Surprise! I'm back in the USA!

After a lot of thinking, waiting, meditation exercises and arguing with myself, I've decided to leave Ecuador.

'What? I thought the Peace Corps was a 2 year thing?'
Yea, it's supposed to be.
'Then, why are you back?'
Well... many factors played into my decision to leave but it all boiled down to security and not being able to get comfortable. I'm not talking about having hot water, decent internet, or a bed without bed bugs. Actually, after a few weeks, I didn't even mind the bed bugs. What I'm talking about is not feeling safe. Strikes, road blocks, riots, and an increasing crime scene were among some of the factors. That along with the machismo culture was something I could not handle. I was hoping that either the guys in my community would get used to seeing me around, notice I don't respond to being yelled at, the whistles, hisses, or honks or that I would become immune to it and it wouldn't bother me after a while. Neither happened and instead of me getting used to it, it only bothered me more. I found myself turning into a person I did not want to be; being constantly pissed off how the men treated me and the rest of the females in my community. Since I feel I always had to have my guard up, it was impossible for me to feel that I could truly integrate into the culture. I found myself not leaving my house just so I didn't have to deal with all the unwanted attention.

I loved Ecuador. I have no regrets. Sad that I'm home? Nope. Wished it would've worked out differently in Ecuador? I wish that I didn't feel my security was threatened while I was there but am happy with the way things played out. I would not have changed anything. When I look back on the time I spent there, I think about the happy times: spending time with other volunteers during training, the cold and windy (and dusty!) soccer games in La Chimba, walking with my host mother and brothers to milk the cows, being able to visit the afro-ecuadorian community of Mascarillas, the technical trip to Manabi compete with kareoke, chicha and pilsner, trying all the different types of fruit, eating foods (especially random meat) that I thought I would never touch, breathtaking runs, learning how to dance salsa and merengue, relaxing at a hosteria and mountain biking in Vilcabamba with other volunteers from the Loja area, learning how to cook traditional Ecuadorian meals, and of course all the awkward attempts at communication.
These past 5 months have made me appreciate how much I have. Family, friends, skim milk, BBQ sauce. And also how much little I actually need to be happy & healthy. There is so much more about my experiences I have to tell but I feel so overwhelmed by everything. Trying to describe my time in Ecuador in a blog post doesn't work well. Sorry for the randomness of my writing and the lack of sense that it makes. Want to ask some questions and hear some good Ecuadorian stories? I'm always down for grabbing some coffee and chatting it up. Now for a new adventure. I'm currently taking suggestions.

Lazy

I´ve been slacking in keeping up with my blog. I just don´t know how to put into words what I´ve been experiencing here. There hasn´t been any embarrassing/funny incidents, or big news.. just the usual day-to-day things that make this experience different. I´ll try explaining a little of what I´ve been doing here. It probably will sound boring, but I know Grandma Toole has been waiting for another post.
Soooo, life in Southern Ecuador has been.. different. I can´t really describe it any other way. It´s good, it´s bad, but mostly it´s different. It has taken a lot to get used to. Training was definitely a big adjustment in itself, but being put into a community by myself was even more of a shock. I´ve been living in my community for a month now. I go into ´work´ at the Sub-centro every Monday-Friday. Right now, my job is just to integrate into the community. I´ve been doing a lot of hanging out, just getting to know different people in the community. Although this is a slow process, ít´s crucial for me to become influencial in the community. Without gaining the trust of the people I will be working with, they will not listen to me, and my work will be a waste. So, right now, I´m just making sure that people see my face in the community, especially on the weekends when all the other Doctors and Nurses who work in the sub-centro head back to their houses and families in Loja.
Fortunately, I think people are starting to open up to me. I was invited on Saturday to head to my friend´s aunt´s house in the campo. We spent the day just hanging out there with the family. Although the house was about an hour walk from town, it was really neat. They had lots of animals including chickens, pigs, cuy (guinea pigs), and tilapia. They also grew plantains, papaya, yuca, mandarinas and lemons. The afternoon we spent draining one of the ponds and catching the tilapia, which we then fried up for dinner. Sunday, I went to the river with some of the jovenes in town where there is a place to play volleyball, basketball and futbol, and swimming of course. Although it´s about a 30 minute car ride on a rough road, it was beautiful and definitely worth it to get out of town for the afternoon. I already have plans to go back next weekend.
I´m not sure what to write about, as things here happen, but its just little things. So Grandma, for my next blog, what would you like to hear about?

P.S. I´ve started to REALLY miss my family. Especially my sisters. Grace lost her 8th took the other day and called to tell me about it. Bonas has family weekend on Saturday and I wish I could go down with mom.

Good News

I´ve been at my site for two weeks now and overall, life is good. After living out of a hotel room, I was able to find a house with a nice host family yesterday and moved in last night. I´m hoping that having a safe place to come home to will make this transition a lot easier. The family seems really nice and I´m looking forward to getting to know them better.
Starting next week, I will be going door to door with some of my coworkers to do some community assesment. Hopefully my Spanish will be good enough to get some decent information out of the interviews. Or I can resort to charades, which has been working well for me so far.

New Address!

I made it to my site in one piece. So far, so good. I have my first day of ´work´ tomorrow. (Or should I say volunteering?) Hopefully I will be given something to do and won´t find myself sitting around twiddling my thumbs. I guess I could always study my Spanish-English dictionary.
I still can´t believe how beautiful this country is. After living at 10,000 feet near an active volcano during training, I didn´t think I would be lucky enough to have such beautiful scenery at my site. Fortunately, I was wrong. Instead of the snow capped mountains of Cayambe, I´m now blessed with the green flora filled moutains of Loja. B-e-a-utiful!
I have a new address now, too. The old one goes to the Peace Corps office and I will only be traveling there 2-3 times per year so please use this one from now on to send me love:

Lindsay Toole
Casilla 11-01-216
Loja Loja, Ecuador
South America

Remember: Nothing over 2 kilos (4.4 pounds), padded envelope and no declared value.

P.S.- If you see my mom please tell her I´m safe, happy and healthy. And give her a hug for me.

It's Official

I'm an official Peace Corps Volunteer! There was a big ceremony yesterday at the Ambassador's house in Quito where I took the oath to serve. It's finally happening.. I'm actually going to do this. I'm scared. All the other volunteers left for their sites either after swearing in yesterday or this morning. I had to wait to take the night bus becuase of the Fiesta del Virgen happening around my site and Loja. According to The Rough Guide to Ecuador: "There's a tiny village of El Cisne with it's famous Santuario, home to a sixteenth-century painted cedar carving of the Virgen Mary. This icon, known as the Virgen del Cisne, is the subject of a fervent cult of devotion, attracting pilgrims year-round from southern Ecuador and northern Peru. This devotion reaches its apogee during the Fiesta del Virgen, which begins on August 15. The following day, thousands of pilgrims begin a 70km trek to Loja, carrying the Virgin on their shoulders. The image arrives on August 20, where she is deposited in Loja's cathedral, while the partying continues in the city." Thousands of pilgrims walking on the one road going to my site.. I guess I'll arrive a day late.

Tech Trip & The Big Event in La Chimba

This past week has been super crazy. From traveling, giving charlas, celebrations, extremely crowded and even seeing the buses President of Ecuador, this week has been one I will never forget.
On the tech trip there were ten trainees including myself, two language facilitators and one of the co-trainers that went on the trip to the province of Manabi. We arrived in Portoviejo early Sunday morning and luckily were able to rest at the hostel for a few hours before our first activity. Each day we spent visiting a different volunteer at their site, learning about the activities they were doing, and giving presentations (charlas) to various groups depending on the day. With at least four hours of bus rides each day and then having to prepare our charlas each night for the following day, our days were jammed packed. Not to mention we had to take advantage of being out of our host families houses and needed to participate in some Omnibus 102 training group bonding.
Monday and Tuesday our group went to two different colegios (high-schools) to give charlas on HIV/AIDS prevention and recycling. Monday we gave the same charla three different times and we able to see the progress we were making each time. I did not feel nervous at all and think that having other trainees there with me helped a lot. Not to mention the jovenes were very animated and excited for us to be there and were very easy to work with. By the third charla we had improved so much that we had an extra ten minutes at the end. They wanted to learn some English so we taught them the importance of ‘thumbs up.’ I think it’s going to be the cool thing at that colegio from now on.
Wednesday our group traveled to visit Aaliyah, a volunteer who has already been at her site for a year now. We participated in the open house that she had put together for the women in her community. I was very impressed to see what one volunteer can accomplish in just a year. About 70 women showed up to the event where they were given information on different types of cancers, the maternal health laws in Ecuador, the importance of having a healthy heart and being physically active/eating well, breast self-exams and the resources available to them at their local health center as well as each receiving a free pap smear. Along with four other girls, I gave information on the importance of self-breast exams, how to do it, and what to do if something is wrong. Out of all 70 women that attended, only one woman reported to ever have given herself a self-exam. If they have another open house next year, I would be curious to see how many women have adapted this behavior.
Wednesday night we stayed at “La Finca,” a hostel tourism spot owned by one of Aaliyah’s friends. The property was beautiful, situated on a river with amazing trees and scenery. There was a main house with rooms and a bathroom and also a cabana with room for seven along with a restaurant, bar and gazebo set up for dancing and karaoke. Before our amazing dinner and a night filled with salsa dancing and drinks, we were taken in the back of some trucks and headed to see one of the waterfalls in the area. Although it wasn’t much of a waterfall because of the dry season, the truck ride and walk were beautiful. The diversity within Ecuador is so amazing. We were able to have all the mandarins we wanted when we stopped at the farm and were also able to try a fruit called Noni. It’s a dull red color outside with a mushy white flesh on the inside. It had a nice taste but the consistency was a little weird and reminded me of baby food.
After three days of great charlas, our group was ready for our last assignment. I’m not sure why, but we traveled six hours to a community that didn’t have a PC volunteer, to give a charla on family planning. We showed up sweaty from the first four hours of the trip on a hot bus and covered in dust from the last two hours of travel spent on a dirt road on the top of some sort of truck/bus thing. The ride was super fun and I would definitely do it again, but not before I’m supposed to stand in front of a group and talk to them about the positives and negatives of getting pregnant. The charla was planned to be very interactive and worked only with the participation of the audience. We figured the group would be like every other group we had worked with so far but surprisingly enough, this group did not want to talk. It was extremely difficult to get the group to participate, part of the reason I think being because we just showed up, didn’t know anybody, and started talking about a touchy subject. By the end, we had two girls talking and sharing their stories of having kids. I was happy they were talking but they were saying how great having children is and that in their community, there really isn’t any negatives.
After talking to the girls along with the other group I realize how different life is in this small community from what we think of back in the states. We asked positives and negatives within social aspects. Response: We usually just hang out with our family so having a baby will not be a problem. It will also be positive in that it will discourage us from going to the bar as much. We asked positives and negatives with school/career. Response: We can still go to school because we have parents that watch our sibling’s kids and wouldn’t mind watching ours if we had any. We asked positives and negatives in terms of finance. Response: Our family has clothes they are willing to give my baby. We also get free formula and baby food from the sub-centro de salud as well as all the free vaccines and medical care. There was also a big emphasis on how bringing a baby into the home also brings the family closer. I don’t think we changed anybody’s mind on having children and I’m fine with that because I don’t think that was our place at all. I don’t know why we thought it was be okay for ten gringos to go into a small Ecuadorian community where we know nobody and start lecturing about the bad things that would happen if you got knocked up. The only thing they probably learned is that we were ignorant people from the U.S. with poor Spanish. By the time I left, the people in the community convinced me that having a baby was a good decision. I don’t think I will ever attempt this charla again unless I know the audience very well and we are comfortable with each other. It’s also important to know the social norms of a group before putting yourself in certain situation. Cultural differences lesson: check.
Although the last charla pretty much sucked, the experience as a whole was amazing. The good parts were great and the bad parts were educational at the least. I couldn’t have done it without the other trainees on our trip. They’re all great, fun and super supportive. The whole week there was no drama, only good times and laughter, even when we were super stressed and felt like we made the people listening to our charlas more stupid just by being there.
Now for a complete change topics: The Ecuadorian President coming to my community. I heard on Saturday that President Correa was coming to La Chimba along with the president from Bolivia and the president from Venezuela. Here is a little reminder about La Chimba: It’a a very small indigenous community of about 700 people about an hour on bus from Cayambe in the mountains. The only people that ever come to La Chimba are those that live here. At 5am and 5pm everybody in town would be found in the fields milking their cows. It’s a pain to get here and is always super windy and cold. I thought it must be a joke so I asked my host mom about it. She told me it was true and that the helicopters were arriving at 7:30am the next day. They were coming to celebrate the life of Transito Amaguana, the indigenous leader of Ecuador who died three months ago. She is the Ecuadorian equivalent of Martin Luther King Jr and lived in La Chimba her whole life. I’m not sure but I think it also had something to do with the Ecuadorian Independence Day, which is tomorrow. 200 years.
After breakfast on Sunday morning, my host mom and I walked down to the community center and the newly opened cultural center in town. It was crazy seeing all the security cars and armed men along the streets in our small community. This was definitely a huge deal with news broadcasters everywhere and police all over the place. I was surprised when we got there and were able to get a good place to watch the ceremony. There were a lot of people there but I had envisioned about five times as many. I was able to see the whole ceremony including speeches made by President Correa, Bolivian President Morales and Rigoberta Menchu. I didn’t know she was going to be there but was super excited when I found out. Like Transito Amaguana, she is an indigenous leader and activist, but from Guatemala. I read her book and studied her struggles in one of my classes in college and always thought she was super badass. It was amazing to see a Nobel Peace Prize winner speak, especially in this situation where I was surrounded by Indigenous people who I’ve really gotten to know and become integrated into their lives. Jessica’s host mom, the president of La Chimba, also gave a speech on behalf of the community. It was crazy to see her up there with Rigoberta Menchu; it reminded me where I was and how special this is to be here and witness this. I have only been in Ecuador for less than two months and was able to take part in this great piece of La Chimba history. I’m very appreciative to everybody in the community who has accepted me and the other four girls living here, who are very different from the indigenous Ecuadorian lifestyle. I’m happy the PC allowed those of us who lived here to go to the ceremony. Unfortunately, all the other trainees were told they could not come because they didn’t want to have 44 white Americans here, especially with the President of Bolivia there, where PC just evacuated last winter. I understand why the PC wouldn’t want everybody there but I know I would be really upset if I missed out on this amazing experience.

Fiesta!

Although nothing compares to the Seaway Festival, at least I was able to go to the big fiesta in La Chimba this weekend. Thursday night was the first day where they had a party outside the community center. My host mom asked me if I wanted to dance with her and I agreed. Once again, I dressed up in the native wear and strutted my stuff with the Ecuadorians. Two of the four other girls living in La Chimba also dressed up. The five of us joined in the very complex circle dance for a few hours. I´m not sure if it was fun or if it was the only way I was going to keep from freezing in my skirt. Either way, we were definitely the life of the party. The circle my host mom was a part of also took part in the competition. There were about 5 different groups competing and it consisted of playing guitar, singing and dancing. Jessica, Lesley and I joined my mom´s group for the first round of the competition. During the break we decided we were going to show the La Chimbanians how to really get down. We whipped out some pretty impressive dance moves. It was worth being laughed at to see the reactions of the people in town. I think the Chicha, some sort of fermented juice-like drink, also helped. Not only were the adults drinking but two times I saw women giving their kids wine. One thing that the Ogdensburg Mestival doesn´t offer is the six and seven year olds drinking.
Today was the bullfighting part of the festival. I´m not sure if the males are supposed to be really brave for getting in the ring, but I don´t see how letting a bull into a ring, standing ten feet from the wall and then taunting it means that you´re manly. I guess my cultural sensitivity isn´t all there today because I just don´t comprehend the reason of the bullfight or why people find it interesting to watch.
Tomorrow is the big day of the fiesta in La Chimba but unfortunately I won´t be there to experience it because I´m going on another trip with the Peace Corps. I´m going with half of the Health trainees to the province of Manabi for the week to see what other volunteers are doing at their sites and to practice giving Charlas (lectures-workshops) on different health topics. I´m excited to go to the coast and see a different part of the country and some of the projects I might be working on within my own site but I´m a little bummed to be missing out on the Saturday night and Sunday activities in town. Luckily, on my walk out of town to catch the bus this afternoon I was able to witness one of the town males passed out on his horse. Sitting up. It was impressive.
P.S. I saw a cow get killed on Thursday. Surprisingly, I thought it was really interesting and it didn´t bother me. Maybe because I don´t eat beef. Lesley on the other hand, a huge beef lover, couldn´t handle watching the process. Luckily, I got it all on my camera. There are pictures up on facebook and I also have a video for those who can handle it. :-)

So far so good

I just got back yesterday from my site visit. It was a long trip down and an even longer trip back up. I took the bus from Quito to Loja overnight on Saturday with three other volunteers. I met up with my counterpart on Sunday morning at the bus station in Loja where we then we back to her house for the day. I will be working with her while at my site for the next two years I´m here and I´m super excited. She´s great. I met her whole family who are all super nice and very welcoming.
Monday morning we caught the 4:30 am bus to my site and arrived just in time to open the doors of the Sub-Centro de Salud (SCS) at 8am. There was already a herd of people waiting to see the doctor. I spent the day following around mis compadres who work at the SCS to get a feel for what services they offer and how a normal day is run.
Tuesday I went to the different neighborhoods outside of the town to give free rabies vaccines with my counterpart. In the afternoon, I had the opportunity to go into the highschools to give Hep B vaccines. The reactions of the kids when they found out I was from the U.S. was overwhelming. I had about five questions coming at me at once. It´s hard for me to understand one question in Spanish, let alone five. It was a great experience and I´m excited to go back and teach some health lessons to the schools in my community.
The town is beautiful. It´s still in the Sierra region of the country but is closer to the coast, so it isn´t as chilly. The town I will be living in is on the side of a mountain, with stairs and steep streets. The people are all very welcoming and are all very interested in who I am, what I will be doing there and what the Peace Corps is.
For the first three months there I will be living out of a hotel room but will be able to get my own apartment after that. My counterpart has already told me I am welcome to come home with her to Loja any weekend I want. I don´t think it will be too hard to intergrate into the community. I´m going to try to be the friendliest person ever, even if I am only an intermediate Spanish speaker.

Site Visit

Thursday was an incredibly exciting day. The excitement started as soon as I got to training and they were handing out mail. I got two letters today, one for Michelle and one from Grandma and Grandpa Toole. Thanks to everbody who has mailed me stuff. Mail here is a big deal and even the smallest thing is huge and greatly appreciated.
Following a short break we then started the process of recieving our sites. I was excited to hear where I will be living and working for the next two years but it didn´t really hit me until we walked into the building and I saw all the decorations and everything set up for this big event. One by one, we were called and our sites were announced. Everybody in our group was so excited for each other. There was a ton of cheering when the sites were announced. Funny thing is that none of us knew where any of these places were, we were just excited. Then my name was called. I didn´t have any expectations, I just wanted to like my site. I will be living in the Province of Loja in Southern Ecuador. Although I can´t put my exact location on here, I will be living in a city of about 7,000 people working with the public health center in town. I´m really happy about my placement. Mainly because I´ve heard Loja is beautiful, safe and clean. It is also the music capital of Ecuador and is also known for amazing coffee. Yes, please.
I´m leaving for my site visit today. In about 20 minutes actually. I have to take a bus for 2 hours to Quito, take another bus overnight to Loja and then another bus to my town. I should arrive around noon tomorrow. I will update how everything goes when I get back on Thursday. Wish me luck.. I hope I like it.

Saturdays

Monday through Friday is spent in training (health, spanish, safety and security) and the weekends for the most part are time to spend with our host family. This morning I learned how to wash my clothes on a rock, helped build a garden in the community and then came into Cayambe to use the internet and do some grocery shopping. Tonight i´m making pizza for my family and studying for Spanish. Tomorrow I´m going on a little adventure with some of the girls from my community and of course going to the futbol games. Thursday we find out where our sites will be for the next two years. I´m really nervous. And excited. Next Sunday we leave to visit our sites for five days. It´s going to be the first time I´m actually by myself in Ecuador for more than one day. I hope I come back alive.

I´ve finally found a computer that recognizes my jump drive!

I’ve been in country for about 3 weeks now.It’s everything I had expected.Then again, I came here with few expectations.So much has happened just within these first few weeks, it would take days to explain it all.
When I first arrived in Ecuador, our training group spent the night in a hostel in Quito. Following that we crossed the equator and spent a couple nights in Cayambe where we were given a brief introduction in Ecuadorian culture, Safety and Security,what to expect when we arrive at our house with our host family, as well as several vaccines and a language proficiency test. We finally arrived at our host families homes on Saturday the 20th and spent the weekend getting to know each other.(As best as possible, as my Spanish is very limited right now.)For me, this included walking several miles to milk the cows, attending my host dad’s futbol game, and teaching my host brother how to use a digital camera. Monday through Friday we spend the days in training sessions either working with our language, culture adjustment, or health.
Climate and Geography:I was warned that the Sierra area of was ‘chilly’ but I was not prepared for the weather.Being 10,000 feet above sea level, it gets pretty cold, especially if the sun isn’t out.During the day the temperature can range to mid 50s to high 70s depending on if it is cloudy or not.At night, the temperature usually drops to the mid 40s.Needless to say, I’ve been wearing my one hoodie and North Face everyday (and night).Although I did not pack sufficiently at all, I would not want to be training anywhere else in the country as the views are spectacular.From the moment I wake up until the time the sun sets (around 6:30) I am surrounded by breathtaking mountains and beautiful scenery.
Living Arrangements:That´s a pic of my house! It’s easy to think of living in certain conditions but it is completely different when you are actually living it.I live in a small indigenous community with a population of 800.The house I live in is pretty standard for my area.I have my own bedroom and my parents share a bedroom with my two brothers.There is also a kitchen with a working stove and fridge and a bathroom with running water. Apparently we have hot water, but I have yet to find it. I also have 2 dogs, 2 pigs, 7 piglets, 17 cows and 1 horse. My community has a school, a futbol field, a church and two small tiendas where they sell the necessities such as toiletries, some food, and beer. There is even a veternarian in my town to take care of the cows/sheep/pigs when they get sick.
Food:The food here is actually pretty good, but i´m already sick of it.Traditional Sierra meals mainly consist of rice and potatoes with a side of meat and a leaf of lettuce or slice of tomato. I have heard some horror stories from other volunteers about what they have been served but I’ve been pretty lucky with the food in my house. I usually get bread and coffee in the morning, and some sort of soup at night. The first few meals I had at my house I was served a ridiculous amount.The serving sizes my family eats are still insane to me but luckily I’m only served about one third of what the family eats. Although the food tastes good, it has been a process for my body to get used to. The other day I was served guinea pig for breakfast. I wanted to try it but 6:30 in the morning is too early for me. I´ll give it a try some other day and hopefully it won´t have fur on it like the one I was served.
Last weekend we went on a cultural trip to an afro-ecuadorian community. It was really great to get out of the cold mountains and down to a lower elevation. The people there were so great and loved to just dance and share their culture with us. We were even given the opportunity to witness a woman making masks and partcicipate in a Bomba dance. I requested that we do it every Friday and Saturday.. not sure if that is going to happen, though.
I have already been tested physically, emotionally and mentally and know this is going to be one of the most challenging things I will ever do.I also know if I put everything I have into this then it is going to be one of the most rewarding. Thanks to everybody who has been supportive of me, you make this that much easier.

Training

So last night I spent over an hour on my laptop writing a new blog post only to realize today that my jump drive does not work on the computers in the internet cafes here.
I´ve been in Ecuador for just over a week now and have been adjusting moderately well. Some days are better than others. Life here is just so different that sometimes the smallest things make me really upset. Overall, it´s great. I´m living with a host family in a small village of 800 just East of Cayambe. It gets cold at night but the views are spectacular. I definitely didn´t pack well at all and am kicking myself for it now. The food is tasty but does not sit well with my stomach. Training has been taking up most of my time but I still have time to hang out with my two brothers to watch dubbed movies, play futbol, and milk the cows. I miss everybody from home greatly and want to let you all know that I am happy and healthy.

Orientation in Miami

I made it!  Well, kind of.  I'm on my way to making it!  I arrived in Miami today around 11:30 am for a long day of orientation.  This is the first part of our five day staging event which is meant to 'orient trainees to Peace Corps and to the general demands of being a safe, healthy and effective volunteer.  It was great except that I had to wake up at 4 this morning to catch my flight and didn't fall asleep until after 2 last night.  At least I wasn't the only one.. there were several other trainees nodding off during orientation.  

Anyway, I met new friends!  Yay for me!  There's about 40 trainees or so in my group and only six of them are dudes.  Part of me feels sorry for them but not really.  There are also two married couples in my training class which is pretty neat.  I was really relieved when I finally met my training group face-to-face and they were all pretty normal, for the most part.  I'm excited to spend some more time with them before they start to really annoy me.  Off to Ecuador tomorrow!  I'm not sure when I will be able to get online again, but I'm sure I will have some great stories.

PS- Our staging director told us today "You guys are one beautiful training group.  I see many Ecuadorian husbands in this training groups' future."  Funny thing is, he was being serious.

Communication? Yes, please!

Was reading over some things and found out that there are internet cafes in Cayambe where I will be staying for the first two months.  Gnar!

Send me stuff!

Here's my address.  For the first two months at least.

Lindsay Toole , PCT

Cuerpo de Paz

Casilla 17-08-8624

Quito, Ecuador

South America

 

Mail takes about 7-10 days to reach the office in Quito from the U.S. therefore if you plan on sending me letters (Which I hope you do!)  Please number them so I know if I miss one. 

As for receiving packages, it is best if they are kept under 4.4 lbs. and mailed in a padded envelope.  Previous volunteers have reported that this procedure is the best way to avoid customs.  It’s very important that things be sent in padded envelopes to avoid being “accidently” opened and sifted through and/or taken.  Apparently packages over 4.4 lbs are expensive to retrieve from customs.

P.S. Quito is 9,300 feet above sea level.  Problems common in the first few days at a high altitude are headaches, indigestion, and shortness of breath.  Bring it on.

Ecuador on my Mind

Think of  Ray Charles but replace Georgia with Ecuador.  Yup, that’s me for the last 24 hours.. Ecuador on my mind.  Drove by Phillips today and thought the special was Peace Corps.  I was wrong.  It was Pork Chops. 

Anyway, have a lot to say today and I’m feeling pretty ambitious.  Here it goes… 

First things first, I found the perfect outfit for my arrival in Ecuador.  First impressions are everything and I have a great feeling about this ensemble. 

Secondly, I just got an email today from the Peace Corps informing me about the Big Hermanito/Big Hermanita Project available for Trainees.  As the email states

“The Big Hermanito Project will be a fun way for Peace Corps Trainees (PCT) and Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) to get to know each other prior to your arrival in country. As trainees prepare for the journey to Ecuador, it may help to know there´s a PCV who was once in their shoes and is ready to answer their questions and ease their minds. As such, Hermanitos will serve a mentoring function for incoming trainees joining our family.

Depending on volunteer participation in this initial run, each Hermanito (Volunteer) will be matched to one or two mentee trainees to support them in their transition to volunteer life. Shortly after arrival in country, mentors will be invited to meet the trainees at a barbeque at the training site and have their brains picked face to face.”

I think this is a great resource and having somebody to talk to who has been in my shoes will make the transition a lot easier.  Even if I don’t find my Hermanito to be very helpful, it will be a great way to meet a number of PCV who have already been in country for some time. 

Thirdly, after doing quite a bit of research (AKA facebook stalking), I came across some helpful blogs.  One of the girls in my training class actually just came back to the states from Madagascar where she was serving with the Peace Corps.  Whitney started training in June of 2008 and was sent home by March 2009 because of the political unrest happening in Madagascar.   With her Peace Corps experience in Madagascar cut short, she was given the opportunity to start over in Ecuador with the Omnibus 102 group.  (That is the name of our training class.  We are the 102 group to be invited to serve in Ecuador.)  She has been a huge help to our group since she can answer a lot of questions we have about packing, what to expect during training, etc. 

I also FB stalked another young lad named Ethan who started his PC training in Ecuador at the end of February of this year.  He is now sworn in as a PCV working with the Sustainable Agriculture program in Ecuador until May 2011.  Seeing his pictures and reading about what he is doing, feeling and eating (guinea pig) has also helped me prepare myself.  I always knew that my facebook skills would come in useful someday!

I also realized that I haven't given any background information on what I plan to be doing while in Ecuador.  I will be volunteering within the Community Health Project under the title of Health Extentionist. 

The community health project has three main components: child maternal health, reproductive health and rights, and prevention of tropical disease.  I will be working with at least one of these topics, if not all of them. One goal is to reduce death in children under five by reducing micronutrient deficiencies. In Ecuador, 14 percent of children under age 5 and 18 percent of children between 5 and 12 suffer from vitamin A deficiency. Seventy percent of children under age 5 and 60 percent of pregnant mothers in Ecuador have iron deficiencies. Volunteers also work to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted illnesses (STIs) by training educators, youth workers, health workers, and parents in HIV/AIDS education.  

And lastly, some random facts about Ecuador:

• Ecuador is about the size of Colorado and is divided into 22 provinces, 10 in the Andean Highlands (Sierra), six in the Amazon Lowlands (Oriente), five in the Coastal Lowlands (Costa), and the Galápagos Islands, located about 600 miles west of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.
  
• The Andes Mountains, with their snow capped volcanoes, divide the generally drier coastal plain from the moist, tropical Amazon Basin region. The wide variety of environmental conditions supports an equally wide variety of plants and animals, some of which are found nowhere else on earth. 
  
• The four main areas of Ecuador have different climates. Because the country is on the equator, the temperature depends on the altitude, not the season. There are only two seasons—rainy and dry.
• 
  

Finally Started Packing

This is what I have "packed" so far.  I know that not all of this is going to fit into my bags but just having a separate pile on my floor with things I might be bringing is a HUGE step for me.  Now I'm off to make a pile for jackets, shoes, toiletries and other miscellaneous items.  Exciting, I know.

Galapagos

Did you know...

Peace Corps Volunteers serve on the Galapagos Islands.

Something New and Fun!

I'm going to try to put up a new, interesting fact everyday about Ecuador/the Peace Corps/the whole experience.  You know, just to add some more reading fun for all my followers!  So here it is..

Did you know... The present currency of Ecuador is the U.S. dollar.

Unprepared

I'm thinking I should start pulling the items and clothes I want to bring with me to Ecuador.  The thought of trying to fit two years worth of stuff into two bags weighing no more than 50 pounds each is really frightening.  I realized after reading through the packing list that I don't own one pair of shorts that are long enough for me to bring to Ecuador.  This may be a problem.  I'm so broke and scared i'll be stuck wearing jeans everyday. 

On a different note, I had a great birthday yesterday.  Thanks to all who made my day special.  Time to get lost in some Jason Mraz and not think about packing anymore.  Take a listen if you know what's good for you. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKZQXnmbCxk