It Takes A Village

June 11, 2011

 

Yesterday, I took the chicken bus to Libertad - not to my usual haunts like the modern El Paseo Mall, or the Super-Maxi….but to the shopping area around the Terminal Terrestre (bus stop). In this vicinity, there are probably 6 to 8 blocks chock full of little tiendas selling all types of wares. I was on a mission to find a substantial ream of heavy duty cloth to repair four beach chairs and heard there was a fabric store in the nearby “Buen Adventura” mall which is near the central plaza.  This is more like a 2 story bazaar crammed full of assorted stores, but – alas! - no fabric store. So I started wandering the maze of streets in search of a “tela” (fabric/material) tienda.   Though somewhat daunting to meander around this labyrinth of calles, (I was concerned I might not be able to find my way back to the bus station) I had a fun time exploring and did eventually stumble onto a fabric store and find what I needed.  The funniest thing is that I ran into several local Olon/Montanita people I know while on my adventure, which happens every time I go into Libertad.   Locals and gringos alike, we all seem to know, or know of each other. 

I ended up bumping into our friend Leila riding the same bus back home, so we sat with each other. Leila is a sweetheart and owns one of the most successful restaurants in Olon, next to our town park. It is one of our favorite places to eat because she always has great chicken, pork chops and chorizos.  When we first discovered it, we were calling it “the pork place by the park” (later cleverly coined “One Pork Place” by our friend Sitara) but everyone knows it as “Leila's".   The adjoining picture is of Leila cooking for her fans.

Chowing down at Leila's



Olmedo Quimbita

Last Saturday night we were invited to a wine and appetizer art showing at Hotel Quimbita in Olon.  Olmedo Quimbita lives here locally and is a renowned Ecuadorian artist. His artwork has been displayed and exhibited all over the world. Quimbita (as he is called) is a very modest and quiet man; his pictures are amazing and cost a pretty penny. We hope someday to have one of his pieces grace our home.

Now I have an update on the sad car accident that I mentioned in my last post, and affected many families and communities in our area.  All the neighboring towns and villages rallied to raise funds for these families. 

Once again, a summary, of the accident (and I am quoting from an initial email I received from Beth  of Casa del Sol):

“There were multiple fatalities and serious injuries following a road accident near Montanita this week. Elio Córdova, a shopkeeper and Dad of two, was killed, and Pedro Hermenegildo, a Dad of three, is in hospital on life support. Pedro Hermenegildo is the brother of Julio, a friend of mine and one of the staff members at Casa del Sol, the hotel where I live. One other person was killed and 11 injured when a garbage truck hit a cow and then ploughed into two vehicles on Monday night. Full details can be found in Spanish here.

Both families are in a desperate situation. Elio leaves behind a pregnant wife and two sons aged 12 and 14. Pedro’s three children are 5, 13 and 17. As well as the terrible emotional trauma, without their Dads’ income, the families are in a dire financial situation. Pedro went into a coma after the accident, his recovery is extremely uncertain and his hospital bills are mounting.
Seeing the difference in Julio (Pedro’s brother) since the accident really brought it home to me what it would be like to lose a family member, or have them in hospital with their life hanging in the balance. A friend and I have started a fundraising campaign to try to help both families. Without help they will struggle to pay their rent or buy food – never mind pay hospital bills or continuing care.
Looking at a humble wage (by western standards) of $10 USD per day, it would take the average Ecuadorian Dad a whole day to earn that amount - or a month to earn $300. Both families affected will have been living on this type of income. Therefore, to support both families for the next six months would cost $3600.

It's a huge target, but even if we can donate $100 to each family, that would be a big help. We could do that if a few kind people chip in a few dollars, the equivalent of one hour's wages perhaps?”

Beth

All paintings on this post courtesy of Quimbita

The folks at Casa del Sol set up a fund raising link (which for the life of me I’ve been unable to post successfully, but please see their website or their Facebook page) and were so successful that I just received this email from Beth: 

 

Dear all,

On behalf of two very grateful families in Montanita, and everyone at Casa del Sol, I am writing to say a huge thank you for your donation to our fundraising campaign.

Thanks to your generosity, we were able to give both families an initial installment of $500, nearly two month’s wages for each family, which is a brilliant achievement and will make a real difference to their lives.

There is good news from Julio’s family. His brother Pedro, who went into a coma following the accident, is recovering slowly. At one point the situation looked hopeless and the doctors considered turning his life support machine off, but then he suddenly opened his eyes and since then he has made slow but steady progress. His eyes are open all the time now, he is moving his arms and legs and has indicated that he understands what is being said to him. He is still being intubated but the doctors plan to remove the tube any day now and hope that he will then be able to talk. He is expected to be in hospital for two to three months and then continue his recuperation at home.

When we gave the $500 to Julio, he was speechless. After a moment of silence, he asked how we managed to raise that amount and I gave him a list of everyone’s names who had donated. He said that he didn’t have the words to express his gratitude and asked us to pass on a big thank you to each of you.

Visiting the family who had recently lost their Dad was hard. Marisela, the widow, was very grateful for what we had done and introduced us to her two teenage sons, who also thanked us. They all seemed shell-shocked and it was very sad. I think it was perhaps too soon for them to have thought much about how they are going to manage financially, but I’m sure that when they need to buy food or something for school, the funds we raised will make all a difference.

The fundraising efforts continue and we have plans for a second, smaller installment soon.

The accident and its aftermath have been a very sad experience but the amazing kindness of people such as you, the majority of whom have never met the people affected, has been truly wonderful. It’s not just the money that has made a difference to both families, but knowing that there are people from all over the world thinking of them in their time of need. Thank you again for your donation”

Beth, on behalf of Casa del Sol.

 

I think one of the most special blessings about living here is seeing how everyone pulls together during a tragedy such as this, and even more so is the camaraderie between the locals and gringos in our Olon/Montanita locale because our area (like many coastal areas around the world) has such an “international” population and we all learn from each other.

At the Quimbita art showing with some of our friends.