Rotary involvement...pointing, translating, the news and a giggle!

Contributing to this community has been really amazing!

With Rotary, I have spoken at two meetings.* They asked us to volunteer with a project called "Yo quiero ver" (I want to see), part of which is a vision screening given by optomitrists to economically disadvantaged children. We served over 90 children a few Saturdays ago.

Pointing: My role was to get the kids out of the waiting room and point to the letters on the eye chart. Towards the end of the morning, my doctor got a call and said in Spanish, "Look, Ryan. You know what to do. If they cannot read below line 7, send them to the other doctor. If not, write 20/20 on the form." I ended up screening several children by myself! It was so fun interacting with the children and the parents as a pseudo eye doctor! I think they enjoyed my broken Spanish.

One moment made me realize just how lucky we are, though. I was having trouble understanding a child´s name, so I asked the mother to write it. She was illiterate and couldn´t write her own son´s name. We made do, though. Without embarrassment on either part, I think.

Translating: The club also asked Emily, a friend and fellow Scholar, and I to translate two grant applications from Spanish to English. I use the term "translate" very loosely because it took us 4 hours!

This weekend I will be translating from Spanish into English at a "Matching Grant Fair" here in Quito. Clubs from developed countries travel here to overview projects and clubs with which they may be interested in partnering. District 7690, do you know about this fair? I´ll try to get information for next year if you are interested.

The news: These Rotarians from Quito Sur also invited us to the opening of a new clinic for the poor. They converted a portion of the floor of their building to a medical center. Seven "rooms," no bigger than two cubicles, allow children and adults to receive dental, gynecological, pediatric and laboratory services. It costs $3 for a medical consultation.

The staff is working without luxury. The walls do not reach the tops of the ceiling at the moment (they are hoping for a 2nd floor), The rooms are tiny and one wall of the laboratory, is part of a wall that is similar to a garage door. There is a .5 inch space between the door and the floor. YET, The space and doctors are very professional, the equipment is state of the art, and everything seems sanitary.

The project was so innovative, cost-efficient and for the good of the community, it made the news. They mentioned our names on the news, even though we had no part in it´s construction. Another example of their generosity.

*A Giggle: In one speech, I got confused and tongue-tied and, instead of saying the equivalent of Rotary Friends, I said Rotary Birthdays... tee hee. I think they enjoyed that! Thank goodness my slip-up wasn´t vulgar!

Have a great day ! Rotarians around the world...keep up the great work!

Minga

The indigenous culture here has an incredible custom called a minga. There is no exact translation into English, but it occurs when a community works together in a collective effort for the good of the whole community. People stop everything related to individual gain…to build a school, to clean the street, to help a neighbor. Mingas lessen isolation, enrich relationships and solidify the neighborhood. We North Americans are excellent at helping one another after a disaster, but when was the last time we structured our weekend around a pro-active community goal? I will be looking for ways to incorporate this idea when I return to the states. Perhaps we will work together...

Frogger !

Remember the 1980’s video game Frogger? The player had to maneuver a frog across the street safely, weaving in and out of traffic and backtracking. Every day I feel as if I’m playing Frogger…with my own body. Pedestrians have no rights when crossing the street; we must yield to the cars, buses and taxis! Not too difficult in a place like Greensboro; however, in a city of over 2 million people, it is challenging, to say the least.

What if someone is hit by a car or bus? Nearby pedestrians attack the driver of the vehicle! They’ve been known to surround the car, shake it and even set fire to it! Each time someone dies the government paints a big blue heart on the street to commemorate his or her life. Unfortunately, there are traffic fatalities daily. Hopefully, the new administration will address this issue. In the meantime, I make sure I am well caffeinated before my morning walk!

New Year’s Eve…suitcases and grapes?

Ever run around your neighborhood block at midnight on New Year’ s Eve carrying a suitcase? The tradition here is to fill your suitcase with symbols of what you would like to have more of in the new year; i.e. money, love, heath. The suitcase symbolizes a safe journey and safe travels through the year. Even the eighty-year-old woman I live with runs around the block with luggage!

For the midnight meal, each person receives twelve grapes. When all of the church bells ring strike at midnight, you must consume each grape…whole…in timing with the church bells. While swallowing each grape, you wish for something for the New Year. Imagine everyone at the table performing this custom simultaneously! Hmmm… I’ve already started to practice grape swallowing and am considering what to put in my suitcase…