December Part II: When the Sleigh Bells Hit The Fan

So the last half of the month marked one of my first seriously low lows. We were Ca-razy busy in the barrio. Crazier than normal. We are wrapping up last minute stuff for the year and the most important thing is the Christmas Party. So many things at once. Traditionally there is a fiesta for the niños, the day before Christmas Eve (you know, Christmas Eve Eve ;op) Again, I'm glad it's all a blur cause it was a not a good time. Everyone was on edge, it's stuff they the Ladies do annual, so the expected me to just KNOW what to do without explanation.

Along with the $2 a week for the Padrino program for the Comedor, there is also the responsibility of the Padrino/Madrina to provide a present to their ahijado (god child..SURE didn't know what that word meant ALL December, but anyway..) for Christmas. I thnk it’s a great way to bring Christmas cheer to the barrio…except for not ever child has a Padrino/Madrina or families that can afford gifts.

So the big stressor (one thing? Clue Reference sorry…) was getting the kids toys. We had a totally of what…7 days max? The ladies would grab their chests, rock in their seats and sing sad songs about the sad state of affairs. It was more than I could handle. I was like “JCov, don’t try to be a hero…we are in this together and it’s the last minute..don’t you worry yourself crazy..” When I tried to figure out what they did in the years past. They would stay stuff like “Well in OCTOBER we usually do X,Y,Z” Ugh the overwhelming feeling of WHY DIDN’T I KNOW THEN!? Sure I’ll know for next year, but when the chest grabbing crooning came, I was like oh man we need toys and we need the fast and we need about 100…well really a 150,(or 200?) but whose counting? Guayaquil has a wide socioeconomic divide. There are some very rich people here so it’s possible to get donations, but it’s true, both parties (the rich and the poor) have usually have joined forces around October, November at the lastest to get their tax write offs and other logistics and what not all squared away.

To make matters worse…relationships were on shaking ground. I didn’t know if it was happening with everyone, but Mary who I work the closest with was resenting me more and more by the minute. I’m a replacement volunteer, which means there was a (truly fabulous) volunteer before me who just happened to be her best friend. So any given day, if I mess up or make a mistake (um hi everyday, all day) I get “the look” that says, I really wish you weren’t here and my best friend was back. After some mistake free days, and me telling myself, don’t let “the look” or eye rolls bother you, you’re doing your best… I had learned to not let it ruin my day.

Mary like myself is also in a unique situation. She lives near the barrio, but not IN the barrio. She has a husband who works and she has two adorable kids, one that she leaves everyday (usually crying for her to come back) just to benevolently work tirelessly helping the ladies. She seriously does it out of the kindness of her heart and is pretty instrumental to the success of the ladies. That’s why we work together so much, she’s a lot…most…pretty much all…of the outreach, administrative (writing letters, thank you letters, solicitations..etc), organizing, note taking the list goes on. When I first got to the barrio my job was to pretty much shadow her (see how annoying that is? A non speaking, non understanding, non best friend all up in your mix…all of a sudden) and learn the ropes.

Well during one party planning meeting it’s business as usual. We are talking about how yet another day has past by and still no toys for the niños. Well also THIS year we need to start planning the party for the Adultos Mayors (the elderly group we started) as well as the niño’s fiesta. Well the panic started when I pointed out that even though Lottie kept sayin that the Adultos Mayores party was on the 23rd and the Niños party is on Wednesday…that Wednesday was ACTUALLY the 23rd. You see, most of the ladies are using planners that date back as far as 2005. So days and dates don’t coordinate. Just what you need when there is a language barrier. It’s such classic case of the Ecuadorian Ya Mismo though that it’s just funny. I’ll have to explain ya mismo some other time.

So that got everyone up in arms that we had double booked. So that complication sent that day spinnin. Then we were also working double time on this propuesta (grant proposal) with two gentlemen that were pretty demanding and when they sent something they wanted feedback ASAP. So Lottie got a call during the party planning crisis sayin that we got a new email from the guy and that we need to go check the account. Mary and I are the ones that check the email, I was away during the call so I just got the info that we need to go check the computer for a new email. So we are there and there was nothing. I checked my account too cause sometimes he would just send things directly to me. Nothing. I asked Mary, what exactly did he say. The response was something like, I wasn’t on the phone, but Lottie just said look for a new email. So after digging around and waiting to see if maybe it was going to pop p any minute. We go back to the Lottie sayin no dice. She then goes on to describe the document she is talking about. OH THAT ONE! I say, one that was sent back in November. It wasn’t new at all. Well I guess that was a last straw for Mary who then said something to the effect of “I wish you weren’t here and the other volunteer was here she always knew what to do, that’s why I miss her so much” or something. The type of thing you would kindly say behind someone’s back and not while standing in the presence of someone…I would imagine.

It’s December, I survived Thanksgiving sans loved ones…I’m brasing myself for another family-less holiday, I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to meet rich or influencial Ecuadorians trying to get toys for the niños... working everyday in the barrio and exhausting myself just to DO everything that is asked of me by the ladies and the tasks at hand day in and day out and then leaving the barrio and seeking out strangers, until the sun goes down, who can help. So getting THAT comment, which as I said before is always “said” through the non verbal “look” was now put to words. I was hoping by December we would be past all of that as well. But it was apparent that no.we.weren’t. So totally taken aback by the rudeness and the disregard for my feeling instead of snapping something back in bad Spanish (and poor taste) I just leave and go to the internet café to retrieve the document, that once explained, I knew exactly what it was.

I don’t even like reporting this, cause it feels like gossip and I adore every last one of the ladies. This stuff just happens in relationships, but since it was a milestone as being the lowest low and explains why I pretty much was not heard from all of December as well. I was so OVER IT! Ooops…

Yeah so rest of the day I was in a cloudy haze stuck in between “why am I here” and “this totally sucks” . It takes concentration and a concerted effort to actively listen and understand Spanish when you are a beginner…or really any gringo living in the Coast where they talk SO fast and drop letters from words. As I had mentally checked out at that point, anything anyone said to me went right over my head. Which further frustrated my collegues but it took everything I had not to hop on the bus and roll out.

I honestly can’t even tell you what happened the rest of the day in the barrio or anything until “dinner” that night. I feel like I had plans actually but I def called in a rain check due to my achy breaky heart. Oh, and as miserable as I sound, I was trying OH so hard to stay positive. I have had too many tears already, and I was going for a new approach. So when I get home and there are more dead gigantic dead bettle/roach/beasts lined up in bathroom as my welcome home wagon…I just say to myself. At least they are not alive, or gigantic spiders! So now that I’m left to fend for myself for dinner, I have tuna and all the fixins. Great. I’ll make that. Ooooh and as a treat I can put EGGS in my tuna salad for the first time. Since I’ve been in Gquil I’ve been having tuna as my fall back meal (I’m a huge fan, I know not everyone feels that way…) but oh how I miss putting hard boiled eggs in it which really makes it a delicious hearty meal. Due to no stove that would be completely impossible.

Well now I have a pity, please don’t get a refund microwave. Maybe I can just boil the water and the eggs in the microwave? I wouldn’t normally do experiements, but my heart was wound so tight, and I was trying to do every little thing to hold myself together. Walking the tight rope of…stick with this…or take the plunge (aaaalll the way back to the US...not really..but I was going close to calling me Program Director). Great take two eggs, but them in a plastic conister of water (which is what you do when you have no dishes) and give the microwave it’s first spin around the block. Again, due to emotional blacking out, I know I was standing in my kitchen, reading? Whipping up the rest of the ingredients? No really sure…the.next.thing.I.know…

KAAAABOOOOOOOOOOMMM BBBBAAAAAAMMMMM SHAAATTTTEEER CRACCCKKK SPLAAAAAAT!!!!!!!!!!

I whip around only to see, water, egg, and glass EVERYWHERE. My two little devil eggs erupted (in the same manner that I wish I could have early that day) and completely blew the door of the microwave open, completely Shattered the thick glass turn table on the inside, had cooked it’s middles into chicken basically and splattered white yoke all over (some liquid some solid..weird..). I couldn’t believe it. Oh sure at the present time I know two things a) my microwave is crazy, it’s got insane nuclear powers that overcook everything, even for 15 seconds b) YOU CAN”T HARDBOIL EGGS IN A MICROWAVE! They EXPLODE! I knew that you know, I really did…I know they have air in the top and while you can cook an open egg maybe (still may get some fireworks) but an egg in a shell is what you Don’t do. WHATEVER I WAS STRESSED TO THE MAX! I think part of the explosion had to do with my electric heart energy that was at capacity as well. Hey we are big bundles of energy as well and I know my energy was volcanic at that point.








Still completely shocked I say to my self…”at least you weren’t standing in FRONT of the Microwave as this thick glass spewed out stabbing you in a kidney or something” honestly though…had I been in the wrong place that could have been awful. My duena came by actually to see if I was okay lol. That was good to know that I have people that care had I been bleeding to death on my kitchen floor sigh. So now my new microwave was broken, my whole place smelled like burned chicken baby (sooooooo scary and not cute. Thought that smell would never go away), I was super shaken to the core, and hungy…but in no mood to eat.

Everyone now asks what happened to my microwave. I hope they read my blog, cause I never have the heart to go into it lol. I’m like yeaaaah I’ll write about it one day lol…sigh…

Alright, this is an action packed entry as well, and I actually gotta get going. Stay tuned for the riveting conclusion of Happy Holidays? In the Barrio…Chao!