And the queen goes to......

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Casey, Sam, Me, Chris and Laura

Omnibus 100


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

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


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

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

Lessons of Ecuador…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let me introduce you to my new home...

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

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

My adorable new house on the coast!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Olympics!!!

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

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

My Cangahua PC family!

Gotta love karaoke and Bohemian Rhapsody!

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

Our group with the Pizza Trebol owners!

You wanna be in Manabi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I got my site assignment!!!

Today was the big day! All 30 Peace Corps volunteers received their site assignments for their next two years in Ecuador. I am heading to the Coast!!! My town is in the provinence of Manabi, and I am close to the city Porto Viejo. I am so stoked! The village I will be living in is pretty tiny...only 200-500 people. Next week we will be traveling to our sites to spend an entire week there meeting other Peace Corps volunteers in the area and staying with our new host families. There will be two other PC volunteers from my training group in the same provinence, and we are already planning to take trips to the beach together.
The climate change is going to be very derastic considering I have been living in my winter coat and fleece pants in my training site. The culture in the coast is very different too. I have heard that they speak very fast and with a unique accent...it´s gonna take some time to get use to. The food is suppose to be really great, and I´m excited to change things up a little! I´m very happy with my assignment, and I can´t wait to get things started!
Thanks to everyone for the great emails! I really appreciate everyone´s support! I just received my mom´s package today, and she sent me some of the postcards from my going away party. They were so thoughtful and they couldn´t have come at a better time. I have posted them in my room and I loved showing my host family the postcards with the pictures of beautiful Colorado on them! Thanks again! Love you all!!!

My latest adventures!

A small group of us volunteers traveled to Otavalo to shop at one of the largest markets in South America. An abundance of colors, textiles, scarfs, purses, jewelry and gringos filled the market. (Otavalo is fairly touristy but it still took me by surprise to see so many gringos). I was excited to do some bargain shopping, and I definitely found some good buys! The electricitywas out for miles in Ecuador all day on Saturday, including Otavalo. Due to the electricity shortage, we had a candlelight lunch at a highly recommended chicken restaurant.

(Bottom left photo: Sonya, Me, Erin and Rebecca).

Sunday, we spent the day at the hot springs in Oyacachi!

(Casey, Sam, Erin and I)

Nine of us crammed into the front and back of a camioneta (truck taxi). It was a long and bumpy ride winding down the hills of the sierra and into the jungle climate. 30 minutes into the trip, it started to rain…everyone in the back of the truck got drenched. When we eventually made it to Oyacachi, everyone looked cold and miserable. We tried to stay positive and admired the beautiful jungle atmosphere. We hesitantly stripped down into our swimsuits in the cold and foggy weather and then bee-lined it to the hot water. Being the only gringos at the park, we were quite the spectacle. It turns out the pools were AWESOME! (completely worth the long ride) The water was steaming hot and so relaxing. (Just what we needed because we were all a little up tight/ on edge about receiving our site assignments within a couple of days.)The hot springs made for one of the most relaxing and loveliest days here in Ecuador.

By the way, Ecuadorian swimsuits are glorious…wild color combinations and over-sized ruffles. ( I’ve got to get me one!) Later, I had to go and pick out live “trucha” (trout) to bring

back to my host family for dinner. I chose five good sized trout and watched as the indigenous

woman bare handedly killed them and handed

them over to me in a bag…she was hardcore. Me and my trout!
It was a pretty chilly ride back to our community but luckily no rain. The sun eventually came out and to top off our wonderful day, the fog cleared and exposed the magnificent snowcapped volcano of Cayambe, which was also accompanied by a giant rainbow stretched across the sky.
What a perfect day in Ecuador! Front row: Erin, Rebecca, Casey, Sam, Me, Darci
Back row: Jake, Chris and William Blanca and Sierra are our two cows!

Sam and I made brownies for our families…we had to do some trial and error but they turned out to be very tasty!

Dodging Bulls

My host family had family come into town on Friday....at least 6 or 7 people. It was fun, but it was the first time that I have been put on the spot and drilled with a million questions at once by a large group of people. It was a good experience because I felt like I was able to keep up with all the questions....¨How many people are in your family? What do your parents do? You only have one sister?What is Colorado like? Where is New York? Have you been to Alabama? What about Kentucky? (We eventually pulled out a US map, which made things a little easier for me to explain)
We threw a surprise birthday party for William, a PC volunteer in my group, at my host family´s house this weekend. He had no idea, and it was awesome! I know that it must be hard to be away from home on your birthday so Im glad we were able to pull the surprise off! (Obviously this picture is a re-enactment of the surprise, but it really was a success!)

My host family went out of town for the day on Saturday and left me a note saying the house and kitchen were mine for the night and to have tons of fun celebrating William´s birthday. I love my family! So, my friends and I made some delish empanadas for the party!

Party wouldn´t have been complete without a piñata!

When my host family returned from their day trip, they all joined in the festivites. My madre was so funny because she came in saying ¨Oh, I´m so thirsty. I really wish I had something to drink. Do you have any water?¨I thought it was a little strange...but I told her no and that all we had was some beer to drink. She said ¨Yay, that will do!¨I filled her cup half way with beer, and she told me not to be shy and to fill it to the rim....she is so funny
and is also a head shorter than me. (I feel like a giant here in Ecuador)

We attempted to make homemade chocolate chip cookies, but the Ecuadorian ovens are a little different here, and it took us twice the amount of time to cook the cookies. When they were finally done, they unfortunately stuck to the pan...we even put butter on the pan so they wouldnt stick but that didn´t really work out for us. We ended up having to make more of a chocolate chip mound of delicousness for the cake!

Feliz Cumpleanos Willy! We made signs and had fun decorations for the party. We also made William wear the awesome Barney birthday hat all evening and even later on at the bull fights!
(As if we don´t already stand out)

The bulls came to our town for more festivites this weekend! Anyone and everyone is allowed to jump into the ring to try to out run/dodge the bull to try and prove how ¨macho¨they really are. Although they taunt the bull a little to get it riled up to chase them, the men do not actually hurt or kill the bull like in a bull fight, which I was relieved to find out.

Amazing Darci and I huddling together for warmth at the bull extravaganza

Lovely Casey and I at the Plaza de Torros
This was a man dressed up as a woman and another guy who put on a hillarious act. They created some sort of see-saw contraption that allowed them to jump and dodge the bull as it came full force charging at them. I couldn´t believe how close the bull would come to jabbing the men in the booty.