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.