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.