Mis amigos Carlitos and Sam
Carlitos y Me in our plaza ( I live in my fleece jacket)
Nice Ecuadorian graffiti...haha
Our Peace Corps gang symbolSaturday, June 28, 2008
Taking advantage of this computer that can upload pictures really fast!
Mis amigos Carlitos and SamCarlitos y Me in our plaza ( I live in my fleece jacket)Nice Ecuadorian graffiti...hahaOur Peace Corps gang symbol
Mas fotos!
Pictures just don´t do justice but my little town is so pretty. Beautiful countryside! I love it!
We found an Italian restaurant (owned by Germans) that serves the best spaghetti and gelato...we may just have to become regulars. Apparently all the gringos/ gringas go here but no pasa nada!
Some of the festivites celebrating San Pedro! Lots of fun costumes and tons of dancing! Tonight/the rest of this weekend will be filled with loud music and people dancing in the streets!
My awesome Peace Corps group and facilitor! We all live in the same community and like to hang out in the plaza when the sun decides to come out! (not very often)
However, when the sun does come out, it is much stronger and doesnt take long to get sunburned. This is Sam and I sporting our mild sunburns. (Don´t worry Mom we put sun screen on everday now just to be safe.)
We went to the local elementary school and gave a mini session on health related topics...we basically played some fun games with the kids and taught them the song ¨Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.¨ It was one of my favorite days here so far!
My room, which is gianormous! (not too much furniture though, which has been perfect for my friend Samantha and I´s workout sessions!)Friday, June 27, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Host family
Hello everyone!
I am in a small small town in Ecuador somewhat near Quito. It is very HIGH in elevation and despite what I thought I would be wearing living on the equator, I have had to wear my winter coat, gloves and warm clothes here. The nights are very cold. I bundle up and sleep in my sleeping bag under my covers in my bed and everything works out.
My host family is really nice...un madre, two daughters who are in their 30s and one has a 3 year old little girl (Erica) and a 5 month old baby boy! The dad and older son work in the military in Quito and will be visiting the weekend. I love playing with Erica and reading to her. She was shy at first, but now she spends all her time in my room.
I also live with quite a few animales....chickens, roosters, turkies, 2 cows (one of which is pregnant), guinea pigs, rabbits, one cat and a dog, completely new experience for me!
Today we had our language class, which meets at my families house in a little room next to my bedroom. It´s nice that I can roll out of bed and into my early morning class. We walked around town introducing ourselves to different community members such as el presidente of the town, the police officers and the school director. Wednesday we are returning to the elementary school to teach the kids a game and some songs about health...should be interesting. (There are 5 Peace Corps volunteers in my group)
The other volunteers are living in other towns....but I have a feeling that our town is the most rural and cold of them all. The pampering from Miami and in Quito is now over, and I can tell that the real Peace Corps experience has begun!
For the next 3 months there are festivites going on in my town and in the main city of Cayambe celebrating San Pedro. In other words, there will be lots of dancing in the streets and different events going on until 2am for 3 months straight. When in Ecuador, do as the Ecuadorians do!
I have been taking some pictures but it is hard to upload them onto this computer. I will work on that and will hopefully be able to post some soon!
I bought a cell phone! With a calling card you can call me at (011593)84577182
My address during training is
Alea Richmond
Cuerpo de Paz
Casilla 17-08-8624
Quito, Ecuador
South America
We can only receive small packages (letters) during training but I would love to hear from you!
Thank you also to everyone who came to my farewell party! I loved seeing you all before I left!
I miss you all very much and hope everything is going well!
Hasta luego!
I am in a small small town in Ecuador somewhat near Quito. It is very HIGH in elevation and despite what I thought I would be wearing living on the equator, I have had to wear my winter coat, gloves and warm clothes here. The nights are very cold. I bundle up and sleep in my sleeping bag under my covers in my bed and everything works out.
My host family is really nice...un madre, two daughters who are in their 30s and one has a 3 year old little girl (Erica) and a 5 month old baby boy! The dad and older son work in the military in Quito and will be visiting the weekend. I love playing with Erica and reading to her. She was shy at first, but now she spends all her time in my room.
I also live with quite a few animales....chickens, roosters, turkies, 2 cows (one of which is pregnant), guinea pigs, rabbits, one cat and a dog, completely new experience for me!
Today we had our language class, which meets at my families house in a little room next to my bedroom. It´s nice that I can roll out of bed and into my early morning class. We walked around town introducing ourselves to different community members such as el presidente of the town, the police officers and the school director. Wednesday we are returning to the elementary school to teach the kids a game and some songs about health...should be interesting. (There are 5 Peace Corps volunteers in my group)
The other volunteers are living in other towns....but I have a feeling that our town is the most rural and cold of them all. The pampering from Miami and in Quito is now over, and I can tell that the real Peace Corps experience has begun!
For the next 3 months there are festivites going on in my town and in the main city of Cayambe celebrating San Pedro. In other words, there will be lots of dancing in the streets and different events going on until 2am for 3 months straight. When in Ecuador, do as the Ecuadorians do!
I have been taking some pictures but it is hard to upload them onto this computer. I will work on that and will hopefully be able to post some soon!
I bought a cell phone! With a calling card you can call me at (011593)84577182
My address during training is
Alea Richmond
Cuerpo de Paz
Casilla 17-08-8624
Quito, Ecuador
South America
We can only receive small packages (letters) during training but I would love to hear from you!
Thank you also to everyone who came to my farewell party! I loved seeing you all before I left!
I miss you all very much and hope everything is going well!
Hasta luego!
Arrival in Ecuador
Hello!
I have made it to Ecuador safely. We are currently in Quito until Sunday and will be traveling to Cayambe for our 3 month training. I am exicted becuase we will be living with host families during this time. My training group is really great, and I am already starting to make some good close friends. So far, we have been spoiled with electricity and hot water...I am trying to enjoy it while it lasts.
Today was a long day of info sessions and vaccinations luckily I only had to get one shot, a rabbies shot. My body is still adjusting to the high elevation, but things have been really good so far. I haven´t had to eat anything too unusual yet, but the fruit juices are muy deliciosa! Bus rides around here are nuts. We spent 30 minutes trying to get out of the airport parking lot on Wednesday. People park their cars every where and the streets are very narrow.
My rusty Spanish is improving, but I know it will come back with time. Love my group and am very happy with my experience thus far. All of us are trying to contact our family and friends while we can, so a lot of people are waiting for the one computer that we have in our hostel. So, I better give someone else a chance to let their families know they are okay.
I will write again when I can, which there may be a little bit of time before I get that chance again. Miss you tons and sending my love! Hope all is well in beautiful Colorado!
Abrazos de Ecuador!
I have made it to Ecuador safely. We are currently in Quito until Sunday and will be traveling to Cayambe for our 3 month training. I am exicted becuase we will be living with host families during this time. My training group is really great, and I am already starting to make some good close friends. So far, we have been spoiled with electricity and hot water...I am trying to enjoy it while it lasts.
Today was a long day of info sessions and vaccinations luckily I only had to get one shot, a rabbies shot. My body is still adjusting to the high elevation, but things have been really good so far. I haven´t had to eat anything too unusual yet, but the fruit juices are muy deliciosa! Bus rides around here are nuts. We spent 30 minutes trying to get out of the airport parking lot on Wednesday. People park their cars every where and the streets are very narrow.
My rusty Spanish is improving, but I know it will come back with time. Love my group and am very happy with my experience thus far. All of us are trying to contact our family and friends while we can, so a lot of people are waiting for the one computer that we have in our hostel. So, I better give someone else a chance to let their families know they are okay.
I will write again when I can, which there may be a little bit of time before I get that chance again. Miss you tons and sending my love! Hope all is well in beautiful Colorado!
Abrazos de Ecuador!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
A little over a month to go
It’s been a long time to get to this point, but as of June 16th, it will be
I am also looking to sell my car. Anyone who knows someone who is looking to buy a good little reliable Toyota Corolla let me know! It has served me well, and I am sad to see it go.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
My soon to be new home...
OFFICIAL NAME:
CAPITAL:
ESTIMATED POPULATION 12,679,700
LOCATION & GEOGRAPHY:
(1.) The coastal plain or Costa
(2.) The Sierra or
(3.) The Oriente
(4.) The
MAJOR CITIES: Guayaguil, Quito, Cuenca, Machala, Portoviejo
CLIMATE:
SPECIES: 9.2 of species per km2 (most in the world) Over 1,800 bird species, Over 1,000 sea species, over 230 mammal species, over 680 reptile species, and over 20,000 plant species.
LANGUAGES: The official language is Spanish. 6% of the population speaks Quechua, mainly the AmerIndians.
CURRENCY: The official currency is the United States Dollar (USD) divided into 100 Cents.
GOVERNMENT: Democratic
RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic
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