Saying farewell (for now) to Quito

By Hillary Harder

On Friday night, June 19, our group gathered at our Quito headquarters, La Casa de Espiritualidad, to mark the end of our Study period in Quito. We were joined by our host families, professors, and many community partners for a fiesta de despedida, or farewell party. This is a long-established tradition for SST units over the years, and has always been a special milestone for each unit here in Ecuador as well.

Our despedida had two goals: to share what the students had been learning over the six weeks of study, and to recognize and thank all of the many collaborators that make SST in Ecuador possible. With the guidance of the Spanish professors, Klever, Micah, and me, our students worked hard to prepare a program that uniquely showcased their gifts and talents and their learning during the past six weeks. The components of our despedida included:

• An original skit written by our Spanish professor, Fernanda, and performed by all of the students from memory! Entitled “El Gas,” the skit depicted a typical neighborhood scene in which the gas truck comes through selling gas cylinders that power household appliances like stoves and dryers, and the neighbors band together to haggle over the price.
• A song entitled “Party in Ecuador” (a parody of Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA”) which served as the final project for Maille’s Ecuadorian sign language classes as she interpreted the entire song in Lengua de Señas Ecuatoriana!
• Spoken reflections on our Indigenous Peoples and Nationalities classes (see written versions of these reflections in the previous blog post!).
• An exposition of original artwork done by students as visual representations of some of our most significant travels and learning experiences.
• Words of thanks by each student for their host families.
• Sharing by Klever, Micah, myself, thanking host families and community partners.
• A special treat – sharing by our very own Jerrell Ross Richer, the co-director of Global Engagement at Goshen College, who happened to align his visit to our unit with the very week of our despedida! His presence was especially appreciated as he brought greetings from Goshen College president Rebecca Stoltzfus, dean Ann Vendrely, and Goshen College administration as a whole – a warm and significant affirmation of SST in Ecuador for all of the many people who make it possible on the ground.
• Musical selections that enabled several group members to offer our musical gifts in appreciation of our partners. Musical sharing included trumpet, violin, and three-part singing in our rendition of “The Parting Glass” by The Wailin’ Jennys; and, to end the program, our group’s version of “Vivir mi Vida” by Marc Anthony, which culminated in a dance party with the whole crowd!

Our despedida was a beautiful evening of sharing, extending thanks, and recognizing all of the hard work, love, hospitality, and partnership that makes SST possible. It was a beautiful way to send our students off as they departed for their service project locations the next day!