Experiences in an Ecuadorian Prison
This happened just over a week ago but I´ve been lazy with posting.
So Caitlin, a buddy of mine who´s all into the underground hip hop scene asked me to help her carry out some supplies to prison where she volunteers at. I´d heard about all the stories of the chaos in the Ecuadorian prisons, the administration going on strike, inmates burying themselves underground and others sewing their mouths closed and goin on hunger strike in protest to the poor living conditions and of course there´s the taking of hostages, which usually ends up being the volunteers, so naturally I was like "hell yeah! Can we go there now?"
Caitlin was happy with my enthsiasm and we we´re both happy to talk about musak shit and bitch about hearing Madonnas "like a virgin" at least 3 times every single day spent in Ecuador including various techno remixes. Ugh.
So the supplies consisted of some clothes, medical stuff, kids toys and shitloads of condoms. There´s a big aids problem out there apparently. So we took the bus with another friend of Caitlin´s they´re both from the same church volunteer group or something and apparently they were gonna smuggle me in their to help under the same pretence of me being from a church group..... the English branch. haha!
So we roll up there and I´m told we´re actually going to the womens prison "ummm ok"
I hear the chances of walking out of the mens prison without either emotional or physical scars are slim to none, then there´s the thing of getting out at all within that week and hell, I had a prty to get to that night so i settled for the womens prison.
So, polioe dude at the door, asks for ID, Caitlin hands her bus pass, the other girl hands her Uni Id card and me... duh hands over my passport while muttering a small "what the fuck". So, no shakedowns, no metal detectors, I could have had an ati aircraft rocket launcher on my back and i doubt they would have cared. I also had my cell phone on me which after remembering a few episodes of OZ, I thought might have been a big deal.. until i met all the inmates and found out they all have cell phones too.
So it´s not a hardcore concrete complex like UK prisons, it lokks scruffy like the rest of Ecuador, actually looks alot like the university I was teaching at, only with a high wall around the outside and with less.... stalls. Yeah some of the inmates run their own stalls and stores in the prison where they sell things like cheetos, coke, cocacola, nutella.
So I´m chilling, the girls are getting their condoms and are happy, I get talking to some of the English speaking inmates. This one girl was from germany, she grew up in Manheim which is a town I´ve been to a few times. turns out she´s a big Tupac fan so we got talking. She´s tellin me some stuff about her being buried under the ground for five days. Hardcore. Then we get talking about how good amsterdam weed is. She tells me how i´m different from the other "church helpers". I laughed.
So then there´s these 2 girls from NYC, they´re a riot. I love that NYC attitude. So they´re bitchin about the conditions in prison too, turns out that altho some things are different there, like cell phones, open walking around, long term relationships with the security etc, other things are fucked up, like they don´t have clean water and everyone is getting sick from the fucked up water. Then there´s the medical treatment, you got AIDS, you got slashed wrists, you bumped your toe. The Doctor sticks you on an IV drip. They´re big fans.
So it turns out they´re striving for new music and shit so I´m thinking i can help them out. Catlin bragged about the kick ass cd I made for her, so I´m like "hell yeah i can sort you girls out with some tunes" The german girl begged for some Tupac, the NYC girls started laughing, "5 days buried there, girl you weren´t buried longer then 5 minutes" That made me laugh too.
They´ve tempted me to come back, apparently one of the girl makes some kick ass pancakes, and with that nutella supply... well i´m sold.
Oh and that CD I made for caitlin does kick royal butt, take a look.
So apart from that but as always, lots of changes, which are gonna be contradictory to recent posts but thats the way the cookie..... bends.
But if I told you now, that would ruin the surprise for some and it´s not due time yet cuz I have to be 100% emerald.
But stay tuned.....
So Caitlin, a buddy of mine who´s all into the underground hip hop scene asked me to help her carry out some supplies to prison where she volunteers at. I´d heard about all the stories of the chaos in the Ecuadorian prisons, the administration going on strike, inmates burying themselves underground and others sewing their mouths closed and goin on hunger strike in protest to the poor living conditions and of course there´s the taking of hostages, which usually ends up being the volunteers, so naturally I was like "hell yeah! Can we go there now?"
Caitlin was happy with my enthsiasm and we we´re both happy to talk about musak shit and bitch about hearing Madonnas "like a virgin" at least 3 times every single day spent in Ecuador including various techno remixes. Ugh.
So the supplies consisted of some clothes, medical stuff, kids toys and shitloads of condoms. There´s a big aids problem out there apparently. So we took the bus with another friend of Caitlin´s they´re both from the same church volunteer group or something and apparently they were gonna smuggle me in their to help under the same pretence of me being from a church group..... the English branch. haha!
So we roll up there and I´m told we´re actually going to the womens prison "ummm ok"
I hear the chances of walking out of the mens prison without either emotional or physical scars are slim to none, then there´s the thing of getting out at all within that week and hell, I had a prty to get to that night so i settled for the womens prison.
So, polioe dude at the door, asks for ID, Caitlin hands her bus pass, the other girl hands her Uni Id card and me... duh hands over my passport while muttering a small "what the fuck". So, no shakedowns, no metal detectors, I could have had an ati aircraft rocket launcher on my back and i doubt they would have cared. I also had my cell phone on me which after remembering a few episodes of OZ, I thought might have been a big deal.. until i met all the inmates and found out they all have cell phones too.
So it´s not a hardcore concrete complex like UK prisons, it lokks scruffy like the rest of Ecuador, actually looks alot like the university I was teaching at, only with a high wall around the outside and with less.... stalls. Yeah some of the inmates run their own stalls and stores in the prison where they sell things like cheetos, coke, cocacola, nutella.
So I´m chilling, the girls are getting their condoms and are happy, I get talking to some of the English speaking inmates. This one girl was from germany, she grew up in Manheim which is a town I´ve been to a few times. turns out she´s a big Tupac fan so we got talking. She´s tellin me some stuff about her being buried under the ground for five days. Hardcore. Then we get talking about how good amsterdam weed is. She tells me how i´m different from the other "church helpers". I laughed.
So then there´s these 2 girls from NYC, they´re a riot. I love that NYC attitude. So they´re bitchin about the conditions in prison too, turns out that altho some things are different there, like cell phones, open walking around, long term relationships with the security etc, other things are fucked up, like they don´t have clean water and everyone is getting sick from the fucked up water. Then there´s the medical treatment, you got AIDS, you got slashed wrists, you bumped your toe. The Doctor sticks you on an IV drip. They´re big fans.
So it turns out they´re striving for new music and shit so I´m thinking i can help them out. Catlin bragged about the kick ass cd I made for her, so I´m like "hell yeah i can sort you girls out with some tunes" The german girl begged for some Tupac, the NYC girls started laughing, "5 days buried there, girl you weren´t buried longer then 5 minutes" That made me laugh too.
They´ve tempted me to come back, apparently one of the girl makes some kick ass pancakes, and with that nutella supply... well i´m sold.
Oh and that CD I made for caitlin does kick royal butt, take a look.
So apart from that but as always, lots of changes, which are gonna be contradictory to recent posts but thats the way the cookie..... bends.
But if I told you now, that would ruin the surprise for some and it´s not due time yet cuz I have to be 100% emerald.
But stay tuned.....