16 Incredible Girls and their Incredible Teachers and Mentors...

We were a few of the fortunate parents who had the opportunity to share this amazing week with TTS19, and experience Guayaquil, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands....

16 incredible girls (but I think we all knew that already!) and 4 incredible teachers who all want our girls to have a life-changing experience...and I believe they all are!

One week with them in Galapagos definitely changed mine...

I am sending my photos to Jennifer for approval (I know how fantastic any photo is, and apologize in advance for poor picture-taking, and for not getting individual pictures of everyone as we were on a different boat and didn't get to see them all the time)

Please email or call me and I'd be happy to share my trip with you....bontonbk@optonline.net

Hugs to all of you from you daughters ( I hugged them ALL before I left!),

Warm regards, Bonnie ( Katie's mom)

A Rich Cultural Experience

The flute, the fiddle, and the guitar echoed throughout the community center combining into one joyous melody. The upbeat music lifted everyone's spirits and bodies into a dance. The children skipped and twirled around the room to the beat of the drum and the sound of the singing voices. We danced around the table in the middle of the room that held the offering of food the community had gifted to us: a large bowl of potatoes, ava beans, corn, and Qui (guinea pig, which is a delicacy throughout Ecuador). This Despedida (goodbye ceremony) was a gift to us from the bottom of their hearts. The people of the community celebrated our presence in their homes, acknowledged our work, and wished us on our way.

The past week we had the opportunity of getting to know a different culture, a different people, and a different way of life in a very intimate way. In staying in the homes of people from this close knit community in the highlands of Ecuador our hearts and our eyes were opened. They were opened to dirt floors, wooden beds, cold showers, different languages--Quichua and Spanish-- and the love of the children and families of the community.

The last two days of our week long stay we participated in a Minga, a community work party-as the girls refer to it. Mingas happen once or twice every month in many communities throughout Ecuador. It is a time for the community to come together and work on a project that needs to get done with the many hands involved. We were able to lend more hands as we helped to re-tile the roof of the community preschool. Friday morning we worked with the women of the village to remove the tiles and clean them. Saturday lasted longer, and the entire roof was rebuilt by the many men sawing, hammering, and re-tiling. Although we did not join them on the roof, we were a huge help in passing tiles, wood, and other materials in order to get the job done. At one point they decided they needed more wood and sent some men up into the forest to cut down a eucalyptus tree. The men worked fast and efficiently and by the afternoon the roof was done, now ready to withstand another twenty years.

After the roof had been finished we gathered in the community center building to eat, dance, sing, and say our goodbyes. We presented the community with a song in Quichua, speeches from every girl to each individual family, and even a stomp dance that I taught the girls which I learned on my semester as a student. They learned the dance in a short amount of time and performed it incredibly, not only once, but four times as the people loved it so much. We were gifted by the members of the community as well with speeches, hugs, and we all partook in a final dance outside before piling into our truck.

Our past week was a gift and a learning experience. The girls did an amazing job. They fully immersed themselves in their families and soaked up the experience. The Minga and Despedida were great opportunities to interact closely with the members of the community and participate in such a special ceremony and offering. We were impacted greatly by the community and parted ways with heart-filled joy and many memories.

As we continue to travel on throughout the many places of South America we will take this rich experience with us wherever we go.

With Love and Gratitude,

Phoebe