Tabuga - Take Two

After a few months in the sierra working as Co-trainer for the Peace Corps, I was worried I wouldn't be able to re-adjust to my life in Tabuga. As it turns out, it didn't feel like readjusting at all, it felt like coming home.

While I was in the sierra my host father along with his two brothers built me a house to live in for the remainder of my time as a Volunteer. I left them a rough sketch of a basic floor plan and 3 pounds of nails. I came back to a bamboo dream house, raised up about a meter with a little balcony and a roof made from palm leaves. There is a bedroom, a kitchen kind of area and a living room. The one part of the house that I truly designed was the window between the bedroom and the living room where I have placed my DVD player and TV. That way it rotates between the bed and the living room area where kids can often be found coloring and requesting cartoon movies like my current favorite – Kung Fu Panda. The house has the energy of a tree house mixed with modernity.

One of the high lights from these last few months was Alex and Katie's visit. It was so fun to have Alex here again and to show Katie where I have been living the last two years. For those of you who don't know Katie she is like family and has grown up with us as my little sister and my brother's best friend. She recently spent a semester abroad in Spain. It was really amazing that Alex, Katie and I all now speak Spanish and were hanging out in Tabuga together. Alex's return to Tabuga was hugely anticipated by our neighbors and to honor his return we had a big grill out at my house. His god daughter's mother and some other neighbors helped us cook, his god daughter brought over music and we had all the little neighborhood kids and random people jamming out and eating delicious mixed rice and fish on the grill. Besides a short trip to Canoa and time in Quito we really just relaxed and hung out in Tabuga, walked in the reserve and hung out at the private Tabuga beach. I and our neighbors were really touched that Alex returned to Tabuga and all of the teenagers fell in love with Katie.

The two main reasons for my extension as Volunteer are to build a green house with the high school and create a smooth transition for the Health Volunteer that will be replacing me. The green house is crawling a long which is normal here. The big hold up right now is getting the bamboo for the structure. The bamboo exists, it's been designated as Tabuga High School green house bamboo but, unfortunately, the phase of the moon isn't yet right to cut the bamboo. So, we must be patient.

The new volunteer comes to Tabuga next week for a visit. The visit is to prepare the volunteer for their next two years by introducing them to community contacts, possible collaborators and more than anything, to get them over that initial shock of looking at a new place and telling yourself – I am going to live here for two years.

My final date of service is August 18th, 2009. That date is approaching ever too quickly and Tabuga – take two has been incredibly fun. Now that I don't teach classes in the school I have had time to do things in the community that I wanted to do, work at the EcoCenter and mainly at my own house. AJ and I built a composting toilet along with Paul, Jason, Max and help from the neighbors as well as a shower with a fun little mosaic. Both our shower and our kitchen sink drain into banana circles. Banana circles are a way to filter and use waste water that contains shampoos and soaps but not heavy cleaning products. All of the water along with agricultural organic waste go into the middle of the circle and four banana trees are planted around them. As the organic waste decomposes it releases nutrients into the soil with the waste water and the banana trees happily soak it up producing lush fruits. This is a classic permaculture design and way too easy not to do here in the tropics. The next step is the garden that we are starting this week.

But wait... why would anyone start a garden when they only have a month left in a place. That seems silly, illogical, crazy even.

Well, considering Tabuga – take two has gone so incredibly well, I have decided to keep on keep'in on with Tabuga – take three. Two weeks ago I accepted a job as Project Coordinator for the Ceiba Foundation. The Ceiba Foundation manages the Lalo Loor Reserve where I have worked the last two years. This position puts in me in charge of continuing and solidifying projects that I helped Ceiba start during my Peace Corps service. AJ has also decided to stick around for Tabuga – take three and we will be continuing our simple life in our dreamy bamboo hut. So, for those of you that have been reading my blog and following Tabuga – take one and take two. I hope you stick around for take three.

Another big highlight came into our lives while Alex and Katie were visiting. His name is Gito and he is a smart, playful mutt that AJ and I have since adopted as our own. His name came from the term Gringito. My house is known as the Casa de Gringos and when we arrived with a brand new WHITE puppy, the little neighbors started calling him gringito. So, Gito stuck and he stuck with us. Before I forget, there was another huge highlight. When my brother came down to Ecuador this second time he brought 30 children´s books in Spanish that my mom had sent down with him. I went to the Tabuga School and donated these books and the children immediately took to them and started to read them. Even the teachers were enchanted by the playful words of some amazing stories like THE BFG and THE TWITS. Books are such an amazing gift to give and the kids in Tabuga have yet again been blessed by kindness. I think one of the most beautiful parts of my service has been the exchange between the Beaver Meadow kids and Tabuga and I hope that we continue these efforts. The lack of resources provided to kids at school is really sad and the best we can do is help out little by little.

I am assuming Tabuga – take three will be even more interesting as I wont be living under Peace Corps strict rules and regulations and will have not only my best buddy Jason here with me but my bamboo dream house live in boyfriend here too.

Check out AJ's blog for some awesome pictures of everything that has been happening the last few months.

http://www.ecuawindow.blogspot.com/

Tabuga Life!

Life back in Tabuga is absolutely fabulous! Saturday night, after my house was officially Peace Corps approved, we had a party to inaguarate my new house! It was a blast and an awesome mix of Tabuga neighbors, reserve volunteers, other foreigners and AJ, Jason and I. We had food, an old Tabuga guitarist and jello shots. Check AJs blog www.ecuawindow.blogspot.com for more pictures and for now I leave you with these:

The Hostest with the MostestSunset at Tabuga Beach

The Crater is the Climax

Just start blogging... it's 7:30 am.... The last few weeks of my life has been a whirlwind of work, people, climates, parties and challenges. It's hard to know where to start. I guess the climax should be the summit of Cotopaxi so I'll start in an airport.

After 6.5 months apart AJ arrived to Quito in the middle of the day last Monday. It was just as exciting and nerve-racking as anticipated. More than anything it was refreshing to see how handsome he is without a crazy leprechaun beard and una-bomber shaved head.
I had spent the previous week, my first back in Tabuga, working from the moment I got here. Joe and Catherine from the Ceiba Foundation were here on the coast and when they are around things happen. I arrived to site on a Friday and went straight to the reserve. 5 University of Wisconsin students were working on their final projects for the semester abroad in Ecuador. I ended up helping out on some really nice projects and exhibits for the Eco-Center – which as you may recall was my little baby since its inauguration in June, 2008. We collected a bunch of plants for our botanical garden and had some really great meetings to plan the work plan for the reserve which included my role for the next 4 months. Time with Joe and Catherine always include fun stuff too! I went to Catherine's birthday party on the beach – her third birthday since I've been in Tabuga. We also went up to their new land and drank some wine before heading to Punta Prieta for an amazing dinner. Akul (now a returned-PCV) and Gina had stopped through Tabuga and were here to hang out. It was great to introduce them to my counterparts and show them Punta Prieta. P. Prieta is a series of guest houses on a point overlooking the beach. The owner is an artist from Quito. Prieta literally means dark and the place sits on the only point in northern Manabi where you can build because normally the cliffs are to soft and crumbly. We had delicious prawns for dinner with wine and before heading home hung out at the bar watching the waves crash into the beach below.

My buddy Jason is living in my old room so I spent the week back in my old room staying with him. It's amazing how my experience here has made sharing a small space, towel and bed with a friend seem normal (we can all reflect back on my brother's extended stay!). My host dad built me a house in Tabuga. It's a traditional bamboo house with palm leaf roof. It's beautiful. I bought nails, some plastic and a kitchen sink... total about $70. He used wood he had laying around from his old house for the frame and the floor. The bamboo was from his land and from his family's land, same with the palm leaves. My dad and his two brothers worked on the house little by little while I was living in the Sierra. To be honest, I didn't believe it would be finished by the time I got back to Tabuga. But here I am... in my perfect, full of good energy 'tree house'. My host mom cried as I slowly moved my things from the old room to the new house. This seemed silly considering I am literally 500 ft from the old house.. but she feels like I am here daughter, growing up and moving out. As silly as it is, it is really touching.

I spent the weekend 'installing' electricity and water and getting the house approved by the Peace Corps. Then with Jason, Akul and Gina I blessed the house in the traditional Bolivian style. I agressively broke a bottle of Caña Manabita... a local pure sugar cane alcohol. Then I headed on an over night bus to Quito. Then AJ was here. I hadn't had time to process the previous week or the fact that AJ was about to be here but, I think this was better. We spent the next two days catching up on 6+ months apart and meet a bunch of my friends in Quito. Then we headed to Latacunga...

My PCV friend John lives in Latacunga and came in right after me as a Youth and Families volunteer. He is a hoot, great person and was our connection to the agency we used for our expedition. We went to the office Wednesday evening to confirm our trip and get fitted to boots and gear. For just $150 the agency provides all necessary gear (including ice ax and crampons), e-snacks, e-sleeping bag, back pack, transportation and a guide. Jason, AJ, John and I made a dank carbo-loaded pasta dinner and went to bed early. The next morning Jason, AJ and I headed to the agency at 10 am to gear up for our trip. An Italian lady, Michaela, joined our group because the agency said it's better to have two tourists per guide. From here we drove up the Panamerican to the entrance of Cotopaxi. The mountain was completely covered by clouds which I found refreshing because the volcano is dominate and intimidating. AJ had posted a picture of the volcano on his blog the day before and upon seeing it both Jason and I came close to fainting.

The access road through Parque Nacional Cotopaxi winds through a horrid example of environmental destruction in Ecuador – a pine tree plantation that has replaced the lush, water retaining paramo of the sierra. Then the road passes through a beautiful shallow lake and turns up towards the volcano or the beast. A sliver of the glacier exposed itself during the drive up and I went crazy taking pictures because I knew Cotopaxi can often be too foggy and cloud covered to get good pictures. I thought a lot about the Geology course I took at Duke my senior year that included a trip to Yellowstone and a day digging up fossils in Wyoming. I bet my professor would be psyched to see the exposed layers of rock during the drive. The volcanic rocks layered between ash falls of the past. Cotopaxi is the second tallest active volcano in the world at a little under 20,000 feet. It is predicted to erupt again sometime in 2017...ish. As we passed all the chunks of rock I wished that I had retained more from that course.

From the parking lot it is another 1.5 hour walk up loose volcanic rock to the base camp that rests under the volcano at 15,000 feet. The guides, Diego and Joaquin, mentioned that this would be like a little test to see how well we could handle the altitude. Diego kept having to tell me to slow down, he threatened me with ideas of massive headaches and vomiting. I slowed the best I could but from the first trek on, I found that one of the hardest things for me is to keep the slow pace. AJ raced up in front of us. His winter in the high mountains of Alma, CO and his crazing running in the freezing cold had totally prepared him for this adventure. I think my time living in Cayambe during training prepared me enough to feel good and Jason, he's just a trooper. He has never lived above sea level except for during our PC training in February, 2007. We were feeling good up at the lodge. I definitely got chills when the summit of Cotopaxi exposed itself in the late afternoon, looming above us, shining in the low light right at dusk.

After practicing how to fall properly with the ice ax so that it holds you to the mountain and not impales you we had a carbo-loaded dinner and headed to bed around 6pm. I seemed to be the only person that got any sleep. Michaela, our Italian companion, had a head ache and I believe AJ claimed he and Jason slept 23 minutes combined*. The plan was for Jason, Michaela and I to head out at midnight with Joaquin. AJ was to head out at 1 am with Diego. This was based on AJ's run up the mountain on the earlier part of the trip and the assumption that they would eventually catch up to us. At 11pm I lay awake listening to the winds whipping around the building. I imagined a clear sky wiped clean by the clouds and I shivered with fear of the wind. But, I was ready to go. Jason, AJ and I were awake, stealing e-snacks and tea and ready to tackle the mountain. Then, the guides informed us that the wind was too strong, change of plans. We'd all be leaving at 1am together. This proved to be problematic for Jason.

The guides put out a nice breakfast but I had no appetite. It was like eating too close to game time. I simply craved a Rice Krispie treat like the good old days of CHS lax. After were all bundled up with multiple layers and equipment I had never used we began the first 30 minutes stretch of the climb. This was in loose volcanic gravel stuff that was like walking in sand uphill. This took us to the edge of the glacier where we put on our crampons and were to get harnessed together. The new plan was that Diego would go with AJ and I and Joaquin with Jason and Michaela. We would all walk together for the first two hours and see if changes needed to be made. Example: I can't keep up with AJ and need to switch with Jason, or Michaela needed to turn around and the three of us can continue. Well, AJ's crampons were f-ed and Jason and Michaela took off with Joaquin ahead of us. It was a good 5 minutes before AJ was ready to head up the glacier. With Diego in the lead, me in the middle and AJ bringing up the rear we quickly started zig-zagging up the mountain. We were the last group to leave and the mountain ahead of us was scattered with polka dots from the head lamps of the groups ahead. Behind us the night lights of Quito created a stream of yellow making Quito seem just a jump off the mountain away.

We passed Jason and Michaela promptly and continued up the mountain. At one point Diego turned to me and confidently stated that he wanted to pass all of the other groups. This seemed way too ambitious but I was in no position to complain because I could barely mutter a word, I was more concerned with basics like breathing and taking my next step. Diego seemed to interpret this as confirmation that we wanted to pass everyone else on the mountain and the zig-zagging ceased. It was all straight uphill after that. Walking on 30-60 degree inclines. Often having to take weird side ways steps up to prevent falling. I have never been so grateful of crampons and an ice ax.

After three hours of walking we finally took a water break. The sky was incredibly clear and the moon and stars seemed to be happily guiding our struggle upward. I asked Diego how much time was left. He said 5 hours. I almost cried and was tempted to give up. Five more hours of this monotonous struggle? Then for what? That would put us at about 9 am I estimated in my head. At 9 am it is the rule of the mountain that the guides turn around. The sun makes the snow too soft and avalanches are highly likely. Just the week before there had been an avalanche. No one was hurt but we passed the site on the way up... it didn't look like anything I wanted to be stuck in. Ice boulders, heavy snow and hanging icicles are not something I want to fight with.

After a two minute break we kept heading up the mountain. Just two minutes seemed unfair when the break started but after two minutes I had to move, I was starting to freeze. I could feel my sweat underneath all my layers crystallizing... scary! At this point we had passed all of the other groups except the one solo climber who left an hour before us and has a ton of mountaineering experience. So, we kept moving, in the dark... little by little.

After another hour and a half I started to feel really light-headed but I didn't have a headache. I realized that I had been hiking for 4+ hours with only a few bites of yogurt in my stomach. I needed an e-snack. I needed energy. AJ recalls seeing me stumbling, looking weak. The rope between us wavered a lot between loose and too taught. Interestingly, I could distinguish this feeling from altitude sickness. I simply needed food. I yelled to Diego. He quickly shot me down. Not here, in another 2 minutes we can stop. If I had energy I probably would have yelled profanities at the man but I just kept truckin along... I really didn't want to stop on top of a crevasse anyway. After some water and a few bites of chocolate that feeling of cold started to wash over me and I had to keep going. AJ's crampons need more adjusting and then we keep going. At this point a crazy adrenaline rush washed over me. I was pumped. The sun started to peak over the mountain. We were climbing up the western side of the volcano. The sun continued to rise slowly. I keep truckin along. Then in a rush of emotion, I made the group stop and look to our right. The sun was casting a perfect triangular shadow of Cotopaxi on the clouds and mountains below us. A crazy rush of head-over-heels emotion rushed over me. My adrenaline pumped and I felt like a million bucks. AJ was struggling behind me. I was eagerly telling him to take a picture. He was refusing. His crampons were slipping, he felt like he was in danger. I pressured him. He took the picture. He even says it was worth it now.

Once the sun was up the majestic surroundings kept us focused on the peak ahead of us. There was one sketchy 30 ft climb where Diego had to belay us and then about 15 more minutes of walking. We went over a small hump and upon descending were struck by the view of the crater. From the top we could see a number of other volcanoes around us. Including Chimborazo, the highest volcano in Ecuador, Cayambe the volcano that I was living near during training and Antisana, the volcano that sits at the entrance to the Amazon. Below us the clouds hung like ocean waves at the base of the numerous volcanoes. It was breath-taking and beautiful. Honestly, I admit, with an embarrassed grin, I cried. The physical test that AJ and I had overcome, the rewarding feeling of success combined with the incredible view and mixed with exhaustion overwhelmed me. I shed a single tear. I was overcome.

We got to stay at the summit for 15 or so minutes which is rare because usually the conditions aren´t permitting. AJ, Diego and I were all feeling quite proud. The climb that takes most tourists 8 hours took us only 6 and we were the last group to start the climb. The only person that beat us up the mountain was that one solo climber with personal guide.

Then, for the descent. My legs were so tired and Diego kept telling us to keep going. At one point AJ, now leading us down the mountain, stopped, put his hands to his knees and yelled with exhaustion Necesito un e-snack! Diego pushed us onward though; it seemed that both AJ and I have a habit of demanding breaks while on top of crevasses. So, we continued, got an e-snack eventually and then stumbled down the mountain. The 6 hour difficult climb upward turned out to be only a 2 hour descent. I fell once almost stabbing AJ with my crampons and forcing Diego to fall and dig in with his ice ax. I was tired. The snow started to get soft and for the last 30 minutes AJ, Diego and I sledded down the remainder of the glacier. At the bottom, star struck, proud and exhausted we met up with poor Jason. Michaela had signs of altitude sickness only two hours in and he was forced to turn around.

WoW! I know this is long. But, it was really the hardest and yet most spectacular thing I have ever done. The physical struggle mixed with the visual and emotional rewards make this experience so unique. Plus, after two years in this beautiful country it´s awesome to still feel impressed and blown away but the natural beauty and diversity. From beach to jungle to glacier capped volcanoes.

To emphasize this point even more, Jason, AJ and I decided to go head on into partying and getting back to the coast. This included riding around Quito in an open air party bus with a band on top to celebrate the end of the semester abroad with the Wisconsin students, taking a bus that left at 4 am to Tabuga, celebrating our friend Pete´s birthday and finally, ending up in Tabuga. To my new bamboo and palm leaf house, built for me by my Ecuadorian family and now happily shared with AJ.

* See www.Ecuawindow.blogspot.com for confirmation

Born to Capacitar

Capacitar is to train or give capacity to in Spanish and an example of a word that seems like it should be a cognate but really isn’t. Often, you will here volunteers says: We had a capacitation, or I was capacitating. It sounds possibly violent but really just means to train or training. I use it in the title because I absolutely love training. I love sharing what I know with others and motivating them to love everything too!

The Natural Resource Conservation Training Team

Two weeks of pre-service training have flown by. Jay, Mo, Susan I are sharing an amble apartment in Ayora, a small community outside of Cayambe. Ayora is really tranquil and the people are really nice, it has a view of Volcan Cayambe and is surrounding by farms and close to the Panamerican Highway. There is an internet place, a mini-market and one little pizza place. The Women’s Association of Ayora has a meeting house that we use as the training center. It’s really nice being in a small town again after my short time in Quito. Also, this is the first time that I am living without an Ecuadorian host family. It’s the first time in my life living abroad without a host family and I love it. We all get along great, prepare delicious meals and are really a super training team.

At the training center the trainees receive all of their technical, health and safety sessions. The language and cultural components of training take place within the training communities. We currently have trainees in groups of 4 or 5 in 10 communities around Cayambe. The trainees were divided up based on their language skills and spend 2 – 3 days a week in language/culture classes with their language facilitator. It’s so fun to talk to the trainees and help them deal with this experience and remember back to my days in Paquiestancia, my training community. It’s especially fun because Mo and I were both in Paquiestancia and we reminisce about the days when I would ask Mo to talk for me. Her Spanish was so much better than mine and even I would be timid sometimes. Now, they can’t shut me up!

The nice thing about being out of the city again is the easy access to nature. Last weekend Mo and I walked for 2.5 hours up hills and around to another town called Olmedo. We could see the farm and greenhouse spotted valley below us and Volcan Cayambe loomed above the mountains. We passed fields of wheat, cows, old indigenous ladies and little kids. It was so beautiful. Then yesterday we spent the day walking through the fields around Ayora and playing Frisbee.

This Saturday all the language facilitators took their groups of trainees to various cultural spots near Cayambe. Mo, Jay, Susan and I all accompanied a group on their trip. I had the chance to go up to Ibarra. I actually have spent a good amount of time in Ibarra but have only gone to party and hang out. For example, I went there for the superbowl, caranval and a friend’s going away party. I jumped at the opportunity to go to Ibarra as more of a tourist. Ibarra is an awesome city, it’s clean and pretty and tranquil. Turns out it also has some Inca ruins and a cool museum for the Caranqui people, the ancient culture that occupied the Northern part of the sierra before the Incas conquered them. There is a beautiful lake nearby called Yaguarcacha, which stands for blood lake in Quichiwa (aka Kichwa, Quichwa). It is apparently the site of the battle between the Caranqui people and the Incas. The Incas were victorious and beheaded their enemies, leaving their bodies in the lake which consequently turned a deep red, hence the name.

Some Inca Ruins - Not that impressive but the histroy sure is...

The cultural trip started with a visit to the museum and unremarkable Inca ruins (90% were destroyed so only a small part of a rock wall has been excavated, Archeologists were actually at the site when we visited). Afterwards we jumped on a city bus and headed into the hills surrounding Ibarra. The scenery quickly changed from paved roads and city buildings to the campo. Roberto, a currently Youth and Families volunteer that lives in Ibarra and is awesome set up a lunch for the trainees at a woman’s home. We got to the small dwelling and waited for lunch to be served. I made friends with the little kids and was happily enjoying being back the campo.

Sebastion wandering around with a machete, little boy guitar playing and kids in trees.... Then, Roberto told me that one of the little kids had fallen and was in bed crying. I went into the empty home and kneeled down by the bed. The little kid was miserable and his right arm was swollen. A little 3 month old baby was pantless beside him, baby sounds squeeked out of the little one and seemed to comfort the older brother. He held the baby girls hand when I squatted down . I talked quietly to the kid and started to calm him down. The boy´s grandmother sat beside the boy. She couldn’t speak and artfully acted out the fall the boy had taken. The grandmother only spoke Quichiwa before she lost her ability to really speak at all according to Pamela, the older sister of the boy. The grandmother didn´t understand my Spanish so we communicated non-verbally. Then, once she understood the old grandmother left and came in with a little tin of menthol. The boy screamed that he didn´t want the older woman to touch him. She handed me the menthol and shyly she sat by me as I messaged the swollen arm. I had taken her role a bit and at first felt awkward with the older woman peering over me, she seemed to approve though and lovingly comforted the boy. The mother showed up with a stained old ace bandage that I used to lightly wrap the boys arm. I wiped away his tears and kissed his forehead. I whispered that he was fine. The boy remained really calm and even devoured an ear of corn. The mother urged me to eat and shoed me over to the trainees. The trainees were enthusiastically chowing down on guinea pig, potatoes and corn.
Delicious Cuye (guinea pig!)

It was really a cultural experience for the trainees and for me. After serving my whole time on the coast I hadn´t had many highland small town experiences apart from training. The communal style of eating was really special and the guinea pig was delicious. A bucket of juice was passed around with one cup. We all happily ate with our hands and tossed potatoes around the circle. Afterwards we thanked the women who prepared the food and danced around to the highland music. I found myself with the little kids again, taking pictures, throwing them in the air and climbing a tree. The most outgoing of the group, Justin probably age 3, really took aliking to me and begged me not to leave, to stay and play. We took a picture together and then he offered me his bird stuffed animal as a token of rememberance. The language facilitator Pablo was in aw of the situation pointing out “The poor always seem so willing to share what little they have, while the richest guard their belongings behind gates and alarms”. I never knew Pablo to be a philosopher but the moment was the kind that could move anyone to think beyond the material world. The stuffed animal, named appropriately Justin, rests happily on my nightstand next to many other important tokens of rememberance.

Me and Justin... before the bird stuffed animal token of remembering exchangeAfter a short bus ride we were plopped back in the city. We ate the traditional ice cream of Ibarra known as Helado de Paila. The cream is placed in a copper dish that rests on salted ice on top of hay. The ice cream is churned by hand using a big wooden spoon and the result is delicious. We all relaxed in the shade of a big tree in one of the many manicured parks in Ibarra, enjoying our icecream.But, the adventure wasn’t quite over.

Before boarding the bus, the facilitators took us to watch Pelota Nacional or National Ball. Apparently Pelota Nacional is the official sport of Ecuador, yet, I had gone two years without ever seeing it played. We suspiciously wandered out of the main part of the city and found the Pelota Nacional fields. A group of old men, smoking cigarettes and gossiping were watching the sport. At first appearance the sport seems silly. The two teams stand on opposite sides of a long and skinny dirt field. The players have these big paddles that have heavy foam cones on them. The object of the game is to hit the heavy rubber ball back and forth, allowing just one bounce. The team that wins slowly moves down the field for a certain distance to win the set. Sides are switched, like in Tennis and the game continues. Apparently a game can last hours. The old men explained the rules and claimed that women dont play because it is too brutal. I doubted the brutality of the sport and pointed out that two of the men on the field were even smoking cigarettes. The old men dared me to give it a try and explained that the brutness of the sport comes from the difficulty to manage the heavy paddles. The next thing we all knew, Kevin, the other language facilitator had a bunch of paddles and one of the heavy rubber balls. The men sent us to the middle court, in front of everyone and watched as we struggled.

I consider myself pretty athletic and at first swing found myself spinning in a full circle from the weight of the paddle, I wiffed horribly. The trainees tried, they also wiffed horribly. Little by little we started to make contact with the ball; I think we even completed two volleys, back and forth. We walked away from the court with big smiles and sore wrists. Apparently on April 28^th, there is a huge tournament during the fiestas of Ibarra and I am determined to spend the day with the oldies, shouting at the players and smoking cigars. We”ll see.

On the way home I got off in Otavalo to get dinner and some beers with Jay and Mo. We sat outside and watched as the men carried huge loads of textiles on their backs to storage until the following weekend. Otavalo has the biggest market in all of S. America and is known for the bright textiles, sweaters, hammocks, blankets and more. We wondered if the men would accept a hand cart in place of the forehead straps that we customary. Mo asked me why it seemed that I always had the best day of my life no matter what I do and I responded “It´s because I just jump right in a love it”. The strategy has proven to work for two years and I am doing by best to capacitar the trainees to do the same.

Welcome Omnibus 101

I can't calm down, I can't stop smiling.... after 6 weeks of office work, 6 weeks of the big city life the group has arrived. The moment I saw their smiling, scared, excited, anxious, exhausted faces.... I knew that this was where I want to be. I am so happy about the decision I made to leave my beloved site, Tabuga, and head off into the unknown. From a machete and monkeys to a computer and city buses. Already, I feel the rewards. Now, I am in the office, waiting for them to get here for our first meeting. I am so excited to be a part of the Peace Corps experience for these 24 natural resource trainees. Ecuador has won me over, my experience doesn't cease to be incredible and I really really hope that these newbies get to feel the same way. So... this is a shout out to Omnibus 101 and anyone who knows them or is thinking about the Peace Corps... get ready to jump in and start the toughest job you'll ever love, I'll do my best to make it a smooth ride.

The Eager Co-Trainers waiting for our kiddies!

Look, Look, the first one up there, they made it!

You can see them and there is our Country Director waiting for them too!Last but not least!

Excited boys with lots of baggage!

The meet and greet team - smiling faces!

Pictures from the Big City

Hey Mom! These are for you!

A visit to the North ...

look how beautiful and different it is!

Susan, Mo and I ready for a night out.

Making the Burgers....

Burgers are Absolutely Delicious... especially

when served with Yucca and Sweet Potatoe Fries!

Wes is a great guitar player and pees out of the side

of his leg... slash... Susan spilt in the excitement

of the wonderful sing-a-longs we were having
Group Indian Food at Ryan's... spicy delicous

Casey is eating with a tablespoon!

The Cheft himself enjoys a big boy bite... good job Akul!

Country Girl in A BIG City

It’s been three weeks since I made the big move away from Tabuga, my family, my tranquil lifestyle and my work to come to the capital. Like many young Ecuadorians, migration to the city means a better job, more fun night life, better food options, freedom and an overall eye opening experience. Some economists and development theorists claim that migration to the city by the young able population is the only way for a national economy to start the climb out of poverty. Others claim that anti-sweat shop campaigns are ruining economic chances of success in third world countries. On the other hand, others claim that international development needs to focus on supplying small farmers with simple technology and creating self-sufficient communities. My theory, as a person without any formal education in the matter but who is attempting to live the experience is “it’s not that simple”. All the theories seem to stem from some reality and my experience tells me that both have their personal, familial and community benefits. Often, immigrants to the US suffer greatly but send money to their families in their home countries. This in turns buy books and clothes for their siblings, an oven for the mother and in some cases land. It’s the same with the migration to the cities. Often the people are living in poor conditions in the country and then move to a different kind of poor conditions in the city. But, the benefits of the city include having a job and making money, buying a cell phone, dancing at clubs and being able to send money home to the family. Money home to thee family puts money in the local market and can be used to buy small machines to better small farm agriculture. Unfortunately, the big move is at the expense of having your family. For many Americans this doesn’t shock us and I am one of those. The majority of us grow up eager for the high school graduation and the big move to college or to the working world. We crave freedom and space. We love our parents, we do our best to keep in touch but the world post-18 is ours. Like my favorite t-shirt “My world, our planet”. I am determined to do good for the planet but I live in my world. Although this t-shirt continues to ring in my cerebrum, my feelings towards family, sweat shops and development have changed. I miss my family and friends in Tabuga. I miss the monkeys in the forest and the frogs at night that sound like children yelping in glee during a game of marco-polo. But, I am enjoying the city, the developed world. There are fabulous salsa clubs, good restaurants that serve more than just rice with a fried small bone filled fish and I have friends. Friends that want to talk politics while smoking a hooka and watch Duke basketball games over beers.

One of the things I am enjoying the most about Quito is my work in the Peace Corps office. I have clear tasks with deadlines. I focus, work hard, complete the task, present it to my superior, he says good job and I move on. After almost two years of service on the Manabí coast, I love having clear defined work plans, deadlines and positive reinforcement. The previous two years I was my own boss, set my own deadlines that often never were met, taught classes to high school kids who don’t know simple multiplication tables and said to myself in the mirror a number of times good job. It’s also nice to work in a team. My fellow co-trainer Susan and I had completely different Peace Corps experiences and different personalities and work together like nuts and bolts or peanut butter and jelly. Our tasks are all geared toward planning an effective intense 8 week training to prepare 24 Americans to be superb volunteers.

The newbies arrive February 25th eager, anxious, scared and excited. My senior year of lacrosse as an undergraduate assistant coach on crutches and Percocet is definitely going to come in handy. Like I love CHS, Duke lax and NH, I love the Peace Corps and I am so excited to promote it, share it and help train people who in turn, will hopefully love it and rock it.