Team #151 arrives in Ecuador!

Maggie met Tom and Katie and Suzanne and Neal in the Sol de Quito restaurant this morning for breakfast and coffee prior to starting the orientation meeting at 9:30 a.m. Tom and Katie had arrived in the middle of the night after suffering a flight delay in Atlanta followed by a serendipitous delay in Miami; Tom explained that if the Miami to Quito flight had not been delayed they would have had to wait another day to fly to Quito. Whew!

Maggie started the orientation by welcoming Global Volunteers Ecuador Team #151 (us) to Quito. She followed with an overview of Calderón and a brief history of FUNDAC, the foundation that is hosting Global Volunteer programs in Ecuador. We learned that FUNDAC was founded by a group of women who saw children left alone in the streets of Calderón because their parents (often single mothers) had to work to earn enough to buy food for their families. These women were moved to establish a daycare facility that would care for these children while their parents were at work. Their volunteer efforts were so successful that there are now two centers in Calderón, one on the market square and one a 20-minute walk away bordering a corn field. Our work at the centers is critical to helping them meet the needs of the children they serve, their families, and keeping the centers in compliance with ever-increasing government regulations - specifically those imposed by the Ministry of Social and Economic Inclusion.

We learned about the workers at the centers, the tías, and how we will be called tías and tíos as well. Tía and tío are considered respectful terms referring to persons who provide for children's needs in their mother's absence, which fits perfectly with the team goal to be of service to the children of Calderón and their families. We received additional encouragement during the brief visit of Elvia (who likes to be called Elvita) and Pilar (Pili), who are both board members of FUNDAC, and Pilar's daughter, Viviana (Vivi). Elvita, who is the foundation's president, expressed heartfelt gratitude toward the team for our service. In turn, we thanked the ladies for the opportunity to serve their community. After the visit from the FUNDAC representatives, Maggie led the group through the Volunteer Manual and added helpful local information such as how to identify a "legal" taxi and where not to walk in certain areas of Quito.

The mannequin dressed as a woman from Otavalo in the northern Ecuadorian Andes in the hotel lobby

Following a hearty lunch in the hotel restaurant, Maggie continued with the orientation. We learned that Calderón is known for masapán (decorated bread dough) and not marzipan, the Italian edible confection. Our fifth team member, Seija, arrived along with Richard, a local tour guide, and his son, Francisco. Richard offered team members a number of interesting tours that head off in every direction as well as focus on Quito.

After finishing the review of the Volunteer Manual, Maggie facilitated delegation of specific team roles: Seija is in charge of daily name tags; Suzanne is responsible for managing the first aid kits; Tom and Katie are going to coordinate free time activities for the team; and Neal will inform the hotel of the headcount for dinner each evening. The entire team will work together to plan the final celebration at the center.

Finally, the team developed a list of Team Goals and identified the Characteristics of an Effective Team:

TEAM GOALS

- To improve Spanish through practice

- To learn about Ecuadorian culture through our five senses

- To have fun together

- To make new friends

- To serve the children and families of Calderón

- To learn with a humble heart

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE TEAM

- proactive

- flexibility

- persistence

- willingness to make mistakes

- good attitude

- willing to try new things

- humility

- openness

- take direction

- active listening

- non-judgmental

- help each other

- maintain guidelines and principles

Katie wrote the goals and characteristics on poster paper (thank you, Katie) and each member of the team signed the posters signifying a commitment to follow through for the sake of the children, their families, and the team. Maggie then led the team through a brief Spanish lesson geared to the conversations we were likely to have while working at the centers. And then it was time for dinner. Yum!

Entry submitted by: Neal Pierce