Big bad wolf

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

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

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

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

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

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

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