May 27, 2009

About 2 weeks ago, a good friend of mine from the States came to visit me. Unfortunately, a few days after his arrival, Peace Corps put all volunteers on standfast (not allowed to travel) because of the swine flu. Now seriously, I don’t see what the big scare is about. The actual flu has killed more people than this swine flu, AND every volunteer already has the cure (tamiflu) in his/her medical kit. So why is everyone so freaked out? Who knows.

So anyway, we spent most of his visit hanging out in my oh-so-exciting (NOT!) site. Then, last Wednesday my grounding was lifted and we decided to visit my volunteer friend Laney* in the Oriente (Jungle). We left Friday night for Cuenca and spent the night there. Then on Saturday morning, we prepared ourselves for a miserable bazillion-hour bus ride to the jungle. It is very small and extremely remote, but I fell in love with it immediately. Laney is pretty unhappy there (and with reason, it isn’t a good match for her on-the-move personality), but it was so gorgeous. Sunday morning my State-side friend returned to Cuenca and Laney and I went on a 2 ½ hour hike through the knee-deep mud to visit another PCV who has ‘gone-native.’ (Gone-native means PCVs that are so integrated in their community that they probably will never leave and, even if they do, will have a hard time fitting back into American society.) It was a difficult hike and extremely muddy, but so worth it. They scenery was just breath taking!

I left for Cuenca Monday morning. It was sad to say good-bye to my friend, knowing that I was leaving this pristine jungle and going back to my hot, dirty, smelly, banana-infested life on the other side of Ecuador. I know, I know I love my life here… but, sometimes it gets to be too much. I arrived in Cuenca in the afternoon, but unable to bare another bus ride… and the impending heat, I called another volunteer friend in Cuenca and asked if I could crash at her place. She agreed, and we spent a lovely evening chatting/gossiping and walking around the city.

All good things must come to and end, as so must my vacation. Forced to accept the inevitable, Tuesday morning I boarded a bus for home. As soon as I returned, I was pushed/pulled back into my normal volunteer life—kids visiting me every few minutes, people requesting my help, the librarian chattering to me about something, etc. I must say, it is nice. As much as I loved the jungle, this is where I belong; this is where I am needed.

*I changed her name. So sue me :p

May 10, 2009

My reading club started on Friday. It went alright. I'm afraid I was a bit too successful at publicizing my club and a few too many kids showed up than was desirable. As honored as I am at the large turnout, 45 kids (plus a crazy librarian) is a bit too much to handle by oneself. Especially, when "no talking while the teacher is talking" is not widely practiced. Nevertheless, I believe I did the best anyone could do in my situation. My hope is that the novelty of my club will go down after a month or so and I will (hopefully) be left with those who are actually interested. Cross your fingers for me!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOM!!!! I love you!

May 5, 2009

Last week, Maria, a little girl who leave catty-corner to me, stopped by my house to inform me that she was turning 10 on Friday, May 1. She also bragged that her mother was going to buy a cake for her to pass out amongst her classmates and that she was going to save a piece for me! Several days later, Maris found it prudent to remind me her birthday was coming up. In case I had forgotten.

I kept an eye out for Maria all weekend, but she never stopped by. Then, today, I saw her mother and asked her how the birthday celebrations went. Her mother informed me that they couldn't´t afford to buy a birthday cake or presents for Maria, despite the fact that Maria had already informed all her friends that she would get one. Maria spent the whole day crying.

I felt so sad for Maria, so I asked her mother if it was ok if I baked a cake with Maria for her birthday. Her mother agreed to send Maria to my house after she had finished her homework. A few hours later, Maria arrived at my doorstep. When I informed her that we were going to bake her a cake, her whole face lit up. She told me that this would be her first birthday cake EVER!!!! Together, we made (from scratch) a chocolate cake with chocolate icing, decorated with TONS of sprinkles, and topped it with a candle. It turned out beautifully, if I do say so myself! I must say, it was pretty rewarding. Sometimes I don't always feel like I am making much of a difference, or if what I do even matters. But today I gave a little girl her first birthday cake. That must count for something!

May 1, 2009

The election finally ended. The thousands of posters disappeared overnight, people stopped shouting propaganda from bullhorns, and the money magically appeared to pay the government employee's long overdue salaries, plus a little extra for the hardship of going 2 months without pay. I even managed to get someone to finally fix the internet connection at the library. After 2 months of begging the Municipio to send someone, they finally complied. And the problem? One wire was in the wrong place. It took all of 2 minutes to fix. GRRRR!!!!

I finally met my counterpart. He seems like a nice enough guy. I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt and convinced myself that he didn't know about the meeting his boss set up with me. I figure nagging him about being stood up would be fruitless. I am in Ecuador, after all, and not showing up is a normal occurrence. So this week I have been introducing him to many INFA families around my site. I think he will do a pretty good job.

I am not sure why, but INFA has not yet given the families the scholarships that allow their children to go to school. Since school opened back up in April, the families have had to purchase the books, uniforms, shoes, pencils, etc. with money that they do not have. They badly need to be reimbursed, but have to wait till the end of May. Why INFA would inflict such hardship on their families is beyond me. Some of the stories I've heard are truly heartbreaking. Seriously, what difference can I truly make in the face of such extreme poverty?