want to cross. Signal lights were a great invention but are not to be counted on here. Dave and I stand on the corner watching the traffic go by and one of us will say, “Okay, after that taxi.” The taxi is almost at the corner so one of us (usually me) starts out into the street, only to hear Dave say, “No, he’s turning!” By then it’s too late to turn back so I sprint across. Dave is still on the other side of the street, laughing. In fact, we have laughed at ourselves many times.

We have found that it’s easier (and safer) to jay walk halfway between intersections. That way there is enough time to cross even if a car comes around the corner. If the traffic is piled up waiting for a light it’s safe to walk between the cars. However, you have to check to see that the light is still red, otherwise the cars will start moving. You needn’t fear that you will stop traffic if you step out onto the street when a car is coming like you would at home. In fact, you need to step out before the car is there in order to have enough time to cross before the next car gets there. We are learning this as we watch the locals.

As the days and weeks go by, we are slowly getting the hang of crossing the street. But it seems that every time we think we’re getting pretty good at this, a car comes out of nowhere and we have to make a run for it. As long as we stay focused and alert, we’ll be okay!

Life with Lily

Upon our arrival in Loja we were fortunate to be able to move into the apartment of a family on furlough to the United States this year. The apartment came complete with furniture, linens, dishes, food in the cupboards, and a pet cat named Lily. We found out very quickly that Lily is no ordinary cat.

Lily was obviously used to having the run of the place. I guess we’re just not as tolerant as her owners and we didn’t approve of her jumping up on the table and the counter in the kitchen. Luckily all of the rooms are separate and have doors that can be closed. It’s a bit of a pain opening and closing doors when carrying dishes and food from the kitchen to the dining room table but we’re getting used to it. If a door is left open, Lily is quick to sneak into the room. She can also open cupboard doors and hide inside.

Lily is an escape artist. The first time we left her at home we came back to find her outside. The door was closed and locked. The only way she could have escaped was through the “skylight”. This is a rather amazing feat, considering it’s about 12 feet from the floor. We’ve never seen her do it but we imagine she jumps onto the washer, then onto the water heater and then another 5 feet straight up the wall to the edge of the skylight. There is a significant hole at the side that she can fit through. So far she has not come back in that way. Every night we hear the crash as she goes out and then she meows at the door at some time during the night to be let in. Sometimes she goes out more than once a night.

A few days ago we had been out in the evening. We came home and Lily did not meet us outside as she usually does but we could hear her meowing behind the door. As we got closer to our door we realized it was our neighbour’s door that she was behind, not ours, and our neighbour lady wasn’t home. How she got in there we’re not sure. We’re hoping she hasn’t discovered another way in and that it was through the open door when no one was looking.

Lily is not a friendly cat. For a while I thought we were coming to an understanding and were beginning to tolerate each other. Things have recently gone the other way. We have begun to let her come into the living room when we are there, mostly because she makes a fearful noise when she wants to get in, and I was starting to feel a little sorry for her, being confined to the hallway. (It really isn’t that bad. She has food and water and a towel to sleep on and, of course, the skylight to escape through.) In the morning when we are sitting down to drink our coffee, Lily likes to jump up on my lap. She starts to purr, but then starts digging her claws into me and biting on my clothing. If I try to push her away she jumps at me and bites my arm. I’m glad I’ve always been wearing long sleeves, or I’m sure she would have left a pretty good mark. Needless to say, I’m a little wary of her now and rather than have her climb into my lap I stand up to drink my coffee. Once she’s in the room, it’s not easy to get her out. She has a rather demonic look to her sometimes which makes her more than a little scary.

About three weeks ago Lily got sick. She didn’t eat for three days and was getting very lethargic. I was afraid we’d lose her, mostly because she’s not our cat. And when she was sick, she wasn’t so bad. Dave’s biggest worry was how to dispose of the body if she didn’t pull through. But after three days, she started eating again, and going out for her nightly prowls.

Lily does have at least one redeeming quality. There is apparently an abundance of rodents in Loja. Whether it’s because of Lily that we haven’t seen any or not, we don’t know. But if I had to choose between Lily and a mouse, I’ll choose Lily any day.

Teaching in Loja

We are slowly becoming accustomed to our new teaching assignment. To say it is different from what we are used to is an understatement. Having spent our entire careers in public education we are finding some obvious, and some not so obvious differences, in teaching a small group of missionary children.  

There are a total of five students in our school. Yes, five! There are 3 elementary students and 2 high school students. And how many teachers do we have? Four! I know what you’re thinking, but let me explain. The other couple is involved in other ministries as well, so we have divided up the workload to allow them time for other things. It also gives all of us time for our Spanish lessons during the week. Dave is teaching the elementary math, science and history (and the phys. ed. which happens once a week!)  I’m teaching all of the language arts, both elementary and high school. Even though we only have five students they are at different grade levels, which means preparing multiple lessons. The preparation is essentially the same whether you have one student or twenty-five.

Our day begins at 8:30 every morning. We meet in a room on the top floor (actually, it is the whole top floor) of the Loja Mission Center. We liken it to the old one room schoolhouse, although we are much too young to have experienced itJ The high school students usually work in a small room, off of the larger area. The students work until 11:00 when they have a break. There is a small rooftop area where the kids play. They have learned to improvise and play their version of dodge ball or baseball with an empty plastic pop bottle as a bat. At 11:30 they resume their studies until 1:00 when they are finished for the day.

To be honest, the first few days we really felt like there wasn’t enough to do. When you’re used to dealing with 25 or more students at a time, 3 is just weird! Those of you who are teachers can probably understand. Obviously classroom management isn’t an issue. Class discussions? Difficult. Group activities? Almost impossible. Competitive games and activities? Very difficult. We are having to come up with new ways of doing things in order to motivate students and facilitate learning. Now that we have completed three weeks of school, we feel like we are getting into the groove and can appreciate the differences and the time we can spend with each of the students.

Another big difference is the curriculum. We come from a public education background where we are not permitted to discuss Christianity or try to influence children in that direction. To look at all subjects from a Christian perspective and to be able to talk about it freely is new to us. All of the students have surprised us with their Bible knowledge as well as their spiritual maturity.

We are enjoying getting to know our students and are learning some important things from them. Things like, what to eat and more importantly, what not to eat. Where to find the best pizza, what soccer team to cheer for (depending which student you ask), and how to pronounce things in Spanish. (They love to correct our pronunciation.) They are a wealth of information when it comes to Ecuadorian culture. We hope they will learn as much from us as we are learning from them.

Catching the gas truck

Getting drinking water and gas for the stove and hot water tank has been a bit of a challenge. The gas trucks come around all the time, playing a little tune. And I do mean, all the time. We hear that tune constantly. When you hear it, you have to run out with your empty container to signal them to stop. They don’t drive slowly, allowing you time to get to the street. They go flying by at what seems like highway speed. The other problem is that even though you may hear the tune you don't know which street they're on or which way they're going. We kept asking people, “How do you do it?” No one could really tell us, just that you had to time it right and be quick. Everyone also helpfully informed us that there is a number you can call and they’ll deliver it for you. That’s fine if you can speak Spanish and you know your address. The day before we actually moved into our apartment we were here doing a bit of cleaning. Our propane tank was empty and we were getting a little concerned about how we were going to do this. We heard the tune so Dave went outside and waited. No truck came, so he finally came in. As soon as he was in, there it went, right by our building. The next day, we heard the now familiar tune again, so Dave ran outside and this time he was determined. He stood out there for about 20 minutes. Still no truck came. Finally he gave up again and came in. Then, of course, I heard it really close by. I yelled, “I hear it!” Dave ran back out and just caught it. We were so excited that we were finally successful. We are hoping that this will last until Christmas! Since we need water much more often we have decided that it isn’t worth the stress to try to get water from the truck. We’ll pay the extra 20 cents and get it from the corner store.

Then there is the garbage truck. It also plays a tune, longer and catchier than the gas truck. In fact it sounds quite a bit like an ice cream truck. They collect garbage every week day, compost garbage 3 times a week and other garbage 2 times a week. You're supposed to put it out on the street and then take your cans in right after they pick it up. When you hear the tune outside your house, you know to pick up your garbage cans and bring them in. Apparently people steal them because you have to have one of the official garbage cans and they cost $15.They usually come after we leave for school so yesterday we were wondering if  we would still have a garbage can when we came home. We did. Our landlord had very kindly put it inside the gate for us.

So we are slowly getting a few things figured out. More next time.

Getting to Loja (Aug. 2012)

Big newsy catch up

When we cancelled our telephone at the end of Aug. we didn't get around to getting our contact information off the email programs we had been using for years. Oops! We would love to hear from you at cooksinecuador@gmail.com. We can then add you to our contact information.

There is a lot to tell from the time we left home. We were not quite ready for our renters when they came on the 20th. We were carrying things out the back door as they were carrying things in the front door. We were so happy to be done all the cleaning and packing. We stayed in Edmonton at Kyla and Sean’s the next two nights. We spent Tuesday getting ready, shopping for last minute things and repacking to distribute the weight evenly. In the end, we had space to take more but we would have had to pay for any additional weight as we were already over our limit for TAME in Ecuador. It was difficult saying goodbye to the kids in Edmonton as the evening got later.

We didn't go to bed until about 1:00 and then had to get up at 3:00 so Kyla could take us to the airport. The trip was rather uneventful up to Quito. Now we think Dave left his camera in one of the security checks along the way.  It has not turned up anywhere. We had a six hour wait in Houston, but it didn't seem that long. Since we had had so little sleep the last while (packing and cleaning and preparing to leave) we slept on every flight and bus ride. Neither of us could seem to stay awake. We had no trouble with immigration or customs in Quito except that the line was very long and it was late (although we did get into Quito about 11:00 pm,  20 min. early). The other teachers from the states had flown in the day before and they were waiting with a sign that said "COOK". We were very happy to see that sign since it meant that we would be taken care of the rest of the way to Loja. It was a short taxi ride to the guest house. It was about 1 a.m. by the time we saw our beds. The taxi came back for us at 6:30 the next morning to get the flight to Cuenca. We had our hundreds of dollars ready for the extra baggage fees. When she said 34.50 we thought we heard wrong. The Loja airport is closed for modernization so the last 200 kms are by bus. In Cuenca we had to get our luggage to put on the bus.... no problem. We've checked luggage many times. We got it put on but then there wasn't enough room on the bus for all of the passengers. There was a van behind the bus but that didn't have enough room either so we had to wait for a second van to arrive. In the meantime, the bus with our luggage, including the carry-on with Loretta's cameras and our wads of cash, had left. The van ride was a bit harrowing since our driver liked to take the curves at speeds much greater than the speed limit, and it was all sharp curves. We heard screeching tires (ours) many times. He also liked to take the inside lane on the left turns and pass on solid lines.  If you get a chance, check Google Earth for the PanAmerican Highway from Cuenca to Loja....high mountain passes with continually twisty turns. The trip usually takes just under 4 hours. We made it in about 3 1/2 hours but that included a 15 min. bathroom break, two police checks and two stops for construction. Luckily, we were too tired to stay awake for much of the trip. When we got to Loja the van driver took us to the airline office to get our luggage. At first it appeared as if no one was there but someone did come to the gate. He opened the door and there were all our bags.

We stayed at the Loja Mission Centre for the first six nights until we could get our apartment cleaned, organized our way, and get used to things around here a bit and until we could get cell phones. We had our own little apartment in the LMC. We have been well looked after since our arrival. The first day one of the missionary families brought us supper - spaghetti, homemade sauce, carrots, cucumber and a tomato. It was actually really nice to just be by ourselves instead of meeting more new people. We were really tired those first couple of days and enjoyed several naps. Since then we have been invited out by other missionaries and have received practical advice about living in Loja and had many offers to help with anything we might need help with.

Loretta and Dave