Brain eating zombies

La Hacienda Guachala, which is considered the oldest existing colonial hacienda in Ecuador.

Making new friends in Ecuador

We visited La Mitad del Mundo (The Middle of the World) in Quito.

From atop the globe statue

2 hemispheres at once

Beautiful postcard views on our Sunday hike in Tabacundo.

We climbed to the highest point that we could see


Casey, Me and Garrick’s prom photo on top of the mountain.

Yours truly

We were so sore the next day from our 5 hour hike but it was good to be active and outdoors!

We were inspired to make a random low budget horror film by the laguna, which starred Erin as the brain eating zombie.

Kristen brought her fishing pole and we even gave fishing a try at the lake….it turns out these fish did not like cheese as bait.

And I leave you with this image....Jake navigating the dusty roads on our hike while keeping his respiratory health in mind.
Peace Corps gave us face masks last week due to volcanic activity in north Ecuador...apparently ash tends to travel into the surrounding cities. We have not seen any of the repercutions, but PC like to be extra safe. (which Im sure you like to hear Mom)

I believe my next post will be from my new site when I am an official Peace Corps volunteer! (mas o menos in two weeks) So for now, I miss you all dearly and hope things are going wonderfully for you! Sending my love!

And the queen goes to......

Tuesday was our big soccer match between the two Peace Corps training groups (health group vs. youth and families group). My health team brought their A game, and we played some intense soccer games!Before could start the game, we held a traditional Ecuadorian ceremony to elect a queen for the game. Each of the five communities that the PC volunteers are living in had to select a girl volunteer to represent their town. I had the honors of representing Cangahua. When I showed up for the competition, all of the other representatives were all dolled up and wearing lovely outfits. I, however, was dressed in sweatpants and a red bandana ready to play soccer. Therefore, during our lunch break, my friend Casey and I rushed to her host family’s house to try to creatively assemble an outfit for the queen competition.

We found some fabulous yellow, orange and green sheets in her closet so I decided to make dress/toga. I looked like I had stepped out of the 70s with the colorful toga and big hoop earrings. My language facilitator, Carmen, helped accessorize my outfit with a “Miss Cangahua” sash and colorful homemade bouquet. I was a little nervous at first because the staff made the ceremony very formal, and different people presented and gave speeches.

We each had to stand front and center as they announced each nominee for queen.
My Cangahua group made me a wonderful sign saying “Viva Cangahua” (with a giant guinea pig on the sign) and cheered me on the entire time. I love you guys!

It came down to candidates, the amazing Kristin, who dressed in the traditional indigenous clothing from Ecuador, and me dressed in my homemade colorful dress. We each had to give a mini-speech saying why we should be elected as the final “Reina del Deporte” (Queen of the game). I had fun with the speech and even tried to incorporate some dance moves into my presentation.
The competition was intense, and it was time to announce the “Reina.” Kristin and I held hands, crossed our fingers and nervously awaited the final decision. Drum roll please…..and the “Reina del Deporte” for 2007 goes to.........

......Senorita Cangahua…Alea Richmond!
I was crowned “Reina” with a pearl studded crown and a red “Senorita del Deporte” satin sash. I had to say a small thank you speech and take a victory walk down the sidewalk while giving the traditional Miss America wave and wiping away my tears of excitement!
Good times!

Then, onto our big soccer tournament. The health group all sported red shirts with red bandanas, and the game got intense.
Our group was shouting out cheers on the sidelines… “Tigres, leones, elefantes…mi equipo siempre esta adelante!”
Laura, Sam and I

We played for three hours straight and when time ran out, the score was tied 1-1. We had a shoot out and each team scored another point. As a result, we settled for a tie.
Wednesday, our entire training group went to Cuicocha for a three hour hike around a beautiful crater lake and volcano. You can check out more about Cuicocha Lake at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuicocha
The hike was all up hill, and we were suppose to envision the mountain as a metaphor for challenges we are going to face during our PC service. It was great weather, and my group sang Disney songs as we trekked up the trail.
At the top of the mountain was a stunning view of the lake/glacier, and we had a picnic lunch there to conclude our hike. I can tell I am already going to be sore from both the soccer game and the long hike.

Casey, Sam, Me, Chris and Laura

Omnibus 100


After we returned from our hike, we went to our favorite little restaurant called Aroma to have a snack. We hung out for quite some time, and then ended up being taste testers for the restaurant. The owners want to open a sushi restaurant in Quito and wanted us to sample their dishes. Free sushi….I couldn’t pass up this opportunity! The food was very tasty, and told them we wouldn’t mind being their food critics in the future.

I also got brave and tried ¨street meat.¨ There is a little food stand next to the bus stop that always smells so delicious but we were told not to eat food from street vendors. I figured I ate experimental sushi for dinenr so I might as well go all out and try the food at the questionable food stand that I have always been curious about....I can report back that I survived the street meat and
luckily did not get sick! Yay!


I only have one more week in Cayambe, and then I am off to Quito for a week to wrap up PC training. I become an official Peace Corps volunteer August 29th when we have our swear-in ceremony at the US Ambassadors house.

Then, I am off to Manabi on the coast to officially start my two year service. I am excited to get started working with my community, but I am going to be sad to leave my PC friends.

Lessons of Ecuador…

1. Turkeys make good guard dogs…they are aggressive little creatures

2. Accepting the guinea pig…not partaking in the eating, but rather making him our community mascot. I would like to introduce you to Senor Cangahua!3. How to make a homemade toothbrush, toothpaste and shampoo…I’m working on matching Survivor Man’s resourceful skills

4. It is possible to fit an entire family (4-5 people) on one motorcycle to travel into town. In fact, it is a popular form of transportation here for families….very impressive!

5. How to detect fake money…I seem to learn some lessons the hard way.

6. Personal air-conditioning system for Ecuadorian men = rolling up their t-shirs and letting their bellies hang over their pants.

7. Ecuadorian bus drivers could out race Jeff Gordan in the Indy 500 any day on any sort of terrain.

8. I can make an entire fruit salad out of all the fruit trees in my front yard on the coast! Mandarin oranges, mangos, papaya, bananas and star fruit. (I’ve heard that during mango season people’s skin starts turning slightly yellow because the mangos are so good and everyone eats them all day long lounging in their hammocks)

9. Chickens and roosters = alarm clocks. I have seen some beautiful sunrises.

10. No water and electricity means bucket baths and romantic candle light dinners.

Let me introduce you to my new home...

The nerve racking moment right before we received our site assignments. We had two training sessions in the morning, and I know we all could barely pay attention because we were all so anxious for the site presentations. Finally, it was time! Our health trainers presented the sites with a power point presentation and lively music in the background. One by one they went through each site, pausing and building up the excitement before clicking to trigger one of our photos to pop up next to the community name. Coastal sites….only 5 volunteer were left including me. I crossed my fingers!

Emaus in the province of Manabi goes to….drum roll…Alea! After the exciting presentation, all of the volunteers met outside to stand on top of an oversized map of Ecuador that had been chalked out onto the sidewalk. We were able to see where we will be living in retrospect to other volunteers in the group. I am near two people in my Omnibus, Britney and Ian. There are also two other girls from a previous training group that will be living close-by. (They have already been in service for 1 year).

My adorable new house on the coast!

A little glimpse of my new house…this is the kitchen, and notice how all the windows are wide open, no glass.

My lovely friend that lives in the bathroom! I have to admit, I was terrified the first night but he´s grown on me.

One of my favorite things about living on the coast is being surrounded by fruit trees. In front of my house are banana, mango, lime, papaya and mandarin orange trees!

Lime tree in front of my house. It is hard to tell from this photo, but the lime is actually the size of a person’s head. It has been growing for 3 years, and my host mom wants to see how big it can get.

The water and electricity went out for two days, which I’ve heard is pretty common. It was fun having the house lit up by candles.

The lake near my village, Posa Honda. It is safe to swim in, and this is where I will be taking a canoe to cross over to the other villages I will be working with.

Olympics!!!

Friday night we had an Olympics Party at the ¨Magical Karaoke Bar,¨and we all had to come dressed representing a country. Blonde braids for Norway…Hello Kitty representing Japan…Casey as France!

We also had people dressed as Ecuador, France, Japan, Holland, Canada, Germany and Sri Lanka at our Olympics Party.

My Cangahua PC family!

Gotta love karaoke and Bohemian Rhapsody!

We ended up having a dance party at the local pizza parlor after we returned from our site visits. It made me laugh because the only American music they had to play was Brittney Spears, NSYNC and Backstreet Boys…classics!

Our group with the Pizza Trebol owners!

You wanna be in Manabi

One week I am snuggled up in my sleeping bag wearing fleece pants and a fleece coat, while the next week I am sleeping under a mosquito net wearing a tank top and shorts. Ecuador offers such a wide range of climates. I visited my permanent site in Emaus last week, which is in the Manabi Province

Location: Manabi is along the central part of Ecuador’s Pacific Coast

Capital of Manabi Province: Portoviejo, which is only an hour away from my site and has a giant mall and a movie theatre!

Manabí Provinence: Known for its beautiful beaches, quaint fishing villages, commercial centers such as Manta. It is also known for the Machalilla National Park with its rich vegetation and varied species of fauna. It also produces many handicrafts and is known worldwide for its pottery and panama hats. (Panama hats are actually made in Ecuador and then shipped to Panama…odd but true!) Manabí’s resorts offer peace and quiet as well as delicious, uniquely coastal cuisine.

Climate: Dry to humid subtropical, with an average temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. There are two domestic airports-one in Manta and one in Portoviejo.

Cuisine: Made of fish, shrimp, or shellfish, ceviche is one of Manabí’s most delectable specialties. In general, all types of seafood are very popular. Also, there are scrumptious fruit smoothies and “pan de yucca” stands situated on every street corner.

Overall, my site visit went really well, and it was nice to see where I will be living for the next two years. The people are great, and I live next to a river and beautiful lake, which are both swimmable! (no snakes in the water either..I had to ask) The town is very small and fairly rural, but I think it is fitting. Just in one week alone, I felt like my host family was adopting me into their family and neighbors were inviting me over to dinner.

The Spanish is a little different on the coast. The people speak much quicker, and it was rather intimidating in the beginning. By the end of the week, however, I was getting the hang of things.
Good news is that I may be getting Internet in my site by the time I move there in September! More importantly, I will have running water and electricity in my site too! The water situation is not as reliable, and I have had to take a few bucket baths but it really isn’t that bad. I know I will be missing the hot showers though.

I will be living with Cecilia, the president of the community, and her 11-year-old son Jose Abel. Cecilia is my counterpart and is very motivated to get started on projects in the community. Jose Abel, on the other hand, is not too excited to have me living in the house because he is use to being the only child…I brought the movie Ratatouille and invited him to watch it with me the first night, which helped him warm up to me a little.

There was a previous PC volunteer that lived in my site in 2007, but she early terminated (ended her service) after one month of being in site. It is going to take some time to gain trust from the community, and to convince them that I will be staying for the full two years. I am not planning on leaving anytime soon.

Plan Internacional is the main organization I will be working with in my community doing health education and working with youth groups. There are five other communities that I will be working with that are situated around the near-by lake (Posa Honda), which means I will be taking a canoe across the river to travel to the other villages every week.

According to my site description, my primary projects are to…
· Provide nutrition education to children
· Help in the prevention of teen pregnancy
· Work with maternal health and breastfeeding promotion
· Promote prevention strategies for tropical diseases
· Help develop income generation opportunities for women’s groups.
Secondary projects for my service include
· Working in diabetes prevention
· Environmental health education

I have a full plate of projects for the next two years and am going to be staying busy!