“In the middle of Lloa there is a park lined with red,
yellow, and grey bricks. In the
middle of the park there is a fountain, usually empty. In the middle of that fountain there is
a spot light which is unfortunately broken. Under that spotlight there is a hole, and in that hole there
is a little mouse. A little mouse
named Sisa.”
Ratoncita Sisa, or Sisa the little mouse, has become the
current focus of my service. Sisa
is the creation of a group of kids I am working with in a project to write and
illustrate a Children’s book about Lloa.
Above in quotations is the first page of the book that the group wrote. 
Characteristic of most mice, Sisa is very nervous and
skittish. Sisa has been this way
all her life, but she doesn’t want to remain this way any more. Sisa knows she wants to do great
things, but she does not know what those things could be. Sisa thinks that if she had more
self-confidence she would be able realize her dreams. Telling this to her grandfather, he tells Sisa that if she
really wants to overcome her nervousness she needs to eat a magic wedge of
cheese that will give her confidence and vision… he gives her a map to find
it. Unfortunately, the map is very
badly smudged so Sisa decides she is going to have to explore every destination on
the map in order to find the cheese.
In the course of her journey, Sisa discovers all kinds of stories and
legends about Lloa. She learns
more about herself and more about where she comes from as she searches for this
magic cheese. When she finally
finds the cheese, Sisa realizes that maybe she does not need it after all…
through all her traveling around Lloa she finds she has lost her nervous nature
and has found clarity in her dreams which she is motivate to work toward.
The premise for this story might sound familiar. It is an age old lesson on realizing
the potential that is in each and every one of us. But, no one can be told this lesson. We need to realize this for ourselves. I am hoping that the self-knowledge
Sisa gains though her journey to find the magic cheese will be paralleled in
the children as they create her story.
I am very impressed with my group of kids for thinking up
all the details of this story. I coached
them a little, giving them example of other stories, talking about their own
goals and dreams, helping them interview people to discover more about the
history of Lloa... but in the end the group collectively created the characters and framework
for the story. The group decided on the name “Sisa” because it shows a bit
about their heritage, Sisa in Quichua means, flower. They also decided that a mouse would be a perfect main
character because mice generally like to eat cheese. As Lloa is primarily an agricultural and dairy producing
region, many families and larger community groups make and sell cheese. So, there is lots of cheese for Sisa…
it will be tough for her to find that magic wedge.
In the weeks to follow I will be sure to add more of Sisa’s
story here!
Besides this project with the kids I am gearing up to start
working more seriously with the youth and women to create crafts/jewelry from
recycled materials. This comes
after a great event we put on in which the senior citizens had a fashion show
for the entire community to show off different accessories they made from recycled
materials. I was a little worried for
how the event would go, but in the end it turned out to be one of the happiest
moments of my service so far. The
seniors proudly strutted their stuff in their creative outfits and afterwards
invited all the spectators to join them as they danced to some hoppin’
Ecuadorian beats.
Tomorrow I head to Loja, the southern most province in Ecuador, to help a friend do a workshop in recycled art with her organization. I am excited to see more of Ecuador, and mildly excited for the 15-hour bus ride. When I come back to Lloa in a week the countdown begins... on August 7th I will be in the states for my sister Julie’s wedding. More on all of this to come!
