When it´s sunny and in the 70´s every day of the week, you really lose all concept of time. The leaves don’t turn pretty colors and fall off the trees. You don´t need to scrape the ice off of your car. You´re still wearing sunscreen. The only reminder that it´s Christmas time are the decorations….and since they´re cutting the power still, no one has really taken the time to put up lights.
But today, as I walked through the centro, I really felt the Christmas spirit. There was a parade, and then on at least five different occasions throughout the morning I spotted a human Nativity Scene. Three men straight out of Aladdin with their shiny Arabian outfits. Mary, in all her glory. Even real goats. But my favorite, was the full grown man laying on the ground in the fetal position. I guess these men were supposed to be Jesus. I didn´t bother to stop and tell the men they should be hiding until Christmas morning…it brought such a smile to my face, why would I?
Once again I have been deathly ill. Since last Thursday I have been in excruciating stomach pain and really only eating crackers and soup. Today, I finally felt a little better, but of course still a bit queezy. But the nuns and the Hogar decided to take all of us who work there out to lunch, so of course I could not decline. We went to this very pretty restaurant, and as we sat down the first thing my friend Santiago said to me was, ¨Have you tried Cuy?¨ . Scroll back to that picture if you need a reminder of what my first Cuy experience was like.
I started to panic. Before I had a chance to request chicken, the director ordered the same thing for everyone. I imagined them setting the plate in front of me with just a head, green goo coming out of its ear, and everyone smiling at me saying ¨We saved the best part for you!¨. It was like a bad dream. I started sweating. And then pictured myself locked in my bathroom for the next week after I have finally recovered!
After a long and excruciating wait, out came our plates. Thankfully, it was more than just a head. There was a slab of pork, one of beef, a filet of chicken, two different kinds of sausages, potatoes with a lovely cheese sauce, and on top…an entire fried Cuy. Now I´ll admit, I was relieved. Not only because of the various meat products I had to choose from, but because the Cuy actually looked pretty tasty. Imagine a piece of fried chicken, now stretch it out, add some curled feet and toe nails, and a head with its mouth wide open….resembling a rat if you will. I mean anything fried can´t be that bad right? Then I noticed the little eye, hanging on only by a thread. I plucked it off and handed it to Santiago. I started with the chicken, then the beef, then the potatoes. Then I decided I should just go for it. I ripped off the leg, and saw a big juicy junk of meat! It looked just like chicken! Not at all like the last slimy meatless Cuy I had tried. I couldn’t bring myself to eat right off the bone….I mean it’s a Guinea Pig….that’s far too morbid.
The flavor was considerably better than the last time. It´s the texture that bothers me. It´s very soft, delicate, yet chewy. You can´t help but visualize the little critter while you´re chewing. I had at least three bites and then called it good. I did however, get suckered in to taking the leftovers home with me. So now Chip (that’s what I named him) is sitting at home in the fridge, legless, waiting for someone. I know Maria Dolores won´t eat him because she is repulsed by Cuys. So I´ll just wait until he starts to smell I guess.
But the experience wasn’t bad at all. I decided I will bring my parents there ;)
I wish everyone a Happy Holidays! I truly miss Oregon in December….but I´m consoling myself by going to the beach where I will learn to surf, and sip on Piña Coladas to celebrate my birthday. Stay tuned to the news though, apparently there are tsunamis all over the place on the Ecuadorian coast. Of course, that won´t stop me.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Things at the Hogar have been a little rough lately. The girls are great, my counterpart is great…it´s the director, Sor Edith, that’s the problem. I should explain first that Sor Edith started at the Hogar in August. The previous director who everyone loved (and who requested a volunteer) was abruptly switched two days before my site visit. And Sor Edith unfortunately, is exactly the opposite…She is demeaning and cruel to the girls in every way.
Yesterday one of the girls was hugging me, and Sor Edith lost it. She screamed at the girl saying, ¨Why are you touching her like that! Don´t you dare touch her! You need to show her respect!¨ Then she said to me with her evil eye…¨Don´t let them touch you, its disrespectful and they need to learn to respect you!¨ Needless to say I was a little uncomfortable, so I just smiled said ok and walked away. Also, whenever any of the girls misbehaves, she tells them she´s going to throw them out of the Hogar. You can imagine how threatening this is to a young girl who considers this place her home. Later I went to talk to my counterpart (the Social Worker at the Hogar) to get advice. On one hand, I don´t want the director to think I´m ignoring her. On the other, these girls need affection, and there is no way I´m going to deprive them of that. My counterpart agreed that her attitude is absurd. But unfortunately, she´s the boss. It´s a difficult situation to be in when you have little authority, and the one person who does is damaging the wellbeing of the girls you´re there to help. Nevertheless, she advised me to explain, in the most respectful way possible, that I enjoy showing and receiving affection and it doesn’t bother me at all. I´d like to think it will make a difference. Then again, I´m a gringa in my early 20´s trying to change the mindset of an old crotchety nun. We´ll see how that goes down.
On a lighter and perhaps insensitive note…yesterday we got cable. Last night, after the lights came back on at 10, I turned on my TV and there was the NBA. A few channels after that…Miami Ink. And a few channels after that….MTV!!!!!!!!!!! It was an exhilarating feeling. It´s only been five months…but I´ve felt so very cut off from the world and current events without my sleezy reality shows. I imagine I will go through a period of readjustment…a few days locked in my room with True Life and The Hills. Then I´ll get over it. But at this point I feel like I could fly. It´s the little things.
Yesterday one of the girls was hugging me, and Sor Edith lost it. She screamed at the girl saying, ¨Why are you touching her like that! Don´t you dare touch her! You need to show her respect!¨ Then she said to me with her evil eye…¨Don´t let them touch you, its disrespectful and they need to learn to respect you!¨ Needless to say I was a little uncomfortable, so I just smiled said ok and walked away. Also, whenever any of the girls misbehaves, she tells them she´s going to throw them out of the Hogar. You can imagine how threatening this is to a young girl who considers this place her home. Later I went to talk to my counterpart (the Social Worker at the Hogar) to get advice. On one hand, I don´t want the director to think I´m ignoring her. On the other, these girls need affection, and there is no way I´m going to deprive them of that. My counterpart agreed that her attitude is absurd. But unfortunately, she´s the boss. It´s a difficult situation to be in when you have little authority, and the one person who does is damaging the wellbeing of the girls you´re there to help. Nevertheless, she advised me to explain, in the most respectful way possible, that I enjoy showing and receiving affection and it doesn’t bother me at all. I´d like to think it will make a difference. Then again, I´m a gringa in my early 20´s trying to change the mindset of an old crotchety nun. We´ll see how that goes down.
On a lighter and perhaps insensitive note…yesterday we got cable. Last night, after the lights came back on at 10, I turned on my TV and there was the NBA. A few channels after that…Miami Ink. And a few channels after that….MTV!!!!!!!!!!! It was an exhilarating feeling. It´s only been five months…but I´ve felt so very cut off from the world and current events without my sleezy reality shows. I imagine I will go through a period of readjustment…a few days locked in my room with True Life and The Hills. Then I´ll get over it. But at this point I feel like I could fly. It´s the little things.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Chachimbiro
Since I´ve arrived in Ibarra I´ve kept hearing about these hot springs at a place called Chachimbiro. It´s about a 45 minute drive from the city, or 2 hours in a bus. Probably because I´m from the northwest, I pictured a very natural setting. A swift hike through a lush forest, perhaps with some man made dirt paths, and then a serene opening into a series of ponds with steam rising into the air. A little like the ones in the movie Dantes Peak.
Last night I finally went to Chachimbiro. There were six of us, Jenn, my host sister Evelyn, her boyfriend and two more of her very entertaining friends. We hopped in the car at 9:00pm because everyone says it´s better at night. Finally after a few detours..beer...tequila...limes...we arrived at Chachimbiro at 11. In the dark, it reminded me of the Enchanted Forest. You can imagine how thrilled I was. Of course everything was closed; there was not a single person there but the 6 of us. We even awoke the poor dueño who took our entry fee, a rather steep $3.50 given our budget. We made our way, in the dark mind you, through the paved paths and bridges to a series of large pools. Despite the darkness I could still make out the giant dragon slide winding around the area. The pools were surrounded by very calculated rock formations and giant stone mushrooms painted with polka dots. There was a large statue of a ceramic pot acting as a waterfall of steaming hot water. And a rather odd statue of a man making yarn. The only thing I had imagined correctly was the steam. But the water...was...marvelous. I mean, it was really just a giant hot tub. Before I got there I kept hearing my Dad´s voice telling me not to go into Ecuadorian pools because I will get parasites. But hey, I´ve already had them, and it was totally worth it. And then, you look up. It reminded me of that room they have in OMSI with all the stars, only better. I saw 5 shooting stars. And I´m pretty sure I spotted aliens...but that could have been the tequila. I truly have never seen a sky like that in my life. And every few minutes, the whole sky would light from lighting in the distance. Somehow, we stayed until 1:30.
It was the best night I´ve had in Ecuador so far. But that´s because we had the entire place to ourselves. I vowed to never, ever go during the day. It would be like the Disney land hell of hot springs. A million bodies overcrowding every inch of every pool. Pee. Infections. I could go on but I won´t. The good news is, they have little bungalows. So whoever comes to visit me, be sure we will pay a midnight visit to this splendidly bizarre place.
I managed to find a picture of the pool we were in....unfortunately the rocks and mushrooms didn´t make it in the pic. But as you can see, the slide is quite something. And yes, I did go down it. But since it wasnt wet it took me about 45 seconds to push my way down. And of course, there is the man making yarn.
Last night I finally went to Chachimbiro. There were six of us, Jenn, my host sister Evelyn, her boyfriend and two more of her very entertaining friends. We hopped in the car at 9:00pm because everyone says it´s better at night. Finally after a few detours..beer...tequila...limes...we arrived at Chachimbiro at 11. In the dark, it reminded me of the Enchanted Forest. You can imagine how thrilled I was. Of course everything was closed; there was not a single person there but the 6 of us. We even awoke the poor dueño who took our entry fee, a rather steep $3.50 given our budget. We made our way, in the dark mind you, through the paved paths and bridges to a series of large pools. Despite the darkness I could still make out the giant dragon slide winding around the area. The pools were surrounded by very calculated rock formations and giant stone mushrooms painted with polka dots. There was a large statue of a ceramic pot acting as a waterfall of steaming hot water. And a rather odd statue of a man making yarn. The only thing I had imagined correctly was the steam. But the water...was...marvelous. I mean, it was really just a giant hot tub. Before I got there I kept hearing my Dad´s voice telling me not to go into Ecuadorian pools because I will get parasites. But hey, I´ve already had them, and it was totally worth it. And then, you look up. It reminded me of that room they have in OMSI with all the stars, only better. I saw 5 shooting stars. And I´m pretty sure I spotted aliens...but that could have been the tequila. I truly have never seen a sky like that in my life. And every few minutes, the whole sky would light from lighting in the distance. Somehow, we stayed until 1:30.
It was the best night I´ve had in Ecuador so far. But that´s because we had the entire place to ourselves. I vowed to never, ever go during the day. It would be like the Disney land hell of hot springs. A million bodies overcrowding every inch of every pool. Pee. Infections. I could go on but I won´t. The good news is, they have little bungalows. So whoever comes to visit me, be sure we will pay a midnight visit to this splendidly bizarre place.
I managed to find a picture of the pool we were in....unfortunately the rocks and mushrooms didn´t make it in the pic. But as you can see, the slide is quite something. And yes, I did go down it. But since it wasnt wet it took me about 45 seconds to push my way down. And of course, there is the man making yarn.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Lights Out
It´s the rainy season, but it hasn’t been raining. The prices of vegetables have gone up, people are burning the mountains in an attempt to provoke rain, and many indigenous communities have been protesting the wasteful use of water. Yesterday in Quito President Correa caught the new Michael Jackson flick at the cine, peed two urinals away from Jacob, and then addressed the nation to declare a state of emergency and explain what would happen next. But did any of us in Ibarra get to watch it? No. Because the power was shut off. And the power in our sector will continue to be shut off every day from 6-10am and 7-11pm until it starts to rain.
At this point I actually quite enjoy it at night. No street lights, no buzzing sound of electricity, everything lit by candle light…or in my case, my battery free wind up flashlight which I never thought I would need in the city! You find new ways to entertain yourself. Like making animal shapes with your hands and using your super flashlight to project them onto the wall. It´s a little like when there is a storm and the power goes out…just without the storm. In the morning it’s a little less exciting, but still not that bad. It only means I can´t blow dry my hair, or watch Dave/Pride and Prejudice/You´ve Got Mail while I get ready each day. Those are luxuries anyway. And at least I still have a hot shower. It just strikes me as a little strange that they´ve decided to shut the power off during the hours that people are awake and at home. And there is all that stuff in the refrigerator that goes without refrigeration for several hours at a time. But at least I sort of feel like I´m roughing it….
At this point I actually quite enjoy it at night. No street lights, no buzzing sound of electricity, everything lit by candle light…or in my case, my battery free wind up flashlight which I never thought I would need in the city! You find new ways to entertain yourself. Like making animal shapes with your hands and using your super flashlight to project them onto the wall. It´s a little like when there is a storm and the power goes out…just without the storm. In the morning it’s a little less exciting, but still not that bad. It only means I can´t blow dry my hair, or watch Dave/Pride and Prejudice/You´ve Got Mail while I get ready each day. Those are luxuries anyway. And at least I still have a hot shower. It just strikes me as a little strange that they´ve decided to shut the power off during the hours that people are awake and at home. And there is all that stuff in the refrigerator that goes without refrigeration for several hours at a time. But at least I sort of feel like I´m roughing it….
Friday, October 30, 2009
World Map
On a happier note….
The world map project is done by Peace Corps volunteers all over the world. I´ve noticed that in Ecuador, and in the Hogar especially, there is a serious lack of maps. Jacob and Erin are married and have been volunteers in Ecuador for the last year. They are also from the northwest, so naturally they are quite wonderful. Erin and I decided to embark on the map journey together…and it has been the most fulfilling thing I´ve done thus far. We are now in the painting stage…once we´ve finished I´ll post all my pics on facebook. But just to give you a little taste…check out Jake and Erin´s blog at www.jakeanderininecuador.blogspot.com
Scroll down a bit and you will see pics of the first few steps…
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Not to be read while eating...
I´m sick again. Sporadic stomach cramps have become a normal part of life at this point. But after a friend told me how he pulled a 10 inch tape worm out of his rear last week…I decided I should get myself checked out. But you know how in the states people take privacy very seriously even when it comes to getting your medications? Yea. That doesn’t exist here. This morning I went to the lab to drop off some poop. The lab is really crowded. And of course, because no one here has a sense of personal space, everyone is less than two inches apart. Even I have to admit I was an uncomfortable distance behind the man in front of me. But hey, I´m integrating. So after waiting for 30 minutes I get to the front of the line. The entire counter of the reception desk is covered, and I mean covered, with clear containers of urine and a few solid containers which look exactly like the ones I have. The question of whether or not there is a better place to store these things crosses my mind only for a split second, because at this point very little surprises me. So I hand over my three containers. I have to do three days worth because apparently parasites can hide. Anyway, the receptionist starts taking down information, and then asks me for three names, thinking they are from three different people. I tell her no, they´re all mine. Then some other lady who works there and very clearly has an issue controlling the volume of her voice says to me…¨you pooped three times today!?¨ I´m sure I was scowling when I looked at her and said ¨No. One is from Sunday, one from yesterday and the third from this morning.¨ Then she explained…still virtually yelling…that I have to bring one in each day, I say ok, and she adds…¨so its fresh.¨ Yes, I get it. Now could you please stop referring to my poop in front of all these people, one of whom is a nasty old man looking at me with a creepy grin on his face!? ¨I´ll leave this one then, and come back tomorrow and Thursday.¨ She looks concerned…¨You´re sure this one is from today?¨ Bitch it has the date on it! I just want to get out of here! ¨Of course I´m sure. Thank you, goodbye.¨
Later today I have to go pick up my results. I hope it´s positive. I would actually rather have parasites than go through that for two more days.
******************
UPDATE: After spending a horrific hour at the lab waiting to get my results, I learned that I do in fact have baby parasites. But they aren’t really that bad. And, before I treat them, guess what….I have to go back and do it all again two more times.
******************
UPDATE: My first two results were exactly the same…but then came the third. I was under the impression that I could attribute my weight loss to the tremendous amount of walking I´ve been doing. But no. It turns out not only to I have baby parasites, but I also have amoebas. I´ve been warned about these…actually I´ve been told that they are inevitable. They are commonly referred to as ¨bichos¨, and most people that live here get checked out once a year to get rid of them. Ecuadorian amoebas multiply at an alarming rate, they latch on to your intestines and feast on the food you eat. Now when I feel stomach cramps I´ll be able to visualize what is happening inside of me…isn´t that just super. Oh and I also have a small stomach infection. But really all I can keep thinking is at least it’s not a tape worm. If I ever have a tape worm be assured I will need psychological help for the rest of my life.
Later today I have to go pick up my results. I hope it´s positive. I would actually rather have parasites than go through that for two more days.
******************
UPDATE: After spending a horrific hour at the lab waiting to get my results, I learned that I do in fact have baby parasites. But they aren’t really that bad. And, before I treat them, guess what….I have to go back and do it all again two more times.
******************
UPDATE: My first two results were exactly the same…but then came the third. I was under the impression that I could attribute my weight loss to the tremendous amount of walking I´ve been doing. But no. It turns out not only to I have baby parasites, but I also have amoebas. I´ve been warned about these…actually I´ve been told that they are inevitable. They are commonly referred to as ¨bichos¨, and most people that live here get checked out once a year to get rid of them. Ecuadorian amoebas multiply at an alarming rate, they latch on to your intestines and feast on the food you eat. Now when I feel stomach cramps I´ll be able to visualize what is happening inside of me…isn´t that just super. Oh and I also have a small stomach infection. But really all I can keep thinking is at least it’s not a tape worm. If I ever have a tape worm be assured I will need psychological help for the rest of my life.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Can a girl just vent for a minute...
Let me just begin by saying Ecuador is really a lovely place. In many ways I feel like this country has it all figured out. For example, from 1-3pm nearly everything closes. In fact I think every country besides the US is this way. But it makes sense…give people a rest…eat lunch…take a nap! Next, people don´t generate nearly as much garbage. Rather than a giant bin per house, there is one tiny bin per block. Granted a majority of trash ends up on the streets, but still, it seems far less overall in comparison. Then there are Panaderías...bread shops…on every corner. Oh how I love the smell of fresh bread at any hour of the day. People deserve fresh bread! Not icky loafs that were baked three days ago 400 miles away. I could go on…
But then, there are things about Ecuador…little things…that make me want to scream on a daily basis. First of all...although you might have money…a $10 or even a $5 let’s say…that doesn’t mean shit. Why? Oh because 90% of the places you go never have change! Or they do have change they just don´t want to give it to you. They will literally ask you if your friend can lend you a dollar…or if perhaps you can give them 8 cents more so they don´t have to give up their pennies. Although this irritates me, I have learned to adapt. I wouldn’t dare go out with a $20 unless I plan to go to the grocery store…and even then I am prepared to get a nasty look.
Next…there is no sense whatsoever of respecting the pedestrian in this country. Oh I´m sorry! How dare I cross the street when you have a red light. Please, run it. I´ll just wait here. Imagine you´re in the US, someone almost hits you, and instead of apologizing profusely…they scowl. And it if´s a man driving (which it usually is) they begin by scowling…until they realize they´re looking at a young female with... even better...blue eyes…and then they blow you a kiss and wink as they drive away. That´s another thing. At first perhaps maybe it flatters you a little when men look…smile…hay que linda…blah blah. But it´s rather unnerving after a while when you can´t walk a block without men (old men with their wives and children) staring. And staring. Then licking their lips. And staring some more. Then of course their wives give you a dirty look.
Then, probably the thing that drives me the most insane, is the way people invade my personal bubble. Every day I go to pick up some of the girls from school. A large crowd of parents accumulates outside of the gate, and when the doors open it reminds me of when the public is let into the Rummage sale, or perhaps Circuit City on Black Friday. Really people!? Is it that serious!? Stop touching me! Now I just close my eyes and take deep breaths so I don´t accidentally spaz and kick the woman who is virtually hugging me from behind. And even worse…when people don´t want you to enter or leave somewhere…they use physical force. The worst thusfar was yesterday, I was heading out of a classroom when a parent who had something to say actually pushed me away from the door. She put both of her hands on my shoulders and forcefully pushed me back like it was no big deal! She had something to say!!!!! I let out on appalled laugh…and before I let myself smack her across the face I began my deep breathing.
Really though I think that is what I´m getting from all these experiences so far…the ability to breathe through all my frustrations. Soon I´m sure these things won´t even bother me…they´ll just be a natural part of life. Little by little they are even starting to make me laugh.
Anyway...I still love it here.
But then, there are things about Ecuador…little things…that make me want to scream on a daily basis. First of all...although you might have money…a $10 or even a $5 let’s say…that doesn’t mean shit. Why? Oh because 90% of the places you go never have change! Or they do have change they just don´t want to give it to you. They will literally ask you if your friend can lend you a dollar…or if perhaps you can give them 8 cents more so they don´t have to give up their pennies. Although this irritates me, I have learned to adapt. I wouldn’t dare go out with a $20 unless I plan to go to the grocery store…and even then I am prepared to get a nasty look.
Next…there is no sense whatsoever of respecting the pedestrian in this country. Oh I´m sorry! How dare I cross the street when you have a red light. Please, run it. I´ll just wait here. Imagine you´re in the US, someone almost hits you, and instead of apologizing profusely…they scowl. And it if´s a man driving (which it usually is) they begin by scowling…until they realize they´re looking at a young female with... even better...blue eyes…and then they blow you a kiss and wink as they drive away. That´s another thing. At first perhaps maybe it flatters you a little when men look…smile…hay que linda…blah blah. But it´s rather unnerving after a while when you can´t walk a block without men (old men with their wives and children) staring. And staring. Then licking their lips. And staring some more. Then of course their wives give you a dirty look.
Then, probably the thing that drives me the most insane, is the way people invade my personal bubble. Every day I go to pick up some of the girls from school. A large crowd of parents accumulates outside of the gate, and when the doors open it reminds me of when the public is let into the Rummage sale, or perhaps Circuit City on Black Friday. Really people!? Is it that serious!? Stop touching me! Now I just close my eyes and take deep breaths so I don´t accidentally spaz and kick the woman who is virtually hugging me from behind. And even worse…when people don´t want you to enter or leave somewhere…they use physical force. The worst thusfar was yesterday, I was heading out of a classroom when a parent who had something to say actually pushed me away from the door. She put both of her hands on my shoulders and forcefully pushed me back like it was no big deal! She had something to say!!!!! I let out on appalled laugh…and before I let myself smack her across the face I began my deep breathing.
Really though I think that is what I´m getting from all these experiences so far…the ability to breathe through all my frustrations. Soon I´m sure these things won´t even bother me…they´ll just be a natural part of life. Little by little they are even starting to make me laugh.
Anyway...I still love it here.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Miss Ibarra
Saturday night was the Miss Ibarra Pageant, and oh what a glorious event it was. Because it started at 7pm and lasted until midnight…I didn´t even stay for the talent/bathing suit/evening gown/weep and wave crowning action. But what I did stay for was really quite fantastic. It began with a series of dance numbers that lasted at least an hour. The nine contestants, bless their hearts, had surprisingly no rhythm whatsoever. My dance class and I were more in sync as 6 year olds doing the running man. But my favorite part was the obvious star of the dance program….some random tall lanky dude. Apparently he is the choreographer. I can only gather that they included him because he distracted everyone with his hip writhing stamina. I mean…it was just so weird! I thought these things were supposed to be about the girls! But there was this crazy guy on stage! If there wasn’t such gender discrimination in the world of pageants I´m sure they would have crowned him. Meanwhile in the crowd, in pure Ecuadorian style, there are people selling things. Water, cola, chips and…glowing devil horns?
Oh yes...they were a hit.After the dancing it started to get kind of rough. It was like 9:30 and we had only seen the girls enthusiastically introduce themselves. So we decided to leave to meet up with some friends…unfortunately we missed the very end. Apparently it was pretty controversial because…a black girl won. People were pissed! Racism is alive and well in Ecuador. I saw my host mom and the first thing she said was, ¨La ciudad perdio su identidad! Gano una morena!¨ Translated that means…the city lost its identity! A black girl won! And the fact that she used ¨morena¨ makes her statement even more racist, because it’s a derogatory term here even though everyone still uses it. And, it seems a little weird to say the city lost its identity given the large Afro Ecuadorian population in Ibarra. It really kind of irritated me. But I´ve found so far that when I try to politely call people out on their racism they just speak to me like I´m a naive gringa who doesn’t really understand how bad black people are. Whatever. I guess with time I´ll figure out how to be more diplomatic when it comes to that conversation.
Monday, September 14, 2009
So far so good...
On Thursday I will have been in Ibarra for a month! It’s flying by, that’s for sure. I was preparing myself for a tough and depressing transition, and although it’s definitely emotionally draining…It´s really been pretty wonderful so far. Let´s recap…
Week One: I wasn´t expecting the girls to remember me…but I walked through the door on my first day of work and they were jumping with joy screaming ¨Lesley!!!!!! Are you going to leave us again!?¨ I was glad to tell them no, and that they would be stuck with me for two years. As for my host mom, I was a little apprehensive and nervous to live with her. All I could remember was her nose in the air and the constant ¨Jesus¨. But she was very welcoming…and I quickly gained respect for her.
My first weekend there, they had a neighborhood meeting. There is this basketball court that´s fairly new, and it´s causing some problems. You see, there are these lights...bright lights…that stay on all night and keep some of the neighbors up. They also cause some of the electricity in the homes to go out. The other issue is that people from outside the neighborhood have been coming to use the court. I guess they are drunk and loud all hours of the night. So, my host mom was speaking for the side that wants the lights off early and the use of the courts restricted to those who live in the neighborhood. Seemed reasonable enough to me. But it was like World War 3 at this meeting. The chief of police and a few police men were there to mediate. And at first, every time my host mom tried to speak half of the group chanted ¨Presidente!¨so she couldn’t be heard. (She used to be the president of the neighborhood, so most don´t care to hear her opinion now that she´s not.) She´s obviously used to it though, because she maintained composure and made her point. And ultimately, her side won. I enjoyed the experience because it reminded me that no matter the issue, people in this country attack it with anger and passion.
Week Two: I have my first Ecuadorian friend/neighbor Javier. I might be a lot more depressed without him. And it´s refreshing to know I can have a male friend without all the obsession and ¨novio¨talk involved.
But to be honest…week two became kind of difficult. My host mom decided to take me to Yahuarcocha, a town just ten minutes outside of Ibarra that is famous for fish. There are tons of restaurants but we picked one that wasn’t crowded…obviously a bad decision but I didn´t argue. A few minutes later they bring out our food…an entire fried fish…face, tail, bones and all. But, like the trooper I have become after my Cuy experience, I ate away. It was really quite tasty, and the whole time I thought about how I would have to bring my family to experience it when they visit! Until…the next day. I started to feel funky. For nearly five days, I was miserable with double dragon. I ate nothing, and spent the majority of the time in my bed. I decided my family wouldn´t want to spend their visit that way…so we won´t be going to Yahuarcocha.
Nevertheless, the few hours I spent at the Hogar that week cheered me up. The girls can be quite entertaining, especially when they´re washing clothes. They sing all together, just like in ¨Annie¨. Except that they sing dirty Reggaeton songs. It´s my favorite part of the day. But then there´s Fabiola. Fabiola, for whatever reason, decided to hate me. She´s 14 and extremely moody…kind of like I was!! Anyway, she was trying every way possible to get a rise out of me. I just ignored her, because I figured giving her attention would only make things worse. But truthfully…she was brining me down. She had been one of my favorites! And suddenly I was the bad guy, and to make things worse she was turning the other older girls against me! I sat down with one of the nuns to express my frustrations, and sweet Sor Hilda told me, ¨We have all given up on Fabiola. She´s like that. She´s sick.¨ Even though the girl was making me crazy I suddenly felt bad for her. She has a few family members but she refuses to talk to them. She´s very obviously rebellious and seeks attention she never received at home.
Week Three: I was feeling 100% again after my week of intestinal hell. I needed the energy because there were now 40 girls at the Hogar. All had returned because school was starting. It was a little overwhelming at first, I still haven’t learned all the girls names but I´m working on it. And sweet Fabiola wasn’t making things any easier. Every time I walked by she would sing the chorus of a Spanish song, ¨You shouldn’t have come back¨. I ignored her. Thankfully many of the new girls enjoyed me, and I started to accept that the hatred she had developed for me might never go away. If I couldn’t get through to her, at least there were others.
But the next day as I was drawing with some of the girls, and in walks Fabiola…arms crossed and face in full scowl. ¨Lesley, we need to talk¨ she says. ¨Yes?¨ Suddenly her face changes from the devil to a little puppy…¨I´m sorry…please forgive me.¨ She almost made me cry. At that moment I decided she would be my special project. Who is better to help her than someone who understands what it´s like to be an evil psychotic child with the slight potential to become a normal functioning human being!! (Sort of…)
So anyway…I´m surviving happily with new motivations every day. And here we are...Fab and I and our angry faces...
Friday, August 21, 2009
Eew
Has anyone ever picked lice, one by one, out of a child’s head? Of course not. That’s just silly when you have that special shampoo and a washing machine. But oh, the adventures of the Peace Corps. I love my girls dearly, but today was lice picking day. It figures they’d break me in on my second day of work with something super, like removing the freaky white creatures from sweet little Anita’s head…for an hour! The poor girl, her head was covered. The worst part is that I had to sit there knowing that what I was doing wouldn’t even solve the problem. I would definitely miss at least two, which would breed and lay more eggs on her precious head. Not to mention the fact that no one was thinking to wash the sheets. It was quite the experience. And now I need to go stand under the scalding hot shower…just incase.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Last Supper
My last meal with my family in Ayora. No, I did not eat the head. And no, Cuy does not taste good. Enough Said.
P.S. I am now a Peace Corps Volunteer.
P.S. I am now a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Tech Trip
I just spent a week in Esmeraldas…It’s a northern province on the coast. The purpose of the trip was to put all our training to use by actually giving workshops and spending time with kids. That part of it I loved. The first group of kids I worked with were probably about 7…and let’s just be honest all they wanted to do was wrestle. This other girl and I had planned out this cute charla (workshop)…we wanted to have the kids draw a personal flag based on questions we asked them about their family and hobbies, and then we were going to do an activity about not throwing your garbage on the streets. Half of the kids participated, while the other half tickled and tackled me to death. Nevertheless they were sweet and I had fun. The next day we went to a high school and there were about 200 kids there. That day another girl and I had to give a charla on short term and long term goals, and how to go about achieving them. I think cause the kids were older they were a little more into it…or maybe they were just into the two gringas talking to them? Anyway that was also a lot of fun.
And now I´ll be honest, other than the fun I had with the kids…for the first three days I was kind of miserable. I learned I do not do well in humidity. Has anyone been to Atlanta in August? Yea. It was worse than that. I was also kind of pissy because one of our facilitators Pablo told us we would be able to swim in the ocean every day…and he lied. Quininde was nowhere near the freaking ocean. I remember at one point I seriously considered getting naked in front of everyone. We were watching these girls make candles. If it wasn’t hot enough already, someone felt the need to show us how to melt wax in a tiny room crammed with 20 sweaty people. Then I remembered that the Peace Corps has a no nudity rule…I could see the look on my parents faces when I told them I got kicked out for getting naked…and I thought it would be better to just remove myself from the situation and go to the bathroom to splash myself with cold water.
Some people in the city also seemed to feel the heat, so much so that they walked the streets in the nude. Well, only one. On our last morning a few of us were walking to breakfast. We turned a corner and to my surprise a chubby guy was sitting, spread eagle, on the side walk. With not nearly enough time to protect my eyes I got a full shot of his manhood. We kept walking, but what did he do? He got up and followed us. I started to get uncomfortable at that point. A million thoughts of what he planned to do to us passed through my head…then quickly we ducked into a pharmacy. He passed right by us and made his way to a nearby church. We were in the clear, and thankfully he was clearly going to pray or confess. A few minutes later I decided to head back to the hotel to take some pictures of the city. I was clicking away when suddenly, there he was again...I thought fast and snapped this bad boy…
And now I´ll be honest, other than the fun I had with the kids…for the first three days I was kind of miserable. I learned I do not do well in humidity. Has anyone been to Atlanta in August? Yea. It was worse than that. I was also kind of pissy because one of our facilitators Pablo told us we would be able to swim in the ocean every day…and he lied. Quininde was nowhere near the freaking ocean. I remember at one point I seriously considered getting naked in front of everyone. We were watching these girls make candles. If it wasn’t hot enough already, someone felt the need to show us how to melt wax in a tiny room crammed with 20 sweaty people. Then I remembered that the Peace Corps has a no nudity rule…I could see the look on my parents faces when I told them I got kicked out for getting naked…and I thought it would be better to just remove myself from the situation and go to the bathroom to splash myself with cold water.
Some people in the city also seemed to feel the heat, so much so that they walked the streets in the nude. Well, only one. On our last morning a few of us were walking to breakfast. We turned a corner and to my surprise a chubby guy was sitting, spread eagle, on the side walk. With not nearly enough time to protect my eyes I got a full shot of his manhood. We kept walking, but what did he do? He got up and followed us. I started to get uncomfortable at that point. A million thoughts of what he planned to do to us passed through my head…then quickly we ducked into a pharmacy. He passed right by us and made his way to a nearby church. We were in the clear, and thankfully he was clearly going to pray or confess. A few minutes later I decided to head back to the hotel to take some pictures of the city. I was clicking away when suddenly, there he was again...I thought fast and snapped this bad boy…
Isnt it precious. Be thankful that I decided not to zoom. Anyway, I survived the heat, barely…and it made me appreciate the nice dry climate in Ibarra. Eventually we made it to the coast, and our hostel was right on the beach. I spent an hour and a half in the ocean body surfing, aka getting man handled by the waves. It was super. Now I´m back with the fam and, although it did provide some comic relief, thankfully there are no naked men around.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Ibarra!
So, I hope everyone has already begun planning their trip to Ibarra. I´m pretty sure I am one of the luckiest people in our group. There´s really nothing better than getting to work with nuns and little girls, whilst living in a big city…that has a KFC. I met the woman I´ll be living with for the first three months. She´s one of a kind. She lives alone in this nice big house, divorced with two kids about my age who live in Canada. She´s a total working woman who has hosted a radio program for the last 20 years. Its on from 4-6 on weekdays, and she pretty much covers everything from skin care to politics.
My work couldn´t be better. Its kind of like a boarding house for girls…they come from poor families who can´t take care of them or send them to school. But in order for the girls to live there, the family has to take steps to better their situation so eventually the girls can move back home. I´ll be spending my time both keeping the girls entertained and visiting the families to evaluate the environment. I only got to meet 11, but normally there are between 40 and 50 girls there. Their lives are really structured, but they have lots of time to play as well. There are about 7 nuns who are hard core, but super sweet. They told me I am a gift from God…and I can´t possibly describe the look on their faces when they later found out I was born on Christmas. Soon there just might be a statue of me erected in the church there…and I´m fine with that. Anyway, I can´t wait to go back. Only three weeks left of training…and I get to spend next week on the beach in Esmeraldas! And yes, I know that´s where an American couple got raped and pillaged…but I´ll be safe. I´m more worried about the parasites you can get in your feet after sunbathing.
My work couldn´t be better. Its kind of like a boarding house for girls…they come from poor families who can´t take care of them or send them to school. But in order for the girls to live there, the family has to take steps to better their situation so eventually the girls can move back home. I´ll be spending my time both keeping the girls entertained and visiting the families to evaluate the environment. I only got to meet 11, but normally there are between 40 and 50 girls there. Their lives are really structured, but they have lots of time to play as well. There are about 7 nuns who are hard core, but super sweet. They told me I am a gift from God…and I can´t possibly describe the look on their faces when they later found out I was born on Christmas. Soon there just might be a statue of me erected in the church there…and I´m fine with that. Anyway, I can´t wait to go back. Only three weeks left of training…and I get to spend next week on the beach in Esmeraldas! And yes, I know that´s where an American couple got raped and pillaged…but I´ll be safe. I´m more worried about the parasites you can get in your feet after sunbathing.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Mal Aire
I so wish I had pictures of this…a mini exorcism was performed on me today. I puked after lunch…so my mom whipped out the egg again. I figured out that when she´s rubbing it all over me, if she hears a water like sound from inside, that means there is bad energy. She couldn’t believe her ears…apparently I still have a lot of mal aire. So first, she put a read string around my wrist like a bracelet, apparently that’s supposed to help. Then, she took me to my abuelos house.
Perhaps because I´ve never had a close relationship with a grandparent, I am seriously drawn to my abuelo. He is adorable. When we got to the house there were like 7 people (aunts uncles cousins) there. He had me lay down on the couch to relax. He came over to me smoking a cigarette with an egg in hand. He crossed himself…you know, father son holy ghost thing...and then he began. He took a big rip out of his cigarette and then forcefully blew the smoke out onto the egg…then he rubbed the egg all over my stomach. He repeated this five or six times, while he muttered some Spanish prayer. Keep in mind, everyone is watching. Then he gets some kind of a branch from a plant, and does the same thing. And I mean…he really blew that smoke out…almost like he was spitting it out. Of course, because I love this man, I wasn’t at all uncomfortable. The whole thing lasted about ten minutes. When it was over my mom just stood there shaking her head….In spanish she said, ¨I am really worried…I´ve never seen someone with so much bad energy¨. A few minutes later we left to go to my brothers soccer game. My abuelo however, was sitting on the couch not looking too hot. ¨He took on all of your mal aire¨, my mom said. I´ll feel really bad if I kill the man.
Friday, July 10, 2009
So some of you might remember when I was in Argentina. My host mom thought I had all this bad energy going on, so she proceeded to make a cross with her fingers on my forehead as she repeated my name. Minutes later my eyes were dripping with tears. Well I had another one of those experiences…kind of.
I think I had a mild case of food poisoning the other day so I stayed home to rest. My mom said something about a huevo (egg), and I kind of started to freak out. See the first day I got to my house she gave me some tomato juice. The following 4 days I had diarrhea like whoa. Anyway the other day I found out they make that juice with a raw egg…shell included. So when she mentioned the huevo, I thought hell no. This woman is going to have me drink a raw egg. But no. She entered the room with an egg, a brown one, and proceeded to rub it all over my head and body…repeating ¨Mal aire¨ (bad energy). I wonder, if I had cracked that egg open afterwards, would it be black inside? Bloody maybe? I didn’t check. Anyway hours later I felt fantastic. (Until today…I have diarrhea again.) If you think that’s too much information, I´m sorry but in a very loving way I really don’t care. Anyway the moral of the story is, rub yourself with an egg when you feel sick. And when you drink juice tomorrow, be thankful it´s not made with a raw freaking egg. I´m off to puke now.
I think I had a mild case of food poisoning the other day so I stayed home to rest. My mom said something about a huevo (egg), and I kind of started to freak out. See the first day I got to my house she gave me some tomato juice. The following 4 days I had diarrhea like whoa. Anyway the other day I found out they make that juice with a raw egg…shell included. So when she mentioned the huevo, I thought hell no. This woman is going to have me drink a raw egg. But no. She entered the room with an egg, a brown one, and proceeded to rub it all over my head and body…repeating ¨Mal aire¨ (bad energy). I wonder, if I had cracked that egg open afterwards, would it be black inside? Bloody maybe? I didn’t check. Anyway hours later I felt fantastic. (Until today…I have diarrhea again.) If you think that’s too much information, I´m sorry but in a very loving way I really don’t care. Anyway the moral of the story is, rub yourself with an egg when you feel sick. And when you drink juice tomorrow, be thankful it´s not made with a raw freaking egg. I´m off to puke now.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
I wish everyone could experience these things…
Let me just take a minute to describe the cacophony that awakes me every morning. It begins promptly at 4am. The hens get to cock-a-doodle-doing…three to five times per minute. Shortly after, dogs begin to bark, and howl, and yelp. At what? Still not sure. At around 5:30, the real show starts. It’s a combination of cows and pigs crying for their lives as they are hacked to death. Meanwhile, the hens, whose voices are tired from cock-a-doodle-doing for the last hour and a half, get kind of lazy. They begin to sound like a woman, no a group of women, shrieking with severe cramps. Then finally, at 6:30, I get up.
On Friday morning half of our group went to Mascarillas, an Afro-Ecuadorian community in the north. (See facebook for the pics). The weather was hot a dry, a nice change from the chilly communities we live in. When we got there we watched a lady make a mask, which is what this small town is best known for. Then we got to make our own masks! Mine was wonderful, of course. Then for the next 5 hours or so, we walked around the village and jungle. The jungle walk was fun…I fell in love with one of our facilitators Lenny. Now he calls me his esposa (wife)…I´m fine with that, obviously. Of course the no fraternizing rule means we must keep our future marriage a secret. I guess I´m blowing that right now but whatever. The only down side of the walk was that I was wearing flip flops. So not only did my feet get covered in mosquito bites, but I stepped ankle deep into mud several times. The only enjoyable part was that Lenny would consol me.
Later when we got back to the town we hung out on the street for a while. There was music blaring from every house and all the children were on the streets playing. Anyone promoting ADHD meds would have a field day in this community. The kids would jump on you and hang there, tug at your hair and clothes. Still it was endearing. At one point John, the other Portlander, was racing through the streets with a child on his back. It was like slow motion when he face planted into the gravel ground, and the child on his back rolled for at least ten feet. Everyone´s jaws dropped in silence, until a roar of laughter erupted and the boy ran after him wanting to do it again! They´re all crazy, but very tough. I fell particularly in love with one little girl, Frances. She is two, very moody, but the sweetest little peach you´ll ever see. Later that evening we were hanging out with some of the boys in town. When we realized we needed to do something about the gender imbalance…we told one of the guys to go get some of his friends. He stood up, walked ten feet, and proceeded to perform this elaborate whistle. If only you could have heard it. Then, seconds later, off in the distance, another elaborate whistle could be heard. This went on for a minute or two, until around the corner came three of his cousins. I will never forget it. It was…hysterical. We played an innocent game of Verdad o Desafillo? (truth or dare) for a while. My friend Brook who is quite possibly one of the funniest people alive, was saying swear words in Spanish to them. Needless to say they enjoyed us.
We left yesterday morning. When I got home my host brother and sis were back for the weekend from Quito. We were watching There´s Something About Mary when, at 7:30pm, my host dad staggered into the bed room. He had been our partying with his friends, and was the most borracho (drunk) I have ever seen a Latin man. My host mom had to take off his jean on jean outfit and tuck him into bed, where he proceeded to giggle and speak in drunk Spanish gibberish. They even put him on the phone with the 11 year old daughter whose visiting the Galapagos so she could share the enjoyment. Oh how I wish I could understand even a word he was saying, nevertheless the sound was fantastic.
This morning, my host mom woke me up early because we were going to another parade. I have regained my appetite a little…but I lost it yet again when I walked into the kitchen and saw my breakfast. Thanks to my father’s hangover, there was a giant plate of plain pasta covered with ground beef that had been sautéed with onions and jalapeños. Doesn’t sound so bad right? Don’t forget it was 8 in the morning. I took two bites before I asked her to save the rest for my dinner. She wasn’t at all offended.
After the parade we went to my older brother´s game. Let me just say that recreational soccer in this little town in wonderful. We got to the game and already everyone watching was borracho. So much so, that the bystanders were running on the field to kick the other teams players. Yellow cards were thrown out left and right. And when finally the oldest man on the team got two yellow cards and was kicked out of the game, the ref had to run for his life. Of course he didn’t have to run fast, because the drunks chasing him had no coordination whatsoever. But I felt kinda bad for him when they started to spit. The game was over after that. 10 minutes later, everyone was laughing as if nothing had happened. Ohh the joys of different cultures.
On Friday morning half of our group went to Mascarillas, an Afro-Ecuadorian community in the north. (See facebook for the pics). The weather was hot a dry, a nice change from the chilly communities we live in. When we got there we watched a lady make a mask, which is what this small town is best known for. Then we got to make our own masks! Mine was wonderful, of course. Then for the next 5 hours or so, we walked around the village and jungle. The jungle walk was fun…I fell in love with one of our facilitators Lenny. Now he calls me his esposa (wife)…I´m fine with that, obviously. Of course the no fraternizing rule means we must keep our future marriage a secret. I guess I´m blowing that right now but whatever. The only down side of the walk was that I was wearing flip flops. So not only did my feet get covered in mosquito bites, but I stepped ankle deep into mud several times. The only enjoyable part was that Lenny would consol me.
Later when we got back to the town we hung out on the street for a while. There was music blaring from every house and all the children were on the streets playing. Anyone promoting ADHD meds would have a field day in this community. The kids would jump on you and hang there, tug at your hair and clothes. Still it was endearing. At one point John, the other Portlander, was racing through the streets with a child on his back. It was like slow motion when he face planted into the gravel ground, and the child on his back rolled for at least ten feet. Everyone´s jaws dropped in silence, until a roar of laughter erupted and the boy ran after him wanting to do it again! They´re all crazy, but very tough. I fell particularly in love with one little girl, Frances. She is two, very moody, but the sweetest little peach you´ll ever see. Later that evening we were hanging out with some of the boys in town. When we realized we needed to do something about the gender imbalance…we told one of the guys to go get some of his friends. He stood up, walked ten feet, and proceeded to perform this elaborate whistle. If only you could have heard it. Then, seconds later, off in the distance, another elaborate whistle could be heard. This went on for a minute or two, until around the corner came three of his cousins. I will never forget it. It was…hysterical. We played an innocent game of Verdad o Desafillo? (truth or dare) for a while. My friend Brook who is quite possibly one of the funniest people alive, was saying swear words in Spanish to them. Needless to say they enjoyed us.
We left yesterday morning. When I got home my host brother and sis were back for the weekend from Quito. We were watching There´s Something About Mary when, at 7:30pm, my host dad staggered into the bed room. He had been our partying with his friends, and was the most borracho (drunk) I have ever seen a Latin man. My host mom had to take off his jean on jean outfit and tuck him into bed, where he proceeded to giggle and speak in drunk Spanish gibberish. They even put him on the phone with the 11 year old daughter whose visiting the Galapagos so she could share the enjoyment. Oh how I wish I could understand even a word he was saying, nevertheless the sound was fantastic.
This morning, my host mom woke me up early because we were going to another parade. I have regained my appetite a little…but I lost it yet again when I walked into the kitchen and saw my breakfast. Thanks to my father’s hangover, there was a giant plate of plain pasta covered with ground beef that had been sautéed with onions and jalapeños. Doesn’t sound so bad right? Don’t forget it was 8 in the morning. I took two bites before I asked her to save the rest for my dinner. She wasn’t at all offended.
After the parade we went to my older brother´s game. Let me just say that recreational soccer in this little town in wonderful. We got to the game and already everyone watching was borracho. So much so, that the bystanders were running on the field to kick the other teams players. Yellow cards were thrown out left and right. And when finally the oldest man on the team got two yellow cards and was kicked out of the game, the ref had to run for his life. Of course he didn’t have to run fast, because the drunks chasing him had no coordination whatsoever. But I felt kinda bad for him when they started to spit. The game was over after that. 10 minutes later, everyone was laughing as if nothing had happened. Ohh the joys of different cultures.
Monday, June 22, 2009
OY VE
The last few days have been fun but hard! It finally hit me than I´m actually here and I had a little panic attack. Just taking it day by day though, I´m sure things will get better. The other day we arrived in our training city in the Sierras....we stayed at this compound and I met my first friend Carla! She is 10 and we played basketball in the dark. I was winded after about 4 minutes. The next day she took me next door to her school and the kids where so cute. Imagine 40 kids crowding around u like you´re a celebrity. I always knew I was meant to be famous. Later we watched them all practicing for a parade that was on Sunday I tried to upload the video but its not working! You can see more pics on Facebook though. Later that day we took a walk around the city, I was thrilled until I saw a sweet stray puppy get hit by a car. It quivered in the road for a minute before a bystander picked it up by its tail and threw it off of the road. Culture shock experience numero uno.
So at training they mean business. Its hard core but its good, it keeps me excited I guess. They split us up into smaller groups of five and sent us off to smaller communities. My family is really sweet. I´m their seventh trainee so they understand that I can´t eat and my mom just gives me herbal tea all the time. It’s the weirdest thing ever though. I literally take two bites and I want to die. Still the doctor says it’s normal.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
IVE ARRIVED
Yay for my followers! Momma and Todd. The rest of you better step it up! I only have a few minutes to use the comp since there is only one in our hostel and everyone is in line. But so far Quito is amazing! We got to the hostel greeted by a bunch of volunteers screaming Bienvenido a Ecuador!!!! Had a nice intro with all of the directors and then we had a wonderful meal of pan fried chicken, salad, rice and mashed potatoes. We wont be here for long though...leaving tomorrow for Cayambe and then we will be with our families on Friday. K gotta go now just wanted people to know Im alive and well...no parasites yet:)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Here we go!
OOk my first blog post! How super. I don't really have anything interesting to write yet, so I'll just recap the last 24 hours. Leaving PDX was kinda rough, I wept...just slightly...as I said bye to my padres. But then I got on the plane and felt a sudden rush of relaxation. Probably as a result of the TWO xanex I had taken moments earlier (sorry mom), but that was nice. Thankfully I had cool people sitting next to me on the flight. A girl names Kristin, who was rushing home to save her boyfriend from her dog, who was apparently running the show while she was away. And Tim, a late twenty something guy who was on his way to Mexico for a month to work on wind turbines. He showed me some pictures of him hanging off of giant blades, where he glued stuff back together...pretty sweet, but I though it was weird that they used glue on those things. After our nice discussion I passed out, and woke up in Houston! On the next flight I had the whole row to myself....there’s really nothing better than that.
I got to Miami around 11. Took a taxi to the hotel where I was greeted by several precious Cubans who helped me with my bags and up to my room. My roommate Molly was already there...she's from New Mexico and just graduated a few weeks ago. Nice girl. She told me her parents where in the Peace Corps in Jamaica in the 70's....and actually there is tons of violence in the Caribbean. So now I'm quite happy I didn't end up there! See...there are reasons for everything.
I woke up this morning and went down to the pool. It was already 90 degrees at 9am, and too freaking humid, so I didn’t last long. Then I finally met a bunch of other volunteers! People are from everywhere, apparently there is one girl from Bend who got evacuated from Madagascar because something bad is going on there…but I have yet to meet her. After that I had lunch with a fellow volunteer named Dana. He is 32 but seems 22…acts like a total Eugenian, but cooler. We ate pizza…and I found out he is a vegetarian because, when visiting his grandma on a farm last year, he became friends with a turkey, and hasn’t been able to meat since.
Ok that’s it for now. It’s time to go meet everyone else! More to come…
I got to Miami around 11. Took a taxi to the hotel where I was greeted by several precious Cubans who helped me with my bags and up to my room. My roommate Molly was already there...she's from New Mexico and just graduated a few weeks ago. Nice girl. She told me her parents where in the Peace Corps in Jamaica in the 70's....and actually there is tons of violence in the Caribbean. So now I'm quite happy I didn't end up there! See...there are reasons for everything.
I woke up this morning and went down to the pool. It was already 90 degrees at 9am, and too freaking humid, so I didn’t last long. Then I finally met a bunch of other volunteers! People are from everywhere, apparently there is one girl from Bend who got evacuated from Madagascar because something bad is going on there…but I have yet to meet her. After that I had lunch with a fellow volunteer named Dana. He is 32 but seems 22…acts like a total Eugenian, but cooler. We ate pizza…and I found out he is a vegetarian because, when visiting his grandma on a farm last year, he became friends with a turkey, and hasn’t been able to meat since.
Ok that’s it for now. It’s time to go meet everyone else! More to come…
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