Ecuador Adventures

Happy Holidays from Denver

2010-12-10T23:22:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a relaxing and peaceful holiday season. I am so thankful to be spending Christmas with my family this year! Santa Pub Crawl Downtown DenverAwesome outfit finds at GoodwillOver 800 people participated in the Santa Pub Crawl and many Toys for Tots donated by each perosnGolden's Christmas Parade

Merry Christms!

mucho amor y paz

South of the border

2010-12-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

Nice and well needed quality time with my family in a place with a beautiful backdrop. Even though I had been back home for a couple of months, I quickly realized that I had to compete with my family and friend's busy schedules in order to spend time with them. Thus, Mexico equating to an incredible opportunity where time slowed down, and we could really enjoy each other's company.

Lovers' Beach and the famous Cabo Arch Our humble abode for the week, which felt like Mexican Disney World

Bonding over Coronas Sunset CruiseSunset Cruise that quickly turned into a party boat. Dan pulled out some impressive moves and shockingly (especially for my mother.haha) won himself the Mexican Hat dance competition on the boat....hence him being the only shirtless person in the picture. Cheers to a wonderful trip

colorful colorado

2010-09-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

Reasons why Colorado is wonderful..... My FAMILY and my childhood homeMi hermana Not having to miss any more birthdays or holidays

Mom's birthdayAshley's birthday celebtation

Meeting RPCVs
Fall in Colorado with good company

Ari comes to visit

New Belgium Bike Tour

A costume is a mustcelebrating Halloween in the summerWe filled downtown DenverLoved the bike obstacle courseHappy belated Halloween from Indian Jones, a pro-rockclimber, a wealthy oil owner, a giant pumpkin, a Chilean miner and yours truly the purple treasure troll!

Dance seshs with friends in Denver

House sitting at my friend's cabin

The beautiful Rocky mountain view from the cabin

Meaghan making a delious dinner!Deceivingly friendly picture.

This same horse gave me a startling welcome when Meaghan was giving me a tour of her cabin and the barn. We opened up the gate and another horse nipped at the black horse, which caused him to do an about face and kick his hind leg straight back in a line drive to my thigh/buttocks area. My body went into shock but after the adrenalin wore off, I realized my leg was still intact and nothing was broken. I walked away with a deep tissue bruise...unbelievably lucky!

I made peace with the horse.A glass of wine and the hot tub you can see in the bottom left of the photo worked well to ease the injuryChristmas in the mountains...love it! Kristin moved to Colorado! Yay! The Rubias together again!

Enjoying my home town but still missing Ecuador dearly

Spoiled in South Beach

2010-08-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

On my way back to Colorado, I met Dan in Miami and received celebrity treatment. I hardly knew what to do with myself in such a clean and fancy place. Flushing toilet paper down the toilets was a fantastic phenomenon.

Our spectacular view from our remarkable hotel room. Hanging with my long lost Irene was truly heart warming. It was odd seeing her drive up to pick me up at the airport rather than arriving on bus as she did so many times in Ecuador to get to my site to teach English classes together. TQMMMM pero mucho Irene! Swipe your card and you could buy yourself a new car, a Rolex watch or something a little closer to our budget....mints! Day trip to the Keys! Thank you Dan for an amazing trip and time for us to be "us" again in the same country. xo

hasta luego ecuador

2010-07-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest see you laters of my life...I couldn't even get myself to say good-bye, just "until next time."

The last few months of my service flew by. I blinked, and I was already having to pack-up my life and home that I had created for the last two years. I finished-up projects and focused the last month on spending as much time with all the people who were so dear to me. Plan International threw me a work going away party and there were many great memories shared and several tears shed. I got up to say my thank you speech, and could hardly get any words out before I lost it and had tears streaming down my face. It ended up being one emotional good-bye after another.

Expectingly so, the worst of them all was my last day in my community. I knew my community going away party was going to be tough but I had no idea just how tough it was going to be. Once the flood gates opened, there was no return. The party and speeches were so endearing and the words expressed will forever be in my heart.

We played games and danced the night away trying to make light of the situation. We finally parted ways once there were no tears left to cry, and we were left with unforgettable memories.

Fortunately, I introduced my friends to Facebook and Skype so when they ride into the city, we can still talk and be included in each other's lives.I truly looki forward to going back and visiting! Hasta luego Ecuador

happy (belated) 4th!

2010-07-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

My dear Irene, World Teach volunteer, came back to visit after a year of being in the states. She use to come to my site every week, and we would teach English together in the far away remote communities. After her service was up, she started a new exciting adventure in Miami. We were SO excited when she shared the news that she was coming to see us. Her visit was so nice, and it was like she had never left. TQMMM Irene! It was only appropriate to welcome Irene back with a community dance!

The ever so famous "Diamantes" played at the dance, and the next thing I knew....we were up on stage taking pictures with them.Mis gringitas who danced the night away Getting back to the house at 4am and crashing, only to get up the next day to celebrate the 4th of July!
Que viva la U-S-A! We started off the 4th of July bash just like any other American event....by singing the good ol' national anthem. We played all sorts of games, had an Hora Loca and celebrated Independence Day

Ecua-American style.

You must keep dancing without letting the lime drop.

I couldn't stop laughing for the life of me, while Kristen had her game face on.

Sarah made us a delicous American flag cake. She had to get creative without blueberries and strawberries at hand....and I think she did a fabulous job!We ate lobster for lunch! yum!!little Dila was so happy this day and loved playing in the face paint....as you can see from her mini-blue mustache. Considering I couldn't be in the US this yeart to celebrate the 4th like last year, I'd say spending time with the people I care about here came in second best.

Happy birthday los Estados Unidos!

Big bad wolf

2010-07-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

A big project we have been working on for the last month is a play that addresses child sexual assualt. The actors are members from my community, and I am really excited for the group to travel around and present the play. They sing, dance, recite poetry, use puppets and even have a big bad wolf.

Supper granny giving the kids a lesson

It's funny to see some of the older ladies in my town play young girls skipping around and jump roping. the young star of a program called Fama o Drama sang at the grand opening of the our show.

A big congratulations to the performers in the play!!

Random photo....but I wanted to take the chance to thank some of my favorite people who are a continuous big support and hold a special place in my heart. MUCHAS gracias nanas! las quiero mucho!!

Become facebook friends with Victoria

2010-07-12T15:28:00.000-07:00

HIV prevention work in the high schools

Peace Corps trained us PCV in Guayaquil a couple of months ago in HIV prevention, and my counterpart and I have now completed the Cuanto Sabes de VIH y SIDA program in 3 different high schools in my communities. It's been really well received, and we have been invited by high schools all over the area to implement the program in their communty. The project is super interactive and the best part about it is we trained 20 peer educators and they are the ones that put on the workshops. It has been awesome to see the peer educators grow into their own and confidently give presentations to their classmates on a topic that is usually considered taboo and not easy to talk about. Victoria VIH is a traveling doll that my HIV task force group came up with that is being passed around from volunteer to volunteer to promote HIV education throughout the country. I was the lucky 1st person to host Victoria in my site. She participated in my Cuanto Sabes project and paseared mucho in my site. She couldn't leave my site without eating some encebollado...delicous Manabi soup that I eat at least three times per week. :)Victoria with the lovely encebollado chef who has a little stand near the park in my town.

The kids in the daycare center loved Victoria too. The doll was a great way to create a dialouge within the community.

Victoria even has a facebook page! Become her facebook friend. Just look up Victoria del Vih and see more picutres of her travels.

mi hijado and his godmother

2010-07-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

My godson Alvy is getting so big....he had another ceremony at his school that required me prescence as his god mother. Every year for the 1st graders, his elementary school baptizes the kids. Oh, but it's no ordinary baptism....

Alvy, mi hijado

One of the fathers acts as the priest and he and the other participants put on a show giving the kids funny nicknames, giving them lollipops as their communion, making the kids wear silly bibs, and sprinkles holy water on them with long palm leaves. hehe Alvy getting baptized

During the ceremony, each child is numbered and competes to become "Nino/a de Honorato Vasquez." The parents take this very seriously and dress their children in their finest attire. The little girls wear mini-ball gowns and strut around the school with their hands on their hips and curls bouncing up down. All their schoolmates and teachers vote to elect the best little girl and little boy to represent the school , "nino o nina de Honorato Vasquez"

This picture makes me laugh because here is Alvy eyeing down all the kids who are placing their votes...."hey amigo, vote for me." And sure enough......my little hijado won! His thank you speech was adorable and all the moms were congratualing his mother and I. haha

Now he will be on a small float in the community parade.

From left to right: last year's winner, this year's "Nina de Honorato Vasquez" and Alvy "Nino de Honorato Vasquez."

Love for Ecuador

2010-06-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

Things I LOVE about Ecuador

the PEOPLE...my Ecuadorian moms, dads, sisters, brothers, etc, the Lake Poza Honda by my house, the greeness, civiche and encebollado (typical costal Ecuadorian foods), simplicity, flexibility, near by beaches, hammocks, Spanish, mangos, fruit trees in my front yard, little markets, cheap DVDs, no body image issues, community dances, unity, small community feeling, Carnival celebrations in February, freedom and flexibility, can buy anything at the pharmacy, riding in the back of trucks, the kids in my community, MY kids....Anali and Casanova

Things I DONT love about Ecuador

cat calls from men, staring, lines....or lack there of, BUGS, rats, water and lights going out, infidelity, being treated like a celebrity, no change for big bills, wild dogs, road construction, lack of puncutality, gossip

Things I MISS about home

FAMILY, BOYFRIEND, FRIENDS, convenience, consistency and accessability, favortie restaurants, driving, structure, seasons, cleanliness, variety of food, carpet, easy laundry, flushing toilet paper, chloe, loving American dogs

Things I DONT miss about home

traffic, stress, fast pace, how expensive everything is, isolated life style, contant pressure, tipping, how wastefull or petty people can be

happily ever after

2010-06-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

My friends from a different community just got hitched. It was a civil wedding so no walking down the isle but there was lots and lots of dancing. The wedding was very elegant, and I was happy to be a part of their lovely night. The couple had only been together a short 3 months before they decided to get married but they said they just knew.

May they both live happily ever after...... Jennifer and I were commenting on how beautiful the cake was and right after I took the picture, a little boy went up to stick his finger in the icing only to realize the cake was not real. haha. fooled me too.
ballerinas. fun times

World Cup 2010

2010-06-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

The soccer fanatics, which is just about everyone here, were so anxious for the World Cup the weeks leading up to the grand inauguration.....by 6:00a.m. Friday, families were huddled around their small television sets to watch the first game. The first game was so exciting and everyone started making bets and planning get togethers for following games. Little did we know, by 11:00 a.m., the police had decided to remove all of the local antennas due to a breach in contract. What a disappointment to everyone. Apparently, the man who installed all the antennas didn't have permission and was just pocketing everyone's money....so sad. What HORRIBLE timing. Now a cable company has come in to try to sell these outrageously expensive packages...it's a mess. I talked to the mayor who randomly wants me to take care of his dog while he is on vaccation and I agreed upon one condition.....give us back the World Cup! So......he's got his people working on it. :)

Jennifer and I making a homemade antenna hoping to find signal....sadly no prevail.

The love of my life's twin.

People in my site thought Landon Donovan strongly resembled Dan. They keep saying Talia, tell your boyfriend to keep his shirt on. hehe.

Que viva USA!

previous Quito trip

2010-06-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

My booth at the Peace Corps hall-of-fame exposition...it felt like ementary school science fair all over again

Mis panas hanging out at the Ambassador's house

Sandwhiched by Dana and Parmer (PC director)

An aerial shot of Quito....oh how nice it is to arrive to Portoviejo in 30 minutes vs. a 9 hours. Instead of bussing it back, I treated myself to flying to my site in order to make a wedding

My plane flew right by Volcano Cotopaxi

"Throat of Fire"

2010-06-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

In 1999, after a long period of rest, the Tungurahua Volcano (which is Throat of Fire in the indigenous language Quichua and Rahua) started an eruptive process that continues to this day and most recenly increased in intensity spitting out flanks of volcano.

Fortunately, no one has been hurt and for my loved ones.......I am miles away on the coast where I am unharmed except by a VERY light dusting of ash. I do, however, like tracking the volcanos current activity on Instituto Geofisicos website
http://www.igepn.edu.ec/.
As of now, it is producing violen explosions with ash plumes rising to 7-9 km but the due to the unpredictability of the volcano, the US Embassy is advising American citizens to evacuate the Baños area until the situation subsides. Ill keep you all posted.

meeting Chris Dodd

2010-06-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

Thursday, I was invited with a few other PC volunteers to have coffee with Senator Chris Dodd who was a RPCV from the Dominican Repulic. Before his visit with President Rafael Correa, Dodd wanted to meet current working volunteers just to hang out. I really valued his down to earth style and how there is an unspoken bond between all RPCVs.

Below is the newspaper article in El Comercio about Senator Dodd and Senator Warner´s visit with President Correa.

En el Palacio de Gobierno, en Quito. El presidente Rafael Correa bromeó con los senadores Christopher Dodd y Mark Warner. Galo Paguay/EL COMERCIO

Tema del día | viernes 04/06/2010

La reunión que se realizó ayer en el Palacio de Carondelet entre el presidente Rafael Correa y los senadores demócratas de Estados Unidos, Christopher Dodd y Mark Warner, fue distendida y en un marco de cordialidad.

La cita se inició a las 16:30. El Jefe de Estado bromeó con los legisladores e hizo un repaso de su trayectoria política. En la cita estuvieron Fernando Cordero, presidente de la Asamblea; el canciller Ricardo Patiño; Luis Gallegos, embajador de Ecuador en Estados Unidos; y Fernando Bustamante, presidente de la Comisión de Asuntos Internacionales de la Asamblea Nacional.

Hodges asistió a la cita

Los senadores estuvieron con la embajadora de Estados Unidos en Ecuador, Heather Hodges. El canciller Ricardo Patiño llegó el embajador de Ecuador en EE.UU., Luis Gallegos.
En la mañana, los senadores se reunieron con estudiantes estadounidenses que están de intercambio en Ecuador. Ellos regresan a su país en agosto y, según informaron los legisladores, se fueron muy contentos por haber podido trabajar en las comunidades indígenas.

El Primer Mandatario, antes de tratar temas puntuales, agradeció por su visita y su interés en el país. Además, entre bromas le pidió al senador Dodd, que cuando se retire de su vida política sea asesor del Gobierno ecuatoriano.

El legislador agradeció el gesto y lo felicitó por su mandato. “Gracias por su tiempo. Usted conoce de la historia de los miembros del Senado, que nuestros colegas no conocen. Gracias por su apoyo y estamos sorprendidos por el proceso que lleva adelante en el Ecuador”, señaló.

Así iniciaron con el tratamiento de temas puntuales. A puerta cerrada, los legisladores conversaron con Correa sobre la renovación de las preferencias arancelarias andinas (Atpdea, por sus siglas en inglés), que deben ser renovadas en los próximos meses.

Ecuador mantiene la postura de que la renovación de las preferencias arancelarias se concrete cada tres años y no cada año, como funciona actualmente.

Los legisladores demócratas se mostraron abiertos a ampliar la duración de las Atpdea. Aunque eso siempre ha estado ligado a los resultados que obtenga el país en el combate a las drogas. Este es uno de los puntos que quieren ser modificados por Ecuador para que se den las negociaciones bilaterales en función del desarrollo y la inversión social del país.

Además, en la reunión abordaron la temática migratoria y la aprobación de la polémica Ley Arizona, que penaliza la presencia de personas indocumentadas en ese estado del sur de EE.UU.

Los senadores también abogaron por el esclarecimiento de las muertes de dos ciudadanos estadounidenses, ocurrida en días anteriores. El presidente Correa manifestó su solidaridad con las familias de los jóvenes y anunció que pidió al Cónsul de EE.UU. en Guayaquil una reunión con ellos para que sepan que se hará todo por juzgar a los culpables.

La visita se realiza cinco días antes de la llegada de la secretaria de Estado de EE.UU., Hillary Clinton, quien se reunirá con Correa para tratar sobre procesos y acuerdos de cooperación bilateral entre Ecuador y EE.UU. También hablarán sobre la política de seguridad en América Latina.

De esa agenda ya está todo organizado. La Cancillería informó que incluso están previstos un almuerzo y una conferencia que tratará sobre la política de Estados Unidos en América Latina.

El primer acercamiento oficial entre EE.UU y Ecuador concluyó a las 17:30. Dodd y Warner salieron del Palacio rumbo al aeropuerto Mariscal Sucre para viajar a Lima (Perú) para reunirse con sus embajadores y también dialogar con los legisladores peruanos.

Al salir de la Presidencia, en el Centro Histórico, no dieron declaraciones. De hecho, los encargados de seguridad los desviaron por la puerta trasera del Palacio para que no sean retenidos por las preguntas de la prensa, que se agolpó en el lugar para hablar con los funcionarios, quienes ya estaban retrasados a su vuelo.

Unasur pide evitar conflicto

La Unión de Naciones Suramericanas (Unasur) planteará a Estados Unidos evitar la generación de conflictos en la región sudamericana con su presencia militar en Colombia.

Así lo aseguró Ricardo Patiño, canciller ecuatoriano, según informó la agencia AFP.

“Queremos transmitir a Estados Unidos la importancia que tiene para América del Sur, la necesidad de conservar confianza de que no se van a producir por parte de fuerzas extrarregionales, es decir de fuera de Sudamérica, situaciones que puedan provocar algún conflicto interno”.

Varios representantes de países que integran la Unión de Naciones Suramericanas han expresado su preocupación por el acuerdo que permitirá a tropas estadounidense usar siete bases militares en Colombia.

Los gobiernos de Ecuador, Bolivia y Venezuela consideran que ese acuerdo podría ser usado para realizar operaciones de espionaje a otras naciones. Además, consideran que las bases se convertirían en un factor de desestabilización en la región.

El Ministro enfatizó ante la prensa que la región “quiere seguir siendo un territorio de paz”.

Además, Patiño señaló que el presidente Rafael Correa transmitirá este mensaje durante la visita a la capital de la secretaria de Estado norteamericana, Hillary Clinton, el próximo martes 8.

Durante el encuentro, está previsto abordar temas de seguridad, luchas contra el narcotráfico, comercio y migración. Además, se abordarán temas relativos a la inclusión de Ecuador en la lista del GAFI, cooperación, comercio; diálogo político y extradiciones.

omnibus 100

2010-06-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

Last week, I attended my Close of Service conference in Quito. My training group came into Ecuador with over 30 volunteers and now in the final months of service we are a total of 23, which despite your initial thoughts, is really good....I attribute it to my really awesome PC friends and our tight niche group.

We had a full 3 days of seminars preparing us for our transition back to the states....career guidance, grad school info, RPCV panels and medical exams. I have been one of the lucky ones who has only had amibas once and no other major health issues....others have had everything from worms to flesh eating diseases like Leishmaniasis. :/

The second night we were treated by Peace Corps to a fancy dinner where we received certificates, photos and listened to thoughtful speeches by staff.

Our last night, my group went out for wine and tapas and continued with the speeches and reminiscing, which gave people a chance to say things they have always wished they had said….funny FUNNY stories. (I was told by PC boys that I had a nice bootay. haha) good times. looking forward to our PC reunions state side.

FYI: My travel plans just got accepted by PC. Its official! I will be flying back to Colorado Sunday, August 14th. mark it in your calendars. :o)

Jungle cat

2010-05-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

My 2nd cat, who was a gift for Valentines day and who became Courtney's little sweetheart while she was here, has become quite a wild one lately climbing trees, hunting GIANT grasshoppers, trapping birds, getting into mini-cat fights and EVEN sneaking through the window of my NEIGHBOR'S house to explore their family store.

Si que me da guerra este gato.....what a trouble maker. However, when he gets back from all his little adventures, he turns into a lap cat and is such a little snuggler...it's hard to get mad at him.

Wouldn't you know, he is curled up on my lap right now. haha

PS. Anali, my other cat, is much more tranquila, and she lovingly takes care of the little one like her own.

I'm being replaced

2010-05-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

One of my Peace Corps bosses, Angelica, came to visit me last week to discuss site development....planning projects and making arrangements for the volunteer that will be REPLACING me after my service. Great news for my communities but this visit made me realize how little time I have left here....less than 3 months. The best form of transportation to get to know my site....hello Angelica

We even convinced Cecilia to take a ride in the canoe, which she says she hasn't done in over 20 years. Cecilia almost had a heart attack when our young canoe driver almost tipped the canoe. I told her we would just swim back, and she laughingly said she would sink. haha I think swimming lessons are in order. Saying that I'm REALLY gonna miss my friends here is an understatement. I want to let myself be excited for my return home but it's hard when I know I have some heart wrenching goodbyes. This place has made such an impression on me....I know I will make it back though.

I am genuinely looking forward to seeing all my dear friends and family back home. Most likely if you are reading this....I cant wait to see you! However, the transition is gonna be tough. I have a feeling I'm going to be a water works.

Hope you are all doing well! Sending my love <3

Making movies

2010-05-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Recent medical brigade in one of my far away communities....lots of teeth pulling, eye exams and deparisiting kids.

(Disclaimer: my English and spelling are failing me lately...I've been known to make-up words...so please excuse the nonsense :) )

This is the hardest station to help at.....usually everyone walks away with a couple of less teeth.

My awesome Christmas present from my family has allowed me to become a novice film maker. I've been working on several environmental health projects and decided to petition to the mayor for his help through video.

My friend Sarah and I are also making a Happy Heart video to promote the 6 month heart disease prevention program across Ecuador. Hopefully other PC volunteers will take interest and implement the project in their own towns and reduce the high number of cases of one of the biggest health problems in Ecuador right now.

Earth day we launched a trash project that will hopefully get a trash collector to travel to my far away communites and keep people from throwing their trash in the river, which just makes me cringe. We are also making trash bins and placing them in key places in the communities while giving workshops on how to seperate trash and make compost piles.

In my English class, we made flower candle holders out of old plastic bottles and painted the other half of the bottle to make planters.

Although Ecuadorians carbon footprint is significantly less than most Americas, this GREEN campaign will hopefully help community members to value their land and have VIVIENDAS SALUDABLES.

We are finally at the tail end of rainy season=super muddy, busses getting stuck, bugs, bugs and more BUGS....but on a more positive note, rainy season also means hikes to GORGEOUS waterfalls.

Delia and I at one of the many waterfalls in my site.

haha, and then I rode off into the hilltops

Celebrity Collage look alikes

2010-05-01T18:17:00.001-07:00

This website seems to be a bit generous....but interesting none the less. :) whadaya think??

MyHeritage: Árbol genealógico - Genealogía - Celebridad - Collage - Morph

My town is drowning

2010-04-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

We have had an incredible amount of rain lately. My town has begun to flood. It hasn't caused too serious of damage yet but come another big rain and I will have to canoe out of my house.

The boys next door decided to aprovechar and go fishing.

Making headlines.....

2010-04-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

Last week, I traveled with Delia, BFF and counterpart from my site, to Guayaquil to a HIV/AIDS prevention conference coordinated by Peace Corps and Non-profit organization VIHDA. We spent 3 days learning about "Cuanto Sabes," a 2 month long educational program that is designed to teach about HIV/AIDS in high school settings. Vihda does tremendous work, and we left the workshops feeling pumped and ready to replicate the program in our town.

On the last day, the U.S. Ambassador made a showing at our event and brought the press right along with her.After her big formal speech and taking hundreds of photos with the Ambassador for the papers, I was sought out to give an interview...the camera and bright lights shined in my face as I rambled on for a few minutes. My face turned all different shades of red until the Embassy staff finally cut the interview off....I was so thankful. I'm much more use to being on the other side of the camera, asking the questions and playing the reporter. :)

This is the article and photo that came out in EL UNIVERSO the following day.

Jovenes marcan el 50% de nuevos casos de SIDA

La embajadora de EE.UU., Heather Hodeges, visito a voluntarios de la mision Cuerpo de Paz, que ayer recibian un taller sobre VIH.

La problematica de la expansion del virus del VIH/SIDA reunio ayer a unos 50 voluntarios de la mision estadounidense Cuerpo de Paz en un taller sobre consejeria y medidas de prevencion contra el mal, con el fin de replicar la ensenaza en communidades ecuatorianas donde realizan labor social.

La capacitacion estuvo a cargo de la fundacion Vihda, que trabaja en este campo, y se desarrollo en el Grand Hotel Guayaquil. Alli fue invitada la embajadora de EE.UU., Heather Hodges, quien resalto el trabajo de los jovenes estadounidenses en el desarrollo de programas relacionados al nucleo familiar, salud communitaria, juventud y agricultura sustentable.

Hodges indico que en los acutales momentos el 50% de nuevos casos de SIDA en Ecuador corresponde a jovenes.

Anuncio que en junio proximo llegaran al pais quince voluntarios del Cuerpo de Paz para trabajar en un plan de insercion de infectados con VIH en la sociedad. Se centrara en las provincias de Guayas y Santa Elena.

Los voluntarios extranjeros laboran durante dos anos en el pais en asociacion con dirigentes de las comunidades. La norteamericana Andrea Martinez, por ejemplo, ejecuta un plan disenado para jovenes en Alausi (Chimborazo). "Hay que identificar sus intereses para de ese modo llegar a ellos," senalo.

La capacitacion tambien la recibieron voluntarios ecuatorianos que colaboran con el Cuerpo de Paz y la fundacion Vihda, como Paola Llamuca, de esta ultima entidad, de 16 anos, y con experiencia en talleres de orientacion juvenil.

-El Universo

*****Gives you a chance to practice your Spanish :)

surrounded by eggs

2010-04-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Sharing some of the American Easter traditions with my English classesDying eggs...proven to be a little more difficult when your eggs are brown.

Egg toss and later an egg hunt...I was eating hard boiled eggs for almost every meal for a week. Deviled eggs were hit! Teacher Delia and Teacher Talia

Happy (late) Easter!

the beautiful skies of rainy season

2010-04-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

I keep falling more and more in love with my site. I feel SO blessed and fortunate to have been placed in my lovely little community. Pictures just don't do justice but this place is beautiful.

Poza Honda, the lake, is my favorite place to be in Ecuador! Now that it has been raining like crazy, it is so full that the water has passed over the dam and is filling up the river.
the excess of water has turned the dam into a semi-waterpark
this is the side where the water spills over into the river from Poza Honda and creates a GIANT waterslide.

working with the ninos

2010-04-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

Kids summer camp....teaching about the environment.

I worked with the youth in town to put on a 2 week summer camp for the children in the community who without classes were bored and looking for something to do. We worked with over 50 kids. youth promoters who did a spectacular managing all the little rascals My little godson, star of the play...or at least I thought so as a proud madrina. :)

English and Computer class

It's always hard to say good-bye...

2010-03-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

After 3 great months, I just dropped my sister off at the airport to head back to Colorado. I found myself getting teary-eyed as I pulled away in the taxi. Now back to traveling and working solo. I was lucky to have Courtney out here for the time that she was...she knows how to keep things interesting in a good and fun way! <3

My sister's despedida also made me realize how little time I have left here. 4 months and I will be back in Colorado too! It is going to be INCREDIBLY hard to leave. I am thankful for the time I have left here, and am excited for the transition back home. I miss all you people!! Las nanas....TQM

Cecilia brought out some wine for us all to drink together to cheers to Courtney's memorable time in Ecuador.My host mom really grew fond of Courtney and is looking forward to her coming back and visiting in 5-years, as she says, with her husband and 2 kids! haha. veras

The kids adored Courtney, so much that sometimes I felt like my house turned into a daycare at points. ha. They are truly going to miss her.

Courtney's Going Away/PJ party My girls :) We danced until 3am.....I could hardly last.

Court's cat Casanova didn't want to say good-bye.

Don't worry Court, I will take good care of him.

WE ALREADY MISS YOU COURTNEY!

Thanks for coming out and being such great company. I love you dearly and hope Ecuador will be something you can look back upon as an incrediblly beautiful place where you learned to grow into your own.

TQM. Enjoy the snow.

Quito Madness

2010-03-15T09:48:00.001-07:00

Court and I headed to Quito to celebrate birthdays...welcome new Peace Corps volunteers and to enjoy the Andes mtns one last time before Courtney has to head back to the States. Our chiva...aka dance party on wheels...that took us on a night tour of Quito. I think chivas would be an excellent addtion to Denver night life. :)

Party group. 50 of us crammed onto the chiva.
Me, Laura and Sam

Historical part of Quito where the chiva made a stop for us to dance in the plaza

While in Quito, we also took a gandala up to the top lookout point in the city

We had an incredible view

I love Quito.

Laura and the Richmond sisters

and the greatness continued with some bowling

We snuck pizza into the bowling alley

Courtney rocking out at guitar hero

Rubia to Rockstar

2010-03-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

Courtney is NO longer a blonde! She decided she needed a new look. So, after a day at the spa, Courtney came out looking like a rockstar. Before as a rubia

Drum roll please.................................

TA DA!

The new transformed Courtney

Whadaya think?!?!

Am I becoming the cat lady?

2010-03-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

Valentines Day gift from my host brohter. Sweet, I guess but wasn't prepared for a new animal in the house but Courtney immediately got attached. So, after lots of convincing, the little gato became Courtney's new baby.

Say hello to Casanova

So, it didn't take me that long to warm up to the little guy either

He loves cuddling up to Courtney Meow

500,000 earthquakes a year around the world

2010-03-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

The massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile more than a week ago rumbled all the way to Ecuador. Courtney and I were abrubtly woken-up by a violent shaking of our beds at 5:30a.m. First thought....why does my host brother need to run up and down the stairs like there is a fire in the house...and then I opened my eyes to see that the entire place was shaking. We jumped up and ran to the door way. Slowly the rumbling came to a stop and fortunately no damage was done. First earthquake for my sister and I. 5.5 magnitude. Ecuador is very lucky to not have had any negative repercussions. My heart goes out to those in Chile.

Celebrating Carnival on the Coast

2010-03-05T07:38:00.000-08:00

After a looooonnnng night bus from the sierra, we arrived in Portoviejo to begin the Carnival celebrations.

The one and only pretty part of Portoviejo. I am thankful to live in the campos where I'm surrounded by green, green and more green Carnival crew. Casey who lives in Puyo, Mans, Me and Court

First night of Carnival, we went to a reggeaton Makano concert.
"Te amo, Te amo, Te aaammmoo" We danced like
We started in the very back farthest seats from the stage and somehow worked our way to the front row.At our $10 seats, we were walking targets for the masses of people who were drenching each other in water, beer, foam, lo que sea. We quickly ran out of amo and thats when we had to figure out how we could get closer and change sections.

Our escorts who helped us get to the front row
And our personal choffers back to our hotelThe next day we went on a bus tour to the beach where there was no escaping the Carnival madness
Covered in paint, water, coffee?! pop, colored foam....and who knows what else

there was no mercy. no one was off limits. Amanda got the full South American Carnival experience! Whether she is gonna kill me or thank me for it later, I'm still undecided. hehe
My dear friends Jen and Ali who metamorphed into Avitar characters
After the beach tour, we traveled back to my site where I had to make sure my host brother was not left out of all the foam fights
Now the real question...how does this oil based paint/flour come off???
After a lot of scrubbing, we made it to the Finca in my site to top off the celebrations. Good times but extreme. We all needed time to recover.

City girl enters the wild

2010-02-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

Amanda J, BFF since Girl Scouts, takes her first trip abroad to come see her sidekick in Ecuador..... before Amanda J's arrival, we took advantage of being in the big city and had a spa day.
no more campo look.

Amanda in Ecuador

Amanda's flight got in at midnight....we stayed up all night talking like old times.....and had to jump on a bus early the next morning to venture across the country to the Andes mtns.

I feel like visiting Ecuador for some can feel like a whirlwind.....new foods....hot weather.....loud music.....people staring......incredible scenery......prehistoric animals.......3 day-long water fights......warm hearted communities........a lot of uncertainties......and a lot of surprises. Overall, it amounts to a great experience but sometimes much more appreciated once back at home in the comfortable convenient US of A.

Day 1: witness the aftermath of bus roll over (luckily everyone was okay) = 2 hr. delay

mudslide causes us to trek through a swappy mess lugging Amandas red rolley suitcase over the mud block onto a new bus=2 hr. delay

bus capacity= 35, actual number of passengers on our bus= 60

some people had a lot to transfer to the second bus

lending a hand across the mudslide The bus official insisted on having his picture taken with Courtney. hehe

Day 2: recovering from day 1. haha

and dinner with Sam's lovely family! Day 3: hikes and waterfalls

hungry for guinea pig?

our last night before we had to head to the coast to get ready for CARNIVAL....aka madness. Those pix to come!

Kindergarden graduation

2010-01-25T10:02:00.001-08:00

I was asked to be a godmother for a kindergarden graduation to one of my neighbor families who I adore.

Me and my little hijado Alvin.

Alvin and his big sister Maria Belin

to congratulate the new graduate, I gave him new pjs.....bc that´s all he likes to ever wear....and a picture of the fam

His kindergarden class of 5 niñoslove this sweet familyKindergarden class of 2010

Felicidades mis niños lindosgraduatesthis is what happens when you show up at the graduation ceremony on time.....and it doesn´t really end up starting until 2 hours after the scheduled time...so you kill time by taking

Parents come to find out why I love this place so much....

2010-01-20T11:19:00.000-08:00

My family finally got a snapshot into my life.
hot, green, mangos, reggaeton, rain, good people and did i say hot....where just a few words my sister had to say when describing my site. My parents trip was so good but it was definetely harder to blend in traveling as a group of 4. Everyone in my community wanted to meet my family.

Behind my house near the riverme and my mamawaiting at the bus stopcanoe ride in Poza Hondaglamorous Courtney who decided to stay back and help out in my community and to be my new roommate for awhile. :)my neighbor´s bird haning out with my dadmy host mom and I´s garden host mom and I who loved meeting my parents but couldn´t get over how tall they were.

neighbor kids picking fruit for my famAnali loving on my dad.....who claims he is not a cat person......I don´t buy it. ;)

Court and IMy community wanted to wait to have the kids Christmas party until my parents came so they could see all the dancing and festivities....I think my parents enjoyed the experience but were shocked by all the extremely loud music and Hora Loca.

Also, during my family´s trip, I turned a 1/4 of a century old.

Ecuadorian family
my host family killed a chicken to welcome my family and to celebrate my bday. It was a nice fiestita with 2 families who I care about dearly.25!Another one of my favorite Ecuadorian families. Damaris, adorable 2 yr. old and her ¨mamina¨grandmaa turtle Damaris gave me for my birthday

all my bday surprises. the hat was from a family in my community who put their daughters names on the back...so sweetthe 16th of January, my bday and also the night before we had to say goodbye to my parents, we stayed at a nice hotel in Guayaquil where the staff sang me happy birthday and sent a cake to our room. It was a great ending to a wonderful trip with my family. Thanks Mom, Dad and Courtney for all your patience, flexiblity, open-mindedness and good company during your time here in Ecuador. LOVE YOU!

and for your enjoyment, I have posted below my reaction to having to kill a chicken classic.

Ecuador welcomes the Richmond family

2010-01-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

I couldn´t believe that the time had finally arrived.....my mom, dad and sister were coming to visit! I was so overwhelmed with joy when I saw them walking out of the airport doors. We all just kept smiling in disbelief. It had been too long since we had last exchanged hugs.

We spent the first 2 nights in Guayaquil, and I got to watch as my parents made their first impressions of Ecuador. The heat was definietely something they couldn´t ignore as Guayquil was having some of its hottest days of the year. We ate at good restaurants, walked around the melecon and hung out with iguanas in the park. Then it was time to send my parents off on their Galapagos cruise, and my sister and I headed back to my site to put on a the Fuerza Femenina, Women´s Conference. Enjoy the pix from my family´s tour of Ecuador.

One of the photos my parents brought back from their amazing crusie in the Galapagos. The mischievous little sealion kept wanting to play with the land iguanas tail.Our fabulous hotel in Puerto Lopez, Hosteria Mandala...one I would definitely recommend tails of peace. the hotel is all about saving the whales and supports a lot of good local causespazmi ñaña and I at the fish marketbringing in the big catches of the week
bringing back fish to his family

to give my parents a more intimate tour of the local communities, we visited the town of Agua Blanca where my family heard the history of the surrounding area and about the ancestory of the people.the town also had mud baths for us to relax insome of the kids from Agua Blanca who enjoyed practicing their English with my familyLos Frailes beach....its a must stop for all my visitorsmy adorable mother who loved taking in all the new sites my dad´s ridiculously good seafood souptagua...which is what a lot of the jewelrey is made fromMom took lots of good flower shotsthe hat makes you feel like you are ready for a safarian adventure but I loved it

Bellaitalia.....great Italian resturant we ate at while at the beach

Fuerza Femenina

2010-01-20T10:54:00.000-08:00

Women´s health conference Sam, good PC friend, and I put on for our health promoters. Sam brought her ladies to my site and we had 2 days of interactive activites and educational seminars. My sister also helped out and got to practice her Spanish.

My Corazon Feliz promoters teaching Sam´s health promoters to take blood pressure and calculate Body Mass Index. Later Sam did a great aerobics class for all the women.

My explaination of the conference is very lame bc it was so much better than what I have described it, I apoligize.
I have been in this Internet cafe toooooo long and will have to write again later.

sending you all my love

Burning the old year away

2010-01-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

New Years at the beach....On New Year's eve, many cultures are looking ahead and making resolutions for the upcoming year; however, Ecuadorians are focused on Ano Viejo, the old year. Families make parpermachet dolls representing the old year, tucking firecrackers into the newspaper stuffing. Each person writes on a small piece of paper one wrongdoing or bad thing from the past year that they think MUST be left behind. The paper testaments are then folded up and stuffed into the doll to be burned away, ensuring that the old year's mistakes go up in smoke.

At the stroke of midnight, we set fire to our papermachet cuy celebrating Rebeccas´s birthday and buringing our old year away

toasting with pink champagne

yep, the smerf went up in flames too

rebecca, me, sam and chris

vogue

sammy and me

Cheers to 2010!

Joy to the World

2009-12-21T09:59:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-19T13:05:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-12-19T12:16:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-27T10:04:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-27T09:45:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

Good times horse back riding....

Cumpleanos de Dan

2009-11-27T09:36:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-27T09:22:00.002-08:00

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

2009-11-27T09:22:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

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.

Ecuador pride

2009-10-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite people, Kristen, just moved to Quito to serve her 3rd year in the city and I am missing her like crazy. Last Friday (day before the big Ecuador vs. Uraguay game) she called me standing outside of the soccer stadium with an extra ticket to the game trying to persuade me to make a impulsive trip to Quito.
A combination of having a disappointing work day, missing the compamy of a good friend and wanting to sport my Ecuadorian pride with other screaming Ecuadorian fans, convinced me to just that. I jumped on a night bus that same day with a few other Manabi queridos. We arrived in Quito a 4 a.m. after getting very little sleep on the bus and got a couple of hours of shut-eye at Kristen´s place before heading to the stadium at 10 a.m. (for a 5:00 o´clock game!!) Ecuador has come serious fans here, and we wanted to make sure after we had traveled all night long to get to the game, that we were going to get good seats. :)

We got our Ecua gear on the streets lining the stadium where there are hoards of vendors waiting to sell you any type of Ecuador sports gear you could ever imagine and waiting to paint your face YELLOW, BLUE and RED!

Getting to the stadium 7 hours before a game starts, is definitely a new record for me. The time, however, went by fast as we made friends with people in our stands and learned new cheers (and swear words :/) to yell when the game started.

Que viva la gente de Manabi!!!
Hiding from the sunThe entire stadium PURO AMARILLO!
¨Vamos, Ecuatorianos, esta tarde, tenemos que ganar!!¨

A giant oversized Ecuadorian flag kept getting passed over our section and the fans would go nuts cheering and hollering as the flag swayed over everyone´s heads.

Everything started looking a little yellow by the middle of the game......Jenn, Kristen and me under the flag

So, end result.....Ecuador lost, and is out of the World Cup :( but it was still an incredible time to be in the stadium with so many excited and die-hard fans.
We didn´t let the loss get us down though, we ended the night by going out dancing and crashing at Kristen´s place early the next morning, only to get on another night bus that day to head back to my site. It was a whirlwind of a trip but I am so glad Kristen convinced me to go!

Surprise visit from USAID

2009-10-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

I woke up last last Wedensday planning to have the morning to set-up my lesson plan for my afternoon English and computer class but just as usual, my morning turned out to be nothing like I expected. My host mom, Cecilia, asked me to acompany her to what she called a ¨small meeting¨ at the lake to re-open a part of the road that had been under construction. I rolled up with Cecilia to the ¨small meeting¨in jeans and a t-shirt to find all the major authority figures from my province, including USAID director, preparing their speeches for an inaguration of a major project they were presenting to preserve the lake, Posa Honda, in my site. It was a very formal and well done presentation, and even if it was a random showing, I am glad that I ended up at the event.

I ended up iniviting some of the USAID head figures out for a tour of Posa Honda by canoe, which I think turned out to be a highlight of the day. It was also an oportune time for me to present my environmental health project ideas, and to see if I could get the support of USAID. Needless to say, I let community members know that those types of ¨small meetings¨are important to me, and it would be a good idea to inform me of them ahead of time. Sidenote for Mom: There are so many different types of birds that live around the lake.... get excited for some good bird watching for when you come to visit! :) I just wish I had more bird knowledge to be able to identify the different species.

Come see the whales

2009-10-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so these pix are a little out of date, but I wanted to post them anyways to give people more incentive to come and visit!!! :) June through September, good whale-sightings are pretty much guaranteed on the coast near my site! Puerto Lopez is known to be the epicenter of whalebreeding grounds.
Because I had never been whale-watching before, I was excited when my friends Kristin, Jess and Jess´s dad came up to Manabi to
to tour the coast with a mission to see whales and find good waves to surf.Los Frailes, so serene and definitely some of my favorite beaches in Ecuador. Standing on this ledge, we saw several whales from a distance.

On our whale watching tour...the weather was kind of crummy, which equals choppy waters....don´t forget your motion-sickness pills when you come to visit!

Whales are not the easiest animal to capture on camera :/ so my pix do not do justice but they impressive animals to see in real life

Later, we went surfing but couldn´t get the surfboard to fit inside the car so we had to travel between beaches clinging to the board that hung outside of the car.We had an fabulous Italian dinner at a little resturant tucked away outside of town with homemade noodles and sauces. A small mariachi band saranated us as we ate. Jess, we miss you! Hope you have adjusted back home and are doing well!

Spreading a little peace and friendship

2009-09-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

Niños Promoviendo Paz y Amistad

My PC friend Stacia worked with an organization in the States called E.R.A.S.E who´s missoin is to eradicate racisma and discrimination in the world. One way they work to promote their mission is by donating pencils to kids in underprivledged villages....in hopes of ¨erasing¨ rascism. So, basically, Stacia had box after box of pencils sent to her by this organization. AWESOME, but the boxes arrived at the end of her service and she passed out as many pencils as she could in her community but ran out of time to get them all passed out.
Lucky for me, I inherited all the pencils with the promise to keep the project going.
This got me thinking....because International Peace Day is in September, Kristen and I decided to put together a mini-program in the elementary and highschools where the students not only receive a pencil but learn a little bit about geography, what kids their age like to do in other countries and particpate in a drawing contest. The kids had to draw their interpretation of a world filled with peace and friendship.
The idea took off, and Kristen and I had fun working with the kids!

The elementary school kids in Kristen´s site...so adorable

Peace : Paz

The group of high school students who participated in the drawing contest from my siteWinners of the drawing contest

Teaching a little geography

Peace links with the students commitments on how they are going to promote peace and friendship in their communities.

Paz y amistad: Peace and friendship

One of the winning drawings

Elementary School in Emaus where I live

The little kiddos learning about the E.R.A.S.E. program and the group of students who donated the pencils.

Preciosa

Alvy...love this little kid

Thanks Stacia! Thanks E.R.A.S.E.!

One year into my service....

2009-09-05T11:03:00.000-07:00

(I apoligize for taking a break in blogging. I feel as though I hit my year mark in my service, and all of a sudden my workload increased tenfold. Now, that I have had time to prove myself and have pulled off some small successful events, my communities are finally realizing that this random tall blonde girl livig in their town can put together projects and be something of value. So, needless to say, I have had very little free-time, and I really couldn´t be more excited. So here are some photos from August and September)

My community had a festival celebrating Manabi culture and oral tradition. Groups from all over Ecuador particpated in the event. We had indigenous groups from the Andes mtns, Afro-Ecuadorian groups from Esmeraldes and local groups from Manabi singing, dancing and telling stories all through the night. It was one of my favorite events that we have had so far!A night filled with history, stories, folktales and lots and lots of dancing.

Even when the electricity went out, people pulled out flashlights and the event continued. I love these women´s performance....¨Las Tres Marias.¨ They got the whole crowd up and dancing while they sang and made sounds through their pretend trombones that they formed from with their hands. I wish this event was more than once a year.

On to Kristen, good PC friend´s going away party...

All of were VERY sad to see Kris go. Kristen arrived 1 year earlier than me, so her 2-year service came to an end. Lucky for me though, she accepted a position in Quito and will be living in Ecuador another year! So, although she will not be my Manabi buddy, we will still get to visit and spend time together.Hopefully all I have to do to get her to come visit is mention bailes or mangos! haha
Like I have said before, no party is complete without La Hora Loca...masks, ties and a full hour of dancing. It was so sweet watching as Kristen´s community talked about all their favorite memories spent with her and having them share heart felt speeches expressing how much she means to the them. It definitely makes me reflect on how I have integrated into my community and inspires me to want to spend more time visiting people than completely focusing on work. Thanks Kristen for being such a good neighbor, co-worker, counselor, dance partner and all around good friend! TQM

On to my gatita linda...

Anali being her curious self climbing all over the mounds of oranges and grapefruits in my front yard

Hope this isn´t too graphic :/ I decided that with all the kittens that are left here in Ecuador without homes, I needed to get my little cat spayed. So, I asked the vet in my town, and he ended up turing my dining room table into an operating table.
Everything was done very professionally and with anetestics but I still found it hard to watch in the beginning.
In the end, the surgery was actually very fascinating, and I am happy to report, that at this point, she is completely healed, stiches removed and running around like her wild little self.

Women´s Empowerment

2009-08-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

¨Mujeres Sanas, Mujeres Felices¨
I decided with all the PC trainees coming to my site, we had to take advantage and do something big for the community. Therefore, we planned a big Women´s Health Fair where we would focus on women´s empowerment. We decided to teach about breast cancer prevention, the Maternal Health Law, Heart Disease, give free pap smears,
vacinations, take blood pressure and calculate B.M.Is.
We had several different organizations particpate, and about 100 women from far away communities attended the grand event. A lot of plannning went into the project but I feel like everything went smoothly and everyone learned something new that day....to me, that equals success.

Here are some of the photos from the health fair and the celebration we had afterwards with the PC trainees...Congrats to all the newbies on a job well done!

We had an awesome inspirtational speaker who taught the women the importance of getting to know their own bodies and building their self-esteem.
At the breast cancer prevention table, we were teaching how to give monthly self-exams.
The women practicing self-breast exams.
A women´s group who has started a mini-business by selling homemade yogurt, cheese, cafe, dulce de leche and artesenia.

SOLCA is an instiution that works towards the prevention of cancer, and they came out to perform pap smears for free for the women in my communities.

Me, Katty and Kris in front of the mobil clinc.

Working the welcome table
The PC trainees did a great job giving mini-presentations on the Maternal Health Law and Breast cancer prevention. They were so clever with their interactive games.The health center was also present giving out various vacinations to the women.
Nurse Katty is a rock star.
She is the one who performed all 80 of the pap smears in under 4 hrs.
I am so proud of my Happy Heart group who had a table where they took blood pressure and calculated B.M.I for all the women at the fair. They are so professional, and I love watching them teach the other women all that they have learned.
All the lovely volunteers that contributed to the Women´s Health Fair.
After our successful day of health presentations, I made sure to serve the newbies some of Manabi´s delicous traditional food.
Plan International, my counterpart organization, came out to my site to give a presentation to the PC trainees.
When all our work was complete, we headed off to the waterfalls!
Our hike to the waterfalls.
Usually the there is more water but rainy season was over...still very pretty though
The brave ones who decided to climb up to the top to get in the waterfall...mind you some were wearing flipflops but that didn´t stop them. Later, after the hike, we went to my friends farm to eat mandrin oranges and other fresh fruit! Good times!
In the evening, we went back to ¨La Finca,¨ a touristy spot in my site, where the volunteers stayed the night in bamboo cabanas. We had a big BBQ dinner with grilled fish, chicken and garlic shrimp! Soooo tasty!
Then, the dancing began.....we had to introduce the newbies to ¨La Hora Loca¨
This is the group that lasted the full hour of dancing. Bravo chicos!
It was fun having all the PC trainees out to my site, and I feel like they got a lot out of the experience. I hope they enjoyed everything Manabi has to offer and will come back to visit very soon!
Many people were speaking highly about my site and saying how awesome it is, and I truly do feel lucky. I hope this will help convince YOU to come out and see its amazingness too!

Lots of Americans in Manabi

2009-08-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

The new PC trainees came to visit Manabi for a tech trip. So, needless to say, 15-20 tall, white people walking around the towns drew a lot of attention.
The PC group started their trip at Kristen´s site where we all put on a health fair in the high school. We worked with over 900 students teaching them about nutrition, healthy life styles and HIV/Aids prevention. The kids were fun to work with but drained all of our energy by the end of the day.Health Fair team

Adorable Stacia...good PC buddy who is extending her service to stay another year! Yay!
¨Salta por tu corazon!¨
To promote exercise and healthy living, we had several intense jump rope contests.
The activity reminded me of my elementary school days with ¨Jump Rope for Heart.¨
Stacia was the lucky one to explain the activity.
Kristen encouraging the girls to join in on the jump rope contest. The fair was a hit and all our tireless hours of planning the fair paid off.

2nd group of Americans visit Emaus:

Right when I got back from the States, an American Christian ministry group came out and put on a medical brigade in my site. It was really rewarding for my community. Lets just say, I had lots of translating to do.
After the brigade, I took them out on the lake for a canoe ride so they could see they beauty of my incredible site. It was nice to have visitors...hint hint. :)
The Medical Brigade in the Elementary School. Some of the people even received new glasses!
Hanging out with Alvin and Maria Belin at the medical brigade...they are some of my favortie neighbor kids

Random photos:

Later in the week, we had a community baile and danced until 4a.m.
¨Don´t worry, Be happy!¨
My friends are taking an English course at the university where they had to learn an English song and perform it in front of the class. After they chose the song ¨Don´t worry, Be happy,¨ I had fun working with them teaching the lyrics and helping with pronounciation. They did such an amazing job. I loved how they decided to dress-up for the performance.

¨In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you made it double
Don´t worry, be happy.
Don´t worry, be happy.¨

Missing Colorado and the people in it

2009-07-21T08:28:00.003-07:00

It was good to be able to get together with so many people while I was in town. Thank you to everyone! Ariana, I'm wishing we would have taken a picture together eating our crepes! And Laura von, we need to a second round of Loaded Questions! Out for drinks with Bidwell and Amanda J. (They teased me for taking this picture but now I have it up in my apartment) Sarah was in town! We went to Amanda's soccer game to cheer her on with the rest of the big crowd . We went prepared with snacks and all. haha Chips and salsa anyone??

The "Big Gig" concert

We danced all day and all night

Love this group of people. Take a look at those delicous pineapple drinks!

Drinks at Amanda's house before Film on the Rocks. (Ashley, I can't wait until you come visit!) Amanda J (everyone seems to be calling you that these days. hehe) and I tried to get Red Rocks in the background of our photo but it didn't work out so well...

Walking around Pearl Street in Boulder

Breakfast with my mom's wonderful nurse friends

Sammy's adorable baby girl

My last night in Denver My Chloe girl wanted to come back to Ecuador with me. (I think she knows that I have a new cat in Ecuador and is jealous....Chloe will always be #1 though)

Side (Sad) note: One of my cats died while I was gone. Kisca was crossing the road and a car got her. :( I was very sad to hear the news.

I still have Anali though, and I love the bagibas out of her.

Amber and Keith's Lovely Wedding

2009-07-21T08:28:00.002-07:00

Our journey up to Estes Park at 7a.m. to Amber and Keith's wedding!

(Love the face...couldn't resist)

My stunning date to the wedding

Drew, Sarah B., Me and Amanda waiting for the ceremony to begin...we couldn't have asked for better weather. Love, love, LOVE Colorado Mountains!

Amber and her father.....isn't she lovely

Watching Amber and Keith together inspired the unique kind of joy that comes with being in love. You could see it in their eyes as they recited their vows to one another. Lots of happy tears.

1st dance

Aboslutely gorgeous wedding! Amber and Keith, thanks for letting me be a part of your beautiful day! Many blessings to you both, and may you live happily ever after!

Red, White and Blue

2009-07-21T08:28:00.001-07:00

4th of July...this year celebrated in the good ol' US of A. After a long trip back to the United States, including a few detours, I was so happy to arrive in Colorado for the big "Dia de Independencia."

There's nothing like it when, you pass through customs into the U.S., and the officer says "Welcome home."
My mom, dad, sister and I celebrated the 4th at the Rockies game, which couldn't have been better. Hotdogs, baseball, good Colorado beer and extraordinary fireworks....

I couldn't believe how teary eyed I got as I sang the national anthem and looked around the stadium at the hundreds of other people sounding out the words of our great freedom and oppotunties as Americans. I couldn't help but fight off the tears. (hey, it was my first day back) It felt so good to be home. Feeling very patriotic by this point
My incredible family....I'm a lucky girl!Isn't my sister adorable

The hundreds of people that got to lay out on the field for the fireworks show

So much good quality sister time spent on my trip....I couldn't be more thankful for such a fabulous sister
Awesome show!

After the fireworks, I got to meet up with a group of my close friends for a night on the town. It was such a good first day back and an unforgettable 4th of July!

Happy Heart Fundraiser

2009-07-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in getting the pictures from the Quinceañera posted. I know I have been talking about this big event for some time now and family and friends were very curious to see how this pink dress princess like party played out.

So without further adue....

My good PC friend Kristen and I decided we needed to do a fundraiser for our Happy Heat program and we decided it would be more fun to plan a fundraiser event than writing grants. So, because celebrating your 15th birthday is such a big event, Quinceanera, and Kristen and I never got to celebrate ours Latin style, we decided it would make a good fundraiser event. I know it doesn't make a lot of sense but it gave us an excuse to throw a party and to dress-up like princesses.

So we made little princess hearts as the party favors to go along with the Happy Heart theme

Kristen, I and the outrageous pink dresses, before the big event

Our host brothers were our little caballeros
After our very formal entrance into the party, we decided to spice things up and make things interesting by doing a coregraphed dance. 50 Cent´s song ¨Hey Shorty, It´s your Birthday¨came on, and the 4 of us whipped out sunglasses

After a picture slideshow of us and all of our friends, Kristen gave a presentation on the Happy Heart program. Instead of gifts for the big birthday bash, we accepted donations, which benefited the project. To get people up and dancing, we started ¨La Hora Loca,¨ where you are required to dance for one hour straight to fun well known dance songs.
Peace Corps girlsSomehow, my face was the only one that got pushed in the cake but it turned into a full fledged cake fight in minutes so no one was left out

Priceless.

I think this might have been the only time I actually got to taste the cake too...lots of dancing! The Quinceanera was such a good time that Kristen and I keep asking ourselves "when can we do it again?!" As if our communities didn't already think we were crazy. TQM Kristen!

Sneak peak

2009-06-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

My lovely PC friend and I had a big Quinceañera fundraiser event to benefit our Happy Heart program....can you guess who the Quinceaneras were?!? We went from being señoritas to niñas celebrating our 15th birthday again latino style. More pictures to come but here is a sneak peak of the big event. (Our little host brothers were our stunning caballeros, and we did a coregraphed dance to start off the party....hehehe)

New cell phone number

2009-06-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

My new cell phone number is 09416-8720, and for those who are calling from the U.S. 011+593+94168720.

Only 2 more weeks and I will be in Colorado! Yiiiippppppeeeee!

Paseando in my site

2009-06-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

Posa Honda, the lake by my house, where we go swimming, tubbing and “pasear” in canoe.

My friends Miara and Alexandra who sneakily convinced me to go with them to visit a rural community to invite them to a fundraiser event that we are having for Fathers’ Day. They were upfront about the community being far away, but they didn’t tell me that we had to get there by foot. We climbed a steep hill following two tired donkeys for 2 hours in the hot sun until we got to a community that sat at the top of the mini-mtn and looked over all the small towns below. (such good views that I wish I could share with you but my camera ran out of batteries on the hike.) We all arrived with bright red faces and sweating out of every pore in our bodies but I wouldn’t hesitate to go again if I got the chance.

The community we hiked to was at the top of the tallest hill in the background of this photo.

Fish I used to make civiche...Turns out that gutting fish is pretty simple.

BBQ in La Finca...garlic shrimp and ribs! Sooo good!
Love these girls!
Irene, Kristen, Colleen, Yo and KarenBaby chics at my house

I'm a new mom

2009-06-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

My two new little girls....Kisca (cat in Russian) and Analy (name from a Tela Novela)The claw.......ahhh!
hugs!

My friend Kristen came to visit me this weekend and came bearing "gifts." Two little kitties had been abandoned and left in the street crying. She has been looking for a home for these two adorable animals and my host mom Cecilia and I couldn't help but take them in.
They had several different health issues when I got them but with a little treatment and cariño, they are two happy kittens now.

working with all ages

2009-05-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

My group of promoters for my Happy Heart program.
They are so pillas

The doctor from the health center came to give a presentation about Diabetes

Calculating B.M.I.

Conducting Glucose and Cholesterol exams for the community participants

Where we give our the Happy Heart Presentations in one of my communities...my work is far from corporate cubicle life

El Dia de Nino! Kids day in Ecuador!
We celebrated by having a march with all the elementary and high schools and then had a program in the center of town.

We made visers/hats and handed them out to the little kiddos who still had class.

Parade of kids

A youth group conference I helped put on about with Plan International. We did an activity were the teenagers had to pretend like they were on a radio program being interviewed as themselves but 10 years older. It was very interesting hearing the responses. Are you married? Do you have kids? What kind of career do you see yourself having?

How would you respond? Where do you see yourself in 10 years????????

Tooth fairy claims bankrupcy

2009-05-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

I helped organize a Dental Brigade in my rural communities, and I have never seen so many teeth get pulled in one day.

I was impressed with what these dentists could do with such minimal supplies and working in a small elementary school building

Some of the kids were so brave…this little boy just had his two front teeth pulled and still walks around with a smile on his face. (He told me he had to be brave for his younger brother who needed to get a tooth pulled)

They are the reason I do what I do

No longer a freshman in PC

2009-05-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

I went to Quito last month for mid-service medical exams and to welcome in the new group of PC volunteers. I am getting 2-3 new Agriculture volunteers out near my site, which is exciting. It was an odd feeling to not be on the other side of the fence, answering questions as an experienced volunteer and watching as the newbies head out to their sites to begin their service. I feel like I have passed my freshmen year of PC and have moved up to being an upperclassman.

After a good American style BBQ for the new volunteers, we had our traditional basketball game where the Omnibuses play against each other.

It was so good to be reunited with some of my PC friends from my Omnibus.

The blue wig seems to make an appearance at every Swear-In Party

Where the road meets the sun

2009-05-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

This is such a beautiful song. Hope you enjoy! (One more busy month and then I will be visiting lovely Colorado!)
Grace and peace, Alea

KATIE HERZIG & MATTHEW PERRYMAN JONES "WHERE THE ROAD MEETS THE SUN" (LIVE) from SITUATION OPERATION on Vimeo.

I'll be in Colorado soon!

2009-04-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

Yippppeeeee! It is final…I bought my ticket to Colorado! I will be home July 3-20^th. I am excited for the weddings, BBQs and good ol’ hanging out time with friends and family. Email me if you are free during those dates so we can plan to get together! I can’t wait to see all your beautiful faces! Sending my love <3

Happy Heart continued...

2009-04-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Heart workshop

The community volunteers are getting so good at taking blood pressure

Practicing calculating Body Mass Index

Want to figure out your own B.M.I.????

Below is the formula:

Weight (kg) = B.M.I
Height (m) x Height (m)

Lbs. / 2.2 = kilograms

Ft./ 3.3= meters

B.M.I...........Category.......................Risk of Heart Disease

<18.5...............Underweight.....................Low Risk

18.5-24.9........Normal..................................Average Risk

>25..................Overweight....................Increasing Risk

25-29.9............Pre-obesity.........................Increasing Risk

30-34.9............Obesity I......................Moderate Risk

35-39.9............Obesity II............................Severe Risk

>40...................Obesity III..........Very Severe Risk

Yay! We just finished our first set of Happy Heart workshops. We taught representatives from 6 different communities in my friend Kristen’s site. Next week, we start again in my 6 communities and then onto Sarah’s 4 communities. Happy Heart is making its way across Manabi! Hopefully in the end, we will see a positive change in the number of people who have Diabetes, Hypertension and Heart Disease. I am just happy to see so many people who are receptive and interested in the program!

Here are a couple random shots from the last week...

The butterfly that decided to hang out on Sarah’s leg during the Happy Heart workshop

Joselo’s Birthday
I brought a little blue and orange to Ecuador…Go Broncos! (PS. My host brother likes to tease me about my height. I think he has inferior height complex.)

No more political jingles

2009-04-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

President Rafael Correa ( I just liked his hat in this photo)

No more…. honking cars with megaphones spewing out political jingles…random street parties/ campaigns with loud music…traffic backed up for miles with cars waiting to receive free bleach, fertilizer and bumper stickers….houses painted with bright colored political slogans…building walls plastered with campaign posters….yes, it was an exciting yet tiresome time, and it has finally come to an end.

Sunday was Election Day. The campaigns started very early this year. In the beginning everything was fun and interesting, and I was intrigued by the way Ecuador conducts campaigns. Many of the candidates made house-to-house visits and even special trips out to my rural community. (A little different approach when everyone of age is required to vote.)

However, just like in the U.S., by the time Election Day comes, everyone has been bombarded by so much political propaganda that it is a relief when all the hype is over.

I do have to say though; I saw the most progress made on certain government projects that have been idle for months, like street construction, during the campaigns. I just hope that development continues, and we don’t have to wait for the next election season.

Rafael Correa was re-elected as president. Ecuador has had over 10 presidents in the last 10 years but Correa is changing that streak. My local government will also remain the same. The mayor is very popular in my community and will continue to serve for another term. So, no major changes in my area.

Viva Manabi!

Ulysses Syndrome

2009-04-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

I have my mid-service medical exams this week. Where has the time gone? I have been in Ecuador for almost an entire year?!? Wow, hard to believe. I don’t know when exactly it happened, but it did happen just like past volunteers told me it would. I feel like a member of the community now, instead of a ridiculously tall gringa walking spectacle who is trying to fit in.

Ulysses Syndrome: Only those who have gone through it realize how painful that first stage is in the process of integration to a new country. (The syndrome is usually applied to immigrants, but I feel it also applies to foreigners/volunteers living abroad for an extended period of time.)

"Immigrants themselves can't understand why they so often feel tired, irritable and depressed. This is part of the Ulysses Syndrome, which was described for the first time by psychiatrist Joseba Achotegui from the Universidad de Barcelona. It comprises loneliness, as family and friends were left behind; fear, because of the uncertain future, and survival, struggle that takes over all other priorities.

Immigrants have to cope with different kinds of psychological conflicts when they realize that they need to learn a new language, understand the culture, create a new support system and make adjustments to their identity."

These symptoms were definitely applicable for the beginning stages of my service but as of now, I feel like I have surpassed most of those hurtles.

I am loving Ecuador more and more these days.

Say hello to my little happy heart

2009-04-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Corazon Feliz

My medical supplies finally arrived! My fridge is now filled with glucose and cholesterol tests, I have boxes packed with stethescopes, glucometers, scales and other medical supplies. I am so excited!

After doing extensive interviews in my 6 communities to find out what the communities health needs were, I found out that one of the number one causes of mortality here is due to heart disease. There is a very high percentage of people that have hypertension and diabetes.

Therefore, I am going to implement a “Corazon Feliz,” Happy Heart, program. I will be teaching 2-3 volunteers/facilitators from each of the communities how to take blood pressure and configure BMI (Body Mass Index). Accompanying the blood pressure training, I will be training the volunteers on nutrition, causes and symptoms of heart diseases, easy ways to implement physical activity into their everyday lives and other important health themes that pertain to the prevention of heart diseases.

These volunteers will then go back to their communities to teach about these health topics. I am hoping the project will be more sustainable by training the volunteers and having them lead the workshops instead of me just directly teaching to the communities. The program will be 6 months, and I am excited to get everything started. I’ll keep you posted!

My partners in crime, Sarah and Kristen who are other PC volunteers implementing the Corazon Feliz program in their communities

Hodgepodge of what I have been up to….

2009-04-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

Spending time with the girls. We celebrated my World Teach friend, Irena’s, birthday Ecuadorian style by going out dancing. Traveling by canoe

Summer camp for the kids in my community. The summer camp was focused on building self-esteem and self-empowerment. My favorite session was when we had someone from my community dress up as a mago, wizard/magician. He told them to close their eyes and to imagine all their dreams. The children drew pictures of their hopes and dreams, and then the mago passed a wand over their heads and granted all their dreams. All the kids were glowing that day and had such big aspirations. To finish off our summer camp, we had a party for all the parents to come see all the kids work. The kids were so proud. We had made puppets, and these two adorable boys put on a fabulous show. It was good experience working with the kids, even if I was completely exhausted after every session.

My PC friend Chris came up to the coast to visit me with his friends from the States. The boys made a scrumptious calamari dinner. I beg to differ with the Ecuadorians who say men don’t belong in the kitchen. Mira estes chicos que son expertos en la cocnina. Close up of the fresh squid

Semana Santa

2009-04-14T08:35:00.001-07:00

To the cross I look,
To the cross I claim,
Of its offering I do drink,
Of its work I do sing,
All in my savior,
Both bruised and crushed,
Show them that God is love,
And God is just.

At the cross you beckon me,
Draw me gently to my knees,
And I am lost for words,
So lost in love,
I am sweetly broken,
Holy surrender

What a priceless gift,
Undeserved life,
Have I been given,
Through Christ crucified,
You’ve called me out of death,
You called me into life,
And I was under your wrath,
Through the cross I’m reconciled.

At the cross you beckon me,
Draw me gently to my knees,
And I am lost for words,
So lost in love,
I am sweetly broken,
Holy surrender

And all the cost I must confess,
How wondrous your redeeming love,
How great is your faithfulness.

At the cross you beckon me,
Draw me gently to my knees,
And I am lost for words,
So lost in love,
I am sweetly broken,
Holy surrender

-Jeremy Riddle

Last night I walked the “Via de Crucis.” Following hundreds of people from my village in the dark, singing hymns, carrying candles and remembering the walk that Jesus took before he was crucified.

A group of people from town were dressed in robes, and one in particular was dressed in white cloths with a crown of thorns placed on his head. We had Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus and the two criminals who carried their crosses next to Jesus present in the procession. It was a very moving reenactment.

The singing voices were elevated up into the sky and carried away by the gentle breeze, and the warm glow of the candles created an intimate ambiance. The procession continued until the town center where the scene of Christ’s crucifixion was replayed. People knelt in the streets while the Priest prayed and read scriptures from the Bible.

I have heard and read the story of Jesus’ death many times before but something about this night was very humbling.

After being asked about some of the American Easter traditions, I decided to introduce my host family to Easter egg dying. It proved to be a little more difficult since the eggs are dark brown here but it was fun non-the-less. Later we had a mini egg hunt, and then I told them the story about the Easter bunny. They couldn’t quite understand some of traditions we have, (especially considering most of them are based off the beginning of spring, which does not exist here) but they enjoyed they still enjoyed the culture exchange.

I enjoyed bringing some of the American Easter customs here, and I enjoyed taking part in the Semana Santa celebrations of Ecuador. The processions here brought my focus back to the true meaning of Easter.

“May peace be with you.”

Happy Birthday to one incredible father

2009-04-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

Feliz cumpleaños Dad!

I wish I could be there to celebrate with you. Thanks for teaching me to be bold and courageous. Sending you lots of birthday hugs!! Miss and love you!

Guest Blog: Our Ecuadorian Escapade

2009-03-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

Adventure- simply put, this is the one adjective I would choose to describe the trip my husband, Matt, and I took to visit Alea. All the guidebook reading I had done did little to prepare me for our trip off the beaten tourist track. Yet moving beyond the pages of the tourist guidebooks is precisely what makes a trip to visit Alea so wonderful- besides the fact that Alea is just an all-around awesome person whom we should all want to visit no matter which crazy part of the world she chooses to make home.

Remember way back (say, in October 2008) when Alea posted a blog entitled “Reasons to visit your favorite PC volunteer in Ecuador”? Well, I thought I’d report back to all you blog readers on how such a visit actually went for two of us who’ve made that journey. So, here it goes…

1. You don’t have to worry about currency change- true, but make sure you have a good deal of cash on hand at all times. Arriving at the beach in San Jacinto after a two hour taxi ride from Portoviejo, we (Alea included) were surprised to learn that we were two hours from the nearest ATM (guess where it was). The hotel we were staying at treated credit cards like FPOs (foreign plastic objects) so we were left to scrimp and save for the next day and a half.

2. Experience big lizards and giant tortoises up close and personal- the iguana park in Guayaquil really is something to be seen. It’s just plain weird to see so many prehistoric lizards wandering around freely. We all wondered what keeps them in the park since there’s nothing to prevent them from leaving. As for giant tortoises, that’ll have to wait for a future trip to the Galapagos.

3. Beautiful snowcapped volcanoes- maybe these exist at some other time of the year but I never saw anything that even closely resembled snow on our trip. The best we got was being sprayed with soapy colored foam during Carnival.

4. Become familiar with delicious costal food!- Sorry Alea, but this might be a bit of an overstatement. The mangos and coconuts growing in your yard were delicious. As for coastal? Well, Matt’s from south Louisiana and had never met a fish he didn’t like until he came to Ecuador.

5. We can “banarse”(bathe/swim) in the river that trails through my community/ Horseback riding up to the waterfalls near my house- while we didn’t venture into the river, some members of Alea’s youth group took us on a trek through the jungle to a waterfall that was great for swimming. Where are those horses you speak of Alea? We got the mud and water “death march” instead (just kidding).

6. Beach trip- wow, all I can say about the beach is OMG! There was no better place for us to get a feel for Carnival in South America. Huge street parties, dancing through the night, getting doused with ice water and beer. What more could you ask for? I can now check Carnival in South America off my lifetime to-do list.

7. You can experience the breathtaking views of Ecuador from the back of a camioneta (truck)- just be sure Alea actually knows how far you’ll be going before you hop in the truck. We wound up going on a three hour 4-wheeling adventure. Without sunscreen, Matt and Alea were slowly beginning to resemble lobsters. Need I mention, Alea was still in her pajamas!

8. You can say you stood on the equator at “La Mitad del Mundo”- I think all would agree that it’s a cheesy tourist spot but when else will you get the opportunity to have one foot in each hemisphere?

9. You can bargain for colorful jewelry, ornate rugs and indigenous artwork in the largest outdoor market in South America, Otavlo- Okay so most guys (including Matt) will probably not be uber-thrilled with spending the day shopping but there really is no better way to get all your souvenir/Christmas shopping done in one spot for so cheap. Plus, the bus ride there and back is pretty amazing at $3 r/t for seeing the countryside. Just be sure to pack the Dramamine for all those mountain switchbacks.

10. Me!- Spending time with Alea (who we will forevermore lovingly refer to as T’Alia) truly was the best part of the trip. She is an excellent hostess and tour guide, not to mention interpreter.

So what are you waiting for? Come join Alea’s exclusive club of Visiting Adventurers.

-Signed (with love),
Ariana Landry

Dear friends from the States come to visit

2009-02-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

My good friend from childhood, Ariana, and her lovely husband Matt came out to Ecuador for 10 days. Their journey started in Quito where they did lots of site seeing and stood on the Mitad del Mundo. They took a day trip to the outdoor market in Otavalo to snag some Christmas presents (for next year...boy they are good at thinking ahead), and then hoped on a plane to meet me in Portoviejo. In a week, we saw the Pacific Ocean, participated in the nation-wide water fight, went on a country-side tour (in the back of a pick-up truck), hiked through the rainforest and played with iguanas…adventure from beginning to end.

My apartment turned into a big slumber party with Matt, Ariana and my friend Irena, from World Teach, all staying at my apartment. Thanks to Matt and Ari, I have a new air mattress!! Now I can have more visitors! (I now have two beds and the air mattress…..my apartment is coming along and ready to house more people. hint, hint.)

Now on to the photos of Ariana and Matt's visit...Ariana and I after we cleaned up from walking around San Clemente beach and having water, colored foam and other mysterious liquids thrown on us for the Carnival fiestas. For three days straight, people throw all sorts of water, mud, jello, etc on each other to celebrate Carnival.

The beach was packed from one side to the other with Ecuadorians, and we could barely find an open space to plant ourselves for the day.

Carnival: Crowds of people rode in the back of trucks loaded with ammo to toss at other passing cars.

Kids here live to participate in the Carnival celebrations. For three days straight, it is completely acceptable for them to throw whatever type of liquid they want at whatever person they choose without getting in trouble…a small child’s dream come true!

Although the tradition seemed a little odd to me, the kid inside me couldn’t help but pick-up a bucket and join in. My host brother had set-up his post early in the morning to start chucking water at all the cars that passed by our house. Ariana and I decided to offer him some more hands.

Still in my pajamas, I stood ready with a hose to drench any oncoming cars. I could tell Ariana was a little nervous, but after we had successfully soaked several people riding in the back of a truck (who were also throwing water at us), we both realized what a blast (and what a release) it was! All morning, we gave all the city folk who were coming out to the countryside (to spend the day at the river) a proper Carnival greeting. (hey, at least it was clean water).

Chillin’ on the patio drinking coconut juice after our water shenanigans

My host aunt wanted to “pasear” to show her co-workers some of the countryside, and I figured it was a perfect opportunity to give Ari and Matt a tour of my town. We hoped into the back of the truck to tag-a-long for the ride. What I thought would be a quick 15 min. trip to the center of town, ended up being a 3 hour ride up to the top of the mountain where people like to swim in the river. We were four-wheeling through the dirt roads, climbing hills and bouncing around in the back of the truck. We were laughing and having a good time but had no idea what we had committed ourselves to.

We found a donkey near the river and couldn’t leave without a photo with the sweet donkey.

Our spontaneous trip up to the scenic river site.

Us at the river. It was nice to show Ari and Matt the other communities that I work in, but we were not prepared to sit in the back of the truck for so long under the hot sun. We arrived back at the house several hours later, exhausted and a little pinker than we had started but you just can’t pass up opportunities like that to venture up to the beautiful countryside.My community youth group was excited to have visitors and wanted to give my friends a tour of Emaus but off the beaten trail. We packed lunches, water and swimsuits and headed into the jungle. Human pyramid at the waterfalls. See below for the video

I started teaching English class with my friend from World Teach. We teach every week to all the

Thank you Ariana and Matt for taking time to come out and spend an exciting week with me! I know that the campo life is an adjustment, and I appreciate you guys being up for all the random escapades. Un million de gracias for bringing me treats from the U.S. and for your generosity while you were here! I can’t say thank you enough….my house is always open to you for when you are ready for more good story moments!