Good-bye Shell

It is hard to believe it has been more than a month since the last blog entry.  We have continued to keep busy, and the time just seems to fly by!

Garth has recently been working in the surgical wing of the hospital, doing facelifts and color changes.  He seemed especially happy to work in the anesthesiologist office…maybe it was that hissing bottle of compressed gas??

Kindergarten Students
Storybook Character Day

Valerie has been working the Kindergarten students hard, trying to prepare them for Grade 1.  The class will dissolve at Easter, when one of the students (50% of the class) leaves for the USA with her family.

It seems there is a constant change in missionary families as they leave on furlough or are reassigned to other areas or countries.  For as many that leave Shell, as many new families arrive.  This changes the school population often.  Valerie’s original Grade 5/6 class has doubled to eight students, another class still has the same number of students, but only one that began the year.  The others have left and been replaced by new students!  Because of this rapid change in the mission community it seems the missionaries and locals are very open and willing to take an interest in you and friendships are made quickly.

Drama Performance
Gr 5/6

Winning Entry of Goodbye to
Mrs. Johnson Song Competition

Despedida Buffet

Presentation to Valerie

 Unfortunately, we have recently been to two despedidas to say goodbye to friends, and two other couples have announced changes in their careers and will leave Shell soon. Now we will be leaving shortly. 

In our final weeks here we have a full social calendar.  Despedidas for Valerie with the school and Garth with the hospital maintenance staff, an Ecuadorian/American wedding, an Easter brunch, and gatherings with our friends who we must leave behind.  It is a time of high emotion as we realize the strong attachments we’ve made in the past 8 months.  On the upside, we now have open invitations to Sweden, Lesotho and of course Ecuador!

Garth' Despedida

         

There are many things in Shell that we will miss:

          -Mountains, volcanoes and the lush jungle

          -Iridescent colored insects and birds

          -Friendly people

          -Large, delicious meals for a small price

          -Walking to work and for groceries

       

   Several things we won’t miss:

           -Sidewalks and streets that are never finished

           -Constant and loud traffic (we live along the main hi-way)

           -Carrying an umbrella everywhere you go

           -Spiders and ants of every shape & size

           -Termite poo!

February Highlights

With our usual work schedule, this week has flown past. Here are the highlights.

Tuesday, Valentine Day, was a day for creativity.  With all God’s beauty surrounding us all that needed to be done was to gather and arrange.  All these flowers are from the wilds that border the river next to our compound.

Friday was a special day at school for both teachers and students.  This weekend marks the beginning of “carnaval” and the school began early with water games.   Carnival is a holiday that is loosely tied to Lent.  It is a time when Latin Americans enjoy water games everywhere.  Yes, you don’t have to be at the beach to get wet.  Many balloons and pails of water are thrown at unsuspecting targets.  Often from moving vehicles and sometimes followed by a bag of flour.  Throwing eggs is also an option.  It seems like it is a time to let loose before the season of Lent is upon them.

Saturday we had the opportunity to accompany Chad Irwin (MAF pilot) to a jungle village for an emergency medical evacuation.   The village was about 35 minutes by air from Shell beside the Pastaza River.  The air was hazy so visibility was restricted but it was a very enjoyable flight.   It is too bad that the flight was for medical reasons.  We understand a scorpion bite is not usually fatal and often an evacuation is not required, but the child was in some distress and needed to come to the hospital here in Shell.  We were impressed with Chad’s skill in piloting the plane to such a smooth landing on a short, grass strip.  Seconds after the plane was on the ground the airstrip behind us filled in with children and adults.  After a quick reshuffle of seats and loading the child and an adult passenger, we taxied to the end of the strip and as the people, dogs and chickens cleared the runway we were off again.

Buenos Dias! (or Not)

It has been a while since our last update to this blog (5 weeks!) and yet it seems that the time has passed quickly.  Here is an update, as we remember it.

Plans to join up with the Canadian Mission team to Sumaco (a village about 3 hours from here) fell through when a stomach ailment hit Garth hard.  This is the first bout of sickness either of us have had while in Ecuador!  Valerie did not succumb to this illness, which makes me wonder if I should stop experimenting with the ‘fruits of the vines’ that I pass everyday on my way to work?

It has been a time of constant rain and of overcast skies.  Many of the locals were even commenting on the ‘lluvia mucho’ (24.9 inches since January 1).  Yesterday dawned clear and bright and a collective sigh was heard throughout Shell.  The mountains and volcanoes were visible with Sangay even putting on a show with a large smoke plume.  Unfortunately I was not quick enough with the camera to get a good close up, so use your imagination or click on the picture to get a larger view.

Each month, at Nate Saint Memorial School, a character quality is emphasized.  February's quality is friendship.   Mailboxes and a postal system have been devised, secret pen pals assigned, and all students and staff are writing letters of encouragement to each other while learning the almost lost art of letter writing and envelope addressing.  Excitement is building as Valentines Day draws near and the secret pen pals will be revealed!

Construction and renovation continues on the hospital cocina.  The tiling is done, the doors have been trimmed or rehung and the painting of the main area is complete.  Now everything has been moved into that area so the bano and locker room can be finished, and the storage room can be divided to create an additional office.  This is an active kitchen area so the work has to be done in stages.  The kitchen staff appreciates what is being done, but I’m sure they would like to see it finished.  By Wednesday I hope to have the main area complete and put back together.  This will get me out of their way with only the storage and new office left to do.

The helipad at the hospital always draws a crowd when it is in use!  Thankfully it isn’t used on a regular basis.  This pad is located across the street from the hospital.  There is always plenty of foot traffic on this street as it is the main access to a small barrio.

Although in this culture it is common (if not expected) to greet everyone you meet, I learned this week there are times that a cheery “Buenos Dias!” is less than appropriate.  My usual route to the maintenance shop is past the morgue and when there is a large group of people gathered there, one should remain silent.

South of Centre - Again

Well here we are on another rainy Sunday afternoon…feels like a good time to bring everyone “up to speed” after a rather long break from the blog. 

We arrived back in Ecuador last Sunday (January 1) after an extended Christmas holiday in Manitoba.  Our trip was rather uneventful until reaching Quito and we went looking for our luggage.  The two bags we had checked had not arrived with us and the baggage claim people had no record or any way to track them.  We left the address of our guesthouse and were assured they would deliver the bags when they arrived on the next plane.  The bags were eventually delivered; however by that time we were already back in Shell.  We expect to see the luggage mid week when a missionary couple will bring them back from Quito.

First order of business when returning to our apartment was a thorough cleaning.  Although we had scrubbed and cleaned everything before we left, the spiders and termites had continued with their life.  A 6-week accumulation of termite wings and droppings make you wonder when the structure around you will collapse…I guess the spider webs are holding it together!

Valerie is in a new classroom with a different assignment, she will now be the Kindergarten teacher.  A change in the missionary family population has shown a need for a K class, so Garth helped Valerie clean out the unused classroom and moved furniture and supplies to make an inviting kindergarten classroom.  The students will begin classes soon.

Garth will return to the hospital next week where there is apparently a  “list” of repairs to the staff housing.  There will also be another Canadian volunteer worker coming soon and together we have been                   assigned a renovation that will include bashing out a concrete wall for a window installation!  I hope he knows what he is doing!

The town square is open!  For most of our time before Christmas, the square had been boarded off for renovations.  It apparently opened for “Shell Days”, and is really very well done! There are some new statues, fixtures and plants and a new play center on artificial grass!  We were enjoying the park on Friday, until chased home by rain.

It is good to be back, and we are excitedly looking forward to what God has in store for us in the coming months! 

We have been “advised” by an avid blog reader that our last post was October 29.  We hope this entry will appease said reader and bring you all up to date.  The order of events are quite random as some things were previously penned and not posted.

November 17^th, we woke up to snow!  No, it wasn’t an ice age in the jungle, but a normal event for Winnipeg.  We came back to Canada to meet our grandson who just couldn’t wait to play in the snow.  Thomas Hilding was born in the early minutes of November 15, as we were in transit home.  Weighing in at 5lb, 7oz and about 19 inches, he is just perfect!  Both he and Emily are doing well and the new family went home November 18.

We had a long trip home.  After changing our flights (8 days early) we left Shell on Monday (14^th) arriving in Quito for some last minute items and a good night’s rest.  Thanks to Ron and Margie Grant, we didn’t have to endure the bus ride and ensuing transportation “adventures”, arriving at the airport for our 10:45 am flight.  In Miami we intended to rebook through Orlando to Winnipeg, but delays at the terminal with customs and security made us unable to make connections.  We continued with our original Minneapolis flight arriving there at 11 pm.  No rental cars were available so we stayed overnight and drove up the following day.  We learned of Thomas’s arrival when we got to our hotel that night.

Previously, in Shell.

After hearing of the probable early appearance of our grandson, we rebooked flights and Valerie began a wrap up of teaching units and reports.  The instructor Valerie had replaced was back in Ecuador and able to step in to the classroom to complete the time before the Christmas break.  Garth, meanwhile, changed worksites and was at the hospital working with the maintenance department.  Working with Spanish speakers (5 in all) has some challenges. They know more English than they admit and with my seven words, we can get the job done.  It is a very relaxed atmosphere and the jobs I am assigned have not been critical, but projects the crew cannot get to because of more pressing things.  At the moment I have been refurbishing furniture that will be put back into service. 

Presently, in Winnipeg.

This afternoon Thomas has a scheduled doctor’s appointment.  As Emily feels she is still unable to drive, we will accompany her (such a hardship!).  Everything is going well for all of us.  It is surprising that Thomas is already more than two weeks old!   He is such a good baby.  Jason is back in school so that gives us grandparents most of the day to spoil the baby.  On weekends, when Jason is home, we are able to travel to Minnedosa to visit and reconnect with family and friends.

This past week has been very intense for both of us!  It was report card time and parent teacher interviews at Nate Saint School… always a little stressful from everyone’s perspective.  However, all went well and Valerie had energy left over to enjoy Friday’s Harvest Festival, dedicated to the amazing apple.  Valerie even learned some fascinating facts during the 

Apple Trivia game.

  

Garth put in longer hours than usual as he and Ron Grant raced the clock to get the apartment finished for moving day, TODAY.  The place looks great and the teachers moving in are excited with their new accommodations.  Friday night we were invited over to the Grant’s home for pizza and a movie to celebrate completion of the apartment project. 

Today we strolled over to the school to see what bargains could be had at the grade 7/8 garage sale.  People enjoy a good sale in any country and business was brisk.  Surprisingly the sun shone the whole time!  We are pretty sure enough money was made to get the students to Quito for their field trip in November.  Buy the way; we did acquire some great English reading material for a grand total of 50 cents.

On the way back from the market this afternoon, we met a family from Missouri, an elderly woman, her son and her grand daughter.  They were taking it 

VERY SLOW

 across the swinging bridge and we had to wait for them to cross in order to not get the bridge bouncing wildly.  We were impressed with the spunk of the elderly woman who was excited to explore the town, which holds such rich missionary history.  We are also amazed at the number of visitors from other countries who cross our path.  On Wednesday we met another Johnson family, direct from Sweden.  It was fun to listen to them talk.  Needless to say there is never a dull moment around here. 

We have not had time to take many pictures this week so we are including some earlier pictures of interesting flowers, leaves, a cute frog and an interesting stick bug that Garth captured with the camera, then seconds later accidentally stepped on!!

One more week at the “Old Hanger Apartment” and then it is moving day for the girls.  Two teachers, one from Nate Saint School and one from Casa de Fe Orphanage, have been waiting for this date for some time.  The renovations will not be completely done, but the remainder is mostly exterior work. 

It seems like the overhaul of this building has taken a lot of time, however, in this land there are many reasons for delays.  Going to the building supply store is not like browsing at Home Depot.  First you must know what you need, go to the counter to ask for it, describe it if they have another name for it, wait until they can locate the item and sometimes you will leave with exactly what you wanted.  Often though, you will accept a substitute and rework that which you have already done to complete the job.  That is in regard to plumbing and electrical parts.   Lumber and millwork are another story! 

Example of termite damage
from one of several walls replaced
a few weeks ago

The renovation to this building was due to insect damage; so all the materials used in the repairs have been naturally insect resistant. The wood is so hard that often you must drill before you nail and it must be custom milled to fit.  Over the last several days we have been making window and baseboard trim.  Prior to that, the doors all had to be framed and installed.  Although this type of work has taken more time, it has been very enjoyable.  As you can see in the pictures, MAF has a well equipped shop for this work.

Step 2- Get a flat, square edge

Step 1- Select termite resistant wood

Step 3- Run it thru' the saw

Step 4- Plane it to a uniform size

Step 5-Push it thru' the shopmade shaper

Step 6- Apply finish

This will be my last week with MAF.  In the new month I will walk the opposite direction every morning and begin      working with HCJB in the hospital.  This promises to be a new challenge in that the entire maintenance crew speaks Spanish.