Galapagos!

  I just had the amazing experience of going to the Galapagos Islands here in Ecuador. I went with a fellow volunteer, my friend Mary. We snorkeled, swam, hiked, and saw some amazing animals including sea lions, crabs, iguanas, penguins, fish, blue footed boobies, etc. We visited our friend Eva, a fellow PCV, on the island of Isabella where she works. One of the volcanoes on the island was erupting while we were there which made it a bit cloudy so we did not get to see quite as much as we normally would in terms of wildlife--but we saw sooo much it hardly mattered!!

Here are some of the photos of the amazing things we saw!!

A blue footed booby!

Turtles Mating

Sunbathing Sea Lions

The Island of Floreana

Sea Lions PlayingLong Necked Turtle

Galapagos Penguins Cactus Flower

Breastfeeding Sea Lion Pup

COlorful Crabs

giant Pelican Giant Turtles

Baby Turtle

Giant Iguana

Iguana Face ( when i took this picture I thought the iguana would pounce. lucky for me he didnt!)

Me at the rim of the volcano after our hike

view from the rim

view from the rim of the volcano

Esnorkeling

Fighting for Food

 Eva and I--she gets to live in the Galapagos as a Peace Corps Volunteer-how lucky!!

Blue Footed Booby picture I stole from Eva

Flamingoes on Island Isabella

The rim of the volcano we hiked! (we sat where those people are sitting-scary!)

I am writing to ask for your support for two very important Peace Corps Volunteer priorities:  providing scholarships to young Ecuadorian women AND combating sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

The Peace Corps Ecuador Gender and Development Committee teamed up with the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Task Force for a big raffle fundraiser to support these important causes. 

With your purchase of raffle tickets, you will:

1)      Help Ecuadorian girls finish high school (it’s not free here). Our Gender & Development Committee’s scholarship program is one of only a handful worldwide.  The financial assistance that we provide for these young women is vitally needed:  a mere 56% of Ecuadorian women receive their high school degree.

2)      Help prevent human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and children.  Thousands of Ecuadorian women and children have fallen victim to human trafficking, which is considered a type of modern-day slavery.  The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Task Force is working to prevent the spread of trafficking and to provide support and to provide shelter and services to former victims.  

3)      Have a chance to win fabulous prizes including roundtrip airfare to Ecuador, roundtrip airfare within the U.S., Ecuadorian art, exciting outdoor adventure packages including surfing and whitewater rafting trips, as well as weekend getaway packages to exciting destinations across Ecuador.

Don’t delay!  Buy your tickets today!  Each ticket is only $1.50. The raffle will take place on July 8, 2008

Two easy options to support TWO great causes and have a chance to win LOTS of great prizes: 

1)  Credit Card:  BUY ONLINE NOW through the secure Friends of Ecuador website:  http://www.friendsofecuador.org/   

2) Check:  Please make checks payable to: Club Kiwanis Chuquiragua Please write GAD Rifa in the Memo of the check and mail to: Attn: GAD. Casilla 17-08-8624. Cuerpo de Paz/Ecuador. Quito, Ecuador.

2008 Raffle Prizes Include:

•    ROUNDTRIP AIRFARE TO ECUADOR!

·        Roundtrip airfare for one person between any two major cities in the continental U.S.*

·        Whitewater rafting package in beautiful El Chaco, including all equipment, guides and lodging

·        A Tour of Cotopaxi National Park aboard the Chiva Express, a colorful one-coach train, where you can “ride the roof” along the panoramic “Avenue of the Volcanoes.”

·        Ruta del Sol prize package including private surf lessons, accommodations at the Hostal Tsunami in Montanita plus a private panga ride tour of a mangrove reserve

·        Exciting weekend getaway packages to Mompiche, Canoa, Sua and Quito

·        A night for two at the Maquipucuna Lodge where you may get a glimpse of the elusive, endangered Spectacled Bears

·        Puyo Prize Package which includes personal guided tour of  Omaere Ethnobotanical Park and a weekend stay at the luxurious Hosteria Finca El Pigual

·        Dozens of other exciting prizes including art, books, indigenous handicrafts, gift certificates for fine dining and much more!!!

Don’t delay!  Buy your tickets today!  Each ticket is only $1.50

The GAD-Anti TIPS raffle is made possible thanks to many generous businesses and individuals including:  Adam’s Rib, Metropolitan Touring, WaterDog Tours, Hotel Chagra Ramos, Hosteria Gabeal, Hostal Pais Libre, Hotel Almare, Hostal Tsunami, Balsa House, Hosteria Finca El Pigual, Hosteria El Jardin, Reserva Maquipucuna, Dave Goucher, Sonia Aguirre, Parque Omaere, Mango’s Mongolian Barbeque, The Magic Bean, Best Western Plaza, Bom Café, Shooters Sports Pub, Hotel Sanmelis, Chandani Tandoori, The Mango Tree, Mister Bagel, Henry Morgan Pleasure Cruise, Libri Mundi, 4 Manos, Expediciones Apullacta,  El Maiz Restaurante,  Hotel Principe, Wunderbar Café, Posada del Angel Hostel, Moliendo Café. THANK YOU SPONSORS!!!

ABOUT GAD

The Peace Corps Ecuador Gender and Development (GAD) Committee aims to enhance gender equality in all sectors of Ecuadorian society.  In 2007, GAD provided over 70 scholarships to financially underprivileged, yet highly motivated Ecuadorian women so that they can finish their high school education. Working in partnership with Club Kiwanis Chuquiragua in Quito, GAD Ecuador's scholarship program is one of only a handful worldwide. The financial assistance that GAD provides for these young women is vitally needed, as a mere 56% of Ecuadorian women receive their high school degree. In addition to the scholarship program, GAD also sponsors popular youth camps and large national leadership conferences for Ecuadorian girls.

ABOUT THE ANTI-TIPS TASK FORCE

The Peace Corps Ecuador Anti-Trafficking in Persons (Anti-TIPs) Task Force aims to combat the increasing problem of trafficking and sexual exploitation of persons—particularly women and children.  Through local outreach, education and national conferences, Anti-TIPs focuses on the prevention of the spread of commercial sexual exploitation.  As a relatively new Peace Corps committee, Anti-TIPS seeks resources to support an important initiative to provide housing and services to Ecuadorian victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

ABOUT THE GAD-ANTI-TIPS COLLABORATION

In an effort to avoid duplication of effort, maximize volunteer effort and conserve resources, GAD and Anti-TIPs are collaborating on a joint fundraising effort.  Funds raised through the raffle will support the committees’ philanthropic goals of 1) providing scholarships to low income Ecuadorian girls so that they may finish high school; and 2) supporting Fundacion Quimera, one of the countries leading anti-trafficking organizations that is creating Ecuador’s first shelter for victims of human trafficking.  

Dogs in Ecuador can be obnoxious. I know that’s not the most exciting news to post on my web site, but I thought everyone should know. After being bitten a few months ago, I thought it couldn’t get any worse. But it can! The other day I was out running in the middle of nowhere, and ended up being cornered on all sides by four vicious dogs. I had to literally climb up part of a rock wall to get away from them, as these dogs were not afraid of rocks thrown at them or me shouting at them at the top of my lungs. This was a really frightening experience. The sad part of the story is that dogs here in Ecuador are not treated like pets, they are treated like a form of protection (against what I don’t know- considering I live in the land where you can accidentally leave your door open for four hours with your computer open on the table and it doesn’t even get stolen). People don’t love their dogs like they do in the states, although there are some exceptions, like the random lady in my town who dresses up her dog in outfits (which I consider a different form of pet abuse). Anyway, the point of this rambling is that if you come to Ecuador or any South American country (especially if you visit rural areas), don’t think the dogs are friendly even if they are cute. They are probably just waiting for the right moment to maul you. Sad, but true. This is especially disappointing to me since I love dogs.

 Some real news is that I have been working at the local high school for the past few weeks, and have been doing some talks about reproductive rights here in Ecuador. I am also going to do some talks about AIDS because a lot of the people in my town have no idea what HIV-AIDS is. HIV-AIDS is a huge issue here in South America, because of the lack of education and the fact that many people in Ecuador and South America have HIV AIDS but most likely don’t know they do.

In November I also have another huge nutrition workshop with moms from the CNH (country sponsored nursery school) program in my town. We are going to cook some nutritious snack foods for kids, and talk about vitamins and minerals! This should be really fun because the moms are awesome and I love cooking and talking with them. I am now doing nutrition workshops and cooking in four rural communities. I was supposed to have a big workshop with a very rural community where the doctors and I were going to discuss benefits of breastfeeding and nutrition, but the community cancelled on us because they weren’t interested-- which is a shame.

The GAD (Gender and Development) Committee I am on is meeting this week, which I am excited about. I am on the scholarship committee, which gives out scholarships to Ecuadorian girls who can’t afford to finish high school. GAD also has a leadership camp called CAMP ALMA for non scholarship girls, which will take place this upcoming November. This camp does leadership activities and outdoor activities with young women who can then take what they have learned back to their respective communities.

In other news I am still trying to put together some sort of medical brigade/exchange to come out to Nabon from the states. If you have any ideas or would like to help in some way, please let me know!

I am coming home to the states for Christmas and New Years. This will be my first time home since I arrived here in June 2006 so I am ready to see everyone!

Thanks to family and friends for your thoughts and prayers, I really appreciate it—I am sure your thoughts/prayers are part of the reason I have made it here for a year and 5 months!

Update

 Life here in Ecuador is going pretty well. I have now been here for one year three months, and am really getting into the swing of the Ecuadorian lifestyle as well as the work I am doing. I have been doing a ton of cooking with women from different communities, and I am excited because next week I will start working in the community of Patadel teaching nutrition and cooking nutritious meals with a bunch of mothers from the nursery school program called CNH (Creciendo con Nuestros Hijos or Growing with our Children). I am also starting the same work in Nabon Centro, where I live, with the CNH program here. Hopefully I will be able to take photos in these next couple of weeks to show you all the cooking and nutrition talks I{ll be giving! I will begin teaching sex education at the high school again in September, which I am looking forward to. I also have an idea of forming a youth group for girls from the high school so we will see if I can put the idea into action!

This past week I did not have much to do, so I spent a lot of time hanging out with the kids who like to come over to my house and do art projects. We had a photo shoot where I took pics of all of the kids--and the pictures are super cute! There are no pictures of me because the kids attempted to take some but sadly in the pictures only my leg or half of my face was visible. I guess digital cameras are a little beyond the grasp of a 5 year olds understanding.

Yajaira and Michelle standing on the corn that is being dried by the sun

baby cow and Maria Paz

These pictures are really cute but the computer wouldn{t let me turn them around so you will have to turn your head! (sorry)

And Last but not least, here is a picture of me and my neighbor Georgina, who is like a mother to the whole town--and to me as well. She looks out for me and is always trying to give me herbal teas and natural remedies when I am sick--which actually work!

It is hard to believe sometimes that I have been here in Ecuador for such a long time. In the past couple of months I have really come to love my town (at least most of the time) and I think this has helped me be able to adjust more to life here. I am blessed with amazing neighbors in Nabon, and now with more work opportunities! Hopefully in the upcoming year that remains  I will be able to have even more impact on my community through the work I am doing.