Since I moved into my new home, many experiments have taken place in the kitchen, especially with 3 hungry youth that live close by. I'm really thankful to have these youth around, for their humor, their service orientated attitudes, and, of course, their presence which has subsequently challenged me to cook something good for everyone. This is probably the last thing I thought I'd be writing in a blog but here are some recipes in case you're interested =)
1. Chunky, Creamy, Veggie mmm Soup
8 potatoes - peeled and cut into medium sized squares
4 carrots - same as above
3 pieces of corn -cut into thirds
2 spoonfuls of garlic - cut into very fine pieces
2 limes
2 spoonfuls of oregano
1 spoonful of salt
1 spoonful of pepper
Boil some water and place the Potatoes, Carrots, Corn, and a little oil and salt in the pot for 15 - 20 minutes. Take the corn out a little earlier and place in a bowl for later use.
Drain hot water into a separate pot, and put carrots and potatoes in a bowl. With a thick wooden spoon, mash the potatoes and carrots to your liking. I like to have chuncky carrots in my soup so I mask the potatoes a bit more than the carrots.
Place this mesh of potatoes and carrots back into the pot and fill with water until consistency is to your liking. Remember a bit of this water will be boiled off in the next step.
Boil soup for the next 20 minutes on low heat. Please immediately in the pot Corn, Oregano, Salt, Pepper, and squeezed Limes.
Get a large bowl and spoon. Enjoy!
2. Scarlet Strawberry Jam
2lbs of Strawberries
4 spoonfuls of brown sugar
2 limes
It's so easy! Clean the strawberries, cut off the green leaves, and place into boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain the water. Blend the strawberries with Sugar and squeezed Lime juice.
Place mix into a pot with 1/8 cup.
Boil for the next 15 - 20 minutes or until consistency is reached. This is the crucial part since you have to constantly have to stir the jam so as not to burn the jam.
That makes a small jar of dark red strawberry jam, double, triple, quadruple recipe to make more.
3. Muddy Mangoes
6 Mangoes
1/4 cup of Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Honey
This is salad dressing. Peel the mangoes, blend them up. Put the Mangoes, Peanut Butter and Honey in a jar and mix them together. That is some good dressing.
4. Ognam ecuas
10 Mangoes
1/2 cup of chopped white onions
1/4 cup of Soy Sauce
1/4 stick of Butter
A simple sauce to soak anything in. Peel, cut, and mash mangoes in a large tuberware container. Pour in soy sauce and onions. Mix together and place food article in the middle of all that. Make it is covered and place top on tuberware. Let soak for a few hours and cook all together.
Serve over rice.
5. The Classic Green Breakfast
5 Plantains
2 eggs
1/2 lb of cheese
Cut the plantains into 1/4 inch pieces. Heat up oil. Place plantains into the pan stir, stir, and stir. Plantains will cook quickly, 5 minutes or so. Take out plantains and place in bowl. Cover top of plantains with grated cheese. Fry eggs in leftover oil. Whatever style you like but runny eggs is the best because the hot yoke pours over the cheese and plantains which gives the dish an excellent flavor.
Serves two.
Let me know if anyone tries these and forgive me if I haven't been clear enough. If that's the case though just comment and I'll fill in the blanks!
Provecho!
"Whoso seeketh out a thing with zeal shall find it."
Thoughts on Pioneering
Pioneering
When people come by my house and see a white guy living on a dirt road in a small rural area they usually give me a strange look like… is he lost? One day a couple of ladies stopped in front and starting yelling, “Buenas! Buenas!” which basically means, “Hello! Anybody home?” When I came to the door I saw the surprise on her face and she sort of paused…
Is the owner home?
Yea.
Could you get them?
You’re talking to him.
It turned out her friend was pregnant and they wanted some star fruit that grows on the trees in my yard. So when they came in they obviously were curious, what’s going on, why are you living here? I tried to explain that I was a pioneer but the only way they understood was if I used the word “missionary”. After they left I felt a bit unsatisfied with my explanation so this is my own personal clarification of why I came to Ecuador, please feel free to comment.
Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith (1921 – 1957) chose his words with great care. For the word pioneer, he used surcadores. Forgive the Spanish but I’m living in Ecuador and sometimes I just can’t think of the English word. Surcar means to plough, so surcadores would mean something like ploughers. I think this word unlocks a new meaning for the many souls who have left their homes in order to bring a new message or new piece of knowledge to the world. A farmer plows in order to prepare the soil for the crops he hopes to harvest for the next season. There is a period of hard work because the quality of your fruits and vegetables depend on this beginning stage. Patience and care is needed as the crops begin to grow. Then you enjoy the success of your harvest but that’s not the last stage. The last stage is when the fruits and vegetable give back to the land in order to produce the next harvest. This is a great analogy for why I am pioneering here in Chongon, Ecuador.
Briefly, the project I’m working on falls under the description of social action projects. As of now we are calling it the Media Project whose aim is no less than to influence the majority of Chongon (where I live) with positive messages that will reconnect people with their nobility and raise the consciousness of what it means to be advancing together towards a more united, a more peaceful existence. We spent months discussing and deepening on how to make positive media. Just the past week we produced our first fruit, in the form of an 11-minute video. We hope this fruit and many others will awaken or encourage the spiritual consciousness of the people here; who will then start producing their own fruits.
Progression
“Upon our efforts depends in very large measure the fate of humanity.”
–The Universal House of Justice, Wellspring of Guidance, p.120
One of the worst things that is happening in the world today is this prevailing feeling of powerlessness. People believe that the world is falling apart from something they cannot fix on their own. In part, it’s true that people with more resources and more material power have more responsibility to the environment, economy, education, etc, but it is our efforts combined together that decide the future. Everyone in the world comes from families. Individuals create families, families make up a community, communities make up a city, cities make up a state, states make up a nation, nations make up a country, and countries make up the world. By reconnecting the individual with their nobility, the world will change.
One of the responsibilities of being a pioneer is carrying a job to its end. I am here, mostly learn with the community, and help with the empowerment of the individual so that we may realize our potential as noble human beings. This may take a long time, perhaps years, decades, or centuries. I’ve committed only two years to the project for a number of personal reasons. Everyday I’m reminded of the importance of working here and those reasons are slowly diminishing. For as Shoghi Effendi so adeptly states,
"Neither the threatening world situation, nor any consideration of lack of material resources, of mental equipment, of knowledge, or of experience-desirable as they are-should deter any prospective pioneer teacher from arising…”
In that brief statement he touches on all of my reasons. I pray I have the strength, determination, and courage to see the project to its end.
A World Community
This entry is a bit long, but there is still so much more to talk about. Outside of my responsibilities to the Media Project, I have my relationship with the community of Chongon. This is the other part of being a pioneer, which resonates more with the position of a Missionary. As stated in the dictionary, a Christian Missionary promotes the word of Jesus Christ, well a Bahá’í pioneer promotes the word of Baha’u’llah, however the manner in which Bahá’í’s teach their beliefs greatly differ from that of other religions. Bahá’í’s believe it is everyone’s choice to investigate what uplifts his or her soul and therefore it is not permissible to sermonize, moralize, criticize, or proselytize the Faith. Another teaching that Baha’u’llah has given us is that the Bahá’í Faith is not for us Bahá’í’s. He states,
“The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men. Suffer it not to become a source of dissension and discord, of hate and enmity.”
The idea that religion should not be the cause of disunity seems obvious and yet it creates the strongest divisions in the world. I understand when people say “I’ve lost faith” or they don’t believe in “organized religion” because of what’s going on in the world. However, the Bahá’í Faith takes the individual’s relationship to religion beyond this barrier and says that’s fine be wary of those things that cause dissension and discord, but let’s work together, as one, towards the advancement of the spiritual and material progression of humanity.
To try to wrap this up, because I feel there are a lot of deep themes here which would take a whole lot more time and discussion to fully reveal their significance, I’ll end with another quote from Shoghi Effendi about the environment in which we live. I used this quote in my Master’s project and it’s a good reminder of my hopes for the Media project and how I view my relationship to the community in Chongon.
“We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions.”
-Shoghi Effendi
When people come by my house and see a white guy living on a dirt road in a small rural area they usually give me a strange look like… is he lost? One day a couple of ladies stopped in front and starting yelling, “Buenas! Buenas!” which basically means, “Hello! Anybody home?” When I came to the door I saw the surprise on her face and she sort of paused…
Is the owner home?
Yea.
Could you get them?
You’re talking to him.
It turned out her friend was pregnant and they wanted some star fruit that grows on the trees in my yard. So when they came in they obviously were curious, what’s going on, why are you living here? I tried to explain that I was a pioneer but the only way they understood was if I used the word “missionary”. After they left I felt a bit unsatisfied with my explanation so this is my own personal clarification of why I came to Ecuador, please feel free to comment.
Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith (1921 – 1957) chose his words with great care. For the word pioneer, he used surcadores. Forgive the Spanish but I’m living in Ecuador and sometimes I just can’t think of the English word. Surcar means to plough, so surcadores would mean something like ploughers. I think this word unlocks a new meaning for the many souls who have left their homes in order to bring a new message or new piece of knowledge to the world. A farmer plows in order to prepare the soil for the crops he hopes to harvest for the next season. There is a period of hard work because the quality of your fruits and vegetables depend on this beginning stage. Patience and care is needed as the crops begin to grow. Then you enjoy the success of your harvest but that’s not the last stage. The last stage is when the fruits and vegetable give back to the land in order to produce the next harvest. This is a great analogy for why I am pioneering here in Chongon, Ecuador.
Briefly, the project I’m working on falls under the description of social action projects. As of now we are calling it the Media Project whose aim is no less than to influence the majority of Chongon (where I live) with positive messages that will reconnect people with their nobility and raise the consciousness of what it means to be advancing together towards a more united, a more peaceful existence. We spent months discussing and deepening on how to make positive media. Just the past week we produced our first fruit, in the form of an 11-minute video. We hope this fruit and many others will awaken or encourage the spiritual consciousness of the people here; who will then start producing their own fruits.
Progression
“Upon our efforts depends in very large measure the fate of humanity.”
–The Universal House of Justice, Wellspring of Guidance, p.120
One of the worst things that is happening in the world today is this prevailing feeling of powerlessness. People believe that the world is falling apart from something they cannot fix on their own. In part, it’s true that people with more resources and more material power have more responsibility to the environment, economy, education, etc, but it is our efforts combined together that decide the future. Everyone in the world comes from families. Individuals create families, families make up a community, communities make up a city, cities make up a state, states make up a nation, nations make up a country, and countries make up the world. By reconnecting the individual with their nobility, the world will change.
One of the responsibilities of being a pioneer is carrying a job to its end. I am here, mostly learn with the community, and help with the empowerment of the individual so that we may realize our potential as noble human beings. This may take a long time, perhaps years, decades, or centuries. I’ve committed only two years to the project for a number of personal reasons. Everyday I’m reminded of the importance of working here and those reasons are slowly diminishing. For as Shoghi Effendi so adeptly states,
"Neither the threatening world situation, nor any consideration of lack of material resources, of mental equipment, of knowledge, or of experience-desirable as they are-should deter any prospective pioneer teacher from arising…”
In that brief statement he touches on all of my reasons. I pray I have the strength, determination, and courage to see the project to its end.
A World Community
This entry is a bit long, but there is still so much more to talk about. Outside of my responsibilities to the Media Project, I have my relationship with the community of Chongon. This is the other part of being a pioneer, which resonates more with the position of a Missionary. As stated in the dictionary, a Christian Missionary promotes the word of Jesus Christ, well a Bahá’í pioneer promotes the word of Baha’u’llah, however the manner in which Bahá’í’s teach their beliefs greatly differ from that of other religions. Bahá’í’s believe it is everyone’s choice to investigate what uplifts his or her soul and therefore it is not permissible to sermonize, moralize, criticize, or proselytize the Faith. Another teaching that Baha’u’llah has given us is that the Bahá’í Faith is not for us Bahá’í’s. He states,
“The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men. Suffer it not to become a source of dissension and discord, of hate and enmity.”
The idea that religion should not be the cause of disunity seems obvious and yet it creates the strongest divisions in the world. I understand when people say “I’ve lost faith” or they don’t believe in “organized religion” because of what’s going on in the world. However, the Bahá’í Faith takes the individual’s relationship to religion beyond this barrier and says that’s fine be wary of those things that cause dissension and discord, but let’s work together, as one, towards the advancement of the spiritual and material progression of humanity.
To try to wrap this up, because I feel there are a lot of deep themes here which would take a whole lot more time and discussion to fully reveal their significance, I’ll end with another quote from Shoghi Effendi about the environment in which we live. I used this quote in my Master’s project and it’s a good reminder of my hopes for the Media project and how I view my relationship to the community in Chongon.
“We cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every abiding change in the life of man is the result of these mutual reactions.”
-Shoghi Effendi
Beginning life in Ecuador
Beginning life in EcuadorDuring one of my lower moments I lost patience and asked the official serving us, "Why does this process have to be so complicated and so disorganized?" He confidently replied, "Because that confusion gives us officials time to deal with all of the paperwork." That outrageous reply, in retrospect, seems sort of perfect to me. It brings up a few ethical questions. How does the country's citizens feel about being purposefully misguided in order for the government to organize itself? Blatant misdirection leads to disrespect and more lack of trust. Are the patient and enduring people of Guayaquil being taken advantage of here? I sort of wish the answer was more like "I'm sorry, we know it is confusing but we're trying to improve the system."
I decided to post some simple steps for those future guests that would like to avoid the confusion. Every American is allowed a tourist Visa which grants three months stay. These steps are for those that have already acquired a long term Visa and need to register it in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Step 1
Go to a building called "Dirreccion General de Extranjería" in downtown Guayaquil
-Ask for "la Autorización de Pago" (you will need this later)
Step 2
Leave the building and got to a Paper and Copy store
-Copy Passport pages (Information, Arrival Stamp, Temporary Visa)
-Copy Visa Certification sheet
Step 3
Get a friend to write a letter of recommendation with passport number, class, and type of visa included.
Step 4
Go to Banco Internacional
-Pay "la Autorización de Pago" ($10)
-Make sure you get the receipt
Step 5
Bring all paperwork back to the "Dirreccion General de Extranjería"
-Pick up passport the next day
After all this, you will then need to register for a Census, which to my understanding is a temporary ID which you can carry around instead of your passport. This process is a lot less painful.
Step 1
Copy Passport pages (Information, Arrival Stamp, Temporary Visa)
Copy an electric bill of where you are staying
Step 2
Go to a building called "Inmigración'
-Hand in paperwork
Naming a Blog
Naming a BlogAn hour or two spent researching which blog fits my preference between Wordpress and Blogger. A few hours more trying to figure out the navigation, templates, and configuration options. A few hours trying to make a picture for the title bar with the correct dimensions. I do feel like Majnun, searching through handfuls of sand with the panorama of the whole desert in front of me.
Briefly, the title "Majnun's Manifest" comes from an ancient Persian and Arabic lore about "true human love bordering on the divine". There are many versions of this tale. One of these is recounted in a book called The Seven Valleys where it explains "Majnun" was the title given to a man who fell in love with an Arabian princess called "Laylí" but then was denied the right to marry her. This drives him somewhat insane and he runs off into the desert. During his time in the desert a few travelers come across him sifting through the dust and an intriguing and mystical conversation takes place:
Travelers- "What doest thou?"
Majnun- "I seek for Laylí."
Travelers- "Alas for thee! Laylí is of pure spirit, and thou seekest her in the dust!"
Majnun- "I seek her everywhere; haply somewhere I shall find her."
Although Majnun is probably hallucinating from sun poisoning and dehydration what he says is very profound and enlightening. Without the act of searching it is impossible to find anything. What seems crazy to these travelers is really a noble cause. The author of The Seven Valleys, Baha'u'llah, after re-telling this story states, "The true seeker hunteth naught but the object of his quest, and the lover hath no desire save union with his beloved." Not until we give up everything, tear down those things which veil our sight, can a true search begin. Majnun- "I seek for Laylí."
Travelers- "Alas for thee! Laylí is of pure spirit, and thou seekest her in the dust!"
Majnun- "I seek her everywhere; haply somewhere I shall find her."
The fact that Majnun means "insane" is another interesting aspect to this story. Why is he labeled as insane? The travelers mock his attempts at finding Laylí. Yet Majnun's confidence seems to spawn from the act of searching and not so much from the goal. This is quite a revolutionary thought even for this age where we are judged by what we have and don't have. If the act is more important than the goal, how would our lives be different?
Finally, Majnun and Laylí could be interpreted as many things. A romance story. An insane man's illusion. A search for meaning in life. For me, this story speaks about Truth and the sometimes difficult road one must undertake to find it. Truth is all around us but without patience and the act of searching, it will never be found. This is why I choose Majnun to be the gate keeper of my Blog; a perfect symbol for our quest to Truth.
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