Extreme Response: The Zámbiza Dump

Here's the video from last year - I'm at the very end doing the Frisbee toss!

Every year Extreme Response, another ministry in Quito, hosts Christmas parties around the city for the different organizations that they partner with. One of these organizations is the local dump. Check out the video above to learn more about Extreme Response. I also work alongside one of the leaders of Extreme Response when they host a team of people at For His Children. They are a great organization and have been able to help a lot of people in and around Quito.

This year, my friend Amy and I, were in charge of a bean bag toss. The people had to throw the bags through the holes in a board covered with parrots in order to win a piece of candy. People were lined up all along a fence near the entrance; thousands of people waiting. When they opened the fence, people could go to a crafts table, get a picture with Santa, play any one of the Carnival games, or listen to live music. It is wonderful watching as people ranging from age 1-90 joined in on the fun!

It was great to be part of this for another year!

On Sunday I took two of the girls from the orphanage to the local mall to get ice cream and visit Santa. They had won a contest based on their behavior in the house. They were so adorable! They had on new dresses and every little thing was something new and exciting for them. They loved riding the escalator and the glass elevator. They took pictures of the huge Christmas tree. As we were waiting on line to see Santa, I asked them what they wanted for Christmas. “A gift”, one of them said and “a bag of candy” was the other reply. We got our picture taken with Santa – free of charge and we got a free soda. Coca Cola was sponsoring the event. When they got back to the house they were so excited to tell the Tías about what they saw and did. A wonderful Sunday afternoon!

Driving Course

This was by far one of the most entertaining things I have done in Ecuador. I have been wanting to get my Ecuadorian license to be able to drive around groups when they are here and also to be able to have a little more freedom myself. I signed up for the 8 day intensive course which consisted of 2 hours of driving and 2 hours of theory each day. Every day I would come home with a new story. Just to register for the course, they put you through some simulations and tests. The first day I was driving in downtown Quito. This was my first experience driving a manual car. Let me tell you, Quito is very hilly and there are many obstacles including ignored traffic lights, stray dogs, and pedestrians who were never taught to look both ways before crossing. My instructor decided one day to meet up with a friend while I practiced (by myself) going forward and backward in a parking lot for 20 minutes. Every day after arriving from the driving part, one of my classmates would ask, “so who did you hit today? What did you crash into?” Funny the first day, but after eight days….

My theory class was an experience as well. The professor looked like he was asleep half the time. We watched probably around 40 different video clips of people getting hit by cars or getting in accidents. This is very inspiring for new drivers to see. We also participated in a First Aid class where we witnessed CPR being performed on an actual person. Now ironically after this course, I have been told that the law has changed and you can drive with your American license. Also the vehicle that I was going to be able to drive around in, is being sold. Oh well, it was still a lovely experience. I still need to wait for about another week until I can go take my final test to get the license. I have though successfully driven now by myself around Quito. It was a very proud moment!