By: Clara Hassan, Northeastern University ‘25
Even if you had told me six months ago that I would be spending much of my time working with children, I would never have believed you. But, since coming to Ecuador, the bulk of my free time has been spent voluntarily playing with the children of Alto Talag. I don’t consider myself particularly “good” with kids: it doesn’t feel as though it comes naturally, and I have very few children in my life that I interact with outside of volunteering. Yet, even after a long day of working surrounded by the children of Shandia, when the neighbors’ children ask me to take them to the park, or play soccer, or cut them up some fruit, I am almost always obliging.
I have found these times not only great opportunities to move and play freely to decompress from the day, but also to engage with the broader community of Talag. Shandia, the community in which we work, is about a 15-minute walk from where we actually live, in a community called Alto Talag. Though close in proximity and connected through familial ties, the two communities have some cultural differences, mainly owing to evangelical influences in Shandia that are not present in Talag. Stores are open much later in Talag, and people gather outside of them to socialize and share drinks, especially on the weekends. There is also a beautiful public park and soccer field in the center of Talag, right along the river. It is at this park that I have spent the most time getting to know the people of Talag and where I have spent some of my most enjoyable evenings.
Over time, I have learned that there are several go-to games that children will ask to play with you. Here is my developing guide to each:
Pelota: playing soccer, usually in the immediate vicinity. This involves forming two teams and working together to kick the ball past your opponents to score goals.
La Cancha: going to the park’s field, or cancha, to play soccer.
Escondidas: hide-and-go-seek.
Topadas: tag; a common variation is “con salvar vidas” which means that you become frozen upon being tagged, unfrozen if someone else taps you, and play continues until all players are frozen.
Basket: playing keep-away or pass with a basketball, or rolling it on the ground if there are little ones. This one was influenced by our resident basketball enjoyer, Evan.
Pato, pato, ganso: classic duck, duck, goose.
Hacer ejercicios: one person stands at a distance, and the rest have to copy this leader’s actions and dances, as though they are leading an exercise class.
Pasar la pelota: one person faces away and counts while the others pass the ball around. The one that gets stuck with the ball when the counter turns around usually has to either answer a question posed to them or pick between a dance, a trick, or singing.
Tiburones: played while swimming, one person is the shark, or tiburón, and must chase and not only tag, but also “eat” the others. Sometimes there is the addition of a whale, or ballena, which doesn’t eat the players but can still chase and entrap them.
Regardless of your skill level or experience in any of these games, a willingness to try and participate is all you need to have a good time. I hope to continue this important part of my routine here in the coming months, and to continue inviting in other volunteers, both new and old, to join in on the experience. And even beyond my time here, I know that I will take with me a willingness to play, engage with younger and child-like perspectives, and just enjoy life without taking myself too seriously.
About the Author:
Originally from Boulder, CO, Clara is currently using her co-op semester at Northeastern University to work with MPI. Clara is studying biology with minors in public and global health. She has previously worked in a freshwater ecology and parasitology lab at the University of Colorado Boulder, and has extensive volunteering, leadership, and tutoring experience with local Boulder and Boston organizations.