Last Week

Domingo, 28 de marzo, 2010

This has been a week filled with “car”: Looking for a car, finding a car, taking the car to a mechanic to see if he thought it might be a good car, finding out that it needed repairs (actually, we expected that), then negotiating a price to buy it at the patio de coches. After that it went first to the general mechanic for a tune-up, then back again to check the brakes, and then to the electrician who fixed it when it wouldn’t start. In addition, the ANETA class of driving lessons started for a month of driving and theory. Driving isn’t a problem for me, but learning the laws in Spanish gives me a lot of homework.

The mechanics here work for what seems like very little money to me. The tune-up cost us $30 plus another $25 in parts (spark plugs, new belt, gas filter). The mechanic worked for at least 2 to 3 hours. Here, the car owner is responsible for getting the parts. Jairo and I walked to two different parts stores for what we needed. We still need an odd sized air filter that was put on order and should arrive this coming week. The brakes were $40 (this I did on my own without Jairo’s presence). The electrician cost $10 and Jairo took care of this.

I like to think I can make it on my own. But you can imagine how helpless I felt when the car wouldn’t start and there was no AAA to call for a tow job. The staff here at the hotel called Jairo and he came to my rescue. He went to pick up the mechanic who tinkered with the car until he got it running, then Jairo loaned his car to me while he took my car to the electrician.

All of this kept me very busy, but the really exciting news is that I now have a job scheduled! Blanca came on Friday (which was when the car wouldn’t start) and with Jairo’s car we drove to Huaycopungo (about 3 miles out of Otavalo). This community is home to the church where I first worked in Ecuador on a mission trip 10 years ago. The church has a forward thinking pastor who has built this church from a small congregation into a congregation that fills their large worship area and has a large activity center that is kept busy with activities. The mission trip 10 years ago worked on the first floor of what is now the four story activity center. They are hoping to expand their small kitchen to at least double the size so the many times they feed people, there is enough room to cook food for everyone more easily. The pastor has made a big difference in organizing this community.

When Blanca offered English lessons taught by someone who speaks the language but who is not a foreign language instructor (that is, me), and even when it was explained that learning a foreign language is a poco a poco project for learners, not something that is going to happen in a short span of time, he was for it. It was decided that I would teach 3 hours a week for a total of 30 hours to begin with. FEDICE would provide a “diploma” and me (and maybe a white board). So classes will begin the Monday after my driving classes end, the middle of April.

I am fortunate to already have received some ideas from both Blanca and Jane Perrine, who lives in Cedar Park, TX, about what to teach a class of 30 students, 13 year olds to young adult age, who want to learn some English, but don’t have any experience with the language yet. At least the students will all begin at the same level. And, I am hoping with God’s help I can lead helpful and fun classes that will keep participants interested.

Before this trip to Ecuador, I had learned that one cannot always be as independent as we North Americans want to be. Utilizing others’ help and asking for assistance is not a bad thing. I feel like the people here have been more than willing to help me in my times of need. It is a good feeling to be able to reciprocate in some small ways, or at least to pass on, pass forward the love I’ve been given.

--Marilyn Cooper

Meet Molly, a 1994 Chevrolet Vitara 4x4.