Yupaichani Machi
Since this is my first blog entry, I would just like to give a quick but very sincere thanks to Duke Engage and to Bill and Melinda Gates for providing me with the support and encouragement to make it possible for me to be having the best experience of my life here in Quito. I am teaching English and Choir at Yachay Wasi Intercultural Education Center, a non-profit school for Kichwa indigenous youth. The mission of the school is to educate the students on their beautiful and rich culture, teach them their native language Kichwa, and to educate the students on the importance of biodiversity and environmental preservation. There are over 70 students at the school, and I teach grades 3-7. In the afternoons, I also teach an advanced English class for high school students, the teachers of the school, and any other interested adults in the community.
I am continuing some of the work I started while studying abroad with Duke in the Andes (an incredible program that I would recommend to anyone who would like to learn about Latin America, its social and political realities, and to anyone who would want to work hands-on service projects in Spanish with the amazing people that are Ecuadoreans). There was a service learning component to the program, and I chose to work at the school. I´ve been in love with the school since the first day I started when all the students greeted me with a hug and a smile. The students are so kind, sincere, respectful, and enthusiastic. They love the school and being with their friends. They enjoy being there so much with their friends, teachers, and relatives that it´s a struggle to get them to go home for the day after classes. At Yachay Wasi, everyone-both the teachers and the students- is called ¨Machi¨and then their name. ¨Machi¨ translates from Kichwa to English as ¨friend¨ or ¨companion.¨ I like this concept of learning because the students have a different kind of respect for me that is not forced (because I can get them in trouble with their parents), but more earned. I´m also getting the opportunity to learn Kichwa, which an integral part of the school since it is bi-lingual. Actually, I think the directors are now calling it a tri-lingual school because of the English program that I´m starting! Pretty exciting!
So far, my classes have already learned how to introduce themselves, and we are now having small dialogues talking about our families, what sports we like to play, what foods we like to eat. My advanced class has already learned the present, past, and future tense, which is pretty exciting. As for the choir program, we´re working on a song that I wrote when I was studying abroad with a friend here. The song is played to the music of ¨Colors of the Wind¨ from Pocahontas, but I changed the words and subject entirely to be about the Andes. I also just finished writing the lyrics to a song about the school itself called ¨Yachay Wasi.¨
I´m hoping to make a CD recording of the choir playing with some local Andean musicians from Ecuador and Bolivia. Besides the CD recording, I have spent my stipend on paying for swimming trips to a local pool, and this weekend (in a few hours) the directors are leaving to buy a pair of baby llamas. I asked the directors what they wanted for the school, and they said that they really wanted the students to have some experiences swimming and interacting with Mama Agua (Mother Water). Llamas are incredibly important to Kichwa culture and a general symbol of the Andes. The school hopes to raise the llamas to reproduce more llamas and for their wool, which is hand-woven to make sweaters, hats, socks, and other types of clothes. I´m really excited about this project and so are the directors. Many of the children have not really seen a llama before because their parents moved from the countryside to the city either before they were born or when they were very young.
Some of my future project hopes are to write a short, English novel for Native Spanish Speakers and to work on a general English for Native Spanish Speakers textbook. We`re also working on developing a website and some fundraising ideas like a charity dinner. Yachay Wasi relies on private donors to pay the teachers who live in the nearby community. The directors are worried about next year because they´re not sure where they are going to receive their funds. The students pay less than what it costs to pay for electricity and water for the building. Many of the families do not pay at all because it would be too onerous a financial burden for their families.
The monthly salaries they are paying the teachers are $125 dollars per month. If anyone knows anyone who would be interested in sponsoring the tuition of some of the children (i.e. making a donation so that they can have teachers), please contact me at adam.h.weiss@duke.edu. If you have any collaborating ideas or any other contacts, please contact me as well or comment to this post. Take care everyone. Yupaichani Machi (Thank you, friend).
Adam