Thursday, July 19, 2007

July 18, 2007 - More Reflections on the 100th Team in Ecuador

Wednesday evening was once again a celebration time for Team 100 volunteers and our gracious hosts from Camp Hope and FUNDAC. It is overwhelming to be part of a two week celebration that has been built on the cumulative contributions of 99 teams before us. I hope each and every one of them that have been here before know how much their participation and contributions to the host communities are compounded exponentially and are being felt by each of us during this wonderful celebration of Team 100. My heartfelt thanks to the other 99 teams.

Our evening bus ride took us to a community center in the residential area where Jackie, President of Camp Hope lives. We dined on ham, rice, and salad, with ice cream for dessert. I include the menu only because most of us may remember more that after dinner the dancing began, with Mari, Rita, Jackie, Ignacio and all our Ecuadorian hosts encouraging us to participate. They led us through several hours of motion exhibited through extensive hip and foot movement. Global Volunteers’ Policy #4 in our handbook is all about Matched Labor, but Wednesday evening was all about Matched Celebration!

Ignacio, Mari, Rita and Jackie serenaded us with several songs while we all caught our breath in preparation for the final dance, and the room that felt chilly when we arrived was filled with the warmth and outpouring of thanks as we left.

Mari graciously gave us an extra hour of sleep in the morning!

My thought for the day is an excerpt from a longer quote:

“…So take too many pictures, laugh too much and love like you’ve never been hurt before. Don’t be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.” - Anonymous

- Katherine A.

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