Joy to the World

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope this holiday season is full of joy, peace and love for you!

This time of the year is hard to be away from home.

I kind of miss all the overdone Christmas decorations and overplayed Christmas songs.

I am so use to the American holiday season where you are practically bombarded by the Christmas feeling……but here, Christmas passes like any other day.

So this year, I wanted to bring some of that holiday spirit here to Ecuador.

I baked cookies and cakes with my host family, made Christmas cards with my English class, decorated a tree with my host brother and strung garland and lights around my apartment…it helps.

I have to admit, however, that without over-consumerism taking over the holiday season, it makes it a little easier to focus on the true blessings of Christmas. Thanks to everyone who has sent lovely cards, emails and packages. Sending my love <3

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

PS. Can't wait for my family to visit....16 days!!! Best birthday present I could ask for, unless they could squeeze all my friends into their luggage too :)

Happy Heart Finales

Corazon Feliz a.k.a. the Happy Heart program is coming to an end.

The project started way back in July when we arrived in the far away communities at 6a.m. to give blood tests (to check people's cholesterol and glucose levels), to check blood pressure and to calculate B.M.I. Many people were unaware of their health situation and didn't know they suffered from Hypertension or were in high risk zone for having a possible heart attack or stroke. Some people who were stick thin and who you wouldn't suspect of having heart problems, had blood pressures of 190/80....a lot of fried food, a lot of manteca and pure carbohydrates in their diet.

From there, we started the 6 month program teaching 2-3 promoters from each of the 6 communities about heart disease, how to prevent such sicknesses, how to take blood pressure and to calculate BMI. Those same promoters went back to their communities and replicated the info. Through the interactive talleres about nutrition, exercise, eliminating stress and by conducting blood pressure and weight controls every 15 days, I am happy to say that over 80% of the participants have lowered their blood pressure or lost weight. (ultimately lowering their risk for heart disease and reducing malnourishment).
People now say no to manteca! (very common to cook everything in fatty Crisco like substance)
People now practice ZUMBA....Latin aerobics!
People now are more aware of their blood pressure and health conditions.
People now know to fill their plates with colors/vitamins instead of just rice.
People now have their own vegetable gardens.
People now have happier hearts!

Las Mercedes 1, one of mi querida comunidades that participated in the Happy <3>

happy happy birthday!

to Ali!

Celebrating Ali's bday with glow sticks made the evening complete!

red and green spiritour new friend Luis who invited us for a free icecream at KFC He ended up surprising us with a mini-cake and all. Ali in disbelief...who knew KFC had cakes???
We all had our suspicions about this cake...I thought it looked like garlic bread...and Jen thought we might find some surprise chicken hidden inside.

Fun times with the Manabi girls!
Best wishes to you mi amiga linda!

2nd Annual World Aids Day March

Protege tu vida!

December 1st, my community gathered to march to the center of town to raise awareness and participate in World Aids Day

My friends dressed up as clowns to animate the kids in the parade All the kiddos marched down the streets with whistles, red ribbons and big posters with messages about AIDS prevention

The police were head of the march with their red and white balloons and sirens sounding

Dra. Marisol sharing statistics about AIDS in Ecuador and teaching the importance of using protection, especially considering the high rates of teen pregnancy.

Todos lo hacen, pero todos no lo protegenTeam of health volunteers who helped put on the march. Muchas gracias!
Darci, my dear friend, came to make a video of the whole event for future PC volunteers. Ill keep you posted of its release! :)

One of Ecuador's tocken beaches

Puerto Lopez and Los Frailes are some of my favorite beaches in Ecuador....come visit and Ill be sure to take you there!

During June and July, you can look out and see whales from this ledge....Innnncredible!Dan and I went horseback riding through the country side and then hiked through the rainforest area. Our guide gave us pretty free range of riding our horses so we had to test them out to see how fast they could go. Dan was amused at the fact that everytime hesignaled his horse Rusty to go faster, my horse Hammer Time would do the same.

Sandcastles at Los Frailes

Hike in Los Frailes.

Moto-taxi after a good day of snorkeling at the beach

Hammer Time

Branded with the letters "HAM," my horse, as I knew him, became "Hammer Time" and he was nothing short of being spunky :)

¨Cant touch this...da na na na na.....¨

Cowboy Dan

Good times horse back riding....

Cumpleanos de Dan

Dan turns 26!

Margs, sopapias and spa day to celebrate Dans birthday

I loved the flowers at the spa/hot springs

hot springs for 5 hrs (in Ecuador) = relaxed but sunburned...opps!
cheers y feliz cumpleanos! TQM

Another visitor!

Dan came out to visit /spoil me. We had a great time traveling around together and just enjoying being in the same country.Beaches, snorkeling, horses, community dances, birthday celebrations, spas, and hikes = lots of good memories!
Sushi bar, which worked out nicely since there wasnt any electricity in the city when we arrived. :/
Dan: weird how theres no music in this resturaunt.....haha

My host brother Joselo also couldn't wait for Dan´s visit. He had me send this picture to Dan before he came out to show him how excited he was to work on bikes with him.2 out of the 3 nights in my site, Dan and Joselo spent all evening fixing up bikes. My host brother couldnt have been happier, and Dan got lots of time to practice his Spanish heheCanoe ride in my siteThe lake Poza Honda

combo of Zoolander + gangster
We traveled around the southern part of Ecuador...Cuenca and Vilcabamba, which are BEAUTIFUL but requiered some long bus rides.beetles

Cuenca reminds me of a lovely little European city with its Spanish influence seen in the architecture. This is Dan in front of the broken bridge.

Trip to Vilcabamba

It is said that in Vilcabamba a.k.a. Valley of Longevity people live to 100 years-old. Some have have even reached the prime age of 135, which means Vilcabamba is home to some of the oldest people in the world...they say its in the water but we weren´t willing to risk the amibas. hehe

Stunning views
World´s largest aloe vera plants

Dan being artsy:)

Enjoying our patio in our cabana. Hammocks are glorious!

Beating Dan in pool ;)

After our game of pool, I actually got Dan up and salsa dancing....good times!

happy THANKSgiving

The older I get, the more I think I could write a list about a mile long of everything I am thankful for. I would start by thanking the Lord for the people who love me and challenge me to live life to the fullest. Good health, physical provisions, and my amazing family and friends would be high on the list, not to mention life lessons, live music, snorkeling, daily mercies, letters in the mail, Olive Garden salad and sour patch kids. I could go on, but you get the idea. So, this Thanksgiving, lets give thanks not just with our lips but with our actions. Loving as we have been loved. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Here are some pix from Dan and I's Thanksgiving with the PC crew...thanks Lisa for hosting turkey day at your place!

Turkey drawing contest. We have Groovy Gobbler and a turkey bringing the U.S and Ecuador together

Dan and I's turkey. hehe

Some of the crew

Dan's dinner plate....big group gathering means you have to get creative

Thanksgiving is spent best with other Americans :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Halloween PC style

Halloween with other Peace Corps friends in CuencaScary clown, Blue-footed Booby, Dora the Explorer, Richard Simons, the World Map and a traditional Ecuadorian woman from Manabi were just some of the few who were present

Cuenca is a beutiful quaint city that is rated the #1 place IN THE WORLD to retire. It´s worth checking out!

Putting my Journalism degree to use

I recently started a mini-magazine in my site, and so far it has been well received. It´s called Salud y Bienestar, Health and Wellbeing, and includes articles about the local events, history about the community, healthy living advice, new exercises, healthy recipes, entertainment stories, sports news stories, etc.
I did most of the writing myself for the first issue but I am hoping to get more involvement by the community members for future issues. Also, I hope to sell ad space so that we can the magazine an upgrade with color and more pages. I feel as though this magazine will get more voices heard, encourage communication, have people take pride in their work, and serve as a vehicle to reach those community members who don´t like to leave their houses and participate in community events.
Vamos a ver....I am open to any suggestions if people have advice to strengthening this project.