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.
More supplies were being unloaded, so I was surprised when I looked toward the site and saw — a HOUSE!
Eureka! Look at that cute little house!
Plenty of space beneath for cool breezes and hammocks!
We went up the ladder and into the house. My creative mind was in overdrive!
A window’s view toward Rio Jama and the northwest….
This window looks toward the front yard…
The petite balcony overlooks the rest of the family casitas…
The next day my friend Nieve and I returned to see the finished house.
The welcome party!
There’s that precious child from yesterday’s post!
A quiet moment before intruding on the new homeowner’s privacy…
Yes! Come up the steps!
The nieces politely waited while I took more photos..
They escorted me up the stairs and inside the house!
They must have improvised with a simple extention cord for basic electricity…
Note that this house was marked ‘Jama’ before it was sent from Guayaquil.
Nieve paused before leaving and gazed from the balcony…
Looking in front and slightly to the left, one sees reminders of the earthquake.
Rio Jama’s old channel serves as the final resting place for demolished buildings. In the foreground are two broken pillars from the central park.
What I’ve learned: The recipients applied for help through a christian organization which I have yet to locate. One person said, “The Sisters.” Another said “The Catholic Church.” The people in the Catholic Relief Fund office said that they provide help, but someone else deserved credit for this project.
The kits are made in Guayaquil and are shipped to various people who formally applied. One requirement is that they have to own the lot/land where the house is built. About two months after putting their name on the list, this family received the house. The entire house cost them nothing, including a maestro who knew where every block of wood and every nail should be placed.
“The handrail?” I asked.
It came with the house.
“The roof?”
It was provided….
“The nails?”
Yes the nails – even the steps came with the house.
All they had to pay for was the transport from the lot to their building site. Fifteen dollars. The basic house does not include plumbing or electricity, but it certainly trumps living in a tent! Little by little the new owners can make improvements – a sink at ground level, an indoor bathroom, a kitchen.
Nieve and I visited on a sunny afternoon, and the house was cool. A concrete home is stifling under the same condistions. My creative mind was bouncing with ideas.
Several blocks away is a new house with artfully-aplied bamboo siding.
How’s this for an artfully-painted bamboo design?
This happy young man sits in front of a bamboo/concrete wall.
Many people use split bamboo as a base to apply the cement finishing ‘skin’ to the walls… The concrete-finished wall could be painted, the handrail another color, the windows another, the steps… window boxes, hammocks beneath…. My mind’s eye designed a little ‘circle’ community of those houses with an oasis of flowers in the middle, sitting areas and shade trees.
After all they’ve endured, the earthquake veterans are all worthy of aesthetic comforts. It is my wish that little by little they’ll get there.
The next post will introduce you to some of those veterans.
What beautiful photographs! And what courage and resilience is evident here! Wonderful to see! Thank you!
thank you cindy… yes, these people manage to reach down and find amazing strength… thank you for your support, very important when people ae still in recovery mode…
Hi Lee-saaaa! Is this shrimp farm the same as the one you took us to where you lived? How did their farm fare? Kristin Lea
On Feb 16, 2017 5:06 PM, “Zeebra Designs & Destinations” wrote:
Playamart – Zeebra Designs posted: ” 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 stunn”
kristin! forgive me for taking so long to reply! i spent two days in transit am am back in jama and rolling forward..
most of the wners of the shrimp ponds are cousins, so it wsn’t the family that you met but one very near that one.
talking with others a few days ago, we deducted that at leasts 80 percent of teh houses in this area were destroyed or so damaged that they had to be demolished.. few were able to continue living in their homes until repairs had been made.. most of the shrimp ponds had damage.. the levees or canals broke…
casa loca continues to lose soil/yard to the river.. am heading there in about ten minutes…. may your day go well!
Lisa – it’s so valuable for this brave and resilient community that you should be documenting and reporting, for those of us with comfortable lives to see – and to be humbled… thank you.
yes, you are right.. sometimes we learn a lot by getting a close view of recovery efforts — by witnessing their extreme living conditions/how others are in a basic ‘exist’ mode.. many times over the years i’ve realized how lucky i was to have been born into a loving family and where i grew up in an idyllic childhood…. the children here are refreshing, however, and though they have little, they still maintain that inner sparkle!
Somehow my message on the last post was meant for this one.. Never mind they are both entwined.. And the previous ones were just as remarkable .. Love that they have some electricity too
oops.. thanks s much for leaving so many heart-felt comments!
Thank you Lisa for getting back when I know you are struggling with PC issues.. 🙂 I really enjoyed my visit and seeing ALL your photos xx
Sweet little house!
it would be a great challlenge to try to make it happy on a shoestring budget to illustrate to the others that it doesn’t have to stay ‘basic.
Absolutely lovely Lisa! Love seeing your world.
thanks.. the earthquake-hit area has such extremes.. there’s the classic beauty of the countryside, but oh my, i said to someone today that town looked ‘like mexico.’
I’m so happy to hear that some group has stepped up and is supplying housing solutions. Very sweet story, Lisa. Thank you for your outreach. We would never know, otherwise.
Incredible! Sustainable housing and so cute!
Those houses would fit well there on Ometepe .. yes, they are cute!
The little “pre-fab” house reminds me of the houses people used to buy from the Sears catalog. They were sold in a variety of prices and sizes between about 1908 and 1940. You can find a neat article about how to identify a kit house here.
After hurricane Ike, some of our own bayfront communities had a hard time rebuilding. It wasn’t that they weren’t eager — but many didn’t have insurance, or savings. Many are shrimpers and other waterfront workers who live on the edge,and without money, it’s hard.There still were blue tarps on roofs and downed outbuildings years after the storm moved through. It just takes time when you have only your own energy, and the help of an equally stressed community, to help you out.
Even now, recovery still is going on in Galveston. The trash is gone, the buildings that needed to be torn down have been, and new plantings are taking hold. But there still are signs, for those with eyes to see. Thanks for helping us to see how things are there.
” But there still are signs, for those with eyes to see.” so very true.
thank you for this feedback, for your empathy and compassion.. today has been a sobering day.. will be working on photos and more stories, but for now time to go back out – it’s thundering, like a ‘Deep South’ thunderstorm sort of day.. it’s been surely ‘record’ hot today….
Such progress. It’s almost unbelievable that this beautiful place was destroyed by an earthquake less than a year ago! Your photos captures the beauty and the amazing work of Jama Ecuador.
Thanks again, Otto. I’ve spent the day visiting, listening to others.. it’s so sobering and heart wrenching. ‘for about an hour i meandered the cemetary, as i was looking for one person who lost his wife and two children in the quake.. he was not there, but it was a peaceful time, and when time to leave, i was escorted by two precious owls… perhaps they represented two special friends that died in the quake? yes, the owls allowed an amazing photo session!
Great photos, Z. It looks like the area is getting back to some normalcy after the devastation. That egret is a stunning shot.