Had I known what the Madrina contest would entail, I would not have eagerly agreed to participate. I honestly thought that I would leave school at 1:00 with the other teachers, throw on a dress, and strut around with the other madrinas an hour later. Let's just say, I was sorely mistaken.
Upon returning to Colegio “12 de Febrero” following Reconnect, I discovered that the teacher's were about to begin the annual soccer and basketball tournament between professors. Given the importance of celebration and formality in Ecuador, it was unsurprising that it would begin with a large inaugeration in which each of the five teams would select a madrina to compete for the title of Señorita de Deportes.
I agreed to represent the Madrinas on Monday; by Tuesday morning, I realized that my expections were far too low. Not only did I have three days to learn to prance about the Colegio in high heels, but I also had to borrow a very formal dress and wear oodles of make-up. The competition was considered extremely important; the other candidates and I were dismissed from work several hours early to prepare. And, after my sisters spent several hours primping me, I was definitely transformed into a new person; my three-year-old niece didn't even recognize me.
Following the inaugeration, I immediately hopped on a bus to Loja after scraping off about 75% of the makeup to join the rest of the Loja Cluster for Thanksgiving dinner at Sabriga's house. It was a resounding success; whether we were eating too many slices of pie or dancing to Stevie Wonder, we all spent the night laughing and celebrating in spite of the being thousands of miles from our friends, families, and the vast majority of people celebrating such an important United States holiday. I can speak for everyone when I say we all left thankful for having such an awesome and scrumptious Thanksgiving with our pretty awesome cluster.
Still stuffed, I arose far too early Friday morning to head to Colegio. Given how late I arrived in Zamora, I was lucky in that I didn't have to teach. School was cancelled so the teachers and staff could enjoy a giant pig fry. At dawn, the male faculty dragged three 200 pound pigs, head and skin included to the colegio and commenced the long process of preparing the food. As teachers arrived, everyone begin pitching in whether cutting yucca, pealing plantains, and chopping up the animals while chomping on uncooked pig skin (cuero). Yikes. It's as aweful as it sounds; little hairs are still on it. Eventually, most of the work completed, we began playing sports and lounging around under the blazing sun. By 4:00, all were absulutely stuffed, quite sunburnt, and eager to go for a quick dip in the river before reuntiing for Maria Elisa's despedida later that night.
Still exhausted from dancing into the wee hours into the morning, I arose relatively early on Saturday to join a fellow PCV on her trek to Guadalupe, a rural town roughly 45 minutes outside Zamora. The PCV works with a non-profit dedicated to microconsignment, a growing branch of microfinance in which clients are trained to provide necessary health services such as eye glasses and water purification information to their communities. They subsequently host lectures to explain the importance of water treatment, for instance, and sell needed tools and equipment to their neighbors which enables them to help their communities address widespread health concerns while subsequently earning a living for themselves and their families. Interestingly, the non-profit, Soluciones Comunitarias, happens to be operated by Maria Luz and Sarah, two of my housemates while I lived in Paraguay.
After arriving in Guadalupe, my fellow PCV and I began her visit with a local group providing eye glasses, affordable water purification systems, and solar lamps to their communities. As Guadalupe is in the midst of fiestas, they had set up a stand in the feria. Unfortunately, sales were not overwhleming Saturday afternoon, but our visit did allow us to provide some sales tips (i.e. don't leave boxes of material where they can easily be robbed) and explore a charming small town. Moreover, we spent several hours hunched over the crossword found in a local paper. Several hours and one serious sunburn later, we still hadn't finished but we definitely enjoyed an excellent afternoon with some budding local businessmen and women.
Early Sunday morning, I continued exploring the Zamora-Chinchipe, although I decided to venture out on foot by participating in Reto 21x24. What is Reto 21x24? It is a challenge posed by a woman living in Quito dedicated to protecting the Yasuni Reserve from oil exploration and extraction. The immense Amazonian reserve, located deep in the province of Pastaza, is home to significant biodiversity as well as several indigenous groups still engaging in hunting and gethering. It is also, unfortunately, reputed to by the home of significant oil deposits. As oil exploration commences, the wildlife and ecosystem is being destroyed and roads are enabling colonists to squat on the land, thus interrupting the indigenous groups' ways of life. Ecuadorian President Correa has indicated that he will stop oil exploration provided that other nations pay Ecuador the estimated value of the oil as they are preserving the rainforest instead of garnering a profit. This plan, known as Proyecto ITT, has not been well received and threats of continued oil exploration and extraction continue.
Reto 21x24 is a means of protesting oil extraction in the Yasuni reserve. It involved a group run of 21 kilometers (13.1 miles or a half marathon) in each of Ecuador's 24 provinces to raise awareness and money. It is not a race; rather it is a group effort and, on Sunday morning, a small group of about 10-15 athletes united in the Parque Lineal of Zamora to begin the half marathon. Although it was an unbarably hot and hilly route, it was an excellent chance to explore Zamora, the nearby barrio of Tinbara, and many rural corners of the Canton of Zamora that I had yet to explore. Not to mention a great chance to meet runners from throughout Ecuador and support the preservation of one of our Earth's greatest treasures. I will most assuredly be participating in more Reto 21x24 races in other nearby provinces throughout the coming months.
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