CITTI Project Ecuador Tour 2006

After unveiling my new Galapogus tshirt, we were off to Huambalo. I figured it would be a lot cheaper to buy a Galapogus tshirt than to actually go there. I got one nice one, but the other says ¨ I love boobies naturally referring to the blue footed boobies (birds) on Galapogus.

It seemed like a faster trip than usual in the bus barreling along with a dramatic drop off on every curve. but we made it. When we got off the bus in Huambalo at the school, kids ran over to the bus to greet us. It was a very sweet welcome!

Our first item of business was to discuss each child that we had met with and then the speech therapist with the school met with us and we learned what she was doing for speach with the children.

The meeting went on, but Gladys (I will explain below) showed up and Osima, Dennis, and I walked down the street to the Center where we were to construct a ramp to allow wheelchair access to the center. I was given another camera and was assigned to take pictures of the ramp building process. The good news is that there were no pictures of me taking a break. Actually we only took a couple of short breaks in 4 hours. The bad news is that there weren´t any pictures of me doing any work. Dennis has been instructed to see if I could get such a shot tomorrow.

Osima is a carpenter and the one in charge of this project. She did some planning and then pitched right in with our work.

Gladys Cardenas is the Program Director of the FSD Foundation that sponsors the CITTI Project and many other projects. Gladys grabbed a shovel and worked all day with us. This is a very sophisticated woman in charge of so many things and there she was shoveling dirt with us.

We had shovels and hoedads (like a hoe only much larger and very sharp) and started by having Osima laying down a line that would show us how much dirt had to be removed. The ramp is about 8 feet wide and in some places we will have to dig down 8 inches. I was primarily the shovel and wheelbarrow guy. Osima was the boss, but she hoedaded with the best of us. Dennis was the hoedad expert.

Eventually when we finish digging we will move lots of volcanic rocks to the center and lay them on the ramp area. This will be covered with cement to keep the rocks together and then another layer of cement will go over this.

The ramp is beside the stairs with about six inches of dirt between the two. We will put posts in the dirt and build a hand rail that will work on the ramp side and a higher rail for those on the steps side. The ramp is actually wide enough for trucks to use.

The director of the school showed up about one thirty and gave us a ride back to the school for lunch. When we arrived we discovered that there was now a dusting of snow on the top of the Volcano. It still belches fumes due I suppose to the heat down below, but now it has a light covering of snow as well.

Lunch was spinich soup followed by a fried egg, potato pancakes, sausage, beets, carrots, avacodes and rasberry juice. All this was prepared by women of the community. The Ecuadorian people we have met are so giving, and appreciate what we are trying to do to help.

After lunch there was a meeting in which they decided who wanted to work on which projects with the students. Turned out Stacy Springer (occupational therapist) wanted to participate in everything! I just wanted to work on the ramp, a nice manual labor job.

I think that´s most of it. Now after I get off the computer we are all going out to dinner and then I´m sure I´ll be able to get a great sleep. Actually, I´ve been sleeping just fine here in ambato.

Took another ton of pictures and unless I lose my camera, you will get to see as many of them as you´d like.

Regards
Chauncy