Beef with Spoons

Dearest friends, family and Rotarians,

   It has been nearly 2 months now since I have updated you all. It really is amazing how fast time flies. I mean, goodness, I'm almost half way through my exchange and yet I feel like nothing has happened! Don't worry, there is a reason for my not updating. Those of you who really know me, know that I have an excuse for everything, and this is no exception!

   The last 2 months have been some of the most emotionally challenging months of my God given life. Of course this exchange hasn't been easy, ever, but these last couple of months have, by far, been the worst. I don't know how many times I attempted to write an update and every time I got through with it, I realized that I just sounded negative and ungrateful. There have been a lot of really good and/or interesting things that have occurred over the two months and I have overlooked those and felt that my "suffering" was more important.

  Since the last time I updated, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the beginning of the Holiday season have passed and with the passing of those days a lot of sadness and a sort of depression has come, as well as new traditions and experiences. The Saturday before Halloween, for instance, the kids in my grade hosted a big Halloween party. I was so excited to get out and socialize with my friends. I spent the whole day trying to figure out what to go to the party as. I hadn't thought of taking a costume when I was packing, but it was no matter. I found a white sheet, bought some gold tissue paper and bent an old wire hanger into a crown and within 15 minutes I had created a costume: TOGAA. Turns out, however, that Ecuadorians don't actually celebrate Halloween and when I showed up to the party I was the ONLY one dressed up.

   Directly following Halloween, I went up to Guayaquil to take the dreaded SATs. I failed to take them before leaving the country, which might have greatly improved my scores, but I passed with great scores anyways. When I came home from taking my SATs, the house was decorated for Christmas and I was taken aback. Back at home, it is tradition to decorate the house and the tree together, as a family. But here, decorating is more of a chore and the maids usually take care of all the decorating. Like we're taught to say, it wasn't bad, it was just different! Following the SATs was Thanksgiving that passed without a peep. I ate mac and cheese by myself and watched my favorite movie Dan in Real Life in Spanish. Again, not bad, just different.

   I have hit that inevitable "3 month wall" that happens to every expat in the world. One begins to reject the culture, the language, everything. Day to day life just kicks in and one realizes that things are no different in this grand foreign country then they would be at home. It feels like there's no more adventure left in the the experience and one might feel ready to go home. Well, I felt like that and worse. Even now, I don't know if these feelings have passed, but I do know that I am here for the long haul. Just even in the last couple of week I have had some problems with the Rotary here and my host family.

   I have been a generally independent person for as long as I can remember and being here has put my pride and my independence in a tight spot. If ever a problem should occur, I expect myself to be able to handle it without telling others about it and without a big deal being made. The faster and the quieter I can tackle a problem, the better for me. However, being in a program such as this, it is important, as I found out, to keep people informed at the beginning of my problems. My counselor thinks I have lied to her about my family problems and my mom didn't appreciate that I was sharing my problems with my counselor. A lot of the problems that have occurred are cultural and could have been avoided had I taken the fact that people talk seriously. I had trusted my counselor to be my confident and she went and told my mom what I had said without giving me a change to explain anything. Since last week, everything has settled down with my family, but I still have to face my Rotary club. Like I said, it has been a challenging couple of months.

   The frustration as well as the new experiences are perfectly summed up into the term "Beef with Spoons" which I have officially coined as the phrase of my exchange. Much like, "It's not bad, it's different", BWS just means that we may be used to doing things one way and upon immersing into a new culture, we may find those old habits challenged and replaced with new ones. All in a year's work. Where I am used to eating my meat with a fork and knife, sometimes it is served with a giant spoon here, making proper eating nearly impossible, but you carry on because you're an exchange student and you're allowed to make mistakes.

   I am still so grateful for the opportunity to come here and live a completely new life. The everyday challenges only prompt me to grow more and I am thankful for those opportunities. I will make sure to update after Christmas and again after New Year's, but in the event that I completely forget, Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year! We are enjoying our summer weather down here in the Southern Hemisphere, but I hope you stay nice and warm in your cold weather!

Love always, Marlee

P.S. I leave for the Amazon at the end of January. I am SO excited but I am in serious need to Sun Block (it is amazingly expensive here) and Bug spray or bracelets. If you are interested in donating, let me know. They would be greatly appreciated! I love you all so very much and without your support, I don't know where I would be.

Mailing Address!

Hello loves! I forgot to mention that I now have a mailing address! The post system isn't as useful here as it is in other places, so it's taken me a bit to test the reliability of it: we're good! So here it is:


Marlee Mansfield-Chavez
Machala, El Oro, Ecuador
South America

*Recoger a la oficina de correos
#086791540

Write it just like that and I will receive it!
Hope you all have a wonderful week!

-Marlee

Two Months Already!?

   I cannot even believe that it has been a whole two months since I've been here. While I'll say that the days and minutes seem to drag on, compounded, the time just blinks by! Two months ago, Tuesday, I pulled into this country completely clueless, confused, scared, and SO EXCITED! I'm now nearly completely fluent in Spanish, comfortable and still excited. Even just in the last two months I have grown and changed. I'm sorry that it has been SO long since I've last posted, there's day to day activities that didn't seem to hold much importance, so I thought I'd wait till there came something of some kind of importance.

   A week after RYLA was our resident Brazilian's birthday! He turned 18 and instead of doing the typical Ecuadorian thing and going out drinking and partying during an 18 year old's birthday party (Eighteen is the drinking age here in Ecuador), we partied like Rotary Exchange students: Responsible and Sober! We all met at his house for dinner, cake and dancing. It was so much fun and we took this picture. It wasn't till afterwards that we realized that we're kind of a family. Luis (the Brazilian) is like the dad, always planning our activites and everyone calls me mom, always making sure everyone is being safe! What do you think, one Good Looking family, right?

   School has greatly improved and I am SO thankful for that. Going to school is still a chore, but it has become an enjoyable chore. During the day, I have taken to reading books (thank God for my Kindle, I don't know what I would do without it), drawing little pictures for my friends, and writing letters home. My activities are a time consuming but by the time Friday rolls around, I cannot wait to get out of there. I realized that the one thing that was causing so much frustration with my school was the fact that we don't switch classes! I am so accustomed to having different students in different classes and that is how I make my friends. Having to be "stuck" with the same kids for the whole day, the whole week and the whole year has really put a strain on my personality! Not to worry though, I am pushing through it!

   Okay, for now for the good stuff: This last week was our second Rotary-organized trip. We drove the eight hours from Machala up to the Ecuadorian providence of Manabi and this time the trip included all 140 inbound students in Ecuador. 140 students. 15 countries. 5 days. 3 full sized charter buses to haul us around. 1 amazing trip! I love my fellow inbounds more than words can describe! This is the first time that we've been all together and if I understand correctly, it may be the only time we're together as all 140 of us, but that is okay! Trying to make friends with 140 people is nearly impossible and it takes a lot of energy too- but hey, we managed just fine. The trip lasted from October 15th at 6:30 AM to the 19th at 6pm. While the first and last days were full of driving, the middle days were packed with activities and bonding! 

   On the first day we went to this special beach called Boca Resort. It was like a movie set with pure white beds and canopies and an incredibly teal blue ocean. We spent the morning at the resort swimming, playing soccer and taking tours of the place. There was a little river that led to the ocean during low tide and the resort workers were offering tours down river. We saw about a billion pelicans perched in the trees, it was just a prelude to the wonderful creatures we will be seeing in the Galapagos! 



The USA kids: Represent!



   

 Later in the day on Sunday, we hiked up the the mountain behind our hostel. The city we stayed in, Crusitas, wasn't a very big city, we we paraded through the city with our flags and our national anthems! Once up the hill, we took a couple group pictures and our country pictures. The view from up top was amazing! One boy from Germany had the ingenious idea to tie all the flags together to make a big World Kite and that's what is flying in the picture.

   The next day was another beach day, only this time we spent the whole day on the beach. We cleared the beach of rocks and built ourselves a full sized beach volleyball court and a soccer field for the tournaments between teams! I didn't personally participate in the sport activities, but I did spend the whole day swimming out the ocean, not getting out until too many people were getting stung by jellyfish for my liking. Don't you worry, they weren't bad stings, the jellies were no bigger than a finger, but that made the mysteriousness of the water a little more daunting. Later on that night, we enjoyed a massive bon fire and some fireside singing.

   Tuesday brought on a whole meaning of tired. We all got up early because we had to drive about 45 minutes to a near by city, called Portoviejo, for a huge city parade! I still don't know exactly why we were parading through the streets, but I'm not complaining, it was so much fun! All 140 of the exchange students were included and we even made the local paper! Front page of the "Life" section. The picture to the right is the picture that was put in the paper and I'm in the front row in the middle! After the parade, we headed to to a little town called Montecristi where there was a little market set up especially for us exchange students FULL of Cositas Ecuatorianos (little Ecuadorian things!). We pulled up and there was a live band playing music for us and, like I said, about 20 vendors selling their goodies just for us students! After everyone's pockets were wiped clean, we headed to lunch at what seemed like a 5 star hotel! It was gorgeous and our buffet-style lunch was served right on the beach. Tired from the running around we had done all morning, we returned to our hostel in Crustias for some rest and to get ready for our Grand Evening!

   We pulled into Portoviejo and were dropped off at these big trucks (pictured) with bands on the roof. The drivers were telling people to climb on and at first we were a little scared, but we quickly forgot all means of safety and hopped on! As you can see, people were jumping up and down on the roof, hanging from the sides and standing in the back. For the second time that day, we paraded through Portoviejo, only this time on wheels! For what seemed like 2 hours, we rolled around the city, attracting the attention of the locals and their cameras! It was a BLAST! It has been one of the many times I have been grateful for Ecuador's lack of road rules. We finally pulled into our last destination for the night at a Rotary club for our night of ceremonies. We elected a camp King (from Denmark) and Queen (United States) and handed out awards from our sports day! We ended the night with a long dance party and didn't end up getting back to the hostel until 3:45AM! Mind you, this was a weekday in the middle of the city, the music could be heard for miles! I guess this is just normal though, which I'm so glad for, it was so much fun!

   The last day was just a big send off for everyone. We all left pretty early because we all had a long drive ahead of us. The El Oro kids had the best time though! I love my El Oro kids and we all bonded so well. On the way home, we stopped in Guayaquil for lunch and were happily surprised when we spotted a Subway in the food court. It was safe to say that we were happy campers! I got REAL coffee and Subway all in the same day: highlight of my life. I have bonded with this group of kids so much, I love them like a real family. We are all so close and all so diverse! I love it! I am loving Ecuador too! I hope all is well back where ever you are finding yourself.

Love, Marlee!

PS, a note about the blog name change. EcuaPortlian: I consider myself to have officially crossed that cultural line where I consider myself an exchange student or different. I am practically one with the Ecuadorians and since I am from Portland, the two just kind of morphed together. That's it! Love you all!

Culture SHOCK!

   Plain and simple: Exchange is hard. Before I left, people would always say how proud they were of me and I never felt like I deserved it... until now. To me, an exchange wasn't something to be proud of, but rather something that was expected of me. I have always known that I wanted to travel and experience the world, so to me going on exchange was just part of the plan. Things get difficult, however, when certain events are realizations present themselves that were not anticipated, such as culture shock.
   Don't worry, the Rotarians warned us a'pleanty that we were all going to experience some form of culture shock but at the time I thought to myself, "Me? Not me. I can adapt to anything!" I couldn't have been more wrong. I thought that since I grew up in a Latin family, with Latin food and Spanish, I would be set, that I could practically become apart of the family and my school upon walking through the doors. When everything is different and difficult, you're self esteem begins to loose power and you enter a slight depression. You think to yourself, "Why me? I must not be trying hard enough. All the other exchange students seem to be doing fine!" but again, couldn't be more wrong! Culture shock really is just another part of exchange and one that is overcome with time.
  There are good days and bad days, and times when I miss my Mom and Sister more than words can describe, but the experience of being here in Ecuador overrides the pangs of missing I feel for my family and friends back at home.
 

   The exchange students in District 4400 were invited to attend RYLA, which stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, in Cuenca, Ecuador. The event was held last weekend (Sept. 23-25) and what a blast it was! I was worried before coming here that the Rotarians here would be a lot less open to allowing the exchange students to be involved in Rotary events outside of Youth Exchange events, but so far they have given us equal amounts of opportunity! First with RYLA and also with Interact. My friend Maria, from South Carolina, and I will be going to our first Interact meeting with our new friends from RYLA tomorrow!

   Ecuador doesn't cease to amaze me and my trip to Cuenca solidified that. The beauty of the country is so breathtakingly gorgeous that you can't help but ask yourself why someone couldn't believe in God. For example, direct your eyes to the STUNNING photo to your left. It beauty like this that honestly brings me to tears and I'm so blessed to have such access to it.
  Anyways, I'm having an absolute blast and I thought I would keep you all in the loop! More posts and pictures later

Marlee

One Month Down!

   How can something feel so short, yet so long at the same time? Well I guess that's the very definition of Exchange, my friends. My first month here in Ecuador has presented me with experiences and fun that I would have never dreamed of having, but it has likewise delivered challenges never anticipated.

   Since my last update, I have gone to Spanish Camp and started school. Both events being at opposite ends of the spectrum of adventure: the fun and the challenge. So what, you may ask yourself, happens when a group of 30+ teenagers gets together on a tropical island? FUN. That's what! Germany the the USA were most  represented but France, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Taiwan, Belgium, Canada and Brazil were present- and our group was only a third of all the Exchange students in Ecuador!!! Since Ecuador make itself home to over 150 exchange students every year, they split up the camp groups according to region. Our "region", which was made up of all the kids living in the South Eastern part of Ecuador, went to Jambeli, an island off the the coast of Machala (my city!). It was absolutely gorgeous there and we all had so much fun (despite not learned much Spanish! Tee hee!). We had cooking classes, Language classes and even Salsa classes! Here are some pictures from the week:

Here's the whole group! Including our dance instructors and past exchange students from Machala! I am on the top row right smack dab in the middle.

Dancing Queens... and Kings. We learned a traditional Ecuadorian dance to show on the last night. You can tell we had a blast!

The beach was gorgeous, yes. But I had to laugh at all the tanning people! I myself didn't tan (I'm already dark enough, thank you very much!). But I guess people will do what they've got to do!

Everything about this picture just screams bliss!!!! The guitar and the hammocks and the ocean! Those hammocks were  always occupied and always comfortable!

The view of the resort we stayed at, from the beach. El Faro Resort and Spa!



The seriously glorious pool and hot tub with our little huts in the background



Here was my hut. I mean, how stinking ADORABLE is this thing???

So there you go! Pictures of the trip. I made them extra large so you can see the details I (or the photographer friends I stole these pictures from because I'm terrible with taking pictures....) captured.

   The latest challenge that has presented itself has been school. I was forewarned about the challenges I might face, but I was no where near prepared for just what exactly those challenges would entail. I barely started school Monday and already I foresee it being my biggest obstacle. I'm not being pessimistic or close minded, I am being truthful! The language barrier is seriously nothing. In my (almost) month of being here, I have acquired quite the knack for understanding everything and everyone around me. It's the talking back that I'm still having issues with. So, listening to and comprehending what my teachers are trying to teach is easy- but it's getting the room quiet enough for me to listen that's the challenge. Schools here are not run like they are in the United States.

   First of all, the teachers switch classes- not the students. I never realized how much I appreciated the decorations the teachers provided until I walked into a classroom completely naked, save the statue of Mother Mary in the corner. A white box with only the florescent lights attached to the corners of the room to illuminate our work and sometimes not even that, because the power goes out occasionally.

   Second of all, the students run the classes, not the teachers. Now I don't mean this literally, as the students don't actually teach the class. However, for the most part the students dictate what is taught and what is not. This aspect of my school life provides the most arduous challenge: Listening. Ever since I was a little girl, I have had a... problem... with wanting to be involved with every one's conversations and during the day, during class, about 1000 conversations are going on at once AND in a language I am only barely understanding. The teachers words are easily drowned out by the buzz of conversation. Tomorrow will only be my third day, but I am working on trying to fix the lack of listening abilities I currently posses. 

   Lastly, and probably the most interesting difference: (to me at least. It's a common situation for people who attend private school, but in the two private schools I have attended we were not required to wear...) UNIFORMS. Monday's uniform (pictured) includes a blazer a blouse, pantyhose, my plaid skirt and high heels to boot. Different, different, differente. But I am working to get accustomed to it.

   Things are rough, but I am working through it. I miss my friends, I miss my mom and my sister and the rest of my family and I miss the comforts of American living. Just thinking about it makes me tear up! But everyone who knows me, knows that I'm a crier ;) Once again, I've written a small book, but I hope you enjoyed the update. More to come soon, I promise!

Marlee Chavez

Everything Ecuador

(L to R) My grandpa, grandma, older sister,
two cousins- 8 and 5

   It is official. I have made it past the first week of being an exchange student! Heck, I'm practically a pro by now (... Hardly...)! The first week has felt like an eternity, but I like to think it is because of my level of comfort here, I feel like I left one home and hopped right into another home. This is, essentially, my home now, but there was such a limited amount of awkwardness through that transition that I feel like I was practically born here!

   One of the first significant thing I learned about my dad was his love of Amy Winehouse. I almost jumped for joy. Though I love some Amy, I loved more the sheer fact that my dad and (I later found out) my sister and I have common music interests. For those of you who know me, you would know that music is my life line to life; the way I express opinions and feelings; my telephone to the world! To me, the shared interest in music is like sharing blood! Anyway, long story short, I instantly felt connected to my family.

   I realize I have done a poor job on giving updates on my first impressions, but as I am still encountering new things- it is not too late! Machala is the capitol of the Ecuadorian providence El Oro (meaning gold), so Machala is a good sized city, holding about 300,000 people. My friend Johnna asked me what it was going to be like being in a country filled with people who looked like me, well.... It is SO weird. I really didn't think being in a country full of my fellow Latinos was going to be all that weird to me, but I supposed the weirdness coincides with my comfort level. Culture is a binding thing and in the States, especially living near (I'll have you know I originally put IN instead of NEAR) Portland (which is 80% Caucasian), the bind is hardly ever made. I have found that friends who come from the Latin culture are friends that I have an unspoken language with. Now, I have a whole country of that unspoken understanding, minus the language part- I have yet to get that down. The one thing I will say is how funny it is when people assume I am from around here and speak to me. When I give that look- the one saying, "What?"- to establish that I am not from here, I get a look back that makes me think I am disgracing my race. But once I get the language down, I will be a Gringa no more!

   Driving here should be a sport. I have been here a week and seeing the kind of driving I have, I should have also witnessed about 100 car accidents- but no! The people are such dangerous drivers that they're SAFE! The wearing of seat belts isn't enforced, and speed limit is only half way monitored. Blinkers are replaced by horns honking and the flashing of your brights takes on a whole different meaning. Ecuadorians make it work though, they do.

   Ah, the food. That is yet another they make work here. Food here tastes SO good. Everything I eat! Even something as simple as a hot dog! Maybe I'm just Star Struck, but everything here is just so much better. My favorite foods so far include: Manestra- a lentil, bean, mystery deliciousness mix; This yellow rice that is baked for added crunchy texture- absolutely fantastic!; and Las Sopas- they eat a lot of soup here and so far I have had a Cauliflower creamy soup that amazing and another one. Either way, they were both delicious. As I said in my previous posts, Machala is famous for its bananas and banana trees are everywhere. Including, as pictured, right outside my back porch! Plantains are used often in Ecuadorian cooking, given it is such an available commodity. In the picture here, is a dish I had the other nice including shrimp and a paste of sorts (the orange) made out of plantains and, of course, rice!

  

A little bird made a nest
in a banana bunch

   And there you have it folks, my account Ecuador in it's first week! Today, I met all my fellow exchange students in the city. There are two of us from the US, and then one from: Austria, Germany, France, and Denmark. We took our Spanish test today and I have to admit, it was insanely hard. I wasn't expecting too be all that hard, but my oh my was it a struggle. In 5 months, we will all take the test again and if their isn't a significant improvement, they'll send us back home!

   Well that's it for now! I'll be going to Spanish camp next weekend and then I start the week after next. The ball is starting to pick up speed!

                   I love you guys,

                            Marlee

Ecuador, Sweet Ecuador

  After a over 24 hours of traveling, three different planes, and countless cups of juice, the 10 or so exchange students and I landed in Guayaquil, Ecuador! I'd like to say my flights were comfortable and homey, but they shoved us to the back of every plane and in most cases I was in the middle. Oh well, on the last stretch, a small group of the kids got to sit together (Pictured is Stephanie from Washington and Marcus from Alaska and then, well, me!).

   After arriving in Guayaquil, a whole half hour late, we had to wait in an hour long line for customs. It took the whole plane a little over an hour to get through, but all of us got our passports signed and we´re good to go! My sister and my dad came to the airport to pick me up and it was so good to finally meet them! My mom and younger sister could not come because my mom had to work and my sister had to go to school. Speaking of occupations, my dad is a shrimp farm owner (shrimp is a very big export here in Machala) and my mom is a teacher! My family is just the best and they are all so very nice!

   Since being here, I have been to one party and it was a going away party for a friend of my sister. The friend will be leaving to Pennsylvania on Friday, so naturally a fiesta was in order! I was thinking that it was just going to be a nice quiet going away party but little did I know that the all day preperation was serious business and that it was not at all a quiet party. I dressed in a regular summery dress and was the most under dressed person there! It was embarrassing at first, but I went with it. The party was so much fun! Dancing, music and fun! There was another girl from the states there, so we hung out. The party lasted a lot longer than I expected too! We were at the house till at LEAST 5am. Craziness! But like I said, it was a blast!

   I have done a lot of sleeping since being here, which I am hoping is just jet lag. I try and be as involved as I can, but the language barrier frusturates me. Anyone who knows me, knows that I like to talk- a lot. So my inability to gab has been tough, but that just creates all the more drive to learn Spanish even faster. My problem is that I can understand really well, however it is answering that I cannot quite do. I mainly say "Yes", "Sure", and "I understand" oh and "OKAY". I also do a lot of smiling. If they cant understand me, at least they can tell that I am a happy camper!

   Well that is all for now! I hope to get more pictures up soon. I get kind of embarrased when I take pictures- but this is not new. I will step out of my comfort zone soon and snap away at everything I see. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods, where ever you are. I will try my best to make weekly updates!!

Hasta luego,

Marlee

    

P.S.-

Just as an extra, I took this picture after we took off from Miami. I am pretty sure it is Nassau, but do not quote me on that.

Getting Ready! Three days and counting...

   Preceding, during, and following my exchange in Ecuador, I hope to keep this blog as means of my digital documentation of my trip. This is not be the only means of documentation, but it will certainly be the easiest way to share little tid-bits of what is going on.

   Three days out and I am more ready than ever. Over the last six months I have been anticipating my depature to Ecuador and now it is finally here (well, almost). I have been mentally and emotionally preparing myself for this trip for a good six months now, but nothing can really prepare me for what is to come. My belongings are packed, my bank account is drained and I am ready.
   For those of you who do not know, I will be heading to Machala, Ecuador, which is the leading city in Banana production. If you look at the map to the left, Machala is on the Southern Coast of Ecuador, down near Peru. I am already in contact with my family there and they seem very nice! I have two sisters (18 and 13), however the older sister will be on exchange while I'm in her house!
While I have been having some anxiety about meeting my family and fitting in with my peers, I am reassured by the emails I have received from my host dad and my sister. I will attend a small,Catholic high school in the city and it is my hope to become involved in the local clubs and possibly even sports while attending school. Since I am on the coast, the school schedule is different than in the States. School is in session from April until January, with a few months in between for Summer Break. I have not heard about classes, but I am curiously excited to get involved in another culture's curriculum.
   I look forward to keeping you all updated! Until next time,

Marlee