In my nearly two months here, I have been lucky enough to encounter some incredibly strong individuals. Some are quiet and modest, others are outspoken and proud. Almost all have been women.
That's not to say men don't work extremely hard, say profound things, or provide me with an insight into their beautiful culture. But, the women who I have interacted with day to day, have blown me away with their hardworking nature, their intelligence, and their energy. In Kichwa, this idea of a strong women is translated to the phrase, sinchi warmi. I say "sinchi warmi" out loud at least three times a day. When I hear my mom waking up at 4am to get tea ready for the family and go out to the chakra. When my 94 year old grandmother holds her legs up to the fire to numb the pain in her feet. When my host sister heads to the forest with my mom to harvest wayusa leaves alllll day. These women do everything for their families, without recognition or affirmation. They are always doing things for others before others can think to ask. They cook all meals, wash all clothes, dress the little kids for school, bathe them, sweep and clean, hold the crying kids, bathe themselves, the list goes on. And there is never an attitude of bitterness or anger, but rather, of love to share a responsibility in the family and community. That being said, I constantly imagine how I would feel in their shoes, with all the tasks that they take on and are expected to complete every day, and instantly get bitter for them. When does my host mom get five minutes to herself to relax? Even at night, she wakes up often to help my host sister with the newborn. When does my host sister, who works at the daycare and takes care of her toddler all day, get to hang out with her girl friends? It just seems so unfair to me, when I see the men going out to wander when they aren't working, and the women go out in the community to look for them to make sure they're safe. The men don't have to worry about who is where, and who is safe; they know the women are already worrying. Of course, a lot of these things I'm noticing are considered cultural norms for women. Many rarely think of these even as chores, more as just things to do when there are a few minutes of free time. But, last weekend I attended a workshop for the men and women in my community about gender expectations. It was put on by a german international org, and they had professionals run conversations with men and women separated. Sitting in on the women's group, and talking about how much women are constantly expected to do versus men, ended up being met with little giggles and jokes between the women. It seemed like the women were often trying to defend the men during the conversations, instead of contradict them in any way. Later in the weekend, a male family member ended up getting drunk all weekend and hanging around the community and home in a half-conscious state. My host sister started bringing up topics with me from the workshop, like how she doesn't want her son seeing drunk men around. She talked of her guilt for not protecting him, when she doesn't really have control over another man's actions. This woman is sinchi warmi, she is protecting others, and challenging the cultural norms, and questioning those close to her to improve her child's life. During that same workshop, the women in the group talked about their needs for the community. This took a really long time, as they weren't asked to list the needs of others, but to take a moment and think about what they really want for themselves. Many still ended up listing things that the whole community would benefit from, including new machines to process their plants. One woman also spoke extensively and passionately about how she wants to organize all of the chakramamas (knowledgeable women of the forest). She wants the women to be able to sustainably pass on ancestral knowledge to their children, and protect both their culture and the forest. She brought her 13 year old daughter to the workshop with her, who said she learns new things from her mother every day. Each of the women I meet in this community are unique and strong in their own way. They inspire me, and remind me that I have that same uniqueness and strength inside me; All women do.
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AuthorI'm a 21 year old university student, studying geography and food security, and spending a semester in Ecuador interning with Amazon Learning. ArchivesCategories |