I listen to the mayor of Cayambe discuss the idea of dualism in Kayambi culture. “In order for the world to work,” he explains, “Balance is necessary. The sun needs the moon. The masculine needs the feminine. The rainy season needs the dry season.”
In the Kayambi tradition, the universe is united through polar opposites. Any given object has both elements of light and dark, hot and cold, positive and negative.
I start to think about the dualism of my own life- or, rather- lives.
My name is Anna Sophie Tinneny.
My name is Anita Lechón.
I live in Bucks County, PA.
I live in Santa Ana, Pichincha.
My parents are Heather and Brian.
My parents are Floresmilo and Rosita.
I have a brother and a sister.
I have three brothers and a sister.
I am the baby of the family.
I am the oldest daughter.
I have never so much as watered a potted plant.
I pick potatoes for dinner in the afternoons.
I spend my days writing papers, meeting deadlines, and rushing around.
I spend my days in the fields, with the cattle, and sunbathing.
I am a student and a waitress.
I am a video assistant at a radio station.
I feel myself changing- the way I think, the way I see myself and the world, my newfound hesitance to judge- but that wouldn’t be the case if I did not come here. The person I’m becoming could not exist if not for my experiences growing up in the place and manner that I did, nor could this person exist if not for Global Citizen Year.
So, like the sun has the moon, and the masculine has the feminine, and the rainy season has the dry season, Anna Sophie Tinneny has Anita Lechón.
