Closures at the Cemetery

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april 16 2016 earthquake jama, cemetery jama ecuador, earthquake recovery, jama ecuador

Grief is not a disorder, a disease or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve. – Earl Grollman

Jama Ecuador – There was something in his eyes, or perhaps in his voice when Marcos spoke to me on the busy street corner.  He had never asked me for anything except for an exchange of smiles during the many years I’ve known him. I knew little about his personal life; he was the smiling person who helped in his sister’s store, who sold colas and ice cream at the corner, and who made New Year effigies to sell during the final week of each year.

Marcos Cevallos crossing the street – From once upon a time years before the earthquake…

I knew he had lost famiy in the earthquake, but I knew few details.   When he spoke to me in the street, he was worried about his 12-year old son and  mentioned a lack of money for food.  Planning to be out of town for a few days, I promised to return on Saturday.  Over those next few days, I often reflected on his somber tone;  I thought of Phil Colin’s song, Another Day in Paradise.   How difficult it must be for someone like Marcos to ask, ‘Sir, Can you help me?’    I’m glad he found the faith and comfort to approach me.

When I returned on Saturday, finding Marcos was no easy task on the weekend of Ecuador’s Presidential elections; I was determined to follow through with my promise and found him one day after the elections when the mass of people had gone home.    A friend tended the ice-cream box  while Marcos shared the story of losing his wife and three children during the earthquake.   See: The End of the World.

He invited me to go to the cemetery the next morning..

…THE END OF THE WORLD…

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7.8 earthquake, earthquake jama ecuador, earthquake survivor stories, Marcos Cevallos Jama Ecuador

“I thought it was the end of the world,”  – Marcos Cevallos

Jama, Ecuador – When people  share their stories of the 7.8 earthquake that struck 10 months ago, many use the same description as Marcos: “I thought it was the end of the world.”

With no electricity, there were few options for connecting the desecrated zones with the outside world.   Many kept cyber vigils in hopes of gleaning tidbits of information and passing that information to others.   News reports illustrated the devastation and provided interviews with people who survived the terremoto.   Many people from around the world met Marcos via the following news clip, beginning at minute 2:20:

Private Sanctuaries

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cemeteries, jama april 16 2016, Jama ecuador earthquake, people who died in the ecuador earthquake

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“…you should never have to watch your only children lowered in the ground — I mean you should never have to bury your own babies…” –  (From the song Gravedigger ) –  Dave Matthews Band

Jama Ecuador –  Recently many people opened their doors and hearts and invited me into their private sanctuaries; they shared stories of the night of the earthquake and the days that followed.  One person, Marcos Cevallos Mendoza, seemed more affected than most, and I was eager to find him again and listen to what he had to share.   One person pointed me to one corner;  another said, ‘No, I saw him about ten minutes ago near the new market. ‘

Almost sunset – the buildings are gone, but spirit remains….

As I stopped at random places to ask for Marcos, heart-wrenching stories added more frayed threads to this town’s patchwork tapestry.  Some suggested that I check the cemetery, which offered an instant solace from the reconstruction chaos in the center of town.

Just to the right of the entrance, seven people share the same day of death: April 16, 2016.  Four of those were Marcos’ wife and three of their four children.

Resilience – Ten Month Anniversary of Ecuador’s 7.8 Earthquake – Part Two

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earthquake recovery ecuador, housing for earthquake survivors, jama ecuador

Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles. — Alex Karras

Jama Ecuador – Taking a timeout from the earthquake-recovery zone.  I watched my friends harvest a shrimp pond about a kilometer from town.   It seemed surreal to be surrounded by stunning landscapes under the influence of a pristine sunny morning while the nearby town provided little aesthetic beauty.

8 am Harvest Underway…

This Snowy Egret swallowed this entire fish in a few gulps!

The landscape frames haunting beauty in one view and a devastated community in another.

After harvest, my friends and I enjoyed a hearty brunch, said our “Goodbyes,” and I stopped to check the progress on the ‘kit’ house.

Resilience – Ten Month Anniversary of Ecuador’s 7.8 Earthquake – Part One

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Catholic church aid, earthquake relief, jama ecuador, Resilient

 

The human capacity for burden is like bamboo- far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first glance. – Jodi Picoult

Jama Ecuador – Every so often, void of pomp and circumstance, a large truck backs onto the eastern end of a small vacant block and unloads organized piles of boards, bamboo and roofing materials. The truck then drives away.

In December I witnessed this for the first time and noticed random clusters of people loading the materials into smaller trucks. One of the people watching over this process was one of Chana’s sons. I approached him, gave my condolences regarding his mother’s death (See Angels Watching over Us) and asked about the mystery event. He told me that a church from another area was the benefactor of these ‘kit houses’ – donated to those in the campo/country who were receiving no help. Feeling a bit like an intruder, I refrained from sticking my camera into the lives of strangers.  With patience, I hoped to learn more when a more-appropriate time presented itself.

We are stronger than we think. We have emotional, spiritual and even physical resources at our disposal. We may get knocked down, but we don’t have to stay down.”  – Steve Goodier

This month, my first time back since the December visit, I was again walking past when a truck unloaded another cluster of kit houses. I felt stronger, more ‘entitled’ to learn more in order to share this story with a larger audience. I took a few photos from the far side of the block then cautiously approached from a corner tangent.

“Leeee-SAH!” someone called from a mototaxi that was parked near one of the stacks of supplies. I waved, aimed my camera in that direction and wondered who was greeting me with obvious affection… I looked at the lady standing near a stack and thought, “I’ve never seen this lady before..” I smiled,  asked her name, permission to take her photo and closed the gap between the taxi and me.

Her name is Iliana, and she lives about 10 kilometers ‘up the coastline.

“Leeeee-SAH!” exclaimed a second person, one with an armload of boards. He stretched one of his long spindly arms with a heartfelt greeting. Ah.. the puzzle pieces were falling in place. His brother and father and I have many ties through various people. I think that the brother Carlos was in the room long ago when a mouse ran in my direction, and I screamed and flat jumped high onto a chair!  They later commented, ‘You screamed like a girl.”

After a heart-warming reunion with the cluster of happy people, I was invited to go to the site where the house would be built.  Yes, Giddyup!  Let’s finish loading this truck and roll forward!

The Ten Month Anniversary of Ecuador’s 7.8 Earthquake

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7.8 april 16 2016, ecuador earthquake

Minutes from Jama – A Serene Respite from the Earthquake Recovery Efforts.

February 16, 2017

Ten months ago,  a subtle 4.8 ‘bump’ gave no fair warning of the 7.8 nightmare that would soon turn Ecuador’s northern coastline upside down.   No one suspected that in ten minutes, they’d be scrambling for safety as the earth rolled in spasms and tossed people across rooms like a cat toying with a mouse.   From Catholic News.com   story about Jama, “The ground moved like waves on the ocean,” he recalls, while a pall of sulfurous-smelling haze rose over the town.”

“The earthquake was presaged by a magnitude 4.8 foreshock eleven minutes before the main quake struck,[19] and followed by over fifty-five aftershocks in the first twenty-four hours.” — Wilkipedia

“We will never lose hope.”

Over the months, various people described that terrifying minute and its after effects:

“My sister was outside, and she wrapped her arms around a light pole and hung tight until it stopped.”

“From the upstairs window it looked very black to the north, and then the house started shaking.  I ran to the kitchen and turned off the gas.”   She choked back tears and told how the house rocked back and forth before starting to fall.

One man described how the earth pulled apart and  a geyser of black water (?) shot skyward behind his shattered home.

“I don’t know how I got out alive.  Things were falling, crashing, and I had to crawl…”

“I reached town, and everyone was gone.  I did not know where they were.”

“There was a tsunami warning, but I first checked on my parents and then went to the hills.  We spent the night on the hillside.”

“We swam across the river to get to town.”

“Thieves stole from the pharmacy after we left for the tsunami warning.”

“We were too scared to go back inside.  We sat in the street until morning.”

“Look;  I lost everything.  I don’t have any clothes.”  she frowned at her hand-made blouse and shrugged.

“Lee-sah!’ One person called from the far side of  the street yesterday.  A look of desperation bled through his attempted smile.   This man with the perpetually-happy personality seemed broken; he explained that his family was still living in a tent, and he was concerned about providing food for them.

I’ve been working on posts to share stories of different people who have opened their hearts and invited me into their make-shift homes.   Two posts will follow today, and  more as time permits.

Thank you in advance for reading with an open and loving heart.

Lisa

 

Do You Truly Know Your Neighbors?

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Backyard Bird Count, being a good neighbor, earthquake survivor needs, jama ecuador, meeting neighbors, perseverance

Jama Ecuador – Little-dog Candy barked and barked and barked at the Gringita, to the family’s amusement….

 “Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

How well do you know your neighbors; your neighborhood?  If you live in a petite town, you probably know them on a personal level.  Hopefully they are ‘good neighbors,’ ones who make you smile, and if they are lucky, your presence makes them smile as well!  Once when visiting a friend in a larger city (in Mississippi) I asked about the next-door neighbors.  He shrugged and said he didn’t know them.  In disbelief I made some general exclamation but kept my stonger reaction in check.  Just because a neighbor doesn’t extend the first token gesture — doesn’t mean that you cannot!

After meeting this gentleman, I was invited to the back of the house, where water was stored in a bucket;  they cooked on an old tree stump Even though the earthquake stripped them of their belongings, it did not rob them of their dignity and strong spirit.  He showed me this snake skin, and we discussed a little snake locally called, ‘.___-bejuco’ becuase it looks like a litte bejuco/vine.

Challenging neighbors have sometimes dotted my past, but I eventually realized they had extreme personal burdens or wounds, which had nothing to do with me.  By being neutral, many times I witnessed the softer side emerge.   We as humans often don’t take time to consider how uncomfortable the other person’s shoes might be.

After visiting the family with the dog, and the family that cooked on the tree stump, I saw this person across the street. With a pinch of guilt, I ‘only’ waved, but plan to go visit this person soon.

There are many people still in recovery mode on Ecuador’s earthquake-ravaged coastline.   I’ve had time to walk slowly through neighborhoods and talk with friends, talk with strangers, and to marvel (and laugh) at children’s natural gift of inner joy.  I realized that in good times we often don’t stop to exchange greetings with strangers, and in bad times, we’re so busy trying to survive, that we also forget that others are doing the same.  In good times or in bad, we sometimes forget to take time to listen – truly listen…

Happy Flowers!

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Happy Flowers, valentines day in ecuador

Jama Ecuador – This sweet token of affection was perched on my balcony this morning, and the Valentine’s Rabbit was still in sight on the grounds of Hostal Palo Santo!

She and her dear mother worked yesterday on arrangements for this special day.  They set up in a little space near the center of town and graciouslly allowed me to take photos.

Hobbling Along

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challenges with computers, computer freezes, Cracked computer screen, jama ecuador, Staying Positive

“I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.” ― Abraham H. Maslow, Toward a Psychology of Being

Even the tin roof and nails came with the donated house!

Jama Ecuador – Lots of stories and images are in queue here on the Pacific coast. There’s a very special bird sighting – awaiting confirmation on its identity, and there are encouraging stories of those moving forward, poco a poco now ten months after the earthquake. The rains have been heavy, and many streets are more dirt than gravel, so mud boots are almost mandatory in some towns!

What follows is a ditty that will explain why future correspondence might be brief!

Timeout for Art: Whimsical Endemic Species

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creayivity, endemic, hybrid birds, timeout for art endemic, Whimsical paintings

Endemics at the Artist’s Nest — Acrylic

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something.”  Steve Jobs

With great pleasure, I’d like to introduce you to seven new feathered friends that have given me great joy!   They can definitely be classified as ‘endemic” and are quite rare;  they thrive in a very petite ecosystem in Mindo Ecuador.

Only one of these hybrid species has a name;  the Purple-crested Puffball might be petite, but it is a bundle of perpetual energy.   The rest are waiting for names, and I hope that some of you will help with suggestions!

1.  This little blue and green stinker started it all! The original plan was for a simple design of whimsical cartoon hummingbirds spaced along a straight limb.   Simple.  Fast.  The firstborn quickly morphed from a basic shape with colors to a perky bird in a sparkling costume!     2. The little bird that anchors the corner has the body of a sparrow, and a beak designed for a special yet-to-be-created flower!