BlondeinEcuador's Xanga

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:59:42 GMT

Hello Everyone.
I just wanted to say a final thank you to all of you who supported me during my Peace Corps service with encouragement, prayers, mail, etc. I could not have gotten through my service without you! It was extremely difficult for me to leave Ecuador, mainly because the people in my small town became a surrogate family for me. I plan on returning to Nabon, Azuay in a few years to hopefully give out some much deserved college scholarships to some of the youth I worked with and to visit my Ecuadorian friends.
These past two years I have grown so much as a person, and I am so proud of the experience I had. It was rough at some points, when I didn't feel that I had enough in me to continue. I always ended up finding a reason not to leave, whether through the help and encouragement of fellow volunteers, or the sudden smiles on the faces of some of the kids whom I fell in love with in Ecuador. It was emotional for me to leave my home of two years, but I am so excited for the next adventure in my life. With that, I leave you all. Please enjoy some last snap shots of my final days in Ecuador. Now that I am back in the USA I would love to share my experience with you! God Bless!

Galapagos!

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:49:58 GMT

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!)

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Tue, 20 May 2008 15:58:06 GMT

Yes I know it has been too long since I have used this website. I guess I´m not much for diaries or online blogs, which explains the hard time I have remembering to post stuff online for everyone to see. I am almost finished with my service here in Ecuador, so I am wrapping up all of the projects in my community and getting ready for a new adventure back in the states. My tentative date for departure is the second week in August, when I´ll be back in the states.
Things in Nabon have been going well. I just finished a big project where I trained seven kids from the high school to be leaders in Sex Ed. This past week they gave their own talks on topics such as condom use, AIDS, abstinence, and domestic violence to their classmates, and it went really well. I wanted to create a sustainable program so that when I am gone the school and the community will have some sort of sexual health education. Hopefully in the future the kids will be able to give presentations to the rest of the community as well as to their classmates. One of the kids ended up giving a workshop to his community on AIDS and condom use-all by himself. I think its pretty awesome that he had the confidence to talk about AIDS and condoms with his community-and I am excited about what the kids will do in the future with this project.
It will be really hard to leave the people in Nabon, especially the kids whom I have come to love! All of them are so cute, and still are often at my house doing art projects. The other day we made animals out of clay which was really fun---and we made mothers day cards together to give to their moms.
Things I am looking forward to before I leave are the fiestas celebrating my canton, or county, of Nabon. There will be music and usually there is some sort of bull fight--basically a bunch of really drunk men running around in a ring with an angry bull. Not exactly smart behavior, but really entertaining to watch nonetheless. I am also taking a vacation to the Galapagos Islands in the beginning of June, where hopefully I will get to see a lot of wildlife!
I am also a member of a volunteer committee called the Gender and Development Committee (GAD). As a committee we try to promote gender equality in Ecuador through offering 70 high school scholarships to young ecuadorian women each year (high school is not free here in Ecuador), leadership camps focused on breaking gender barriers for young men and women, and workshops with volunteers and Ecuadorians focused on gender issues. Every year we host a raffle where the proceeds go to our efforts to promote gender equality in Ecuador. This year some of the prizes include round trip airfare within the continental USA and roundtrip airfare to ECUADOR! If you are interested, please see the below info!
As I wrap up my service here in Ecuador I am really thankful to everyone who has supported me during my Peace Corps service with your prayers and thoughts! Also, thanks to all who have sent me letters and emails- you make me feel really loved! I am starting the job hunt soon, and although the 9-5 work schedule will be completely different than what I have been used to here in Ecualand, I am ready for something new. Hopefully I will be taking some more pictures of my community as I prepare to leave, and I will try to post those so you all can see more of my life here! If you see me when I am back stateside, feel free to ask me about what I´ve been up to here in Ecuador-I would love to share!

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.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 18:02:58 GMT

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

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:27:31 GMT

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.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:54:19 GMT

Here are some photos to give you an idea of life in Ecuador...

Delicious guniea pigs roasting in Cuenca

Roadside pig roast...delish!

The pig who lives in my yard...he loves to oink at all hours of the night.

My neighbor Georgina making bread from scratch

me and some of my other neighbors

my closet (pretty classy)

view of downtown nabon...a very happening place

more of downtown Nabon

inside my swanky house

outside my swanky house (notice the corn growing all around it)

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:08:30 GMT

At the end of June, I will have served as a Peace Corps Volunteer for exactly one year. Hard to believe that I have not set foot on US soil for that amount of time, and equally hard to believe that I have made it this far into my service whereas some members of our training group have elected to go home early. Challenging wouldn’t even begin to describe the past year, but I am proud to say I have made it through this far without turning back. I have grown accustomed to electric showers, washing dishes in my bathroom sink (no water in my kitchen), leaky pipes, and little kids knocking on my door at all hours of the day and night wanting to hang out with me. I have lived through the rainy season when rain leaked into my house through the roof, one hail storm (seriously—ice in Ecuador!) and a small earthquake that shook the furniture in my house--- not to mention my neighbors almost setting my house on fire when their roadside garbage burning got out of hand. Not that life here is all bad--- the people in my town are amazing, generous, and kind, and have welcomed me into their lives with open arms. The kids who hang out at my house are hyperactive, but also cute as a button and eager to please. Everyone is always looking out for me, from my neighbors who would feed me every day if given the chance, to the friendly town police officers who always have my back.

The 26^th through the 28^th of May were the fiestas de Nabon—the celebration of the Virgin de Rosario. To celebrate the occasion, we had a real rodeo (American country music blaring and all) with men trying to last as long as possible while mounted on crazy jumping horses and bulls. At night, the town hosted music groups from all over (or maybe just as far as Cuenca) who sang literally until 2 am. And my favorite thing of all---FIREWORKS! It almost felt like the fourth of July—and I almost felt like I was back in the USA for a second when I saw them. The main reason for the celebration—a Catholic celebration for the Virgin de Rosario or the Virgin Mary—was made clear by the processional including a huge Barbie-like statue of the Virgin de Rosario. The best part was a solo singing performance by this cute boy who sang a ballad in honor of the Virgin.

The other exciting thing happening here—this time work-wise—is the health fair I am hosting every month in a small community outside of Nabon. In May I held a talk with the mothers of the community about nutrition for adults and kids, and even cooked a vegetable soup with the mothers. This was awesome, mainly because the women were so surprised that a soup could taste good without adding oil and a lot of salt. People here are not that health conscious when it comes to preparing food, which is seen in the way they use oil, shortening, sugar, and salt liberally in practically everything they eat. I have seen women add oil to salad, and add 5 spoonfuls of sugar to a single cup of coffee. I feel that I am actually working for a purpose when talking with these women—and I get to return to work with them more in a few weeks so I am psyched.

I also have been working hard at my new hobby—guitar. I can now play Amazing Grace and Father I Adore You as well as some other easy songs. My other activity when I need to pass the time has been reading, so it’s nice to mix it up a little. (If you are looking for a good read try the following: Guns, Germs and Steel (Tries to answer the question why Europe conquered the Americas instead of the other way around) or The Economic Hit Man which are both good reads.)

Last but not least--A shout out to all those who have been thinking about me— especially those who have taken the time to write and email! It’s great to have such awesome friends and family! Anyway, I guess that is all I have to say for now, but tune in for more of my adventures at a later date…also I will be posting pictures next time (I forgot about them this time)

Monday, May 07, 2007

Mon, 07 May 2007 15:30:33 GMT

Just returning from a wonderful Ecuadorian vacation with my mom, I realize that in a way I am excited to be going back home to Nabon, excited to work again after relaxing a little too much. I expected the opposite, expected to be dreading going back to life in the campo, where everything moves at a snails pace. Luckily I don´t feel that dread... which makes me think I can stick it out for the next year and a few months.

My mom came on April 21, and she just left today. We got to explore parts of Ecuador I hadn´t really explored enough--such as actually entering museums (something I was a little delayed in doing). We also explored Mindo more, and went bird watching. At first I thought bird watching meant staring up at empty trees for hours on end--but we actually saw birds, including a toucan--from afar--and about 30 different kinds of hummingbirds. I also got to ride on the roof of the Nariz del Diablo train ride, which I was straying away from at first because it is so touristy, but was an incredible way to view the countryside and mountains around Riobamba. Oh and one of my favorite things was going on a zipline canopy tour in Mindo--they even let me hang upside down and go across with a big drop below me. Seeing the cloud forest from an upside down view was the best part.

Now its back to work and reality of living here in Ecuador. I have a bug health fair coming up in about two weeks, so I need to prepare for that and get back into working mode. I am planning on heading to Santo Domingo in a few weeks to my friend Amarilys´site, where i´ll help translate for doctor´s coming to perform surgeries from the states. As the rainy season ends here (and summer begins back home) I am hoping to get more projects started in my community. Nutrition seems to be unfolding as my main focus, which isn´t my favorite thing to talk about (i would rather talk about parasites, alcoholism, or AIDS prevention to be honest) but probably a topic that has the potential to really impact my community in a positive way.

Anyway, thanks to all you out there thinking and praying for me as I continue this adventure! viva ecuador!

News from down south

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 19:05:16 GMT

work wise-
I have begun working in conjunction with the doctors going out to communities surrounding Nabon. In these communities I discuss nutrition with pregnant women, women with children under five years, and adults with diabetes and high blood pressure. The medical team goes out to communities every other week, walking basically everywhere because of the lack of transportation. I have been out with the doctors a few times now, visiting houses and families in the communities. Its really neat to be able to go out to these communities that I previously had never been to, and I get to see more mountains and scenery as well. This May I am holding a health fair in conjunction with the doctors in a community about 45 minutes away from Nabon centro. We are going to cook food/ talk about nutrition with about 50 parents of young children who attend a day care program called INNFA, which is a nation wide program that works for child rights and postive development of kids.
I also am still working at the local colegio with the kids---I am planning some classes on sexual and reproductive rights as well as Aids education and prevention.

As you can see, I have become busier---which helps the time fly by a little faster. I have still found time to relax and hang out with my neighbors.

New additions to my yard around my house have included two chanchos (pigs) one on either side of my house. They arent mine, they belong to the neighbors who live on either side of me so the chanchos border my house. The only problem with this is that they love to oink at all hours of the day and night, which makes me lose a little sleep....the other annoying animals are my neighbors roosters and chickens that love to crow and caw really early in the morning. For some reason they love my yard better than their own, so they even lay eggs in my backyard, which is not great if you walk around bare foot. the other really awful part is they love to poop all over my front stoop. so the other day when i was barefoot sweeping, i stepped on a not so pleasant something. I{ll leave you to imagine the rest.

Semana Santa (Easter Week) was last week. Nothing that exciting happened because I was hanging out in Nabon...but I did hang out with my neighbors. I am thinking about trying to go to church in my site, but the major problem is that the Catholic and Evangelical (Protestant) churches are really divided in my small town. There is still a lot of animosity between the two sects---which to me is surprising because back home I attended an i guess you could say "evangelical church" as well as a catholic youth group--and to most people in the usa there would not be this conflict between two churches that believe the basic underlying thing. My friend Ismael, who is Puerto Rican but has a Nabonesa wife and lives in Nabon, told me that two years ago there was a huge fight that broke out in front of the municipio where some Catholics began throwing rocks at Protestants trying to pass out religious pamphlets. All of this drama kind of makes me want to stay away from the conflict...or I was thinking of going to both services to try to communicate that I am not against either church but for both of them. We will see what happens!

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! Happy Easter!

eight months in ecuador and counting

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 16:39:30 GMT

I have been here in Ecuador for more than 8 months now...which is pretty hard to believe. I have been living in Nabon for more than 6 months, so by now I am feeling more like a part of the community...which shows in what I have been up to...

About 2 weeks ago I was asked to be the judge in the Reina competition for the colegio. If you are confused as to what this might be, think a beauty pageant where the whole town comes to watch. They had girls from each curso (grade) of the colegio (high school) competing in formal wear, traditional dance, and a question and answer portion. I was one of five judges chosen to participate and choose the winners....and being Ecuador I did not know I was going to be a judge until about 5 minutes before the competition started. I was sitting in the stands minding my own business when I was asked to be a judge because the former judge was a little too chuchaqui (drunk--hungover) to actually judge anything. The competition was really long as well...about 4 hours of watching the girls dance and strut their stuff in their formal gowns. For me it was pretty crazy to see how into this everyone in the town got, and I definetely realized how much a part of the culture these reina competitions are. The girl who won is in her final year at the colegio, and she was crowned Reina del Colegio Nabon. The Reina´s job for the year is to represent the Colegio in the parades (Ecuadorians love parades--sometimes there will be a random parade that will appear when you least expect it). The big fiesta for my town is May 30th, which is a Catholic fiesta that celebrates the church and a saint, although I can´t remember which one. The next big fiesta is in June, when Nabon crowns the Reina de Nabon, who will be the Reina of the whole county...so get ready for a reina update sometime in June!