Where to begin? I have been in Tumbaco, Pinchincha Ecuador for a little over a month now. I am about an hour from Quito. Here in Tumbaco, the climate is pretty perfect! Not too hot, not too cold... I have been staying with a wonderful family...two young parents, a twelve year old daughter and a one month old baby girl. These first three months in Tumbaco are strictly training. So far, I have learned Ecuadorians eat Cuy, love family time and gringos! I have learned that I hit the jackpot by recieving placement in Ecuador where you can lay on the beach, climb a volcanoe and hang out in the jungle- all in one day. I have learned there is a wide range of socioeconomic statuses here...some people live comfortably, some live far more than comfortable and some live far below the poverty line. I have learned that people on the coast drop the S when they speak and that the word Chevere is pretty amazing. I have also learned that the more Spanish I learn, the less English I remember...so bare(right form of bare?) with my horrible grammar and spelling please!
All in all, because I am still in training, there is not much to report yet...except that I am feeling pretty lucky to be here, loving learning Spanish and missing home more than I ever have in my life. I also REALLY miss chipotle. Oh yeah...and I guess I kind of miss my boyfriend... ;)
This week was our Tech Trip to the Coast- Bahia, Monabi. Look it up because its beautiful! Soon enough I will be able to post photos. During our trip I got to have some amazing experiences giving charlas to middle schoolers about self-esteem, playing with special needs children (and learning not to confuse love with overprotection), leading a sort of support group for parents of special needs students...and my favorite part-the part of the trip that had the biggest impact on me- the house visit to a family with a daughter who can not speak, see or walk... The mother of this child was actually in my group that I lead...she was the most talkitive, positive woman I met that day...surprisingly, her house was not bigger than my bedroom (minus bathroom) in Riverside. It was completely made of wood...with a couple of holes in the floor so that you could see the earth below. She had three children and her husband all living in this house. Her walls were covered with all of their things- hanging by nails. She had everything she needed! A kitchen/eating area and a bedroom containing three beds. On her walls she also had over fifteen framed awards and diplomas which belonged to her children. She very proudly pointed them out to us. Her daughter with special needs is going through intesive rehabilitation and can now sit up.
I have never seen anything like this house or this family in my life. It was really inspiring...really eye opening. The barrio she lived in had over 25 children like her daughter in it...this shows me theres a strong correlation between poverty and special needs (obviously)...pretty interesting though isnt it? These barrios are really neat... you havent felt a true communal lifestyle until you have been to one. More later! Thanks for reading.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
My Life in a 100lbs or Less!
When I first moved out, I had next to nothing to fill my house with. I had a lamp, a cat and a litter box. Literally...and people would always say, "Don't worry, you'll acquire stuff over the years!"
It seemed like stuff never acquired .... sitting in an empty apartment with only a lamp, a bed (finally) and a vanity....
However, somehow, three years later, it seems like I have acquired endless JUNK to get rid of!
Peace Corps allows you 100lbs of luggage. So, I must downsize my life to just that. :)
I think part of my junk problem is having a garage....instead of going through the proper motions to get rid of junk, I seemed to have 'planned' to get rid of junk and simply moved it into the garage, where it was out of sight, out of mind...until now.
Yesterday, I successfully cleaned out a broken futon frame, a broken refrigerator and a broken treadmill.
Who knew people ACTUALLY collect junk- and make money off of it! The guy who picked junk up from my house seemed so excited to have all of my JUNK. He said that's how he makes a living- by taking people's stuff to the junkyard. It's an everyday thing for him... an easy $100 a day he said.
SWEET.
Now all I have to sell/get rid of:
Kitchen table and chairs
bar stools
brown comfy chair
purple mini fridge which served as my only fridge for 6 months (lol)
entertainment center
audimen (spelling?)
Desk
Desk Chair
Bookshelves
Night stand
Honda Civic
and MISCELLANEOUS c r a p!
Woohoo, let the games begin!
If you are interested in any of these items, let me know!
It seemed like stuff never acquired .... sitting in an empty apartment with only a lamp, a bed (finally) and a vanity....
However, somehow, three years later, it seems like I have acquired endless JUNK to get rid of!
Peace Corps allows you 100lbs of luggage. So, I must downsize my life to just that. :)
I think part of my junk problem is having a garage....instead of going through the proper motions to get rid of junk, I seemed to have 'planned' to get rid of junk and simply moved it into the garage, where it was out of sight, out of mind...until now.
Yesterday, I successfully cleaned out a broken futon frame, a broken refrigerator and a broken treadmill.
Who knew people ACTUALLY collect junk- and make money off of it! The guy who picked junk up from my house seemed so excited to have all of my JUNK. He said that's how he makes a living- by taking people's stuff to the junkyard. It's an everyday thing for him... an easy $100 a day he said.
SWEET.
Now all I have to sell/get rid of:
Kitchen table and chairs
bar stools
brown comfy chair
purple mini fridge which served as my only fridge for 6 months (lol)
entertainment center
audimen (spelling?)
Desk
Desk Chair
Bookshelves
Night stand
Honda Civic
and MISCELLANEOUS c r a p!
Woohoo, let the games begin!
If you are interested in any of these items, let me know!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Peace Corps Update
As it turns out I will not being going to Guatemala after all. Unfortunately Peace Corps removed their volunteers from Guatemala for the time being due to safety concerns.
I was given the option to serve in either Ecuador, Mozambique, Moldova or Costa Rica. My first thoughts were YES! Costa Rica!! Luckily, I decided to think a little harder before making the choice (this is a rarity in my life! ;) just kidding! well... kind of..) My placement officer sent me the Volunteer Assignment Descriptions and Welcome books for each country and let me go to work on making the decision.
After reading each I felt myself leaning towards Ecuador, simply because of the work I would be doing in Youth Education. Costa Rica was more about community development and health education whereas; Ecuador specifically focuses on developing after-school programs (a big determining factor for me!) and partnering up with community and educational leaders to create effective projects for youth education.
I called my placement officer and spoke with her about the challenging decision I had to make. She told me she believed that Ecuador was the best fit for me, based off of my skill set and current work experience.
Intuition + her opinion = Ecuador.
I am excited and thankful this is still working out! I will be departing on May 16 now. Hopefully, it is a much desired smooth ride from here to May 16th! Of course, we know it won't be after May 16, but that's what I signed up for and I can't wait for the experience of a lifetime!
I was given the option to serve in either Ecuador, Mozambique, Moldova or Costa Rica. My first thoughts were YES! Costa Rica!! Luckily, I decided to think a little harder before making the choice (this is a rarity in my life! ;) just kidding! well... kind of..) My placement officer sent me the Volunteer Assignment Descriptions and Welcome books for each country and let me go to work on making the decision.
After reading each I felt myself leaning towards Ecuador, simply because of the work I would be doing in Youth Education. Costa Rica was more about community development and health education whereas; Ecuador specifically focuses on developing after-school programs (a big determining factor for me!) and partnering up with community and educational leaders to create effective projects for youth education.
I called my placement officer and spoke with her about the challenging decision I had to make. She told me she believed that Ecuador was the best fit for me, based off of my skill set and current work experience.
Intuition + her opinion = Ecuador.
I am excited and thankful this is still working out! I will be departing on May 16 now. Hopefully, it is a much desired smooth ride from here to May 16th! Of course, we know it won't be after May 16, but that's what I signed up for and I can't wait for the experience of a lifetime!
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