Kentucky Ecuador Partners News

You Are Invited

2012-01-14T11:34:00.000-05:00

We encourage all members and those who might be interested in becoming involved in Kentucky Ecuador partners to attend the annual meeting Saturday, January 28.

The day will include luncheon catered by the Nicaragua Latin Grill, talks by a couple of our student travelers as well the business meeting and elections.

This year In-kind contibutions are children's books in Spanish and art supplies.

Please respond to Kay Roberts by January 20.

See the invitation below for details.

Otavalan Dress for American Girl Doll

2011-11-15T10:16:00.002-05:00

If there is a special little someone on your holiday list who loves American Girl dolls, then we have the perfect gift - doll sized Otavalan dress.

Imelda Inuca demonstrating embroidery

Indigenous women in Ecuador’s Otavalo region can be recognized by their long, knife pleated skirts, hand-embroidered white blouses, and rows of golden beads around their necks. As both men and women travel to other parts of the country, they retain their native dress. They are talented artisans, well-respected throughout Ecuador and all South America for their beautiful handiwork. Their delicate, hand-made tapestries are among the most sought-after of any indigenous group in the country.

This year, just in time for holiday shopping, we have

imported a few hand-made,intricately outfits in a style worn by indigenous girls of the Otavalo region, specifically designed to fit American Girl dolls. Each outfit includes a hand-pleated skirt (anacu), blouse with intricately embroidered yoke (blusa), espadrille - like sandals (alpargatas), black felt hat (sombrero) and gold bead necklace.

Take this opportunity to encourage your child's cultural awareness and appreciation of fine handicraft. By purchasing one of these ensembles you support Kentucky Ecuador Partners as well as add a unique outfit to your American Doll wardrobe.

Supplies are limited, so contact Kay soon. Kay.roberts@uky.edu

Price: $45.

Coffee Time

2011-10-12T17:23:00.001-04:00

We are pleased to announce that the coffee we sell as a fund raiser has arrived and we are now taking orders. The product which is Certified Fair Trade and Organic, is high quality and has been extremely successful in past years.

We’ll be selling two types: South American Fair Trade and French Vanilla Fair Trade in 16 oz. packages. Both are available in regular or decaf, both are certified fair trade and organic. All the coffee will be ground (no whole bean). The ground coffee is attractively packaged in heavy foil gusseted bags -- royal blue for regular coffee and green for decaf, with a colorful Kentucky-Ecuador Partners label. We sell it for $12/pound, leaving us a profit of $5/pound.

South American Fair Trade has a bright taste with rich aromas and is available in decafinated as well as regular.

French Vanilla Fair Trade has a luscious vanilla flavoring which gives this coffee a rich and satisfying taste. Perfect with dessert, rich enough to stand alone as a dessert beverage. Both types are welcome holiday gifts.

The process is easy:

• Download and fill out the form, (If you have not received a form by email, contact Kay Roberts.

• Collect payment at the time the order is placed.

• Get the form and the money to Kay Roberts by November 5. The coffee will be available for pick up Thanksgiving week.

Coffee Fundraiser Timeline:

October 7, 2011 Begin taking orders

November 5, 2011 Order forms and payment due to Kay Roberts (contact info below)

Thanksgiving week Coffee available for pick-up and delivery

Orders are pre-paid, so be sure to collect the money when you take the order.

$12. per pound

Kay Roberts, Community Liasison - International Affairs

Executive director - Kentucky ecuador Partners

102 Bradley Hall, University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0058

phone: 869-257-6601 (note new phone number)

email: kay.roberts@uky.edu

Michael Barnes Provides Training for Musicians

2011-10-05T15:39:00.000-04:00

Songwriter, performer and producer Michael Barnes conducted presentations and workshops in Cuenca, Ambato, and Quito this past summer. In the workshops held during July and August, Barnes taught recording music using Reason software. Presentations demonstrated uploading music to the internet, creating CDs, as well as tips on how to gain an audience, and instruction on building a homepage, and selling music.

Approximately 30 people participated in the Cuenca conference held at the University of Cuenca; around 30 people at the Ambato conference held at City Hall; about 16 students participated in the conference held at the University of San Francisco in Quito. Students in Ambato and Quito brought their own laptops and MIDI keyboards for use in the workshops, and students in Cuenca used the Mac computers that were available in the computer lab.

"It was an amazing experience. Hopefully, I'll get to return one day."

For more information on Michael Barnes and his music, see the "Featured Traveler" column to the left or follow this link: www.michaelbarnesmusic.com

Rankin and Ruthi Skinner - Buenos Aires

2011-06-25T12:07:00.000-04:00

Note: The following two blog posts are the final submissions by Ruthi and Rankin Skinner from their time spent in South America earlier this year.

Buenos Aires is a large, cosmopolitan and truly beautiful city with a European feel. Everyone who visits seems to fall under her spell. This is an immigrant city, most of its original inhabitants having migrated from Spain and Italy. The architecture is definitely European, along with the layout of the streets, broad boulevards with green space in the center. Buenos Aires lies in the Pampas. Pampas actually means "land with no trees", but one of B.A.'s early presidents had the vision and foresight to have planted 150,000 trees during his term of office, and the trend has continued. Now Buenos Aires is tree-lined from one end of the city to the other. Every park has public art and the people here frequent these lovely parks regularly.

We arrived at Ezeiza International Airport via Lima, Peru. It is a 30-minute taxi ride from the airport to the center of town. We stayed at Las Naciones Hotel, right in the center of the theatre district, and situated on Ave. Corriantes, one of the main streets in town. We arrived in early evening and everything was lit up, with big billboards advertising all the plays. The city was (as it always seems to be) alive! Folks here walk arm-in-arm at all hours of the night; lovers, friends, whole families with their kids, even kids who seem to be all alone (!!). Most restaurants do not open until 8 or 9 P.M., and no one eats early here. One of our favorite things to do was to sit in outdoor cafes, have a coffee or share a bottle of wine and people watch. Speaking of wines, Argentina is known for some of the best wines in South America. In one restaurant, we had a great small bottle of Malbec for $17 Argentine Pesos ($4.25). We are not meat eaters, but everyone raves over the steaks here. Of course, Argentina considers itself to be the beef capital of the world. The steak houses (parrillas) will give you a choice of several different cuts, and the servings seem to always be more than any normal appetite can handle. Argentinians will tell you it is so good because free-range Argentine cows eat nutritious pampas grass, without the massive quantities of corn, antibiotics and growth hormones which American and European stock is given in feedlots. In Argentina, the average yearly intake of beef is 70 kg/person.

Buenos Aires proper has a population of 3,000,000, not including the surrounding area which swells to 12.4 million. B.A. is separated into 48 separate neighborhoods, some very wealthy, others desperately poor. The city is also known for its cutting-edge designers and great shopping. One cool shopping street (1 block from our hotel) is Calle Florida, a long pedestrian street with no automobile access. It is one of the main arteries of this neighborhood. It is always jammed during the day with business people, shoppers and tourists seeking vehicle-free access from north to south without bus fumes and honking taxis. Buskers, beggars and street vendors thrive here, adding color and noise. The day we shopped here, there were several bands playing along the street, including a jazz band, Otavalan flute band (they're everywhere, they're everywhere) and reggae musicians. Ruthi was pleased to find our daughter Erin some cha-cha little sandles here.

A note: We really do not discriminate between our kids, grandkids and in-laws. The ATM at the airport in B.A. had eaten our debit card, so our shopping possibilities were severely hampered. What the heck. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It was because of needing to use the phone when we reached Puerto Iguazu to call our bank back home that we were treated to that charming little town, which we wrote about in a previous blog. Then, David Coffey just brought us down some cash from Winchester, so shopping would pick up again in Quito.

The next day we visited several of the neighborhoods. One, Recoleta, had tree-lined streets with mansions copied after ones found in Europe. If you want one of these you had better have plenty of cash. Most of the middle class citizens live in Palermo, another interesting area in 3 distinct parts. Many museums are found here, as well as many embassies of different countries. In one of the parks here is found one of Buenos Aires' most unique sculptures. It is a monumental flower by Eduardo Catalano, constructed of polished aluminum much like the museum in Bilbao. An interesting feature is it is solar-powered and the petals close at night. Really cool! Next, we visited La Boca, a blue-collar neighborhood, where many of the houses are covered with corrugated metal and painted in bright colors. This neighborhood is a rough one and it is not recommended to stroll away from the main streets, where there is constantly a street fair, with tango dancers, musicians and artists. Another neighborhood nearby, and known for its antique shops and great cafes, is San Telmo.

The newest and least conventional of B.A.'s barrios is Puerto Madero, located east of Microcentro. Once an old waterfront, it is now a wonderful place to stroll, boasting cobblestone walkways and a long line of attractive brick warehouses which have been converted into ritzy lofts, business offices and upscale restaurants. Skyscrapers are being built here in record numbers and here is found some of B.A.'s most expensive real estate.

Of course, no visit to B.A. is complete without a visit to the tomb of Eva Peron (Evita) who championed the poor during her husband's presidency and gave women the right to vote. Today she is revered with saint-like love and respect by nearly all Argentinians. Tragically, she died of cancer at only age 33. There is a beautiful much-oversized statue of her in the park where her body lies, testament to the way in which her memory is treasured.

Another site which should not be missed is La Plaza de Mayo, where in 1977, 14 mothers marched to demand information about their missing children. This was during the human rights violations of then-President Jorge Rafael Videla. These women's bravery turned into a strong social movement which challenged the military government. Their movement is credited for the country's return to civil government in 1983. Thousands of young people disappeared during this time and the mothers continue to march in the plaza demanding retribution and information. In 2005 the Argentine Supreme Court overturned an amnesty (which until then protected former military officers suspected and accused of human rights violations during the 1973-1986 military dictatorship). Mothers still hold silent vigils every Thursday afternoon in remembrance of the "disappeared".

Sadly, our time in Buenos Aires came to an end, but we left knowing we had only touched the surface of what this great city has to offer. Stay tuned: if at all possible, we'll be back for a longer stay next year.

Rankin Skinner

Rankin and Ruthi Skinner - Iguazu Falls

2011-06-25T11:59:00.000-04:00

Years ago, a dear friend, and one of KEP's most devoted volunteers, Ron Padgett, visited me at my home after he had returned from a Kellogg Fellows meeting in Brazil. After the meeting, the group had all gone to Iguazu Falls and were stunned by the wondrous beauty of this place. He made me promise that one day Ruthi and I would go there.

For years after, the responsibilities of life, and the lack of time and money, prevented us from making this dream a reality. This year, all the stars were aligned (and we realized we were not getting any younger, and we are only promised this moment). After Roberta and Donnie returned to the U.S., having traveled with us for 5 weeks of our 10-week sojourn, we bought our tickets for Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls to fulfil our dream and our promise to Ron.

Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca and his expedition were the first Europeans to view the falls, in 1542. According to Guarani legend, the falls originated when an indigenous warrior named Caroba incurred the wrath of a forest god by escaping in a canoe with a young girl, Naipur, with whom the god was infatuated. Enraged, the god caused the river bend to collapse in front of the lovers, producing a line of waterfalls over which Naipur fell, and at their base, turned into a rock. Caroba survived as a tree overlooking the falls.

Geologists have a better explanation. The Rio Iguazu's course takes it over a basaltic plateau which ends abruptly, just short of the confluence with the Parana'. Where the lava flow stopped, thousands of cubic meters of water per second now plunge as much as 80 meters into the valley below. Before reaching the falls, the river divides into many channels with hidden reefs, rocky sand islands that separate

the river into the many different falls. In total, the falls stretch around for more than 2 kilometers. Venezuela's Angel Falls is the world's highest single waterfall, But Iguazu is the widest set of falls on the planet.

Iguazu Falls (Cataratas de Iguazu) is located in an area where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay come together, although the falls are primarily in Brazil and Argentina. It really is one of earth's most wondrous sites. The power and noise of the falls is simply unforgettable. The falls lie in thousands of acres of national park, established in the 1930's. It is subtropical, with palm trees, ferns and lush green surrounding all. The rainforest is teeming with unique flora and fauna. There are thousands of species of insects and hundreds of species of birds, and many different mammals and reptiles. A few years ago, Iguazu Falls was named a World Heritage Site, and is a finalist to be named one of the new 7 Wonders of the World in Nature.

Although you can reach the falls from Brazil, Argentina or Paraguay, we decided to visit from the Argentinian side. We initially flew into Buenos Aires, traveling on to Puerto Iguazu the next morning. We checked into our hotel, The Orquidea, 4 km. from the town of Puerto Iguazu itself. This small town reminded us of Fernandina Beach, Florida, with its natural beauty and lovely architecture (all the bricks used in the buildings having been made from the deep red earth found everywhere here). Down the center of the main street is green space, with palm trees planted throughout. We had a simple, tasty Italian lunch (Does it get any better than this? A friend of ours always calls this plain, good food) at an open-air restaurant and were amazed to realize most tourists never set foot in this quaint little town located at the confluence of the Rios Parana' and Iguazu, bypassing it totally in their rush to see the falls. From this vantage point, one can also look across to Brazil and Paraguay.

The next morning we headed to the park. We were pinching ourselves on the way, not believing we were finally here. We were informed that massive rains in Brazil had caused an excess of water going over the falls, shutting down the boat ride to Isla San Martin. Upon leaving the visitor's center, we took a short walk through the jungle to a train which took us to where we began the trek to the see the greatest of all the falls, Garganta del Diablo (Throat of the Devil). There are walkways built from island to island, which allow people to actually walk over the river. In the distance you can hear this incredible (Ruthi here; we are constantly getting on Rankin for overusing the word incredible. But, I am completely at a loss to think of a better word to use here) ROAR and see a mist of water shooting hundreds of feet into the air. Nothing we ever read prepared us for that moment when we stepped on the platform overlooking The Throat of the Devil. The ground vibrates beneath and the sheer power of what you are experiencing make it very hard to believe there is no higher power at work in the world. This memory will stay with us as long as we live.

We then took the train back to the main station and hiked to the Upper Circuit, where you see, up close and personal, the panoramic view of a series of falls. For Ruthi, this was the moment of special awe, viewing these stunning falls which go on and on. There are overlooks which take you right over the falls to watch the water crashing over the edge as you stand there. By then, we were sufficiently soaked, even though we were wearing our ponchos.

We then hiked (total hiking is supposed to be about 4 kilometers) to a sort of troop transport, where we drove through the jungle for about 20 minutes, to reach the river and the boat. This boat is an inflatable one, holds about 30 people and has a big old inboard motor, with a whole lot of go-juice. We were instructed to take off our shoes, socks and anything else we couldn't afford to get wet. We were allowed to keep our cameras, knowing there would be a point at which we would be ordered to put them away for their own protection. We blasted up the river with a tremendous view of the jungle and vertical cliffs. Very soon we began to hear the noise and, as we rounded a bend, we headed directly towards the falls. The captain then took us very close to the falls for photos, advised us to put away those cameras, then exploded into the falls. Buckets, gallons, seemingly tons of water were coming down on us all. He then plowed into Garganta del Diablo, where we completely disappeared into the mist of the "throat".

Completely drenched, we were disembarked on the lower trail, where we then ascended, step by step, back to the top, being able to view the falls at several different levels. As we reached the top, we were totally exhausted and a bit overwhelmed by our experience. We were met by a family of coatis, members of the raccoon family. We had been so absorbed with and stunned by the falls that we had forgotten for a bit having seen butterflies, beautiful birds, an iguana, and those pesky coatis, said to be the first to notice that bag of Ruffles potato chips you're carrying, and just as persistent as their North American cousins in grouping up to procure those units. Oh, yes; they're just as cute as our guys, too.

Our Iguazu Falls dream has now been expanded to hopefully live long enough (and healthily enough) to be able to one day share this awesome wonder with our grandchildren. It truly is magic.

Rankin Skinner

Day 26 quito

2011-06-24T15:29:00.000-04:00

Since we arrived in Ecuador, our group has struggled with stomach problems. Somehow, I had managed to avoid this contagious nausea… until today. Most of my day was spent trying to recover so I would be able to enjoy my last day in Ecuador tomorrow.

We should be getting into some amazing adventures tomorrow. Stay posted!

Nick Bratcher

Day 25 - Quito

2011-06-24T15:26:00.001-04:00

Today we went to the Mitad del Mundo (middle of the world) to see the monument to the ecuator there. We may have had some fun straddling the Northern and Southern hemishperes:We had planned to ride the teleférico (a cable car that overlooks modern Quito) after our journey to the middle of the world, but the clowdy day changed our plans. Instead, we did something far more culturally rich… we went to the mall. A view from the food court:

And how would the average Ecuadorian get home from the mall? How about taking a bus (pictured below)?

Let’s just say, they were a bit more populated than the busses we were used to.How to end such an eventful day? The cuy dinner we had seemed like the perfect option.And in case any of my readers are wondering, cuy means Guinea Pig in Spanish. It reminded me of chicken, minus the still-attached feet and head complete with teeth. Overall, it was delicious.

Nick Bratcher

Day 23 Puerto Lopez

2011-06-24T15:24:00.001-04:00

We took to the sea today to visit Isla de la Plata to bird-watch, hike, and snorkel.

We’ll be travelling back to Quito (it’s an eight-hour drive) tomorrow, so I’m off to enjoy our last night on the beach! Buenas noches!

Nick Bratcher

Day 22 - Puerto Lopez

2011-06-24T15:22:00.001-04:00

Today we went to the village of Agua Blanca to hear about one of the oldest indigenous peoples in Ecuador.

Some of the artifacts that have been excavated date back farther than even the birth of Christ and the Incan civilization, such as the throne in the picture below.

Admittedly, ADD did kick in towards the end, so we broke out the ancient musical instruments. My childhood trumpet lessons paid off, I think.

While there, we also made a stop in the town’s sulfur lagoon. The mud exfoliates the skin, so naturally I took advantage of nature’s gift.

We wrapped up the day with yet another view of the sunset. This might have been the best one yet.

Nick Bratcher

Day 21 - Puerto Lopez

2011-06-24T15:20:00.000-04:00

Today was spent lounging on the beach. I got a nice tan, but by tan, I mean that my legs look considerably similar to a distant relative of the lobster.

Some of us wrote messages to significant others in the sand (pictured above). Good to see the distance can’t stop true love!

The city held a parade, complete with marching band, in the afternoon to celebrate the migration of the whales along Puerto Lopez’s Coast. The sister of President Correa resided over the ceremonies.

Some of the floats were pretty elaborate:

But my favorite was the school of kids dressed up as squids… or octapi? It was hard to tell.

We wrapped up today with another view of the sunset. Enjoy!

Nick Bratcher

Day 20 - Puertp Lopez

2011-06-24T15:08:00.000-04:00

I know it’s easy to do seeing all of the awesomeness that is going on down here in Ecuador. But just in case anyone forgot, this is a STUDY abroad opportunity. Let’s take a glimpse into class this morning:

Yes, that’s a beach. Yes, that’s also a class. And in case you’re wondering if we’re actually learning anything, let me share with you a portion of a piece by Pablo Neruda called “The Lamb and the Pinecone” that we analyzed today:

I have been a lucky man. To feel the intimacy of brothers is a marvelous thing in life. To feel the love of people whom we love is a fire that feeds our life. But to feel the affection that comes from those whom we do not know, from those unknown to us, who are watching over our sleep and solitude, over our dangers and weaknesses- that is something still greater and more beautiful because it widens out the boundaries of our being and unites all living things.

Neruda was speaking of the importance of giving and service. Though we may not always understand the effect of a good deed or even know its recipient, that sharing of affection and love unites all humans in the struggle that is life.

To close, I leave you with a view of the sunset over the Pacific Ocean from the roof of the hostel we are staying in.

Nick Bratcher

Day 19 - Puertp Lopez

2011-06-24T15:04:00.000-04:00

This has got to be the coolest place I’ve ever stayed in my life. Every inch of the hostel/hotel was hand-made by the owner. Every corner holds tons of puzzles and games. It’s one giant adult playground. Just look at the floor of the study:

And don’t get me started on the lounge. It’s got a marimba hanging from the ceiling:

The sun had already set when we arrived here, so there’s not much else to say about our stay on the coast yet. However, the crashing of the waves and cool breeze are certainly making me optimistic.

Nick Bratcher

Day 18 - Yachana

2011-06-24T15:02:00.000-04:00

Tonight was our last night in the rainforest. We’ll be waking up bright and early tomorrow at 5 a.m. to venture to our next destination. We’ll take our three-hour boat ride to Coca to fly to our connecting flight in Quito and then to Manta, a town on the coast, for a couple days on the beach.

In honor of our last night in Yachana, we threw a bonfire/cookout.

Nick Bratcher

Day 16 &17 - Yachana

2011-06-24T14:58:00.000-04:00

Remember how I said the internet would be unreliable? Yeah, that was not a lie. The server’s been down for a couple of days and they just got it running again tonight. Hopefully, I can bring everyone back up to speed tomorrow or when we get to the coast in a couple of days. Thanks for reading!

Nick Bratcher

Day 15 - Yachana

2011-06-24T14:56:00.000-04:00

Today we loaded up on the top of a double-decker bus to do some bird watching through the jungle. Once finished and well away from the river, we did some hiking.

But what would hiking be without indigenous warrior face paint made from tree sap (pictured above)? After gearing up, we set off with our Yachana guide, Robert. He’s truly an expert when it comes to the Amazonian jungle and it’s been a pleasure to glean from his knowledge. He even showed us how to make a make-shift basket from palm leaves (pictured below).

In case anyone has forgotten, this is a service-learning study abroad, though. We’re earning our keep at Yachana in two unique ways. First, the lodge in which we’re staying is actually a non-profit organization. It uses the profit from all its guests to fund the town’s high school, Yachana High School. This school is so elite that over 200 applicants throughout the region apply for the 20 spots available each year. It teaches the young men and women here in the Amazon the mandatory math and sciences while simultaneous applying practical uses in Eco-tourism and environmental protection.

We’re also volunteering in several projects with the students of the high school while we are staying here. Today we went “Machete-ing” to rid their plantane garden of weeds. I ended up with a couple of blisters, but more importantly, I made a new friend, Samantha.

Nick Bratcher

Day 14 - Yachana

2011-06-24T14:51:00.000-04:00

This… was today’s afternoon snack. Grub worms found in the empty space that exists in the Hearts of Palm plant after its center has been harvested.

We did cook them first though, so they tasted much like bacon. The heads were especially crunchy!

OK, I think that’s enough gross stuff for the day, though we did do a fair bit of eating and cooking in the afternoon, including making some delicious chocolate cooked from fresh cacao beans (pictured below). It was definitely a lot more bitter than traditional chocolate in the States (which is normally 15-20% cacao if it’s milk chocolate), but with a pinch of sugar, the rich, warm taste definitely made me a fan.

The morning was spent slightly different, though. We went looking for a prehistoric bird that has survived in the rainforest in very small numbers. It has the nick-name the “stinky turkey” and “flying cow” for its emission of methane gas (much like a cow) which has a very bad odor.

Then we went to find the largest tree in the Amazon, the Kapok (pictured below). Yeah, it was pretty big…

Nick Bratcher

Day 13 - Yachana in the Amazon Rainforest

2011-06-24T14:45:00.000-04:00

Right now, darkness consumes almost every inch of space, leaving behind just a small patch of stars visible through a canopy of trees. Bugs fly and chirp everywhere. A generator rumbles in the distance. Yep, I’m blogging from the rainforest.

It’s been crazy here. Even getting here was an adventure. We had to take a plane to Coca, then a bus to the river, and then took a three-hour canoe ride to Yachana. We’ve already had one tarantula scare when a girl from another group found one on her shoulder. One of our students got sick and has been stuck in the clinic all day getting fluids. Power is only on from 6-10 p.m. and computer speed and signal are fairly week. Despite all that, it’s been a blast.

Today we met with a medicine man, known as a curo, in Yachana. The indigenous peoples here believe that life is a balance between good and bad spirits. When infected with too many bad spirits, the body becomes weak and gets sick. It is the medicine man’s job to remove those bad spirits. Today, he performed the ceremony on our group that removed our bad spirits and replaced them with good.

After our souls were purified, we needed to catch our lunch. Naturally, we used a blow gun and hunted for our own. OK, so maybe we just came back to our lodge and ate the prepared food, but it was still awesome. One of the girls in our group, Ashley, actually got three bullseyes in a row and won the competition. Too bad she’s a vegetarian!

I hope every day is this interesting. Just walking from place to place can get pretty adventurous in these parts.

Nick Bratcher

Kicks and Giggles: food

2011-06-24T14:36:00.000-04:00

If there’s one hot topic about travelling abroad, it’s food. Rightly so, eating is kind of important to sustain life. Ten days in seemed like a good time to give a run down about the dining options here.

I would be amiss if I didn’t start with fruit. It is, by far, the biggest food source here. It’s in the drinks, it’s what’s for breakfast, and it’s what’s for dessert. Sounds like a little much, right? Well, it would be if there wasn’t an extensive variety. From guanabana to tomate de arbol, there are tons of choices, most of which aren’t even available in the U.S. (much like the naranjilla pictured above).

I won’t comment on what I’ve thought of it much because I’m no authority. However, I will say I’ve tried everything offered and in so many ways I couldn’t even comprehend. Banana chips (exactly like potato chips, but bananas instead), smoothies, juices, milkshakes, ice cream, pie, raw, in yogurt, etc.- they’ve all been different and great experiences. (In case you really are curious, the piña (pineapple) and mora (blackberry) stuff has been my favorite by far.

We should move on to soup. It’s HUGE here. I’ve always hated it in the States, but I promised to be a little more open here with my food choices. Thank goodness for that because almost every traditional meal we’ve had here has included soup as the first course. It’s actually been very delicious in most cases and generally is broth-like with a potato or bit of chicken for substance.

The soup is only the first course. In most meals we’ve had, they’ve at least contained two courses. The second course generally contains some version of corn (there are dozens of varieties served, but my favorite has been Choclo with queso, as evidenced by its destruction in the picture below left).

Dinner also usually features a small portion of vegetables (usually a potato or yuca because both are easily grown in the mountains) and sometimes a small portion of meat (chicken has been very popular, but we’ve also had a jerkey-like meat a few times).

As for my opinion, it’s all been very good. The corn is NOT the same as in the US. You can forget the butter and salt, but the cheese that I mentioned compliments it just as well. The meat is deliciously seasoned, and the chicken is usually baked, not fried. It’s just as delicious though. I’ve been very content with the main courses on the whole.

And now for beverages:

Beer is immensely popular here and comes in two cheap types: Pilsener and Club. They’re served for about a dollar in every store, restaurant, and even hostel with practically no exception.

Water is bottled, and I’ve found that Ecuadorians enjoy club soda just as much as normal water. So, if looking for regular water like in the states, one must ask for agua sin gas (water without carbonation).

Soda is big here too, of course. Coke, made from sugar cane instead of corn syrup, is much better than in the States and seems to be the most popular soft drink. Sprite and Fanta seem to be popular choices too.

Finally, juice, as I said above in the fruit section, is always an option.

Well that’s my run down about food… Buen provecho!

Nick Bratcher

Day 10 - Quito

2011-06-24T14:29:00.001-04:00

Well, this has turned into a somewhat unbloggable experience lately. Today was spent sifting through museums, and we’re headed to a movie tonight. Both prohibit the use of photography for obvious reasons, so it looks like everyone will remain in the dark for now. Sorry followers!

Hopefully we can get this thing rolling again soon. Until then, enjoy this picture of my buddy Joe Law, a sophomore at WKU, with one of the little girls thanking us in Santa Ana. Chao.

Nick Bratcher

Day 9 - Traveling

2011-06-24T13:33:00.000-04:00

We spent the day travelling back to Quito from Otavalo today. Not much to say about sitting on a bus… But we did stop in Cotacachi to see the volcano there and to learn how Alpaca sweaters and pants are made. I’ll leave you with some pictures of that:

Kicks and Giggles

2011-06-24T13:30:00.000-04:00

This is the first installment of a segment I’m starting called “Kicks & Giggles”. It’ll basically be anything I’ve found interesting here that I couldn’t quite fit into my daily recaps.

A tree with a towel on it? Be careful to judge. This tree is hundreds of years old and is located in Peguche, Ecuador.

The story of its origin derives from an old tale in which a man came asking for water and a place to stay the night while travelling through the town. He was told no by everyone except a man and his wife who took him in. To thank them, he told them that a huge flood would be coming through the town of Peguche. There now exists a lake there from this supposed flood.

While fleeing, they were told not to look back or the man would be turned into a tree and the woman would be changed into the dust of the earth. This tree is that man after he took one last look at his city. The earth in which it stands is his wife.

Day 8 - Otavalo

2011-06-24T13:26:00.001-04:00

Today was our last day in Santa Ana. Basically we spent it doing two things: playing soccer in Concepción and watching a cultural festival with my man Juan Pablo.

Juan Pablo

Day 7.1 - Not a Chill Day

2011-06-24T13:21:00.000-04:00

Remember that chill day I mentioned? Yeah, didn’t happen. Let’s just say the hiking trails in Ecuador are a little different than the United States.

We started out by going to a presentation of condors in a wildlife park here, but then we made a somewhat bad decision to take a “trail” to the waterfall in Peguche. Unfortunately, the trail was a little overgrown and indistinguishable . Parts were divided into forks and you couldn’t always see far ahead of you due to the cliffs, so a few groups got lost…

Yep, lost in a forest in Ecuador.

We tried calling Dr. Lenk and started out on our own with directions on how to get there, asking people from time to time if we were going the right way. We did find it with the helped of a young girl we found playing with her dog. And of course we took another picture, but by this time it had gotten dark

So we found a nice guy named Luis (Loo-eese), and he called a taxi for us. Turns out, everyone was waiting for us at the Hostel. Crisis solved.

Day 7 - Chillin'

2011-06-08T12:09:00.001-04:00

Today is a chill day. After this hailstorm of a week we finally had some time to take a breath. We took some time to visit the local market and visit the waterfall in Peguche, a town near Otavalo. A picture of that is coming, but for now I’ll leave you with a picture we took with Gualberto Espinoza, a town leader of Santa Ana and athropologist, before building the playground set.

Nick Bratcher

Day 6 - Una Minga

2011-06-08T11:57:00.000-04:00

Today marked the greatest day of the program so far as we constructed the playground and had great success with the computer lessons in Santa Ana.

The computer project went much smoother today (pictured above). Despite the many technical problems yesterday, the computers functioned perfectly today. The instructors in our group became accustomed to the foreign programming and felt at ease in explaining their lessons. All of the attendees were able to make their own email addresses and learned to operate Google. Many of them created Facebook accounts or learned to improve that experience. I know many of the kids here have already received emails from many of the residents of Santa Ana. That correspondence further cements the bonds of partnership that have already been created in our time here. Both sides have gained so much through this experience.

We’ll be making our third and final trip to Santa Ana Sunday to present them with the computers that we brought with us. The training has taken place in nearby Concepcion because the furniture company wasn’t able to deliver the proper equipment to hold the lessons in Santa Ana. However, next week, after we have returned to Quito, the town will be able to fully install the computers that the city of Bowling Green donated and Gene Iglehart programmed for them.

As for me, I had one of the most humbling days of my life.

First, I should make it clear that we didn’t just make a park today. I played with the kids there for hours. We played tag and I realized how out of shape I was after I remained sucio (dirty) for five minutes, unable to tag someone to become limpio (clean). They also enjoyed wrestling…

before

after

We took off around 7 a.m. this morning to greet the construction workers from Technowsiss. Once we got to Santa Ana, we immediately began unloading the truck with many pre-assembled pieces. Then we started digging in order to erect the two towers that came with the playground set. I know I’m supposed to act like it was easy work with the motivation of an entire town behind us, but those towers were certainly heavy and those holes were particularly deep! It was well worth it though as piece by piece fell into place, especially with Wade Haga making sure everything remained level.

Wade Haga

My favorite interaction is when one of the local men offered us some trago de caña, otherwise known as moonshine, to speed the process along.

trago de caña, Ecuadorian moonshine

As we hammered nails and screwed in screws, I couldn’t believe how tangible our dream had become. All the nights spent worrying about failure and all the scrapped plans seemed so distant as the kids started jumping on the columpios (swings) and resbaladeras (slides). It was impossible to believe this started as an idea to smuggle pieces of wood in our suitcases to build a couple of benches.

Hand in hand, the men of Santa Ana and our team for the park project worked to erect this park that had existed in only our minds for months. There is an old word that dates back to ancient Andean culture for this called una minga. It means community work. My favorite interaction is when one of the local men offered us some trago de caña, otherwise known as moonshine, to speed the process along. As we hammered nails and screwed in screws, I couldn’t believe how tangible our dream had become. All the nights spent worrying about failure and all the scrapped plans seemed so distant as the kids started jumping on the columpios (swings) and resbaladeras (slides). It was impossible to believe this started as an idea to smuggle pieces of wood in our suitcases to build a couple of benches.

Before we left, one of the men thanked us for coming and partnering with them. He told me that it meant so much to Santa Ana to have this opportunity. He closed by saying, “Siempre, las puertas de Santa Ana están abiertas a ustedes.” (Always, the doors of Santa Ana are open to you all.)

He has no idea how thankful I am for the opportunity to help, though it didn’t stop me from trying to explain.

There is a beautiful phrase in Spanish for all my hopes for the community of Santa Ana:

Ojalá que la gente de Santa Ana disfrutare este parque por siempre. [God willing, they will enjoy this park forever.]

Nick Bratcher

Day 5 - Santa Ana: Projects Kick-off

2011-06-08T11:16:00.022-04:00

We finally travelled to Santa Ana today to begin our projects! We were greeted by all of the leaders of the community and government as they ushered us into a briefing room to thank us for all our work . Each leader took turns expressing his optimism for the future of this partnership as well as sharing their culture with us.

Then we split into two groups, one to do workshops on using the new computers we’ve supplied them and one to measure off the space for Santa Ana’s new park.

To describe what occurred with the computer group, I spoke to Austin Warren , a WKU student

“The computers were slow, so people were on different parts of the lesson,” he said. “Gmail thought we were running some sort of pyramid scheme, so we had to call to verify the accounts but didn’t have phones. The computers were programmed differently, and we didn’t get everything done the way we wanted.”

“But we know what to do for tomorrow’s lesson. We worked well today despite the problems. We learned how to adapt, and everyone was helping. We did really good considering all the problems.”

Even with the rough patches, Kyla Gwyn, a student at MTSU, said the day was a definite success for the weekend on the whole.

“We built relationships that will help us more than anything tomorrow. I know I got a lot more accomplished today towards the end when the people started feeling more comfortable with me, and I got to know them. We have two days, so really, today turned out great.”

My group went to locate a specific place to build the playground set we ordered from Technoswiss tomorrow. We went alone with no interpreter, so my Spanish skills quickly sharpened as I met community leaders willing to help and conversed with the local kids in Santa Ana’s elementary school to get them excited about their new playground. Many of us played soccer or climbed on whatever we could find with them.

We also received a tour of their new Centro de Cultural (Cultural Center) They will be putting the computers that we’re donating into that building as well as throwing a cultural festival for us in the building on Sunday. I look forward to seeing the abuelas (grandmothers) sing for all of us and sharing their culture in many unique ways. One thing is for sure, I can’t wait to play with these little guys.

Nick Bratcher

Day 4 - Otavalo: Bread and Roses

2011-06-08T10:32:00.002-04:00

First and foremost, this bread was amazing. It was super buttery and warm, and we had it with some with a type of cheese called queso de hoja. Era sabroso. (It was delicious!)

We started the day with a tour of a rose farm. I couldn’t believe all the different kinds of roses. It was unbelievable. The operation is extremely efficient and our tour guide, the owner of the farm, was so nice . He informed us that bad relations between Ecuador and the US in recent years has strangled his business. The tariffs on imports in the US from Ecuador have increased and now the people are forced to deal with the repercussions. Even with the increased cost, I know when the time comes I’ll be getting my roses from Ecuador.

tour guide and rose farmer (left)

We kept travelling north from the rose farm to Otavalo. On our way, we stopped in a small town called Pijal. We learned loads about traditional Ecuadorian herbal medicine from our tour guide there . She also shared with us a huge meal and the story of her cousin that was taken to Australia because her lack of education left her vulnerable. Unable to read, she struggled to escape the control of the woman that had taken her there from Quito. Finally, in a manner only capable by God to our guide, a woman freed her and took her to the United States and has taught her how to read. Now she is a very happy and visits Ecuador from time to time. Our guide looks at her cousin’s story as a source of inspiration and treated us to a dinner in her house to demonstrate her ambition to employ the people in Pijal . She makes complex embroideries and enjoys her work very much.

Finally, we ended the day in Otavalo, a small city in Northern Ecuador. It’s really nice here, especially our hostel. Tomorrow we’ll be heading to Santa Ana to start the work on our park project there as well as a project to supply computers to the entire village there that another group is doing. We hope to speak to the kids in the school about celebration the grand opening of the new park next week and invite parents to help us build the playground that we bought from Technoswiss. I hope it all goes according to plan!

Nick Bratcher

Day - 3 Playground Planning

2011-06-08T10:16:00.000-04:00

Margarita Columba

Today we met with Technoswiss (a Swiss-originated company that works with enviornmentally sustainable playgrounds here in Quito, Ecuador) to decide on what playground equipment to get for the village of Santa Ana. Even with the expertise and help of Margarita Columba, the deliberations took about three hours and several drafts considering what we could afford and what the people of Santa Ana would want most.

Finally, we decided on a very nice playground set that will provide the families of Santa Ana a place to call their own and enjoy for many years to come. We were very happy to be finished

Thanks to generous donations from many parties, including McDonald’s and the Badinger family of Louisville, Ky., my group was able to purchase this great playground set complete with slide, swings (both for babies and older children), cargo net, fireman’s pole, rings, and suspension bridge. I’m so amazed with all that we have been blessed with and the opportunity to help the people of Santa Ana. It’s a humbling experience to work alongside all the other college-aged kids in my group. I could not have done it without them and the donations from their families and schools.

A special thanks must also go out to the Alive Center at WKU. We could not have done this project without your grant and help.

Nick Bratcher

Day - 2 Exploring Quito

2011-06-08T10:03:00.000-04:00

Since I talked about it in the last post, I figured it would be best to start off with a picture that includes the backdrop of the city. I’m not sure the picture illustrates it as well as I’d like, but the city really does swim through the Andes mountains. It’s truly a sight to behold with all the buildings sprawling out like a rushing river through the valley. It also helps to see it from the top of a monestary roof here in Quito It may have been a bit dangerous climbing up there, but the view was worth it

We did all of this as part of a tour of the historical part of Quito. It has such a rich history that our tour guide, Patricia, shared with us. She was the one that got us behind the scenes and on top of various roofs in Quito. The views were always amazing and the amazing amount of cultura (culture) never ceases to overwhelm me. I did manage to grasp a bit of it though as we visited a boutique that sold Panama hats. You may be wondering why Ecuador is selling Panama hats… It’s actually because those hats originated in Ecuador but were shipped out through Panama, thus giving them their misinformed name.

We finished off the night with some great food and a round of drinks at a local bar named Chelsea (Yeah, I know, not very Spanish-sounding, but I didn’t name the bar.) We met a fellow American student originally from Puerto Rico there and he shared with us a few other places to see while we’re in Quito and where the hotspots are for night life. It was fun to just hang out with my KIIS classmates and get to know some people on a more personal level. I can tell it’s going to be very hard to say goodbye to them, and it’s only our first full day here!

Nick Bratcher

Day 1 - Quito

2011-06-08T09:39:00.000-04:00

I can’t believe I’m finally here in Quito! This city is absolutely beautiful, with tons of different colored houses and its weaving landscape. It’s not like a U.S. city in which everything shoots up and overpowers the senses in a condensed concrete jungle. The city sprawls out through the mountains’ valleys and practically screams its foreign strangeness. The only drawback I’ve found so far was the disaster we had to survive going through customs. Some planes were delayed, so several huge flights arrived at the same time. It was a mess with people yelling and pushing to get to their luggage and through the customs station. The loud buzz of Spanish really helped Ecuador sink in, giving me a bit of culture shock as I stood out like a sore thumb.

Overall, the first day was a success. We spent a lot of time waiting around in airports and getting to know each other. I’m sure I’m going to make some really great friends in this adventure. I can’t wait to see what we can do for the people here as well as what we can experience and learn from all Ecuador has to offer.

A huge thank you to McDonald’s, especially Beth Lunsford and my local McDonald’s owner Vince Tanner, for its huge donation to the people of Santa Ana, Ecuador. Words can not express my gratitude for your contribution to my project.

Ambato and Canoa

2011-03-09T12:07:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, February 13, our friend Leonardo drove us to Ambato, where we had been asked to join Lexington's Dr. Henry Vasconez and his group of about 80 doctors and nurses. Their team would be performing plastic surgeries all week, and we would be applying fluoride varnish on kid's teeth. Also, we had planned to go to the women's prison. (When we were here with Beau Haddock and The Highland Rim in 1996, one facet of our program and video had been a report on this prison. Unless things have changed, when a woman with small children is imprisoned here, she must bring the children with her, then depend on family and friends to feed them. We had hoped to apply fluoride varnish and provide toothbrushes and beanie babies to these women and little ones).

After much confusion, we were able to find the team at a local hospital, where they were interviewing prospective patients for surgery. This group does a great service, performing surgeries for free on only the worst cases, daylight to dark, for one week. But, upon arrival, I was informed by Henry's sister that all our dental supplies had gone missing. With no material there was nothing for us to do, so we returned to Quito. About 30 minutes outside of Quito it began raining, and the temperature dropped dramatically. Our spirits began to flag, also.

Several weeks prior to this, we had met an enthusiastic young gringa from Lowell, Mass. at Cafe Este. She had told us she was volunteering as an ESL teacher in a kindergarten in Canoa, only having come into Quito to renew her visa. We had had no plans to go to this beautiful surfer's paradise town, but she said her kids would really benefit from any dental care we could provide, and we had told her we would try to get to her town at some time during our stay. The colder and damper it became on Sunday evening, the more we thought about the coast. I decided to go to the airport the next day for tickets to Manta, knowing we would then have two bus rides before we could reach Canoa. On the way to breakfast the next morning, we ran into Leonardo and told him our plan. He said with the new multi-lane highway, he could put us in Canoa in 5 hours, about 1/2 the time it would take us to fly, then catch those two buses. Right after breakfast, we were off to the beach!

The drive to Santo Domingo took us through the beautiful sub-tropical cloud forest. After Santo Domingo we headed west to another city, El Carmen, then directly west on a new highway to Pedernales. This entire area is tropical farms with houses several miles apart. Population is sparse and we went through several small villages with perhaps 80-90 people, and with names such as Humidity, Dry Town and Slow Horse. (Sounds like some of our towns in rural Kentucky). I was amazed to find that the mountains here extend all the way to the coast, and the views were breathtaking. Upon reaching the coast, we hung a hard left and were off toward Canoa. This area of coastline had almost no development and was completely rural and most folks were getting around on horseback.

When we arrived in Canoa exactly 4 hours and 50 minutes later (that Leonardo is simply the best!), we checked into Hotel La Vista, where our room faced the ocean, with a balcony and a hammock and two chairs. We would spend every evening there watching the glorious sunsets. (Sunsets are something which we have rarely witnessed in Ecuador, as right on the equator the sun pretty much rises at 6:00 A.M., and sets at 6:00 P.M., end of story).

Canoa is a small fishing village with a great beach and waves which break perfectly for surfing, drawing a lot of gringos here. When we say small, we mean about six blocks square. It would be impossible to get lost here. There are cliffs behind the town which are used by parasailers and hanggliders. Along the beach are many great restaurants and funky bars. Our two favorites were the Costa Azul (for great shrimp, calamari and ceviche), dinner for two with drink $9.50; and La Flor, a gringo restaurant, where the bartenders are both from Michigan and one and perhaps both (we were unsure) are married to the beautiful daughters of the owner-cook. The owner and the daughters are not Norteamericanas, but we were also unsure if they are Ecuadorian. In the event, the place is very eclectic, with cool music, a great vibe, terrific food, and they disinfect all the fresh veggies, so we could actually eat everything on the plate. And, is it good! Yum. Canoa is famous for having more hammocks per capita than any other place in Ecuador, so after a hard "hammock day", (and after having had our luncheon calamari at Costa Azul), we would escape to the caring arms of La Flor.

One night at La Flor, we met a really nice guy from, of all places, London, KY. They told us he had come down for a visit 7 years ago, and just never went home. Like many Kentuckians, he hated winter there and felt he had found paradise. Is he wrong? I think not. His name is Greg Gilliam, and he is building a beautiful new hotel right on the beach, just at the end of the town's development. He asked us to bring him an Ale-8-One next time we visit, so that is on our agenda. Also, the bar at La Flor sells whiskeys from the U.S., including Jim Beam. I said "But, I always heard that Jim Beam drinks Makers Mark". So he showed us the now-empty bottle of M.M., the only evidence of how popular it truly had been, so we will definitely gift them with a bottle next year. Hey, we want all these folks to jump in and help with the fluoride varnish, and we learned a long time ago, that it is wise to "grease the wheels" in Ecuador; this will be money well spent.

We met with Elizabeth Stark, who owns a hotel next to La Vista and works with the James Dean Byrd Foundation, where she places volunteers to teach English and other subjects. She arranged for us to visit the local health clinic, where we trained the local dentist to place fluoride varnish and treated several kids and adults there. We then went to a government-run day care center and treated all the kids and adults there. (Had our large supply of varnish and brushes not been lost in transit to Ambato, we'd have had much more material to work with). We also handed out beanie babies and neon-colored bracelets with "Happy Molars" printed on them (we would occasionally see these throughout the town later) and school supplies.

Leonardo came on Saturday to spend the night, so we could get an early start back on Sunday morning. After dinner, we took a drive to San Vicente and then across the longest bridge in South America, just completed last November, to Bahia de Caragues. The trip to Bahia from San Vicente used to take 1 1/2 hours, as Bahia is located on a peninsula separated by the Chone River. Bahia is one of the cleanest towns in Ecuador and in 1999 declared itself an "Eco-City" because of its efforts to promote recycling, conservation and environmental awareness. This entire area from Canoa to Bahia is not to be missed.

The next morning, after a great breakfast at La Vista, we were off again, to be thrown back into the real world. Our memories will have to sustain us until we once again, hopefully this time next year, lie in that hammock and watch the beautiful, changing colors as the sun sets again over the Pacific.

--
Rankin and Ruthi

Futbol Fever

2011-03-05T17:31:00.001-05:00

Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa, Quito

It was Sunday morning, and I awoke with butterflies in my stomach. One big difference in the cultures of South America and our home is that everyone here is passionate about futbol (soccer). They don't so much like it, they seem to live for it. Leonardo, his 14-year-old son, his nephew and I had scored tickets for a playoff game for the national title between Nacional and Liga de Quito at the Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa. Even though we arrived two hours before game time, we still had to park about 2 miles away. Upon arrival at the stadium, I came to realize the fans are segregated according to their team of choice. In the end zones are the fanatics, with painted faces, everyone attired in their team colors. They have their own bands and spend the entire game dancing up and down in unison, singing and blowing whistles. It is hard to explain the excitement which accompanies a game like this; think the South African fans. As soon as we entered the stadium, we felt the electricity in the air. We arrived very early, but the stadium was already about 80% filled. By game time, there wasn't a seat in the house. Just imagaine---the end zone gangs had everyone worked into a frenzy, and there were 45,000 screaming fans.

The game actually started on time and right away I saw some of the best passing I had seen since the World Cup. The play was excellent and the defense was vicious. There were a total of 8 yellow cards. With 8 minutes left in the first half La Liga scored and the crowd went crazy. Of course, this got the opposing team started with the trash talk; we won't get go into great detail about this as this blog is rated for a family audience.

Halfway through the second half La Liga scored again. Now, the crowd began threatening the referees' very life, along with the usual descriptions of his manhood (or lack thereof).

A note: One thing of interest is that the air currents from the mountains seem to interrupt the flight patterns of many, many birds. All during the game, great flocks of birds would swoop down very low over the playing field, then sort of swirl around the stadium and swoop right back out again.

About ten minutes before the game ended, a swat team marched into the aisles between the two groups of fans. This is the only area of the stadium which is not surrounded by fences. The swat team shows up in full regalia---bullet-proof vests, helmets, shields and night sticks. These guys mean business! Each of the groups of fans had to exit the stadium through separate doors; then there were more cops outside to keep things calm. I have never seen such passion for futbol and felt privileged to have been to this game. I believe it was Vince Lombardi who said "Winning isn't everything; it is the only thing". Perhaps had he been born in most any other country on the planet, he might have been like that soccer coach in England who said (something like) "Futbol isn't a life and death thing; it is much more important than that".

Rankin and Ruthi

Performance by Pianist Alex Alex Alarcón Fabre

2011-03-02T10:27:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, March 1, pianist Alex Alarcón Fabre performed piano works by Ecuadorian composers of the 20th century. The concert was held at Transylvania's Carrick Theater and was made possible through the joint efforts of Transylvania University Division of Fine Arts and Kentucky Ecuador Partners.

The program included pieces by Aizaga Yeroví, Guevara Viteri, Luis Humberto Salgado Torres, Corsino Duran Carrión, Diego Uyana, Benigna Dávalos, Gonzalo Benitez-Luis Alberto Valencia, and Armando Hidrovo-Ruben Uquillas.

Originally from Quito, Ecuador, the young and talented pianist Alex Alarcón Fabre has been recognized as a great interpreter and promoter of the piano repertoire by composers from Ecuador. He is a graduate of the Conservatorio Superior Nacional de Música de Quito and the Universidad Técnica de Manabí.

Alarcon studied piano with Hugo Gianinni (Chile), Angela Rouchanian (Armenia) and Berta Brito (Ecuador); and chamber music and Ecuatorian repertoire with one of the most important composers of his country Maestro Gerardo Guevara Viteri.

He keeps an intense artistic schedule as a solo recitalist and a chamber music interpreter, and he adds to his credits a significant number of vocal recitals accompanying some of most upcoming singers of Ecuador. Alarcon has played in the most prestigious concert halls around his country, and has participated in many national and international music festivals.

His collaborations include working with pianists Boris Cepeda and Eduardo Florencia in recording the piano works of composer Juan Pablo Munoz Sanz. He also recorded works by Luis Humberto Salgado with the Symphonic Ensemble Quito 6 as well as piano music by composers from Ecuador up to 1930. And his interest in interpreting these composers has allowed him to collaborate with Ecuadorian musicologists, tracing the importance of the composers’ lives and works.

A Date to Remember
Kentucky Ecuador Partners will sponsor a Dutch Dinner in honor of Alex Alarcon on Tuesday, March 8 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Village Host Pizza, 431 East Vine in Lexington.

Apartamentos Panoramico: Home Base in Quito

2011-03-02T10:08:00.000-05:00

Once we decided to winter over in Ecuador to work on our dental initiative and miss winter in Kentucky, we started looking for a place to live. We enlisted the help of our dear friend Joe Molinaro, who had spent several months in Quito teaching ceramics and collecting material for a book he would publish. He contacted our mutual friend Victoria Carrasco, an artist who had taught a year at Morehead State University on a Fulbright Scholarship.

Vickie found us an apartment very near her own.(Her former apartment, just below us and now occupied by Vickie's lovely niece Romina, her husband Rodgrigo and their adorable 1-year-old daughter, Javiera, is the same apartment which was hit and destroyed by an airplane, piloted by a teenage trainee, only a couple of years ago; but don't tell our daughter and son, Erin and Ian; they might worry about us. Just kidding; they'll find out soon enough. What the heck; we figure lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice. Even so, every time a plane goes over loooow, which is about every 15 minutes, we always say "And don't hit Vickie's house"). This is also the place where Joe had lived when he was in the city. It is situated about 20 minutes from Quito central and overlooks the Guapalo Church and the valley in the distance. The thing we love most about our apartment is that when we retun from our travels, we feel like we're coming home. It doesn't get any better than that.

Guapalo is located on the same route that Francisco de Orellana followed on his trip to discover the Amazon River. It is a hillside neighborhood with narrow cobblestone streets, lined with houses, coffee shops and cafes. Here you find the Iglesia de Guapalo, built between 1644-1693 on the site of an even older convent. The church has a great collection of colonial art, including crucifixes and a pulpit carved by Juan Bautista Menacho, an indigenous sculptor of the 18th century. The main altar, painted by Miguel de Santiago, and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe by Diego de Robles are original masterpieces.

There is a mountain behind Guapalo which is covered with pine trees. It is a protected area providing a great green backdrop for this magnificent hilltown. Our apartment is called Apartamentos Panoramico and is located on a dead end street, Calle San Ignacio. Our landlord, Ramone, is a great guy who always has a smile on his face and cleans our apartment every day. We have used the apartment as home base as we traveled with our project, never worrying about security, knowing on our return Ramone would be right there, smiling and bringing us up to date on who might have called to invite us to dinner.

In the late afternoon the clouds roll in and the top of the distant mountain disappear and gradually the entire village disappears, Brigadoon-like. When this happens, the village will not be visible again until the next morning, when the sun blasts through the clouds and that lovely view once again comes into sight.

When we leave in the morning to head to town, we climb 82 steps to get to the main drag. This gives us our cardio workout because not only is it straight up, but at an altitude of 10,000 ft. Most days we like to walk to the center of town, rather than take taxis. This way we have really learned our way around town. When we get into the heart of town, we find our favorite laundry and the cabinas, where we can call the U.S. for 6 cents a minute and use the internet for 60 cents per hour. Also in the area is Libri Mundi (bookstore) and for great shopping opportunities John Ortman's La Bodega, and Ruthi's favorite store in Quito, Galeria Latina, for Alpaca sweaters from Bolivia. But best of all is our favorite, Cafe Este´, the really cool cafe/bar where the music is great and eclectic, the art on the walls changes every few weeks, and the breakfast, desayuno, comes complete with fresh-squeezed juice, eggs, toast, real butter, preserves made from fresh fruit, an entire bowl of fresh fruit, and cafe con leche and costs a whopping $3.50! We always brag on the cook so she takes special care of us. At lunch, almuerzo, on days when the soup or entree contains meat (we're seafood-eating vegetarians), she prepares a separate veggie soup and then gives us a choice of fish or shrimp. The whole thing is topped off with fresh juice, her homemade pastry and cafe con leche. (Oh, yeah; we're losing weight down here; no problem). This gal knows her way around fresh herbs and spices and could go toe-to-toe with great chefs in Paris and New York. Ruthi and I want to stow her away in our luggage come March 10. She will be sadly missed, as will be the bartender who has kept us in the best coffee (outside our own apartment) and juices in Ecuador.

Note--We haven't written about our adventures in Iguazu Falls and Buenos Aires yet-that will come in a later blog. But, in late February, upon our return from Argentina, we discovered that the rainy season had ended in Ecuador and along with the really warm, sunny days, we also were getting beautiful sunrises out our picture windows. Ahhhhhh, Ecuador.

Ruthi and Rankin

Another Successful Study Abroad to the Coast of Ecuador

2011-02-27T11:47:00.000-05:00

Kristie Guffey was applying the dental sealant
on a young boy in the coastal village school.

A group of students traveled to Ecuador during the winter session on an agricultural study abroad experience. There were 18 students traveling along with Dr. David Coffey, Dr. Melissa Stewart, Kristie Guffey and a dentist from Winchester, Kentucky.

The group left the winter cold of Kentucky for the warm, tropical conditions of the south. They arrived in the capital of Ecuador and toured the museums, art, architecture, churches, and the culture of Quito. The group met up with Dr. Rankin Skinner, a dentist from Winchester, in the city of Santo Domingo. There the students and leaders of the group learned how to administer dental sealant on the teeth of children and adults. Working with Dr. Skinner and Partners of the Americas, it is the combined goal to improve the overall health of teeth in the children of Ecuador. The group went to two orphanages, two schools, and a small coastal village to apply the dental sealant and to give each one a toothbrush. The service learning project was magnified by the overwhelming majority of students who are now donating money, time, and dental supplies to the next study abroad trip that will be leaving on March 2, 2011.

Agriculture freshman, Josh Dennis and Junior, Andrew Peden applying dental sealant.

The group continued to travel from the magnificent mountains and volcanoes of the Andes to the tropical region and the Pacific coast of Ecuador. They traveled to a bamboo farm, pineapple, cacao, beef cattle, palm oil, and hearts of palm, fishing villages, local markets, and witnessed a local group of indigenous people in their native culture. The group wrapped up their experience by walking on the equator and conducting exciting scientific experiments that proved they were in the middle of the world.

The entire WKU agricultural group 14,000’ high in the Andes Mountains.

Pre-Pharmacy major, Lashelle Courtney wrapped up our trip with these words, “To see mountains that touch the clouds, to witness farms and plantations of bamboo, bananas and palm oil, to be indulged into lifestyles that are new and different from our own, to touch peoples´ lives and have them touch ours right back, the study abroad trip to Ecuador was the trip of a lifetime.”

By: Kristie B. Guffey

Ibarra

2011-02-22T18:22:00.000-05:00

Today found us returning to Ibarra to visit friends and continue our dental program, which was started in 2002. On our way out of Quito, as we were driving through the Guapalo neighborhood, I thought once again what a beautiful town this really is. The winding streets through this hill town really resemble villages we have seen in Spain. Upon leaving Quito, you travel through mountains that are dry and much like areas of Africa. After reaching the town of Cayambe, the terrain turns lush and green. The patchwork farms on the sides of the mountains are a lovely site. One thing that strikes everyone as they travel through this part of Ecuador is that fields are planted on the vertical slopes of the Andes. The area is well-known for fresh blackberries and strawberries. A great blackberry syrup, called arrope de mora, is made here, and is awesome on pancakes.

In Ibarra, we learned that the Rancho Totoral, at Lago Yarguacocha, where we have been staying for a lot of years, had been sold and turned into a private residence. So we lodged at the Hotel Montecarlo in the central part of the city. We shared a great seafood dinner with or friends Nicolas Herrera and his daughter Soly. Afterwards, we walked to the Casa de la Cultura for a private showing of Nicolas' new sculpture installation. Both Nicolas and Soly are artists and both have had shows at Lexington's Central Library Gallery, under the auspices of Kentucky Ecuador Partners.

After Nicolas finished his exhibition in Lexington, we shipped his paintings to McAllen, TX to the Latin American Museum. He added more paintings to the show, for a total of 50 paintings. His opening there coincided with an International Surgery Conference, which held its opening reception at the museum. Nicolas sold every painting at $5,000 each. He used the proceeds from this event to build his cultural center in Ibarra, a stunning facility high on a hill, with a panoramic view above Lago Yarguacocha.

In the several years since he was in Kentucky, Nicolas has created monumental sculptures which have been placed in the central parks of the towns of San Gabrial and Gitan in Carchi Province. He has been very successful and now has expanded his cultural center to increase his exhibition space by 120% and also is including a cafe, which Soly will manage.

The next morning, Miguel Harrington, a friend who has worked with our projects since 1986, hired a truck with racks in the back to take us to schools above La Esperanza. Esperanza is at the foot of the Volcano Imbabura (15,121 ft.). Imbabura, the mother mountain, is held in high regard by the indigenous population, who ask her blessings for abundant crops planted on her sides (when it is raining in the valley, it is said to be Imbabura relieving herself). The local indigenous used to climb Imbabura to collect ice to sell in Ibarra.

As you leave Esperanza and climb the mountain, you drive through stunning scenery, including eucalyptus forests and a patchwork of planted fields. You realize you have entered a world all its own as everyone here is indigenous. The type of bus these folks have to use is exactly what we are riding in, a truck with sides on the bed. The difference is, in their trucks, there might be 15 or more people. Everyone here still wears their native clothing and don't seem to be affected by outside culture.( At one point on our way back down the mountain that morning, we came around a curve and realized we were following a pickup truck carrying a somewhat small casket along with one of the deceased's family members, surrounded by funeral flowers and leading about 8 other mourners).

Finally, as we climbed higher and higher that morning, the truck began to sputter from lack of oxygen, just as we arrived at the school "El Abra" Our dental program was started here at this school in 2002 and we have seen a lot of success, more restorations in permanent teeth and few cavities and lost teeth. After applying ACP and distributing toothbrushes and beanie babies, we returned to Ibarra for Helado de Paila.

Ibarra is famous across Ecuador and in Queens, NY for its helado de paila. Although helado translates as ice cream, here it is made only from fruit juice, pieces of fresh fruit , ice and sugar and is made by hand by spinning the ingredients in a large, somewhat shallow bowl or paila, over ice, straw and salt, It is simply delicious and is also a great way to sample the different fruits of Ecuador.

Roalia Suarez began the tradition in 1897 by gathering ice from Imbabura's glacier. She lived to be 105 years old, and the last time we were in Ibarra , in 2008, her then-93-yr-old daughter was still working the cash register at the original restaurant 7 days a week. Rosalia's descendants still run the shops in Ibarra (there are three in this town, alone) and in Queens. You can find this fabulous sherbet across Ecuador.

Note: this idea did not originate with Rosalia. The Incas used to send runners to the glaciers for ice and make helado de paila. It was a special treat, saved for only the highest leaders.

The next day, Nicolas and Soly and the Skinners headed to Carchi to get up-close-and-personal with Nicolas' monumental sculpture. The Skinners were a little apprehensive, as this would place us right on the border of Colombia. As we left Ibarra, we descended into the Chota Valley and within just a few minutes the temperature rose dramatically and the terrain became very dry. This area is all farmland but is irrigated from the Chota River. 80% of the tomatoes eaten in Ecuador come from this area. It is inhabited by Afro-Ecuadorians. One inhabitant in 1988 was a tall, lanky goalie who accompanied our Ibarra team to Winchester and Lexington to play in a series of soccer games. In conjunction with the Sister Cities International Convention, which was meeting in Lexington. Lexington Sister Cities sponsored an Under-18 international tournament with teams from Canada, France, Ireland, USA, Italy and Ecuador. GRCHS Soccer Team in Winchester sponsored the Ecuador team. Ireland ended up winning the tournament, but Ecuador won everyone's hearts, as they fought every game to the last second. Ecuador played France for 3rd place and the game ended 0-0; then, after overtime, with no score, a shootout was required. The kid from Chota stopped every shot-on-goal and gave Ecuador its victory. Upon his return to Ecuador, we requested that the American Embassy send someone to scout this young man out. They did and the rest is history. The kid's name was Giovanny Ibarra and he would go on to become the most famous goalkeeper in the history of soccer in Ecuador, and he would go on to lead the national team to many victories. He was there for the 2008 World Cup when England's David Beckham bent a shot to defend Ecuador, winning the semi-final game. It is our understanding that he is still playing on the national team.

Upon leaving Chota, you climb into the cloud forest and the views are just spectacular. When we arrived in San Gabrial, we were stunned by the massive sculpture which met us as we got off the bus. We were all speechless. We asked how many pieces the sculpture was transported in and were told it was moved all of-a-piece. He must have had to use a Mac-type-truck, with a flatbed. He says he has a movie of the whole thing, and was given police assistance all along the highway.

We then rented two taxis and were off to Gitan, a small village near the Colombian border. We took the old cobblestone road to get there, again seeing beautiful scenery. After checking out the other sculpture, we headed back into town, where their Saturday market was in full swing. We had (of course) ice cream before boarding a bus for the trip back to Ibarra.

That evening, we journeyed to Nicolas' house and foundation where Soly was fixing dinner for us. We arrived early enough to see the garcas, the beautiful white birds which come up through the river valley every night around sundown to roost around Lago Yarguacocha. It really is remarkable to see these pretty birds float in, first in 2's and 3's, then in larger groups, finally in groups of 30-40 or more, to spend the night on the lake, then return the next day to feed around the nearby river.

We were given a private tour of the cultural center and saw all the new construction. This is going to be a truly handsome sculpture and art destination.For dinner, Soly prepared loco de papas, (potato soup with avocado), shrimp, choclos (corn, but better than anything found in the U.S.), llapingachos (potato cakes with cheese; also has a little achiote added right in to the frying oil), avocadoes, green salad and fresh-squeezed blackberry juice (jugo de mora). Soly is a terrific cook, and we were all stuffed as we returned to our rooms to pack and bid farewell to our friends and to our Sister City.

Cuenca

2011-02-22T17:06:00.000-05:00

No trip to Ecuador is truly complete without a visit to our favorite city, Cuenca. The flight there is the coolest because you fly right down an avenue of volcanoes. The plane flies so closely over some of them that you feel as though you could reach right out and touch them, or better yet, see into them. Cuenca is 275 miles south of Quito and is Ecuador's 3rd largest city. It has cobblestone streets and various colonial-era churches, plazas and buildings. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site since much of the city's colonial architecture remains intact. Cuenca was the 2nd largest city in the Inca empire, after Cusco in Peru. The foundations of the former Inca palaces became foundations for the city's churches and government buildings. Before the Incas (1400's) the Cañari people had lived here for centuries. They were the first inhabitants of Cuenca, building a city here around A.D. 500, called Guapondeleg. After the Incas conquered them in 1480, the city became Tomebamba, the name of one of the rivers which run through the city. Pizzaro and the Spanish conquered the Incas in 1534, and the city of Santa Ana de los Cuarto Rios de Cuenca was founded in 1557.

We checked into our hotel, The Orquidea, and took off to the Parque Calderon (the most beautiful in all of Ecuador, we think) to people watch and eat ice cream. One of the things we love about Cuenca is her friendly people and great food. Everyone on the street speaks to you, and with a smile. We contacted our dear friend Julio Montesinos, a very talented painter, who arranged a private showng of some of his new work. Donnie bought two paintings to complement his growing art collection. The next day we decided to see the little-known Cañari ruins found 30 kilometers from Cuenca called Cojitambo. We stopped a cab to ask if he could drive us there. He said it would be cheaper to take a van. So he took us to the bus/van stop. We found out the van would take us to other areas which we had already visited, and would only take us to the base of Cojitambo. The ruins are situated at 10,000 ft. Our cab driver tried to negotiate a fare with a 4-wheel drive vehicle, but it was too expensive. Finally, he said he had never seen (or heard of, for that matter) the ruins and would just take us there himself. He was looking forward to the trip right along with us. This is yet another example of why we love Cuenca. The city-dwellers love their town so much, and want to share that love with newcomers.

The drive north to the ruins was on a great road (All the rich folks we have talked to simply hate their president, but we have seen truly major improvements in the roads and infrastructure in this country. Could their hatred have anything to do with the fact that they now have to pay their full taxes, which are then used to improve services for the entire populace?) and naturally the vistas were stunning. One thing which seemed a little ajar to us was there seem to be many new gated communities for retiring gringos. Most don't seem to learn the language or immerse themselves in the culture, which hurts the feelings of the locals. The expats don't, as a general rule, bring the best of what our culture has to offer.

As we continued on our way, we saw a huge mountain towering over everything around it and going straight up. We soon came to realize the ruins were to be found on this mountain. As we pulled off the main road, we hit what is best described as a goat path. After about 1/2 mile, it got better, then turned into a great road. As we ascended, the view became more and more dramatic. Finally we reached the small community of Cojitambo and asked directions. We were told to keep on going to the very top. The higher we ascended, the less oxygen there was, and the car started coughing and sputtering. Finally, with the car now in first gear, it could climb no further. So we got out and started our climb. We stopped often, first to catch our breath, and second to become yet more breathless by the fantastic view. We were at the highest spot in the entire area and the world was there at our feet. We finally reached the peak of the ruins, with a 360 degree panorama. To the south we could see the entire city of Cuenca, to the east the town of Azogues, to the west the way to the coast, and to the north, Cajas (The Boxes), a national park with over 20,000 lakes. (Yes, that is the correct number. Cajas is a story all its own, but will have to wait for another year). The person in our group who was the most blown away was our driver. He was amazed by the entire experience and loved the fresh air. Cojitambo was built by the Cañari as a defensive fort. They could
see for about a hundred miles in any direction, so it was impossible to sneak up on them.We spent a while hiking around and enjoying the view. There are few places left in the world which give a sense of wonder. This place seemed to us to be very spiritual as well as being physically stunning. If there is any place everyone needs to visit in Ecuador (before it is discovered by too many tourists) this is it. We had the place to ourselves. It definitely is not on the tourist radar yet, as no one in Cuenca seemed to have heard of it. Good. Best kept secret.

The next morning Ruthi and I took a yoga class with Ximena Montesinos, one of Julio's daughters. It was great to stretch out our muscles after our day of hiking. After class, Ximena showed us her studio and apartment. The apartment has several bedrooms (she rents out some of them, which pays her rent for the whole place), and a rooftop terrace with lots of plants and flowers, and a great view of the city as the terrace is on the 5th floor. Next time you're in Cuenca needing a yoga class, she is there Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:00 A.M., and teaches a couple of 6:00 P.M. classes, 3rd floor above Cafe Austria. (Tell her we sent you).

That afternoon we visited the Indigenous Museum where 5,000 artifacts are housed, covering the history of Cuenca, going back 5,000 years. One of Rankin's favorite things there was a skull with 2 front teeth sporting gold inlays. They were pretty cool, but obviously they were completely decorative. Surely, this guy impressed many a female with his flashy smile. Yes, men were showing off even then.

Our last day in Cuenca, we took a city tour on a double-decker bus. We climbed high above the city to a beautiful church, Mirador de Turi. Here you could see all of Cuenca before you. In Spanish, Cuenca means river basin and four separate rivers run through the city, all of which you can see on this tour. We also visited a barrio where everyone works as blacksmiths. They make these beautiful crosses surrounded by birds, animals, etc. These are placed on top of all of the roofs in this area. Ruthi wants one next time around (But, with crazy weight restrictions, we have to be very careful what we do or do not purchase). We ended up back at Parque Calderon where the double-decker affords a great view of the beautiful Catedral Viejo (Old Cathedral). It is the oldest structure in the city. It was build in 1557 with stones from the nearby Inca ruins of Pumapungo. Also viewed from this vantage point is the Catedral Nueva (New Cathedral), which was started in 1885 and took 80 years to complete. Two massive blue domes are distinctive and visible from various areas around the city. This is the largest church in Ecuador. There is live music nearly every night in the park. Our favorite group featured a young kid of about 9, who sang (with abandon and with real talent!) and played a mouth organ, accompanied by his father and older brother. Hey, this kid may have only known one song, but he belted it right out. When his repertoire expands, you should be seeing him on "Ecuador Has Talent".

It was with great sadness that we packed to depart Cuenca. We left with many memories of old and new friends, great meals and fabulous ice cream. These memories will have to hold us until we return next year.

Rankin and Ruthi

Quito

2011-02-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

January 19

Quito---After an uneventful trip back from the coast to Quito, the college group and the Skinners, (minus Ruthi, gone to get a decent haircut, and having been on this cool trip before), met to take a ride on El Teleferico. This great cable car was constructed by the Swiss a few years ago. It is a 6-person car which takes folks up the side of the volcano Pichinca which tops out at13,287 ft. It takes about 10 minutes to reach the top at 3,286 ft. and it is really interesting to see the vegetation change as higher altitudes are reached. There was a great view of Cayambe and several other volcanoes, all snow-covered (something the folks back home may be unable to fully appreciate during this horrible winter of '11). At the top, Quito lies before you, surrounded by a line of some 7 volcanoes, simply breathtaking. It makes your heart beat faster in amazement; or it could possibly have been that altitude, us having started the journey at about 10,000 ft! There are many hiking trails which give different perspectives of the city view, as well as horses for rent for those who don't dig on high-altitude hiking. It is so spectacular, you consider never leaving, until the cold starts to seep into your very marrow. If you are ever in Quito, Ecuador, Sud America, this is a treat not to be missed!

In the afternoon, we visited the artist Enrique Estuardo Alvarez. He works in a truly lovely old colonial property owned by an arts foundation in Cumbaya, one of the lovelier neighborhoods in all of Quito. Cumbaya puts one in mind of any town one might encounter in Southern California, complete with the obligatory KFC and Mickey D's.Kentucky Ecuador Partners brought Enrique to our state in 2003 for a show of his paintings at the Lexington Public Library, and workshops at UK, EKU and WKU. Since then, his success has been phenomenal, and prices for his paintings have skyrocketed. He did a public works project in Ecuador called Faces of Ecuador, where billboards of his paintings were placed along the highways. He was also selected by Absolut Vodka to design a bottle cover which was then transferred to black leather jackets, sold only in Switzerland. Technically, his new work is as good as it gets, very cutting edge as well as political. He continues to do Faces of Ecuador and these works evoke a strong emotional response from all who see them. All the students bought books of his work and postcards with reproductions of his paintings.

We had a farewell dinner with the kids (students) at El Cielo Quiteño, a restaurant providing a view of the entire city. At night, it is a heartstopper. This is their last night in this wonderful country. They are headed back to ice, several inches of snow, freezing temperatures and a new college semester, to begin on Monday. Via con Dios. We were privileged to know each and every one of you. The Skinner clan was a little sad to see this terrific bunch head home, but we have too much planning to do for our dental work in Tena to even be allowed time to cry.

The Coast

2011-02-22T15:38:00.000-05:00

Only about 3% of the population of Ecuador, but about 70% of the population of the coast, trace their roots to escaped slaves of African origin. These people inter-married with the local indigenous and learned their ways and culture. They established communities along the coast and rivers called Palenques as early as 1550. They were very independent and resisted colonial rule. They brought the Samba and Batucada from their former homes. The combination of the cultures brought about a local traditional music called Currulao. This music combines drums and marimbas, a xylophone-like instrument of African origin. Coastal folk will dance for hours to the driving beat of this music. Another thing not to be missed on the coast is Encocado, a coconut seafood stew.

The Skinners and WKU students and staff arrived in Atacames late in the afternoon and were given time to make phone calls, use the internet, get water, sunscreen and other supplies. Without sunscreen, you WILL fry!! Atacames, once a small, quiet fishing village with a beautiful beach is now the tourist trap from hell. But, this is where we had to go to stock up on supplies before getting out of Dodge and heading on to the lovely Same, a small village some 15 miles to the south. We checked into the Hosteria El Rampiral. We had private cabañas right on El Pacifico (what you call the Pacific Ocean). We fell asleep with the crashing waves creating their harmony throughout the night. For R&R it brought back memories of 1969-70, when we lived in a beach house in Oceanside, Calif.

The next day we rode in tap-taps, motorcycles with a bench in front seating two, to the adjacent town to the south called Tonchigue. We went to arrange for dinner for the next night for the group at a small restaurant called Francesca's. Not only does Francesca herself serve as the chef of the leading seafood spot in the area, but she is also the hard-nosed sheriff, allowing no drugs or prostitution in her town. Francesa's dream is to make this town a family destination on the coast, allowing just enough tourism without losing the small-town charm and innocence here. The return trip to the hotel was accomplished seemingly on two wheels. Is this where the saying "Hell on Wheels" originated?

The college students voted to return to Atacames for lunch and contact with the outside world. The Skinners had shrimp ceviche which was out of this world. One of the many things we love down here is fresh-squeezed orange juice. But halfway through drinking said juice, we realized it was loaded with ice. We asked the owner if the ice was made with purified water. His vague answer seemed to imply that we were had lads. Luckily, we had just left a nature store, where we had purchased Sangre de Drago (Blood of the Dragon), a natural remedy for bites (and various and sundry other things) made from the sap of the drago tree. Thank goodness, as by late afternoon, Rankin had gone down for the count.(Ruthi would have a delayed reaction, which would come in a different form, also treated with Blood of the Dragon). Miguel Castañel, who trains Navy Seals about medicinal plants in the rainforest, prescribed 10 drops of "The Blood" in a little water, twice daily. After 24 hours, we were completely well, which made us huge believers in nature's pharmacy.

The morning of Rankin's miraculous recovery, we headed to a town south of Same (pronounced Sah-me) called Muisne. Muisne is unique in that the town is cut in half by the river, also called Muisne. Half the town is on the mainland, and the other half is on a small island across the river, with a beautiful beach. Our entire group took launches across the river to reach the island. The cost was 10 cents each. We were introduced to several Canadian students who were volunteering with a local foundation whose goal is to repopulate the mangroves. At the foundation we were told that thousands of acres of mangroves have been destroyed to make way for shrimp farms. Many local people have lived on land in the mangrove area for generations, but no titles to their land were ever recorded. So, when some big company wants to put in a shrimp farm, they cut down the fences, bulldoze the houses, and replace them with shrimp ponds. They don't pay for the land, and the locals are displaced. The foundation in this town is trying to find a legal solution to this problem, but they are fighting people with a lot of money, and officials are easily swayed by bribes. This issue seems to be an important one, because 2 1/2 acres of mangroves will support about 20 families. Not only do they gather food to eat, which comes directly from the mangrove area (fish, crabs, langostinos, shrimp, etc.), but what they do not eat they sell in the market, providing the family with a little income. 2 1/2 acres of shrimp farming will support 2 families, with only 1 receiving the actual profit. Most of that profit doesn't stay in the local community, so it is easy to understand the socio-economic impact of mangrove destruction. Also, the chemical treatment of the shrimp ponds and the processed food used to feed the shrimp are starting to cause contamination of the local water, affecting the bio-diversity of the area.

Another problem that is just starting here is replacing farms with eucalyptus trees. The pulp from these trees is used for making printer paper for our computers. The problem other than farm replacement is the massive use of Round-Up to kill the natural jungle plants to clear the land for this planting. They continue spraying to keep the vegetation down and insecticides are in constant use. The run-off is contaminating rivers and streams with constant fish-kills being reported. From now on, it will be hard for R&R to eat cheap farm-raised shrimp from Kroger or Sam's Club or replace the paper in our printer without thinking of the social impact on the places from which they come.

That afternoon, we took boat tours through the mangroves to a fishing village on the coast, where we would see first-hand the life of the locals, dependent solely on what they can catch or gather. We were touched by the hard lives of these people but impressed with the love in the family unit, and the way the folks in the community supported each other. Their lives were a blueprint which we could all follow. (This village was also a part of our dental project, but you will receive a more detailed report on this in a later blog). As we left the village, there was little talking in our boat. We all seemed to be reflecting on how blessed we are, and how we could change our lives and "Live simply, so that others may simply live".

Regards from beautiful, diverse Ecuador, The Skinners

Field Trips: Plantains, Bamboo, Palm Oil

2011-02-17T13:21:00.000-05:00

We awoke early and were off to inspect a plantain (sometimes mistaken for bananas) plantation. This farm exports most of their product to the U.S.via Bonita. It was interesting to find out that banana plants grow young plants (sort of the way orchids sometimes produce sports) around their base as they get older. The workers select the best new plants and cut down the rest, so it is unneccesary to replant. They recycle the cut materials. As the plant matures, a purple flower will appear, which is the biginning of a stalk of bananas. As the stalk forms bananas, a plastic bag with holes in it is placed over the whole stalk to protect it against insects. We were able to see how the banana tree is cut and the bananas are removed, treated and boxed up for markets in the U.S., Europe and Canada. After a great lunch of swordfish steak, we were off to visit a group of los Colorados Indians.

The los Colorados, more properly called the Tsachilas, are one of the most interesting indigenous groups in Ecuador. There are about 3,000 individuals left, living in 8 communities around Santo Domingo. They are well known for their healers and shamans. Most are farmers and they raise cattle. The men use a thick paste made from the achiote seed to mat down and color their hair. The men wear a knee-length wrap-around skirt, with black and white horizontal stripes, tied at the waist with a red belt. For ceremonies and healings, men and women paint their bodies with horizontal black lines, said to be indicative of the snake or serpent spirit.

We were told of the use of halucinogens to help the healers communicate with their ancestors and to better understand nature. We were allowed to view a mock-up ceremony to bring a young man into adulthood. It takes him 10 years to prepare for this, as he will be drumming and chanting for days to communicate with the spirit world.

Afterward we practiced spear-throwing and dancing. I placed a spear dead center in the target. These were really beautiful people, and it was moving to see how tight the family unit was. It was also very sad, as probably by the time our children are our age, the Tsachilas will probably be no more, their way of life giving over to an ever-expanding world population and more and more "progress".

The next day we headed to a bamboo forest. It is owned by Carlos Penaherra. Carlos was born in Ecuador, but later moved to Ohio, where he graduated from Ohio State, later getting his post-grad from Harvard. He served in Viet Nam. He was an old hippie who developed a passion for bamboo. He returned to Ecuador, where he teaches at the University of San Francisco. He bought a farm in Santo Domingo and converted several thousand acres to bamboo production. He planted many varieties and harvests constantly. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world, growing several feet in a week. His main variety grows in clumps, with the oldest plants, the ones which can be harvested, in the center. This makes the harvest difficult. Hiking though this forest is like taking a trip back in time. It is dead quiet except for the wind and birds singing. One feels very close to nature in a beautiful preserve such as this. Of course, paradise always has serpents, and a bamboo forest is not exempt. There are many bushmasters (fer-de-lance), an extremely poisonous snake here. It is most advisable to wear knee boots and carry machetes, something which we were somehow not told earlier.

Bamboo has many practical uses, including furniture, flooring, and is even sold in 6-foot sections, which is used for exterior house walls, as well as interior paneling. It is very easy on the environment, as once it is planted, no heavy equipment is neccesary as this land will never have to be plowed under again. Every place bamboo grows, it causes springs of water to form and much water is stored inside the plant itself. Even clothing can be made from bamboo. It is said that bamboo will completely overtake the cotton market, as cotton ultimately depletes the land, and bamboo does not. A company in California is already marketing bamboo clothing. The Skinner clan found this to be the most exciting farming possiblity of all the different operations we visited. Wow!! We´re land greedy.Ruthi wants to be a bamboo farmer!

We then visited the fruit, vegetable, fish, meat----oh, what the heck----the Everything market in the small town of Concordia, very near the bamboo farm. The students were put off by the seafood and beef sections as they are accustomed to having their food processed, packaged and brightly displayed at their local Kroger. (These were mostly Agriculture students. How far we have veered from mother nature. We seem to have forgotten as a culture from where food actually comes).

Ruthi and I were blown away with the fresh crabs, still alive, huge swordfish where you had your steaks cut to order. There were many varieties of fresh fish, including red snapper. Also could be found every kind of fruits and vegetables known to man, plus fresh herbs by the armload, and fresh bread which was baked daily. If you lived near here, you would be able to eat like a king for very little money.

The market also had all the other things a person would need for his daily life, including that dang machete we weren´t warned to buy! Boots, too, for that matter.

The next day we toured a plam oil factory. There are thousands of acres in Santo Domingo which are planted in African Palms. It takes about three years for the trees to bear fruit. The palm nuts are then taken to the processing plant where they are graded, cooked, then the nut in the center is separated from the husk. The husk is then pressed and the red oil that is used for cooking is expressed and separated from any water. Most of this product goes to Brazil. The nut is then pressed and this second oil is used in cosmetics, granola bars, etc. What is left of the husk is used to fire the ovens for the cooking phase. The remnant of the nut process is bagged and is used as an igredient in feed for cattle. There is no product left which needs disposal.

Tena: Strangers Entertained

2011-02-14T14:52:00.004-05:00

At 7:00 A.M., we left for Tena with Miguel Castañel, on public transport. Aware of how dodgy the bus trips can be in S.A., we knew we were in for an adventure. We stopped in Pifo, Miguel's hometown,to pick up fresh bread (with chocolate in the center, and also with pineapple, Miguel says only his town does the piña) for the trip onward, and to meet his beloved mother. We unfortunately missed her; she is a very devout Catholic, and had already headed to church. But, to our delight, Pifo was in the second day of a 3-day festival celebrating San Sebastian, the town's patron saint. Whoa!!! You already KNOW how the Skinners dig a parade---This should be big. The parade featured groups of dancers, musicians, clowns and, of course, the obligatory local beauty queens. I can still feel the excitement we felt as we just climbed right in and walked among the performers and floats to get lots of photos. What I loved most about this parade was that there were groups of dancers of all ages, from toddlers to a group of grandmas gettin' down! The cutest indigenous kid of about three years was enclosed in a circle dance, boogying with all his family. What a doll! This festival is held every year at the same time. We were told that the entire day on Friday was given over to celebrating the Chagras, Ecuadorian cowboys. Many boys and men were still wearing their chaps from the previous days parades and partying. We will put San Sebastian on our calendars, making sure to take in the whole weekend event next year!

About one block from the corner where we would wait for the bus on to Tena, a young lady of 103 years of age, who had had a birds' eye view of the festivities from her upstairs window, called down to us. Her daughter who was with her told us she was giving us her blessing, and they asked if we would like to come up for a visit. Even though we had no more time to stay and chat, we were reminded of just one more reason we love Ecuador; her people are as beautiful and inviting as the country. While waiting at the bus stop, we bought slices of fresh-cut watermelon, which we ate with our yummy chocolate bread right there on the side of the road. No three- star dining establishment could have made it any better than that.

When the bus arrived, we found seats wherever they were available. While things are quickly becoming more up-to-date even in Ecuador, where you rarely encounter live chickens and even small pigs, and where folks are no longer allowed to use the bus as a moving van (where entire household goods were stacked on top of the vehicle), it still sometimes seems like an every-man-for-himself undertaking. One woman who shared the space with Rankin and Ruthi on the back seat had little space and nothing to hold on to except the small child in her lap. No problem. She just politely leaned over, put her head on Rankin's shoulder, and proceeded to fall fast asleep.

The ride to Tena takes one through a pass in the paramo, over 13,000 ft., the air turning very cold at those heights, before descending into the jungle. Sometimes the bus is held up for several hours until the ice/snow on the road melts, before proceeding through this pass. Condors are regularly seen here, if the clouds are cleared. We passed the lush green Papallacta Hot Springs, where there are many pools heated by volcanic activity. The terrain continued to become more tropical until we reached the edge of the jungle, Tena.

Tena is the capital of Napo Province and is considered the cinnamon (canela) capital of the country. The town sits at the convergence of the Tena and Puño rivers. The International Kayaking Championships were held here two years in a row recently. The area is well known for its whitewater rafting. We had a riverside room at the Hotel Posada, which faced an island park between the two rivers. Sleeping to the tune of whitewater running by the window, mixed with the exotic sounds of the jungle, made for sweet, peaceful dreams. The next morning we started our dental program, our first since Santo Domingo and Muisne. I will blog on the entire Ecuador Dental Health Initiative in a submission all its own.

Later in the afternoon, we took a dugout canoe to the island and were met by a green parrot which followed us everywhere we went during the visit. We called him "Coty", after a beloved green conyer we used to keep as a pet. We found a drago tree, made a small cut in the bark, and a drop of the reddest "blood" instantly seeped out. As we have already reported, it is used to treat a wide assortment of ills, including Montezuma's Revenge. Donnie's greatest hero seems to be Samantha Brown, whom he watches somewhat religiously on the Travel Channel. She has been to Ecuador and preached, Chapter and Verse, on the efficacy of BOTD. We took a photo of him at the tree. He wants to tell his beloved Samantha that she has nothing on him. He has now been washed in the blood, so to speak.

This preserve has enclosed different kinds of jungle animals, plants and serpents, protecting them in as close to their natural habitat as possible. We were lucky to see an anaconda. They are usually very difficult to view as they are very shy, and also camouflaged. This one had just had a close encounter with an unfortunate duck (give you one guess who won?) and was consequently satiated and sluggish. We poled the canoe off the island at sundown, and finished the evening with a delicious dinner of Ceviche de Camarone (Shrimp). Our friend Victoria Carrasco would later tell us this healthful, scrumptious dish is called "lavante muerte", roughly translated as Raised From The Dead, an apt description in our opinions. Yum.

The next day the group, (excluding Ruthi), took off for a whitewater rafting excursion on the Rio Anzu. The river runs by lush, thick jungle scenery, with an abundance of birds (we saw toucans) and monkeys. Amid the intense green there were trees covered with beautiful orange flowers, called Erytrina (Flame of the Jungle). After exhausting ourselves paddling through rapids we stopped for lunch at a river beach called Shangri-La. All I can say is it was aptly named. We pulled the raft from the river, turning it over to make a table. Our guide, Manual, served us homemade Ceviche de Palmitos (a vegetarian version of the usual seafood variety, and delicious!) yuca, hot rice, pepino (a melon-like fruit), fresh pineapple, apples, bananas, and (but, of course), Coca Cola. This meal will long remain in our minds as one of the 25 best of our lives. There was something mystical about standing on that beach, closing my eyes, and listening to the unbelievable jungle sounds and life which surrounded us.

The water temperature in the Anzu is relatively comfortable. That changes rapidly when the Rio Jatun Yacu converges. It comes from the glacial melt of the volcano Cotapaxi. The water turns frigid and we all began to pray not to fall out of the raft. (There we go, getting religion again). Eventually the Rio Anzu converges with the Rio Napo, which is the longest tributary in Ecuador of the Amazon River in Brazil.Donnie and Rankin just about killed themselves trying to drag that heavy raft back up the hill to the truck at the end of the trip. Thank goodness Ruthi was there with the proper provisions (dark Ecuadorian chocolate laced with hot pepper. Ruthi had not been completely idle during the day, herself).

While we were rafting, Ruthi had a private tour of the entire area, meeting many new friends, and seemingly learning all she ever wanted to know about the three surrounding towns. She ended up at a chocolate factory (Ecuadorian chocolate is considered to be second to none in the world, save the Swiss version). Free trade chocolate is a cottage industry for the indigenous tribes in the rainforest. It is one way they are able to sustain both their culture and the forest. She also bought jewelry made by the Yaorani (sic), sometimes spelled Warani. This is a once-fierce tribe in the rainforest which still retains its culture (excluding the headhunting and just general mahem they were famous, er, infamous for). Over the next decade, this will change drastically if we continue to explore their land for oil, and this people becomes more exposed to our way of life. Since they are now self-sufficent (and have stopped killing the missionaries), does our culture, our modern world, really have anything of true value to offer these people? We finished the day with another great seafood dinner, followed by ice cream made with fresh fruit. A huge single dip is 50 cents. Rankin's favorite is Guanabana, which he considers the nectar of the gods. But, Coco, the cocoanut having been taken directly from the tree, WOW! This is divine.

Sadly, our stay in Tena came to an end with another hair raising (Daggone! This dude was in a hurry!) bus ride back to Pifo. Miguel's dear elderly mother had made a wonderful, simple dessert for us, Quembolitos. (They reminded Ruthi so much of the simple treats her Grandma Landrum always made, called Sweet Cakes). Quembolitos are made from ground corn with raisins inside. They are then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. They have just the right amount of sweetness, not to compare to the sweetness of his mother herself, as she hugged, kissed and blessed us all and sent us on our way. In our country, most folks have become so jaded and fearful that it is hard for us to pour out unconditional love,remembering to "entertain strangers" as the good book says. Yet one more reason to love this enchanting part of the world. An hour and a half busride later, we arrived at our apartment in Quito, grabbed a taxi and rushed to the laundry with all those dirty clothes from the trip, fighting to get there before closing time. Not to worry; it is all working out. As Roberta pointed out more than once, we have been blessed by at least two lovely Ecuadorian women; what other blessings could we possibly ask for?

Rankin and Ruthi

Sealant Project -- part 1

2011-02-14T14:48:00.004-05:00

In 1996, while on tour in Ecuador with the rock 'n roll band Beau Haddock and The Highland Rim, our group ended up in Ambato to headline the Fruit and Flower Festival there. Bands and dance troups from all over the world participate in this annual event. While there, we were invited to a private performance of the local university ballet group. Their dance was choreographed to Pink Floyd's The Wall. Ruthi commented on how beautiful the girls were, especially the lead dancer.
After the show, we were invited to a reception, where we met the dancers. To our dismay, we noticed that the prima ballerina had a huge cavity in her upper, front tooth, taking so much from her beauty, as well as,I am sure, from her self-esteem. As a dentist, I couldn't help but realize this lovely, talented young woman would most likely require an extraction within only a few months. Afterwards, Ruthi insisted we had to add a dental component to the volunteer work we had already been doing in Ecuador for nearly ten years.The big question was----What will we do, and how will we fund it?

For several years, we procrastinated because this would require a huge investment in time and money. In all my prior dental health projects (Haiti, Jamaica, Guatemala, Belize and Ecuador), I was unable to do anything but extractions, and could never come close to meeting the needs of the populace in these communities. It was frustrating to think I was doing nothing more than putting out fires. I came to realize more and more that prevention was the only true help, stopping the decay before it starts. So, in 2002, working directly with the Ecuador Minister of Health, we started a Sealant Project, where we provided the sealant material and training for government dentists in 15 clinics
in Ibarra and several surrounding communities, and 15 clinics in Quito.This was a partnership among the Minister of Health, the government dentists, the schools they supported, the parents, and Kentucky Ecuador Partners. Ruthi and I would provide the sealant material, and the government dentists would place them. The second year, on discovering that these children did not even have toothbrushes, we realized we sort of had the cart before the horse, so provided toothbrushes, which we obtained at a reduced rate from Darby Dental Spencer Meade, a dental supply house from whom we purchase our supplies for our own office.

In order to be successful, we realized we would need several components to this program. The dentists would place the material and every six months, under the pretense of checking to see that the sealants were still in place, they would see the kids back in their offices, clean and check their teeth and add fluoride into the process at the same time. The principals of the schools instituted a daily brushing program and included a dental health education program into their curriculum. Then, both the dentists and the schools began educating the parents. Most of the parents were subsistence farmers, with little or no education ,but loved their children just as we love ours, and wanted to help the kids in whatever ways they could. During the last year of this program, a new product for preventive dentistry entered the market. It was a new fluoride varnish with ACP (Amorphous Calcium Phosphate), manufactured by Premier Dental. This was destined to become one of the best preventive dental materials to ever enter the market. The ACP, when added to the Fluoride Varnish, causes the teeth to absorb 200% more fluoride than a regular fluoride treatment.

As an added bonus, the ACP remineralizes areas of the teeth which are just beginning to break down. We were soooooo happy to add this material into our preventive arsenal. After this 5-year program, we achieved a reduction in decay of 49%-78%, depending on the clinic responding. During this time, we were able to place 150,000 sealants, and provide toothbrushes to the schools. We were able to bankroll this project ourselves for the most part, because the ACP has other benefits. It is very inexpensive (especially when you get the company to give great discounts, knowing we will promote their company along with the material), and it is very light-weight, which allowed us to simply spread out a few hundred of the applications in our suitcases,shipping the rest with college students coming with Partners, etc. But, sometimes someone, usually one of our patients or sometimes good souls at First Presbyterian Church in Winchester, would just step up and donate a little money or help in some other way. For instance, a charming, cherished and somewhat funny story was about one of those patients and her mother. This patient told her mother up east about what we were trying to do, and both of them became determined to help out. One day, this lady, a Christian in the true sense (the kind the big guy intended that word to be) showed up at our office, telling us that her mother was outside with a gift. We went out to find this woman literally encased in that car with no room for anything but her and the 3,000 toothbrushes she was packing!! We were stunned, asking how and where she came up with all those toothbrushes, then drive them all the way to Kentucky. She simply replied "They're from New Jersey; don't ask any questions". We didn't.

Our patients Kathy (she with the mom from New Jersey) and Art Sebesta mentioned at one of their six-month check-ups in our office, that they would like to donate toothbrushes to the cause, and we thanked them very much. Three weeks later, we came home for lunch to find the front of our garage door to be covered with toothbrushes, some 25,000 of them! (For all our friends and family always ragging us about the fact our garage has not been cleaned out in years, now you get some small idea why. How can we keep loving, caring people from giving 'til it hurts?) It is hard to write this story without getting choked up just a little. And, the Sebestas are not the only folks who have given what they could, when they could. We have had several people just write a small check, or sometimes just give us some dental or medical supplies they know will be needed in Ecuador, understanding that we will always be good stewards and put every penny or item to good use. May you be blessed, one and all.

Our success in Ecuador led to The Clark County Dental Health Initiative, wherein the Clark County Community Foundation funded a dental health program in the Clark County Kentucky Public School System. We would place the fluoride varnish with ACP on all students, pre-school through 5th grade twice a year. We would then do a dental exam called a DMF survey (Decayed, Missing, Filled), to get an accurate measure of the decay rate in this group. Clark County had an initial decay rate of 50%, appallingly right in line with the rate in the state overall. This places Kentucky in last place in the nation in providing for the dental health of our children. After one year, we were able to realize an 11% decline in the rate of decay. This partnership is between the Winchester Dental Society, the Clark County Health Department, Clark County Community Foundation and the public school system. We are now in year 3 of this 5-year undertaking and are anticipating great success, and an even higher drop in the decay rate.

A note----This group is also providing a new toothbrush and large tube of toothpaste to all 6,000 students in the Clark County School system.

This brings us to our 2011 dental program in Ecuador. Dr.David Coffey invited us to join his team from Western Kentucky University, including 22 students, to help provide a community service component to their January term Agriculture tour here in Ecuador. In Santo Domingo we trained the students to place the fluoride varnish and also to let them know that they would be leaving something tangible behind, that being hundreds of children whose teeth would be protected against decay for 6 months.

Our first volunteer opportunity was to treat 200 kids in the orphanage Casa Hogar de Jesus. The boys and girls were housed in separate buildings several blocks apart. The experience of working with this team will long be in our minds. The orphans were so grateful and expressed it with smiles, thank yous and big hugs. We went to the girls' home first and fanned out to begin the applications. Ruthi was working next to a lovely WKU student named Lachelle. A beautiful little girl of perhaps 5 walked directly up to Lachell, looked into her eyes, gave her a winning smile, then wrapped her little arms tightly around her and would NOT let go. Believe us when we say there were tears all around that night when Lachelle had to reluctantly say goodbye. She desperately wanted to adopt the child.These scenes were repeated of course when we went to the boys' home. These little guys were so adorable. They had already had their baths and were in their jammies when we arrived. We took a lot of photos of some of our guys holding sometimes three little boys in each arm. That is one of the beauties of volunteerism. The volunteers get as much reward as the folks for whom they work.

After we applied the fluoride varnish, all the kids were given toothbrushes. We also placed the varnish on the staff. During the training phase, it seemed quite apparent that the students wanted to do this as quickly as possible and get back to their iPods. But, once they started working, they were so touched by the response of the children that they never wanted the evening to end. Several of them told us this was the highlight of their trip. For many it was the first time they had provided a community service and been given unconditional love in return. The Skinners never tire of this type of work. We know that it is a service with measurable value and that a life of service is always a fulfilling one.(And, come on guys; what a great excuse to get away from the snow, ice and frigid temps of KY in the winter!).

The next day we headed to the city school of Saquisili. By then our team was so professional they had earned the name Los Increibles (The Incredibles). We spent the morning again placing the varnish and giving these kids toothbrushes as well. Several young kids and adults in the neighborhood asked to be treated so of course we did. We headed to lunch with great feelings of accomplishment.

Our next community dental program was in a fishing village deep in the mangroves near the coastal town of Muisne. We rented two dugout canoes with 100 horsepower motors. Leaving the town we blasted through the river, also named Muisne, trailing 5 foot rooster tails of water , half of which seemed to end up in the boat. Our ride through the mangroves was like a trip back in time. Although we were speeding through the mangroves, we were able to see many species of birds and animals in the air and on the banks. We finally arrived at a small isolated fishing village located on a peninsula, the ocean on one side, the river on the other.

As we neared the beach our boat bottomed out, so off came the shoes and we waded ashore. Approaching the tiny village, we came to realize that life here was pretty basic. The houses were wood shacks with tin roofs, and the people were subsistence hunter/gatherers. There were small dugout canoes, but no motors. It was quite obvious that all boat transportation had to be powerd by hand. Hunting, fishing, crabbing, shrimping, small gardens and fruit from the jungle provides all their food needs. The thing which impressed us most was the apparent cohesiveness of this community. They seemed to look out for each other like a close family.

As we entered the village , the children came running to grab our hands and lead us on. All the Spanish speakers in our group (Melissa Stewart, Spanish instructor at WKU, was along on this trip as translator) went from house to house to explain the purpose of our visit. In twenty minutes, everyone in the village had gathered at the community center. Our team began placing the varnish and passing out toothbrushes to all the kids and, as they insisted, we moved on to all the adults. Everybody in this tiny village were treated and their expressions of gratitude touched the hearts of us all. When it came time for us to leave, the people were begging us to stay and at least share a meal. We had to decline as we were losing daylight.
When we headed back, we were surprised to learn that the tide had gone out, and we all waded some 50 yards back to the boats. On the ride back to the town, everyone was quiet, reflecting on how hard some folks' lives can be and how many blessings we all seem to have. We believe the WKU students' lives will be forever changed by their participation in this dental program.

Back in Muisne, we trained Rodrigo, a foundation member, to place fluoride varnish and provided enough material for him to treat all the kids in the public schools there. Again, we left with a sense of satisfaction in what we were able to achieve.

After the Western Kentucky students returned to Kentucky on the 21st of January,we, along with Miguel Castanel, headed to Tena and the rainforest to continue our work. We rode a bus from Quito to the town of Pifo, then caught another bus on to Tena. After the thrills and chills of public transport in South America, we arrived safely at our destination. We met with the principal of the public school in Tena and explained our program. The local school dentist volunteered to assist us. The next day we passed out toothbrushes and placed the varnish on all the students in the school. We included pre-schoolers, where a 3-year-old approached Ruthi, threw her arms around her legs, and said "I want you to treat me". Then Ruthi was rewarded with a big hug and afterward this child followed her around the school like she owned her. We finished the day exhausted, but happy that the children in this community now have six months' protection against decay. The next day we had a day of rest, and set aside time to challenge the rapids of the Rio Anzu.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to Miguel Castanel, who made the arrangements for our entire rainforest activities. For those of you who may not know Miguel. he studied English at U.K., and speaks with a Kentucky accent. He also jumped right in and helped us place the varnish, something he had also done in the Clark County Schools when he was in KY last fall.
Ibarra, Winchester's Sister City, would be the site of our next dental varnish endeavor. On our trip out of Quito, we drove through a dry, dusty area, then little by little, the lush green hills surrounding Otavalo began changing the scenery entirely. The area around Otavalo has not changed too much in the some 25 years we have been coming to Ecuador, although there is now a 4-lane highway. Many areas still shine through with the lovely site of patchwork gardens showing against the Andes. There are also still charming little farms with the black and white cows, from whom comes the cheese the area is famous for. And, of course the stunning site of Lago San Pablo and Pachamama, the heart of Imbabura. Okay, okay, Ruthi digresses. We'll get back to that in a later post.

Some 15 miles onward is Ibarra. We rented the only transport we could find, a small farm truck with high walls surrounding the bed. We drove up through the community of Esperanza and continued climbing Imbabura. We finally arrived at the public school, El Abra. The principal of the school says the altitude of this school is 3,800 meters. That translated into 12,467 ft. and believe you me, there ain't much oxygen to be found. We had to hire a truck because cars will not run at this altitude.

We placed the fluoride varnish on all the kids, only about 70 in this poor mountain village. Then we had the principal bring all the pre-schoolers from another school (at an even higher altitude) to be treated. We have been treating the children at this little school, checking to see if the government dentists were applying the sealants as directed, there being no ACP back then, since 2002. We are seeing very little decay and finally these once-neglected kids are being treated at the government clinics, being treated with fillings, and we're seeing very few extractions.

One thing we were able to do for these little children which we could do nowhere else, is give them "prizes" for being good patients. Our beloved sister-in-law Roberta is an avid garage sale gal. Ever since we started doing our dental program in Ecuador, she has made a point of going to garage sales in the best neighborhoods in Lexington nearly every week. She seeks out only the best items, such as Beanie Babies, brand new ones still with the tags on them. (One year we were able to send down 300, something which is almost impossible now with the crazy weight restrictions put on by the airlines). Even so, by hook or by crook,enlisting the help and goodwill of some of the other travelers, such as some of the WKU students), we managed to get about 100 beanie babies, several packages of hot wheels, 3 dozen kaleidoscopes from the Skinner dental office, 600 silly band bracelets, etc.

We are, as we said, partial to this little mountain school, so we saved all the beanie babies and hot wheels for these little kids. They jump and squeal with delight over little tokens which so many of our spoiled little Gringo kids might just take for granted. How rewarding it was to us all as we saw their faces light up upon receiving these things. Rankin says he could feel tears starting to well in his eyes as we left, but he was certainly not moved by the kids. It was the altitude. That's his story, and he's sticking to it.

Stay tuned for the Kentucky Ecuador Dental Health Initiative, Part 2, coming in a later post.

Rankin Skinner, Ecuador

A Trip Report by Marcelo Carrera

2011-02-08T14:41:00.006-05:00

NOTA DE PRENSA DEL VIAJE RALIZADO POR MARCELO CARRERA AL ESTADO DE KENTUCKY DESDE EL 28 DE AGOSTO AL 11 DE SEPTIEMBRE DEL 2010.

La visita tuvo como objetivo “Desarrollar profesionalmente el conocimiento acerca de los recursos naturales para la gestión sostenible y establecer directrices para el mejoramiento del BioParque Amazónico La Isla, de la ciudad de Tena, ubicado en la región amazónica de Ecuador.

El intercambio de experiencias y el conocimiento de trabajos similares en educación e interpretación ambiental en el cual se ven beneficiados la sociedad y en especial los niños y jóvenes fue otro de los objetivos.
Con estos antecedentes las visitas fueron realizadas a los siguientes Centros:
El Lexington Mac Connell Springs, Arboretum de la Universidad de Kentucky, Pine Montain Settlement School, Flat Lick Elementary School aquí hubo dos presentaciones acerca del trabajo desarrollado en Ecuador a estudiantes de quinto y sexto grado.

Rave Run Interpretive Center - Salato Wildlife Center - Gladie Visitor Center. Daniel Boone National Forest. En la Universidad de Kentucky se impartió una charla sobre Recursos Naturales de la amazonía ecuatoriana

Compartir experiencias no solamente fue en el aspecto ambiental sino también en lo cultural y lo histórico Bluelick State Resort Park y experiencias en la recolección de frutos en Red Valley Orchads.
En Indianapolis – recorrido por 100 acres, Parque Ecológico y Ambiental. Y el Zoo de Indianapolis.
La segunda parte de la experiencia se desarrolló en Bowling Green
Visita al Dale Hollow Lake - National Fish Hatchery - Lost River Cave - Kentucky Down Under - Mammoth Cave National Park.

En el Campus de Glasgow se impartió clases sobre lenguaje y cultura Ecuatoriana por tres ocasiones.

En WKU de Bowling Green se difundió dos clases adicionales, incluida al programa de líderes de la Universidad.
Visita al Zoo de Luisville, fue una experiencia sumamente interesante, pues allí se pudo conocer de cerca el manejo de animales, sus dietas y los protocolos de manejo de fauna, algo similar posee el BioParque La Isla con un pequeño centro de rescate animal.

The Score and More From Rankin and Ruthi

2011-02-08T14:25:00.004-05:00

For those interested in the soccer score, the Imbabura tem defeated the national tem 1 to 0.The entire game was accompanied by the oldest brass band in the free world, who only knew one song.The magic of the Andes only added to the excitement of this game. The play was VICIOUS!!! After the game, Dr.David Coffey picked us up in Otavalo where he was touring with 22 students from Western Kentucky University, and we returned to Quito.

The next morning we were off to Santo Domingo. We will go from 12,500 ft. down to 300 ft. above sea level. As we descend, the terrain changes dramatically. It is exactly like views from Romancing The Stone, this incredible green vegetation and dramatic waterfalls at every turn. The temperature in Santo Domingo is much warmer and humid.

Santo Domingo is located in the lowlands on the western slope of the Andes. It is a major transportion hub connecting the coast with Quito and the rest of the country. It is also the center of some of the most productive agricultural land in Ecuador. They grown palm oil, pineapples, cacao, bananas, plantain, and various other fruits and vegetables. The city gets its name from the local indigenous group the Tsachilas, who paint their hair a bright red, using an achote paste. The Spanish call them The Los Colorados (translates The Colored Ones). When the area was colonized, they were converted by the Dominican priests and the town was called Santo Domingo Los Colorados.

After checking into our hotel, we were off to the local hospital where we learned much about the increase in Diabetes since the introduction of Coca Cola and KFC (Thank you, U.S., you shouldn´t have). We met with Dr. Leonardo Oviedo, who has been to Kentucky many times, and works with several groups, including Partners and Shoulder-To-Shoulder. Later we went to a farm, Finca de San Antonio, owned by a local agricultural college. It was initially owned by one man, but was confiscated by the federal government after he was convicted of drug trafficing. It hs 22,000 acres and that is not one of my normal exaggerations. They raise beef cattle, have a dairy, raise pineapples and various fruits. It is a major farming industry. They make about $750,000 per year on the pineapple alone. Most is exported to the U.S. and Europe. We cut pineapple in the fields and ate it right there. It was sooooooo delicious. It doesn´t get fresher than this. The rest of the farm is covered with tropical vegetation and has a river running through the center, with various types of fish and small alligators. The alligators are employed to keep the water clean. When Ruthi saw all these rivers around this farm, she was GREEN with envy.We returned for a reception at the radio-television station Zarcay. Our host was the owner Holgar (pronounced Ohare) Valestequi, who is a WKU grad. He spoke of the political perspectives of the coastal area and the infiltration of the Colombian cartel, using Ecuador to launder their money. We fell into bed exhausted.

We´re keeping all our friends and family in our thoughts and prayers, and hope you will do the same. We´ll be baaaaack,

--
Rankin and Ruthi

Winter in Ecuador

2011-02-04T14:50:00.007-05:00

It was the spring of 1989. I had several Partners projects under my belt and had spent enough time in Ecuador to have fallen in love with the people and the country. I was determined to learn more about the Indigenous flute music of the Andes, as it touches me to my core. The more I studied and listened to the music, the more I realized I had some sort of cosmic connection to it. I decided that my next project would be to bring an indigious band to Kentucky for a series of concerts. The big question was how do you find the best band to bring? The answer became obvious, a battle of the bands. We did our publicity and had a series of regional playoffs in Ecuador, with the winner competing in the fall of that year over a three day weekend in Ibarra. Ibarra is the sister city with Winchester, Kentucky. One band really stood out. Not only were they excellent musicians, they had developed instruments from garden hoses, pvc pipe and a rams horn. Also they garnered attention because they wore their hats backward. To make a long story short, this band won. The band, Americamanta, came to Kentucky the next spring and opening at the Kentucky Centre for The Arts, then hitting the College circuit. Americamanta won freinds and fans wherever they played. Before the trips to Kentucky, none of the band members had ever flown, most had never left their home town of Otavalo.

One of the leaders in the group was Jaime Yacelga. He would tour Europe with the band and turned Americamanta into a success story. In the US, they have recorded six CDs and are in high demand for festivals across the country. Over the years, as he toured in the US, he would visit in KY where our friendship developed. The band felt comfortable staying with us and we all looked forward to private concerts for our family and friends. Eventually, Jaime would bring his new wife Emma, where she and Ruthi would become fast freinds. Ruthi taught her to drive and to cook KY meals. After the birth of their first child, Aliyah, they asked that we become the girl's godparents. We traveled to Ecuador aware that our relationship had converted from friends into family. Anytime we walk in Otavalo people address us as compadre and comadre. We all stay in touch with regular phone calls and emails.

Now, here we are in Otavalo again, my brother Donnie and sister-in-law Roberta are to be god parents to Jaime and Emma´s second child, Raisa. Last night we went to a local pena and heard friends of Jaime play. The sound of those deep flutes still resonate in our minds. I feel like I am home, connected to this place by love and friendship. The christening will take place in El Quinche, about 80 kilometers from Otavalo. The church was built in the 1500´s after the Virgin appeared to bring a message of hope and faith. The Virgin of Quinche is highly reveared by the indiginous of Ecuador. Thousands of people come every week to pray for help, love, business etc.

When we arrived at the church we were seated for mass. Afterwards about 400 people stood in the aisles with photos of family members, keys to new cars, and business cards to be blessed. Then came Quinceanera and two weddings. Finally, we were escorted to a back room with 10 other families for the christenings. Even though the whole experience reminded me of a goat rodeo, when it came time for Donnie and Roberta to become Padrino and Madrina, there was this incredible sense of spirituality that transended the chaos.

Afterwards we returned to Otavala for a familty dinner and celebration. One of the surprises for us was the reunion of several of the old members of Americamanta who performed together. There was also folk dancing, hip hop and dancing into the wee hours of the morning. I am going to have to go on just a few hours of sleep as there is an under 20 soccer game at 11:00 a.m. against the national team.

Abrazo fuerte.

> Rankin and Ruthi in Ecuador

Notes from "the Gringo Trail"

2010-11-12T14:24:00.004-05:00

Hola amigos!

I am in Vilcabamba, the valley of eternal youth. Beautiful views and the weather is fabulous--warm yet crisp. The altitude is around 5000 feet approx. The image above is on my very balcony.

I have been on the road, (the "gringo trail" we used to call it). From the jungle, (Tena and then Patate), I made my way through Banos to Quito, ever increasing in altitude. Quito at approximately 7000 feet is lovely with great weather, leaning to the cooler temps. It is a huge city now with too much traffic, too much noise, too many people. Lots of culture--museums, arts, music--and lots of shopping.

Ecuadorian people cannot be stereotyped any more than other countries/cultures. People tend to be very polite and friendly. Laughter is common and, when you know people well, they tend to be very honest and open. They also do not get upset over things like travel snafus because everyone here knows that being polite by smiling and asking "how is your day" will get you much further than showing frustration -- good naturedness. I am enjoying this paradisiacal place. I love the mountains, the people, the mountain air and the bright sun.

Left Quito on Saturday, traveling 10 hours by bus ($10.00) to Cuenca. Cuenca is a far from Quito and somewhat off the beaten track. It is colonial with attendant architecture and history. Higher in altitude than Quito, therefore, cooler. Very "rustic" outside of the city--some communities are without electricity still.

Three days in Cuenca at a great hostel with a lovely courtyard. Very comfortable. All hostels and hotels provide continental breakfast with bread, cheese, jam, coffee con leche...sometimes eggs. All guests were gringos--meaning European, USA, Canada, Australian travelers. This is what I mean by the "gringo trail". Travelers share information and travel together or meet up in unexpected places.

Cuenca is a popular place for studying Spanish or Kichwa (the native language). Of note, Cuenca has become quite popular with USA retirees looking to buy property and live here. There are growing communities of ex-pats in several places in Ecuador. Why? It is cheaper to live, certainly. The natural environment is fabulous here and the Ecuadorian government is making the most of it by establishing large protected areas--national parks, etc. Coast, mountains, jungle--rain forest and cloud forest--there are many endemic species of birds and plants. Of course, there are worries about moving to another country--healthcare in particular--but, that's another story. (look up International Living, if interested).

Back to Cuenca, the hostel and the travelers there, which included:

*   2 young (19 years old) Norwegian girls studying Spanish and going to live with host family in Cuenca. They plan to stay in S America for 7 months.
*   2 young (19-20 years old) American girls--One had studied in Cuenca last year and wanted to return to friends, the other is studying Kichwa (She does not speak Spanish) and plans to volunteer with a group called WOOF--something about world organic gardeners who volunteer to work on a farm in exchange for free room and board. Hmmmm. Interesting idea but free farm labor is a new concept here. They plan to stay a long time. I have my doubts.
*   1 retiree from Colorado, a man looking for places for him and his wife to move. He prefers Asia and speaks no Spanish.
*   1 retiree from Rochester, NY, a single male, has found a place he wants to buy. Left the hotel to study Spanish (beginning) and live with a family.
*   A couple from Great Britain--teachers--long time travelers in S. America. Speak Spanish. Fun.
*   Several Americans roughly my age that I didn't meet. One guy stayed at the hostel all day every day--reading and working on his laptop--started drinking beer after breakfast. (I think he couldn't leave after several. Very quiet guy)
*   1 Italian gynecologist who lives in Madrid. We had fun--went on a hiking tour together. We shared lots of coffee and interesting conversation.
*   1 Swiss long time traveler--great Spanish (He had lived with a Cali Colombia woman for several years). Headed for Peru, then home.
*   1 Swiss young woman (around 25 years old). A nurse with good English, but no Spanish. Very nice.

Vilcabamba is wonderful (6 1/2 hour incredible--high mountain/hair pin curves--bus ride from Cuenca--$9.00). I am off to hike a trail through one of the natural reserves.

Greetings and saludos to all.

Dr. Larry Barnes -- a follow up

2010-09-08T14:01:00.005-04:00

I now feel as though I have a second home in Ecuador , and I plan to return to this beautiful land in the very near future.”

Dr. Larry Barnes, professor of music at Transylvania University in Lexington, was composer-in-residence for the country of Ecuador in August. Barnes attended the new-year celebration in Cayambe and met with folk musicians there. In Ambato and Quito he gave a PowerPoint lecture on American popular music, and presented a live program of his original music, including RainSongs for flute, harp and rain stick; Behind the Golden Door for piano and electronics; and several selections from the film Euphoria for cello and piano. In Quito nearly 1000 attended the final concert, and due to the small size of the hall, the musicians graciously offered to present the program twice. Barnes also offered a two-day workshop for composers in Ambato and Riobamba on writing a popular song.

“I was overwhelmed by the response to my music and presentations, and by the generosity, friendship, and enthusiasm of this country’s people. I especially wish to thank my host Rommel Jumbo for his tireless efforts, all the hosts in each city who shared their homes and meals with me, and the students and teachers who treated me with the utmost respect. I now feel as though I have a second home in Ecuador , and I plan to return to this beautiful land in the very near future.”

Composer in Residence

2010-08-09T18:02:00.004-04:00

Larry Barnes will serve as composer-in-residence for Ecuador through Kentucky-Ecuador Partners, August 6 through 20. He will visit and present in Quito, Cuenca, Ambato, Riobamba and Cayambe. Barnes will present a lecture on American popular music history; lead a workshop on popular song composition; meet with Ecuadorian composers to review their music; present an evening program of his own music; and meet with music historians to learn about the country's native music. Barnes is Professor of Music at Transylvania University in Lexington, where he teaches composition, music theory, Jazz/Rock history, and world music.

From the Equator with Love

2010-08-03T16:45:00.019-04:00

Teresa Cox, a student at Western Kentucky University and the first recipient of the Kentucky Ecuador Partners scholarship has returned from a KIIS study abroad program in Ecuador. She writes:

I don’t know when it happened. I don’t even know how it happened. But Ecuador stole my heart.

Boarding the plane from Atlanta to Quito, I had no idea that my life was about to change forever. It sounds cliché, really. Four weeks on a study abroad trip is a great experience - but life-changing? It seemed improbable. Regardless, we touched down in Quito shortly before midnight that night and I had no idea that my world was rapidly about to change.

Discovering downtown Quito, in all of its diversity, filled my first few days. Coming from a town of 10,000 with only a handful of stoplights and fast food restaurants, I was amazed to stand in a city the size of Quito, especially one with such diverse socioeconomic cultures. Driving downtown, we passed an opulent casino and ritzy hotel. A block later, we saw barefoot children playing in front of graffiti protesting the conservative political movement and rallying for support for the socialists. The town stretched on for miles, seemingly days. And I was hungry to drink in as much of it as possible.

One of the greatest aspects of the trip was the service learning component. We conducted dental brigades not only in Quito, but also in the remote Afro-Ecuadorian community of Santa Anna. Both brigades were – honestly – more than words can describe. I held the hand of a little girl while she had five teeth extracted and wiped her tears as she sobbed from the pain of the numbing injections. I hugged mothers who cried from gratitude that we had given their child such as a precious gift. I watched barefoot children, covered in dirt, learn what a toothbrush is. I spoke with a beautiful woman who told me that despite the lack of running water and electricity and, oftentimes, food, that the community in which she lives is the best place to live in the entire world because everyone there is happy – and after seeing it, I believe her.

We travelled to the rainforest and I made connections and friendships for which I will forever be grateful. The lodge at which we stayed, Yachana, has a neighboring high school, Yachana Colegio Technico. Not only were we able to interact with the students while they were at the school, but many of the students also volunteered at the lodge, serving meals and making beds in order to socialize with the “exotic gringos.” Without electricity, there wasn’t much to do, and on a whim one night, another girl and I decided to take some music outside and dance with some of the kids. They were astounded that the tourists wanted to spend time to them, talk to them, even dance with them. We learned to salsa, we talked about life, we practiced their English, they helped us practice our Spanish, and we bonded. I have a very special place in my heart for those high school children whom we spent two weeks getting to know.

I stood on the Equator, something that I only dreamed about doing as a little first grader in elementary school. I sunk my toes in the sand by the Pacific Ocean and navigated 6 hours on a public bus. I drank chica. I ate grubs roasted on a banana leaf. I laid outside on the ground and looked at the stars that are only visible in the Southern Hemisphere. I visited an indigenous shaman who spoke Quichua and managed to rid me of my ills. I learned how to use a blow dart gun. I hiked for three hours in a primary, untouched rainforest, literally watching our guide machete a path for us as we went. I met an amazing family in the middle of a McDonald’s in Quito, with whom I sat and talked to for nearly two hours. I swam in the Napo River and watched the local children in the community jump in the Napo for bathing. I played in the rain with high school kids and afterward, jumped into that same river fully clothed to continue our water fight. I feasted on every type of fruit I could ever imagine (and many I would have never imagined), yucca, and even a stew made of stinging nettles.

I learned how to say basic greetings in Quichua. I interpreted rather spontaneously for a Hungarian woman in need of a pedicure at the mall. I bought handmade jewelry at the market in Otavalo. I sat with my feet in a river, singing Michael Jackson songs with four eight-year-old children who had decided that they wanted to talk to a gringa. I danced to reggaeton music with a ten-year-old boy who blushed the whole time, and a seven-year-old girl who wanted to dance like an American. I rode a cable car up to 14,000 feet in altitude and marveled at the beauty of Quito. I fell in love. I woke up and realized that this is where I wanted to be. This was home. Crying on the flight on the way home, I knew that I already felt homesick for the place I had so quickly come to know and love. I don’t know when it happened. I don’t even know how it happened. But Ecuador stole my heart.

My memories from my trip are some of the best moments of my life. The clarity, the simplicity, and the beauty of the place enraptured me. I have never felt so happy, nor have I felt so calm or at ease – completely sure of myself and exactly what I need to spend the rest of my life doing. I will always be grateful for my experiences in beautiful Ecuador, and am anticipating my return – my chance to return to this distant place with rivers and rainforests, with beaches and children playing in the streets, with people who have the biggest hearts and the biggest smiles I have ever seen. Mostly, I just anticipate my chance to go back “home,” to the place which I was fortunate enough to have found where I truly, and genuinely, belong.

photography and text by Teresa Cox

Art of the Chagras Exhibit

2010-06-30T11:27:00.005-04:00

The Art of the Ecuadorian Chagras
July 10 – August 29, 2010
Central Gallery, Lexington Public Library
140 East Main Street

Reception July 16, 5:00 – 7:00

The Kentucky-Ecuador Partners is hosting another fantastic exhibit at the Central Library Gallery. This year we will have a display that features items used in the everyday life of the Chagras (cowboys) in Ecuador. Handcrafted leather tack and clothing, along with works by Ecuadorian artists Jesus Cobo, Julio Montesinos and Edgar Reascos.

Louisville photographer Ross Gordon's work will also be featured. Gordon photographed the chagras while traveling from Louisville, KY to the farthest tip of South America in a vintage VW Beetle.

High School Spanish Students Visit Ecuador

2010-06-29T18:52:00.016-04:00

This past May [2010] Randy Barrette, the Spanish Teacher at Menifee County’s high school and at-large member of the Kentucky-Ecuador Partner’s Chapter took a group of 7 students to Ecuador. Their guide was none other than the Quito chapter’s Executive Director, Miguel Castañel.

Below is a collaborative piece in which the students describe the impact the experience had on them.

Through our experience we have learned about the people and places in Ecuador. Ten days is not a long time, but what little time we were there, we were immersed in a different world. We learned about the geography, culture, and a little bit of how society works in Ecuador. If we had to summarize our experience in about twenty-five words, this is what we would say: Our brief yet memorable trip to Ecuador opened our eyes about the world to show that there is more to life than our small town.

What we carry back in our hearts and minds is how much we appreciate our country. We don’t realize how much we love and understand our country until we see the way others live. We also carry back the pleasure we had to see so much, and from such a beautiful country. From the rainforest to the city, our eyes were always taking in new sights.

While in Ecuador, we experienced poverty, and stereotypes were broken. We thought that if an individual was indigenous, they were impoverished, but that was just the opposite. We were fortunate enough to visit an indigenous family’s house to see how they made their living and the beautiful, luxurious house they were able to afford because of their hard work.

We feel more knowledgeable now that we have seen the way others live, interact, and use their land in so many ways. Instead of the man-made dependent society in the U.S., Ecuador uses natural resources to its advantage and in a way that protects itself, which surprised us. Our amazing trip has led us to understand more about the country and the unique aspects that make Ecuador so wonderful. We learned that we could be taught in different ways than our typical classroom set-up. Our group learned from the world through our traveling in Ecuador.

Quitumbe Ballet and Orchestra

2009-08-27T15:08:00.008-04:00

Kentucky Ecuador Partners will be hosting a performance of the Quitumbe Ballet and Orchestra on Sunday September 6 at 4p.m The performance will take place at the Lexington Central Library, 140 East Main Street and is free.
The Quitumbe Andean Ballet and Symphonic Band were born as an extracurricular school workshop and were made possible by the close collaboration of the “Quitumbina family.” Quitumbe Andean Ballet's repertoire rests on traditional Ecuadorian dance. Rooted in history, social content and cultural identity, its ethno-contemporary choreographies showcase the artistry of young dancers from the Quitumbe School of Southern Quito. This program is intended to give a small glimpse of Ecuador’s rich tradition of music and dance filled festivals. The audience will be treated to dances native to Ecuador, Latin America and the world.

There will be an opportunity to shop for Ecuadorian made crafts, clothing, pottery and jewelry at a booth hosted by Kentucky Ecuador Partners.

Because this is a holiday weekend, we're concerned about attendance. These young people have traveled a long way to entertain us; let's not disappoint them with a small audience. We everyone to join us and ask that you invite others.

The Quitumbe Dancers and Symphonic Band are brought here through cooperation with Sister Cities Louisville-Quito, Indiana University Southeast, and the University of Kentucky Office of International Affairs.
for more information contact:kyecuadorpartners@gmail.com

Ecuadorian Chocolate

2009-08-25T21:35:00.003-04:00

Kentucky Partner John Grimes has written an article entitled “Rediscovering the Cacao in Ecuador’s Upper Napo River Valley” that was published in the Spring 2009 issue of The American Geographical Society’s FOCUS on Geography. Please contact Kay at kay.roberts@uky.edu if you’d like a copy of the article. John also recommends KALLARI chocolate from Ecuador which is available at Whole Foods.

Discuss the Summit of the Americas with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

2009-04-15T13:38:00.002-04:00

Discuss the Summit of the Americas with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Reminder: Youth Forum Webchat Friday, April 17th at 11:30 a.m. EDT

Date: 04/15/09

In the spirit of hemispheric communication and collaboration, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will conduct Digital Town Hall of the Americas, a live internet-based discussion on themes related to the Summit of the Americas this Friday, April 17. Secretary Clinton will be responding to questions submitted online at townhall.america.gov. We encourage all to submit their questions to the Secretary, and to participate in forums on Summit themes of the economy, health and education, energy security, environmental sustainability, citizen security and democratic governance.

The website will remain active following the Summit to provide continued opportunities for hemispheric collaboration and sustained action on major themes and issues raised at the Summit. Currently the website has a number of videos and background information to provide information on the purpose of the Summit. There are also discussion and suggestion on actions each individual can take to realize Summit goals.

Although much of the website is in English, the Digital Town Hall will be simulcast in Spanish, French, and Portuguese. All may provide input in writing or in personal videos, and discussion in all languages is encouraged on the website. Please visit townhall.america.gov and join the conversation today!

Reminder about webchat: The public has the opportunity to participate in this global webchat by visiting http://statedept.connectsolutions.com/wha. To participate simply choose "Enter as a Guest," type in your preferred screen name, and join the discussion. Questions and comments will be accepted in advance and at any time during the discussion. Join and support our youth representatives who will be leading this important discussion.

Spanish Language and Cultural Immersion with Partners

2009-04-14T21:56:00.005-04:00

From Partners in Washington...

SPANISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL IMMERSION PROGRAM

"It goes without saying that I would recommend without reservations this program for Partners members wishing to improve their Spanish skills, learning more about Guatemala, and having a great time."
-Doug Fabel, South Carolina Partners of the Americas

In light of the recent economic malaise, you may have decided not to invest in a vacation this year. But consider a vacation where, perhaps, you are investing more than your money. You've always promised yourself you would take the initiative to develop your Spanish language skills, but haven't created the time or set aside the money. Do you want to experience another culture but find yourself making the same excuses? Tired of investing in adult education classes that don't really improve your language skills? Why not take a learning and service-oriented "vacation" with Partners of the Americas, deep in the heart of one of the oldest civilizations amidst towering Mayan ruins; all while learning Spanish and helping a community in the process!

Engage yourself in one-on-one intensive Spanish lessons for two weeks, while taking excursions to ancient cities like Tikal, as well as beautiful lakes and volcanoes in Atitlan (see photos below!)

And the best part? For teachers and students, it may be tax deductible! A trip of this variety would normally cost you upwards of $2000, but considering the current economic crisis, you and a friend will pay no more than $1700 each! Want to travel in a larger group? It only gets cheaper.

Last year's tour was a great success, and we were joined by people from across the US, including Partners volunteers who had the experience of a lifetime. To find out more, and if helping a community in need while building language skills and broadening your horizons appeals to you, please see the attachments to this message. We hope to see you there!

"There were about 15 other participants in the program spread evenly in age from pre-teen to mid-sixties... It was an extremely enjoyable trip that I am considering doing again next summer."
- Brent Parker, Iowa Yucatan Partners of the Americas

For more information, visit: http://www.partners.net/ICE

Kathy Stutland: Making Art in Ecuador

2009-03-21T18:14:00.003-04:00

I went on a travel grant from PoA to Ecuador in November, 2008.to share my expertise in teaching art at workshops, art schools, high schools, and universities in Quito, Baños, and Ambato. I met with project directors for several Culture projects listed inour 2008 annual plan, including Proyecto Oveja Negra, Educacion Con Mensajes Ingles-Espanol, and Rommel Jumbo’s exciting music teacher proposition. I also met with the United States Ambassador to Ecuador, Heather Hodges, in the new US embassy building in Quito. We talked about Partners’ 40+ years of activity in Ecuador.

I spent five days in Banos. I held workshops at Fundacion Oscar Efren Reyes, an after school program. I taught 120 children how to make puppets and how entertain with them At the Colegio Technico, a high school for gifted students in the arts, I interviewed the students and we worked on glazing clay, collage making, working with Sculpey . I held classes of batik and candle making at Artemundo for about 40 adults during my time in Banos, too.

Next I traveled to Ambato where I reconnected with Rommel Jumbo, the talented flutist who came to Kentucky on the Cultural Exchange Program last fall. I worked with him and the theatrical group Cedemusica for 3 days. Then Rommel drove me to Quito. In Quito, at the Instituto De Paralisis Cerebral I taught a seminario “El Titeres En La Intervencion Terapeutica”. I held a 2 day puppet making workshop with one group of college students studying child psychology. Then I showed them how to interact and encourage with their puppets and the children at the center.

The trip was very successful. I worked with 5 different organizations and schools teaching them new skills. The attendance surpassed our expectations and the participants were enthusiastic.,. educated people about Partners: what we do and how we work together. They were happily amazed that there was such an organization. The people who attended my workshops want to continue making things and they want access to products and supplies. All the participants are empowered with many new, different and various craft skills. This knowledge will come in handy in their day-to-day lives. They have all learned another way to communicate with others. Whether they are friends, children, adults, patients or audiences each of them have learned how to be an ego-less individual by way of his hand made puppet. Puppets give courage, as they make the puppeteer search in their own minds for creativity. For many, the puppets open up a whole new world! A world of problem solving with delicate humor and love. You don’t need a lot of words to do art. It is its own language, like music or dance.

The Education and Culture Program Workshop held in Washington DC beforehand was essential and crucial for the success of my trip to Ecuador. What I learned in the training changed my life. As an educator myself it was wonderful to be part of two days of professional, interesting and empowering learning.

In Ecuador, the partners involved coordinated my time professionally. All my needs were met. Our communication beforehand was brilliantly handled by Kay Roberts, which facilitated the smoothness of my trip and my work. I was there on a mission to teach. Not to tour or vacation. And that was fine with m

Making a Difference: In Clark County, Kentucky and Ecuador By Ruthi and Rankin Skinner

2009-03-21T18:07:00.006-04:00

We continue to push forward with our Ecuador Dental Health Initiative. We have another 5,000 toothbrushes ready to ship and are collecting sealant material and fluoride varnish for our program. The EDHI will expand into three new communities this year. Frank Hutchins will take fluoride varnish and toothbrushes with his college group and will initiate a new dental program in the Cotacachi area and other areas where they work in Imbabura. Joe Molinaro and Kay Roberts will initiate a similar program in Molino. If we get the solar panels up and running, we also plan to send sealant material and a new curing light. I am going to train Joe and Kay to place sealants. They will in turn train someone there to do the same. Joe Molinaro has a dream of improving the dental health of all the Oriente children, one village at a time. Joe, we all share that dream!

Magdalena Herdoiza-Estevez and Isabel Estevez will start their new dental initiative at the San Gerardo Community Project in March. I am providing them will fluoride varnish and toothbrushes. If we could add new volunteers into new communities each year, our dream of better dental health for Ecuador's children could be achieved. Let's look for NEW volunteers who would be willing to support a community project with visits and materials and/or financial support.

The Clark County Dental Health Initiative is now fully funded by the Clark County Community Foundation and well under way. Over 6,000 toothbrushes and fluoride toothpaste has been delivered to every child in the school system. On November 6, 2008, all the Clark County dentists and their staffs and other volunteers went to each of the individual grade schools and placed the new fluoride varnish with ACP. All 3,000 children from Head Start through the 5th grade received the treatment. We will return in April for the second application. We are doing a decayed, missing, filled study on the 6th graders. We will repeat the study each year to measure our success .

If you would like to adopt a community in Ecuador and provide them with fluoride varnish, sealant material/curing light and toothbrushes, please become a Kentucky/Ecuador Partner's volunteer. The rewards are beyond measure. Please contact for more info: Ms. Kay Roberts

La Palabra spring 2009

2009-03-21T17:51:00.002-04:00

Juan Pablo Espinosa, Intern, Office of the Attorney General-Ecuador

In the summer of 2008, I was accepted to do an internship in the International Litigation Department at the Office of The Attorney General-Ecuador. This department takes care of the most important litigation cases for the Republic of Ecuador. The lawyers and staff at this department are in charge of organizing the defense of Ecuador at the international arbitration courts. When I was an intern, there were about 12 international litigation processes. One of the most famous are the lawsuits against Texaco Oil Company and Occidental Oil company. Occidental Oil, for example, is suing Ecuador for about 3 billion dollars.

My duties as an intern included translating memorandums, e-mails, press releases, etc. from Spanish to English and vice versa. I was also in charge of doing academic research for international litigation that could be useful for the lawyers and staff of the office. Having the opportunity to be an intern at the Office of The Attorney General was a terrific experience and very valuable for my future educational goals. I was able to expand my knowledge about international law and gained a hands on experience.

Free Spanish classes to be offered

2008-10-14T13:10:00.003-04:00

A Spanish for Beginners series of classes is to be offered by the Lexington Public Library. The 6 week class will be held from 6-7:30 October 30th through December 11th at the Central Library on Main Street in Lexington. Contact Lindsay Mattingly, Multicultural Liaison at lmattingly@lexpublib.org.

Soly and Nicolas Herrera: An Ecuadorian Daughter-Father Art Exhibition to be held in Owensboro, and then Lexington

2008-10-03T14:21:00.005-04:00

Soly and Nicolas Herrera: An Ecuadorian Daughter-Father Art Exhibition to be held in Owensboro, and then Lexington.

October 10 - November 7, 2008

Closing Reception: Thursday, Nov. 6, 6-8 p.m.

Anna Eaton Stout Gallery, Brescia University

717 Frederica Street

Owensboro, KY

Gallery Hours: 8:30 - 4:30 M-F

Information: stephend@brescia.edu

November 15, 2008 - January 4, 2009

Gallery Hop: Friday, November 21, 5-8 p.m.

Reception sponsored by Friends of the Library

Central Library Gallery

140 East Main Street

Lexington, KY

859.231-5559

Supported in part by a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State through Partners of the Americas.

Ecuadorian guitarist Terry Pazmiño next Friday, October 10th at 4:00 p.m.

2008-10-03T13:55:00.003-04:00

Please join us for a presentation by Ecuadorian guitarist Terry Pazmino next Friday, October 10th at 4:00 p.m. in The Gallery of the W.T. Young Library on the UK campus.

Terry Pazmiño is a classical guitarist and composer from Quito, Ecuador who, in addition to performing, researches, writes, and lectures on the popular and classical music traditions of Latin America. In his youth he mastered the forms of popular Ecuadorian music such as the sanjuanito, pasillo, danza and subsequently went abroad to study classical guitar with three Latin American masters of the instrument: Antonio Lauro, Alirio Díaz, and Alberto Ponce. Mr. Pazmiño studied in Sydney, Austrailia where he took an advanced degree and wrote on the popular South American music tradition. Many of his own compositions derive from Quichua and Spanish music of the Andes.

This event is sponsored by the UK Latin American Student Organization, Kentucky-Ecuador Partners, and the UK Office of International Affairs.

A New Facet to the Dental Project

2008-07-22T10:04:00.000-04:00

by Rankin Skinner

In February, Rankin, Ruthi, Roberta, and Donald Skinner spent three weeks in Ecuador. We delivered 3,400 toothbrushes, applied a new fluoride varnish that remineralizes enamel and dentin and causes teeth to absorb 200% more fluoride, and delivered sealant material to participating clinics. We recruited firemen, policemen and Red Cross volunteers to help us accomplish this large task. This was the first time we have had help and it was GREAT! We also attended the indigenous soccer tournament in Peguche, where my Compadre's( Jaime Yacelga) team won the championship. The pregame show was three hours of dance and music. David Coffey's group took another 2,200 toothbrushes, which have been distributed in Ibarra. We also shipped 5,000 toothbrushes to the Peace Corps to distribute to the victims of Tunguarahua. We are working towards a national program in dental health, but that is another story.

Following the Skinner family’s visit to Ibarra, the following article appeared in the local newspaper:

La organizacion altruista denomindada "Companeros de las
Americas" combatira las caries en la ninez imbaburena aplicando
un barnez sellante recientemente inventado. El programa en el pais empezo en el 2002. El doctor Skinner entrego su sellante al Ministerio de Salud en esa occasion trabajo bien con ninos de algunas escuelas de Ibarra y el sector de La Esperanza, hasta el momento se ha traido al pais ciento cincuenta mil dosis del sellante. El objetivo de este ano seria llegar a cubrir todas las escuelas de la provincia de Imbabura como un plan piloto. Posteriormente se ampliara a nivel nacional. Para esto "Companeros de las Americas" intentaran conseguir el apoyo economico de la Fundacion Gates, de Bill Gates de Estados Unidos. Es un programa social. El programa odontologico para los ninos favorecidos es gratuito. Su objetivo, la prevencion de las caries en la ninez y tendra una duracion de 5 anos, solo en
Imbabura. Paralelamente al desarrollo del programa se sumara una provincia por ano. La segunda provincia seria Esmeraldas, por el regimen de estudios costa-sierra, y poder copar los tres meses de vacaciones escolares.

Observations from a Veteran…

2008-07-19T09:52:00.002-04:00

Each year WKU Agriculture sponsors an 11-day Study Abroad to Ecuador. This is the 14 year agricultural and business students have visited the highlands of Ecuador. This year 22 students and assistants David Coffey, Melissa Stewart and
Kristie Guffey dug potatoes, ate guinea pig, studied floral exportation, and enjoyed the fellowship of former and current Kentucky-Ecuador Partners of the Americas as hosts. Medical supplies and appliances and 2300 toothbrushes were also distributed to enhance current Partners projects.

Below is a statement from Natalie Denney about her second trip to Ecuador, this time without strikes by indigenous populations. Natalie is a senior business major and has completed study abroad excursions in Ecuador, India and Costa Rica….

My second trip to Ecuador with Dr. Coffey was simply amazing! It was interesting to see the reactions of the first time visitors that were in the group to the beauty of the Ecuadorian landscape, its people and growth. Some members of our group had never even flown. Additionally a student from Kuwait and one from El Salvador added variety to the group. Everyone enjoyed learning about a different culture and was surprised by the generosity and hospitality of the people.

I visited Ecuador for the first time in spring 2006, in just two short years significant change had occurred in numerous areas. The airport was much nicer, the hotel had expanded and changed décor, roads were better, and there were more restaurants and development. Quito was cleaner and the colors and designs of the textiles were different yet beautiful. The disco was loud and crowded but the style of dancing had become more Americanized! We visited several farms, including the delphinium plantation that I went to in 2006. Exciting to see was their expansion into other varieties of flowers, including several greenhouses of Gerbera Daisies. Next, we dug potatoes on Ricardo Cobo’s farm. For lunch we ate locro, the typical soup of the Ecuadorian highlands; it was delicious. We also visited the pottery project and made our host happy since we purchased many types of work. Dishes, vases and animals proved to be very popular.

A favorite of the trip was Jose Martinez’ dairy farm near Puyo, where everyone had to purchase boots to walk through the mud. It was quite an adventure walking through the fields, falling in streams and getting stuck in knee high mud! We appreciate the trials for farmers in the Puyo area. Miguel Castanel’s observations and fellowship were always fun. My highlight of the trip was revisiting the studio of local Quito artist Enrique Alvarez. Enrique is becoming famous for painting faces of Ecuadorians in a specific color, which he gets from the aura of the persons after talking to them. It was exciting to see his development and his work being implemented in a government billboard project. Rarely does one witness an artist becoming famous!

Submitted by David Coffey

Items for Ecuador

2008-06-19T09:48:00.001-04:00

Kentucky Partners gathered wheelchairs, walkers, canes, toothbrushes, books, and
children's items for distribution to Partners members working in Ecuador, including Miguel
Castanel in the oriente and Rich Mier and Rita Caufield in Santo Domingo de los Tsachila.
David Coffey and his students, as well as Bob and Judy Baumann and other travelers
assisted with transportation and distribution.

Thanks to those helpful travelers!

Communicate with the whole chapter!

2008-06-15T09:39:00.000-04:00

All members of Kentucky Partners have been added to the Kentucky-Ecuador
Partners listserv. KYECUADORPARTNERS@lsv.uky.edu is a discussion list for
announcements, news, and discussion about Kentucky-Ecuador Partners activities and
programs. Everyone should have received instructions from the listserver for changing the
settings or leaving the list. If you have any questions about the listserv, contact list owner
Mary Molinaro molinaro@email.uky.edu. To communicate with the list members, send an
e-mail to KYECUADORPARTNERS@lsv.uky.edu.

Kentucky Partners Board of Directors 2008-1010

2008-02-19T10:17:00.000-05:00

President and Fellow - Deborah Hill dbhill@uky.edu
President-elect - Peggy McAllister peggy@lexpublib.org
Vice-president Membership - Susan Cantor slcantor@insightbb.com
Vice-president Fundraising - Brenda Oldfield brendas@qx.net
Secretary - Louise Halsey lmhalsey@earthlink.net
Treasurer - Nancy Chesser nechesser@peoplepc.com
Immediate Past President - Mary Molinaro molinaro@uky.edu
Executive Director and Fellow - Kay Roberts roberts@uky.edu
At-large - Rankin Skinner 2domes@bellsouth.net
At-large - Ryan Quarles ryanquarles@aol.com
At-large - Kathy Stutland kaqs@yahoo.com
At-large - Juan Pablo Espinosa Juan.espinosa@uky.edu
Fellow - Frank Hutchins fhutchins@spalding.edu
Agriculture co-chair and Fellow - David Coffey david.coffey@wku.edu
Culture chair - Steve Driver stephend@brescia.edu
Education chair - Linda Gonzales Linda.gonzales@wku.edu
Rehabilitation chair - Nancy Chesser nechesser@peoplepc.com
Sports chair - Charlie Spiegel cspiegel@insightbb.com
Honorary member and Ex-officio - Ed Caicedo eciengineers@yahoo.com
Board Positions yet to fill: Emergency Preparedness and Health