I’ve been home from Ecuador for a week and the time has come to write some sort of summary of The Trip. Despite my best efforts to hold on to every moment of it, to keep it alive in the present, I can feel it all slowly slipping into that hazy, fuzzy place where all… (read more)
![](<p>Look, people. It’s GO TIME.</p>
<p>How do I know that it’s GO TIME? Well, for one, the calendar says so. For two, the butterflies in my stomach say so. For three, The Pile says so.</p>
<p>[caption id="attachment_8100" align="alignright" width="394"]<img class=" wp-image-8100" src="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/The-Pile.jpg" alt="The Pile" width="394" height="394" /> Ye Olde Ecuador Pile[/caption]</p>
<p>I use my patented “Pile It” method when preparing for a big trip — as in, I start a pile on the table and every time I buy/see/think of something that I’m going to take, I toss it in the pile. <del>All the time</del> Sometimes, The Pile and The Bag don’t share the same vision. And when that happens, there’s a requisite reckoning before The Bag can be zipped. Or lifted. The size of The Pile last weekend told me it was time for said reckoning, and so I began.</p>
<p>I switched between my mom’s house and my dad’s house every week as a kid, so I consider packing one of the cornerstones of my childhood. There were parts of it I hated (still do), but I have always loved that last glimpse of everything all neat and tidy in the bag as the lid closes. I like the Final-Four-esque-bracket of single elimination as I hold two items in my hand — <em>shower-worthy flip flops are a must, so that means back to the closet, cute flip flops</em> (The Pile always, by definition, has more shoes than The Bag can tolerate). I like the zen of neatly folding and rolling things, the sort of Tetris game of finding the right little spot for every item. I like the inevitable gratitude that washes over me while packing. The giant heap of fancy stuff that I’m putting into a fancy bag to go on a dream trip that’s made possible by the countless sacrifices of my my long-suffering husband and children and the boundless support of so many partners and moms and dads and kids and friends and family, and the unique employer who makes it all happen in the first place? You’d have to be a pretty big jerk to not find at least <em>some</em>thing in that (long, run-on) sentence to be thankful for.</p>
<p>[caption id="attachment_7921" align="alignleft" width="554"]<img class=" wp-image-7921" src="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Heather-Ecuador-team.jpg" alt="Heather - Ecuador team" width="554" height="312" /> L-R: Nina, Heather, Sarah L., Lori, David (aka Max Headroom), Debbie, Heidi, me (Kelly) and Jenny. Not pictured: Bubbles.[/caption]</p>
<p>And of course, the thoughts of gratitude extend to include my intrepid traveling companions. Since I last wrote, we’ve had a couple of meetings. There’s been lots of talk of shots (in a word, <strong><em>ouch</em></strong>), food, water, technology, scheduling, presentation content, and travel arrangements. We even drank bubbles(!) at my house in April in celebration having all of our plane tickets purchased. We’ll have one more meeting, on Friday, to go over final details and give our final pep talks. The first of us will leave on the 16th, and we’ll all be there by the evening of the 19th. There’s not much left to say, really. We’re ready. It’s time to grab hands and jump off that cliff.</p>
<p>Not knowing what’s ahead, it’s hard for me to make promises about keeping in touch while we’re down there. I hope to be able to write a few quick dispatches, and to be tweeting regularly. But, just in case you don’t hear from us, please know that we are all excited and nervous and that we are feeling (and needing) every single solitary good vibe you can muster. This will be hard work. We will cry and we will sweat. Our hearts will break. <strong>But. </strong>We can do hard things. Our shoulders are strong. And our hearts are even stronger.</p>
<p>Hasta luego, amigos. Nos vemos en Ecuador.</p>
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<p><em><a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ecuador.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-7887 alignleft" src="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ecuador.jpg" alt="ecuador" width="128" height="97" /></a></em></p>
<p><em>This post is part of our series documenting our international service trip to Baños, Ecuador. You can <a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/tag/ecuador/">read our other entries here</a>, and be sure to check back often for future updates.</em></p>
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Look, people. It’s GO TIME. How do I know that it’s GO TIME? Well, for one, the calendar says so. For two, the butterflies in my stomach say so. For three, The Pile says so. I use my patented “Pile It” method when preparing for a big trip — as in, I start a pile… (read more)
![](<p>The sun was still shining on the glistening petals of my front yard tulips when we started our meeting at 7 pm last night, a sure sign that Spring is truly here. The official arrival of this most prolific of seasons brought with it the knowledge that our June departure is now just around the corner. A scant 81 days from now, 7 pm will find us resting our travel-weary heads on pillows south of the equator, in a town known as the Gateway to the Amazon, poised for a week of work unlike any of us have ever experienced. Eighty. One. Days. Tick tock, tick tock.</p>
<p>[caption id="attachment_7426" align="aligncenter" width="750"]<a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/The-Hello-Foundation-Ecuador-2015-Team-during-their-March-google-hangout.jpeg"><img class="size-full wp-image-7426" src="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/The-Hello-Foundation-Ecuador-2015-Team-during-their-March-google-hangout.jpeg" alt="David, Debbie, Heidi, Jenny, Lori, Nina, Sarah, Me (Kelly), and Heather (big!) thinking big thoughts during our March team meeting." width="750" height="454" /></a> David, Debbie, Heidi, Jenny, Lori, Nina, Sarah, Me (Kelly), and Heather (big!) thinking big thoughts during our March team meeting.[/caption]</p>
<p>The weight of that 81 days was palpable last night as we came together online, the topics and discussions feeling less abstract and more concrete than they have in previous meetings. We discussed our parent questionnaire at length — longer? shorter? open-ended? checkboxes? – ultimately needing to table the discussion so we had time to cover everything else on our agenda. We gave and received sneak peeks at the presentations we’ll be giving, and started to hash out details about the who, what, where, and when of translating both our materials and what we have to say. We started what will be an ongoing conversation about technology needs — what will we take? what will we buy there? what will we leave behind? — and sketched out agendas for our final 2 meetings.</p>
<p>If there was a common thread that ran through the meeting, it was the desire <em>to</em> <em>know</em>. Maybe you’re familiar with this desire — it often feels like and is voiced as a need. <em>I need to know what the parents want from me so I can be sure to meet their expectations. I need to know what each child is struggling with so I can be sure to have the right materials to deliver the best intervention possible. I need to know what the staff know, and what they want to know, so I can teach them.</em> <em>I need to know what the weather will be like so I know what shoes to pack. </em>Alas, these “needs” are really just wishes to know that which is largely unknowable. For even if all of these needs were met, I know as sure as the sun shines that life would deliver a surprise — that cold snap when all I packed was flip flops. Our desire to know, I think, is really about finding a way to ease our worries about comfort, safety, and professional and personal adequacy. It’s a way to control variables and experiences.</p>
<p>I recently did a meditation for which the centering thought was “we control our lives by knowing what counts.” That thought came back to me last night, after the meeting was over, brushing my teeth and listening to my brain chatter on about all of the things on La Lista Ecuador Grande. I spit, rinsed my mouth, looked in the mirror. I quieted the chatter. And in the momentary calm, I was reminded that it actually doesn’t matter what shoes I pack, whether I answer every question perfectly, whether I have exactly what I desire for every possible personal or professional contingency. It doesn’t matter whether I know All The Things. What does matter, <em>what counts</em>, is that we will be there and they will be there and we’ll all work together in the spirit of walking away from the experience a little better for having been a part of it.</p>
<p>So, the report at the 81 day mark is that yes, there is most certainly the anxious counting down of days. But in the name of balance, there is also the equally important counting up of what counts.</p>
<p>Tick tock, tick tock.</p>
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<p><a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ecuador.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-7887 alignleft" src="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ecuador.jpg" alt="ecuador" width="122" height="92" /></a></p>
<p><em>This post is part of our series documenting our forthcoming international service trip to Baños, Ecuador. You can <a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/tag/ecuador/">read our other entries here</a>, and be sure to check back often for future updates.</em></p>
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The sun was still shining on the glistening petals of my front yard tulips when we started our meeting at 7 pm last night, a sure sign that Spring is truly here. The official arrival of this most prolific of seasons brought with it the knowledge that our June departure is now just around the… (read more)
![](<p>So, it’s been a long little while since I blogged about Ecuador. Lo siento. I don’t really have any good excuses . . . save for, you know, <em>L</em><em>ife</em>. I don’t quite remember where I left you, perhaps <a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/districts/ecuador-2015-musings-on-flexibility-2/" target="_blank">at a meeting in Heather’s apartment on a cold and blustery day</a>? We have had 2 meetings since then, one of which I was unfortunately not able to attend, and many, many, <em>many</em> virtual conversations. A sidebar here to say that the degree to which we are using technology to plan this trip is <em>so</em> much greater than what we used for <a href="https://bosnia2011.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">our BiH trip</a>. Likewise, I remember the members of <a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/districts/our-2008-costa-rica-trip/" target="_blank">Costa Rica</a> team remarking on just how much more tech we were using for the BiH trip than they had used for their trip. Makes me wonder what it will all look like next time around ;-)</p>
<p>Anyhoo, our team has been spending the bulk of the last 2 months chewing on and pounding out a service model for the trip. I love this part of the group process, little bits of time in the crucible that serve to strengthen our bond as a team. It’s not altogether pleasant 100% of the time, but the sweat that forms when of a group of committed, passionate people grind toward a common goal is deeply powerful stuff. There are still details that remain to be seen, and it won’t be until we walk in the door of <a href="http://banosecuador.com/fundacion-esperanza-para-todos/" target="_blank">Esperanza para todos</a> that most of them will be ironed out. And that’s another thing that, for me personally, is such an integral part of the journey. I’m <em>such</em> a planner and organizer that it is somehow freeing (if not a wee bit painful at times) to simply surrender to the process.</p>
<p><img class=" alignright" src="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/52b9edaae4b0cd6ad5fe1fa5/52b9ee0be4b088a72263022e/54eb8695e4b08f2aaf3dcb04/1424721577060/The+Hello+Foundation+is+going+to+Ba%C3%B1os%2C+Ecuador+in+2015+%28and+Kelly+won%27t+be+doing+this+swing%29The+Hello+Foundation+is+going+to+Ba%C3%B1os%2C+Ecuador+in+2015+%28and+Kelly+won%27t+be+doing+this+swing%29?format=original" alt="" width="485" height="485" />At this point, that process has lead to our mini-teams being formed, our schedule and plan being outlined, and our little expedition generally inching ever closer to being ready to go. We’ll be doing more “teaching” on this trip than we have on previous trips, so figuring all of that out is taking up a fair amount of mental real estate right now. We just this week ironed out the details of our lodging (not for nuthin’, but I am over the moon at the prospect of hot showers), and we’ve had some fun kicking around ideas for our “expedition” day (I am so totally <strong>not </strong>doing that swing-thing there in the photo, thankyouverymuch). Passports are being renewed, plane tickets are being researched, drivers are being hired, travel plans are coming into focus. In other words, this is, like, so totally and completely HAPPENING. In 4 months. That’s quatro meses in Español.</p>
<p>And how is my Español coming along? Well, gee, I’m glad you asked. Because it pretty much isn’t. I mean, it was, but again, that whole Life thing happens and you find yourself flat on your bum straight outta nowhere for a while, and you just sort of have to sit there and regroup for a bit. So that’s what my Spanish is doing right now. Regrouping. My general mental preparation is coming right along, though. I have excited days and anxious days and frightened days and exhilarated days. I talk with my teammates and we wonder about what will it feel like to walk in the door and meet new kids, and new staff. What will the food taste like? What can we do to have the most long-lasting impact for the most people? What will I do the first time I see a gigantic bug in my room?</p>
<p>I have a photo of our BiH team that hangs on my bulletin board above my desk. Whenever I feel anxious about this trip, I take a deep breath and look at it — the sun shining on our smiling faces, our practical shoes on the ancient cobbled street, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stari_Most" target="_blank">storied Stari Most bridge </a>behind us — and I am flooded with pure joy at the memory of it all, and at the prospect of doing it all again. That crucible I mentioned up there? It’s helping me to get to know my Ecuador teammates a little bit better every day. The thought that I’ll have the same sort of bond with them as I have with my BiH teammates is so, so, so profound. We don’t know what we’ll see, where we’ll go, what we’ll feel, but what I <em>do</em> know, what we are slowly learning together, is that we have each other.</p>
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<p><em><a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ecuador.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-7887 alignleft" src="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ecuador.jpg" alt="ecuador" width="131" height="99" /></a></em><em>This post is part of our series documenting our forthcoming international service trip to Baños, Ecuador. You can <a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/tag/ecuador/">read our other entries here</a>, and be sure to check back often for future updates.</em></p>
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So, it’s been a long little while since I blogged about Ecuador. Lo siento. I don’t really have any good excuses . . . save for, you know, Life. I don’t quite remember where I left you, perhaps at a meeting in Heather’s apartment on a cold and blustery day? We have had 2 meetings… (read more)
 “rules” are violated. Knowing this, I work extra hard at pushing myself to be flexible in difficult situations, even when it’s scary. Actually, especially when it’s scary, because the scare means that I’m growing and changing. And I have changed, from the nearly-paralyzed state of my rainbow-order-obsessed youth to someone who can tolerate an unfolded pile of laundry for days on end. Flexibility is a journey, though, and there’s always more flex to be had.</p>
<p>I write about this today because, as I sat down to do a little blogging about our meeting the other day, my thoughts just kept coming back to how non-linear these sorts of things are, and how embarking on an international service trip offers opportunities to get up close and personal with all different types of flexibility demonstrated by all different types of people in all different types of situations. Like . . .</p>
<p>Heather, with her wonderful schedule of meeting topics and how she so deftly switches the agenda to cover what we need to cover in any given moment. As we meandered about, talking about group pairings and points to cover in our training sessions in Ecuador, I sweated, wanting answers. I reminded myself of “the journey” and took comfort in Heather’s ease. If she was worried that we were off-track, she sure didn’t show it. I admire that immensely.</p>
<p>And our little team, flung hither and yon, patiently waiting as we worked out the technological solutions to our geographical challenges. Google Hangouts, iPads, laptops, AppleTV, AirPlay, phones, g-chat, texting, Google Drive, Evernote, they all came into play in the first 30 minutes of our meeting. And this amazing team — they’re up for trying anything, problem solving, and laughing while we do it.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.carpediemeducation.org/" target="_blank">Carpe Diem folks</a>, who gathered the videos of the Esparanza para todos students and staff that we had the great fortune to watch this week. It wasn’t in their original Ecuadorian game plan to visit our site, and it certainly wasn’t on their agenda to hang out, take videos, and send them back to us. And yet, they heard our request, saw a need, and changed their plans to help us out. Our team watched the videos with rapt attention, wanting to watch again, bursting out with observations and ideas and questions at the conclusion of each one. <em>Was that a request? He just labeled in English and Spanish! Can we work on feeding? Ooooooh my, that little guy is busy! What’s their staffing ratio? I wonder if we could dampen sound in that room? </em>We’re forever indebted to Carpe Diem, for it gave us our first glimpse at our Ecuadorian colleagues and students.</p>
<p>And, of course, the <a href="http://banosecuador.com/fundacion-esperanza-para-todos/" target="_blank">Esparanza para todos</a> staff that we watched on the videos. They answered a few questions for us, which is how we learned that some are special education professionals in their own right, with many years of experience. They want to know more about ASD, Down’s Syndrome, and challenging behavior. What I find remarkable, though, is that they’re open to a group of foreigners coming into their workplace to share knowledge. That’s flexibility in the extreme. And a fair dose of courage and grace as well.</p>
<p>I watched the trees outside Heather’s apartment window during the meeting. A storm was coming in, and they seemed to bend almost in half, their lower branches skimming the sidewalk below. Flexibility is what trees do, isn’t it? They rely on their strong roots to hold firm in the soil while their small branches absorb the energy of the wind, bowing and flexing with each gust. What a lovely metaphor for this trip. Our roots — families, communities, professional knowledge, clinical practice — allowing us the flexibility to to stretch, to grow, and, yes, even be blown about a bit on this remarkable journey.</p>
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<p><em><a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ecuador.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-7887 alignleft" src="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ecuador.jpg" alt="ecuador" width="111" height="84" /></a></em><em>This post is part of our series documenting our forthcoming international service trip to Baños, Ecuador. You can <a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/tag/ecuador/">read our other entries here</a>, and be sure to check back often for future updates.</em></p>
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I can be a pretty rigid person. I sort of like things a certain way, and my brain has an annoying tendency of shutting down when it’s (dumb) “rules” are violated. Knowing this, I work extra hard at pushing myself to be flexible in difficult situations, even when it’s scary. Actually, especially when it’s scary,… (read more)
![](<p>It has been an interesting September in Portland. I’ve often proclaimed it as our most lovely month, our just reward for the soggy and cool days of June-uary that kick-off the summers around here. While we were thankfully spared much of the June drizzle this year, September unfortunately didn’t get the memo that it was time to chill out a little bit. I share all of this with you because, while it is cool and rainy as I write this, such was not the case on the day of our first Ecuador team meeting. It was hot. Like, really hot a<span style="font-size: 15.4545450210571px;">nd </span>kinda humid, too (okay not <em>that</em> really hot and humid, but still. 90º? September? Nothankyou.) Such unpleasantness meant that I was sweating profusely as I approached THF Philanthropy World Headquarters (aka Heather’s flat), clutching/juggling my chips and salsa and purse and notebook and water bottle. I was repeating the address over and over again in my head, dodging the bearded locals, when I found the digs I had been looking for. Luckily, fellow-teammate Jenny was just on her way in, and she kindly held the door for me. She did this because she is a nice and polite person, and maybe also because I looked a little bit like I might drop something soon.</p>
<p>Now, I know that big metal door wasn’t literally a portal to another world, but on that hot, sticky afternoon, it sure felt like one. The street had been bright, and loud, and smelled like coffee and waffle cones and brill cream. Behind the door and down the small hallway, though . . . it was dim and cool and green and smelled like Zen. This new world had an elevator, too, and it was shiny and smelled like New Things. The transport was complete when we crossed the threshold into World Headquarters. We found ourselves in a Technicolor dreamland, full of sacred hearts and giant butterflies. So alive and adorable and bright and exciting – the perfect spot for the beginning of a grand adventure.</p>
<p>The rest of the team arrived in short order, all present and accounted for. And let’s just take a hot second to reflect on that remarkable fact, because 2 of our team members live, like, way far away. Like, even 2 or 5 hours away. File that little nugget away under Dedicated. Anyhoo . . . things got underway with the requisite introductions. Mine went like this: “Hi, I’m Kelly and I’m not sure why I was picked because no hablo mucho español at all, but I’ll be responsible for sarcasm.” It was just so clear in that moment that the other people in that room knew THINGS. Lots and lots of things. And they are smart and can use the things they know to DO OTHER THINGS. You’d think I’d learn to not be constantly amazed by the caliber of people I work with, but I never do. Perpetually in awe. These people are just . . . rad. And it is here that you will hear me say (not for the last time, I assure you) that I feel deeply privileged and grateful and frankly a bit astounded to be along on this ride.</p>
<p>In time, our meeting dug into some of the meat of the trip and I am here to tell you, Heather has this thing DIALED. I mean, seriously. We’re talking color-coded calendars, folks. Travel dates are set –June 21-28, 2015 — as is a loose itinerary while we’re there — work, work, work, work, play, play, work, work. Said color-coded calendar also tells us that we’ll be spending the coming months getting paired up into working groups, discussing the ethics of international service work, having a whole meeting in Spanish (#ayúadame), exploring Ecuadorean culture, and running through our PowerPoint presentations. Yes. You read that right. Because in addition to working directly with the students and staff at <a href="http://banosecuador.com/fundacion-esperanza-para-todos/" target="_blank">Esperanza para todos</a>, we’ll also be hosting trainings for the families and staff in Baños. It’s that old “teach a man to fish . . .” thing, right? We won’t be there forever, but they will. And if we can share a little bit about what we know, they can in turn share it with others, and our little trip all of a sudden doesn’t seem so little anymore. (Read more about the school on <a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/districts/ecuador-2015-esperanza-para-todos/">our first Ecuador post</a>).</p>
<p>And when the meeting was almost over, sweet Manny took this picture of us.</p>
<p>[caption id="attachment_7922" align="aligncenter" width="629"]<a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ecuador-team.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-7922" src="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ecuador-team.jpg" alt="Back Row, L-R: Gina Ossanna, Debbie Welch, Me (Kelly Bawden), Heidi Peters (and Baby B), Nina Simmons, Heather Higgins. Front Row, L-R: Jenny Peddicord, David N-T, Sarah Lockhart" width="629" height="482" /></a> Back Row, L-R: Gina Ossanna, Debbie Welch, Me (Kelly Bawden), Heidi Peters (and Baby B), Nina Simmons, Heather Higgins. Front Row, L-R: Jenny Peddicord, David N-T, Sarah Lockhart[/caption]</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, here we are. Your Ecuador 2015 team. You can’t even tell by looking at this photo that part of my brain was thinking about large bugs and snakes, can you? You know why? Because <em>most</em> of my brain was exploding with wonder and gratitude and excitement. And also that little twinge of fear that lets me know that I’m pushing myself to the brink of what I think I <em>can</em> do so that I’m able do what I’m <strong>meant</strong> to do. That flutter of trepidation is where the magic starts, and I am very much looking forward to the next 9 months of magic-making with this outstanding crew.</p>
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<p><em><a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ecuador.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-7887 alignleft" src="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ecuador.jpg" alt="ecuador" width="169" height="128" /></a></em><em>This post is part of our series documenting our forthcoming international service trip to Baños, Ecuador. You can <a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/tag/ecuador/">read our other entries here</a>, and be sure to check back often for future updates.</em></p>
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It has been an interesting September in Portland. I’ve often proclaimed it as our most lovely month, our just reward for the soggy and cool days of June-uary that kick-off the summers around here. While we were thankfully spared much of the June drizzle this year, September unfortunately didn’t get the memo that it was… (read more)