Great Meeting
We had a great Rotary meeting tonight! For our friends back home, be assured that we represented Timmins very well.
Here is the proof!
We start the day tomorow at 8:30am! We will be distributing 300 wheel chairs in the morning!!!
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Nov
9
Nov
9
Wheel Chair Assembly
We spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon assembling 300 wheel chairs. And yes, that is not a typo, 300 chairs!
It was so rewarding to be working with Rotarians from different clubs and also with Rotarians from Ecuador. Hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, we unboxed, assembled and organized the chairs.
By the end of the afternoon, we were all hot, sweaty, dirty, tired and so happy!
The chairs come in different sizes ranging from 12″ to 20″. I can still remember the how I felt when I unboxed my first 12″ chair. It was so small. I remember looking over to my friend Gary Trail and saying that “If you think it’s hard to see a chair for someone so small, wait until you put someone in it. ” I call these heart-string chairs, because they really do pull at all your heart strings at once.
Here is a photo of a 12″ chair next to a 20″ chair.
We had completed all the chair assembly and clean up early so the bus took us back to the hotel for some well deserved R&R. We went for a swim and a bite to eat and then back to our room.
The bus picks us up at 8pm to go to the Rotary meeting. We found out that they normally don’t eat until 10.30pm, but that since we are used to eating much earlier they have moved the meal to 9pm.
I am really looking forward to going to the meeting. I have been asked to make a presentation at the club on behalf of the team and those who know me, know that I love to speak about things I am passionate about!
Well I think that is more than enough for today! I am off to enjoy a glass of rum before we head out. (PS: 5 year old aged rum, $5.99 for a 26 ounce bottle at a store around the corner from the hotel! )
Adios Amigos!
Nov
9
School Visit
Our host club, The Rotary club of La Puntilla has been working with a school for about 15 years now. It started off as a very small project and they have now built an entirely new school that has about 150 students from preschool to Grade 8.
The school has a cafeteria where they give breakfast and a light lunch to every student. Many of the Rotarian’s wives donate their time to work at the school for the lunch.
The entire school has been equipped with various Rotary Matching grants. They currently have a dell computer lab with about 15 brand new Dell computers & LCD screens. I was very impressed!
The students put on a very nice little show for us. Here are a few pics that describe it better than I can with words.
Many Rotarians had brought down school supplies and we gave them to the principle of the school to hand out as needed.
Public education in Ecuador is free, but there is not enough space and sometimes the distances are too far for kids to be able to take advantage of it. It is truly amazing to see what the local Rotarians, with help from other Rotarians around the world have accomplished! Due to their commitment to children and their community, 150 children who would not normally have access to school, can now have an opportunity for education.
PS: Here is a photo of one of the houses near the school where some of these children live.
After seing this house, Christina commented “I guess it really isn’t that imporant what colour we paint the bathroom” I don’t think anyone who was with us could disagree.
Nov
9
Day 2- Morning
We did so much today, that I have decided to split this up into several blog posts!
We were scheduled to be picked up by the bus at 8.30 (it was late, but we almost expected that). We had decided that it would be a good time to get a group photo. You can see the 29 members of the team below. Special thanks to Lynn Chant who is a professional photographer. She got everyone posed and setup the entire shot.
And here are the lovely Timmins ladies waiting for the bus.
A great shot of Chris and I on the bus.
We work really hard on these trips, but it is all worth it. Here is a shot of me really putting in a lot of extra effort.
PS: I am sure its just a coincidence that the Miss Turismo Latin America competitors are staying at our hotel.
One of the most amazing things so far on this trip is that we have now run into two seperate Rotary teams that are also here doing great Rotary projects. In our hotel, we have met Rotarians from a group of dentists and dental assistants that are here on a huge dental project. They have about 30 people from Pensylvania, USA, some from Denmark and more from Brazil. They are all working together to help the people of Ecuador!
While at the school today, we met a GSE team from San Diego, USA! It just blows me away that in this one city, there are 3 great Rotary projects going on at the same time!
Nov
8
Fun, Fellowship and Food!
We hit the triple “F” trifecta tonightr! I asked one of the local Rotarians for some restaurant recommendations. All the places were across town (think downtown Toronto to yorkville), so we would have to take a taxi. A couple other Rotarians heard what we were doing and asked to tag along. Then a couple more did the same. By the time we were going, we were 17!!!! I organized the taxis (all 5 of them) to be at the hotel for 7.30 and for 5$ per car we were on our way! It was about a 15 minute drive.
Unfortunately, there seemed to be some confusion about the restaurant we wanted to go to and they dropped us off at the wrong mall. We decided to roll the dice, take our chances and we are sure glad we did! The ambiance, food and service were all excellent! If ever you are in Ecuador, we highly recommend El Fogon (sorry, they don’t have a website to link)
We had contact numbers for our cabbie and he called 4 buddies and next thing you know we are back at our hotel safe and sound and ready for bed…. Until Gary suggested that we really should have a nightcap… but just one!
So now it’s around midnight and I won’t be uploading any pics tonight (sorry)!!!
But overall, it was a very relaxing day, a perfect way to get to know our home for the week.
Monday morning we will be visiting a school project that the local club has worked with for many years. In the afternoon we will assemble around 300 wheelchairs and in the evening we will attend a Rotary meeting. It will be a long day, but we will get some downtime as well.
For all of you who have posted comments, a sincere thank you! Keep them coming!
Until next time, Adios Amigos!
Nov
8
First Full Day
Today was our first day in Ecuador. We got up around 8ish and unpacked abit. We headed down for breakfast around 9.30. Breakfast seemed to be a mix of Ecuadorian (re-friend beans, tropical fruit, rice, chicken) and american (eggs, french toast, breads).
We decided to go for a walk and visited the famous Iguana park. You’ll have to see the pics to believe it, but there were tons of Iguanas and turtle all over the place. We then went to the re-developped boardwalk area called Malecon 2000. It’s a beautiful boardwalk with tons of restaurants and shops. I think you could walk it for 3 hours and not go from end to end.
While at lunch in a little Deli, a local teenage boy approached me and said hello. Turns out his English was much better than my spanish and we had a great little conversation. He asked about where I was from and welcomed me to Ecuador and wished me a great vacation. If this encounter is an indication of the friendlyness of the Ecuadorian people, I think we are going to have a really great time!
We have a meeting at 5pm to discuss the plan for Monday, so I will sign off for now. I hope to post some pics later tonight.
Nov
8
Arrived Safely & the Beer is good!
We arrived in Ecuador safe and sound, and on time around 11pm. Got our luggage and cleared customs just after midnight.
There were about a dozen Rotarians and partners to greet us at the airport. Everyone seems very friendly!
Our hotel seems ok.. the pool was closed for the night, but we plan to take dip in the AM. When we landed, it was about 24C.
We were hungry so we went to the restaurant in the hotel. I had a typical Ecuadorian dish that consisted of re-fried beans, rice, beef and deep friend plantains! MMMM… very good and only $8.95 (they use US currency here). We also tried the national beers and were very impressed.
Well, it’s late so I will keep it short for tonight! Buenos Noches my Amigos!
Nov
6
We made it… To Toronto!
Our flight to Toronto was just the way I like it…. Uneventful!
Rajeev picked us up and we discovered that we had way more luggage than trunk space! Ever the resourceful Rotarians, Tonya and I sat in the back seat with 2 piece of luggage between us and one on my lap!
We went to eat supper at the Lone Star and met up with Rotarian Gary Trail and his partner Christine.
We had a great meal and then back to Rajeev’s for some fellowship.
Saturday will bring a 12 hour travel day, but if all goes well the ladies want to find a dance club once we arrive!
Nov
6
And the Trip Begins…..
Hello friends,
Friday, Nov 6th – we head off to Toronto, to catch up with our friend Rajeev and get ready for the longer trip to Equador via Miami tomorrow. Not to be nasty, but please have all our snow melted by the time we return on November 16th!! Thanks!!
Christina
Oct
31
A few pre-trip details!
Our upcoming trip is one that holds a special place in my heart. You see, last year I embarked on a similar adventure to El Salvador. As it turns out, that trip had a profound and lasting effect on my life.
Let’s look at this trip by the Numbers….
3
The number of team members from Timmins (Tonya, Chris and myself)
7
Nights in Ecuador
10
Total Days away including Travel days.
29
Team members including Rotarians and in some cases their partners.
530
Wheel chairs to be handed out in our week’s visit.
The Itinerary
We will be arriving in Guayaquil and most of our time will be spent there. We will also be doing trips to other communities, including a trip to Cuenca which is about 8200 ft above sea level.
We will fly to Toronto Friday November 6th and spend the night with our good friend Rajeeve. We fly out from Toronto Saturday morning, but won’t arrive until around 11pm that night.
All team members on this project will pay for their own travel expenses. The cost of the wheelchairs was raised by Rotary District 7010. We purchase the chairs for a really good price from the Wheel Chair Foundation of Canada.
We are so looking forward to this trip, more details will be posted next week!