Celebrity Collage look alikes

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

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.....

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

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

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

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...

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.