Even if, like me, your Spanish has not advanced far beyond “Buenos dias,” when a young child runs at you with arms upraised, it is pretty obvious what you are supposed to do. So I picked up, spun around, chased, and played with kids until I was exhausted. Playing with the children of the Working Boy’s Center was a microcosm of my entire trip to Ecuador. It was tiring and sometimes a bit frustrating, but ultimately it was fun and deeply rewarding. Much of the trip focused on learning: learning about the Center, learning about the people, learning about the country. All this learning necessitated traveling all over the city and the surrounding area, frequently on crowded public buses. I found that sitting on the rocking buses, wedged tightly next to several other people in the hot air, was just as exhausting as any of the actual labor we did. Yet the our guides from the center rode these buses for up to four hours a day just to get to and from their homes.
We saw poverty while in Ecuador: people living in cramped houses, children gleaning scraps of meat off of chicken bones that I would have considered already picked clean, kids wearing shoes held together by tape. Seeing this, I naturally wanted to do something to help. Yet our main task in Ecuador was to see rather than to do. So while we spent a couple days painting and building, we spent far more time seeing the operations of the center, meeting Ecuadoreans, and experiencing all aspects of the country. It was difficult at times to tour cathedrals and take day trips to go zip-lining while I knew how desperate the situation was for so many people just a short bus ride away. But all our people watching, tourist tripping, and bus riding was absolutely necessary. It is fairly easy for me as a young man to share sweat with the people of Ecuador. Doing so might assuage my immediate pangs of guilt and my labor might even be useful to the people I pity. However, the people at the Center, in showing us all of Ecuador, both the brilliant and the dirty, were trying to get me to take the next step and share my heart with those I was visiting. They were trying to show me the path from hating poverty to loving the poor. What was built in my heart in one week was so much larger than anything I could have built in Ecuador in a year. I feel new meaning in the term “cura personalis.” Helping others is less a single-minded march to achieve milestones than it is opening up my arms and letting them fill with flying children.
-Sam Kernan
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Ecuador Reflection
As I took my first steps onto the plane out of Rochester, I really had no idea what to expect. Not only was this my first time taking a trip with McQuaid, but it was also my first time out of the country. This departure from my comfort zone was a little stressful. However, as I spent the first day as a volunteer, I realized how amazing the people and culture were. The center was filled with phenomenal people who loved the work they did.
During the week, we had the chance to visit the homes of the people who lived two hours away from the center. I was immediately taken back by how little the people had. Most of the mothers had five or ten children living in small huts, that did not even have drinkable water. Their children would wake up before six to take the long ride to the center. However, this was not what impacted me. I was impacted by the tremendous amount of hope they had. They were happy, and they had each other. Their hope was invigorating.
Each day was an opportunity for discovery. By helping paint, teach, and build with the children I not only helped them; but they helped me in return. I realized that no matter what happens in life, we can just smile and pick ourselves back up. I did not just leave with a sense of poverty. I left with something more. I left with a sense of determination and unity with the people. Although we had to leave, I will forever remember the great gift that I shared with the people of Quito. The people at the middle of the world.
-Alexander Caraballo '10
During the week, we had the chance to visit the homes of the people who lived two hours away from the center. I was immediately taken back by how little the people had. Most of the mothers had five or ten children living in small huts, that did not even have drinkable water. Their children would wake up before six to take the long ride to the center. However, this was not what impacted me. I was impacted by the tremendous amount of hope they had. They were happy, and they had each other. Their hope was invigorating.
Each day was an opportunity for discovery. By helping paint, teach, and build with the children I not only helped them; but they helped me in return. I realized that no matter what happens in life, we can just smile and pick ourselves back up. I did not just leave with a sense of poverty. I left with something more. I left with a sense of determination and unity with the people. Although we had to leave, I will forever remember the great gift that I shared with the people of Quito. The people at the middle of the world.
-Alexander Caraballo '10
Ecuador Reflection
6:05 AM: The first of many planes takes off out of the Quito airport. While this was a staple of every early morning at the Working Boys Center, every day of our trip brought something new, exciting and challenging. Throughout my experience, there was no “normal” day. I got to experience all that Quito and the Working Boys Center had to offer me, and I enjoyed being surprised day by day.
Working at the Center gave me a unique perspective on the lives of the people of Ecuador. I got to experience how families learned together and worked together in order to make a living. From working in the carpentry shop with a seventy year old carpenter, to being taught by a five year old girl how to make the bracelets she was selling, I came to learn that both the young and old worked tirelessly to contribute to their family's well being. Whether I was teaching English to young children or teaching a mother of six to read Spanish for the first time, I gained a true appreciation for what these families went through on a daily basis to try and further their lives.
When we visited the homes of the families, a two and a half hour bus ride from the Center, it truly put things into perspective. Children would get up around 4:30 in the morning and not get home until around ten at night, just so that they could learn at the Center. They live in conditions with little running water and extremely cramped living space. The situations in which these people live gave me a true understanding of the sacrifices families make, and the importance of the work the Center is doing. By offering services for the entire family, the Center works to bring families out of poverty now, rather than educating the children and leaving the parents and elderly to inevitable poverty. I found this to be an amazing endeavor that I truly admire.
The Working Boys Center gave me new ideas, new experiences, and most of all an understanding of how hard families in Ecuador work to further themselves in life. Furthermore, my experiences in the city of Quito and the surrounding area showed me the beauty that the city, and the country as a whole, has to offer anyone who is willing to take the time to look. I sincerely recommend to anyone to take a visit to the Working Boys Center. No matter if you stay for a week or a year, you will be greeted with warm hospitality, smiling faces, and I guarantee you will walk away with more than you could have ever imagined.
God Bless,
Conner Boillat
McQuaid Jesuit Class of 2010
Working at the Center gave me a unique perspective on the lives of the people of Ecuador. I got to experience how families learned together and worked together in order to make a living. From working in the carpentry shop with a seventy year old carpenter, to being taught by a five year old girl how to make the bracelets she was selling, I came to learn that both the young and old worked tirelessly to contribute to their family's well being. Whether I was teaching English to young children or teaching a mother of six to read Spanish for the first time, I gained a true appreciation for what these families went through on a daily basis to try and further their lives.
When we visited the homes of the families, a two and a half hour bus ride from the Center, it truly put things into perspective. Children would get up around 4:30 in the morning and not get home until around ten at night, just so that they could learn at the Center. They live in conditions with little running water and extremely cramped living space. The situations in which these people live gave me a true understanding of the sacrifices families make, and the importance of the work the Center is doing. By offering services for the entire family, the Center works to bring families out of poverty now, rather than educating the children and leaving the parents and elderly to inevitable poverty. I found this to be an amazing endeavor that I truly admire.
The Working Boys Center gave me new ideas, new experiences, and most of all an understanding of how hard families in Ecuador work to further themselves in life. Furthermore, my experiences in the city of Quito and the surrounding area showed me the beauty that the city, and the country as a whole, has to offer anyone who is willing to take the time to look. I sincerely recommend to anyone to take a visit to the Working Boys Center. No matter if you stay for a week or a year, you will be greeted with warm hospitality, smiling faces, and I guarantee you will walk away with more than you could have ever imagined.
God Bless,
Conner Boillat
McQuaid Jesuit Class of 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Ecuador Trip Reflection
The trip to Ecuador was a very enlightening experience. Everyone is aware that there is poverty in the world. What I learned in Ecuador is that there are solutions to this problem not by the means of financial support but through education. Lao Tzu once said “Give a man a fish you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a life time.” The Working Boys Center and all of its members follow this motto as they strive to lessen the effects of poverty and hunger in Quito. Instead of simply giving meals or money, the Center educates the people so that they can get out of their difficult situations.
As the first couple days had gone by I found myself having a lot of fun during my time spent with the kids, wither it was engaging in a competitive game of soccer or swinging them around in the air. It was incredible to see these people with so much joy even though they were living in poverty. This was all good and fun but I struggled to find meaning with this and I questioned the impact I was having on the people. After all, I was down there to help no to play. As the trip progressed it was more of the same, I enjoyed myself the entire time touring the city along with playing and teaching the kids, but still did not know what I was to take from this experience.
One night as we were reflecting it finally dawned on me. As Mr. Mullen explained that we are a part of a process and that we are not here to solve the problems of the people or change their live in ten days, but to simply give them hope. As these families see us making an effort to help them, they realize that there are many people willing to do the same. This made me understand that all of the time I spent in the center actually did have meaning to the kids and their families. I did not have to break my back doing manual labor, I simply needed to comfort them and show them that there is hope and that someday they will be out of poverty. Besides taking back home with me a great experience, I take back home with me a great challenge; the challenge to come home and spread the message of the Working Boys Center that there is a solution to poverty through education.
-P.J. Abelein
As the first couple days had gone by I found myself having a lot of fun during my time spent with the kids, wither it was engaging in a competitive game of soccer or swinging them around in the air. It was incredible to see these people with so much joy even though they were living in poverty. This was all good and fun but I struggled to find meaning with this and I questioned the impact I was having on the people. After all, I was down there to help no to play. As the trip progressed it was more of the same, I enjoyed myself the entire time touring the city along with playing and teaching the kids, but still did not know what I was to take from this experience.
One night as we were reflecting it finally dawned on me. As Mr. Mullen explained that we are a part of a process and that we are not here to solve the problems of the people or change their live in ten days, but to simply give them hope. As these families see us making an effort to help them, they realize that there are many people willing to do the same. This made me understand that all of the time I spent in the center actually did have meaning to the kids and their families. I did not have to break my back doing manual labor, I simply needed to comfort them and show them that there is hope and that someday they will be out of poverty. Besides taking back home with me a great experience, I take back home with me a great challenge; the challenge to come home and spread the message of the Working Boys Center that there is a solution to poverty through education.
-P.J. Abelein
Capstone Reflection - Michael Holvey
When I was interviewed by Channel 8, I told them that I would go into this trip without any assumptions. Looking back on that statement, I realized it really paid off. I feel that many people have incorrect assumptions about the poor in other countries, and that could hinder an immersion trip such as this one. I decided to describe one experience, one sampling, of my trip to Ecuador that would adequately summarize and inform students from the class of 2011 about Ecuador.
The experience I decided to summarize is the minga, on Sunday. It is the first time we left a real, physical impact on Ecuador. Not only were we served a glass of beer, but it was instantly gratifying. We were making the dirt floor of the house we were working on, so it wasn’t a very nice one. Our hosts were poor but they were not “spirirtually poor”, as Madre Miguel put it. They acted just like any of us, despite their poverty. I even had the opportunity to talk to one of the boys about the girls in Ecuador (he started it). As I reflected on the trip, the idea that physical poverty didn’t matter at all resonated with me. As I worked alongside parents and kids, their determination was inspiring.
The trip was truly an unforgettable experience. I have never been outside the country before and I am extremely happy that Ecuador was the first. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone in the upcoming senior class. It was the trip of a lifetime.
The experience I decided to summarize is the minga, on Sunday. It is the first time we left a real, physical impact on Ecuador. Not only were we served a glass of beer, but it was instantly gratifying. We were making the dirt floor of the house we were working on, so it wasn’t a very nice one. Our hosts were poor but they were not “spirirtually poor”, as Madre Miguel put it. They acted just like any of us, despite their poverty. I even had the opportunity to talk to one of the boys about the girls in Ecuador (he started it). As I reflected on the trip, the idea that physical poverty didn’t matter at all resonated with me. As I worked alongside parents and kids, their determination was inspiring.
The trip was truly an unforgettable experience. I have never been outside the country before and I am extremely happy that Ecuador was the first. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone in the upcoming senior class. It was the trip of a lifetime.
Trip Reflection
After going on the Dominican Republic trip last year I had high expectations for this trip. It didn't take me long to realize how different this trip was going to be from last year's. When we went to Dominican Republic we had a set goal (build 10 latrines) and we were expected to complete that while we were down there. While in Ecuador, we didn't have a set goal. It was more of a "do as much or as little as you want" trip. This made it very hard for me to feel like I was actually doing something to help out.
For the first couple of days I especially didn't feel like I was doing much. Monday we helped out with an English class where the students asked us memorized english phrases to which I responded something that they seemed to not understand. Tuesday was the day when I especially felt useless when we helped out in the talleres. I chose the auto shop along with PJ and Sam. That consisted of us sitting in on a theory class for about a half an hour followed by the practical application of what they learned. We did absolutely nothing for this besides watch the boys attempt to start various motors. Needless to say, I had a rough start to my experience in Ecuador.
The combination of Wednesday and Thursday was the turning point for me. After seeing the houses these people live in on Wednesday and then helping some of the kids of these families with their crafts on Thursday, I realized that by just being there we were helping these people out.
Friday and Sunday were definitely my favorite days of the trip. On Friday I got to help teach 12 year old girls in an English class. They were learning about the 5 senses and they really enjoyed being able to speak English with us. Sunday was the best day: the minga. I love manual labor and I took full advantage of the opportunity to leave a physical symbol of my service in Ecuador. We built part of the foundation for a house. A 15 year old Ecuadorian boy and myself were in charge of mixing the cement for the foundation. This was a great experience because in the beginning I was taking all the directions from him, waiting for his approval to do anything but by the end of our work there, he and I were working on the same level and I didn't feel the need to ask his permission before doing something. Learning and working with him was the best experience I had on this trip.
Although I did appreciate all of the free days we had and the various activities we did on these days, they posed a certain challenge for me. I felt that we could have done a lot more service during the hours we spent on the zip-line and at the market. As much as I enjoyed myself on the free days, looking back on those activities, they were much less fulfilling than teaching a class or building a house.
This trip helped me to understand that not all service leaves a physical mark. Sometimes the service we do leaves a mark in the hearts of the people we serve, as well as our own.
Scott Levy
One of my experiences
One of my most interesting experiences within Ecuador occurred while visiting the houses in the countryside. Even before the trip, I had imagined what the living conditions must be like. When I actually got to see the natives in their homes I was surprised by what I found. I had prepared myself for realities of poverty, but I had not expected the attitudes of those living in poverty to be as positive as they were. A family with nine children lived in a small hut with a tin roof and dirt floor; they lived well below the poverty line for sure, but one could not tell this by the way the mother acted. This family made the best out of their situation and they were not embarrassed in any way. In fact, it seemed that the only people who felt embarrassed were the students from my group, including myself. The disparity between my own home and the home which this family sleeps in every night hit me hard and left me feeling uncomfortable. This family was eager to point out every part of their house from the outhouse made out of plastic wrap to the homemade electrical box that siphoned electricity from the city. It did not matter to them whether they had the latest or greatest in technology, but just the fact that they had someplace to call home. They are content with the way they live and have more self-confidence than I have seen anywhere else in the world. This experience has changed the way I view poverty and those who live in it. You don’t have to be wealthy or have many possessions to be confident in yourself.
Anthony Odorisi
Anthony Odorisi
Ecuador 2010
As the plane touched down in Quito and the twelve of us carried our bags toward the Working Center bus, predictions of the experiences that we would ensue preoccupied our minds. We had all seen the introductory video letting us know that we would be working with kids and performing some physical labor, but there were no real details. Questions such as: "Would the kids like us? What exactly are we doing? Is not having knowledge of Spanish going to be a problem?" flirted across my mind. Father Juan and Madre gave us a great welcome and answered one of those questions by explaining what we would be doing for the week.
The first few days were very interesting as we "lived the life" of an Ecuadorian in Quito. Small groups split among the varying professions to shadow and work. My group went to carpentry and made small benches out of a seemingly large slab of wood. We also took tours of the various centers where we finally met some of the kids for the first time. When we toured some of the houses of the people at the center, the whole group and I overcame a change in ourselves. Realizing what the people there live in everyday compared to all of the luxuries we have is a startling experience. Their "electrical boxes" are open and pose a threat everyday if one of the wires would just have happened to fall or get rain in them.
On the 2 hour ride home from these houses, our bus was silent. Everyone was trying to feel for what they had just gone through. These people were great people with no shame for how they are living. They are proud even and are joyous with more smiles than I have had this past week. Why do people this great have to be in this situation. They deserve better and, yet, are content. I wish I had their strength. It is not up to us who "wins the lottery." There is a reason why we were placed in a position to help, someone said. The whole goal of this trip was to realize this and act on it.
The rest of the trip was much different. The once shy, cautious, and tentative New Yorkers were now very outgoing and bold. Visiting the houses invigorated all of us with new life it felt like. I didn't know any Spanish and was very isolated as a minority. After the fifth day, this was no more. Interacting with the kids, asking their name, and just having a great time was not hard to do. They want to understand you as much as you want to communicate with them. The most rewarding part of the trip to me was meeting, teaching, and playing with the kids. I would have rather been doing that than the "touristy" parts of the trip to be honest. The Minga and painting were rewarding as well because our group left a lasting impression on Quito, even after we left.
Overall, the trip was an extremely rewarding experience. When I applied for this trip, I wrote that, "I do not know what I will get out of this experience. I do not know what I will learn or how it will affect me." Even as the trip was occurring, I did not realize how much of an effect the Ecuadorian hospitality would have on me. To be honest, I struggle to find the words to describe how the trip has made me feel still. The only way to understand is to partake on this type of trip too.
-Michael Tripp '10
The first few days were very interesting as we "lived the life" of an Ecuadorian in Quito. Small groups split among the varying professions to shadow and work. My group went to carpentry and made small benches out of a seemingly large slab of wood. We also took tours of the various centers where we finally met some of the kids for the first time. When we toured some of the houses of the people at the center, the whole group and I overcame a change in ourselves. Realizing what the people there live in everyday compared to all of the luxuries we have is a startling experience. Their "electrical boxes" are open and pose a threat everyday if one of the wires would just have happened to fall or get rain in them.
On the 2 hour ride home from these houses, our bus was silent. Everyone was trying to feel for what they had just gone through. These people were great people with no shame for how they are living. They are proud even and are joyous with more smiles than I have had this past week. Why do people this great have to be in this situation. They deserve better and, yet, are content. I wish I had their strength. It is not up to us who "wins the lottery." There is a reason why we were placed in a position to help, someone said. The whole goal of this trip was to realize this and act on it.
The rest of the trip was much different. The once shy, cautious, and tentative New Yorkers were now very outgoing and bold. Visiting the houses invigorated all of us with new life it felt like. I didn't know any Spanish and was very isolated as a minority. After the fifth day, this was no more. Interacting with the kids, asking their name, and just having a great time was not hard to do. They want to understand you as much as you want to communicate with them. The most rewarding part of the trip to me was meeting, teaching, and playing with the kids. I would have rather been doing that than the "touristy" parts of the trip to be honest. The Minga and painting were rewarding as well because our group left a lasting impression on Quito, even after we left.
Overall, the trip was an extremely rewarding experience. When I applied for this trip, I wrote that, "I do not know what I will get out of this experience. I do not know what I will learn or how it will affect me." Even as the trip was occurring, I did not realize how much of an effect the Ecuadorian hospitality would have on me. To be honest, I struggle to find the words to describe how the trip has made me feel still. The only way to understand is to partake on this type of trip too.
-Michael Tripp '10
When I was accepted for this service trip, I had no idea what to expect. I knew that everything in Quito would be different from that of Rochester, but I did not know to what extent. I knew the trip would be fun because I knew that spending time with all the guys would be nice, especially before we all graduate. What I did not know was how much I would be affected by the experience.
The Working Boys' Center was wonderful. Our rooms were comfortable and clean, and the living conditions were much better then anything else in the city. After our tour of the center, we all realized how differently these children lived and studied. Unlike our education, these children were taught specific trades, so that at a young age they could go out into the world and be qualified enough to start their own business or profession. This is much different then our American education, because in many cases for these young children, they have to begin to work at a young age because their income can potentially constitute up to 80% of the family's income. These kids live their lives very differently then you or I, and their education system is very unique.
The biggest challenge for me was realizing why I was there. In ten days, it was nearly impossible for me to truly change all the crime, poverty, and injustice in the city. It was difficult for me to know that I was there in Quito for myself, not exactly for the kids. Yes, in the ten days that I was there, I could see the joy and excitement that I brought to those children, and maybe some of them will remember me, maybe not. At the same time, I cannot change the fact that every day those children wake up at the crack of dawn and take a 2 hour bus ride into town to go to school, and that every night those same kids fall asleep in a small bed with 3 of their brothers or sisters lying next to them, in a cement shack on the side of a mountain.
I was there, with those children, to learn how they live in Quito, and in most of South America. I was there to experience the city and the people. The question that remains to be asked, is that now that I am home safe, what I am going to do with what I experienced? This is the question the trip was meant to ask. After everything i have seen, experienced, and lived with for ten days, I know that it is not only my choice, but my obligation to help out my fellow brothers and sisters in every part of the world. The trip taught me about foreign cultures, the wrath of poverty, but more importantly, about myself. I look at my life in a new light, a better light. I realize now everything that I have been given, and how lucky I am. I realize everything that I have to give to the people around me, and just how much a can help. Even though I am just a man, I can still make an impact, no matter how small.
The trip was generally sensational. I learned so much, and had more fun than I ever expected. I have only to thank Mr. Hobbs, and Sean Mullen, our chaperons, for making the experience that much better. We saw all walks of life in Quito, from the rich to the poor, and were able to make an impact on the lives of those kids. I recommend this opportunity to any Junior next year, and I hope the next group of students to go on this service trip can learn everything that I did through my experiences.
The Working Boys' Center was wonderful. Our rooms were comfortable and clean, and the living conditions were much better then anything else in the city. After our tour of the center, we all realized how differently these children lived and studied. Unlike our education, these children were taught specific trades, so that at a young age they could go out into the world and be qualified enough to start their own business or profession. This is much different then our American education, because in many cases for these young children, they have to begin to work at a young age because their income can potentially constitute up to 80% of the family's income. These kids live their lives very differently then you or I, and their education system is very unique.
The biggest challenge for me was realizing why I was there. In ten days, it was nearly impossible for me to truly change all the crime, poverty, and injustice in the city. It was difficult for me to know that I was there in Quito for myself, not exactly for the kids. Yes, in the ten days that I was there, I could see the joy and excitement that I brought to those children, and maybe some of them will remember me, maybe not. At the same time, I cannot change the fact that every day those children wake up at the crack of dawn and take a 2 hour bus ride into town to go to school, and that every night those same kids fall asleep in a small bed with 3 of their brothers or sisters lying next to them, in a cement shack on the side of a mountain.
I was there, with those children, to learn how they live in Quito, and in most of South America. I was there to experience the city and the people. The question that remains to be asked, is that now that I am home safe, what I am going to do with what I experienced? This is the question the trip was meant to ask. After everything i have seen, experienced, and lived with for ten days, I know that it is not only my choice, but my obligation to help out my fellow brothers and sisters in every part of the world. The trip taught me about foreign cultures, the wrath of poverty, but more importantly, about myself. I look at my life in a new light, a better light. I realize now everything that I have been given, and how lucky I am. I realize everything that I have to give to the people around me, and just how much a can help. Even though I am just a man, I can still make an impact, no matter how small.
The trip was generally sensational. I learned so much, and had more fun than I ever expected. I have only to thank Mr. Hobbs, and Sean Mullen, our chaperons, for making the experience that much better. We saw all walks of life in Quito, from the rich to the poor, and were able to make an impact on the lives of those kids. I recommend this opportunity to any Junior next year, and I hope the next group of students to go on this service trip can learn everything that I did through my experiences.
Joe Feeney
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