Compassion

One day when we were in Ecuador, our friend who works for Compassion International, Spence, came to show us a Compassion project. When we got there, they were having a kindergarten graduation which Brock did a few tricks at. Then, we took a group picture with them. However, the mothers of the little graduates wanted a picture with us and their children only. We took picture after picture until our translator had to pull us away because we were going to run out of time.

Then, we toured the project. It was amazing! They are changing people's lives. At the project, they are given additional schooling, a couple of meals a day, and medical bills are taken care of. They have over 450 students enrolled in the program. 80 of them do not have a sponsor, but that doesn't mean that they are kicked out of the program. The Unsponsored Children's fund takes care of them until someone actually steps in and sponsors them. They also have a program which helps the mother and child beginning during the actual pregnancy. We were very impressed with what they were doing. Since this particular project began over 20 years ago, the drug use in the neighborhood has all but disintegrated.

Then, we went to two houses. The houses were more like a room in buildings that looked like they were abandoned. However, both families seemed very content and proud to have us in their home. One of the mothers said that she was emotional because she had wanted the Compassion people to visit her in her home for a long time now. The other family stole our heart. I'll have to tell you more about them later.

This day was a highlight of our trip. If you aren't involved in Compassion International, I highly recommend it. Email me at aunygill@yahoo.com if you would like more information on it.


This is the street that the Compassion project is on.


Brock performing for the graduation.


A picture with the graduates.


We took about 100 more pictures like this...it was cute!


This was a boy that was involved in Compassion while he was still in the womb.


Lunch at Compassion


One of the houses we went to


This is where they actually live.


They were so cute as they danced for us!


This was the lady who got emotional when we came to visit.


This was the way you got into her one bedroom place. Brock could barely squeeze in.

Casado

A couple of months ago, I watched the movie "Blood Diamond." It's a fiction plot, but it's based on what's really happening in some communities in Africa. The fact that families are being torn apart and people are being killed all for the sake of diamonds made me sick to my stomach every time I looked at mine. These "diamond wars" began in '99 which is the year that I got my ring. Long story short, I took my ring off after seeing that movie.

Also, Brock's ring gets loose every winter since he's lost weight. I knew that one day, he'd lose his ring. That one day happened to be in the same week that we'd watched "Blood Diamond." We were both ringless for a while. I must say that when we happened to go into a place without the other (which wasn't very often because we are together 24-7), we were getting hit on more. I guess people still look to see if you have a ring to determine if you are married or not!

Anyway, we both found simple silver rings in Ecuador. Brock kept yelling, "Casado" which means "married" in Spanish. He was saying that we're finally married because we have rings, as if to say we weren't married for the last couple of months because we didn't have rings. The Ecuadorians around simply thought that we just got married! A few minutes later, we happened upon a chapel, so we took some pictures of us "casado."

Leave Your Nickel on the Toilet

Ecuador is very different than here. They use the same currency as we do except their coins have some different people on them. Brock actually found a coin that was American on one side with an Ecuadorian guy on the other. I don't know how that happened!

They play American music in English in public places only it's normally pop songs from the 80's...lots of Phil Collins and Edie Brekel. It's funny because these Spanish speaking people will come by singing songs in English.

The toilets are the same as they are here only you cannot put toilet paper down the toilet. I guess they don't have good plumbing there. Also, at many of the public bathrooms, you have to pay a nickel for toilet paper.

The mosquitoes are atrocious there! I got several and they puffed up really big. I learned all of this on the first day, so the second day, I was armed with nickels and mosquito repellent.

Here are some pictures from Guayaquil, Ecuador

We walked up all a bunch of stairs to see a great view of the city...






Kay and me in Guayaquil


Iguana Park


They look like little dinosaurs or something!


The Malecon--an area with restaurants and shops along the river


The guy stopped this protest in order for Brock to get this picture.


Then, I ended up in the protest somehow.


The men are much more affectionate in South America.


That's not a hood ornament...


it's a baby! They know how to cram a lot of people in one vehicle.

Mind Your Head

"Mind Your Head." This was the sign that read when we exited the ship. Brock was walking out as a guy with a heavy accent mumbled, "Mind your head." Brock was looking back at him asking him what he had said when he found himself on the ground because he had run right into the top part of the doorway. That's a funny saying..."mind your head." It seems like it should be shouted and more like "Watch out!"

Brock has always stood out in his 6'4" frame, but in Ecuador, he was like a giant! He towered over everyone. When we entered Ecuador for the first time in the airport, there were a hundred people waiting for other passengers to come in. When Brock walked out, every single head turned and watched him as if he were a celebrity or a freak of nature or something. It went that way most of the time. We tried to buy him some clothes, but everything was too small. He found some shoes that he liked there, but Brock is a size 13 or 14. Their shoe sizes in Ecuador stops at size 9.

Also, the guys there don't grow facial hair. Brock insisted on not shaving the whole time he was on vacation, so by the time he got to Ecuador, he was sporting quite a beard. This one little boy kept touching it. He was fascinated by his beard.


Everywhere Brock went he had to duck.


I guess he learned how to "mind his head" on this trip.


To put this in perspective, I'm 5'2" and most guys like the one to my right in this picture were my height.


He towered above everyone...even guys! These guys thought that he was Kurt Cobain back from the dead I guess.


These guys mobbed Brock in the market.


Brock REALLY looks tall compared to the children. These boys are laughing because Brock told them, "Me llamo gringo" which means "My name is white person." They thought that was hilarious!


This was the boy who kept touching Brock's beard.

Food, Food, and More Food

We love to eat and try new things! We got to do that on this trip. We tried escargo (which is snails), grandilla (which is a fruit only found in South America), frozen key lime pie dipped in chocolate (only found in Key West), conch fritters (conch comes out of that conch shell that I posted a picture of yesterday), and stone crabs to name a few. We had so much good food on the cruise and in Ecuador. Ecuador had plantains every which way you could think of. Also, they had wonderful desserts. In the mall where we would normally have a cookie place or dots ice cream (the ice cream of the future for the last 20 years), they had elaborate cheesecakes and chocolate fondue. Trent found his favorite cheesecake in the world at a little shop in the mall that you could purchase for $2. I'll tell you about my favorite food experiences from our trip...

We were able to pay a little extra and go to an exclusive restaurant called the Murano on the boat. It was a six course meal that was a 2 1/2 hour experience. This was by far the fanciest meal I've ever had. We had two waiters for the four of us who synchronized it so that all four of our plates were placed before us at the exact same time. After our entree, they brought out a cart with all sorts of cheeses on it which we could try. I didn't know there were that many various cheeses out there! Then, we had what they called a "7 bite" dessert. It was more like 24 bites! We were so full, but it was amazing!

My absolute favorite meal is the one we had in Salinas, Ecuador. This was a beach town that we went to at the end of our trip. One day, Kay, Trent, Brock, and I sat in chairs on the beach under umbrellas for seven hours! During that time, vendors would come by offering us sweet plantains for 25 cents or a coconut for 50 cents. I had the best empanada I've ever had that day. One guy came by with lobsters that were still alive. He told us that he would go prepare them for us and bring it back. So, for $20, he brought us 3 huge lobsters and a plate of delicious sides right there on the beach! That was an amazing day. It combined two of my favorite things in life...the beach and food.


Brock trying escargo on the cruise.


Brock eating a grandilla.


Me eating a frozen key lime pie dipped in chocolate in Key West.


Brock goofing off with the inventor of the chocolate dipped key lime pie, Kermit.


Us in Grand Cayman Island eating conch chowder and conch fritters.


Stone crabs...can you spot the face of one?


Brock after he tried a bite of the cheesecake and Trent before he took a bite of the cheesecake.


This was Trent after he had a bite of the cheesecake. He almost fainted because it was so good!


Us eating at the Murano.


This was the best empanada ever!


This guy cut the coconut right there for us.


Kay and Trent drinking the coconut juice.


This was the amazing lobster dinner right there on the beach!

Like Mother Like Son

We went to Stingray City in Grand Cayman. It was an awesome experience! Basically, we got on a boat that took us out to a sandbar where hundreds of huge stingrays swam around. At first, they made me nervous as their slippery bodies brushed up against my legs. However, I got used to them. I even kissed one of them on the nose! Brock spent his entire time trying to catch one which he successfully did! Nobody else caught one besides the guide of the tour.

Then, the boat took us to a place to go snorkeling. Brock's parents had never been snorkeling before. Brock gave them both a quick lesson and his mom took off. You see, Brock has his dad's personality but his daredevil quality comes from his mom. This was especially apparent when we were snorkeling.

When the snorkeling time was up, I searched for Brock because he's usually the last one to get back on the boat. At that moment, he began swimming really quickly away from the boat. A little frustrated, I called his name thinking that he didn't know that it was time to go in. Later, I found out why he had done that. He was going after his mom! She had snorkeled way out at sea! Most people stick close to the boat except Brock and his mom!


The stingrays were big


and they were everywhere!


Brock caught this one. Look how excited he is!



Me kissing its nose. He's looking at me.


Us snorkeling

The next few pictures are beautiful ones that Brock took underwater while he was snorkeling...