BLOG – 5 things i learned in ecuador
- joy and love
i learned a lot about what was needed in order to love somebody. leaving ecuador was so hard because i found myself in a position leaving people i had grown to love SO MUCH. why? most of the kids i worked with knew barely more than my name was Camilita, and that i was a gringa ! still, they loved me back.
this is what i wrote in my journal the morning of our last day.
“jesus, you’ve showed me so much the past 2 months. you showed me that all i need for joy is a joyful heart. i don’t need things to be going well for me or for it to be good weather. Susie showed me that love was easy. true love is not too complicated. you just do it. i never did anything to deserve the love from the kids. i didn’t tell them my accomplishments or show them my medals. they just give without expectation or conditions. help me be more like that & never forget what i learned here. you showed me that just WHO i am is enough. “
2.croissants
I’ve learned that croissants + peach jelly is good at 8 am, 12 pm, 2 am. your choice.
I’ve also been learning that food is a luxury. sure, its needed, but that peach croissant is a LUXURY
3. humiliating grace,
oh my gosh. before the race, i thought the word grace was just the name of a few of my friends and a way to talk about how ballerinas dance. nope.
GRACE by definition is the FREE + UNMERITED favor of God.
I’ve been given a lot of grace by the 50 people i live with.
the specific time especially, was when i stayed home one day.
i got sick with a parasite—
i stayed home and wanted to watch movie! one of my good friends has a hard drive with over 8 HUNDRED movies on it.
so, in my arrogance i assumed that because we are friends she would’ve said yes if i asked to borrow her harddrive.
i watched a couple of movies + had my fill. Another friend, Elijah, asked to borrow the drive. as I’m walking it up the stairs, I’m holding the drive by the chord like a DING DONG and it falls a whole 2 inches. not thinking anything of it, i pick it up and continue. when he is trying to use it, he gives a half worried “uhh cami, its not working !”
i try it. nothing.
our leader tries it on his computer. nothing.
i remember the drop on the stairs.
OH MY GOSH I BROKE THE 800 MOVIES
i real out. start crying. i was pacing for another 3 hours until maddie came home.
when i told maddie about this with the worlds shakiest voice, i am absolutely worried she would shun me forever and limit eye contact with me the next 7 months. i was petrified.
as i tell maddie, she is starting to figure out what happened as she is reading my apology note on a soggy paper towel that has I’m sorry’s and tears on it.
in -.30 seconds, maddie gives me a hug, says it’s okay, and that it’s just movies.
she completely understood what had happened and even though i was in the wrong for borrowing without asking, didn’t blink about saying it was okay.
talk about an exhale.
i learned that grace is completely free + unmerited. there’ve been more situations than this one, but this is definitely one of the longest breaths I’ve held in my life.
4.power+responsibility
speaking spanish in san antonio is pretty much a given. coming to a team of 9 and being 1/2 that can speak spanish, I’ve realized that i would have a responsibility these next months.
I’ve translated my squadmate to the hospital with laryngitis and parasites, and I’ve mistranslated a whole group of 15 people onto the wrong bus home. all coming down to my communication, I’ve realized that if things go well its a blessing, and if things don’t I’m given grace, again. i love feeling helpful and needed, so while i definitely do, I’ve been learning to give myself as much grace as I’ve been shown. I’ve learned to brush off any sense of pride that does come to mind because i remember how much i still need to learn ! pero nada es impossible !
5. sewing is fun
sometimes we would have lottos free time at night. my teammate gracie found a whole in her pants, so decided to donate her pants to the charity named Cami!!!! i was so excited. I’ve learned how to make a journal and a bag. its so useful. from there, i also made a poorly-sewn hack sack with rice from the kitchen, a headband, a stringy ponytail, and kind of a belt. okay, it’s more of a work in progress.
now we are in Peru! It’s been about a week and we are still finding out our main schedule, but so far it seems incredible the different places we have worked. I’m in the city of Trujillo, and just with my team of the 8 girls!!
Thank you for coming with me on this trip trough all the big moments and the small things!!
Lots of love 😀
