Last night was so late, we had a chance to sleep until 7:30 a.m. Wonderful sleep, I love it so much! After breakfast, Judith from Minga Ecuador came to escort us through the vast indigenous market in the Plaza de Ponchos. Yes, that is actually its name, although many thousands of other things are sold there, including fruits and spices. We saw some unusual products we had not seen before, Vincent took photos of everything and everyone, especially the older people with their weathered faces, full of mystery and experience.
Incredibly, Vincent saw a woman in the market whom he recognized from four years ago. We had bought a poncho from her. Even more incredibly he was not only right about that, but he found her picture on his computer from our last trip here. I am blown away by his memory sometimes. Me, I can barely remember what I had for dinner last night--or if I HAD dinner.
After a couple of hours, the colors, the scents, the variety and sounds of the street musicians all began to feel too much to me. Everyone had "a special price" for us, but anything we buy has to be carried around with us for the next two and a half months. So it was, "No, gracias," over and over all day long. People were kind, though, not pushy; however, if we lingered too long at a booth, the owner would be notified by a watchful neighbor and launch into his or her spiel. I felt terrible not buying anything. It was a great time to practice Spanish, however! We met Ignacio Ramirez, silversmith, who had grown up in Charlotte, NC. He was young, late 20s or early 30s, does beautiful work in both silver and alpaca inset with semi-precious stones. He had worked in Rio for a while, but the heat drove him away. Humid and over 100 a lot of the time there, he reported. I talked with him about his work, which he was very proud of and seemed to have a passion for and got his phone number for Chris, who is always interested in meeting artisans in the market. Ignacio told us he had patented a number of his designs (although it is nearly impossible to protect an artist's ideas anywhere in the world). His worked to me seemed very fine, and it was clearly the work of one person. I hope he did well today in spite of the rain. It can be so devastating to rent a space, set up before dawn and have the weather drive all your customers away.
Judith has no English, so she was a very patient sounding board to practice with. She is one of fourteen children (six girls), the thirteenth, actually. Her mother died of cancer when she was two, her father when she was thirteen. She has two children, a son and a daughter, and the daughter has given her a one-year-old grandson. She had pictures of them all on her phone--also pictures of her three dachshunds in princess dresses--and we spent a wonderful time at lunch hearing her stories about her "loco" brother and watching videos of the baby learning to walk. After we'd been in the cafe about an hour, it began to pour--really pour. Not the misty sort of stuff we've been having, but a rain threatening inundación.
We really felt for the vendors--we've been there ourselves so often! They were taking down as fast as they could, an old woman was holding up a tarp with a stick so that the rain would go away from her stall into the street instead of onto her shawls and scarves. Everything was packed into sturdy four foot high reinforced plastic bags, stacked onto the backs of pickup trucks and carried slowly away through the traffic filled streets.
After lunch, we met up with Chris at Miguel's shop, "La Tierra." Miguel is a leather artisan we met in 2011. At that time, he was so inspiring as he talked about what motivated him and excited him about his work. In 2015, he has moved to a much bigger shop, and he feels it is much better, has a better offering of high quality products, not just "tourist stuff." He spoke about the competition from people copying his designs, an omnipresent complaint, not only here but in the Philippines, Laos, Guatemala, Peru, and Bolivia. He said, never mind, he just keeps thinking up new ideas. He is inspired by the beauty of nature, and that keeps him going. He is getting very interested in photography and wants to build a gallery of photos above the shop. These would not be for sale, just enjoyment. He also spoke of doing a great deal of exercise lately, eating healthy foods, meditating and not exhausting himself trying to make sales. It's better, he says, if people just refer you to their friends and you gain a reputation. Then people will come to you when they need something.
His wife and two sons were there as well and were very pleasant in greeting us. I doubt he remembered us, because Chris has brought so many visitors to his shop in the past four years, but we certainly remembered how impressed we were with him four years ago and were glad to see him doing so well.
Afterwards, we went to dinner with Chris, who told us that Luis (maker of the sweaters for dogs) had already brought him some samples to take back to the U.S. We had a good talk, a long talk, and arrived home about 9:30. It's 12:30 now and I wonder how to summarize this day. We certainly feel as if we are contributing something to Minga's future success and are very much looking forward to the next few weeks.
Our theme song for the past few months has been "Glorious Unfolding." From thinking we were selling our house and moving to Colorado to where we are now has definitely been a roller coaster ride, and we are still not certain how it will end, but every single day of our lives we have been guided and blessed. Things have kept on unfolding for us; we can only trust that will continue to be true as we go from one day to the next, trying to be faithful in a little.
The heavens just now opened as if a bathtub full of water had been emptied on our heads. I have NEVER heard such rain, not even in the Philippines! Time to go to sleep--we've an early start and a journey back to Quito by bus in the morning. Adiós!
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Friday, February 6, 2015
Feb. 6 Winding Down in Otavalo
Coming up to the weekend--today was a very busy day as a consequence. Although we didn't get home until one a.m., we nonetheless rose at 8:15 and off to work. Just can't keep an old firehorse in the station, I guess.
Right after breakfast, we met downstairs in the hotel with José and Anita Farinango. If that name doesn't sound Spanish, that's because it's not. José and Anita are clearly full-blood Inca descendants. They didn't remember us from 2011, but we showed them the pictures we took of them and their children, and they were delighted. Such a beautiful couple. Today they came without their children, bringing some lovely samples of their tagua jewelry. I was on a bit of a roll today (I love doing this), so I came up with two new catchy names for the products they brought, and Chris came up with a third. How do you like "Rain Dance" and "Moonglow" and "Picasso" (first two are mine) for names for really cool neckwear?
Chris showed Anita and José how to find the "colors of the year" on the Pantone website, and encouraged them to incorporate them in their designs so that people could coordinate their clothing and their jewelry purchases. They caught on to the idea fairly quickly after an initial hesitation--I'm sure they were wondering what the "colors of the year" could possibly have to do with them, here far away from the fashion world.
Carlos came in before we were done and we had a math session, determining volumes of shipping boxes and how they would stack hats in such a way as to receive no harm from the violent shakings of ships, planes, trains and trucks with all their attendant handlers. Interesting exercise! Vincent of course had the smarts to look up on the internet how people normally do these things. That Google just blows my mind, still! The advantages of having a young husband never end.
After a brief discussion of how the negotiation with the Farinangos and Carlos had gone, we trekked off to Lucila Lema's shop to check out a new shipment of gloves getting ready to go. They were all men's gloves, so there was no point in my trying them on. Lucila had some great new hat samples, one a rainbow hat with a tiny crown on top and a scarf attached that allows you to close your coat OVER the scarf rather than under it, another a Rasta hat complete with dreds. Chris told me that when he was just starting his business, Lucila and another store owner had helped him get going with the loan of several big shipping boxes of product. How kind she was--and is. Her daughter was there to model the hats and help us communicate with her mom, who is now partially deaf. Lucila was very warm and kind, smiling broadly as we left.
We went for lunch at an organic restaurant owned by a young man named William, who has worked several years in the U.S. and was very comfortable speaking to us in English. That felt strange to me. I am getting used to English being the foreign language here, not Spanish.
We next stopped at a tie-dye store owned by a young man and his wife. Chris and Romel had a very hard time understanding how to unravel an inconsistent size issue, but eventually communication triumphed and everyone was satisfied.
Returning to the hotel, we just missed Christián, but when Chris called him, he returned with his leather wallet samples. They are very, very nice and we hope our customers will like them. Christián had fixed all the issues with the samples that we discussed with him earlier in the week, so that negotiation went very quickly.
Another couple came in with questions about the colors for their order, and Chris worked on that with them until they understood how the communication with the U.S. office works.
At the end, Hector Guevara came back with his improved samples, we had a few suggestions to make. I could see Chris getting very, very tired, so we left Romel to finish the price negotiations with Hector.
The message today is that the little nitpicky details that frustrate so many of us are where life is. Minga's commitment to quality means that many measurements must be made, before and after, many corrections must be made to samples with the artisan in person or by e-mail, over and over, until it's right. Without this, you have dissatisfied customers who won't return, artisans with no orders and no income. Patient slogging through the storm of glitches is what's required. It's tiring, but s-o-c-k-s, as Chris says, "That's what it is" in Spanish or any other language.
Vincent and I spent a couple of hours writing up the past two days and then went to dinner at Quino's next door with good food and good prices. The best part? It is next door to the hotel!
Hmm--the hotel front door bell just rang. I see it's 11:00 p.m. That must be Chris coming back from a late dinner with friends.
Time for me to sleep, too. I sometimes wonder what my efforts to help are accomplishing, but then I remember that my only important job is to love. Love you all--sleep well, wake refreshed. Soon the world will change, if only we continue faithful.
Right after breakfast, we met downstairs in the hotel with José and Anita Farinango. If that name doesn't sound Spanish, that's because it's not. José and Anita are clearly full-blood Inca descendants. They didn't remember us from 2011, but we showed them the pictures we took of them and their children, and they were delighted. Such a beautiful couple. Today they came without their children, bringing some lovely samples of their tagua jewelry. I was on a bit of a roll today (I love doing this), so I came up with two new catchy names for the products they brought, and Chris came up with a third. How do you like "Rain Dance" and "Moonglow" and "Picasso" (first two are mine) for names for really cool neckwear?
Chris showed Anita and José how to find the "colors of the year" on the Pantone website, and encouraged them to incorporate them in their designs so that people could coordinate their clothing and their jewelry purchases. They caught on to the idea fairly quickly after an initial hesitation--I'm sure they were wondering what the "colors of the year" could possibly have to do with them, here far away from the fashion world.
Carlos came in before we were done and we had a math session, determining volumes of shipping boxes and how they would stack hats in such a way as to receive no harm from the violent shakings of ships, planes, trains and trucks with all their attendant handlers. Interesting exercise! Vincent of course had the smarts to look up on the internet how people normally do these things. That Google just blows my mind, still! The advantages of having a young husband never end.
After a brief discussion of how the negotiation with the Farinangos and Carlos had gone, we trekked off to Lucila Lema's shop to check out a new shipment of gloves getting ready to go. They were all men's gloves, so there was no point in my trying them on. Lucila had some great new hat samples, one a rainbow hat with a tiny crown on top and a scarf attached that allows you to close your coat OVER the scarf rather than under it, another a Rasta hat complete with dreds. Chris told me that when he was just starting his business, Lucila and another store owner had helped him get going with the loan of several big shipping boxes of product. How kind she was--and is. Her daughter was there to model the hats and help us communicate with her mom, who is now partially deaf. Lucila was very warm and kind, smiling broadly as we left.
We went for lunch at an organic restaurant owned by a young man named William, who has worked several years in the U.S. and was very comfortable speaking to us in English. That felt strange to me. I am getting used to English being the foreign language here, not Spanish.
We next stopped at a tie-dye store owned by a young man and his wife. Chris and Romel had a very hard time understanding how to unravel an inconsistent size issue, but eventually communication triumphed and everyone was satisfied.
Returning to the hotel, we just missed Christián, but when Chris called him, he returned with his leather wallet samples. They are very, very nice and we hope our customers will like them. Christián had fixed all the issues with the samples that we discussed with him earlier in the week, so that negotiation went very quickly.
Another couple came in with questions about the colors for their order, and Chris worked on that with them until they understood how the communication with the U.S. office works.
At the end, Hector Guevara came back with his improved samples, we had a few suggestions to make. I could see Chris getting very, very tired, so we left Romel to finish the price negotiations with Hector.
The message today is that the little nitpicky details that frustrate so many of us are where life is. Minga's commitment to quality means that many measurements must be made, before and after, many corrections must be made to samples with the artisan in person or by e-mail, over and over, until it's right. Without this, you have dissatisfied customers who won't return, artisans with no orders and no income. Patient slogging through the storm of glitches is what's required. It's tiring, but s-o-c-k-s, as Chris says, "That's what it is" in Spanish or any other language.
Vincent and I spent a couple of hours writing up the past two days and then went to dinner at Quino's next door with good food and good prices. The best part? It is next door to the hotel!
Hmm--the hotel front door bell just rang. I see it's 11:00 p.m. That must be Chris coming back from a late dinner with friends.
Time for me to sleep, too. I sometimes wonder what my efforts to help are accomplishing, but then I remember that my only important job is to love. Love you all--sleep well, wake refreshed. Soon the world will change, if only we continue faithful.
Feb. 5 Transforming Hope
After breakfast, the four of us started hiking for the bus to the Maldonado home. Providentially, Chris saw someone on the street, another artisan, whom he knew. Carlos was pleased to drive us to our destination, and on the way, Chris was able to discuss a packing problem that Carlos had with the "Panama" hats he makes.
I'll just remind you of the hats' interesting story. They are--and have always been--made in Ecuador. The grass, pajatoquilla (PA-ha-toe-KEE-ya), grows near the western coast of Ecuador. When the international team of scientists came here to map the exact location of the equator, they bought the hats and some of them later went to Panama to help build the Canal. Others bought them as they were very useful in the hot sun, and people assumed the hats they saw had come from Panama. (Another version is that Teddy Roosevelt saw the Canal workers wearing them and mislabeled them Panama hats.)
Whatever really happened, Minga sells hundreds of these nearly indestructible and quite fashionable straw hats made by Carlos and his team. Carlos and Chris spent the ride up into the countryside discussing packing options.
We arrived at the home of Luis and Maria Maldonado, were warmly greeted by them and a very young couple, their daughter Alicia and husband Oscar and their small child. It seems that the five of them live in this house with perhaps some others who were introduced as visiting or not introduced at all. Maria invited us into her home and found four kindergarten size stools for us to occupy while Luis and she related their story. They have been knitting sweaters for dogs for about 18 years. The designs are their own. Fifteen years ago, they approached a U.S. company which began marketing their designs in the U.S. and beyond. All went well for several years until their go-between's brother died. This necessitated his moving out of the area, and they had to find another interpreter. They both speak Quichua and limited Spanish.
A couple from the U.S. approached them and signed them up to make the sweaters for another company (to remain nameless). The couple's names were D and L. The abuses began then. First of all, they never had a contract with this company. The Maldonados would fulfill an order and then wait up to four weeks for payment. When we met with them, they were desperate. They had not been paid since they delivered their last order to D and L's company which was June, 2014--seven months! They had not received any further orders. Furthermore, D and L were patenting for themselves the designs the Maldonados had worked on for many months. They were nearly in tears telling this story and it obviously brought them down to recall it. The poverty of our surroundings began to make sense to us. They had next to no furniture, the room we met in had no light bulb until Chris borrowed one from the main room. Romel told us they had said to him they would have to go looking for work tomorrow, as they had next to nothing left. The walls were rough cinder block, the floor bare cement, with only two grass mats at the door to keep out the mud.
After a while of talking, the daughter demonstrated using a spinning wheel and yarn frame standing just inside the front door to demonstrate how she wound a handful of yarn onto a spool. It gave me such a strange feeling to see the exact same equipment and process I had seen with silk in Laos and cotton in Guatemala!
They invited Vincent to come in and take photos of their workshop. It nearly broke his heart, and mine, too, when I heard about it. It was a small room with several hand knitting machines such as we had seen used to make the pieces for the animal hats. There was no yarn at all in the room, no supplies, completely empty except for the machines.
While this was going on, Chris was talking to Luis about how to get going in production again. They belong to a neighborhood co-op that might give them a loan if they had an order, or so I surmised. So in order to connect to the internet, Luis drove us all in his pickup back to our hotel in Otavalo.
When we were able to connect to the internet, we looked up the company for whom they had worked and found several of their designs being offered for sale. That necessitated that they come up with some new designs to avoid any potential conflict--even though the designs were their own. We think they came up with some good ideas, and they will be sending photos of samples with different colors by internet (which their daughter has access to) to Minga. Orders will come from that, we hope, and the samples will be included in the next shipment from Ecuador and paid for at that time.
The more we talked and Chris explained the procedures employed by Minga, the lighter their faces and spirits seemed to become. Just before they left to go home, Vincent had Chris translate for them the sentiments of all of us--that we hoped and prayed things would get better for them, that they would have enough work, and that their beautiful designs would get a wide audience. Every single one of us was in tears at the end of that session.
This, after all, is the reason we sometimes get up at 1, 2, or 3 a.m. to get ready for a sales event, selling fair trade crafts. Yes, there are other artisans working who are not in such dire straits. However, many of them HAVE been in this situation, where they do not know from where the next meal is coming, and we are so blessed to have the opportunity to help them change their and their children's circumstances. You only have to look at the before and after pictures to understand our joy.
After lunch, Hector Guevara brought some samples of children's cotton summer dresses to the restaurant where we were eating. Chris gave him some feedback about how to change the samples to make them more saleable and we rushed back to the hotel, since we were late for the next artisan meeting.
We met with Martha Constante, who works with knitters to make wool sweaters and mittens. She brought one sample which I thought was quite ingenious. She had designed a cable pattern that was incorporated at the neckline, looking like a row of calla lilies all around the neck of the sweater. It was not attached, but a part of the sweater. We connected to the internet, albeit slowly, and were able to see the feedback from the U.S. about how her samples had sold at the latest show and what the office staff thought of each one. Her group's work is very fine, the wool very soft and not at all scratchy, as I am used to wool being. The designs are quite attractive, I think. This was the first time we had an introduction into how Chris determines prices--it's a back and forth negotiation, and Martha was a fine sparring partner for him.
Vincent asked her how many women worked for her, and she replied, "mil quinientos" or 1,500. We could not believe it and went into an extensive discussion of how she figures this. She has a list of 1,500 women she has worked with over the years. She can call on them when she has an order. They do not all work at once, but she has a network of leaders in several villages. Each leader manages up to forty women. She learns from Martha how to make the sweater and then teaches those in her group. Through the leaders, Martha has an idea of the skills of each group, so she assigns various ones to different groups, depending upon their skills. We simply marveled at the consistent high quality of their work, with so many different groups working on the same things. Martha has to be not only a skilled negotiator but an indefatigable organizer. She visits dozens of homes each week out in the countryside.
Vincent also asked her what inspired her to create new designs. Her face lit up and she said that anything can inspire her--a piece of fabric, something she saw in a magazine. It is her favorite part of the work. She loves to create new designs.
Chris gave her an order for samples before she left, and suddenly she did not look as tired and worn to me as she had when she came in.
It was dark when Martha returned to her home. Fernando and Yolanda, the clothing designers, had invited Chris to a meal at a friend's home, and Vincent and I tagged along. After the stark home of the Maldonados, this one was overwhelming. Although it was simply furnished, it was massive, with whitewashed walls and pine log rafters and beautiful tile floors. Peruvian wool wallhangings decorated several walls, and the lamps were sculpted clay, pierced and polished coconut shells and other amazing things. This home was in an enclave of Americans, Canadians and Europeans similar to a gated community back home, sans gate, but wayyyyyyy back in the countryside. When the lights came on we could see three towns spread out on the hills around us, Cotacachi among them. Fields of corn surrounded the complex.
The contrast between the beginning of the day and the end of it was inescapable. It truly is a world full of stark contrasts and some definite inequalities. Still, I was so blessed to be present as the Maldonados were given back their hope.
I'll just remind you of the hats' interesting story. They are--and have always been--made in Ecuador. The grass, pajatoquilla (PA-ha-toe-KEE-ya), grows near the western coast of Ecuador. When the international team of scientists came here to map the exact location of the equator, they bought the hats and some of them later went to Panama to help build the Canal. Others bought them as they were very useful in the hot sun, and people assumed the hats they saw had come from Panama. (Another version is that Teddy Roosevelt saw the Canal workers wearing them and mislabeled them Panama hats.)
Whatever really happened, Minga sells hundreds of these nearly indestructible and quite fashionable straw hats made by Carlos and his team. Carlos and Chris spent the ride up into the countryside discussing packing options.
We arrived at the home of Luis and Maria Maldonado, were warmly greeted by them and a very young couple, their daughter Alicia and husband Oscar and their small child. It seems that the five of them live in this house with perhaps some others who were introduced as visiting or not introduced at all. Maria invited us into her home and found four kindergarten size stools for us to occupy while Luis and she related their story. They have been knitting sweaters for dogs for about 18 years. The designs are their own. Fifteen years ago, they approached a U.S. company which began marketing their designs in the U.S. and beyond. All went well for several years until their go-between's brother died. This necessitated his moving out of the area, and they had to find another interpreter. They both speak Quichua and limited Spanish.
A couple from the U.S. approached them and signed them up to make the sweaters for another company (to remain nameless). The couple's names were D and L. The abuses began then. First of all, they never had a contract with this company. The Maldonados would fulfill an order and then wait up to four weeks for payment. When we met with them, they were desperate. They had not been paid since they delivered their last order to D and L's company which was June, 2014--seven months! They had not received any further orders. Furthermore, D and L were patenting for themselves the designs the Maldonados had worked on for many months. They were nearly in tears telling this story and it obviously brought them down to recall it. The poverty of our surroundings began to make sense to us. They had next to no furniture, the room we met in had no light bulb until Chris borrowed one from the main room. Romel told us they had said to him they would have to go looking for work tomorrow, as they had next to nothing left. The walls were rough cinder block, the floor bare cement, with only two grass mats at the door to keep out the mud.
After a while of talking, the daughter demonstrated using a spinning wheel and yarn frame standing just inside the front door to demonstrate how she wound a handful of yarn onto a spool. It gave me such a strange feeling to see the exact same equipment and process I had seen with silk in Laos and cotton in Guatemala!
They invited Vincent to come in and take photos of their workshop. It nearly broke his heart, and mine, too, when I heard about it. It was a small room with several hand knitting machines such as we had seen used to make the pieces for the animal hats. There was no yarn at all in the room, no supplies, completely empty except for the machines.
While this was going on, Chris was talking to Luis about how to get going in production again. They belong to a neighborhood co-op that might give them a loan if they had an order, or so I surmised. So in order to connect to the internet, Luis drove us all in his pickup back to our hotel in Otavalo.
When we were able to connect to the internet, we looked up the company for whom they had worked and found several of their designs being offered for sale. That necessitated that they come up with some new designs to avoid any potential conflict--even though the designs were their own. We think they came up with some good ideas, and they will be sending photos of samples with different colors by internet (which their daughter has access to) to Minga. Orders will come from that, we hope, and the samples will be included in the next shipment from Ecuador and paid for at that time.
The more we talked and Chris explained the procedures employed by Minga, the lighter their faces and spirits seemed to become. Just before they left to go home, Vincent had Chris translate for them the sentiments of all of us--that we hoped and prayed things would get better for them, that they would have enough work, and that their beautiful designs would get a wide audience. Every single one of us was in tears at the end of that session.
This, after all, is the reason we sometimes get up at 1, 2, or 3 a.m. to get ready for a sales event, selling fair trade crafts. Yes, there are other artisans working who are not in such dire straits. However, many of them HAVE been in this situation, where they do not know from where the next meal is coming, and we are so blessed to have the opportunity to help them change their and their children's circumstances. You only have to look at the before and after pictures to understand our joy.
After lunch, Hector Guevara brought some samples of children's cotton summer dresses to the restaurant where we were eating. Chris gave him some feedback about how to change the samples to make them more saleable and we rushed back to the hotel, since we were late for the next artisan meeting.
We met with Martha Constante, who works with knitters to make wool sweaters and mittens. She brought one sample which I thought was quite ingenious. She had designed a cable pattern that was incorporated at the neckline, looking like a row of calla lilies all around the neck of the sweater. It was not attached, but a part of the sweater. We connected to the internet, albeit slowly, and were able to see the feedback from the U.S. about how her samples had sold at the latest show and what the office staff thought of each one. Her group's work is very fine, the wool very soft and not at all scratchy, as I am used to wool being. The designs are quite attractive, I think. This was the first time we had an introduction into how Chris determines prices--it's a back and forth negotiation, and Martha was a fine sparring partner for him.
Vincent asked her how many women worked for her, and she replied, "mil quinientos" or 1,500. We could not believe it and went into an extensive discussion of how she figures this. She has a list of 1,500 women she has worked with over the years. She can call on them when she has an order. They do not all work at once, but she has a network of leaders in several villages. Each leader manages up to forty women. She learns from Martha how to make the sweater and then teaches those in her group. Through the leaders, Martha has an idea of the skills of each group, so she assigns various ones to different groups, depending upon their skills. We simply marveled at the consistent high quality of their work, with so many different groups working on the same things. Martha has to be not only a skilled negotiator but an indefatigable organizer. She visits dozens of homes each week out in the countryside.
Vincent also asked her what inspired her to create new designs. Her face lit up and she said that anything can inspire her--a piece of fabric, something she saw in a magazine. It is her favorite part of the work. She loves to create new designs.
Chris gave her an order for samples before she left, and suddenly she did not look as tired and worn to me as she had when she came in.
It was dark when Martha returned to her home. Fernando and Yolanda, the clothing designers, had invited Chris to a meal at a friend's home, and Vincent and I tagged along. After the stark home of the Maldonados, this one was overwhelming. Although it was simply furnished, it was massive, with whitewashed walls and pine log rafters and beautiful tile floors. Peruvian wool wallhangings decorated several walls, and the lamps were sculpted clay, pierced and polished coconut shells and other amazing things. This home was in an enclave of Americans, Canadians and Europeans similar to a gated community back home, sans gate, but wayyyyyyy back in the countryside. When the lights came on we could see three towns spread out on the hills around us, Cotacachi among them. Fields of corn surrounded the complex.
The contrast between the beginning of the day and the end of it was inescapable. It truly is a world full of stark contrasts and some definite inequalities. Still, I was so blessed to be present as the Maldonados were given back their hope.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Feb. 4 Incredible Imagination
Feb. 4
Feeling a bit shaky, I ate fruit (papaya with lime juice) and a couple of spoonfuls of Vincent's oatmeal. We took a taxi after breakfast to Fernando and Yolanda's home and finishing workshop. We were greeted by two huge (and quite friendly) dogs, one a St. Bernard. The entire visit, they flopped themselves in the courtyard, on the stairs, anywhere that was in the way, Yolanda said in order to communicate that they were hungry. That made me smile.
Fernando and Yolanda are the designers of a line of clothing and accessories called "Etnia." I suppose it has to do with the word "ethnic" in Spanish, but it really should be related more to imagination, because what I saw was the very latest fashion, very much at home as much in European boutiques as American department stores. They use only the finest, softest wool, similar they said to merino. Fernando handed me a twist of it to demonstrate--it was indeed, very soft and fine. I am bothered by most wool products anywhere near my face, hands or neck, but these were exceptions. Yolanda designs the hats, gloves, scarves and other accessory knitwear, Fernando the jackets, pullovers, coats, shrugs and other large pieces. Ladies, rejoice! Armando has found the way to prevent your losing your scarves. He ingeniously makes them part of the coat. Also, he has designed the most chic-looking accessory I've ever seen. One arm is as if it were part of a raglan sleeve sweater. It stretches across the back as if it were a shawl. The other arm is a scarf. Scarf buttons at the neck to the raglan sleeve, voila! It looked stunning on Yolanda, and I really, really wanted one for myself. Not practical for living in Chicago, though, even though it was warm enough. It would have been for a chilly evening in northern California, or perhaps the Mojave. Yolanda designed a pair of mittens that use a cable stitch to form an owl's body and has two jungle seeds for its eyes. Very clever--she really enjoys imagining new designs.
Vincent, Romel and Chris took turns wearing and/or admiring the cable knit pullover for men that was one of the samples we were interested in. Everyone laughed when Vincent suggested Chris remove the sweater in case the St. Bernard thought he was stealing it.
We asked where the clothing is assembled and who does the work, and Fernando replied that they are mostly women living in the remote areas and he spends a lot of time traveling between their homes. It is much more convenient that way for the knitters and weavers. It's possible we might have the opportunity to visit with some of them when we return to Otavalo in a few weeks.
Yolanda and I had great fun playing "model" and talking together in Spanish. She taught French here for a while (after living in Paris for several years with her husband) and she knows how important it is to speak slowly so that people can understand when they are shifting gears on the tongue (once the gears are found, that is). She told me that she had two separate sets of children, two in the six- to ten-year-old range, and two in their late teens, early twenties. We enjoyed some contented laughter when we reflected that she is not that far from having a "third family" when her older sons get married and have children. She told me that her mother says she loves grandchildren twice as much as children. I think it would be a bit disconcerting to hear that from one's own mother!
Chris ordered some samples here and negotiated prices and we took a little walk to a place for lunch, where we had some lovely fish and papas fritas, with some pickled red cabbage. Very nice, and none of it seems to be disagreeing with me on that estimation.
Then we went to the Males' family's scarf store, about 100 or so square feet completely full of scarves, a festival of edible colors. We liked a lot of the colors and some of the new designs, had a lengthy discussion on how soft a scarf should be and ordered one of the new designs that has a marvelous texture. We think customers will like it.
Vincent had a twenty-minute nap while I wrote, and then we are off to dinner, exploring on our own while pobrecito Chris keeps working. . .
It is interesting to think about how much imagination and creation feeds the soul. If only we could incorporate the imaginative faculty into all of our work, how much happier we would all be. Yolanda is somewhere in her forties, but she is beautiful as a young girl, with a brilliant smile that lights the room. She feels happy and blessed not only in her family, but also in her work as a designer, because she is free to create so many beautiful, new things. I wish that for all of our artisans.
Feeling a bit shaky, I ate fruit (papaya with lime juice) and a couple of spoonfuls of Vincent's oatmeal. We took a taxi after breakfast to Fernando and Yolanda's home and finishing workshop. We were greeted by two huge (and quite friendly) dogs, one a St. Bernard. The entire visit, they flopped themselves in the courtyard, on the stairs, anywhere that was in the way, Yolanda said in order to communicate that they were hungry. That made me smile.
Fernando and Yolanda are the designers of a line of clothing and accessories called "Etnia." I suppose it has to do with the word "ethnic" in Spanish, but it really should be related more to imagination, because what I saw was the very latest fashion, very much at home as much in European boutiques as American department stores. They use only the finest, softest wool, similar they said to merino. Fernando handed me a twist of it to demonstrate--it was indeed, very soft and fine. I am bothered by most wool products anywhere near my face, hands or neck, but these were exceptions. Yolanda designs the hats, gloves, scarves and other accessory knitwear, Fernando the jackets, pullovers, coats, shrugs and other large pieces. Ladies, rejoice! Armando has found the way to prevent your losing your scarves. He ingeniously makes them part of the coat. Also, he has designed the most chic-looking accessory I've ever seen. One arm is as if it were part of a raglan sleeve sweater. It stretches across the back as if it were a shawl. The other arm is a scarf. Scarf buttons at the neck to the raglan sleeve, voila! It looked stunning on Yolanda, and I really, really wanted one for myself. Not practical for living in Chicago, though, even though it was warm enough. It would have been for a chilly evening in northern California, or perhaps the Mojave. Yolanda designed a pair of mittens that use a cable stitch to form an owl's body and has two jungle seeds for its eyes. Very clever--she really enjoys imagining new designs.
Vincent, Romel and Chris took turns wearing and/or admiring the cable knit pullover for men that was one of the samples we were interested in. Everyone laughed when Vincent suggested Chris remove the sweater in case the St. Bernard thought he was stealing it.
We asked where the clothing is assembled and who does the work, and Fernando replied that they are mostly women living in the remote areas and he spends a lot of time traveling between their homes. It is much more convenient that way for the knitters and weavers. It's possible we might have the opportunity to visit with some of them when we return to Otavalo in a few weeks.
Yolanda and I had great fun playing "model" and talking together in Spanish. She taught French here for a while (after living in Paris for several years with her husband) and she knows how important it is to speak slowly so that people can understand when they are shifting gears on the tongue (once the gears are found, that is). She told me that she had two separate sets of children, two in the six- to ten-year-old range, and two in their late teens, early twenties. We enjoyed some contented laughter when we reflected that she is not that far from having a "third family" when her older sons get married and have children. She told me that her mother says she loves grandchildren twice as much as children. I think it would be a bit disconcerting to hear that from one's own mother!
Chris ordered some samples here and negotiated prices and we took a little walk to a place for lunch, where we had some lovely fish and papas fritas, with some pickled red cabbage. Very nice, and none of it seems to be disagreeing with me on that estimation.
Then we went to the Males' family's scarf store, about 100 or so square feet completely full of scarves, a festival of edible colors. We liked a lot of the colors and some of the new designs, had a lengthy discussion on how soft a scarf should be and ordered one of the new designs that has a marvelous texture. We think customers will like it.
Vincent had a twenty-minute nap while I wrote, and then we are off to dinner, exploring on our own while pobrecito Chris keeps working. . .
It is interesting to think about how much imagination and creation feeds the soul. If only we could incorporate the imaginative faculty into all of our work, how much happier we would all be. Yolanda is somewhere in her forties, but she is beautiful as a young girl, with a brilliant smile that lights the room. She feels happy and blessed not only in her family, but also in her work as a designer, because she is free to create so many beautiful, new things. I wish that for all of our artisans.
Feb. 3 Otavaleños
Waking up in Otavalo (one of the most famous small towns in Ecuador, home of one of the biggest and/or most popular open air indigenous markets in South America), a bit confused, thinking at first I was in California (where I grew up), then thought I must be in Chicago, no, Cuenca, no--aha! We are in Otavalo! It is a very nice town, with more of an indigenous population than many of the larger towns in Ecuador, although many more U.S. ex-pats arrive here every year, we were told. Our schedule is changed so that we can spend the first week with Chris, learning the ropes of interviewing with him. He is a delightful friend, so we were happy enough to change. And to learn more before embarking on our own.
When we arrived at the hotel last night, it was late and quite dark. It possesses a beautiful open courtyard filled with flowers, vines and trees and the most beautiful antique wood floors I have ever seen. It is very old, and the door lock looks like something out of a Spanish jail! Vincent says to tell you he just loves arriving in a place in the dark and waking up to see how it looks in the daylight. Suffice it to say, the courtyard is magnificent, we have a balcony overlooking it, away from the noise of the street (important for sleeping, as it lasts all night, I am told) and feel very, very lucky. After a nice breakfast of fruit, eggs and bread, we walked to the town to a restaurant where Chris had an appointment with the owner, and spent several hours looking at his beautiful restaurant/hotel/cafe complex, which he is building himself.
During that interview, I grew sicker and sicker, ending with total expulsion of all foreign material from my digestive tract. I include these somewhat gross details so that you will not envy us too much for our beautiful weather and surroundings! About 1 p.m., Chris and Romel found a restaurant near the square, where they ordered food. I could eat nothing, tried a few bites of Vincent's papas fritas (French fries) and drank a bit of water.
From there we proceeded to the office from which most of the Ecuadorean goods we purchase are shipped, and met with two artisans, one after the other. The first, Christián, is a leather goods producer who makes extremely high quality bags, wallets, purses, and so forth, very nice work. We looked over about five or six different products making suggestions for improvements, mostly in quality or size and placement of pockets, occasionally about materials. I began to feel sick again and had to visit their baño several times to get rid of excess baggage, so to speak.
Our next artisan, Aída, arrived before we were finished with Christián. She waited patiently, and while Chris contacted the home office via Skype, Aída and Christián had a lively discussion which I could not follow, in part due to my indisposition at the time. When Christián left, she showed us the new product she has developed with the Minga office and demonstrated the packaging. Since they are glass dishes, the packaging is very important. I showed her what a suncatcher looked like, as I have questions about the viability of tableware in the fair trade market, which seems to me to be dominated by high-volume, low-priced, standardized merchandise from China. I hope I am wrong, because Aída really needs the income. She is a widow supporting a daughter through college and a grown son who nonetheless is not supporting himself yet. As she was talking to Chris, I heard her say, with tears, that it was all "poco mucho." A little too much for her. She was warm and kind in her talk with us and invited us to her home and workshop, which we will see a bit later this month.
During these two interviews, more drama developed, as Chris' assistant here called to say we would have to leave the hotel because they had double booked and needed to give our rooms to people who had booked last September and November. So Chris sent his assistant out to find another hotel, of which, fortunately, there are many to choose from. She ended up getting us a place just around the corner which is clean, pretty, and slightly cheaper (although without patio). The door lock looks a bit more substantial there and everything is decorated with pine wood.
The shipping office was closing when we left, so we returned to the hotel to meet together with Chris and Romel to discuss how we would arrange to see 15 different artisans in the next three days. That sorted, the three healthy, strong and energetic men went to dinner and I returned to the hotel room for my class via internet. Too tired to do anything else afterward, I fell instantly asleep.
I did not have much time to reflect on the happenings of this day, but one connection I made is that the tomato juice (the fruit is not much like ours at all) was common to both episodes of sickness. I will steer clear, I promise, from now on. If I have another episode, it will be unrelated to tomato juice!
After my class, which focuses on personal growth, I reflected how much of what I have learned in the class experience is helping this trip to be a good one--living more extended to the world, less constricted into myself, questioning my automatic conclusions about who I am and how others treat me, and finding the deeper truths which will set me free from the shelter I constructed as a child, but which I have now outgrown and have realized it didn't protect me very much. To be still, hiding, unmoving, unspeaking to avoid pain, conflict or rejection, is very similar to being dead. I have decided to live, instead. I have learned to protect myself much better than I could by hiding and pretending not to exist. And anyway, most people are not out to do me harm--they are hoping that I am not out to get THEM. Or, even better, they wonder how they can help me.
When we arrived at the hotel last night, it was late and quite dark. It possesses a beautiful open courtyard filled with flowers, vines and trees and the most beautiful antique wood floors I have ever seen. It is very old, and the door lock looks like something out of a Spanish jail! Vincent says to tell you he just loves arriving in a place in the dark and waking up to see how it looks in the daylight. Suffice it to say, the courtyard is magnificent, we have a balcony overlooking it, away from the noise of the street (important for sleeping, as it lasts all night, I am told) and feel very, very lucky. After a nice breakfast of fruit, eggs and bread, we walked to the town to a restaurant where Chris had an appointment with the owner, and spent several hours looking at his beautiful restaurant/hotel/cafe complex, which he is building himself.
During that interview, I grew sicker and sicker, ending with total expulsion of all foreign material from my digestive tract. I include these somewhat gross details so that you will not envy us too much for our beautiful weather and surroundings! About 1 p.m., Chris and Romel found a restaurant near the square, where they ordered food. I could eat nothing, tried a few bites of Vincent's papas fritas (French fries) and drank a bit of water.
From there we proceeded to the office from which most of the Ecuadorean goods we purchase are shipped, and met with two artisans, one after the other. The first, Christián, is a leather goods producer who makes extremely high quality bags, wallets, purses, and so forth, very nice work. We looked over about five or six different products making suggestions for improvements, mostly in quality or size and placement of pockets, occasionally about materials. I began to feel sick again and had to visit their baño several times to get rid of excess baggage, so to speak.
Our next artisan, Aída, arrived before we were finished with Christián. She waited patiently, and while Chris contacted the home office via Skype, Aída and Christián had a lively discussion which I could not follow, in part due to my indisposition at the time. When Christián left, she showed us the new product she has developed with the Minga office and demonstrated the packaging. Since they are glass dishes, the packaging is very important. I showed her what a suncatcher looked like, as I have questions about the viability of tableware in the fair trade market, which seems to me to be dominated by high-volume, low-priced, standardized merchandise from China. I hope I am wrong, because Aída really needs the income. She is a widow supporting a daughter through college and a grown son who nonetheless is not supporting himself yet. As she was talking to Chris, I heard her say, with tears, that it was all "poco mucho." A little too much for her. She was warm and kind in her talk with us and invited us to her home and workshop, which we will see a bit later this month.
During these two interviews, more drama developed, as Chris' assistant here called to say we would have to leave the hotel because they had double booked and needed to give our rooms to people who had booked last September and November. So Chris sent his assistant out to find another hotel, of which, fortunately, there are many to choose from. She ended up getting us a place just around the corner which is clean, pretty, and slightly cheaper (although without patio). The door lock looks a bit more substantial there and everything is decorated with pine wood.
The shipping office was closing when we left, so we returned to the hotel to meet together with Chris and Romel to discuss how we would arrange to see 15 different artisans in the next three days. That sorted, the three healthy, strong and energetic men went to dinner and I returned to the hotel room for my class via internet. Too tired to do anything else afterward, I fell instantly asleep.
I did not have much time to reflect on the happenings of this day, but one connection I made is that the tomato juice (the fruit is not much like ours at all) was common to both episodes of sickness. I will steer clear, I promise, from now on. If I have another episode, it will be unrelated to tomato juice!
After my class, which focuses on personal growth, I reflected how much of what I have learned in the class experience is helping this trip to be a good one--living more extended to the world, less constricted into myself, questioning my automatic conclusions about who I am and how others treat me, and finding the deeper truths which will set me free from the shelter I constructed as a child, but which I have now outgrown and have realized it didn't protect me very much. To be still, hiding, unmoving, unspeaking to avoid pain, conflict or rejection, is very similar to being dead. I have decided to live, instead. I have learned to protect myself much better than I could by hiding and pretending not to exist. And anyway, most people are not out to do me harm--they are hoping that I am not out to get THEM. Or, even better, they wonder how they can help me.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Feb. 2 Up to Otavalo
Hello, everyone,
We flew back to Quito this morning on a 40-minute delayed flight because of weather, but not like you in Chicago think. Wind at high altitude delayed us--it was a perfect early spring day here on the ground. It was very impressive to see the city laid out before us like a giant Oriental carpet with intricate designs of roofs and trees. It is massive--over 2 million people--spread out over the landscape like spilled beads. Over most of what we saw, the roofs were white, not red like in Cuenca. The landing was one of the softest I've ever experienced.
We spent the day with Juanita and Andrés Flores about 45 minutes outside Quito in a city called Mitad del Mundo (middle of the world). The French geodesic mission marked out at that point exactly where the equator is, there's a monument, and if we wish, we can like down with one foot in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern. All day we were looking at, discussing and tweaking new tagua jewelry designs. They are so talented and creative! They are in the process of building a new house. It will be 1500 beautiful square feet! Juanita's mother (81) showed us the avocado and fig trees. Yum! the fruits are amazing here. We also met the Flores' two children, Mateo and Emily. Such warm smiles and hospitality!
We are to spend the next week with Chris, who will show us what kinds of things he would like done, and how to do some of the questions for the interview. We're both excited about that. Having a bit more direction will be good.
After a very nice lunch prepared by Juanita's mother, Florinda, we worked until dark, then Andrés brought Chris to a friend's house to see how she was recovering. While we waited, we connected to Jeannie Balanda of Maya Works via Face Time, who told us of the 19" of snow now decorating all the front yards in Chicago. Such a contrast to where we are now!
Andrés then brought us to the bus station where we caught a bus, offering a two-hour ride for $2 each. As we were loading our suitcases into the bus, we saw a tiny puppy, no more than five or six weeks old, sitting in a low cardboard box in the luggage compartment. Chris and Vincent both questioned the driver, who said that someone had abandoned the poor thing, and another person had brought it to him to take care of. He was bringing it home in the luggage compartment! So Chris said, "I'll hold him on my lap," and brought him up into the bus, introduced him to the other passengers, and sat quietly with him for half an hour. Vincent wanted to hold him, too, so he ended up sleeping most of the way on Vincent's lap. He was a sweet little thing, and I wished it had been possible for us to bring him home. Just would not have worked!
While the puppy slept, they showed a film on the bus!!!! It was Gifted Hands with Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was a repeat for us, but we still found it moving and inspiring. I have never in my life been in a bus (it was quite comfortable) that showed films. Another first.
We're both exhausted and going to bed now, with visions of tagua nuts (from which we get the jewelry) dancing in our heads. Buenas noches!
We flew back to Quito this morning on a 40-minute delayed flight because of weather, but not like you in Chicago think. Wind at high altitude delayed us--it was a perfect early spring day here on the ground. It was very impressive to see the city laid out before us like a giant Oriental carpet with intricate designs of roofs and trees. It is massive--over 2 million people--spread out over the landscape like spilled beads. Over most of what we saw, the roofs were white, not red like in Cuenca. The landing was one of the softest I've ever experienced.
We spent the day with Juanita and Andrés Flores about 45 minutes outside Quito in a city called Mitad del Mundo (middle of the world). The French geodesic mission marked out at that point exactly where the equator is, there's a monument, and if we wish, we can like down with one foot in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern. All day we were looking at, discussing and tweaking new tagua jewelry designs. They are so talented and creative! They are in the process of building a new house. It will be 1500 beautiful square feet! Juanita's mother (81) showed us the avocado and fig trees. Yum! the fruits are amazing here. We also met the Flores' two children, Mateo and Emily. Such warm smiles and hospitality!
We are to spend the next week with Chris, who will show us what kinds of things he would like done, and how to do some of the questions for the interview. We're both excited about that. Having a bit more direction will be good.
After a very nice lunch prepared by Juanita's mother, Florinda, we worked until dark, then Andrés brought Chris to a friend's house to see how she was recovering. While we waited, we connected to Jeannie Balanda of Maya Works via Face Time, who told us of the 19" of snow now decorating all the front yards in Chicago. Such a contrast to where we are now!
Andrés then brought us to the bus station where we caught a bus, offering a two-hour ride for $2 each. As we were loading our suitcases into the bus, we saw a tiny puppy, no more than five or six weeks old, sitting in a low cardboard box in the luggage compartment. Chris and Vincent both questioned the driver, who said that someone had abandoned the poor thing, and another person had brought it to him to take care of. He was bringing it home in the luggage compartment! So Chris said, "I'll hold him on my lap," and brought him up into the bus, introduced him to the other passengers, and sat quietly with him for half an hour. Vincent wanted to hold him, too, so he ended up sleeping most of the way on Vincent's lap. He was a sweet little thing, and I wished it had been possible for us to bring him home. Just would not have worked!
While the puppy slept, they showed a film on the bus!!!! It was Gifted Hands with Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was a repeat for us, but we still found it moving and inspiring. I have never in my life been in a bus (it was quite comfortable) that showed films. Another first.
We're both exhausted and going to bed now, with visions of tagua nuts (from which we get the jewelry) dancing in our heads. Buenas noches!
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Feb. 1 Bus Tour of Cuenca and a Day of Rest
This morning, we walked in the light rain up to the city center (Parque Calderon), spent a few minutes in the cathedral reflecting on the strong connection the majority of the people have to the Catholic Church, and then caught a tour bus going through Cuenca and up to the highest viewpoint above the city (Turi). On the way out of the city there was a large religious parade, whose theme I did not catch, but it filled several blocks with floats and people in costume. When we returned from the trip, the cathedral services were just letting out, and there was an absolute river of people leaving the church. The mass was massed with people, I'm guessing coming from the parade.
Cuenca as seen from Turi was an amazing and amusing site, spread out on the green landscape like a smear of strawberry jam. It lasted about an hour and 45 minutes and gave us a new perspective on this attractive city. As we went around some of the places near to the center, we realized we had already seen a lot more of Cuenca on foot than we thought! It stopped raining as soon as we got onto the roof of the bus. The city looked different from the top of a double-decker--not as much graffiti, for example. There were quite a few places where tree branches and electric wires were hanging low enough to be a threat, so we had to look sharp.
When we got to the top, some people went inside to try canelazo, an alcoholic drink here. We shot photos as fast as we could from the viewpoint. There are a lot of artisan markets and stalls there (in Turi), but because it was Sunday, they were closed. A few women were selling food to the bus groups.
We came home for lunch, took a nap, and prepared the report for our first artisan interview. Turning in early--we fly to Quito tomorrow. I think we are going to miss this place, rooted in history, the warm hospitality of our host family, the teachers at the school, whom we found to be very simpático, the beautiful vistas, the sense of sacredness we drew from the Inca ruins, birdsong, the relaxed pace, the markets full of fresh fruits and vegetables, the many people we pass in the street who say hello, the beauty of the environment, sound of the river rushing over its stones, you just don't feel like you're in a big city of 600,000.
Cuenca as seen from Turi was an amazing and amusing site, spread out on the green landscape like a smear of strawberry jam. It lasted about an hour and 45 minutes and gave us a new perspective on this attractive city. As we went around some of the places near to the center, we realized we had already seen a lot more of Cuenca on foot than we thought! It stopped raining as soon as we got onto the roof of the bus. The city looked different from the top of a double-decker--not as much graffiti, for example. There were quite a few places where tree branches and electric wires were hanging low enough to be a threat, so we had to look sharp.
When we got to the top, some people went inside to try canelazo, an alcoholic drink here. We shot photos as fast as we could from the viewpoint. There are a lot of artisan markets and stalls there (in Turi), but because it was Sunday, they were closed. A few women were selling food to the bus groups.
We came home for lunch, took a nap, and prepared the report for our first artisan interview. Turning in early--we fly to Quito tomorrow. I think we are going to miss this place, rooted in history, the warm hospitality of our host family, the teachers at the school, whom we found to be very simpático, the beautiful vistas, the sense of sacredness we drew from the Inca ruins, birdsong, the relaxed pace, the markets full of fresh fruits and vegetables, the many people we pass in the street who say hello, the beauty of the environment, sound of the river rushing over its stones, you just don't feel like you're in a big city of 600,000.
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