“…feel like I belong”

Students have been on Service for weeks now. This experience has allow them to learn, reflect, and live among Ecuadorians in closer relation to many of them. SSTers want to share their activities and how they process them during this time in this blog. Here is Gibby’s post.

This photo was taken on Mother’s Day. In this photo, it is my host mom, my 3 year old host brother, and me. I wanted to share this photo because this is one of the most special photos I have taken while in Quito. The reason why this photo was taken at this distance was to capture the beautiful land that seemed like it went on forever. Today was the day that I felt like I was meant to be here, and I knew that the family I was placed with was the right one. This day was special because, though I wasn’t able to be with my mom, my host mom made me feel like it was okay to be far from mine. The place that we took this picture was very near the Cayambe Volcano, which was right behind the person taking the photo. When taking this picture, we were throwing up peace signs because this is what my host brother loved to do. It was almost like his signature pose. We were all laughing and having a good time while hanging out with my host mom´s side of the family. She helped me feel like I belong, and I am excited to talk about family life in Ecuadorian culture.

This image above is my favorite memory. On this day, we were back in Cayambe. During the day, we all were sitting at a parade and there were so many different indigenous groups dancing to thank the God who helps with the harvest. It was so colorful, and everyone just came together to watch these incredible dancers performance. This photo, though, was towards the evening of that same day and we were part of the tradition called Toros. The people who participated in this were mostly men and they were running away from the bulls inside this little arena. This was so interesting to watch because we don’t do this kind of thing in the states. There were so many people who got hurt, but even then, everyone was supporting each other. Also, while the people were running from the bulls, there were other people who were competitively riding the bull to become the champion. I wanted to share this photo because even though this was a close picture, there was so much action in the background that it felt like this was a bigger picture than what it seems. I was with my host parents (the picture taker and the two to the right of me) and the rest of my host family (the people to the left of me). What made this picture so special was how these Ecuadorians came together to laugh, enjoy, and overall have a good time together. This kind of made me think of home because in my family, things could get as wild as bull running.

 

This photo right here is one of the photos that helped me accept what I wanted to do with my life. Dewis, here next to me, is one of the professors here in the college I am having my service term at. She helps with teaching the first aid response team to help people who are in trouble. It reminds me of the paramedics that we have in the United States. When speaking with her and taking the time to really ask the questions I wanted, I found that there are so many different ways to help a person who is in need. This photo was taken the way it was because I wanted the people to know what she looks like and what her job responsibilities are. This picture is so special to me because although there are always obstacles in life, there is always a way to battle back to be on top. This is personal to me because since I had changed my major, I found that this is something that I needed because I am just not at that point in my life where being a nurse is something that I can really do. She helped me remember that there are still things in life to accomplish and you can always go back to school to complete what you want. This nursing professor is someone I thank constantly, and I cannot wait to see what life brings me now.