Goodbye Children

This particular blog is only to show the pictures of "my children" and me saying goodbye to them, a few days before leaving Ecuador and going back to Holland. I still miss them every day.

Junglefever

Hello people, I'm back. In Holland however. I haven't been keeping up my stories for you to read but I've had other things on my mind and therefore found it difficult to concentrate on writing. . I hope you don't mind that I am writing from my safe office in Holland (and believe me, I know how to distinguish the fine lines between safe, safer and safest by now). Well, after my time in Ambato I decided to go to the Jungle for 4 days. It seemed a good idea at the time....Mmmm, but after a friendly struggle with a tame boa constrictor and a sleepover of at least 30 big cucarachas (cockroaches) and a black scorpion, not to mention the warnings from the guide (that lived much further down the road by the way, so I was completely alone) to watch out for snakes, tigers and bears, I was quite ready to go home (or anywhere else for that matter) again. Imagine spending the nights in a cabaña (a cabine without windows and a roof that's meters higher than were I wanted it to be - so open goal for all my more than two-legged friends). But home was not an option, in the middle of the rainforest, where there was no electricity, no people, no water....

However, it wasn't suffering the whole time, I've seen the heart of the rainforest, going through it with a machete, I have been swimming in waterfalls, I have been golddigging, making my own bracelets from the seeds of fruit. All and all it was very interesting, scarey and lonely. Even if you're very adventurous I wouldn't recommend a trip like this on your own ;-)

Don't worry, I'll be back

Dear readers, I still have so many stories stored in my memory that are nog on this blog yet. But today is my last day in the Don Bosco project and I will have to say goodbye once again to a lot of people. I especially thread saying goodbye to the children. I've grown so fond of them. And as this evening also is my last evening in Ambato I don't want to spend it behind a computer. I want to share these last hours of this day with my family and later with Susanne and Markus, that became very dear friends by this time. Every time when you go away you leave a peace of your heart in beautiful and special places, with beautiful and special people....At least I do. Beautiful suffering I like to call this.

Anyway, tomorrow I will go to the Jungle (Amazone) for a couple of days.
Quite excited about this and a bit scared as well. Spiders and snakes...... After that I will fly back to Holland, so I don't know if I will have the time or opportunity to write or respond before I go back. There are still some subjects I'd like to share on this page for those who are interested. Conclusions of this wonderful trip. For example facts about Ecuador, the difference between Ecuador and Peru, cultural aspects, behaviour, aspects of every day live, differences between Europe and South-America, etc. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to put them as comments on my blog. They will be definitely answered.
See ye soon and take care everybody.

Wednesday morning, walking through the park

A woman begging, a man without legs.

Buying a banana, a hungry face, a grabbing hand, giving away the banana,

Wednesday morning, walking through the park,

buying an apple, to give or to eat?

for how many apples and bananas can you buy

for the dispair to dissapear.

Couldn't I buy a whole park full of apples and bananas?

would that be enough, will it ever be enough?

For the hungry eyes and grabbing hands,

there are no more apples nor bananas

and there within lies the sadness.

Wednesday afternoon, working in the project,

a boy shouting, a girl crying,

giving away love and affection

the most precious parts one posseses.

It's still not enough, but together with the apples and bananas,

it adds up to something,

and there within lies the beauty,

And than... for one small moment,

it all makes sense again.