3 days until the Constituent Assembly is finally ready to begin their work. Goodbye Congress! As for me, I have 2 weeks left. It'e been quite a busy month. For two weeks, NDI Ecuador organized strategic planning sessions with 9 major political parties and movements. Not one was the same and despite the four hours allotted, we extended into the night. It was great to see so much enthusiasm, or was it desperation? Acuerdo Pais has 80 assemblymen. Next comes PSP, with 16 seats, PRIAN 7, PSC 4, and you get the picture. It's been an interesting experience but I'm feeling restless. I think the Peace Corps is exactly what I need right now. Minus the time away from the people I love.

Children on the streets

I am appalled at how many children there are living on the streets, begging for money with their toddler siblings, or selling cigarettes way past midnight. In the U.S., this would be an outrage. Of course, this is not to say that Ecuadorians do not care but there is a serious problem here. I think this is why I see myself working abroad. I'm looking into organizations that work with these kids, and I remember my research on MANTHOC, a child-worker's organization in Peru. Something has always told me that what I learned from them would influence my life. Here's an article about who they are and what they do:
http://www.shinealight.org/MANTHOC.html

My friend said that there's so much in this world to make you feel guilty. This is something I've struggled with but I think this is the battle I will choose.

All hope on Alianza Pais

Correa's movement Alianza Pais (AP) obtained more than 64% of seats in the Constituent Assembly, surpassing the minimum amount of votes needed to pass a resolution. Therefore, AP doesn't need to create alliances with minority representatives. The election results are a huge blow to traditional parties. But they indicate that Ecuadorians want change and they're placing their hope on a new movement, mainly on President Correa who talks about socialism of the 21st century. I've attended several forums regarding constitutional reform and feelings about the future are mixed. At NDI, we're working to help traditional parties who seek advise on internal reform by inviting international experts who can share their experiences. As for promoting democratic practices and institutions in and for the Constituent Assembly, we're hoping that AP will agree to work with us as we can offer comparative information on the theme of dissolving a national Congress and including public input for the new constitution.

Exploring Quito

Quito is surrounded by mountains. In the morning, before the clouds roll in, I can see the snow-covered summit of Volcan Cayambe outside of my room. On a clear day, you can also see the Volcan Cotopaxi (furthest point from the center of the earth) and others whose names I can’t remember. Because Quito’s airport is located in the middle of the city, there are few tall buildings. I hope it stays that way after the new airport is constructed outside of Quito. There are several breath-taking views of the city and the first I had is known as the deadliest, according to my Lonely Planet guidebook. I finally visited the historic center of Quito, which is a treasure of colonial architecture. It takes more than a day to see all the sites, which are mainly churches and museums. Looking at my map, I decided to check out the Basilica del Voto Nacional first. Gothic and imposing, I was surprised to learn that it was built within the last century. A 15-minute uphill walk from the Grand Plaza, I fell in love with the colors and balconies surrounding me. Once inside the Basilica, I had an awesome view of the Centro, with the statue of La Virgen de Quito in front of me. Inside the main roof, across from the glass-stained window, was a rickety wooden footbridge that led to some upstairs outside. From there, were more (unsafe and very steep) stairs leading to a tower. I almost chickened out. I had to talk to myself out loud to calm my nerves. No joke. I already had a 360-degree view at the base of the tower but I wanted to climb to the top. Somehow, I made it up there. I was so proud I made a video. It really is a deadly ascent. Anyway, it was totally worth it. Afterwards, I climbed into the clock tower. Heading back towards the Grand Plaza, I stopped for a vegetarian buffet lunch (soup, main dish, and drink), which cost me a total of $1.50. Very cheap. On the topic of food, I have yet to try cuy (guinea pig) but I have definitely savored fritada (fried chunks of pork and hominy), all kinds of corn (popped and toasted). My host mom recently sent me ubre (cow’s breast) and lengua (cow’s tongue) for lunch. It was…different. But hey, it’s always good to try new things. Caldo de tronquit, anyone?

A Chance Encounter

My host family lost a loved one yesterday. His name was Fernando Teran, one of the Diablito Teran Brothers famous for their music some thirty years back. Today I learned that most of my host dad’s siblings took part at some point in a musical ensemble that evolved from the Diablito Brothers. During the funeral mass, Miguel and the rest of his siblings sang 3 of Fernando’s favorite songs from the group. It was beautiful. And I’m a fan.

I left after paying my respects, and walked towards the NDI office to inquire about bus fares to Lima, Peru. On my way back, I passed by a small crowd of people and several police cars waiting outside a restaurant. I found out President Correa was having lunch inside. Excited, I decided to wait with everyone else. Ten minutes later, Mr. Correa walks out the door and everyone kind of pounces on him, me included. Most people were expressing their support for him and his movement in the election. I don’t have anything against the man; expect maybe his tendency to react inappropriately to criticism. Unfortunately, my camera battery died before I could take a picture with him. And for the man who said people just voted for a pretty smile, (post-election) it might just be.

Political Encounters

I spent the whole day reading political news from the online archives of the major Ecuadorian newspaper El Comercio. I have to summarize the political developments of August and September for NDI’s monthly political reports. As exhausting as it was, I have fewer questions to ask my coworkers. Things are starting to make sense.

I finally met someone who is not going to vote pro-government in the upcoming election. He was my taxi driver on the way home. It was nice to hear a different perspective but I felt a little uneasy with his ideas. He lamented that the majority of Ecuadorians are lazy and prefer free promises. According to him, Correa has done nothing since he took office in January except hand out housing bonds and subsidies. My driver did agree, however, with Correa´s proposal for free education but under strict conditions. He said that only those students who work hard deserve free tuition. I found a parallel thought with affirmative action and programs that aid students from low-income families. I have my reservations. I mean it’s great that there are so many opportunities for minorities but not everyone deserves free resources. Especially when it goes to waste. I´ll end here.

Political Chaos

I arrived at a time of significant change in Ecuadorian politics. On Sunday, September 30, Ecuador will elect a Constituent Assembly, consisting of 24 national, 100 provincial, and 6 international representatives, responsible for creating a new constitution (mind you, the 20th in the history of the republic). In a referendum held this past April, 85 percent of the population supported President Correa’s proposal for a Constituent Assembly with said task. Once the new constitution is written, another referendum will take place to approve it.

The number of candidates running in this campaign is overwhelming. Every party, movement, or alliance has a designated list number. In total, there are 3,229 candidates, distributed in 26 national lists, 428 provincial lists, and 44 lists from the exterior (6 international representatives will be elected to represent emigrants). And out of these 3,229 candidates, only 130 will be elected! The voting sheet itself is “like a blanket,” my host sister commented. On Election Day, each person must (voting is obligatory) select 24 national candidates on one sheet, and x number of candidates for their respective province (this number depends on the population of each province). There are 23 provinces in the country. People con vote “a la plancha” (drawing a vertical line down one party list) or across party lines. This is a very complicated and inefficient election process because of the system being used and because there is little information on the candidates and proposals of each party. Add existing clientalism and now my head hurts. NDI has been in Ecuador for the past year trying to help improve political dialogue and promote democratic practices within political parties (NDI also had a presence in 2002 when it helped create Participacion Cuidadania “Citizen Participation,” a citizen-formed group that helps monitor elections). NDI recently organized five forums in five cities around the country, in which citizens expressed their opinions of political parties and their representatives. The results were distressing. Frustration and resignation. NDI, in turn, has advised different political parties on how to become more transparent and thereby gain the trust and support of the populace. For my first task, I listened to a couple of these forums and summarized candidates’ key proposals. A comparative table will be published to better inform the citizenry of the reforms and ideas considered by the major parties. I hope this new Assembly will help Ecuador in the long run. On a final note, I’m glad to be an American.