Week 8 - Comida, Calles, Playas y Mas

Adam visited the seaside resort of Atacames with his district today

Dear friends and family,

I am happy to say that I am writing you from a much more stable and settled frame of mind this happy Monday. I apologize for the scrambled thoughts last week and the abstract nature of my sentiments. This week I would like to share a little more detail about life here in San Esmeraldas, Ecuador. I’m going to try and organize my thoughts into categories if that is alright? Also, if anyone has a category they would like to hear more about, just send me a note.

• Food: The food here at the coast is good. There is a weird societal expectation that when someone dishes you a plate of food, you eat it all. This expectation is coupled with the social norm of preparing mounds and mounds of rice for your guests, and sometimes, it’s a challenge! However it’s a pretty good challenge to have because I get pretty hungry navigating tough terrain and tough work. Here in Ecuador we have “mamitas” that cook us big lunches. Sometimes they’re members of my church, sometimes they’re just people that like missionaries, but they’re all friendly, and make great food. I’ve had a lot of fried whole fishes, different types of chicken, some beef, lentils and lots of verdes (really, really green, unripe bananas that they bake like potatoes). They also like soup. It seems like whenever I couldn’t be any more hot and sweaty, someone will bring out a steaming bowl of soup. But they are all really, really good soups despite the fact that I can never decipher what is floating in them. My companion and I do our own breakfast, lots of eggs, yogurt and cereal. There is a panaderia about a 5-minute walk from my house that will sell me a week’s-worth of little bread rolls for a dollar. So I take those and put an over-easy egg in them for an Ecuadorian McMuffin. I have no complaints about the food. It’s all good.

• Street: The street is where I am from 10am to 8pm. Things are a little different here. First off, not many people have cars. There are only 3 parking spots at the church building and really only 1 of them (sometimes) gets used. That being said, there is still a decent amount of traffic on the main roads from taxis, buses and motorcycles. It’s perfectly normal to see a dad load up 2 or 3 kids on a little dirt bike and ride off, all of them wearing flip flops. The people in the street are generally pretty friendly – at the least willing to talk. Like I mentioned in my last letter, no one has physical glass windows so it’s pretty easy to just poke your head in and strike up a conversation about religion. I have learned so much about other religions and about other methods of thinking and it has been really good for me. I’m always pleasantly surprised how much Christian religions have in common as my testimony and faith has grown these past weeks.

• Traveling: Traveling is really interesting. To get to Quito we rode in a really sketchy bus up the steepest, windiest road I have ever seen. The bus almost didn’t make it. Traveling to Esmeraldas was another 6.5 hour bus ride. But this one was different. We were in a little bit nicer of a bus but the road was way sketchy…at the same time the view was absolutely stunning. I had my eyes glued to the real life Andes-Amazonian jungle that the roads wrapped around. It was unlike anything else I have ever seen – out of a movie. It was like the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland, except way better and real life.

• People: I love contacting people and am confident in walking up and talking to anyone but sometimes I have to turn to my companion when they respond with fast, slurred questions. The dialect is hard but I am getting used to it. Last week we contacted 80 people in 5 days and today we spoke to 31. People listen but don’t follow up. I am in a branch with about 80 people and I am giving a talk this Sunday! Tell Nick/Natty this week right as sacrament meeting was starting a dog came in, laid down under the fan, and slept the whole meeting.

• Spanish: Mi espanol esta llegando a ser major. Hola Javier y Rocio! Estoy muy emocionado a hablar con uds. en su propio lenguaje. La gente de Esmeraldas hablan muy rapido y flojo. A veces estoy confundido pero esta bien. Puedo leer y entender casi todas las cosas y tambien puedo escribir en Espanol. Pero ahora ingles es mas rapido. My goal is fluency by Christmas.

Overall it’s been a pretty good week. I love the service aspect of this and there have been lots of opportunities to serve. I’ll write on some more categories next week and, like I said, drop me a note if you have a suggestion. Everyone have a great week and remember to always have an open mind.

Much sincerity,

Elder Ericksen

Adam lives on this street in Esmeraldas - it's possible the internet cafe on the right side of this picture is the same he uses to write his emails. His apartment may likewise be in this shot.

Some other tidbits Adam shared in letters to the family and in brief email exchanges this afternoon:

• I am in a small, extremely poor area called Aire Libre. The type of place where $500 bucks could buy you anything.
• Today was a big day! We went to this touristy beach area called Atacames. It was fun.
• The water barely works and we take showers with scoops from a pitcher from buckets we fill. I am getting used to it. I have a quality filter bottle for drinking water and 90% of the time I fill it with purchased bottled water.
• I am in a dangerous area but have yet to feel threatened. We go back to the house by 8pm and I don’t bring my camera out.
• It’s a little hard having a latin companion but I can tell already it is going to turn out to be a great blessing. My rate of learning is through the roof right now.
• There’s a place call the Multiplaza that I can take a 25 min bus ride and buy normal items – Chips-Ahoy, Frosted Flakes and milk pouches. It’s undoubtedly an adventure.
• We hike up and down the hills and I’ve sat in many very dirty chairs. I am sweaty 95% of the time and I’m breaking out like the 8^th grade. What do I do?
• Laundry is a pain – we bring some of it to a member a little more than a mile away – and do some of it ourselves. In buckets. Nothing really gets clean but it’s okay. Being humbled is a difficult but needed and worthwhile process.
• Sorry if I worried you last week – I lost it a bit. Tell the kids the prayers and fasting are working – this week was a lot better.
• I love teaching and I love being out on the town. It’s incredible here, dad, I will show you one day. I am safe. I am good. I love you.