pavement & needles

 In October I went home, to my other home, Canada, for 1 month. Just 1 month, only 4 weeks, not very long at all (sure went fast from my end!!). But when I came back to Guayaquil, and ventured forth across the dreaded highway to Bastion, I almost had to pinch myself and

double check where I was. Because this didn't look like the Bastion that

I've known for so many years, not at all. That Bastion had mud streets, lumpy, bumpy and pot-holed. Dry and dusty for half the year, and flowing with mud and giant bottomless

puddles in the rainy season. Always a challenge to negotiate my way about, never able to raise my eyes and look around me for more than a few seconds at a time, lest I fall over or into something, or step on any number of undesirables. But all has changed, or is still changing. Now the streets are being paved, and not just paved, but with sidewalks too!! I can hardly believe it, it looks so different now, all neat and tidy, nice smooth streets, much cleaner. As I walk around I keep losing my bearings, that's how much it's changed. And there are new sewer pipes installed. All going to make living in that community so much better for everyone. Now we're all saying - Bring on the winter, the rainy season!!! Oh, it's going to be so nice.

the street with the school

We've been travelling these new lovely streets recently, the kindergarten class has been doing its annual home visits. The entire class, along with the teacher and helpers, all go out and visit the home of each child in the class. We trundle along with the kids holding onto a rope and the adults herding them along and trying to keep them on course. And one by one we visit their homes. In we all go, and the child has to introduce the family members who are on hand, then they all tour the home, see the kitchen, where the child's eating habits are questioned and everyone applauds if we find out they eat vegetables, then to where they sleep, where we find out if the child keeps their bed and (few) toys tidy. Then most moms serve a snack to us all. Last week we visited 6 or 7 houses one morning, and got back to the school full of assorted crackers and cookies, jello, yogurt, pop and one clever mom served us all big wedges of papaya, a nice nutritious snack (but NOT my favourite tropical fruit). I don't think much lunch was eaten that day.

The living conditions differ a lot between the various houses. Some of the homes clearly  represent a huge struggle for survival, while others are in better condition and the families evidently are doing reasonably well. 


Yesterday when I arrived at the school, a Ministry of Health team was there, vaccinating some classes. I was so happy to see them and find out that they're doing this - not waiting for parents to bring kids to them for immunizations, but coming to where the kids are. It was strange for us Canadians to see, no consent forms, no info for the parents. It just gets done! I joined the fray when they were about to do the grade 1 class, and it was in an absolute uproar. A nurse and doctor were sitting at the desk calmly drawing up all the syringes, and the kids were sitting watching, a number of them wailing and sobbing, and I found 5 of them hiding under desks at the back of the class. So we got them all out in the hallway, and brought them in one by one, and I held the kids in good big "hugs" while the job was done. I confess it was just a little funny to watch the poor little things come in, some of them crying piteously "I don't want to, I don't want to", and others just swaggered in, no big deal at all. I happened to have a camera with me that day, so we got a few pictures. We felt as though we'd been on the battlefield by the time we were done. But I'm very happy to have these kids immunized.

( I have never had so much trouble laying out a page of this blog before! I'm not happy with the way it is, but I've spent too many frustrating hours on it, and this is the best I could do. They've changed something!!!)