I recently traveled to the city of Duran, on the west coast of Ecuador, for an intersession service trip. The people of Duran and other areas in Ecuador allowed me to follow them and experience the truth of their everyday lives.
These amazing people live with the fact that running water is nonexistent and that they only have a dollar to spend on food each day. The streets are not paved so when the rainy season comes ? which happens to be right now ? the roads turn into giant mud puddles.
There is a town that was built directly on a dump, where children run and play soccer on top of the garbage, containing medical and industrial waste. Most children would rather play soccer barefoot than stumble over the beat up shoes that they own.
I am not trying to guilt you with all these depressing facts. Rather, I want you all to understand that these realities of life are not handicaps in the lives of the people of Ecuador.
During the trip, my group and I visited a community of those suffering from Hansen’s disease, more commonly known as leprosy. Segundo, a resident of the community, celebrated his birthday while we were there. Segundo has no legs, is blinded by cataracts, and his hands are clawed as a result of Hansen’s. He sang us songs and told us how happy he was to have us as guests.
Segundo wasn’t worried about anything else except making the group feel welcome.
With all these problems that I mentioned, many would assume that the people would be apathetic and unwelcoming.
This could not have been farther from the truth. The Ecuadorian people are amazing, friendly and most of all, thankful. I doubt that there would be many Americans who would welcome a group of 11 strangers in their house to talk about life and love. This was a common theme in Ecuador. People welcome strangers with open arms and a friendly smile.
I traveled to Ecuador with 10 amazing people who all realized the same thing I did: people in Ecuador are not afraid to actually live life. They aren’t in constant search of the next iPod or the latest fashion trends; they live their lives with love, happiness and kindness.
We as Americans get so caught up in a scheduled life that we forget to let those around us know that we care, and we forget the people who really mean something to us. Ecuadorians are happy because they don’t schedule life; they live it.
After going on this “emersion,” however, I recognize little things that I can do in daily life to make the world a better place. I now make a conscious effort to turn off any unused lights and to not waste water, especially when I brush my teeth. It’s the little things that we need to recognize to appreciate.
So why did I go and what have I learned from it? My original answer would have been that I needed to see the more difficult side of life before graduating from the cushy bubble of Fairfield. Other than getting to know my group of ten amazing people, I got a crash course in the realities of life. For most of the world the quality of living is unbelievably poor but for these same people the quality of life is so much better than most of us can really understand.
It is essential to let the people you surround yourself with know that you care about them. It is the contact we have with people that makes us who we are. Finally the greatest lesson that I learned from the people of Ecuador is BE HAPPY!
Don’t be afraid to smile because life is just too good to do otherwise.
Leave a Reply