When I applied for the Ecuador Shoulder to Shoulder trip, I had no idea what I was signing myself up for. Before going on the trip, Professor Guzman led a course specifically designed to help participants prepare for their time in Ecuador. Upon completion of this preparatory class, I never would have expected the emotional impact this experience had on my outlook on life.
When I think of my time in Ecuador, my first thought is not of the work we did in the various communities. I do not think of the culture shock of being in a country completely different from the one I am accustomed to. I do not think about the struggle of having to fit everything I needed for 10 days into a single suitcase. What I do remember is the lasting relationships I built with the people I encountered on this trip. Not only did I connect with my peers, but I was also able to bond with the other workers, community members, and families I encountered in Ecuador. These relationships were formed from what we, as participants of this Shoulder to Shoulder trip, referred to as being the “experience.” The “experience” was all about pushing past the lifestyle we are accustomed to in the United States in order to live one that is drastically different from our own. In doing so, we were able to see how others lived and how we could learn from their way of living life. This so-called “experience” brought us together and formed a community amongst everyone. I learned about the culture of Ecuador and what it means to be a member of the “Sinche” community through these relationships.
One of the most impactful relationships I formed on this trip was with a 5-year-old girl named Noami. We met Noami and her family in the last community we visited, El Sinche. We helped this family clear a mountainside field so they could grow their own food. The morning we worked with this family, we traveled from the farm where we were staying to the field on a tractor trailer. I was standing at the front of the trailer when Noami came up to me and asked for my help to stand on the side of the trailer like her older sister was doing. For the rest of the time we were at El Sinche, she never once left my side. It started with her showing me where to put my backpack, then helping me clear the field of the tree branches and navigate my way up and down the hill. The next day, she helped me fix a fence at the school down the road and taught me Spanish to expand my vocabulary. On the last day, she gave me a tour of her family’s house and her community while on my back and playing with my hair.
In the moment, all I could think about was how I was on this trip to help her and her family. She was not supposed to be helping me, as I was the one helping her. That’s when it hit me. We were there to help build a community, which Javier (our guide in Ecuador) referred to as “El Sinche.” The “El Sinche” community includes the families in these communities, the workers at the farms we stayed at, the professors who took us on this trip, and any Lasell student (past or present) who has gone on this trip. From Noami and the rest of the “El Sinche” community, I learned that no matter what kind of situation you may be in, there is always a way to help others around you. There is always something you have that can be offered to benefit others. It is the small gestures we show to others that help develop communities with those around us.