Since being stationed in the town of Mindo for my service portion of SST, I’ve noticed a big cultural difference between U.S. Mennonites and Ecuadorian “Mindo-nites” – pun intended 🙂 approaches to life. There’s a palpable sense of serenity and…
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Nyumbani Goshen
Feb 15 2020
Every Wednesday, for the past 5 weeks, instead of an afternoon field trip or lecture, the students make their way to Nyumbani Goshen, or the Goshen home (aka. the Schramms’ apartment).
The students were divided into 5 different groups. Each week one group was responsible for cooking, another for cleaning up, and another for leading a time of reflection. They rotated these jobs over the course of 5 weeks.
There was time for sharing our experiences with each other, asking questions regarding cultural differences, and expressing fears, joys, anxieties, and hopes with one another.
The students also discussed some of the assigned readings.
Some spent their free time just catching up on news at home, listening to music, playing a little Candy Crush, or doing something that calms their spirits.
And finally, there was always a game or two happening while waiting for the meal to be served. This was always a time to simply laugh and enjoy each other’s company.
We will definitely miss these Wednesday gatherings while the students are on Service.
What Mindo Taught Me to See
A Day in the Life: Working on a Flower Farm
For my service, I work in Cayambe with an organization called FACE. Under FACE there are other organizations; Casa Hogar, Sumak, Centro Medico Emmanuel, and Forever Flowers. They work together to help break the cycle of abuse and neglect in…