Reading: Essays of E. B. White
Peace Corps, much like the “student life” aspect of a college campus, is full of working groups. Ranging from themes of LGBT lifestyles to a Volunteer Advisory Committee, the idea of these working groups is to provide volunteers a means of interacting with each other as well as the office. Included in this is one of the newest working groups for Peace Corps Ecuador, the Peer Support Network or PSN.
The thought behind the PSN is that, while the office is generally very supportive of volunteers, there is still that inevitable distance that occurs between one and one’s superior. Consequently, in the life of a volunteer, full of cross-cultural struggles, the stress of being away from your friends and family for an extended period of time, and a working environment that is far from what we are accustomed to in the EEUU, there is a great need for peer support that is not directly linked to the office and our “bosses.” Another volunteer, unsurprisingly, is arguably the only person that really understands the Peace Corps experience.
In January I found myself, along with a handful of other volunteers, sitting through a three day long training session over what it means to be a successful and worthwhile peer supporter. Not having much previous experience with support networks, I not only found the training especially constructive but also found myself thoroughly convinced of the necessity of this kind of network for volunteers.
This month marked the first round of the PSN site visit to omnibus 107 volunteers, who have recently arrived to their new sites. The idea is that the members of the network would meet with each of the new volunteers, primarily to see that their transition to site was going smoothly, as well as to let them know about the services that the PSN provides. With that, I find myself in Cuenca, one of my most cherished cities in Ecuador, while I visit volunteers in the surrounding area.
Cuenca, well known a UNESCO World Trust Site and a popular gringo hang out, often feels like you have been teleported to Europe via a six-hour bus ride. Nestled in the southern Ecuadorian Andes next to Cajas National Park, it is full of indigenous women, artisan markets, and an array of great restaurants that cater to international travelers. (My favorite of which is La Cigale with its hummus, balsamic redux dressing, and legit salads.)
Aside from the general western feel of Cuenca, a point highly contested by the “hostel hoppers,” who find it to have a truly authentic Ecuadorian feel, there is a unique counter-culture feel to the third largest city in the country. Perhaps it comes from the class of European, North American, and Latina cultures found here, or maybe it is a result of the high standard of education in comparison to the rest of the country. Regardless, it is a rather unique area of Ecuador.
Having time to kill this Sunday, I went for a leisurely run along the city’s river walk, where I was amazed by the graffiti found the retaining walls and trusses. When I came back an hour later with my camera, I was stopped by a Canadian man who had recently moved here from Calgary. Curious as to why I was eagerly photographing what he considered to be a desecration, he politely asked why I was so intent on photographing the graffiti. Rather unsuccessfully, I tried to convince him that its uniqueness was actually quite beautiful but he politely held fast to his opinion and we parted ways.
Seeing as I feel that I am much more eloquent in writing than when speaking, I’m going take a soap box moment and a second attempt to explain why I find graffiti, especially in Ecuador so fascinating and expressive.
People often have this idea that to be “art” there has to be a sense of style, method, and for lack of a better word, pompousness to it. Art museums are where the well-educated go for dates and to study art is often seen as a privilege, studied by those whose families have the means to support them in their unprofitable pursuits.
Yet, art can also reflect a cultural movement, that gritty counter-culture of the streets. And that is was I find so fascinating about graffiti, especially when you can see and feel the sentiments and hopes of the artist, who is often the most under paid and under appreciated of the art world (Banksy being the exception to this). The graffiti that I am talking about is, arguably, much more intelligent than average “tagging” that is found on many urban building and fences throughout the world’s cities. It’s the graffiti of protest, the graffiti that critiques a culture, and the graffiti that makes you question the status quot. It is public and it is contested and it is powerful because of that.
Here in Cuenca, there is a definite style to this type of deliberate graffiti that surpasses the average act of vandalism. Strange characters with large eyes, odd bodies, and vibrant colors, there is a definite feel of individuality of the street art found here. Coming from a country, where creative and critical thinking are nearly absent in the education system and the average artist makes their living replicating cliches in indigenous art for tourists, it comes as a welcomed relief. My Canadian acquaintance sees it as debasing to the historical feel of the city. I see it as Ecuadorian embracing their station in the world and in their country and expressing it though the most visible medium available to them, graffiti.
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| Protest graffiti, Cuenca |
The thought behind the PSN is that, while the office is generally very supportive of volunteers, there is still that inevitable distance that occurs between one and one’s superior. Consequently, in the life of a volunteer, full of cross-cultural struggles, the stress of being away from your friends and family for an extended period of time, and a working environment that is far from what we are accustomed to in the EEUU, there is a great need for peer support that is not directly linked to the office and our “bosses.” Another volunteer, unsurprisingly, is arguably the only person that really understands the Peace Corps experience.
In January I found myself, along with a handful of other volunteers, sitting through a three day long training session over what it means to be a successful and worthwhile peer supporter. Not having much previous experience with support networks, I not only found the training especially constructive but also found myself thoroughly convinced of the necessity of this kind of network for volunteers.
This month marked the first round of the PSN site visit to omnibus 107 volunteers, who have recently arrived to their new sites. The idea is that the members of the network would meet with each of the new volunteers, primarily to see that their transition to site was going smoothly, as well as to let them know about the services that the PSN provides. With that, I find myself in Cuenca, one of my most cherished cities in Ecuador, while I visit volunteers in the surrounding area.
 |
| Graffiti, Cuenca |
Aside from the general western feel of Cuenca, a point highly contested by the “hostel hoppers,” who find it to have a truly authentic Ecuadorian feel, there is a unique counter-culture feel to the third largest city in the country. Perhaps it comes from the class of European, North American, and Latina cultures found here, or maybe it is a result of the high standard of education in comparison to the rest of the country. Regardless, it is a rather unique area of Ecuador.
Having time to kill this Sunday, I went for a leisurely run along the city’s river walk, where I was amazed by the graffiti found the retaining walls and trusses. When I came back an hour later with my camera, I was stopped by a Canadian man who had recently moved here from Calgary. Curious as to why I was eagerly photographing what he considered to be a desecration, he politely asked why I was so intent on photographing the graffiti. Rather unsuccessfully, I tried to convince him that its uniqueness was actually quite beautiful but he politely held fast to his opinion and we parted ways.
Seeing as I feel that I am much more eloquent in writing than when speaking, I’m going take a soap box moment and a second attempt to explain why I find graffiti, especially in Ecuador so fascinating and expressive.
People often have this idea that to be “art” there has to be a sense of style, method, and for lack of a better word, pompousness to it. Art museums are where the well-educated go for dates and to study art is often seen as a privilege, studied by those whose families have the means to support them in their unprofitable pursuits.
 |
| Graffiti, Cuenca |
Here in Cuenca, there is a definite style to this type of deliberate graffiti that surpasses the average act of vandalism. Strange characters with large eyes, odd bodies, and vibrant colors, there is a definite feel of individuality of the street art found here. Coming from a country, where creative and critical thinking are nearly absent in the education system and the average artist makes their living replicating cliches in indigenous art for tourists, it comes as a welcomed relief. My Canadian acquaintance sees it as debasing to the historical feel of the city. I see it as Ecuadorian embracing their station in the world and in their country and expressing it though the most visible medium available to them, graffiti.
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