November 6, 2015
It’s our “low” season now.
That said, it has been really busy around here for
the last couple of months, and I have had little time to write a post. It’s been anything but “slow”.
Many of our friends and family back home
frequently ask us expats “what do you do all day there?”
…We laugh, because often this is difficult for us
to pinpoint too, but keep in mind, just
day-to-day chores and errands take longer to accomplish – paying local bills,
grocery shopping (we don’t have “one-stop/get most everything” stores), and finding parts for car or home repairs can
be real time-consuming challenges.
And this year, it seems there have been a plethora
of local and expat activities going on.
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| Shell and the "mamita'" angels from the Orphanage |
One of the highlights of our “slow” season is the
annual dinner fundraiser for the Santa Maria de La Esperanza Orphanage (located
on the cliff point between Olón and Montanita).
The funds from this (and other donations) go towards giving these sweet children
a special Christmas, and to help provide for their needs throughout the year.
This is a cause near and dear to many hearts, and
has grown from a grass roots effort (about 7 years ago) to a well-run,
organized endeavor, in no small part due to some dedicated volunteers and
generous community support.
This year’s fundraising dinner was a booming success,
and I’m going to quote segments from a “thank you” letter that Shell Spivey sent
out afterwards, since I think he said it best:
“The Friends of Santa Maria de La Esperanza
Orphanage would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of those that made
Saturday night’s fundraiser such a resounding success.
The event was hosted by La Barbuja Del Tiempo
(Bubble in Time Restaurant) on the beach, at the Point, in Montanita. Maria Teressa Conde and Titina Barreiro
graciously lent us their fantastic restaurant for the evening and it proved to
be the perfect venue. What wonderful ladies and we are forever indebted. Drop
by sometime and enjoy their grilled seafood.
The festivities began around 5:30 and by 7:00
there were over 100 people present, many familiar, and many new faces were in
the crowd. Tickets were $20 and included food, a beverage and entertainment.
The silent auction featured over one-hundred
donated items and created lively bidding throughout the night. Many great
bargains were snatched up by evening’s end.
Entertainment was provided by the Cana Band
playing classic rock hits.
Our committee members did a fabulous job and spent
many, many, hours in preparation for the party.
They are:
Tim & Jeannie McGann
Erwin and Danielle Musper
Darlene Howell
Deb Anderson
Nique Manty
Shell & Marsha Spivey
We appreciate everyone’s efforts and it has paid
off big time for the orphanage.
The event’s total, over $5,000!!!
The excess food was delivered to the orphanage and
the proceeds will be used to buy a washer and dryer, towels, sheets and
Christmas gifts for the children. The remainder will be reserved in a fund for
emergency expenses.”
Shell
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| Circus - February 2015 |
I would be remiss not to especially mention Erwin &
Danielle Musper’s dedicated commitment to these beautiful children.
Earlier this year, when the traveling circus was
in Olón, they organized and majorly funded a special performance for the Orphanage
kids, which included all the carny foods they could eat (a rare treat for these
children).
They have also created a “YouCaring” website for
those who wish to donate and don’t live here locally.
To quote just a little bit from that site as well:
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| Photo courtesy of Erwin Musper |
"You can make a difference in the lives of these
lonely and abused children. Help us put a smile on a child's face this holiday
season.
A young child burned repeatedly by her own mother.
A brother and sister abandoned, tied to a tree.
An infant left on a hospital's doorstep.
Unimaginable images.
These and other sweet and innocent children, have
not only survived, but their smiles and trust in people are returning, all
because of the incredible loving "mamitas" at the Santa Maria De La
Esparanza Orphanage. With unequaled
dedication these "mothers", some who have worked tirelessly for
decades, took them into their care. The
number of children at the orphanage is currently 50, but fluctuates constantly
because none are turned away.
$4 PER DAY-----
Imagine raising a child---- food, clothing, school
supplies, housing and basic daily needs on $4 per day. That is the entire
budget provided by the government and these children desperately need your
help.
EACH AND EVERY DOLLAR that you donate will
directly benefit these disadvantaged children. Not one cent will be used for
administration or any other purpose. Can we make this happen? Yes, with your help we can! Any amount that you can contribute is needed,
welcomed and appreciated."
(This site will only be operational until the
maximum allowed time runs out, which is around December 20th. In the meantime, Erwin
and Danielle are exploring options for building a new and continuous site option to
donate year round).
About a month ago, some of us took a 2-day Cruz
Roja (Red Cross) training program, and the Olón Comuna kindly offered their
facilities/building to conduct the class.
It was a lot of information to absorb in that
amount of time – interesting to say the least, especially since our lessons
were all en español. Fortunately, there were a couple of good translators in
our class to explain the more complicated material.
On the second day, we took a simple written test,
and then – as warned – prepared for an “earthquake” scenario simulation evaluation
in the park.
I can’t say enough for the Olón community! Aside from providing our classroom,
permission was granted to use anything in the park for use in the first aid
simulation exercise, and a number of locals volunteered to be our “victims”.
A siren sounded, and we students rushed from the
building to find 20 or so “victims” sprawled around the park, under bushes
& cement benches, on the stage (and one splayed out on the slide). The goal was to treat on the spot, and then
move/transport each of the wounded to the “safe” place zone (no easy task, let
me tell you).
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Daisy sat outside during the classes.
Once the simulation started
She was underfoot constantly…
“This is a fun game!” |
It was an eye-opening experience for many of us.
It was a sobering and comical moment at the same
time. I can only imagine the amusement of the locals and other bystanders at
this point.
At a certain juncture, I didn’t know whether to
laugh (clearly, additional study of Spanish medical terminology needed)…or be
very concerned about the victim(s) that might be depending on my
"expertise" at that point.
Still, it was a useful course; I’m sure we all
learned something from the class, and very proud of everyone that participated!
And below are just some miscellaneous photos of
the various and assorted Olón activities happening during our “slow” season.
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| Monthly Book Club |
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Local childrens' birthday parties.
These are a BIG deal here, and fun
if you have the opportunityto attend one! |
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| Regular card and game days |
Funerals.
It seems there have been a number of these lately.
When someone dies, somber music is played over the
town’s speakers (most typically “El Cóndor Pasa” written by the Peruvian composer Daniel Alomía
Robles in 1913 and based on traditional Andean folk tunes), and town-folk go
to the Comuna building to donate a few dollars to the grieving family.
I love this special tradition in Olón (and I’m
sure a custom in other neighboring towns as well).
By Ecuadorian law, bodies must be buried within 24 hours, so the
financial help is appreciated, especially when a death occurs unexpectedly.
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The Saturday afternoon “gringo” get-togethers
on the
Olón beach are still going strong.
. One of the great things about living here is
all
the interesting people we get to meet that are
either moving here, or
passing through.
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| Local religious observances and traditions. |
Olón – you gotta love this town!
