July 22, 2008

BEST DAY EVER!!!!

I found out my site today!! It is… drum roll please… one of the smallish town outside the big city of Manchala, the capital of the province of El Oro. Manchala is big on bananas. I think it may even be banana capital of the world, but I’m not sure. I will be replacing a volunteer who is apparently, umm, really enthusiastic… about everything. I think part of my job may be to be a mellow contrast. I will be working with the Instituto Nacional del Niño y la Familia (INNFA/ National Institute of the Child and the Family) and the Municipal Library. People tell me my counterpart (the person I will be working closely with) is really sweet, so that is good. Here is what my information sheet tells me my activities may be:
Principal Activities

1. Supporting and conducting the different workshops under the Program “Aventura de la Vida” (Adventure of Life) and other activities implemented in the community by INNFA
2. Organizing and implementing different extracurricular activities with at-risk children and adolescents, such as: leadership, sports and recreational camps, art and painting classes, and other activities that promote their life skills and self-esteem
3. Teaching sex education through Peace Corps methodologies: “Joven a Joven”, Jóvenes en Acción”, etc. in different schools, high schools, and neighborhoods
4. Supporting INNFA’s after school program with different students

Secondary Activities

1. Coordinating and identifying a youth group to work on youth themes in radio and television
2. Attending trainings organized by INNFA or other institutions

Pretty awesome, eh? I’m so freaking excited!!! Apparently it is ridiculously hot there… as in 80˚F is cold! I can’t wait for this weekend! I leave for my site on Saturday to spend a week there. YAYAY!

To make things even better, the trainees in the Youth and Families had a little pool going on who was going to go where. We each guessed where each volunteer was going to go and then put $.50 into the pot. And guess what? I won! $7!!! (Two volunteers didn’t participate… there are 16 of us for the mathematically challenged). $7 is a lot of money… as in lunch for a week! Holla!

Finally, my dearest mother sent me a package today (Kaitlyn Large/ Cuerpo de Paz/ Casilla 17-08-8624/Quito, Ecuador/ South America) full of coloring books, stickers, fake tattoos, and sparkly twisty ties. It was amazing and I was the envy of all the trainees. My mother is a rock star! When I finally got home today I whipped out the tattoos and the kids went nuts. They covered their bodies with a bazillion tattoos. When they finished, they descended on their mothers and aunts, covering their bodies with tattoos too. It was hilarious! What an amazing day!

July 21, 2008

Tomorrow I learn my site. I really hope it is either La Misma or El Guabo. Both sites seem amazing and exactly what I want. I’m not sure how I’ll handle it if I don’t get one of those sites.
Today was a good day. In Spanish class we finished a movie that we began on Friday. However, I couldn’t really pay attention because I was so excited about tomorrow. I think Cissa knew that our attention spans weren’t great and let us out early. She is really considerate like that. I adore her!

When I got home Mayra and Isabel had to go to the dentist and dragged me along. I was shocked to realize that the dentist didn’t wear gloves. I kept wanting to shout, “YOU IDIOT! YOU COULD GET HIV!!” Did no one else realize how dangerous it is to not wear gloves? Dentists come into contact with blood… hello!?!? Furthermore, after the dentists finished with Marya, she only quickly washed her hands (and obviously not in hot water because there is none) before moving on to Isabel. Note to self: give a charla to your community about the importance of wearing gloves.

When I got back from the dentist, I made a CD of rock songs for Monica. Lauren then came over and we went for a run. After dinner, a bunch of us walked to the grocery store for a few supplies. A free beach ball came with the shampoo that somebody bought and when we got home Juan and I played with it until we were both doubled over in laughter. I really hope the family at my site (I have to live with a family for the first 3 months in site) is as amazing as my Cayambe family, but I don’t know how that is going to be possible.

July 20, 2008

Today sister Mayra (I think that is her name), Marco, Juan, Marta—a woman my age from Spain who is volunteering at the maternity hospital where Mayra works—and I did a little site seeing. We went to a castle about 15 minutes outside Cayambe in the morning, but the people who worked there wouldn’t let us in and told us to come back in the afternoon. (When we came back they still didn’t let us in… don’t know why.) We then went to see a park to a waterfall. It was pretty; however, in comparison to Iguazu… it wasn’t much.

Marta was really sweet and invited me to do some traveling with her. It was funny to hear her Spanish accent, which sounds like someone talking with a lisp. I’m not sure if I will be able to travel with her, but I would like to go out for coffee and bizcochos sometime with her.

After the waterfalls, we lunched and then went to see the famous market of Otavolo. There were so many pretty things, but I don’t know how I am going to carry my luggage to my site as it is. I really can’t spend too much money on souvenirs. I do hope to come back some time. I do have two years…

July 19, 2008

I woke up this morning and the electricity was out throughout the entire city. Showering was NOT FUN!!!!

Today I went on a cultural trip to Mascarailla with a small group of trainees. Mascarailla is a small afro-Ecuadorian village about 3 hours to the north of Cayambe. The drive through the mountains was gorgeous. When we arrived, we met the leaders of the small village and then saw some of the crops. Mascarailla is known for its clay masks. About ten years ago, some volunteers showed the women of the town how to make the masks to sell. The women have been doing this ever since and have been prosperous. I bought a small ornament for my future home.

When I returned no one was home for the first time (except for the ancient abuelita)! Everyone had gone to some celebration outside town. Fortunately the electricity was back on so I watched a movie until they returned with a ton of food. All in all, it was a great day!

July 18, 2008

The last several days were not particularly interesting, so I will simply recap their highlights:

Tuesday- I went to Ayora and the trainers told us how they developed the sites.

Wednesday- Spanish class as usual. Afterward, Lauren, Margaret, and I baked cookies at her house. It was great fun! The people here don’t do a lot of baking and have never tried soft, freshly baked cookies. All their cookies come packaged. Lauren’s mother thought we had to flip the cookies over like pancakes, and that they were not done when we pulled them out because they weren’t hard as rock. She also thought Lauren and I were crazy because we kept eating all the cookie dough. My family loved the cookies and asked for the recipe. Next, I want to try my famous lemon bars.

Thursday- Today we learned what the sixteen sites are. We still don’t know which one we are going to. They wont’ tell us until Tuesday. AHHH! The wait is killing me!! Two of the sites really interested me. They are both in the coastal province of El Oro. One is El Cambio and the other El Guabo. The seemed small and full of work. I really hope I get one of those sites; I think it would be a great match!

Today- Today we watched a Chilean film in Spanish class. It was pretty good. In the afternoon all the aspirantes (trainees) met with the alcalde (mayor) of Cayambe and he described the last 500 years of Ecuadorian history in an hour and a half. I have to admit, I didn’t really pay attention. My mind was elsewhere (at my futures site to be exact). I really should learn patience!

After our meeting with the alcalde we were free so two of the other trainees and I bought a liter of Diet Coke and sat in the park and chatted until my skype date with my parents. It was really nice to talk to them. We both had webcams, so we got to see each other! It was really nice; almost like we were in the same room. Technology is amazing!

July 14, 2008

Today I had Spanish class. It was kinda hard to concentrate today. I love my Ecuadorian family and I know the majority of the things that we are learning during training are very important, but I can’t wait to be at my site and living on my own. The more volunteers I meet and the more I hear about their experiences, the more I want to be getting to know my own community and having my own experiences. I am dying to learn where my site is, but we won’t find out until next Tuesday. AHHHH!!! Patience never was my strong suit.

Anyway, today Cissa, Lauren, Margaret, and I went to Margaret’s house to cook an Ecuadorian meal. We prepared corn with cheese, aji, potatoes, fresh fruit juice (I squeezed a million oranges), chiffles (fried bananas… yummm!!!). After lunch we were all stuffed and ready for a nap. Unfortunately, we had an entire afternoon of classes to go. I think Cissa took mercy on us and let us out a little early. We really weren’t paying attention at all! I then went to the Internet café to fix some blog problems. Mom happened to be online too and we tried to chat but my computer stopped working. GRRR! Mom did write to say that she did not forget me, but was late getting back from visiting my brother in West Virginia. For some reason, I never received the e-mail. All is forgiven.

I gave up on the computer and went running with Lauren. I was really out of shape because I haven’t been running in awhile and couldn’t go as far as I would have liked. When I got back I was so frustrated with not being able to communicate with my mother that I decided to call her. We talked for a while and it was nice to hear her voice and not Kermit the Frog—which is what she sounds like through the computer. (Dad sounds like Darth Vader.)

That was basically the exciting parts of my day, thrilling eh?

July 13, 2008

Much better today. After my bout with food poisoning I spent yesterday resting, reading, and watching movies. It sucked to feel like crap, but it was nice to be left to myself for a day.
Today I woke up early and washed my clothes. Afterwards I pestered Mama Inés and Monica as they prepared lunch—going through their cupboards and asking them the names of spices. I helped Monica prepare chiffles (fried bananas) and then ate more than my fair share. Around noon I bowed out of lunch and went to go find internet. I found another internet with skype (klarge1985 if you want to chat!) and read e-mails, chatted with Aidan who happened to be online at the same time (YAY!), and started my lovely blog. My parents and I had a prearranged date to talk on skype and they no-showed. I won’t lie, I was very disappointed. I had been looking forward to our skype date all day! When I realized my repeated calls where fruitless I went home to sulk.

My sulking, unfortunately, was interrupted by Lauren and Margaret who stopped by to chat and then my laundry that needed to be hung. Soon after they left, another volunteer, Janet, whose Ecuadorian family is related to mine dropped by and a bunch of us husked a bazillion corn and I squirmed whenever I found a worm in the corn.

After Janet and her Ecuadorian mother left, my family watched 13 Going on 30 and then Juan and I roughhoused until I had him cowering in the corner and doubled over in laugher. Never mess with me!

July 4, 2008 (oops, out of order)

Yesterday I went to Ayora for technical training. At the beginning of the day we were each given an egg to take care of the entire day. We decorated our eggs and gave them names. My egg was named Jessie. To make things more difficult, eggs could be stolen by anyone saw the opportunity. I took great care of my egg the entire morning, but in the afternoon someone stole my egg while it was sitting right next to me while I was watching a presentation! I had to make a formal apology to get my egg back. Oh well, I guess that means I’m not ready for kids.
After training ended I went to the bank to see if I could access my new Ecuadorian bank account. I could and I withdrew half the amount of money that I owe Mama Inés for the month of July (I didn’t feel comfortable withdrawing all the money I owe here). When I got back home I wasn’t feeling great so I hung out with Juan and Dorrian and watched Monsters Inc. Juan asked me if he could play his computer games on my computer, but I said no. I’m happy to share most of my things and I don’t mind him playing the few games I have on my computer while I’m next to him, but I want to maintain some boundaries.

After dinner I accompanied everyone on the drive home. In the car the kids listened to the ‘High School Musical’ soundtrack. It was cute listening to them trying to sing along. When I returned I popped my malaria pill, read a little of my training manual, and settled down for a long night of crazy dreams. (One side effect of the malaria pill is crazy vivid dreams.)

Today I had Spanish class in Cayambe. When I got back I held my first ‘youth group’ with Mayra, Isabel, and Juan. I taught them several games, we ate snacks, and then we played soccer. When we got back they wanted to watch High School Musical and my computer because Dorrian wouldn’t let them use the TV. During dinner I got tired and there were a lot of people in the house and all the Spanish became confusing. I stopped understanding a lot of stuff so I declined going on the drive home and instead helped Mama Inés wash the dishes and paid her as much money as I had. The ATM was out of money when I went back today so I was unable to withdraw the full amount. (*Remember to pay $78 more dollars on Monday!) She was fine with it. I then packed for my trip to Mindo tomorrow. Now I am exhausted and half to wake up early tomorrow so good night!

Some Projects that I would like to do in my site

1. Build Wooden Trash Bins- to promote a clean environment
2. Theater group
3. Open House—fill one room of my house with books, crafts/arts supplies, games, etc. and have a designated time when youth in the community can come and hang out (good opportunity to teach them stuff too)
4. ‘Take the Students to Work Day’- to encourage children to stay in school and allow them to explore different future career options
5. Mural Paintings (an alternative to graffiti)
6. Holiday Carnival (if I get ambitious)

July 12, 2008

(Morning)
I AM AN IDIOT!!! Iron stomach my ass!!!!! I got food poisoning and spent the night deliriously puking my guts out. I want my Mommy!!!

July 11, 2008

Today I had Spanish class, but Cissa let us out at noon so that we could work on some of the work that is due Wednesday. Margaret (who is around 60) is really stressed about all the assignments and Lauren (32?) just thinks they are stupid. I am the only one who doesn’t mind doing them. I think it has something to do with recently graduating and being accustomed to bullshit assignments.

I spent the afternoon doing one of the assignments. After I was done, I felt like being anti-social and spent the afternoon watching movies until Isabel, Juan, and Felipe demanded that I play with them. I took the kids to the park and we played games like ‘Red light, Green Light,’ the human knot, and a few others that I tweaked a bit. When we returned dinner was cooking. Guess what it was? Potatoes and fried meat! Surprise! I swear I almost cried when I realized that I would, once again, be eating a carb-filled meal.

During dinner time I realized that other people were receiving a salad. Now I know that lettuce is on my no-no list and the salad was probably not washed properly for me, but I was desperate for some veggies. I begged for some salad and then gobbled it up. It was only lettuce and tomatoes with a bit of oil and vinegar, but it tasted like heaven! Once I licked my plate clean of salad, I asked for more to emphasize the fact that I LIKE VEGETABLES!!! After dinner I also made a point of thanking Mama Inés for the salad and describing all the vegetables that I love. Hope that helps!

July 11, 2008 (Morning)

Yesterday, I went to Ayora as I do every Tuesday and Thursday. It was ok. In the morning we learned about small business and activities we can do to with groups in the community for fun or to earn money. One lady came in and showed us how to make paper out of recycled paper. Another volunteer showed us how to make shampoo (apparently you can buy any type of chemical over the counter… that’s not scary!). And another one showed us how to make jewelry. It was pretty interesting. I think it might be fun to make paper with youth and then turn them into Christmas or Mother’s Day cards.

When I returned home the kids wanted to play. They followed me into my room and I offered to show them pictures of me in Mindo. They were much more interested in a photo of me kissing and proceeded to tease me about it for the rest of the day.

After I finally pulled them away from my computer, we went to the park. I brought three eggs and we played a game in which they had to use trash and/or leaves that they found in the park to protect the egg. I would then drop the egg off the playground tower. They broke into teams of boys and girls. Dorrian, however, did not want to play on a team and kept asking for his own egg. To keep him quite I swung him around a bit and held him upside down. Five-year olds are easy. Juan and Felipe won the egg game both times.

When we returned Juan and Felipe wanted to decorate their surviving egg like my little Jessie egg. They are fascinated with the egg I had decorated and had to take care of for a whole day in Ayora. (I admit I encouraged their fascination by constantly talking about him as my baby.) In the process of decorating their own egg, however, Jessie somehow got cracked. They were really worried that I would be mad, and I admit, I did play a bit of the heartbroken mother.
Dinner was then ready and we proceeded to eat yet another meal of potatoes, rice, and something fried. What I wouldn’t give for some fresh vegetables! They are so cheap down here. Why are we always eating carbs?

After dinner I watched a bit of another movie I recently bought. I love buying good quality movies for $1! Holla!

July 9, 2008 (night)

What a day! After Spanish class in Cayambe (we presented vocabulary words, learned new cooking vocabulary, studied mandatos, and visited the hospital again) I returned to my crazy household. I wanted to try cooking something with the kids, but the oven here doesn’t work. My PC cookbook did have one dessert recipe that did not require an oven. It was a peanut butter and chocolate recipe. I asked the kids if they wanted to give it a try and they were game. Lauren was bored so she came over to help. All of us walked to the grocery store and I bought all the ingredients. We then tried to prepare it, but the first peanut butter layer was too dry. Lauren suggested adding a little bit of water and I agreed. Mama Inés, however, put WAY to much water in the mixture and suddenly we had a peanut buttery mess! What to do!?!? I tried adding my sugar, but it didn’t work. Guadalupe (Mama Inés’s niece) suggested a bit of flour, so we tried that and it kinda worked. Now, however, we had to bake the peanut butter mess. Luckily we were already planning on going to Fanny’s house for dinner because her oven works and Guadalupe wanted to make pizza.

Lauren then went home and the kids and I retired to the Monica and Juan’s bedroom/ living room to rough house. They love to gang up on my and tickle me until I start shrieking. Unfair!! I then convinced Carla to be on my team and suddenly Mayra and Isabel defected to my team too. We attacked the boys and soon had them begging for mercy. Wahahaha!

When we arrived at Fanny’s house I put the PB mess in the oven and it didn’t exactly cook. Oh well. I kinda gave up caring. Guadalupe then made a pizza from scratch and it was FABULOUS! She is an amazing cook and so sweet! She lives in Quito with her kids and invited me to visit her sometime and bake cookies with her. Since the PC office is in Quito, I will be there frequently and will have plenty of opportunities. While Guadalupe made pizza I got to play with her four month old baby. Sooo cute! I can speak English to her and not feel guilty because she doesn’t understand and language.

Once we finished the pizza we feasted on my PB and chocolate mess. Everyone ate some and said it was good. I’m not sure if they really thought so or were being polite. The kids, of course, ate plenty (it was, after all, sugar, PB, and chocolate). I brought the leftovers back… maybe I’ll try putting my PB mess on some bananas. All in all, it was an interesting day!

July 9, 2008 (morning)

So yesterday was a pretty good day. It was a Tuesday, so I had to go to Ayora, but it wasn’t that bad. The benches hurt my butt as always, but I did skip lunch (I’m sick of having people force feed me here) and went for a long walk to Cayambe and back with my friend Margaret. In the afternoon we talked about first aid and what to do in an emergency. What I find really interesting (and pretty scary) is that most hospitals in Ecuador have NO equipment. If I ever have to go to the hospital, once I get there (ambulances are a joke and may or may not ever come) the nurse will give me a list of everything I need to go buy—needles, gauze, IV, medicine, anesthesia, etc. Then, I will have to go to a pharmacy and buy the stuff. Only then will I begin to receive medical attention. Did I mention that the hospitals are sometimes hours away? My biggest fear here is being very hurt and having to travel hours and hours before I can receive medical attention. It is therefore critical that I know some basic first aid.

When I returned to Cayambe in the afternoon, I had a date to talk with my parents. At the end Curtis called home and my parents put him on the speakerphones so that we could all talk. It was really nice! I miss them! Afterwards, I wandered around a bit and found Greenstreet Holligans!!!!!!!!!! The quality wasn’t great, but it only cost $1. Holla!

Back in family central I began to get really bad cramps. My family got really excited because they thought I was getting sick as everyone assured them I eventually would. They were really sweet and concerned. I didn’t have the heart to tell them it was only cramps and would be gone in an hour. Instead, I convinced them to give me a small dinner and went to bed early. I then watched my movie until I fell asleep.

Now I’m late for my pronunciation tutoring with Cissa. Later!

July 7, 2008

I returned from Mindo today. The town was gorgeous—surrounded by mountains, rivers, and waterfalls. It was also full of mosquitoes and my ankles are now swollen to twice their normal size as a result of all the bites. We didn’t have time to do many of the activities that Mindo offers (like horseback riding, canopy rides, tubing, etc.), but it was still nice. I hope I will have a chance to return and really experience the tourist side of Mindo. (Note: one thing I did learn is that no one is from Mindo. It is chock full of tourists.) We had some free time and I spent a lot of it in the hammock reading. Three other trainees and I gave our first charla to a group of youth about gender and stereotypes. It went alright. A little boring, but oh well. The youth were well behaved and listened.

I’m starting to have problems with training. My biggest issue is that I never have alone time. In the States I spent a lot of time by myself. Here the only ‘me’ time I have is bedtime when I am too exhausted to do much more than write in my journal, if that. I’m used to being independent and setting my own schedule. I miss having time to myself! Once I’m at my site I will have an extraordinary amount of me time and I may miss all the structure time in Cayambe… or not.
I am also getting really frustrated with my pronunciation. Some words I just can’t get my tongue around and people therefore think I can’t speak Spanish. Cissa offered to spend some more time helping me. I honestly don’t think I can stand any extra tutoring, but I know I need the help. Why won’t my mouth cooperate when I try to speak!?

On our way back from Mindo we stopped at la mitad del mundo (the real one… there is also a fake one). It was really cool and our guide was really interesting. He showed us one trick about how water drains in one direction in the northern hemisphere and in the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere. On the equator, however, the water doesn’t swirl at all. It just falls straight down. It was so cool! I always thought that was a myth, but it is not! The sun was also really hot on the equator. It was fun to be in two hemispheres at once!

When I returned to Cayambe I met four other relatives. I think the woman is Mama Inés’s niece. She was really nice and very interesting. She has three kids including a four month old. The baby was adorable. I think they are here for the week, but I don’t know where they sleeping. It is already a full house. Oh well, I assume they’ve got it figured out.

After dinner we had a bonfire and the kids roasted marshmallows. That was fun, but I didn’t spend much time hanging by the fire. I was too busy itching all my bug bites! One thing I do like about Cayambe is that there are no mosquitoes here.

July 2, 2008

So Kat finally left today. We figured something was wrong when she never showed up for class today. Cissa called her house and her family said she was in her room and really upset. Cissa then called Orlando (the head of the language department) and then Kelly, the nurse. We continued with our lesson and then went to meet with some youth to see about forming a youth group. After our meeting Kelly called and said the Kat had left. Kat seemed happy about her decision and we all agreed it was the best thing for her.

In the afternoon Kelly came by to interview us about our medical history and talk to us a bit about Kat. We agreed that the problem with the medical portion of the PC application is that all PC Washington sees is what is written on paper and not the person. My interview went fine; all I need to do is have a blood test twice a year.

When Kelly left we went to a hospital to talk to a dentist about his/her work. At first we where apprehensive because we thought it was weird to show up unannounced at a dentist’s office and ask to speak to the dentist. In the end, however, there was no problem. We ended up talking with two. One of them was a riot! He completely cracked us up!

When I returned home I interviewed Juan for my ‘Reloj de 24 horas’ project and then designed a poster for my charla about dental hygiene. Mayra, of course, was underfoot helping. As I was drawing Juan began asking to use my ipod/ computer, so I brought them out so we could listen to music. Just as the adults were coming in, my computer switched to the screensaver full of all my pictures. They then insisted that I show them ALL my photos, so I played music for them and showed them my photos. They loved my photos of Machu Pichu and Iguazu Falls the most.

Once they had seen them all I took Juan, Isabel, and Mayra into the next room and we played/fought, tickled, karate chopped, and screeched for the next half hour until I returned to the kitchen and announced myself as the winner (Mayra disagreed). Then dinner was ready and we feasted on chocolo, pollo, y queso.

So that was my day. Eventful, eh? Hasta mañana!

July 1, 2008

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!! So I’m getting bad and didn’t write yesterday.

Monday, June 30

On Monday we had Spanish class in Cayambe. In the afternoon we went to the town hall to meet with the youth. They were very receptive to working with us but said they had to talk with the others in their group. They asked us to return on Wednesday.

After class I walked around town looking at the movie stores. You can buy great DVDs here for $1. I’ve been dying to see Greenstreet Holligans again, but no one seems to have it. I’m still determined to find it! When I arrived home, I talked a bit with the women and Fanny showed me around the metal workshop and their crazy store in which they sell—according to Monica—“un poco do todo.” Then Gabby (another grandchild who is 20), Isabel, and I read some fables.

Before dinner I wandered into the kitchen where everyone was gathering. One of the sisters pulled a little package from a bag on which I saw the word ‘color.’ I figured that it was hair dye. I then kept hearing the word “está embarazada.”(is pregnant). Since I was suspecting that Gabby was pregnant I thought they were talking about her. Then Fanny came out of the bathroom with a cup of pee and another sister administered the test (on the kitchen table!). We all crowded around the test to see the results. It turned out to be negative and Fanny was extremely relived. (Isabel and Juan then ran to find markers to change the result but were unable to convince anyone.) So that was interesting.

After dinner I was again accompanied Marco as he drove Fanny and Isabel (Mayra was picked up earlier by her father). When I returned home I read a bit from one of the MANY PC manuals I have been given until I fell asleep.

Today,

So today was an interesting day. I woke up early to go to Ayora—which isn’t exactly my favorite place because training in Ayora is usually very boring and includes a lot of sitting on hard benches—but today wasn’t bad. In the morning we learned more obvious information about safety and security on buses and then we all piled onto a bus and had a simulation of a robbery. The bus drover drove around town for awhile and then suddenly two masked man announced that they were robbing us. We all had to put our heads down and one of the guys demanded that I give him my purse. When we arrived back at the center they returned our things. If only all robbers could do that…

After lunch I got another rabies vaccine and then we spent the afternoon discussing nutrition. We got to try different types of fruits, learned some herbal remedies, and were given some recipes for when we finally our living by ourselves at our site (in 6 months!!!). Apparently I won’t be given any money for a fridge, so if anyone wants to donate to the ‘Buy Kaitlyn a Fridge’ cause… I’m accepting donations!

Back in Cayambe I was feeling a little gassy from all the weird foods and kinda wanted to chill in my room. Fat chance! The kids soon came looking for me and then started going through my things, demanding that I show them my ipod, computer, etc. I finally kicked them out so I could go for a run with Lauren. I gave them my big box of 64 Crayons (which they LOVE!!!) and my coloring book (which they almost completed) to keep the occupied. So much for my de-stressing activity. I’m thinking of just leaving my Crayons with them when I leave in the end of August. The kids would love the Crayons and my lovely parents can always bring me more.

Lauren ended up not being able to run with me and then the kids wanted to go running too. I told them that I would go for a bit and then come back for them. We ran three blocks till we came across the park and then had to stop there for a bit. All in all, after 10 minutes of jogging I returned with four very exhausted kids (though Mayra impressed me… I think she may have a future in running).

After the run, the kids colored more with the help of Marco (who is actually a very talented artist) while I read more from my PC manual and occasionally doled out praise. I didn’t eat much for dinner because I was incredibly full from all the food during the day. I also decided not to accompany everyone home. Had to write and all. Another day ahead. Maybe tomorrow I will find Greenstreet Holligans.

June 29, 2008

Today I had the luxury of sleeping in… till about 7:40. Since I had nothing special to do I watched some of a movie on my computer till my stomach insisted that I get up. After breakfast I asked Mama Inés if I could help clean and proceeded to wash about a bazillion dishes (and I’m not exactly exaggerating!) When I finished washing three days worth of dishes for a family of about ten, Monica (another aunt whose name I learned today!) helped me wash my clothes. While my clothes soaked, I caught up on my journal writing till about 11:00 when I met Lauren to go running. Unfortunately all the running has caught up with my and I have huge blisters on my feet so I couldn’t run. We decided to stop by Kat’s house to see how she was doing. The three of us talked for awhile and Kat admitted that she has never spent much time away from her parents. I encouraged her to talk to the nurses. They are both very nice women and I think that they would be able to help her make the right decision about whether or not to stay.

When I returned, I did more laundry, finished my journal entries, and watched more of a movie on my laptop. After lunch (without any children for once) us adults walked through town to see more of the festivals and dancing in the street. We climbed up a hill and I got to see a gorgeous view of Cayambe. After we had our fill of the sights, we started to walk home. Monica saw someone she new who was cooking food to sell outside a house to sell. The friend greeted us and invited us to sit down and try some of her empanadas. These empanadas were very different then any other type of empanada I’ve eaten. They were filled with a bit of cebolla and deep fried. They were then toped with sugar. It was weird… but good!

I was tired an exhausted when I arrived home so I curled up in bed and finished the movie I had been watching. I then wandered into Monica and Juan’s bedroom and watched TV with them. I caught the very end of Bend it Like Beckham and then Mrs. Doubtfire (interrupted by dinner consisting of fried platanos, soup, and a croissant). Monica started to cry and the end of the movie and I laughed at her.

So that was my day. It was good to relax and not have to entertain kids all day (although I enjoy doing it). Classes tomorrow… sigh. I thought I was done with class when I graduated!

June 29, 2008 (Mid-morning)

So I’ve been bad and haven’t written in two days. Whoops!

Friday, June 27

So Friday was more Spanish classes in the morning. Friday was actually a really interesting day. In the morning, we had to draw a map of our barrio, marking places of interest such as stores, cabinas, internet places, etc. We didn’t know the boundaries of the barrio, so we ended up doing two barrios. Oh well. When we do it later we can do a smaller area with more details. For lunch we went to a Chinese food place. It was good and a nice end of week treat (Kat, of course, didn’t eat).

In the afternoon we had to interview people in town about different topics. (Apparently we are going to watch Agua con Chocolate next Friday.) It was difficult to approach people and ask weird questions. I know it made me stand out even more than normal. It is, however, something I’m going to have to get comfortable doing. After we completed that activity, we went to talk to some guy who worked for the city. He told us about himself and his work with youth. He expressed interest in helping us form our youth groups so we are going to return and talking to him Monday afternoon.

When I returned home the nietos were waiting for me. Isabel and Mayra accompanied me to the store to buy the detergent and soap I will need when I wash my clothes this weekend. I also bought a huge thing of Diet Coke because I was craving it badly and a chocolate bar for the three of us to share during the walk home. Once home, I chugged about three glasses of Diet Coke. Mayra was impressed. I then broke out my huge box of Crayons and Princess coloring book that I brought with me. Mayra and Isabel were extremely impressed with the pictures and all the different colors of Crayons. I let them each choose a page and ripped it out for them to color. Dorrion came along and wanted to color too, followed by Juan. Pretty soon half my coloring book was gone! Oh well. I can always locate more pictures to color.

I was having such a good time that I lost track of time and forgot that I agreed to meet Lauren on the corner to go running. When I looked at the clock it was 5:15. Yikes! I ran to the corner to find her and brought her back to meet my family while I quickly changed. Soon we were off running to this pretty park with playground, a little lake… and lamas, horses, and cows chilling in the shade! It was wild!

After my run it was dinner time and then time to take Fanny and the girls back home. We all piled into the car and Marco (I realized his name is Marco, not Marcos) drove us to another sister’s house I hadn’t yet met to introduce me and then to Fanny’s home. Marco then proceeded to drive around the city until Juan decided he was hungry and wanted fries so we stopped and a little restaurant. When we finally got home I was exhausted!

Saturday, June 28

I woke up early on Saturday to go running with Lauren. We went back to the same pack and there was actually some other people running. Apparently we aren’t the only crazy ones! I had to cut my run short because I had Spanish tutoring with Cissa. It was helpful. We spent two hours just talking, with an emphasis on my pronunciation. I have to loose my Argentine accent. L
After tutoring I returned home and the nietos wanted to color more. After many more pages from my princess coloring book it was time to go to a parade. Apparently there is a rose plantation nearby and Saturday was the festival of roses. We walked to the center of the city and waited for the parade to start. As we waited people walked by selling cotton candy, toys, and food. The parade was really pretty—full of floats covered with roses, gauchos, and traditional dancing. I took a lot of pictures!

When the parade ended, we returned home for a HUGE lunch with all the family. We had soup and shrimp (that I helped peal) and more rice! Afterwards the women cooked the live crabs that had been spending the morning on the counter (and freaking me out). While the crabs cooked, I showed everyone my photos again and then Mama Inés got out her photo album and showed me her photos. It was a lot of fun!

Later that afternoon I walked through the center of the city looking for WiFi or at least skype so I could talk to my parents. Finally, I found an internet place with one computer that had skype on it. It was really good talking to my parents, but I got some weird looks for talking in English. When I got home, I read some more Flintstones and Scooby Doo stories with Isabel and Mayra. After we finished I got a little tired and went into my room to watch a movie on my laptop and be anti-social.

Around 8:00 we went to the center of the city to watch the fireworks. They were awesome, much better (and closer) than anything I have seen in the states (where you have to worry about safety). We were there for about two and a half hours. My back started to hurt and I was cold and tired. By the time the fireworks ended I was grateful to return home. Another exciting and eventful day!

June 27, 2008 (Morning)

I watched About a Boy last night until really late (9:30!) and was unable to write about my day. So yesterday my group met in the park and then together took the bus to Tabacundo. Tabacundo is another town where some other volunteers live about 20 minutes from Cayambe. There, we walked to a school and introduced ourselves to some youth in the area who seem interested in forming a youth group. Afterwards, we took the bus to Ayora. In Ayora we talked about our families (good things and bad), and then spent the afternoon discussing how to form youth groups in our sites. When the training was over I took the bus back to Cayambe.

Once I arrived back home I indulged in about 20 minutes of Internet so that I could write my parents. Afterwards, I returned home and went to the park to play baseball with the neitos. I invited another little boy who was watching us to join. It was really fun! When it became dark, I returned home and helped Mama Inés make dinner. It was balls of bananas and butter with cheese inside. Not exactly health, but good! We ate it with aji.

When dinner ended, I accompanied the family as they drove everyone home. Once that was accomplished, Marcos drove to the top of the city so I could get a good view of the city. It looked a lot like the views of Vancouver, with all the lights and the mountains.

So that was my day. Another one full of adventure! Must go to class now. I’m hoping we will watch Agua con Chocolate this afternoon! Caio!

June 25, 2008 (Night)

So today was a long and eventful day. I had Spanish class from 8:30 until 4:30. We played games, learned a song, practiced vocabulary, etc. In the afternoon the two women in charge of Youth and Families interviewed us about our experience working with youth and what we wanted in a site. I emphasized that I want something WARM!! I DON’T LIKE THIS COLD!!!

After class I returned home and Mayra, Juan, Maria Isabel (I learned the 10 year olds’ name… she has two!) and I went to the park to play basketball. The basketball hoop was occupied so we played our own version of volleyball until the hoop was only semi-occupied and then we proceeded to play two different games of basketball with the same hoop. Another cousin, Dorian Andrés (I’m learning names!), joined us. Then Mayra fell and had to be carried home so our game ended early. Back in the house we proceeded to watch Sponge Bob (it is as ridiculous in Spanish as it is in English). After more episodes then I would have cared to watch a group of us walked to the supermarket to buy café, chocolate, marshmallows, and soap. When we returned it was time for my dinner. When I finished, Fanny invited me to her house to watch soccer with the father I hardly see, Juan, and her husband. I agreed and proceeded to watch Ecuador beat Brazil 4-2. Yay!!! Now it is really late and I’m exhausted. Tomorrow is another extremely long day. Buenos noches!

June 25, 2008 (Morning)

Sorry I didn’t write yesterday, but I was so tired that I fell right to sleep (at 8:30 to boot!). I’m beginning to suspect that these exhausting long Spanish-filled days are causing me to sleep a lot more. Thankfully, everyone here goes to bed early too so I’m not such a slug-a-bug.

So yesterday I went to Ayora for technical training. It is about a 15-20 minute bus ride. The day was really long and cold. I thought it would be as warm as Monday and I didn’t bring a heavy jacket. I paid the price. We learned a bit more common-sense stuff about safety and security, went over what CAT (community assessment tools) is, and learned a bit more about what assignments we have. It was boring and my butt ached from sitting on a hard cold bench all day.

After classes ended I returned to Cayambe and bought a towel. When I arrived back home the kids wanted to go to the park to play soccer. I went along and spent most of the time in goal with Mayra (I learned the 8-year olds name… but not how to spell it. One family member down, a lot more to go!). I was really bad at soccer; the little boys scored about a bazillion goals on us. Ah well. After the soccer game ended we returned home for dinner. I was yawning at dinner so decided not to accompany Mayra, her sister, and her mother home. Instead I went straight to bed.

Apparently, there is no school this morning and the kids are here for the day. They are very loud, but I like them. Must go to class now; no vacation for me!

June 23, 2008

What a long day! I woke up early and ate breakfast. Then I spent a few minutes talking with Mama Inés about her garden and the different plants she grows. She told me that whenever she gets upset, she spends some time in her garden and then feels better. I had plenty of time, so I stopped by a store on my way to class and bought some bizcochos, a specialty of Cayambe. They were ok, but definitely not my favorite. They are simply a small, semi-dura, piece of bread.

In the morning the four of us asked Cissa questions about phrases or words we heard, learned how to explain what the Peace Corps is, and practiced some vocabulary. Around noon we left for lunch and ate a local restaurant. Kat is a vegetarian, so she couldn’t eat the food. She got really upset and had a protein attack—whatever that is. Honesty, I think she is going to terminate. After we finished eating, we went to another restaurant for Kat where she ate frijoles y papas fritas.

Our afternoon assignment was a competition/ scavenger hunt between our group and two others from other towns. We were given a list of questions that we needed to answer by walking around the town and talking to people. For example, “What is the address of the post office and what is the schedule?” After we finished answering the questions, we had to buy certain types of strange fruits and find out where they came from. All the groups then met to share the purchased fruit and explain what it was.

After class ended I walked home (in the rain). When I arrived I read a story book with (learn kids names!!!). It was a lot of fun. She would read two pages and then I would read the others. When I didn’t know what something was or had trouble with my pronunciation, she would help me. She is 8 and I think she loved being smarter than me. I then went for a run and ran into Lauren. We then proceeded to run together for about 45 minutes. I’m adjusting to the altitude!!! When I returned the family ate dinner and then I played cards with the kids. After several rounds I actually began to understand what was going on! Just as I was beginning to get the hang of the game it was time to drive two of the children home. I accompanied them home and the eight year old quizzed me on words that begin with different letters of the alphabet. What a great teacher I have! After dropping the kids off, Marcos and I took a drive through the city talking. He is really nice and patient. I can understand him!

Anyhoo, it is only 9:30 but I am exhausted. Constantly having to converse in a foreign language is mentally exhausting. Ciao!

June 22, 2008

Today I woke up at 7:00 am and went running with two other volunteers: Lauren and Carlos. I couldn’t go as far as a wanted to because the altitude was bothering me; I got a little light headed. When we returned I quickly showered (the water was actually semi-warm!) and then went for breakfast. I actually had a filling breakfast because I managed to obtain two extra platos de huevos. Score!

Cissa, my instructor, arrived around 9:30 and Lauren, Kat, Margret, and I departed for Cayambe with her. The drive to Cayambe was gorgeous. It is really pretty in the Sierra, but I really don’t want to be placed in here. I don’t like the cold! I am praying for la Coasta.
When we arrived in Cayambe the five of us dropped our stuff off at the instructors’ place and followed Cissa around the town. We ate lunch at a greasy fast food place and then went to the market to buy shower shoes and chocolates for my family. It started to pour and we got trapped in the store for around 15 minutes. When the rain finally began to let up we returned for our belongings. Once we had all our stuff Cissa took us to each of our families.

So my family is amazing! Six people (besides me) live in this house. But Mama Inés has seven children and lots of grandchildren that are always over here. When I arrived today Mama Inés was not here but three of her daughters and three of her grandchildren gave me a warm welcome. We talked for a bit and I showed them pictures of my family. They told me a look like my mother. Then we watched the ‘Beautician and the Beast’ in Spanish and ate popcorn and tomatoes with way too much salt. When the rest of the family returned we sat around the kitchen table and drank coffee and tea and ate pan. Afterwards, the son Marcos took me, two other sisters (whose names I can’t remember) and the three kids to his sister’s house. We spent a few minutes visiting each other and playing with the baby and then we piled back into the car and Marcos drove us around the city pointing out different sites to me.

When we finally returned, I ate a small snack, paid Mama Inés, and unpacked all my stuff. I have a nice small room with a desk, a bench, a chest of drawers, and an (uncomfortably hard) bed. Anyway, yawning now. Must go to sleep. I have a long day of language classes tomorrow. Hasta mañana!