I am leaving the Sierra on Tuesday. Training is almost over!!! We officially swear in as volunteers at the U.S. Ambassador’s house in Quito on Friday!!! It has been a great 3 months, but I am surely ready to move and start working. The following are bits of my life here that I will miss or have treasured during training:
-Dancing like ¨rockstars¨(as my host siblings Jasmina and Alex try to pronounce in english) in the kitchen with the fam...it reminds me of my own siblings in the U.S. who I dearly miss.
-Waking up by the sun shining through my window and seeing the cap of snow-covered Volcan Cayambe.
-Hiking almost every day, sometimes on the cobblestone roads, dirt paths, through the forest or the hills...I feel like a kid exploring. We have only gotten lost once....it was fine, Mom, I ran up to the top of a hill and was able to catch a glimpse of Cangahua center to direct us home :). The pictures dont do this place justice, but it is absolutely breathtaking.
-The indigenous women perfectly dressed with their hat, blouse, cardigan, necklace, shoes, and pleated skirt worn just so. The diversity of the people and culture in the Sierra is awesome,
-The chocolate ball at Cafe Aroma, which is the closest thing we have found to a North American ¨brownie¨
-Chochos: white beans and fried corn kernels, with onions, tomato, and cilantro on top. Don’t knock it till you try it. While it may be street food, and although I am a ¨health promoter¨, chochos are a complete protein...so I can justify eating it and loving it.
-The little shepard kids with their flocks of sheep and goat in the streets and countryside, and the boys often riding the sheep as they graze.
-The pigs and cows that constantly walk by Kristen´s house as we are having spanish class. Its such a different life than what I am accustomed to...haha, and Kristen´s dad always asking us if we´ve seen the cow...haha, and Kristen getting asked to walk the pig...oh, and there are also the cutest little kids that come to her door (also during our class) asking for milk.
-Cynthia complaining about having to protect herself from the evil turkey that tries to attack while she takes her clothes off the line...Apparently she is armed with a broom as her hands are also full of clothes...i would love to see her in action
-Hanging out in the center with my Cangahua crew. Geez, Im going to miss them. Hahaha, and Spanish errors. They are funnier when made by people other than myself, especially Kris. Examples: while giving a Dengue presentation to a high school class, she described a symptom and pointed to her face saying ¨caca¨(feces) instead of ¨caja¨(face). Hahaha, and when she told numerous Ecuadorians ¨que Dios le pegue¨ after they did her a favor, before realizing that this means ¨may God strike you down.¨ She had meant to say ¨que Dios le page,¨ meaning ¨may God pay you.¨ haha, amazing.
-Constant, endless fiestas and parades de San Pedro. Okay, I kind of detest the music and inconveniences after 3 months of such things (like when I cannot sleep because the same song is on repeat at 2am, or our bus getting stopped because of a giant corn parade), but it´s also humorous and and interesting, and cool that the people uphold such traditions that honor their ancestors.
I´m not trying to romanticize this place, this culture, or my life here. It is anything but. It is wonderful, and should be seen for what it is. I have enjoyed my time, but with the positive also come negatives....
-My proximity to the snow covered volcano means it’s really really cold (have I stressed that enough? and its not like we have hot water or heat to warm the body up). So yes, I hate being cold.
-The distinct indigenous dress and culture is wrapped up in the phenomenon of racism. My family and Kris´s family used to make fun of me because they thought I had the accent of an indigenous due to the way I pronouced my r´s.
-Exotic food and high altitude = many nights spent by the toilet, in an outside bathroom of slugs and mr. rat.
-Adorable children tending animals or buying milk in the afternoon means that these children are not attending school.
-Pigs, cows, sheep, dogs, donkeys, horses, cats, goats = dung evvvverywhere
-Fiestas = drinking = alcoholism
The list goes on, and I am sure I am not aware of even half of it. But hopefully it gives some context to my pictures and insight into my life during training.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Thursday masses
Although the country is predominately Catholic, most people do not attend mass. And although I am not Catholic, I adore the architecture, design, and decoration of Latin American churches, and am really interested in liberation theology, so I personally love to attend mass. It’s also a great way to get to know people and the issues of the community. I have gone to Sunday mass a couple times, which is located in the main church of Cangahua (the blue one in the pictures--inside it looks like a typical Latin American church with saints and colorful decoration...this one also holds a skull in a glass. I am uncomfortable with taking pictures inside places of worship, or else I would for your enjoyment. If you have never seen a church in Latin America, Google pictures of them. They are amazing). Thursday´s mass however is my favorite-it is held in a small room inside the Priest´s house.
In the front of the room is a low wooden table, covered with a woven tapestry (typical handicraft of the indigenous sold in the market), with 2 black candles and a Bible sitting on top. The priest sits behind it on a wooden stool about 2 feet off of the ground, consisting of unfinished wooden planks. A few small (yes, small, meaning 2 ft in height, 1 in width, and 1.5 in length) stools are positioned around the table with higher wooden benches located on 3 walls. The wall behind the priest is painted yellow and covered in interesting objects, definitely revealing the pervasiveness of syncretism--a clay, almost cartoonish like mask of Jesus with blood dripping from his mouth is hung in the center, backed with a colorful tapestry. On the left side of Jesus hangs a feather covered necklace, and on the right hangs a traditional bow and arrow.
On the right side of the room lies a large tree branch. In front of it sits an aloe plant and a candle. Another candle also sits in a nook of the branch, next to another Jesus face. This face seems to be made of wood, perhaps stained a darker color, and serves as a secret door to the communion cup. Before communion the priest opens Jesus´s face to remove a silver cup from inside.
Meanwhile, the congregation is just as interesting. You have Rosa, the well-dressed and wealthy mestizo Cabina (telephone services) owner who always volunteers to read scripture and answers all questions posed during service, and leads in song when the others have forgotten the words (hymnals are not used here). Then you have 2 or 3 older indigenous women-they seems to have traveled from ärriba¨(the hills), are a bit dirty, yet have the kindest eyes and warmest smiles. There are usually another 2 or 3 teenage boys, who of course make things interesting. They always giggle when ¨passing the peace¨with the gringas. Kris and I often catch them snickering when we attempt to sing, or when we trip over spanish words during the read & response. Last night they were playing with a stuffed teddy bear the entire time, pretending that it was singing, praying, etc. Then you have Kris and I- Kris has bright red, thick, curly hair, and Im always bundled up in my hat and scarf, so visually we are quite the extranjeros (foreigners). The language and culture barriers/differences just add to this dynamic. And Im not Catholic, so even if the mass was in english I would sit, stand, and kneel at the wrong time. And I dont have the hymns or prayers memorized by heart, nor in spanish. So that´s another strike against me. The people are kind, but I must say I often feel inappropriate and awkward. Lastly, you have the priest. Padrecito (the priest) is a rather short man (or average height if we are comparing him to the men of the Sierra), with big intense, black eyes, dressed in a white robe, tennis shoes, and a knit cloth around his neck, and hair slicked back. He speaks almost in a whisper, which is simultaneously soothing and super eerie, and makes eye contact with no one. He is also indigenous, which creates quite the conflict in Cangahua center, where the majority is mestizo. Cangahua consists of the small town center and 48 surrounding communities located in the hills above the village. Apparently he is loved by the more rural communities, but has a controversial presence in town.
The etiquette of mass also strikes me as odd. It officially begins at 6:30 pm when the church bell chimes, but never actually starts on time. Kris and I are always the first there and people continue straggling in until 7 or so. In the Sierra you usually greet the group when entering a room, so each latecomer enters and interrupts the scripture reading or sermon with ¨buenas noches.¨There is often a kid or 2 running in and out of the room, and many times one of the women is breastfeeding her baby (this is an acceptable practice anywhere and everywhere in Ecuador). The cat likes to peek its head in every now and then as well.
To top it off, this past Thursday the Padrecito spoke of the books of Corinthians, likening the city of Corinth to Cangahua. In Corinthians Paul write of the divisions in the community, and lack of unity and solidarity among the people. I have heard numerous sermons on such matters, but my current context gives it a whole new meaning. Classism, racism, sexism, etc....these tensions obviously also exist in North Carolina, but the history, culture, and significance is different and easier for me to ¨see¨here. And the fact that the Padre is an indigenous, speaking from a place of lower status & privilege...this is much different than the well-paid, white, middle/upper class man in Suburbia, US, that I am used to. And the congregation to whom they speak is obviously very different as well.
The dynamic between people and physical place of worship is so interesting, as you can hopefully imagine. But I love these strange masses, as they have given me more insight into cultural norms, and remind me of where I am and also where I come from...meaning they remind me of all these social and cultural constructions, my reference points and the lens through which I view my experiences here.
In the front of the room is a low wooden table, covered with a woven tapestry (typical handicraft of the indigenous sold in the market), with 2 black candles and a Bible sitting on top. The priest sits behind it on a wooden stool about 2 feet off of the ground, consisting of unfinished wooden planks. A few small (yes, small, meaning 2 ft in height, 1 in width, and 1.5 in length) stools are positioned around the table with higher wooden benches located on 3 walls. The wall behind the priest is painted yellow and covered in interesting objects, definitely revealing the pervasiveness of syncretism--a clay, almost cartoonish like mask of Jesus with blood dripping from his mouth is hung in the center, backed with a colorful tapestry. On the left side of Jesus hangs a feather covered necklace, and on the right hangs a traditional bow and arrow.
On the right side of the room lies a large tree branch. In front of it sits an aloe plant and a candle. Another candle also sits in a nook of the branch, next to another Jesus face. This face seems to be made of wood, perhaps stained a darker color, and serves as a secret door to the communion cup. Before communion the priest opens Jesus´s face to remove a silver cup from inside.
Meanwhile, the congregation is just as interesting. You have Rosa, the well-dressed and wealthy mestizo Cabina (telephone services) owner who always volunteers to read scripture and answers all questions posed during service, and leads in song when the others have forgotten the words (hymnals are not used here). Then you have 2 or 3 older indigenous women-they seems to have traveled from ärriba¨(the hills), are a bit dirty, yet have the kindest eyes and warmest smiles. There are usually another 2 or 3 teenage boys, who of course make things interesting. They always giggle when ¨passing the peace¨with the gringas. Kris and I often catch them snickering when we attempt to sing, or when we trip over spanish words during the read & response. Last night they were playing with a stuffed teddy bear the entire time, pretending that it was singing, praying, etc. Then you have Kris and I- Kris has bright red, thick, curly hair, and Im always bundled up in my hat and scarf, so visually we are quite the extranjeros (foreigners). The language and culture barriers/differences just add to this dynamic. And Im not Catholic, so even if the mass was in english I would sit, stand, and kneel at the wrong time. And I dont have the hymns or prayers memorized by heart, nor in spanish. So that´s another strike against me. The people are kind, but I must say I often feel inappropriate and awkward. Lastly, you have the priest. Padrecito (the priest) is a rather short man (or average height if we are comparing him to the men of the Sierra), with big intense, black eyes, dressed in a white robe, tennis shoes, and a knit cloth around his neck, and hair slicked back. He speaks almost in a whisper, which is simultaneously soothing and super eerie, and makes eye contact with no one. He is also indigenous, which creates quite the conflict in Cangahua center, where the majority is mestizo. Cangahua consists of the small town center and 48 surrounding communities located in the hills above the village. Apparently he is loved by the more rural communities, but has a controversial presence in town.
The etiquette of mass also strikes me as odd. It officially begins at 6:30 pm when the church bell chimes, but never actually starts on time. Kris and I are always the first there and people continue straggling in until 7 or so. In the Sierra you usually greet the group when entering a room, so each latecomer enters and interrupts the scripture reading or sermon with ¨buenas noches.¨There is often a kid or 2 running in and out of the room, and many times one of the women is breastfeeding her baby (this is an acceptable practice anywhere and everywhere in Ecuador). The cat likes to peek its head in every now and then as well.
To top it off, this past Thursday the Padrecito spoke of the books of Corinthians, likening the city of Corinth to Cangahua. In Corinthians Paul write of the divisions in the community, and lack of unity and solidarity among the people. I have heard numerous sermons on such matters, but my current context gives it a whole new meaning. Classism, racism, sexism, etc....these tensions obviously also exist in North Carolina, but the history, culture, and significance is different and easier for me to ¨see¨here. And the fact that the Padre is an indigenous, speaking from a place of lower status & privilege...this is much different than the well-paid, white, middle/upper class man in Suburbia, US, that I am used to. And the congregation to whom they speak is obviously very different as well.
The dynamic between people and physical place of worship is so interesting, as you can hopefully imagine. But I love these strange masses, as they have given me more insight into cultural norms, and remind me of where I am and also where I come from...meaning they remind me of all these social and cultural constructions, my reference points and the lens through which I view my experiences here.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
disheartening
I am a bit disheartened. Every night at dinner my host mom Rocio complains that Jasmin (my 8yr old sister) wont eat. I try to avoid getting involved in family issues, so my response is usually ¨Jasmin, eat, the food is good and you need the vitamins in order to grow.¨ This is a constant issue, a conversation I am used to by now. But last night was different. Rocio was practically force feeding Jasmin while complaining that she doesnt like food and wont eat. I ask why. She says that Jasmin wants to stay ¨flacita¨(skinny). Jasmin smirks. I ask where where learned that being skinny is beautiful, and Rocio speaks for her, citing movies and televnovelas as the culprits. Again, Jasmin smirks. This broke my heart.
In college I studied the ins and outs of the media and how it manipulates children and affects their self-esteem and self-image, how it constructs a materialistic and selfobsessed society. Nevertheless, I feel no more prepared to deal with this situation on an individual and personal level. I am equipped with knowledge of nutritition and strategies/workshop ideas for building self-esteem with youth groups. Yet I was speechless last night.
There are so many things I wanted to say-you are beautiful, your body is a gift from God, the beauty industry´s mission is to create unrealistic ideals in order to make a profit, movies are not reflections of real life, food is a privilege and essential to your health, etc. etc. But the root of this issue is so much greater. I honestly thought that while living in the campo (country) where the campesiones can make as little as 50-100 dollars monthy without benefits in the field or flower industy, that these issues of image wouldnt be as pervasive. I expect them in Chapel Hill, but not in a town where people are suffering from malnutrition. We must refrain from perpetuating such ideals. This is not only a societal probelm in the US, but has become a global disease. Selfishness and emphasis on one´s physical appearanece are not admirable values. I do not even know how to begin a dialogue with this beautiful child who is afraid that food will cause her to be something other than the ¨normal¨and ¨beautiful¨she sees in the media.
I posted a few more photos on webshots. Check em out.
In college I studied the ins and outs of the media and how it manipulates children and affects their self-esteem and self-image, how it constructs a materialistic and selfobsessed society. Nevertheless, I feel no more prepared to deal with this situation on an individual and personal level. I am equipped with knowledge of nutritition and strategies/workshop ideas for building self-esteem with youth groups. Yet I was speechless last night.
There are so many things I wanted to say-you are beautiful, your body is a gift from God, the beauty industry´s mission is to create unrealistic ideals in order to make a profit, movies are not reflections of real life, food is a privilege and essential to your health, etc. etc. But the root of this issue is so much greater. I honestly thought that while living in the campo (country) where the campesiones can make as little as 50-100 dollars monthy without benefits in the field or flower industy, that these issues of image wouldnt be as pervasive. I expect them in Chapel Hill, but not in a town where people are suffering from malnutrition. We must refrain from perpetuating such ideals. This is not only a societal probelm in the US, but has become a global disease. Selfishness and emphasis on one´s physical appearanece are not admirable values. I do not even know how to begin a dialogue with this beautiful child who is afraid that food will cause her to be something other than the ¨normal¨and ¨beautiful¨she sees in the media.
I posted a few more photos on webshots. Check em out.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Peru
On a more important note, I just read about the devestating events in Peru. We had heard news that there had been an earthquake because of a tsunami warning in Esmeraldas (where we were staying this week)..but I was not aware of what had actually occured. I hope you and your loved ones are safe. Please keep all Peruvians in your thoughts, including the hundred+ Peace Corps volunteers in the country as well.
Technical Trip 2-Esmeraldas
I just returned from a fantastic trip in the coastal province of Esmeraldas. The theme of the trip was tropical diseases, specifically malaria, dengue, and chagas. We attended lectures and presentations at various medical clinics, both NGO and public organizations, to learn more about these diseases affecting many Ecuadorians. On the final day we broke up into small groups and gave a presentation to a local high school about malaria...very good practice.
Highlights:
We took a mini excursion to check out Cynthia´s site in Tachina, 1hr or so from Esmeraldas City. It was so cool to have the opportunity to see where she will be living and the type of work that she will be doing. I have come to the realization that things are very different from the States, but I usually only come to this conclusion when I make comparisons and think about how things function differently.
For example, Kristen and I realized we would be super big creeps in the States if we tried to make friends and get to know people like we do here. In order to assimilate and get to know the community, you just have to get out there and introduce yourself to people. So envision this situation...I am walking through town and a little boy is playing with a kite. I stop and say hello, ask him what his name is, and maybe then his age, where he lives, etc. The child usually responds, and will ask me similar questions, and perhaps even invite me to play with him.
I CANNOT imagine doing this at home in Cary, NC. First of all, the poor guy would probably be scared because I am a stranger, and Im sure his mother would be afraid I was a petafile or something. It just would not fly at home. These kinds of comparisons are fun sometimes.
Another example: at Cynthia´s site we visited the Mayor´s office. He knew a day ahead of time that we were coming because our boss called him by telephone and TOLD him what time we were available. He suprised us with a cake! An enormous birthday-like cake, paired with Coke. Picture a similar situation in the States: I email or call the Mayor´s secretary. They get back to me within a month´s time, and I am lucky if he has time to meet with some random volunteer that is stopping by town for an hour. If I am invited in, I must wear business attire and I surely would not be suprised with a cake. Perhaps a bottle of water.
I took a few pictures this time around which will hopefully help me tell more stories, for the week seems to be a blur right now...I will post those next time I come to the internet cafe. I have posted pics from orientation and the first technical trip (July 14). http://community.webshots.com/user/kenneysarah?vhost=community&track_pagetag=/page/photo/goodtimes/friendsfun&track_action=/Owner/Header/Nav/MyShots/Albums Enjoy!
Highlights:
We took a mini excursion to check out Cynthia´s site in Tachina, 1hr or so from Esmeraldas City. It was so cool to have the opportunity to see where she will be living and the type of work that she will be doing. I have come to the realization that things are very different from the States, but I usually only come to this conclusion when I make comparisons and think about how things function differently.
For example, Kristen and I realized we would be super big creeps in the States if we tried to make friends and get to know people like we do here. In order to assimilate and get to know the community, you just have to get out there and introduce yourself to people. So envision this situation...I am walking through town and a little boy is playing with a kite. I stop and say hello, ask him what his name is, and maybe then his age, where he lives, etc. The child usually responds, and will ask me similar questions, and perhaps even invite me to play with him.
I CANNOT imagine doing this at home in Cary, NC. First of all, the poor guy would probably be scared because I am a stranger, and Im sure his mother would be afraid I was a petafile or something. It just would not fly at home. These kinds of comparisons are fun sometimes.
Another example: at Cynthia´s site we visited the Mayor´s office. He knew a day ahead of time that we were coming because our boss called him by telephone and TOLD him what time we were available. He suprised us with a cake! An enormous birthday-like cake, paired with Coke. Picture a similar situation in the States: I email or call the Mayor´s secretary. They get back to me within a month´s time, and I am lucky if he has time to meet with some random volunteer that is stopping by town for an hour. If I am invited in, I must wear business attire and I surely would not be suprised with a cake. Perhaps a bottle of water.
I took a few pictures this time around which will hopefully help me tell more stories, for the week seems to be a blur right now...I will post those next time I come to the internet cafe. I have posted pics from orientation and the first technical trip (July 14). http://community.webshots.com/user/kenneysarah?vhost=community&track_pagetag=/page/photo/goodtimes/friendsfun&track_action=/Owner/Header/Nav/MyShots/Albums Enjoy!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Additional Blog
Hello! I have created another blog for more technical items...Some of it is in spanish, some english, and none of it has been proofread. I intend to put most items in spanish and english, or to correct spelling errors when I find the time. If you are curious about PC mission, goals, PC/Ecuador Rural Public Health Program, or my personal site, check it out! Link: http://vivasantaana.blogspot.com/
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Site visit!
Disclaimer: I havent slept in 2 days (one sleepless night due to roosters and clucking chickens and cockroaches falling on my face, and another night spent on an overnight bus back to the Sierra), am on chocolate and fried plantain overload, haven´t spoken english in 5 days...Open with caution :)
Hello! I just back into town from my site in the coastal province of Manabi, where I will be living for the next 2 years! It was a great visit. I met the key people (president, volunteers, a few doctors and teachers) of the 6 communities I will be working with and also a bunch of locals. For the first 3 months I will be living upstairs in the house of Cecilia, one of the presidents. She rocks. A single mother, female president, and a very progressive, out-of-the-box type thinker. She is well respected by all genders and ages, and seems to know everyone and all the inside scoop. I feel really lucky to be living with her and her son (Juan, age 10-a bit timid, I didn’t really get to know him very well). She is my parent´s age, and kept saying that if she did have a daughter, she would be my age (I am the daughter she never had, type thing). She really makes me feel wanted there. The house is quite nice, in better shape the majority around the area. We are required to live with host families for the first 3 months in our site, and then are free to find our own place. The first floor of Cecilia´s place is empty and already has a few pieces of furniture. It’s safe and in a good location. I think I will slowly fix it up and move in when my 3 months are up.
The physical beauty of my county of Santa Ana is astounding. It’s really gorgeous. We are located on the river. The land is really fertile, and I have orange, avocado, plantain, and lime trees in my backyard, as well as coffee bushes and other unknown plants. It is super tropical and the weather is awesome. Skirts during the day with an occasional sweatshirt at night.
The people are much more outgoing than here in the Sierra. Although I think that randomly forming a youth group or women´s group may be a difficult or awkward task, the culture here may be much more accepting of this type of thing than I anticipated.
The country and province already have a lot of health systems in place. For example, the Ley de Maternidad Gratuita states that all mothers get free health care throughout their pregnancy, and that their children receive free health care including vaccines until age 5. This is an awesome law, but if the health clinics are not stocked with appropriate resources or do not employ a doctor for more than 3 days a week, the mothers will not have access to the rights they are entitled to by the government. I will be working on these sorts of things.
If you all have questions, please ask!!!! I don’t want to bore you with a long laundry list of what I did each day on my site visit, so I will just tell some stories. But if you are curious about something specific, I would love to tell you about it!
Motorcycle accidents are a huge cause of death in Ecuador. The first night I was there I had to attend the funeral of an 18 year old boy, and family member of 95% of the town. It was an interesting way to be introduced to the town, at such a personal event. It was culturally very interesting, as the women and children sat inside the house reciting psalms and prayers and the men sat outside the house staring into space, sitting in silence. After the service everyone was staring at me. They obviously had no idea who I was. Awkward! Then a couple people wanted to know who I was…I gave a brief explanation, which was followed by a question of my age. I told them I would be 23 in March. They became quite animated and told Cecilia (my host mom) that they should give me 3 chickens for my birthday! I have no idea why. It was a topic of conversation for the rest of the trip.
Another common conversation topic and question was my love life. Introductions usually went something like this:
Cecilia or one of the other people I was with (health volunteer, neighbor, etc) would often introduce me, and I would follow with a brief description of my work and reasons for being here.
Ecuadorian: Welcome, Are you single?
Me: No, I have a boyfriend in the States.
Ecuadorian: Oh, well do you have an Ecuadorian boyfriend?
Me: No, my boyfriend lives in the States.
Ecuadorian male (single, married, with children, 13 yrs old, 60 years old, etc): Oh, well I am single, you should take me back to the States. You need an Ecuadorian boyfriend.
or Ecuadorian female (mother, daughter, my host mom, neighbor, etc): Oh, well my brother/friend/son, etc. is single. You need an Ecuadorian boyfriend. You need many Ecuadorian boyfriends.
Me: No, I have a boyfriend and I am faithful (it sounds less awkward in Spanish, promise : )).
Ecuadorian: Well, the saying goes that a pair apart makes 4 happy people. We will find you many Ecuadorian boyfriends. And anyways, no one is faithful. Your boyfriend will not be faithful. He will have many women.
I would try to laugh it off, but really, this happened every single time I met ANYONE above the age of 12.
When Cecilia and I were walking to the neighboring town (all my 6 communities are located on the same main road. So to walk from one town to the other I continue walking straight. There are 40-70 families in each town. Usually multiple families live together in 1 house), I heard a voice. I follow her up to the window of this small wooden house, and see a teeny tiny shriveled old women. Absolutely precious. She grabs my hand, touches my face, says welcome, and asks Cecilia why I am here. Then another women, even smaller than the first, peeks her head out the window. I didn’t even notice she had been sitting there…These women must have been at least 90 years old. Cecilia responds to the question with: This is Sarah, she is here to live and work with us for 2 years. She is from the United States. The two older women look a bit confused. Cecilia follows her response with: She has come from a different country. Oh! They exclaim, Welcome! It was crazy that they didnt know what the United States was. Then the 2nd woman begins to recite a poem, which I later found out was used years ago to court young women. This was quite the experience. I felt so loved, and so strange at the same time. I cannot wait to go back and visit with these women. You could tell they were so full of love and life and just wanted people to hang out with.
When I would walk down the street people would shout whatever English they knew…this meant using the ¨greetings¨: thank you, sweater, good evening (at 10am), what is your name (I responded with ¨what is your name¨-the man was speechless and left me alone haha).
(Oh! I almost forgot! For my CH beauties, Rach, and Adam: I HEARD TAKE ON ME AGAIN! This time it was in a bar in Santo Domingo, the site of a volunteer we stayed with on our way to Manabi. Amarylis´(the volunteer) Ecuadorian boyfriend owns a bar downtown, called Dark Zone..haha...So 3 of us volunteers are hanging out with Amarylis, her boyfriend, a few Ecuadorian friends in this weird bar with black lights in the middle of the city....all of a sudden, Take On Me starts playing! Kris loves the song too, so we get up and start dancing...you know, the crazy, Take On Me, style dancing. Totally fitting in with the Ecuadorian culture, right? haha....well....it was enough for the bar owner to start the strobe light and disco ball for us..hahaha, it was so funny. And made me think of yall. Ill be gone, in a day or 2222222222222222222222222! )
The week was an adventure. I think it was quite productive in that I got a good idea of some themes I will be working with, and the culture of my town. Trying to acclimate and culturally assimilate to another family, another 6 towns, and gain legitimacy will be a challenge, but this is why I am here, to work. Sometimes I have to remind myself of that, haha. This is a voluntary job. I have wanted to do Peace Corps for many years, and I am finally here! So awesome. But I miss yall. And with moving locations again, I will have even more opportunities to share stories and pictures of friends and family from home…at times this is awesome and exciting, but at times it makes it even harder. A bunch of stuff is happening at ¨home¨(I don´t even know what or where to call home now), and its hard to be away. Ryan (brother) turned 7 on Aug. 2, and he just lost his first tooth! Such a big deal! A bunch of friends are moving and getting adult jobs. Stuff like this makes me sad to be gone. But I am blessed because my site is awesome, and I think I am going to make some good friends and have support from at least some key people in the community. One of my closest friends here, Kris, lives about 1.5 hours from me, which is awesome. It´s comforting to know that I will have another volunteer dealing with similar things in a similar environment.
I havent heard from some of you in a while! I know you are busy, but when you get the chance let me know what you are up to and how your lives are going!
All mine,
Sarah, or that weird looking, acting, and speaking gringa (white girl)
pìctures from cultural trip (3 wks ago)
We are driving through the valley in a camioneta, or the back of a pickup truck, a very common form of transportation for animals, crops, and people.
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