September 28, 2008

Life is going well in Ecuador. I have been keeping very busy with my counterpart and each day we are becoming better friends. On Wednesday one of the new volunteers had the house to herself so she invited all the volunteers in the area to her place for a dinner of American-styled food and hummus! She invited her counterpart, so I invited mine to come along and we spent a very bilingual night gossiping, laughing, and stuffing our faces with delicious food.

On Thursday I checked my mail in Machala for the first time and my mother had sent me another of her amazing packages and Peace Corps had sent me two more manuals and several month old Newsweeks. I raced straight home to try out the things my mother sent me and read my Newsweeks. It was really wonderful and I couldn’t stop smiling. Sometimes I feel so isolated, different, and cut off from everyone. It is so nice to receive news from the United States and little care packages to remind me I am loved. It made my week!

On Friday, there was a meeting for parents (or rather mothers) of the children who receive scholarships in my site. They were very nice people, but it was hard to see the high rate of illiteracy. My heart broke for their children who are at such a disadvantage. How many times did my parents help me with my studies when I was growing up? How many times did they read to me so that I might learn to enjoy books? These children will never have that.

The Municipal had a town meeting on Friday night to discuss the free piano classes that the library is offering. It was scheduled for 8:00 pm (meaning it would start around 9:00) and I was horrified when I learned the time. On a Friday night! Most Friday nights my family hangs out at the nearby university and I really enjoy going because I get to see people my own age who probably don’t have at least 3 kids. I had so been looking forward to going! My counterpart was equally unhappy and we spent some time conspiring about how to get out of going. I decided that I really should go (I received an official invitation and everything), but I could fill her in on what happened. In the end, it wasn’t so bad and I got to meet all the town leaders. Afterwards, I went with one of the mother’s to watch the youth dance class. They are really getting good!

Today is a big day in Ecuador. They are voting on a new Constitution. They say it will pass. Although I have to be careful not to express my political opinion, I have been enjoying listening to other people’s opinions.

Must go now, my counterpart is going to pick me up and we are going to make sugar cookies with the awesome (my mother was offended with the word ridiculous… although it is ridiculous… ridiculously awesome!) cookie mold she sent me. This afternoon we are showing a movie to youth in my site about teen pregnancy and I thought that they should try some fresh baked cookies. Hasta luego!

September 23, 2008

These last few days have been very eventful. On Sunday I invited my host brother and sister to the circus that was in town. I have never been to a circus and I wanted to see what it was like. We didn’t know what time it was so we decided to just go and if we needed to wait we could wander around the shopping center which was next door. When we arrived the first show was scheduled to start in 1 l/2 hours, so we went to the arcade and hung out there. When we returned for the show, there was a huge line and the show we wanted to see was sold out. It was disappointing, but there were also a lot of fair rides, so we weren’t sad for too long. I bought some tickets and we checked out the haunted house, bumper cars, and this ride that goes round and round in circles till you get sick. My host sister was scared of the last ride, so we sang the song ‘10 Little Monkeys Jumping in the Bed’ which I had taught her to keep her mind of the ride. When we were done checking out the fair rides, we returned to the shopping for a quick snack and I bought a huge ball to play with.

I spent Monday hanging out with my counterpart and we continued to visit families in my community. I went running in the afternoon and the little boy next door came with me. He was pretty fast for 10 and kept up with me the whole time! In the evening I met one of the youths that I had befriended during my site visit and he informed me that he and his friends were still dancing and I agreed to check it out. They were learning a new dance to Rihanna’s song ‘Please Don’t Stop the Music.’ I couldn’t help laughing whenever the instructor tried to sing/mumble the words. No one else saw the humor.

Today I ran again with the same little boy, only this time he brought a friend. I am well on my way to starting up a running club! I then talked to the principal of one of the schools and asked if I could sit in on a class next week. He said absolutely. Yay! In the afternoon we had Adventura de la Vida. It was fun, but I did have a really embarrassing moment. We were playing on the teeter-totter when I fell over backwards. My legs went flying over my head as I crashed to the ground and I had the unfortunate luck to be wearing I skirt. I flashed everyone! All the little kids weren’t sure whether to laugh or be concerned. One of the other volunteers, however, was there and she had no qualms whatsoever about pointing and laughing at me. It was absolutely hilarious and I quickly joined in, followed by a chorus of laughter from the children. I am sure it won’t take long before half of my site knows about my little fall.

September 20, 2008

Today I was sitting in a park in Machala when I saw the park security guard patrolling in a tight mini skirt and 3 inch heels.

Am I the only one who finds this strange?

September 19, 2008

Yesterday was a very… umm, interesting day. The night before Jess invited me and Christy to go with her to the beach. She said that her host mother (who works for INNFA) and the other INNFA employees for her site were going to give a charla at a school on the beach. We all figured that we would hang out on the beach while they gave the charla and then return in the afternoon. That wasn’t what happened.
Par Jess’s instructions, I was at her site by a quarter to 7:00. She told me that her host mother wanted to leave by 7:00. Well, I forgot to take into account Ecuadorian time and we ended up leaving around 7:40. No big deal.

When we arrived at the beach, we were then told that we had to take a boat to the school were the charla was to be given. Since there were only so many lifejackets, the three of us were told that we didn’t need them because we knew how to swim. Fine. Then when the boat to take us arrived, the captain was wearing a bulletproof vest and there was a huge gun in the boat with us. We found this more amusing than troublesome. Chrissy insisted on taking pictures.

Once we got to the island, the beach smelt of cat food and was full of garbage. The three of us figured we had been misled and that the beach idea was never really going to happen. Since it was also cloudy out we decided it wasn’t too much of a loss and began to look forward to listening to the charla.

The ‘school’ was your typical one room classroom with this HUGE black dog that kept wandering into the room and the children spent half their time trying to lead the dog out. Once I discovered that the dog was harmless and was raised around young children, I relaxed and found the dog amusing.

The three INNFA people then began their charla and to my amazement, they didn’t even introduce us. This is when I began to realize that the three of us were only being tolerated and not there to help out/participate. The rest of the day kinda followed with them reluctantly allowing us to tag along and never really speaking to us and us speaking/complaining in English the whole time. They didn’t make us feel welcome, and we weren’t exactly grateful guests. In hindsight, I think both groups acted less than perfect. I really missed my counterpart Guadalupe.

We did get to go to the beach for awhile after the charla the sun actually came out. But after an hour, INNFA decided that it was time to go and we went to catch a boat back. Shockingly, boats weren’t lined up at this very tiny/poor/remote village eager to take us back to civilization! We were informed that the next boat wouldn’t show until 5:00 pm. Our INNFA hosts, in their infinite wisdom, decided we would walk back, convinced it would only take 30 minutes (even though it was a 20 min boat ride). So we walked. It was a pleasant walk along the beach and for awhile, quite enjoyable. We then reached a sort of crossroads where we could cross a small, shallow, but slightly slippery pool of water to continue walking along the water, or continue on the same path and walk through the mangroves. I chose the former and continued walking along the water, but everyone else thought that the pool was slippery and continued straight. As a result, I continued the pleasant walk along the water’s edge, while the rest of the group was knee deep in mud and muck! I got so far out ahead of them that I had to stop and wait for about 45 minutes while they tried to find another place to cross over. When they finally showed up, we continued walking for about another 10 minutes when we realized that the tide had come up so far at one point that we could not possibly cross and were stranded. The INNFA people had to call the coast guard to rescue us while we waited in the middle of nowhere as it the slowly tide rose. Eventually we were rescued and brought back to civilization! Chrissy and I both swore that we would never go anywhere with Jess’s family or that INNFA group again.

September 17, 2008

On Monday Guadalupe and I visited mothers of some of the children that receive INNFA scholarships and live one the outskirts of La Misma. After Guadalupe finished with her questions I would interview them as part of one of my Peace Corps assignments. The houses are so isolated that the children only go to school once a week on Saturday or Sunday. In the afternoon, we met with the mother of two of children in our Adventura de la Vida program. She was a pretty horrible person and I really wanted to shake some sense into her. Her boy is 12 years old and can’t read and is failing school, but she couldn’t have cared less. She really doesn’t even want him to go to school. Instead, she wants him to work in the banana plantations. 12 years old! Her other child is pretty mentally challenged and the men around their house have been sexually abusing him. She is not inclined to stop them and the only reason I know is because the 12-year old told us. Guadalupe tried to help the 12-year old, but she can only do so much, especially when she doesn’t have the mother’s support. It was a pretty frustrating afternoon.

In the evening, Michelle, Dario, their cousin who has been visiting with us the past few days and I had an impromptu dance party with me doing all the ridiculous moves that I could think of and them copying me. It was so much fun, but I couldn’t help thinking about our Shibumi dance parties in Chapel Hill.

Tuesday morning I went with the librarian to the water plant because she wanted to show me it. It was pretty interesting to see and the guy in charge gave us a private tour. While we were walking I asked the librarian if I could give and art class/workshop at the library and she said absolutely. I want to start planning some kind of 4 week class and maybe aim to have it in November. I would like to have some overarching theme that teaches the children something. Perhaps a theme like ‘Why I am Special/Unique’ or I could incorporate stories from the library. Any ideas?

In the afternoon I helped Guadalupe out with Adventura de la Vida and afterwards I went to Machala for an aerobics class. It was pretty fun, but simple. I think I’ll stick to running as soon as my leg gets better (I think I have a shin splint and it hurts to run… though I still continue to run on it). When I got back, Michelle wanted to bake cookies like I had promised. I broke out the ridiculous cookie presser my mother sent me along with sprinkles and these edible markers and we made sugar cookies. I had (in all seriousness) informed Michelle that the first step to good cookies was music and an encore impromptu dance party broke out while the cookies baked. The cookies were quite scrumptious!

September 14, 2008

The past several days have been very eventful. On Thursday and Friday Guadalupe, Byran, another person from INNFA whose name I don’t know, a bunch of youth and children in the neighborhood, and I started to fix up an abandoned park. We spent Thursday getting rid of the weeds and all of the branches that the gardeners had cut down. It was a lot of work and exhausting. Friday morning we continued the hard work of weeding. We never got all the weeds (there was so much), but we did make it possible to plant. I wish that we really could have done it properly—turned the earth, added nutrients, removed all the weeds, etc. Unfortunately, we lack the resources to do the job right. Oh well. I think I am the only one who sees what we really could do with the park.


Friday afternoon a group of children helped us plant all the flowers. Then Guadalupe broke out some paint and paintbrushes and we painted stones and placed them in circles around the flowers. Paint eventually got everywhere and on everything as it has a tendency to do when you combine paint and lots of wild children. Someone got the idea to try to control the chaos and we set them to the task of decorating the park with handprints.

In the evening I was very exhausted, but my family wanted to go to the University for dinner as I assume they do every Friday (based on the fact that we went the past two Fridays in a row). We eventually broke out a deck of cards and I taught the father how to play Cheat and Janitor. He was delightfully bad at the game and quite indignant when he lost. Michelle and I almost died from laughter and I quickly forgot my exhaustion. The mother then (not so subtly) introduced me one of the students who is helping Dario in math. He wasn’t too bad and I my family owes him (and I owe them) so I agreed to help him in his English. We’ll see what comes of it. Everyone here wants to learn English but no one wants to actually speak to me in English. Hey, I speak in Spanish and I know I sound ridiculous.

Yesterday was Guadalupe’s mother’s birthday and the family invited me to their place for lunch. I showed them how to bake a cake. We made a pineapple upside-down cake but couldn’t flip it upside down. It was still really yummy and everyone ate more than their fair share. After lunch, they invited me to go with them to visit a friend of the mother’s. Not able to get home without a ride and figuring we were only going to visit someone nearby for and hour or so, I agreed to go. Little did I know that we were going to visit a family in Machala and would be there for several hours. When we finally left I was about ready to drop dead from exhaustion, but Guadalupe wanted to take me to the boardwalk because I have never seen it. Frustrated, I texted a friend that I was being Ecua-kidnapped!! I finally got home around 9 pm. I thought I was going for lunch and ended up spending 11 hours with them. They were very nice and I know they were trying to show me a good time, but it was so much Spanish and I was still tired from the day before. When I got home, the family invited me to go to a birthday party with them. I could only shake my head wearily and collapse into bed.

September 10, 2008

Yesterday I spent the morning with Guadalupe and Edison (her boss and the brother of my host dad). They interviewed the mother’s of the children who receive scholarships from INNFA and once they finished, I interviewed them for one of my Peace Corps assignments. In the afternoon, Guadalupe and I ran Adventura de la Vida. This session was on the importance of vaccinations (they prevent diseases/ keep us healthy). I didn’t actually do much except teach the children some doodles. In my defense, however, they were very cute doodles.

In the evening, I broke out a deck of cards and taught Dario and Michelle (my host brother and sister) Cheat, Janitor, and my version of Rummy. They, in turn, taught me Casino and their version of Rummy. Their favorite game was Janitor which we translated to conserje. It was a lot of fun and I discovered that ‘In your face’ translates to Spanish.

September 8, 2008

25 Things I Love About La Misma

1. I am the only gringa
2. People love taking photos of me when they think I’m not looking, it is like I’m some strange creature
3. It is really close to Machala
4. It is even closer to el shopping (and all the American products)
5. Everyone thinks it is cold when it is 75˚F
6. Things are really cheap
7. The fruits and vegetables are especially cheap
8. There are a bazillion more fruits here than in the States
9. It is safe/tranquilo
10. There is Internet
11. People know me already!
12. I am a replacement volunteer so I don’t have to explain the hole Cuerpo de Paz/Peace Corps dealio
13. My family (I really like them now, even the dad. Somehow he and I have invented our own language of gestures and strange looks. We make each other laugh)
14. There are random dancing festivals or bingo games in the street at least once a week.
15. It is not hilly
16. It is close to the beach
17. They listen to reggaeton and not bad Cayambe-type music
18. They are very open people
19. My counterpart is very motivated
20. The smell of the banana trees when it is wet and humid (not to be confused with the smell of rotten bananas)
21. The fact that I take cold showers every day and it doesn’t bother me
22. There is a lot of work to be done
23. Everyone says they want to learn English, but nobody speaks it
24. The fact that I can swear and can talk about people in front of them and no one understands what I am saying
25. The fact that at least once a day I have to look around me and wonder how in the world I got here!

September 7, 2008

My ipod died today. I am in deep and profound morning.

Oh, and the ants here bite. It hurts!!!

September 6, 2008

What a great day!

First yesterday: being my free day I spent the morning reading and chill—axing. I spent some time working on the site locator form that I have to fill out for the Peace Corps (more safety stuff). When I become bored of being lazy, I went out for a long run. It was great and I managed to go for a very long time. Only problem was that it was mid-day and suddenly went from cloudy and overcast to extremely hot. By the time I got back to the house I was pretty overheated.
Once I cooled down I took a bus to the shopping center (el shopping) and tried out the free wifi. I was hoping to be able to load pictures but the connection was very slow and frustrating. After a few hours, Jess and Chrissy stopped by and we went to the supermarket there. It was great! Just like a grocery store in the States with a ton of American food. I won’t lie; I got a little teary-eyed and homesick.

In the evening, my family took me to the nearby university to show me where they work. They have a little concession stand and sell gum, cigarettes, paper, drinks, snacks, etc. It was fun to hang out there and see people around my age. It is so hard to tell peoples age around here. Most people my age are married and have several kids and that can really age someone fast.
Today I had several skype dates, but when I went to the internet café, they informed that the internet wasn’t functioning. I then tried several other places in town and they weren’t open. Finally, I found one café with slow internet. It was frustrating, but I have to remember that I am in a developing country.

I was supposed to meet Guadalupe to paint signs for the park we are fixing up with the youth, but as I arrived she sent me a text saying to meet in the afternoon. I then decided to sit in the central park passed several pleasant hours reading.

In the afternoon, Guadalupe, several youth, and I painted boards of wood with messages like “Care for the flowers” and “Don’t throw trash on the ground.” Once we finished I decided to go for a run. I wasn’t feeling very motivated and didn’t think I would go very far. Near what I thought would be the end, however, I got I second wind and ended up running for 1 hour 20 minutes, my longest time yet. I was very proud of myself!

Around dinnertime, I went out to buy some food and stopped buy to visit with two older ladies in the community. They are always out selling yummy empanadas and give me some for free! We were talking and the invited me for dinner the next day. My first dinner invite!!

After I ate the family took me to a party in the next town. It was the father’s brother’s birthday so it was a big family shindig. It was soooo much fun!!! Probably the best time yet here in Ecuador. They placed music and we danced and drank all night. Not to brag, but I was the life of the party! They thought I was hilarious with my American dance moves. I’m pretty good and copying people so someone would do a dance move and I would try to copy it and they would all scream with laughter. One of our PC trainers once said that part of our job as Peace Corps volunteers is to serve as a source of amusement for the host country nationals. I certainly fulfilled that part of my duty tonight!.

September 5, 2008

The past few days have been very busy. On Wednesday I helped Guadalupe compile data of all the children that are receiving scholarships to go to school here in La Misma. It was boring, but since I am familiar with the Microsoft programs, I was actually able to be of some real help to her, regardless of the language barriers. Then in the evening, it was another volunteer’s birthday and we all went out to a bar to celebrate. She had really gone all out and bought party favors, balloons, snacks, and a cake. She was the life of the party and we all had a great time.

On Thursday I spent the morning with Guadalupe trying to help her tutor neighborhood children. For some reason she had me helping them with language and since my Spanish isn’t perfect I lost all credibility and the children ignored my advice the few times I knew what I was talking about.

After tutoring, I insisted to Guadalupe that I had to go to Machala and buy a few things. She agreed and off I went. Finally I was able to get the pillow I have been dreaming about for a very long time! The next thing on my list: a fan. It gets very hot in my room under my mosquito net. (I find it somewhat ironic that when I was a little girl I always wanted one of those big princess-like canopies to go over my bed. I thought it would be very cool! Now I have a bright pink canopy over me for protection from the malaria-infested mosquitoes. Unfortunately, however, it is quite stifling and I’m beginning to resent the canopy I once wished for.)

Anyhoo, once my shopping was completed, I returned to La Misma and Guadalupe and I continued doing my database work on the computer. I was about to fall over from boredom, especially since it lasted so long that I was unable to go for a run. Fortunately, she did allow me to have today to myself so I inwardly forgave her.
In spent the evening reading (I’m currently reading The Boleyn Inheritance. I highly recommend it) and chatting more with Dario and Michelle. I brought out my PC Spanish book and showed them my list of common Coastal Ecuadorian words. We went through the list and they told me which words were vulgar and which words they had never heard of. I know I complained a lot about this family (especially the father) but in reality the mother and kids are very sweet and I hardly ever see the father now that he has a job. Plus, they have the sweetest dog that they treat well and that doesn’t live on the roof!

I keep going back and forth about whether or not to get a dog. I really want one because it can keep me safe when I am home alone and it can be my family. Also, if I get one I will definitely bring it back to the states. The problem, however, is that I really want to continue traveling after my stint in Peace Corps. I’m not done seeing the world!! Advice?

September 2, 2008

Today was my third day in La Misma. Yesterday I met up with Guadalupe and we planned out what we are going to do this month. Oh my goodness!!! She has us doing things that I didn’t think I would be doing for months. She wants us to give sex-ed charalas, build wooden trash bins with the youth, and fix up the abandoned playground. I’m really excited about her. I think she is a great counterpart. I just hope that my Spanish gets better quickly so I can actually start really participating in the activities she has us doing instead of silently helping.

After Guadalupe and I planned out our month, I accompanied her as she visited one of the schools. I met a few of the teachers and soon enough I had about ten kids hanging off me. Then one of the teachers asked me if I had parents. I thought that was kind of a strange question. Of course I have parents! I couldn’t help but wonder if she was simply trying to inquire about my family or if she really wondered if I had lost my family. Why else would a single white female leave her country and everything she knows (especially the language) to move to a foreign country.

In the afternoon I went to Machala to buy a few necessities: grapefruit, tape, a watch, and washcloths. I strange list, I know. I would have bought more, but I ran out of money. It was fun to wander around the markets. Next trip: a fan and a pillow.
Back in La Misma, I enjoyed a light dinner of grapefruit and yogurt. More curious looks from the family, but we are starting to get used to each other. Eventually I will start having to eat more substantial foods, but for right now I’m enjoying my low-carb diet. I think I deserve it after eating bread, rice, potatoes, and fried foods for three months.

After I finished eating, the mother (must learn her name) left for work. Apparently, she has a little store at the nearby university where she sells snacks to hungry students. Dario, Michelle, I bonded while she was gone. Somehow we ended up on my bed talking about lots of random stuff. They really are good kids.

Today I spent another day with Guadalupe. In the morning she introduced me to Byron who will apparently be my second counterpart. He kinda pissed me off with he asked me why American girls wear loose clothing and don’t dress sexy. I had a bunch of smart-aleck answers running through my head—all in English. Since there are no tourists in Machala, I realized he was basing his observations on the female Peace Corps volunteers. Of course we don’t want to dress sexy and walk around in 100˚F weather in tight clothing! I settled with explaining to him that we prefer comfortable clothes and don’t want men staring at us. One day, however, I will ask him why all the Ecuadorian men don’t dress sexy… or some other comparable underlying insult.

In the afternoon I aided Guadalupe with her after-school Adventura de la Vida program. We made first-aid kits. It was fun, but I was really exhausted and it was HOT!! And this is their ‘winter!’ I beginning to think I got more that I was asking for when I wanted someone hot. At one point I was about ready to crawl into the corner and take a nap. I was sooo glad when it was time to go. I’m going to need to start scheduling naps into Guadalupe’s and my busy schedule.

August 31, 2008

I am finally a volunteer!!! YAYAYAY!!!! On Friday morning all the trainees and I woke up really early and got dressed up for the swearing in ceremony. After weeks and weeks of not caring about the way I looked, it felt nice to get put some effort into my appearance. I blow-dried and curled my hair for the first time in who knows how long. It was really exciting!

Once we were ready and looking good, we all hoped in PC vans and went to the US Ambassador’s house for the ceremony. The Ambassador swore us in and then we were presented with certificates. Then two volunteers gave very nice speeches and another recited a poem. Overall, it was a lovely ceremony.

Afterwards we had a reception of… BAGELS!!!! (Bagels are hard to find in Ecuador and really expensive and it was a special treat.) We all took lots of photos and I had a chance to chat a bit with the ambassador. She was really nice and had only arrived in Ecuador a few weeks ago, so we all were new to the country.

Once the reception ended, all of us newly sworn in volunteers returned to the hostel in order to change for the picnic put on by the VAC (Volunteer Advisory Committee). The picnic was very pleasant and it was nice to meet other volunteers. A lot of volunteers came to check out the new blood.

That evening we had the traditional unofficial PC blow-out celebratory party. Basically, it was $11 to get in and then it was an open bar. After behaving myself throughout training, I was dying to let loose… and I did. A bit too much. The following morning was not fun. Oh well, I had a blast and it’s not like I’ll have the opportunity to get that wild for a very long time.

Saturday was basically spent recovering, packing, relaxing/watching TV, and saying goodbye to all the volunteers. Then I left that evening for… La Misma!!!!

I arrived in la Misma this morning after an uncomfortable and long bus ride. The first thing I had to do was move all the stuff out of the former volunteer’s old apartment. After a lot of back-and-forth, the landlady would not hold the apartment for me and I decided that I didn’t want to have a landlady that inflexible. Thankfully, the other volunteer had arranged for her (now ex) boyfriend, Hamilton, to help me move the stuff and store it at his house. He was very nice to agree, especially since he is extremely busy/stressed with work and his thesis. Sound familiar? I could definitely relate and thanked him numerous times.

After we moved everything, we hung out at his place and he showed me what cocoa looks like and how it is harvested and prepared to be sold to make chocolate. As a chocoholic, I found it very interesting. I then helped him do the nasty chore of taking out the seeds from the rotten plants. Now that really made me appreciate how much work goes into my all those chocolate bars I eat.

Hamilton drove me back to La Misma in the afternoon and I spent several hours trying to track down the landlady to give her the apartment keys and get the deposit. Finally, I located her and—thank goodness—she gave me the deposit with very little hassle. I had prepared myself to go into battle with her for nothing!

Giddy with success, I then went for a run. Oh my goodness! Running at sea level was amazing!!! After running at an altitude of about a bazillion feet (I don’t exaggerate… much), I felt like I could go on and on forever. And I almost did! Only the approaching darkness brought me back.

To top off a wonderful day I made my own dinner consisting of cauliflower and goat(?) cheese. My host family thought I was crazy, but I was in heaven. I’m sick and tired of not having control what I put into my body. No more rice for this gringita!!!