Synthesis

This morning I had the pleasure of talking about my trip to the Redding Sunrise Rotary. They were a cheery bunch (especially for 7 AM) and all seemed to enjoy my presentation. I didn't notice any nodding off at least...

I took over 1,000 photos on my journey, and I condensed these down to 30 powerpoint slides and talked for 20 minutes. This was a chore, trying to condense over two weeks of experiences into 20 minutes. I merely focused on the major locations I visited and only included a few side stories- other than that I had to focus on the basics. I finished my speech with two minutes to spare for questions (and my long-winded answers got me over my time allocation). I think it went well, as I had many people come up to me afterwards and shake my hand, telling me how great of a job I did. I had the President of the group also trying to recruit me, which I may have to consider.

Later today I'm traveling to Williams to have a synthesis session with my fellow classmates (or at least my northern California contingent). I get the opportunity to talk more about this amazing experience and reflect upon it. Since I have been back, I have been very busy and had little time to reflect on this blog. Tonight at synthesis, I will have a good chance to take some notes (maybe I'll pack my computer) and put my scattered thoughts down in print. If they are worthy enough, maybe I will share them on here.

Reality?

Haven't posted much since I've been back home. I've considered it, but work deadlines (argh, gotta get this appraisal done!), baby and the CPA wife in tax season keep me pretty busy this time of year. Last weekend had a few rounds of friends over to share some Peruvian food (ceviche!), try my hand at Pisco Sours and go through the slide show journey.

I was just asked to select five pictures for our 'synthesis' session next week. It wasn't easy picking five, so I just closed my eyes, and tried to recall some of the more memorable aspects of the trip. From that, I tried to select different pictures that represented those experiences. Were they the five best pictures of the trip? No. They meant something to me, that's all that counts. I get to explain these five different pictures to members of my class. I'm looking forward to seeing what others selected.

In addition to this, I need to start working on a 20 minute presentation. I have been asked to talk for the Redding Sunrise Rotary on my experience and had another request to talk in a public forum. As usual, my response was a yes! Need to start thinking about the powerpoint... better yet, I better get back to work!

Otovalo, Ecuador to Redding, CA

The next morning we woke from our slumber with a slight headache of the abundant South American wine flowing from our finale dinner. We boarded the busses and headed into Otovalo. The first stop was a livestock auction. When I was younger, my parents had an office at the Shasta Livestock Auction, so I essentially grew up around the livestock auction culture. Basically this wasn’t my first rodeo. When we arrived I was awestruck by the loosely organized chaos that was termed an auction.

Animals of al shapes and sizes were moo-ing, clucking and snorting. The alpacas stood their ground off to the side and held their heads high, obviously the nobility of Ecuadorian animal agriculture. The pigs were rooting around for the coolest spot they could find, as the sun was already starting to get high in the sky. Large crates of chickens and chicks were tended to by various locals. The cattle were the most abundant animals around- the Holsteins there were very skinny and in poor flesh. The oh so famous cuy were often found in large burlap sacks, people pulling them out one by one and examining them. I walked around with my camera dangling from my chest, finger on the shutter snapping photos in an inconspicuous fashion- I wanted to give these people respect with their culture and not be a slob tourist (pretty tough being light skinned with a camera around my neck!).

After the fascinating walk through the auction, we took our lives in our own hands and crossed the road towards the central market area. Otovalo is famous for hosting the largest Saturday market in South America. We first took a walk through some of the produce stalls, looking at the variety of products. The colors were vibrant, the food looked fresh and healthy. The meat department was filled with the usual roasted pigs and piles of chicken feet. Touring the meat department is always a personal highlight.

The textile market was next on the agenda. This market held anything imaginable, colors as bright as you could imagine and all sorts of crafts and clothing. We walked around, haggled over a variety of goods I wanted to take home. I was enjoying the bartering process, ah, the free market at work.

Our small group retreated to a coffee shop along the edge of the market and I enjoyed some espresso. Eventually our class converged at the designated meeting spot and we meandered back to the busses. Back at the hotel, we had a quick talk by one of our Campus Coordinators- Dr. Thomas (animal science professor at Fresno State). In the typical Dr. Thomas fashion, he covered the potential to transmit animal diseases from the livestock auction. He especially talked to Joyce and I (Joyce is a poultry farmer in Riverside County) because we spend a lot of time around animals. Heck, I have cattle in my front yard, so he explained the best quarantine procedures for me and my clothing. I sanitized my shoes with bleach and took a long shower, scrubbing every square inch I could to prevent the introduction of some nasty Ecuadorian endemic animal disease to our livestock. It’s going to be hard to not get out on the ranch as soon as I get home- I’ll take my quarantine more as hibernation in my bed!

We had a ‘Synthesis’ session at the hotel, which consisted of discussing the various aspects of our trip. We talked of the extremes we witnessed, the arid deserts of the Peruvian coast to the Amazon rainforest. Discussions rambled from oil exploitation to agricultural systems. Before we knew it, the time had come to board the bus and start the lengthy trip back home, bus to Quito, flight to Lima and then on to Los Angeles.

Once we arrived in Quito we knew we were in for a long trip home. The LAN Airlines are based out of Santiago, Chile, which had just suffered a 8.8 quake. Their computer system was down and they had to hand-write our boarding passes. It was a nightmare. When we arrived in Lima, we discovered our flight was cancelled. Miraculously, we wound up on another flight (all 23 of us!) and were headed home, although delayed. We witnessed many class mates at near break down mode- but luckily nobody completely snapped. Landed at LAX, I had to hustle through customs and barely made my flight to Redding.

I'm back, Shasta County!!!