20. 50. 100.
As days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months since returning from my fourth trip to Ecuador, I found myself thinking most often in terms of... years.
Twenty years of Regis students spanning the globe to serve those in need.
Fifty years of families rising out of poverty in the loving community of the Working Boys' Center.
One Hundred years of the miraculous gift of free education sponsoring the brightest "men for others."The stars aligned on our trip to Ecuador this year. The coincidence of these anniversaries created a veritable syzygy of milestones (yes I had to look that up to make sure it was right, and yes I can use it because I am an English teacher!) in the heavens of goodwill. And, just as those celestial bodies in alignment create their own gravitational pull, so do Regis in Ecuador, the Working Boys' Center, and Regis High School depend on one another in the mission of compassionate discovery and selfless service.
It has been a singular privilege to play a part in the great continuity of these missions as both a student and a chaperone. Each trip is an adventure, and this year's was as grand as all the rest. What better way to capture its spirit than by the adventurous bunch themselves, offering snippets of final reflections and lasting memories, now that the experience has become part of their pasts.
Brandon Baldovin '15:
It's been one month since I resumed my life in the States, and I still think about Ecuador frequently, maybe even daily. The memories made there are countless and priceless, which is why I'm glad JQ strongly urged us to journal and blog. To compare here to there is an exercise in contrasts and leads me to believe that less is truly more. When you strip life down, truths become apparent: maybe family, food, and shelter are all one needs, and the rest is just white noise. If my Ecuador experience did anything for me, it helped me tune out that white noise. Or better yet, it tuned me in to the important aspects of life that can't run dry. I recommend this trip to all and hope that a few good men will respond to the call and carry on this twenty-year legacy.
Mike Flood '15:
Something that stood out to me in Ecuador was the importance of manual labor: the center’s goal was really to educate children in a pragmatic matter, giving them the tools they need to put food on the table, through carpentry, auto mechanics, hairdressing or the like. There is a certain dignity that comes with working with your hands that one simply cannot receive by working in an office or other professional settings. Once we finished work for the day, I always felt proud for having accomplished something through the work of my own hands, and I saw how the type of work someone does is not important; as human beings, we are all entitled to meaningful employment, whether we work using our hands or our minds.
Will Lajes '15:
The Ecuador trip it taught us so much about ourselves and the communities we live in back in the states. It not only taught us to appreciate what we have, but also showed us that we can actually go without in our lives and still be able to live happily. One of the highlights for me were the many soccer games we played against the children. Even though we tended to lose, we all felt more like a team -- both the Regis guys, and the great people we got to meet and were playing with.
When I think about Ecuador, it's usually the little things that come back to me most often, usually in a flooding manner. I miss having to go to the bodega to get massive jugs of bottled water. I miss the innumerable games of hearts. The anthems of our trip. The kids calling me “el indio.” I miss the things I thought I never would. I miss Diana and her insults, Armando and his touching. Getting winded after climbing some stairs. The unbearably cramped shower. Getting absolutely smacked on the soccer pitch nightly.
The bigger, broader things, the “themes,” if you will, of the trip come to me with less frequency, but carry so much importance. I remember with great fondness the people I was fortunate enough to meet, among them Madre and Padre, the amazing kids, and the other volunteers. I was able to forge an unbreakable bond with eight other guys. I’ll never forget the service we had to do, the often seemingly fruitless labor, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.
The little things last. The image of the unfathomably cute toddlers waved at us while saying “Hola” when we first arrived at the center will remain with me forever and make me realize how wonderful one moment can be.
Elliot Sanchez '15:
In Ecuador and during our service trip the biggest question we kept asking ourselves was, "What is the difference that we are making?" I feel like we found out the answer to that question when the doctor at the La Marin center talked to us about her job and the joy she gets out of seeing the children. One word she kept repeating that stuck with me was "progreso" and I started noticing it more as we continued our days at the center. What she meant was that no matter how big or small our impact was on these children, we were making a difference in their progression from childhood to adulthood as they learn and practice in their future careers. From serving meals to losing at soccer matches every night, our interactions with the kids made an impact even though we couldn't see it in the moment. Even though the friendships we made with the children only lasted two weeks, the memories and smiles we shared live on. Ecuador!!!!
Frank Aguilar '15
We managed to do a lot in Ecuador in only two weeks, but what stands out the most are the long afternoons on the football pitch where the children of the Center always congregated after their classes and before meals. I had so much fun playing with them, whether it involved passing around a soccer ball to lifting them on my back and running around with them. What amazed me was watching how the barriers of class and language just seem to fall apart at the Center, whereby these simple games I played with the kids there brought them such joy. During my time there, I also began to rediscover the joy of being a child, a feeling I had not experienced in such a long time and one which I truly enjoyed. Perhaps what this trip truly taught me was that one does not need much to be happy, as proven by the never ending joy of the children at the center. Instead what I learned was most important was simply being present with them, a step in my continuing understanding of the ministry of presence and how powerful and wonderful it is. I may have not helped lift these kids out of poverty or solved any of their problems at home but what I did do was provide them with a few moments of happiness that may very well be the foundation to their journey in forming a better life for themselves through the help of the Center.
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From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for reading this blog and following us on our journey. If you are a Regis student interested in coming on the next Regis in Ecuador trip, please see our Information page for more!
Sincerely Yours,
Frank Aguilar, Brandon Baldovin, David Boak, Joe Caparelli, Jared D'Sa, Mike Flood, Will Lajes, Elliot Sanchez, and Joe Quinn
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