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.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
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.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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.
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.
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