Lessons from the mountains

Following a break of two months after an intensive period of mountain climbing, I have picked it up again. After all, you have to make the most out of living in another country; with so many impressive mountains and volcanoes so close by, I cannot resist the perfect escape from Quito's busy, CO2-emitting traffic into the crispy, fresh air of the páramo and beyond. Not only are the mountains home to such pristine nature that it makes you instantly forget about your daily sorrows, they also teach you valuable lessons for most big endeavours you may undertake in life, be they personal or professional.

The most obvious ingredient for success is no doubt passion. If you don't believe in your project, if you don't have a deep drive or if you don't feel passionate about what you are doing, it will be difficult to overcome the rough bumps on the road that leads to your final goal.

Second of all, a sound preparation is essential. You cannot reach the top of Ecuador's second highest volcano (Cotopaxi, 5894m) without a decent training - believe me, I have tried (and failed). That is, unless you are very lucky and external circumstances allow you to make it. No, before attempting to sweep away the big prize, you should start climbing some lower peaks to train you physically, and learn the basics of glacier climbing to train you technically. This way you get to learn your own body, how it behaves in different circumstances, and you grow confidence not only in your physical abilities, but at least as important, also in the technical gear that you carry with you. All this preparation gives you the confidence necessary to react pertinently in adverse situations and maintain your cool when you're staring into a seemingly bottomless crevasse.

Furthermore, this preparation gives you the intuition that allows you to identify people to guide you. Most likely, you're not the first to walk the road you're on. Rather than reinventing the wheel, you should learn to accept the guidance of others and trust them to lead the way. Experience and training help you to identify the various elements needed to reach your goal, and to recognize when people are skilled in those aspects.

Unless you are going it alone, there are more people involved in your endeavour. Some of them are literally tied to you, while others are walking just in front or behind you. You won't reach the summit if you don't learn to tolerate each other's characters. You're all on the same path, headed for the same goal, and you shouldn't let frustration and each other's deficiencies come in between of reaching that shared objective. Whenever you're having trouble with someone, spit it out in a clear and respectful way rather than bursting out. Suggest how you could make it work differently, instead of growing a grudge against the other person: you need to be able to trust each other, that you will do all it takes when one of you falls into a crevasse or lacks the energy to grab some hot tea. Only when you open yourself up for the people around you, can you learn about their motivations and their behaviour; understanding each other is the best way to team up your efforts and maximise your results. In short: tolerance, compassion and constructive communication are essential for a team to make it work.

Finally, it is hard to overstate the importance of having a support network of people who stand by you and your endeavour, whoever and wherever they may be. They will give you that little extra push in the back when you need it most, it's as simple as that.

On top of the Cayambe, Ecuador's third highest volcano (5790m); during the ascent in the night of All Soul's Day, I just felt lifted up by my three deceased grandparents who had my back and provided the perfect weather conditions to reach the summit.

Sacándole el jugo

I barely dare to look at the date of my last post... How time has flown! The reason is quite simple, though. As they put it here in Ecuador: estoy sacándole el jugo, which roughly translates into "I'm squeezing the juice out of it" - say, I'm making most of my time here. My job has become very busy and interesting, leaving me little room to let my thoughts wander around; I've been on holiday to the States for the wedding of a good friend of mine; went on an inspirational study trip to El Salvador, to learn about the participation of women's organisations in the local economy; and I had my brother over for a visit, to name but a few highlights of the last months.

But I have been also quite literally squeezing out juice here. One of the absolute delights of living in a tropical country (although there are few to no palms, beaches or crystalline seas to be spotted around Quito, don't get up your horses yet) is the fruit. It comes in a dozen different varieties, flavours and colours, and you pay but a dime for it in comparison with prices in Europe or the US.

I have made it my own personal ritual to stop by the weekly fruit and veg market on my way home every Monday, and pick up my weekly ration of vitamins. As you can imagine, by now I am on joking basis with Don Luciano and Doña Blanca, who provide fresh babacos, naranjillas, pineapples, papayas, pitahayas, apples, pears, uvillas, taxos, mandarines, granadillas, tunas, guavas, strawberries, raspberries (both all year long!) and many more delicacies to caseros such as me. (Other than simply meaning 'client', casero immediately brings to the mind the good husband/(house)wife garnering all the necessary ingredients to feed the many mouths waiting at home.) And as it bestows loyal customers, I always go home with a yappa, a little extra fruit - usually some mandarins, a small papaya or some bananas - to make sure you come back next time.

Last week's catch at Don Luciano's

I usually save up most of it until the weekend, when I have time to prepare my renowned super-jugo. This magic potion generally contains five different fruits, but I have made creations of up to nine fruits. For sure, a smoothy with just two or three fruits has the advantage of letting you savour more every single fruit you've put in it, but there's just something about these super-juices. They're unrebuttably massive V-bombs, injecting a dozen or more vitamins directly into your veins, boosting your body with every glass you drink. And they are simply delicious!

Turning fruit into liquid gold...

Most people laugh at first, for it is not common to find such rich smoothies around here. That is, until they taste the liquid gold themselves, and get hooked on this papilla-titillating treat. My Ecuadorian friends still laugh at me for my craziness, but I don't care. As long as I have all this natural wealth at hand's reach, I'll keep on abusing the blender for my weekend breakfasts. Intrigued? Just come over and try it for yourself!