There is a new and interesting perspective in my thoughts this morning as i make my coffee.
I have often felt the people here watch me seemingly do nothing all day, while they are in the midst of so much physical labor on the property, that they feel those of us from North America are lazy, do not know what real work is. That we know nothing of the hardships they face.
Without making claims on who knows what, because it really doesn’t matter now I have thought of this, and it feels in a way I have found another key to why I am here. At first is seems like a very small key, to an unimportant box. But then thinking about my life experiences, which no one here is aware of, and in truth no one other than my ex husband has complete knowledge of, makes me see a bigger picture.
But we begin here, on this small piece of land in a country that is facing collapse due to the pandemic happening worldwide. The family working here are basically tearing up the majority of land, removing trees and bushes to have a more strategic property. One which provides a wider range of sustainable food, including vegetables which are part of their staple foods. They want to be prepared, never be caught off guard in a similar situation again, I am presuming. It is impressive to say the least, the amount of work they have been doing. One I didn’t really understand until it was explained to me yesterday.
What’s happening is what makes me think of the key. People, we call tourists, come from many places to see not just Ecuador, but many different countries. People from North America can easily be seen as prosperous, their pockets and bellies always full. The vast majority of those born here, or any poor country, will never see our shores, understand how we really live, how much poverty we also have. It must be impossible for them to understand the hardships many of us face daily. Those who do make it to Canada or the United States understand they are not necessarily the countries of greatness they dreamed of finding. I have spoken to immigrants who were not shy sharing opinions of their experiences, the lies and deception faced upon arrival.
Life is difficult everywhere, it is our perspective which changes our circumstances. Our perspective changes with our experiences. But we make judgments without the experience to back them up, this is human nature. The grass is always greener……
I have lived in two rather different worlds now, experienced poverty in both of those worlds, my perspective is different than most. This is the key. This is another way my story can help, not just those who suffer with PTSD, but those who suffer period. For those here watching me everyday seeming to do nothing, it is my hope if they read my story, it can provide them with a different perspective on how I have been spending my time. My work has been internal, but they will understand the difficulty of my story as it is also their difficulty. We share much more than they realize, because they have not yet seen my world, do not know my story. I have been in their world, I know now how much we are alike.
I have experienced what would be considered the life of the wealthy in Argentina , but also the devastation of the camps in that country by the age of 3, the horrors still haunt me. I experienced the comfortable life of the rich in Canada growing up, but in my adult life, rejected those comforts – it was a false life. In my marriage I went from a comfortable (not rich) life to that of a homeless poverty stricken person during my second marriage. Here in Ecuador I face homelessness, and with it the possibility of death. With no options left to me, this is the reality I am dealing with emotionally and accepting as a possibility, although I have not given up or completely lost hope. It is a daily process, a tug of war in my mind.
The knowledge I carry from my life is from experiencing different worlds and understanding more than I have ever been given credit for.
I had a visit from both Charles and Susi yesterday. Charles and I were providing the money needed for Susi to buy the medicine needed for her daughter which she can no longer afford due to present unemployment circumstances. This is exactly the type of situation I hoped my project would be able to provide help with, but of course everything has been put on hold, again because of circumstances beyond my control. But for now her daughter Dana will have her medicine for another month once it can be brought into Ecuador from Canada, via Columbia.
Susi had made me 2 shirts as a way of saying thank you for the help I have given her obtaining the sewing machine used to make them. It was completely unexpected to receive this gift, something I do not feel is necessary. After all, I did not do much of anything, was only the link between her and the person responsible for the purchase. Sitting there listening to her speak with Charles (who speaks fluent Spanish), I instead began to think rather than listen to what I couldn’t really understand. The shirts were perfectly sewn, she had done an excellent job, and I could not help but be impressed. It happens to me often, ideas just get thrown into my mind from spirit, and as I sat there this is what happened to me.
I know the best way to provide Susi with what she needs, a good sewing job, providing her with the necessary funds for her daughters medicine, but also for the women’s shelter. A contract with a hotel. This is exactly what she needs. I was reminded of my days working in 4 different restaurants as a waitress. Three of them insisted on white shirts and black pants as the uniform. I have never liked white shirts as they fast become grey and dirty looking, the stains from a kitchen not always being removed satisfactorily. But that aside, as she had me try this shirt on, white with a slight pattern, and did it up, I saw the perfect solution for those restaurant days. We all struggled to find white shirts, which surprised me, thinking they should have been easy to buy. I often thought the shirts should have been provided, simply because we were not all the same size, could not all wear the same style of shirt, and we did not all have the same idea of what was appropriate. Had any of these restaurants provided the shirts, it would have eliminated those issues.
My solution for Susi is to find a hotel wanting their staff to have identical shirts, able to provide the correct sizes. The hotel would have the option to provide the shirt without cost, or the staff would be required to buy them, I imagine for a better price than they would pay buying off the rack. We had to pay for ours. But we don’t have to stop there because she can also make their sheets sets and possibly cloth napkins.
Of course right now this is not a solution which can necessarily be implemented, but it is my thought for her to have a successful beginning to her business.
Because you never know who is listening when you speak your thoughts in this way, I decided it was worth it to make a post highlighting the idea. In my mind if we can import from China, most of what we buy in North America, and here if truth be told, then can we not support such a worthwhile enterprise from Ecuador?
My tote bags with the hummingbird printed on them was also something I felt would be beneficial for s store – bookstore or grocery chain could attach their logo to, and provide for patrons of their establishment at a reduced cost, or as a rewards benefit to promote their business. In this day of wanting to reduce the amount of plastics out there, it just makes sense to look for solutions in this direction. But then I have always thought Big, rather than selling one at a time, seeing the benefits of merging two like minded businesses. So I send it out there to the universe, to my audience however big or small it may be and with a prayer for a like minded person or persons to pick up on it, help me get this project going.
