As i walked the feeling that i was out of place grew. i am a tall white woman with westerner´s travel clothes and the slow walk of some one not acclimatized to altitude. as each person passed, i filled in the blanks of what they might thinkof me. A girl came up to us in the market and asked for money while we were purchasing something. I didn´t know what to do! I didn´t want to be seen as simply somebody with riches falling out of my pockets, nor did I want to deny a child. I decided on ¨saying, "no gracias" because i need time to think this through.
The next evening I lay in bed awake, taking in my situation: i felt a great weight and responsibility to jump to my task of discovering microfinance within the city, gathering information and contacts. but, reality had to settle in. Part of me is frustrated, but the situation is that I need to speak better, take time to learn Spanish, learn how to navigate a city, which I havn´t done before, find my feet belonging to the ground and get comfortable before that other stuff can take place.
After discussing this with the other Anna and my friends via email, I feel better. I have a purpose here and can relaxe and enjoy what I can- delicious food, good company, futbol, adventures on buses, and conversation with my household and teacher about politics and life in ecuador.
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