This past December I participated in a workshop by the name Brigada Verde. So much happened, it was a lot of fun and I have TON of pictures, but in the interest of working smarter not harder, I'm going to leave you with an article I wrote for the Aldea newsletter. Enjoy!

“What we take for granted might not be here for our children”- Al Gore, Inconvenient Truth

That poignant idea was the overall theme of the first annual “Brigada Verde” hosted by Peace Corps Ecuador. Peace Corps is an organization of the United States that provides assistance in different technical fields such as, Natural Resources, Health and Social Work with Youth through the work and the help of several volunteers. The eager group of participants consisted of 18 Peace Corps Volunteers and 20 youth leaders from various communities in Ecuador. The objective of the “Brigada Verde” Workshop was to capacitate the volunteers and their youth leaders with the information necessary to bring back the awareness of the serious issues of the

environment to their respective cities. During the week long workshop the participants learned, how to form an EcoClub, the environment issues that plague Ecuador’s different regions, how to make crafts out of recycled trash and how to plant trees to reforest barren areas. This was not your typical conference where you simply sit and listen to an expert speak. This event was full of hands on activities and a lot of participation. The youth were challenged to create 3-D maps of their area using clay, water bottle tops, wooden sticks, balloons and anything else they could find. Everyday the youth were given opportunities to speak in front of the group over their ideas on how to make positive changes in their communities. The learning didn’t just happen in the conference room, participants were outside getting their hands dirty planting trees, roots and other plants as well. One of the favored participants Thai from La Aldea Infantil SOS de Esmeraldas says she enjoyed most “ learning to make crafts out trash.", about the event. She is planning on starting an EcoClub in her community in February when the youth are on vacation and have plenty of time to dedicate to the various possible projects such as mingas, recycled art and reforestation. While the days were filled with hard work there was also time to get to know one another and have fun! The youth were given time to run around, play together, eat together and watch movies at night, such as the analytical documentary “Inconvenient Truth” and the light hearted cartoon film, “Rio”. Before departing on the final day participants were awarded certificates for their hard work. Brigadas Verdes was a huge success and great experience for all who participated.********After the event myself and another volunteer took our jovenes to the Mitad del Mundo. So much fun!

Today I found that 4 siblings that happen to be some of my favorites are leaving the Aldea. Also, when I came back from the holiday vacation I found out that a few of the kids I was working with that were have a LOT of difficulties also went back to their families.

That's the hard thing about working for this unique organization. The idea of the Aldea is not to keep kids until they are adopted. The idea is for them to have a loving environment to grow up in while social workers work with the families to rehabilitate them to once again be a loving and nurturing environment for the kids to go back to.

So actually, when the kids go back home it's really a good thing, a great thing, it shows that their time at the Aldea worked. It illustrates that the kids were ready to go back and the families were ready to receive them.

Oh but it is so hard to see them go. It's usually a hush, hush thing so I usually hear about it the day before or sometimes the day after! However, now that I am a facilitator of the teens, I know more about their whole process and the next group ready to go back home happen to be teens so I know now what is going to happen in February.

I want to be sad, but I know that is selfish. Time and time again when the social workers go visit the kids to make sure they are adjusting to their homes and families, they are always happy to be reunited with their families. The Aldea is a WONDERFUL place and they offer great services, but some kids reach a point that Dorothy knew all to well, "There's no place like home"...

Spending time away from my friends and family during the holidays does not get easier, but this year I had some lovely visitors that certainly helped take my mind off being so far away from those I normally spend Christmas with.

My Hermanita and a crew of volunteers come from Machala to rock my Christmas and bring in the New Year.

It's always great having people come to visit because I take part in all the fun activities my site has to offer that I never partake in. Right when the girls got in we hit the beach, chilled out and even did the banana boat rides. I remember this time last year when I had two of my besties visiting we took my first boat tour to the different beaches near Sua. This year I went on the Banana Boat and another fun ride for the first time. I always see tourist come and scream their heads off, but never go on the rides myself. It was SO much fun and I always just get filled with gratitude that I actually LIVE here.

In the days leading up to Christmas and the days between Christmas and New Year's, we hung out in Sua, Atacames and Mompiche during the day. At night we again enjoyed the beaches of Sua and Atacames. It's worth repeating that normally I am in.the.house. at night, but to be a great hostess I was out building bonfires on the beach in front of my house and dancing the night away in Atacames...and I actually like it! Visitors are the best.

For Christmas we cooked all day like we did last year. We cooked in the "Tree House", a house on the beach made out of wood that my best friend here owns with her husband and two kids. They are like my family here so it was nice getting to spend this Christmas with them again. I had planned out the menu with my Hermanita and all the girls just picked something to prepare and had it. It was a great group experience. After all that hard work we feasted together buffet style and it was deliciously fun!

New Year's was also a blast. From frequenting the beach all week long we had made a lot of new friends so New Year's was just a

culmination of that. More friends came to visit and other volunteers had come to the beach to celebrate. We danced all night and let off fireworks on the beach at midnight. All in all great start to 2012. I'm looking forward to what this year will bring!

Peep how I wear the same Christmas Shirt every year.

Merry Christmas, from the Mitad del Mundo (Middle of he World), where Salsa is played in place of Jingle Bells, Coconut Batidos are consumed in place of Egg Nog and sand castles are made in place of where snow angels would be. My third Christmas here in Ecuador. Thinking of my friends and family during this (very hot) holiday Season. Love you and miss you All!

I can't believe I took this long to write about my camping adventure with the jovenes! I have so much to say and so many pictures! I will do my best in trying to give you the run down without boring you and also try to post as many pics as possible!

Let's just open with the fact that I was pretty nervous about this camping trip. Anyone that knows me knows I LOVE Camp! I love the idea of it. Maybe not the bug bites and and poison ivy aspect, but more of the bonding and taking people out of their element to stretch themselves to new heights. However, I had NO idea if all of that would transpire and I had NO clue how I was going to do it all in Spanish!

We were taking 20 of our kids and meeting up with another group of 20 in Portoviejo. There were only 4 facilitators total so I was on edge about being one of the few adults.

We left late in the evening and took a night bus to Protoviejo to meet up with the Aldea. The kids were pretty good on the bus. Really, myself and the other facilitator were in the front and they were in the back. There were some up front with us but the majority were in the back so either they were behaved or they knew how to keep their madness to a minimum : )

The Aldea of Portoviejo was Beauitful! Lot's of green trees and wooden houses. We got in at a crazy hour, like, 4 am in the morning. Since I hadn't slept on the bus due to my colleague wanting to talk all night and not sleep, I was anxious to get a morning nap before we started the day. We were divided in two houses, one for the guys and one for the girls. That meant I was in charge of all the teen girls! I was nervous about that, but I thought to myself, being nervous will only make this situation that much harder, so I decided to suck it up and go with it. Well it those girls were so crunk about being in a new place (with new boys) that they did NOT sleep, there were blasting music, fighting of bed arrangements and simply doing the most.

My way of dealing with my limited Spanish with all these girls talking at once was telling them that this experience was about team building and part of team building is resolving conflicts in a camp and compromising way. Well that worked they figured there stuff out, sure I didn't get to sleep but we had a fairly peaceful house. Even though we weren't supposed to leave our little house until 9:00 am the girls were going crazy with cabin fever so I finally said we could walk around. That's when we met all the lovely people of the Aldea and it was great.

Later I met with the other two youth facilitators and we pretty much had mini meetings all morning. Then we hopped on a bus and left. I was actually in a van with a group of my jovenes from Atacames and again I was alone and in charge. I was with some of the older boys who can be intimidating and they were Certainly testing me. After some strong words and getting upset in English they seemed to calm down and we were good after that. Discipline is SO hard in Spanish!

Once we arrived to the site I was blown away. It was sooooo beauitful. It was a location called "La Finca" and they are used to receiving groups. They provided the tents and items to use for our cook out. The first item of business was ICE BREAKERS...well that and the ground rules of Camp. I had to introduce myself as one of the leaders and that was a bit nerve-racking only because half the kids originally thought I was just another joven, sigh. Once they got that though we were good to go.

The Facilitators were worried about a couple of things 1) That the kids from the two different Aldeas would not get along 2) That they would be cliquey and not mix between the two groups 3) They wouldn't participate with all of their hearts and be too cool for school.

Well the I felt that everyone did a great job at the Dinamicas and people were being really respectful to one another. Next we had tent assignments. Two to a tent..Including ME! That was a bit of drama but it worked out it made for a lot of hilarious encounters. Speaking of hilarious, can I just say there were SO many times I was supposed to be disciplining the kids cause they would be talking out of turn or just doing the most, but it would be so funny I would just have to hide my face so they wouldn't know how funny they are. Argh, those kids especially the ones from my Aldea ALWAYS have something to say and they are actually pretty fun. There is just a time and a place for everything...but man was that a challenge.

We also ran down the schedule and the rules. The biggest event of that night was the COOKOUT! I was SOOOO Excited for this. We put them in mixed groups i.e. boys and girls and from the different Aldeas and told them that the group that worked the best together and who had the best finish product would win. We also informed them that we would be observing them over the next couple of days to see who cooperates the best, who participates the most and who keeps their tent the cleanest... and so the games began.

Building a camp fire can be a challenge anyone who has tried knows that. We were sure our well meaning teens would try a few times and throw in the towel, but that never happened, not once in any group! They were fanning those flames like crazy, choking on smoke and laughing the whole time. It was SOOO great to see.

They were given veggies for a salsa, verdes to cook on the grill and of course Carne! They dug holes in the ground, were given a grate and coal and were told to have at it. The facilitators basically just rotated around giving a hand when needed and observing how everyone worked together. People who got the hang of the fire went to other groups to help them, I was really impressed with them. We also had music going to so dance breaks were a Constant and I was Loving that!

I ended up hanging out with and helping Mesa 4 (table 4) the most. In my opinion they were doing a great job of rotating tasks (not just giving dicing veggies to girls and hard fire work to the boys) and were respectful of each other. They were also closest to the radio and the hammock but SURELY that had nothing to do with it. Plus, I figured if I was going to be eating red meat it should be from the best team. It was funny how the two male facilitators were "taste testing" the meat of Every group to make sure it was okay :)

At the end we went into our big ol' tiki bamboo hut and had a big feast among everyone. It had gone from day to night and everyone had worked hard from their grub and grub we indeed did!

After that it was time for the festivities, Talent show and Mixer. We had a system and those kids let loose!!! Maybe some tried to act shy at first, but there was singing, dancing, maybe even the boys were inspired to some pole dancing? I dunno. What happens at camp stays at camp. All I know is the kids from my Aldea were not holding back and wowed the crowed. I was so proud. The girls are already pretty much a groups so they had plenty of routines to choose from. Our boys...ahem, improvised and had everyone Dying with laughter. Actually it was from that night that one of our boys who is normally incredibly shy broke out of his shell and ended up winning one of the awards at the end. Those are the camp stories I LOVE.

We had sing a longs and then after the singing, dancing and laughter ended we had a Baile or Dance. It was so fun to cut loose and kick it with the kids. I feel like they are the happiest when they are dancing. They just light up and throw caution to the wind. Getting those revved up kids to go to bed was a task. Everyone was hype and love connections were being made. We were close together in our tents so everyone was talking back and forth through their tents, so once again being the adults was not the best position to be in. All thing considered though I think they quieted down at a reasonable time. They were being SO funny though and we were standing outside of the tents covering our mouths and hugging each other trying to muffle our laughs because we were trying to be serious and tell them to go to be but I tell you the stuff that comes out of their mouths!! Ha Ha!

The next day were up bright and early to start the fun all over again. We made breakfast in the same groups and talked about the challenges of making the cookout fires and how that related to life. So Camp, I love it. We also told them how pleased we were overall wit how they worked together. We did some morning exercises which I got to lead and then we went on an epic hike. When we had "hike" on the schedule I thought it was going to be some leisurely stroll over a grassy knoll. No sirma'am. This was a hike in the sun with a beauitful view of the mountains, into a thick forest with no joke inclines and slippery rocks which all culminated at a huge rocky clearing that was just monumental! I could hardly look up at it because I felt like I was going to fall back. That was a rigorous hike but so worth it. I thought there maybe be a lot of complaining but everyone was a good sport about the whole thing. We definitely hung out and rested at the clearing though for a good minute before heading back.

Once we got back we finally got to partake in the event the kids had all been waiting for. The RIO! (the river) They changed into their swim gear and went crazy in the water for about 4 hours. It was a cool river.

There were shallow parts for the beginner swimmers a bridge that had a super strong (and fun) current rushing under it and then deep waters down current. They were all screaming, laughing and helping one another climb up on rocks, grab onto the rope attached to the bridge and inventing new river games to play. It was SO great seeing them all so carefree and happy. I really enjoyed that part. After that we had a grubbin fish lunch before heading back to the Aldea.

Once back at the Aldea we continued the fun. I thought it was going to be an easy night since we were enjoying ourselves playing co-ed soccer and basketball. However, once all the boys came over to our house and starting trouble we had some conflict mediation issues. Of course all in all it worked out, but my co-facilitator almost quit and we almost cancelled the last part of our trip! Drama. At the end though the kids apologized for acting up and we were still on for Monti Cristi the next day.

(trying to wrap this up since I'm just rambing on and on)

We just took the Atacames kids to Monti Cristi and again my co facilitator and I were anticipating it being a challenge just us two maneuvering our kids through the city. Well we were pleasantly surprised by their behavior. We went to a museum and were given a personal tour and the kids were quiet and attentive. They were being obedient and I was really pleased. After seeing other sites in the city we took another short trip to the beach. I didn't know if the kids would care to see ANOTHER beach since they live near the beach in Atacames, but they Loved it...of course.

We once again had a grubbin lunch and the kids were excited to try tiny lobsters for the first time. We took a fabulous boat ride which was amazing. The water was so clear you could see to the bottom in some parts. I wish I had pictures of it, but I was in the Splash Seat so I left with hardly any pics of the boat ride and a pair of sopping wet pants!! After that we had ice creams, kicked it a bit and headed back to Portoviejo to get our bags to head back to Esmeraldas.

There were sometimes I was alone with the kids when we would be waiting on my Co to pay for something or get something and THAT was stressful because just having a bunch of teens sit and wait sometimes up to 30 mintues....whooo weeee. However, we all bonded and I felt the respect of each and every one of them.

As we were waiting for the bus the boys were going through my camera and showing me the girls they liked, who had exchanged phone numbers and Facebook information, I loved it. So cute. I was so ready for the ride back because I pretty much hadn't slept since we left Atacames and I big plans for sleep on the night bus. Well I did get to sleep but I also got Got by one of the teens I let borrow my camera. All is fair in Love and Camp!

How Loud Are They?...

No but seriously folks... I don't know if I've blogged about it, but I have definitely told the people that I talk to about it. I live next door to a port where the fishermen park their boats. What does that mean? From anywhere from 4:30 am to 8:00 am, those men are outside hee-in', haw-in' and guffawin' all in front of my house and all in big groups after a long night out at sea. They have no regard to the fact that it's the crack of dawn and the rest of the street is sleeping. My house is the main spot people park in front of and post up and get to gut busting, diaphragm resonating loud talking, laughing and yelling. Now always in search of my zen, I have "gotten over" this by accepting what is. If I am jolted out of my sleep at 4:30 am, instead of waking up grumpy and cursing this beautiful life I've been given, I just go outside, or turn on music and mediate. (I think making me some kind of zen master meditating with all that noise, right?) If it's more around 7 or 8 I just give thanks for the natural alarm clock and get up and start my day. I haven't set an alarm since living here because there is really no.need. thanks to them.

Well today, as normal, my piscine-amigos were outside doing The.Most. I was preparing for my day writing some things down and referring to my spanish dictionary. After about an 30 min I was like, man, they are really excited today! After about an hour and half I was like MAN they have kept the volume at a steady 10 without any fluctuation. As I go to the kitchen to grab a banana, I peek out the window only to see AN ACTUAL Parade was going on outside!!!! When it started I don't know. It was then that it dawned on me. Those men are LOUD as Heck sometimes... SO Loud, that when there is an ACTUAL Parade going on outside, I don't even know the difference.

So now you know how "festive" it is over here most mornings. So as you rise and shine this week, instead of grumbling at the alarm clock, just be happy it's not 30 men outside of your window acting like it's an afterset of a party. As for me? I'll just be happy I'm really honing in on my inner peace mediation chops.

Until the next time!

I totally ran out of time to blog about my plan to go to the States. I was awarded, I´ll say, of month leave for extending my service for a year. Before leaving I was so nervous and thought I was going to feel so many things. I started writing a blog about it, but I seen now I never posted it! Whoops! It´s all good though cause I was worried for nothing. The trip was amazballs! I chose to go home in October when there seemed to be a plethora of reunions, that proved to be a GREAT decision.

Saint Louis is my Home of Record so I flew into the Lou and was there for a couple of days. My first few days were really just getting acclimated to being back in the States, Televisions with thousands of channels and seeing my parents. I got a track phone eventually too so that I would be able to communicate with people while I was local. I had a list of people to call while I was in the US but since even moment was filled with visits it didn´t happen. Still coordinating and setting up dates was facilitated 100 fold having a cell phone, unlike that last time I was in the US.

After, finally unpacking and getting myself together it was time to RE-pack for my Cali leg of the trip. I had lots planned for California, my grandma turned 90 (and is still as fiesty as ever) so it was party time and a family reunion all in one. Also, it was time for my sweetie to meet all of my family and for me to meet his friends and fam that live in the Bay. So off to Cali and went and what fun it was. I flew into LA to drive up to Stockton with my sister because that is our tradition. I wish I had been able to have some time in LA but I flew in at midnight and we drove out at 5 am. For Grandma´s celebration we had a host of activities planned such as dinners, lunches, bbqs, bowling, and of course the main event, The Party! We had so much fun and it was so amazing seeing my family. I am really glad I was able to come back to celebrate and see everyone at one time!

The next stop was the Bay. My sweetie came to the party Saturday and graciously came BACK on Monday to swoop me back to his neck of the woods. The night I arrived his mom had invited her friends and family that lived in area and we had a big grand feast. Come to think of it maybe THAT is how I gained a fast 10 lbs while in the States. We ate so much cause it was SOOOO good. It was a fun party with really great people. So that went well. It was really great seeing were my love grew up and went to school and all of those little things. We also went to San Francisco to meet his college roommates and we also got to check out Oakland to visit my Uncle Cousin and one of my friends who is like family to me. Since I am strongly considering moving to Northern California upon my return to the States it was great to hang out and get a feel for the area. Once again, on the Cali let I got to see so many people and met even more, so I considered the Cali let a success as well.

One back in Missouri it was time for Homecoming and the Expressions Reunion! My soros and I have been Deltas for 10 years and even though we felt old, we knew it was time to get together and celebrate. To be able to be with them and participate in this event was so great! My line sister from Sweden also made it, so we came from far and wide for this auspicious occassion. As always it was all screams and hugs when we all saw each other. We stayed at a hotel and had a major slumber party, which we all know I Love!

We had a fabulous dinnner and night out that was planned by my amazing Anchor. It was great because we got our own private room and we were able to go around and catch up on each other´s lives. Getting a recap on 15 people is not easy but hey we had good food and drinks so it was just a joy. Then the next day we got up Bright and Early to drive to Columbia, Missouri to make to the Epsilon Psi Luncheon. I didn´t think we were going to make it but we totally did! We got to meet the current chapter and they are absolutely amazing. They put on a great luncheon and are doing great work, so that was amazing. Mizzou has changed so much! It´s so high class we were all freaking out..in a good way. It was great to see that it´s on the rise and doing well. We made it to the football game which was a great time and then we went to an outside stepshow which was such a highlight for me. It took me back to the old days and we of course were clowing! It was the best time and we even got to do the Founder´s Step and Stroll! I know some of you reading have no idea what I´m talking about, but just know those things all equal a good time and it had been 10 years since I got to do that, especially with my line sisters. We drove back that night (hardcore, right!?) and went our separate ways. I was really proud of us making such an effot to get together. Everyone who wasn´t there was missed but it was so great that so many of us were able to come out.

After that it was serious see your people in STL time. It was all about dinners, lunches, coffees what have you. My ride or die friends came to visit me, my mom had a happy hour for me to see all of her friends, I got to hang out with my besties and it was just a whirlwind of fun. I know one thing, my brain had no problem "switching" to English. It wasn´t even a switch. I kept marveling at how easy it was to talk. I just opened my mouth and spoke. I didn´t have to think about it or figure out how I was going to do it. It just came out. I also ate a TON. I am not joking when I say I gained 10 lbs...easily! I also was taking a GANG of showers and washing my hair about every 4 days. I was obsessed with hot water. I was also washing clothes I knew I wasn´t even going to be wearing. Just how easy the machines were and how fun it was for me to do laundry! That´ll wear off when I come back officially I know.

All in all it was an AMAZING trip. I mean for the limited amount of time I was there I got in a LOT of visit. I even kept it going during my layover in Miami. My Back rushed her work schedule to come pick me up for lunch and cocktails! All in all such a great trip. I got to at least hug so many people but at the same time I knew it was only for a moment and then I was off again which is hard. I got to see my Aunts on both my mom and dad´s side which was special and of course got to spoil my mom´s dog before I left. It was sad leaving, but this trip helped me feel good about going back in a year and to have even more reslove to give this year my all and then come back and be ready to live my life in the US of A.

Until Next time.....

(p.s. by the time you get this post I will be in the wilderness with my teens, which me luck and Give Thanks!)

In light of us proposing to take the teens into the wilderness to fend for themselves, arguement has erupted.

This isn´t the first time either.

There seems to be a difference in point of view and I´m trying to see where I stand on the issue.

Before, as readers of this blog know, I was taking the kids to what I called "Enrichment" Classes to a place outside of Atacames. I thought it was great for them to get to leave the premises learn new things, like painting, dancing and even capoiera. However, sometimes when I went to get the kids the madres would tell me their kid wasn´t going to be able to come that day because they were punished. Well the counterpart I was working with on the enrichment program got increasingly annoyed with the fact that we were trying to do something creative and therapuetic and yet the kids (who probably needed it most) were being prevented from coming.

Now the second example comes from a meeting we had last week. We were trying to get a final list of who is coming camping and who isn´t. Again, the same arguement came up. Some of the moms and even office staff feel that some of the teens can´t attend because they are acting up at the Aldea or in school or some aren´t even going to class. The thought is if they are misbehaving in the Aldea they shouldn´t get "rewarded" with being able to go on the trip and instead they should be "punished" for their behavior and not allowed to go. That´ll teach them a lesson!

Others argue that those misbehaving are the ones in need of leaving getting out and doing something different. They are teens let´s not forget. A time in ones life when no one understands you and you have a LOT going on internally. This camping trip is not meant to be a 5 star reward experience, it´s supposed to be a team buildling and learning experience.

However, those against it do bring up a good point, that how are the kids going to not go to school and do what they want when they want and then get an all expense paid trip to spend the weekend away. Do we really want to "reward" that behavior? Or is it really an reward?

I am pretty sure I am a fan of the "enrichment" experience. I know that the kids that the office and some of the madres point out as the "problem" kids work with me just fine and I know they are the ones who have told me they feel trapped, like they have no freedom etc. You know...teen stuff. I think first of all, if they were not allowed to go they would just act out more and second of all, camping is no walk in the park either! I think maybe there could be some criteria, such as, if you don´t go to school you can´t participate in the jovenes programming. However, as far as talking back and not doing the laundry I think is teen stuff and not grounds for preventing the jovenes from participating in the programs designed specifically for them to get out and expand their horizons.

I´m not youth expert though, that´s why I´m here learning? Those of you who work with kids or are just good with kids, what do you think?

So I have jumped right back into work and things have changed a bit. I am going to start work more closely with jovenes (i.e. the teens) . The idea is that they will one day, soon, be leaving the ofanato and they need to be prepared for the real world. THe means doing things outside of the safe walls of the Aldea and learning different skills.

My first task is going to be doozey. It would be in any situation but when you layer it with me having to speak Spanish I look to the heavens and ask "how am I going to pull THIS off?"

For the weekend of Thanksgiving I have been charges with taking the jovenes camping! Now anyone who knows me knows I actually love camping so I am pretty stoked about it but also freaked out. There are going to be between 20-22 teenagers and myself plus another (totally capable) facilitator. We are taking a bus Thursday or friday night (details still up in the air) Traveling to the Campos of Porto Viejo and spending TWO nights in tents. We will be cooking outside and becoming one with nature! These kids are use to CITY living and I just can´t even imagine how they are going to react, but I know it´s going to be dramatic.

Like I said I´m apprehensive but at the same time it´s kinda a dream come true, so I am hoping to take tons of photos and hopefully will have funny stories and hopefully some breakthroughs as well.

What up Loves!

I´m back from spending a fabulous month in the US of A. I went to Saint Louis, Columbia, San Francisco, Vallejo, Oakland, Stockton...the list goes on. The point is I am back, but without internet and no pictures uploaded. So if everyone could be patient with me I will do my best to give a detailed run down with pics as soon as I can. I just hadn´t written in awhile and I wanted to let everyone know I´m here alive and kickin. As alway, stay tuned for updates!

xoxo

Earlier in the Week I listed a few ways that I had definitely changed as a result of living here as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador. Well, here I present to you...

5 ways I am still the same old me!

1. I still Love my planner. - while I can go with the flow, I definitely still love to make my list, I rely on my planner and I actually still make plans even though I know the people around me aren't as steadfastly scribbling in their own agendas. I see now that after all this time this is a habit/ritual/personality trait that isn't going away.

2. In that same vein, I still look at my watch. Even though I know time isn't honored or monitored in the same way, I still find myself asking "what time is it" to which most people do not know because it doesn't matter. Sure it matters if it's the mañana (morning) or the tarde (afternoon), generally speaking, but that fact that it's 2:37 definitely does not matter to anyone but me. I don't know I always care what time it is, but I guess that's just my US ways drilled into my being.

3. I still love my "me" time. - Here the culturally appropriate thing to do is to never walk alone, be alone and to always chop it up with your neighbors. Me? I love having ME time. Time to sit by myself and do whatever is my hearts content. In fact if I don't get that time I get anxious and irritable. After ALL this time I should have been able to get with the program of being around people all the time (especially as a single female because that's the expectation) and while I've gotten better with being "neighborly" I still love/require my "me" time.

4. Language Resistance - While I do give myself a shout out for being able to communicate in Spanish, I feel like my brain is VERY resistant against taking the full plunge into the language. I live in a country where Spanis his spoken Everywhere All The Time. This isn't one of those countries that while Spanish is the official language you hear plenty of English too. I very much still form my thoughts in English and then try to translate them into Spanish before speaking. When will I start dreaming in Spanish? When will my thoughts flow in Spanish first and not require the extra step of translating? In thinking along the lines of Zhaungzi I feel at some point I should go from a Volunteer who is translating English thoughts to Spanish, to a Spanish thought that is Expressing itself as a Volunteer. Ha! Hey, it's a stretch but that's the only way I can explain how I feel about it :)

5. Style! I want some! I have spent two years wearing frumpy, hole-filled threads to deflect attention, appear modest and stay thrifty. Well, lately that has just depressed me. I know in a machismo filled society I shouldn't be showing my knees or wear anything that would even give a hint to my shape, but how many times can you a) be asked if you're pregnant and b) wear the same tent like gear before you go nuts. I'm going to the states soon and I think I am going to have to upgrade my wardrobe for the next year. I am going to try to make it as modest and non attention grabbing as possible, but man girls just wanna have fun and I want to have some style! (materialistic american much?) Hey I can have only 5 outfits, I just don't want those 5 outfits to be tents, trash bags and maternity wear!

The end :)

While reflecting about spending another year in Ecuador I was thinking, man I have really changed and then at the same time I was like, no... I have my old ways about me and really haven't changed a bit....

So I don't know, you be the judge. I feel that in the beginning I was so stuck on integrating that I didn't even know what my own opinions were anymore. What food did I prefer, how do I walk, dress etc... now I feel like, I've tried the cuisine, seen the daily routines and now I've finally reached the middle of the road...whatever that is. I can't decide..have I tried a new thing on, abandoned it and started doing my own thing? Or am I just in a different country and finally comfortable in my own skin?

I'm still figuring it out but here are

5 Ways I Have Definitely Changed:

1. I Speak Spanish Now! - when I left the country I pretty much felt comfortable with Hola, Adios and Gracias so the fact that I can hold a conversation no matter how basic is still an accomplishment!

2. I can Cook! - Matter of survival? Who knows, but on a Peace Corps budget you're not able to go out and eat all the time plus if you want the kinds of food you like....sometimes you have to DIY! I'd like to take this time to give a big thanks to "Buen Provecho"

3. More Mellow- I like to think that I've mellowed out some. My days used to start with me making a 45 action item to do list. Now I have learned (though the lesson was a toughie to get!) that things move at a much slower pace and to just go with the flow. I am no comfortable with accomplishing 1 to 2 things daily ;o)

4. Soy pilas-this one I'm not sure yet if it's a positive or a negative. "Pilas" in Spanish means aware, savvy, dare I say even street smart. While I do NOT give myself a street cred badge just yet, I do know that I no longer walk around with my head in the clouds, I am aware of my surroundings (even though sometimes there is nothing I can do, I always see it comin...) and I'm always ready. I mean before I left the states stuffing my bra, shoes, socks, pants, you name it with money, keys and other valuables just to leave the house, was a behavior I never even knew existed...now, I know that it's a necessary precaution. That's a definite 180 for me. I would say

4b. Just to piggy back off of #4, If would have known that I now have to be so pilas, I would have NEVER thought that I would happily live in a place where all of that is necessary. So 3 gold stars for that!!

5. No longer scared of kids! I used to be scared of kids in so many ways. How do you make them happy? What if they don't like you? How do you relate to them? etc. The list goes on. Those fears also affected the way I thought about having some of my own! Now, while I'm no expert, I feel perfectly comfortable with the unpredictability that comes with hanging out and working with kids!

Stay tuned for 5 ways I haven't at all changed or tried, but am just stuck in my old ways...

Just some pictures I came across when the Aldea had a soccer tournament and we also had a presentation of the first two months of classes we had with Via Via. So much fun! It's hard for me to do Piccture Blogs on Blogger cause it's hard to gauge what photos will fit were, so excuse the haphazardness of it all. Enjoy :)

As promised, I am giving a close up look at some of the activities I'm doing in conjunction with Via Via. The first week of class we had was pretty much getting to know the kids and doing dinamicas (ice breakers). The real vision for the partnership with Via Via is for the kids work with teachers and artist who can teach them different skills and show them different activities they may be interested in. So the next week we secured a Capoiera teacher and the fun began. I had been taking Capoiera classes in Guayaquil and was so excited to be co-teaching Capoiera!

Capoeira is a martial art that involves dance, martial arts and music. This art form was created by Brazilian slaves who wanted to train each other on how to fight and defend themselves in an environment where such a thing was prohibited. That is why Capoeira involves fluid movements that look like a dance and incorporates musical instruments and song. That way their oppressors did not know that they were training physically. I love the rich history that comes with this amazing sport/expression and was stoked to get the kids involved.

The kids loved it too. Every age group was able to learn something too. The younger kids learned the basics and loved having the opportunity to move around. The teen group got really good and learned the basics, sequences, lifts, flips, positions everything. There were times that I thought there weren't listening or catching on, but then later they would illustrate that they not only knew the names of things and how to do them, some masters of the art emerged too!

It was interesting to see which kids had a natural knack for the art while other kids worked through their frustration and persevered through the tough times. We all had a great time working out, working hard and working together.

When you join the Peace Corps you are committing to 27 months of service. 3 months of training and 2 years of service. Just reflecting on the times when we arrived into country it feels like it was yesterday, a lifetime ago and a dream all at the same time.

I remember hearing how people would ET (early termination of service ie. leave early) and when I first got to country I would ask "but HOW after you did all that paper work!?" After my first week here I was more like, "I mean I don't think I would leave early, but I see how people can", Then after tough times in training or those first few months at site I was like "Lord PLEASE just let me cross the finish line!!" Well today officially marks that finish line, so Thank you God again for answering my prayers.

Don't get me wrong. Somewhere in there you stop counting the months. Somewhere along the way you realize this isn't just a project, it's your life. A time where you find the balance of integrating, being culturally sensitive all the while being able to be yourself and comfortable in your own skin. Ah, yes the search for BALANCE!

It trips me out that today is our official COS day and it trips me out even more that, for me, it's just another Friday. As you all know I have decided to extend and will be staying here another year! I knew when I set the goal to join the Peace Corps that I would absolutely LOVE it. As years passed by and I started working instead of going straight out of college, I almost let this dream pass me by. I told myself, "You'll be turning 30 while you're there, maybe just apply when your 50 because right now is when you should be married with kids" Well I wasn't, and I was also in a line of work that wasn't fulfilling me. I am really pleased that I reached my goal, completed the task and am ready for more!

I knew I was going to find people to connect with, friends for life, experience challenges and have a blast through it all.

What I never expected was, living in a city as a volunteer, having security issues, getting a site change (making me one of those "special cases") and Extending. These are things I did not envision when I would daydream about what my life would be like. I knew the office may not even know me because I was going to be so under the radar and involved in my site that they wouldn't have to worry about me. The things I didn't expect are things if I KNEW were going to happen I would have projected that that's something I wouldn't be able to handle. I'm a big scaredy cat, so if I knew I would be robbed, would I have still come? If I knew I was going to get close to an amazing group of women only to then have to leave midway through my service would I have even bothered to enter in to such a relationship? If I knew coming to an unknown land I would be having starting anew three different times, in training, then Guayaquil and THEN again Sua would it have sounded like WAY to much work and drama to even deal with?

You never know where the path will take you. Sure it sounds cliche but it is the truth. On this day August 19th, we have fellow 102ers that had to go early and it was always sad to see them go. We have volunteers that have COSed as early as July 21st as they embark on their next adventure, the bulk of us will be leaving today and there are a handful of that have signed on for MORE time here in country.

I am really excited to see what this next chapter brings. I am so pleased that I was able to stick it out on the challenging days and I am content to the highest degree at this time. What's next? Only time will tell, but I've learned to be open, flexible and optimistic about whatever the winds bring my way, for it always works out for the best in the end.

Congrats 102 We did it!!!

The Beginning of June 1st was the Dia De Los Niños,

but at the Aldea we are All about the kids, so we had more or less una Semana De Los Niños. We had a party one day, went to the pool the next and the day after that the kids participated in a marathon. I didn’t get any pictures of the day at the pool, but enjoy some pics of the party and the marathon!

It was one of those days where I was tired, overwhelmed and just feeling over it and wanting to “call in sick” but I mean, as a volunteer can you really do that?

I prayed to the heavens to please rain down little angels in the place of my sometimes gremlins. If the kids were on the best behavior I could make it but when does THAT happen?

OH Yes God answers prayers!! The kids were soooo good today. When the chicos that can be the worst sometimes were front and center and ready to go, I was worried and weary. They didn’t almost get hit by cars and I didn’t have to throw my body in front of moving vehicles to save them, they asked permission to go to the store to get change while the others waited in a quiet congregation by my side. When the bus finally came they waited on the side walk, boarded in order and miracles of all miracles SAT Quietly on the ride there!! I couldn’t believe it!! I mean I was looking at them like, I was really sent angels! Gracias a Dios!

Class went great, they painted an amazing mural outside without painting each other like the day before and left in order, so much so I was sad to see them go! Ha. The second group too was tranquilo and painted portraits of themselves and were also calm on the way home.

Whoo weeee! Thank you God for sending me these angels the day I needed them to be, now I know I can get them whenever I ask, but tomorrow por favor, I would like my gremlins back as they are way more feisty, fun, hilarious and keep my on my toes :o) -Signed Yours Truly

I needed to get a new bank card and to go to MY bank I had to go to the capital city of the province, Esmeraldas. It was hard to find time to make the trip to go there and when I finally got there, the lines in the bank can be a mess. When I got there I had a wait and I was listing all the things I COULD be doing with my time instead of waiting…. Then came one of the reasons I Love Ecuador…

Bloopers in the Bank.

You have to pull a number and wait for your turn with the tellers at the bank. You have to watch a screen overhead to wait of your number. They have some wacky system where it’s not just 1,2,3..it’s like J102, G236, K12, so you have to wait for you letter AND number to come up and with this system you hardly know when you’ll be up. On the SAME screen however they have Bloopers showing which is pretty awesome. Remember bloopers? You know hidden camera and people playing tricks on other people. Well first of all I love bloopers, but moreover I absolutely LOVE watching people in the bank Watch bloopers. They too are in a bad mood, and sitting impatiently. It’s so classic to see a belly laugh erupt out of a unwilling participant. Or the dead pan stare into a gregarious head thrown back laugh. The Bloopers are usually so simple and imbecilic that it’s funny to see what people get a kick out of.

While the people are watching the screen, I’m watching them cause THAT is the best part. Usually almost missing my number because….oops…that’s what I’m supposed to be doing! Which in turn passes the time and changes everyone’s mood from a grumpy one to a jovial one. Good one Ecuador. Good one!

Well, once I got word that I had permission to come to Guayaquil (since we have to get special permission now to travel to this now labeled a “high risk” area) I didn’t have time to blog about how nervous I was about the whole thing. What prompted me to ask in the first place was the despedida (goodbye) party of my former site mate Molly. We had braved the city together since the beginning and now she was leaving two month early to be able to attend an orientation of a prestigious scholarship she had received. Sure, I had some anxiety about going back but was that a reason to miss this proper send off?

For starters I traveled by day as we had gotten correspondence reporting some security issues on the night busses. That meant about 8 hour on the bus, all day long. I had stayed up until 3 am one morning making banana bread for the ladies as there was know way I could show up empty handed and I learned how to make the banana bread after we had gotten an insanely large donation of bananas, so it was a nod to the old days. I had a ton of work to do leading up to the trip and it’s a good thing that I didn’t go on and on about how nervous I was about returning.

Nervous about what you ask? Nervous about the city that essentially chewed me up and spit me out, nervous about seeing old friends and how it would feel, worried about going back to the barrio and seeing the ladies… it had been SO hard leaving I just didn’t know what to expect emotionally. Had I called enough? Will they be as happy to see me as I was I knew I would be to see them? Etc..It would have been an exhausting blog entry I’m certain!

What I can report now is that I am back and that the trip was absolutely amazing and cathartic. I was (as usual) worried for absolutely nothing. As I mentioned Friday I traveled all day by bus. I twisted my hair, read and slept and it actually was a quite enjoyable ride. I got in kinda late so I stayed in a hostal for the first time even in Guayaquil that had internet, AC and cable. It was fun little mental escape.

The first order of business of course the next day was to see the ladies. It turned out that they had a meeting near the hostal I was staying so we planned to just meet up there. I rolled up to the hotel where the meeting was being held. The ladies hadn’t arrived yet, but it turns out I knew SO many people at the event. It was a workshop of community organizers and I felt so welcome as even without the Ladies present I had made friends over the year and a half I had worked in Guayaquil. The meeting started and the Ladies still hadn’t arrived, so when they finally did show up in the middle of the meeting we caused a huge scene as we ran to each other hugging, talking, kissing with tears in our eyes. Hey it’s Ecuador, you can do stuff like that!

Not only was it great to just see the Ladies and be in there presence the meeting was amazing. One thing I miss about being there is the sophisticated issues the Ladies and these community leaders confront. The discussions they have are a far cry from the chasing after kids I do now. I love what I do now, but it was a great to change gears for awhile and it was great to remember the kind of work I was doing. The meeting was ALL day however, so I had planned on going to the barrio that day…so I let the Ladies convince me to stay until Monday and go to the barrio then. I HAD planned on coming back Sunday, but hanging in Cristo de Consuelo was worth staying an extra day.

The meeting was until 5 but I had to dip around 4ish to get ready for the Despedida. I showered and changed and went to Molls for the last time for a pizza party. Then we headed to the house of some other volunteers and had a fiesta. It was a lot of fun to meet new volunteers and to get together in honor of our friend. We went on from there to La Zona Rosa, which I had never been to while living in Guayaquil so that was something new. We had a great time and it was a good send off. I know from experience you don’t want to hear “don’g go!” all night, so we were all aware of that and kept the party going. We had beer, wine, brownies, cake, chips, played games and danced and danced. I was sad on the inside but we were in full fiesta fun mode so that made the goodbyes easier and we were able to send off our girl in style.

The next day was a fun filled marvelous day with my homie Liam. He and a new teacher Derrick were out and about to see the city and I was able to tag along. We hunted down the best Encebollado and talked and laughed until we couldn’t eat another bite. We went all around the city, to the pool, meet even more new friends out for dinner and I ended up spending the night as the good times kept goin.

The next day was barrio day. I was so excited I could hardly stand it. I was going to get to see the group of elderly I worked with, the kids, the neighbors and everyone one in between. When I showed up everyone was happy to see me and I was so stoked to see them too! I got to see the construction that is being done on the Tienda. When I was in Guayaquil we had been working tirelessly to get a propsal approved to build a community center where all of the small businesses could exist in one location. Well it had finally gone through and they were doing construction and it was a DREAM Come True to actually see that happening. Amazing. I went to everyone’s house and fell right back into the fold easily. The Ladies are amazing and resilient. They dream big and make things happen. They will be getting a new volunteer soon too I heard so that will be great. I left with one of the ladies I used to always ride to the centro with and it was such a great return. She dropped me off and we said our goodbyes..well our hasta luegos (see you laters). When the Construction is complete the ladies said they will let me know so that I can come back or the inaguration. So it wasn’t as sad this time to say goodbye.

I then went to the Malecon to meet my tutor and friend Lily. It’s where we used to have lessons and it was so great meeting in our old spot. We both had a lot of news and updates for each other and time flew by. She ended up riding on the metro via with me to the Terminal to catch my bus and that was such a sweet gesture and a wonderful send of.

Some volunteers never get to “go back” and see how they project is progressing since they left. I was able to see steps that we had taken together are still advancing and that was rewarding. All in all the Gqui return was more amazing than I could have ever imagined and I am looking forward to going back to visiting again.

I really enjoy my time at the orfanato. I know the kids must have it kinda rough because they are living in a place that is not a home with their biological mothers and fathers, but as I’ve been getting to know the “madres” that work at the Aldea and who take care of the kids in the “casitas”, I have come to learn some of the back stories of several of the kids and all I could think of “It’s a Hard Knock Life” for real for some of those kids.

This started when two kids kept running away and we were all SOOO worried about them. Where were the sleeping? What were they doing!? What more could they want than the safety of the Aldea? Aren’t they scared of the streets? Well to this one of the moms told me a story to explain the mentality of these kids.

She told me one day at dinner one of the boys told her that when he was little he watched his uncle stab his father, right in front of his young eyes. A wound that would prove to be fatal soon after. When you ask about his mother, he calls her all kinds of names, because his father only referred to her in a negative way. It’s all that he knows. He has seen many people in his family assult and injure other people in his family. All this before the age of ten. So how would you be if you’ve seen and experienced all this? She said and he talks about it like he’s talking about the weather. Unaffected. Which of course is a defense, numbing yourself emotionally just to be able to carry on another day.

She told us the real change in him came when his mother came to visit him. We don’t know what happened of if just seeing her was too much, but he went from being well behaved to running away and being a real rebel. There is also age and adolescents to consider, but SO much for a young heart to handle!

I am happy to report we find the kids and they are back. I spent the majority of the day with them and I was soooooooooo happy and relieved I didn’t know what to do, but I didn’t want to show it as to not alienate them. I am grateful for the times I have with them and when they are able to lose themselves for a moment, to run around, paint, draw and learn new things; to just be kids. But I know those ghosts of the past come back to haunt them and they deal with it everyday.

That is just one story of one child and there are so many more at the Aldea and there are SO many more in the WORLD. To me the Aldea kids are the lucky ones. They have a community around them of people that Love them and take care of them, but just the same, when problems like these arise it’s a sobering reminder that it’s a still a Hard Knock Life for them too.

Bueno, as of late people have been correcting my Spanish. My neighbor the fisherman, the Belgian guy I work with, My French friend, My host lady, The Artist we work with at Via Via., pretty much anyone I encounter they give me a little help as I am trying to communicate and express myself. This wasn’t happening 2 months ago, and I wouldn’t know what to make of it if I hadn’t had a conversation pertaining to this exact phenomenon months earlier. According to my friend the same thing happened to her at her site. The theory goes as follows: as your Spanish improves people will start correcting you because you are only off by one word, or one tense and it’s easy to correct. At first, you’re all over the place and people are just trying to understand what you want, need and are trying to say. Now you are saying sentences that are perfect except for the oooone little thing and therefore they can easily correct you.

Example 1: First week at site you like “I like go to that thing that is down street over there (pointing your finger and drawing a house like structure with your two index fingers” – The person you are communicating is like, “The lightpost? Don Miguel's house?, The tienda? Oh the Tienda Oh you would like to go to the store! Alright lets go *mumbles under breath* That was way harder than it needed to be”

Example 2: Now you can say “I like to go the store” and you start walking away they are like “oh you mean “You would like to go to the store, see the difference? Me gusta and me gustaria…you wanted to say me gustaria” and then off you go not having had to play charades, guessing games and whose line is it anyway.

Maybe those are bad examples but you get what I mean. Anyway you slice it, I a) miss my tutor Lily! B) I need to get in these books and start seriously reading and writing to get take my Spanish to the next level cause I think I’m right there ready to cross ova! Wish me luck!

I think I'll skip the part where my alarm goes off and I decide if I am going to start my day of with my zen by meditating, exercising with some yoga stretching, go to Atacames to do some much needed grocery shopping, only to have to turn around and go back later in the day OR to just go back to sleep until nine or so giving me a few hours to make breakfast and to get on about my day....

Since it varies...all the above happen at different times...

The real action starts when I roll up to La Aldea hours before the first workshop at Via Via starts because I have to round up the troops, talk to each madre, meddle in the office a little and try to get us to Tonsupa (the next town over) on time, which is the biggest task of all.

There are 13 houses which is a relatively small number, and so when I say I have to go to each house and tell the mom's which one of their kids is coming with me you would think it would be easy and a task I could completely easily in 20 minutes.

This task has Never taken less than an hour.

Why?

Because we take different age groups at different times, and while we have had meetings about it and I have posted schedules it ends up being the most confusing thing for the kids and the moms. I will have to dedicate a separate post to try to scratch the surface of what it is like to be a 'madre' at the Aldea. All I can say as these women are amazing super humans and remember a silly schedule is the Least of their worries!

My intention at first was to go early to help them remember once we got the groove, but now I see that this is going to be how I am going to have to do it every day until this Project is over (in December...of maybe even longer) which is fine anything to take the load of of those women! The kids too get soooo confused with which day and which age that it would be a mini disaster ever class if I didn't go around to those houses with my official list and pen!

Not only do I need go into each house and advise the peeps like it's the first time we are ever doing this, but I also have the task of "recruiting" tias and madres to come WITH me to take the kids on the bus and to watch a class (and help out with discipline) This is SUCH the task cause the women are up to their EARS with SO much to do, but it's the expectation that I am getting them to come from the folks at Via Via. SO everyday I'm there with my sign up sheet recruitin... Some sign.. few come..which I totally understand.

I will say some Do come and when they have they have a blast and I do feel those who haven't sincerely want to but just can't get away, however, I have the pressure to them to come in the afternoon and the night classes and that gets me sweatin right off the bat to kick off the day!

Then EVEN though I have given everyone up to an hour head start to meet by the office so we can BE ON TIME...no one is there waiting when I get there to finish my rounds. The sooner we can leave the better because if the bus we need passes by it's another 30 min we have to wait.

So maybe two or three are waiting but I usually have to send them to do quick run-bys to yell, "La Señorita se va aahhooorraraaaa" The moms poke there heads out giving me the "wait, wait hand" I wait 5...10 min...knowing the bus has passed which means I'm going to be waiting on a busy street corner with 30 energetic kids...all to myself.

Now culturally we have learned you're not going to be doing anything at any 'o'clock sharp, and I know that I have fallen into "La hora Ecuatoriana" just fine, but I know how the waiting game goes, so I start leaving, usually with out kids, down the strip of street we have to walk up just to get to the main road to wait on the slowest bus in all of Esmeraldas.

As we are at the half way point usually a TEAM of kids are running up the street screaming "Profe, esperaaaaaaaaa, pprofffeeeeee" to which I reply "Corrrrreeeee" "Ruuunnnnnnn" I have every intention of waiting on every last one of them at the corner, and I would think they would learn that day in and day out, but it's the same dramatic scene for the neighborhood to watch on a daily basis so there is that tradeoff.

Then the stress begins.

If you could imagine me on a public bus with 25 to 30 kids and my horrible Spanish then you know what my days look like. For them it is like going on a field trip with the substitute teacher basically so it is on and poppin. I started writing this my first week working and now I am completing this entry weeks later and I will say that after a couple of serious talks and getting checked in bad Spanish the kids are doing better on the bus. Everyone looks at me like are ALL of these YOUR kids. They can't figure it out. I have the girls fighting over who will sit on my lap while I try to pull the little boys in who have their bodies half way out of the window trying to holler at anything moving. Fun.Times.

Then when we finally get to Via Via it's even more of a mad house..but a more structured liberating madhouse where I have some adult help. We don't want the kids to feel like they are in a class room so we encourage them to be free and express themselves, however, the first few weeks were CRAAAZY and we were thinking we weren't going to get anything done.

Now that we have developed a bit of a rhythm, the kids are still very "spirited" and come with tons of energy, but we are able to direct it into the projects that we are doing which was my only dream for this project.

It still is hard having to be the disciplinary person. I would rather run around like a loca with the kids and let them do whatever they want, but I know it is for the best.

This week we are doing murals and so far it has been AMAZINGLY fun. This weekend we are going to be doing a presentation for the Aldea to show the moms and the aunties what we have been up too, so that should be a ton of fun.

I hope this entry wasnt too disjointed. I started it awhile ago but felt it got long and then finished it weeks later. More to come on what me and the kiddos get into.

Abrazos!

My pobre zapatos died (my poor tennis shoes) and I am really feeling like getting into shape right now. Well I can throw that excuse out of the window because everyone that works on the beach where I live pretty much omits wearing shoes at all. In the mornings people run the beach for exercise but without shoes. I was nervous at first, but gave it a go and it’s therapy to the soul. I am grateful for the locals in my town for teaching me how to enjoy the beach in a new way, get into shape, and buy myself sometime to get some sueltos together to get new shoes!!

What up, What up! I felt like I needed to email an update on how things have been going with the new project.

To give an honest real time answer...it would depend on what minute you asked me.

I feel like a have a manic-depressive disorder when I'm with the kids.

Sometimes I'm over the moon sooooo happy that they are laughing and having a good time, argh, but having to keep order, discipline and be...well..the adult can be crummy sometimes and totally bum me out or exhaust me. It would be normal, I think, if it varied by week, even by day, but I go from high to low in moments flat with these little (and some big) balls of energy!

What I DO know though is that I'm on the right path and walking in my destiny because even on the Worst days where there lows are hittin hardcore, I still am Really excited to continue on to the next day, next moment, next activity. Even when my head is crying out "I'm Exhausted! I can't take no mo'! Who told you could rally all these kids on your own, keep them in order all in SPANISH! Run, Ruuuunnnn, drop the ball someone else surely will have to pick it up!!!

My heart says "This is SO Rad, even in the moment that just kinda sucked when you had to that kid to participate for the 100th time, or had to make the kids sit in their seats on the public bus (when you know they just wanted to have fun) or had to

withhold snacks until EVERYbody was quiet....This is still something you have projected you wanted to for awhile now, as written hundreds of times in your journal,...so congratulations now it is happening and all the moments are a blessing and so there for give thanks for them all!!" (Yeah so my heart talks a lot that's a good thing! :op) So I do. I stay in a state of gratitude knowing that I am learning and growing...probably at an exponential rate.

I have always wanted to work with youth and this new project is giving me some "on the job training"

What is different than what I was doing in Guayaquil and even my smaller classes at the Aldea, is that I am partnered up with Via Via who has a proposal, and full out agenda and activities on a larger scale, so I can do things, see things and participate in activities way larger than myself and bigger than I could have done alone. So while it is a Huge undertaking, (that the gremlins in my head try to tell me I'm not yet qualified for...but I don't listen to them!) the fact that I show up everyday (-after a routine mini anxiety attack) and give my all fully because what I'm doing is out of love and nothing more, I know that it is more than good enough and that when you follow the path of love and your passion, you really can't go wrong.

I see blogging at midnight after a particularly grueling day (felt like a human piñata I tell ya!) may not be the best idea. Sorry readers :) I will be posting more about what I am doing specifically. Posting some pics of our activities, complete with descriptions of course!

(pictured: 3 Fiesty girls that I work with who look SO innocent here I had to capture the moment, haha) Love them!!!

(pictured: Me with 2 chicos from my teen (jovenes) group)

Today was an interesting day. I thought I was going to the Aldea to attend a meeting with a new group we were going to be working with, however, as things go here in Ecuador or just Peace Corps in general, the thing you thought you were doing that day turns out to be something completely different.

I show up at 3:00 as instructed the day before by my counterpart/director Raul. When I arrive everyone is dressed to impress and leaving the Aldea. I go to the office to inquire about Raul and the meeting we have. Turns out Raul has left for a trip until next week and they have no clue what I'm talking about. They tell me to go on the field trip with the rest of the kids instead. So I go...

Turns out the "field trip" is the "meeting" I was supposed to attend all along, but the surprise continue...

We take a bus to Tonsupa and arrive at a place called Via Via. Turns out Via Via is a hostel that has does social projects as well! Via Via is partnering with La Aldea to do projects with the kids of the Aldea ages 7 to 17! As the head guy was explaining the project he kept saying my name! He kept calling on me to do different tasks and follow ups. I was fine with it but I was just surprised that he knew who I was and what my role with the Aldea was. Always surprised here.

It was just what I was hoping and praying for. I wanted to be more involved with the youth in a more sophisticated way now that I got my extension, but I was feeling stretched thin and short or resources. Now I have a facilitators to work with, I'll be with the kids I've built a rapport with and it's a long term project so we are going to be able to set goals and realize them...which is my most favorite thing to do!

I'll be working late though, 7 pm, and from my Guayaquil training I know better than to be out after dark...but the last group is the jovenes (teens) and I want to work with them the most, granted, they can be the most challenging sometimes. I am also responsible for getting them home safely which if it's going to be challenging if every night is like tonight. The girls were begin fast, talking to the men in the streets who were whistling at them, the boys were all over the place grabbing the girls or running away to the beach, sigh....

I really am happy, nervous, excited, hopeful and optimistic about this next chapter....I'll keep everyone in the loop!

I GOT THE EXTENSION!!!

My New Close of Service (COS) Date is September 19, 2012!

What does it all mean?

Alright what it means is that I will be staying in Sua and I will continue working for La Aldea. (stoked!) Long term projects here I come!

It also means that Peace Corps will pay to send me home for a month to visit friends and family as "reward" for continuing my service. This month actually is required which is why the date is in September and not August.

I have already chosen my month to be in October when we are having a huge birthday bash for my grandma's 90th bday and I'm having a college reunion that month also.

There are several of us that extended or got PCVL positions and many are my good friends, so it's going to be great to still have my buddies in country with me.

Alas, inevitable there are others that are leaving, some got special permission to leave as early as June, que pena.

It's the end of era for sure. Omnibus 102 as we know it is coming to a close. People are leaving as early as June 21st and others of us are staying until September 2012.

Our COS Conference was bittersweet, but we are always so happy to get together it was hard to be sad. Plus, we have more time together so we were never sure if this goodbye was THE goodbye.

What I have learned in life is that when you think you'll never see someone again, you end up bumping into them...so as I give people hugs and kisses, I try to think of it as see you later, not goodbye, because you never know when you may run into each other again.

Since I was given the week off for COS and I'm in such a good mood I think I'm going to go beach camping to celebrate!

Thank you so much for all of your support!

...was working on my Extension Application and came across this post from November of 2009!!!

It's crazy the stuff I was projecting and predicting. It's a great lesson in living in the moment, living in the "Now" and to not sweat the unpredictable shadowlands of tomorrow.

What I thought I was doing in May is a program that doesn't even Exist anymore! I had no clue I would consider staying. I had no clue I would have by this time gone through a site change, met new people, be six months into a new project and living in the Province of Esmeraldas. A whole region of Ecuador I had never even been too!

When people say "you never know..." It's so true. I could have never predicted my future, and I'm see how everything happened perfectly just as it should, the good and the seemingly not so great.

Of course as service comes to a close I feel myself anxious about the future when really all the options I'm weighing would leave me super feliz, so why be anxious! Finding this post also helped me realize that even though I have a Choose Your Own Adventure thing going on in my head with at least 3 awesome outcomes there are in reality 1 million+ possible outcomes and I need to be open and ready to receive them all. God hasn't let me down so far and I know that won't be happening anytime soon!

So adelante with these applications and I will report on COS conference when I get back in two weeks!

Just got off of the bus yesterday and Wanted to get his post out soon after my trip since I have a busy week this week so here goes...

The journey was an epic one by bus. Vilcabamba is on the complete opposite end of Ecuador from where I live now. I was due in Vilcabamba for a meeting of the working group I'm on GAD. I didn't realize how far away it was when we agreed it was okay to meet there. Turns out 3 of us living in the Province of Emeraldas and it was a FAR journey for us. However, I don't think I would have made it to the "Valley of Longevity" without the call to the meeting.

Vilcabamba has the reputation for having people live for up to 120 years, which is why it is known as the "Valley of Longevity". I couldn't wait to see it in all of it's glory.

After taking an 8 hour overnight bus to Guayaquil, a 5 hour bus from Guayaquil to Cuenca another 5 hour bus to from Cuenca to Loja and another hour bus to Vilcabamba we had arrived.

Everyone stayed at the fabulous hosteria of Izcayluma which is owned by a couple of German brothers. It was a BEAUTIFUL location with fabulous perks. It had a pool, private and dorm rooms, free breakfast, helpful staff, the list goes on. I would definitely recommend this place if you go to Vilcabamba. Plus we were there for a meeting as I said and it was a great location for groups to meet be it on the hammock laced patios or the welcoming restaurant with a fabulous view.

We spent a lot of the time in the Hosteria since it was such a great open aire space to be. However we DID venture down to the town square. For me this is when things took a turn.

The main square is pretty much overtaken by people that are not from Ecuador! It was a shock. Most of the people we met were from Europe or the United states. People have opened smoothie shops (with deliciously healthy smoothies), bought and started owning hotels and land. It went from a shock to a feeling of discomfort for me when I found out about some of the people and it didn't seem like they were there to enjoy the Ecuadorian culture and explore what has made this the land of Longevity but instead people just taking advantage of the situation. Some people we found that lived there for years hadn't bothered to learn any of the language. This always rubs me the wrong way just because as English speakers especially we always expect other people to speak English and usually without an accent. It seems somewhat imposing to move to a place because you like what they have to offer but yet aren't willing to stretch and learn what you can about the culture.

Hey learning Spanish is Hard I get it. My Spanish after 2 years is not great, BUT it has improved and it would be hard no to if your'e interacting with the locals because when your submerged in a culture you pick it up. So what that says to me is people are moving there but then moving the local people out. The restaurants were more expensive and things seemed targeted to a more European/American culture food wise as well. No almuerzos or comida tipico.

Don't get me wrong it was enjoyable, but at the same time as a group that has been trained to ingrate and we have lived with local families and know how they think and feel, you start to take that on yourself and almost identify with them more than people who come from the same country you do!

I was very sensitive to the fact that the money these people were making didn't seem to be going back to the local community. Higher prices for food and for a place to stay mean soon the people are born there can't afford to stay there and are wedged out to the margin and Vilc becomes an elite exclusive environment. Am I jumping to conclusions? Maybe, I tend to, but I think everyone in the situation could benefit if both parties worked together. The Ecuadorians and the Expats. However, as one volunteer was telling me, he knew an Ecuadorian man that was selling his farm land to retire to Cuenca. He said he could sell i to another Ecuadorian but he'd rather wait for a Foreigner to offer him twice what it's worth and live off of that.

Soooo everyone has to be on the same page of preserving and respecting the culture so that both parties can live harmoniously. This was just my outside view and opinion by the way I don't want to be negative, but I don't want to see something so beautiful and pure be robbed, or dashed because people didn't think of preservation.

All in all (rant over) the trip was great, Vilcabamaba was Beautiful. I wish we had more time to enjoy the sites and hikes but we were working and I don't know when I'm going to get on a bus for that long again! I know I will go back though because I met some great people and wonderful artisans that I would like to buy jewelry and souvenirs from.

I would recommend Vilcabamba for it's beauty and nature, and if you're looking for an authentic Ecuadorian experience the people of the town are there, just outside of the main square. The people in the town that have started businesses are groovy peaceful as well, it will just have more a touristy feel but also a positive warm experience.

Alright people...everyone is a buzz right now. At least if you're Omnibus 102. It's April going on May and May means COS Conference.

What does COS stand for? Close of Service. That's right this adventure that started for me, what, September 2008, is coming to a close. For the Omnibus 102 we have our Close of Service conference in May and then our official COS date is August 19th! We have started getting emails about and we are all freaking out pretty much.

You have several options.

Early COS: We have an option of leaving our sites early if we feel we have completed our projects. The Early COS date we have been given is July 21st. That's just 3 months away! Freaking out. One must write a compelling letter to the Country Director explaining why they should be granted an Early COS. We find out if it's been granted I believe sometime in May.

COS: That is the August 19th date. You wrap up your service. You've served your 27 months and you go on about your way. Usually meaning going back to the States and finding a job or going to school for most. People who applied to go to Grad school are receiving their acceptance letters around this time. That means if you were planning on getting into school but having and you haven't been applying for jobs, then COSing and going back to the states can seem a bit scary. THAT and all the news we get is about how hard the job market is still. So, from what I hear a lot of us are considering two other options.

Extension of Service: This is where you can ask to stay for a longer amount of time. I think the shortest time you can request is 3 months and the most is 1 year. After talking to my boss and him telling me all the things I could do at the Orfanato if I stay another year I have become increasingly interested in this option. We have to submit our projected year work plan month by month in time for our COS conference in May, so that means I'll be working on that pretty much up until the deadline. I am trying to get my head right because am I really ready to stay Another year!?!?! I miss my fam, I miss what I consider "normal" but I'm also doing the work that I love. That's what people look for their whole lives and I'm doing it. I just don't want to be writing my work plan with a nervous energy. I have to be solid on my decision so that that comes through in anything I write. Which brings me to another option.

PCVL: This very clever acronym stands for Peace Corps Volunteer Leader. Every since I had great experiences with my PCVL in Guayaquil I always considered apply for the position when my time came. The PCVL supports the volunteers in the field and serves as a liaison between volunteers and the office staff in Quito. Before the PCVL position was regional, meaning there were several spread out through Ecuador ready to travel and assist the volunteers in anyway they could. Now the position is going to be out of Quito only. I really like the staff that are associated with my program and the staff member who is over the PCVLs so I'm still good living in Quito. However, it would be a Huge change from what I'm used to now. Living in Quito means big city again. Office PCVLs go to an Office everyday and that is not what volunteers are accustomed to. The PCVLs are going to be trusted with site development and program ideas and that just sounds groovy to me. So I'm still also interested in that position.

I'm also hearing there are several people in my group that are applying for normal jobs here in Ecuador! The point is WE LOVE IT HERE!! Groups before us were So eager to COS early and almost no one applied for the PCVL position. In contrast we are pretty much all asking for extensions or applying for PCVL or looking for work in Ecuador. I think that's great, that shows how happy we are with our current situations. It also means that our sites are being well served with happy content and passionate volunteers and who ever gets chosen for PCVL will be a great asset to the newer volunteers in the field as Peace Corps will have a great lot to choose the very best for the job. I'm super eager to see my compeneros at the COS conference and I'm way stoked to see where we all end up!

The end is near...or is it just the beginning...stay tuned!

My first up to date post in forever. I don't know if it will be content rich and I'm going to have to postpone the post until I get some pics to go with it, but I'm writing this Easter Sunday!

That means this day concludes Semana Santa. Semana Santa (Holy Week) for me meant the kids were out of school and in Esmeraldas which means no work for me. Just as well because I got word that some friends that I met at Carnaval are planning on coming to hang out in Sua and Atacames and my attendance was mandatory.

Super!

Indeed it was. Fiestas started Thursday I believe. We hung out at night at some of the tiki huts that line the beach. I don't usually do that because I liver here and I rather be in bed, but it was a GREAT time. We actually did that two nights in a row. We played cards, shared stories, had cocktails and even started some salsa dance offs. Those girls may have turned Sua out. Now the people that were nameless permanent fixtures at those tiki's are now my friends that wave to me as I pass by on the bus. It seems like they are looking at me anxiously waiting for the next salsa off, but once the feriada is over I'm back to work and back on the grind.

The next two days we spend in Atacames. We laid on the beautiful beach aaaaalll day long. It was SO hot and sunny, making them the most perfect beach days ever. Again, I hang out in Sua because that's where I live. The Pacific Ocean is my front yard. When I think of Atacames, I think party beach, lots of people who needs it. Well, it is all of those things, but a) when you're hosting it's a great place to take people b) sometimes it's fun being around all of those people and music c) The beach is FABULOUS Blue waters, fun waves and a huge sprawling beach front. I still love my little Sua beach, from time to time Atacames is definitely in a class of it's own.

I went home to change for the night scene the first night and the second night I just stayed in my beach clothes and tried to make an outfit out of my headband and take top. Both nights SOOO much fun. Hard to describe what made it so fun.

Caipirinhas (4x$5 habla serio).

mas salsa!! (have I mentioned how much I MISS salsa dancing? I so got it in this weekend).

Belly laughs.

Lots of pictures.

New friends.

New found love/appreciation for where I live.

International family bond increased and strengthened.

Dancing on the Beach.

Barefeet&Souls.

Tiki Mansions.

Fried Shrimp.

Cerviche.

Spades.

Sunsets.

Amor.

Amistad.

Semana Santa.Atacames.

Do it!

If you find yourself in Ecuador Holy Week, the week before Easter, Get thee to Esmeraldas quick! Go straight to Atacames and have the time of your life.

Optional Packing List:

Shoes

After 5 wear

Lots of Money

Shampoo (it's no use the sand in your hair will never come out)

Must haves:

Deck of Cards

Huge Appetite

Swimsuit (or several)

Sunscreen

Sueltos (change) for all the cheap caipirinhas

In the Mood for a Fun time

Salsa riddim in ya heels!

I really appreciate the girls coming here and giving me a new found appreciation for living in Sua and near Atacames. Don't get me wrong I am beat down tired and have a big week next with at the Orfanto but it's always great to "get away" and it feels really good when that get away is 20 minutes down the street!

Loving Life! Until next time...

I knew I should have written about my Carnaval experience way sooner, but the recovery time is like a week and then life happened, so here I am writing about it now.

Carnaval was SO much fun. We went to the Capital of Carnaval in Ecuador which is Guaranda. It was my second time there and I had breezed through once before.

Guaranda is a quaint Sierrian city with great weather (well if you don't mind the cold), nice people and safe streets :)

We went to visit the volunteer that lives there and she certainly was the hostess with the mostess!

I can't remember the order of operations but I'll tell you in general how it went down.

I feel like we rolled up off the bus and immediately were out the door for the first desfile (parade). I had heard that Carnaval was about water, flour, eggs...wait...it sounds like I'm giving you all a recipe...ahaha...well this is how they celebrate. People were throwing ice cold water from the balconies or just running up to people with buckets and getting you at close range. Que Frio!! Eggs were cracked over the head (hey it's a good for your hair), wiping flour all over our faces, and most importantly the cans of spray foam! It was an all out love war :)

I guess there are no friends at Carnaval. Definitely the people I went with ended up being the people giving me face fulls of foam and directing anyone with a bucket of ice cold water to run in MY direction. The first day we went hard. Laughing, "playing" Carnaval and being introduced to the enemy of my life....Pajaro Azul!

Pajaro Azul, which means "Blue Bird" in English is the drink of Guaranda. It's a hard hitting clear colored blue hued caña drink. When we asked how it was made one lady told us that dissolved cow hooves are in it. Crazy. If you tried it you'd believe it. It has a black licorice flavor and is one big fiery punch to the gut every sip you take! You can buy a recycled water bottle full of this stuff for .75! That's how you KNOW it's the street drink! The people of Guaranda were loving it and were so proud of there Blue Bird. It's rude to pass it up so while I did a couple of the fake out, just put it to your lips and don't drink, sometimes people know and you just have to take it.

Whew, I went off on a tangent thinking about that stuff....

Anyway, full fiesta and parade and that night was more fiesta, more water even though now it was night and FREEZING but still pretty fun.

I believe it was the next day where we met up with even more volunteers from Peace Corps and made friends with the lovely people of World Teach! We were such a great blend of friends. We were calling our self World Peace Teach Corps, how cute, no?

Some of them were wise and wore full on rain coats! However, we later found that ponchos and rain coats only made you a target for the bucket! People were take off the hoods and pour the water right down there backs! I was having fun with the spray foam myself. I was nailing kids, the elderly, anyone who had one in their hand and looked at me too long was fair game. As you can see from the pics I was getting my fair share of foam and flour too!!

Another morning we got up bright and early after a day of super fiestas for the roasting of the Chancho. Chancho = Pig and Pig = a living creature that must be killed in order to make the all the Chancho treats. Being a soft core vegetarian I was quite woozy about the whole idea, but Chad was SO game to help and I'm ALWAYS down for a cultural experience.

The host fam of the volunteer we stayed with said that Chad could help kill the pig and he was stoked. Guess who got nominated to Film and take pics of the whole experience? You guessed it. I stood in the corner, held the camera covered my eyes and tried not to cry...too much as the big screamed and cried. I won't go into details and man it was hard even finding a pic that was not soooooooooooooooo graphic. I will say that the next pic is a dead animal if you're sensative.

Chad was a straight up surgeon though. He handled it wonderfully and after that the family was OBSESSED with him lol. It just goes to show you how far integration well get you. If you want to join the Peace Corps, but you're stuck on being a vegetarian and you like things this way and you only want to do things that way, that's fine, but you will miss out on an enriching experience being stuck in your ways. Sometimes it is really rewarding just diving in all the way and really experiencing the lives of other people. EYE personally wouldn't have been able to kill no pig though lol, but I'm glad that I was with someone that could and I got to still be apart of the celebration. Talk about romantic. Chad also scraped our names in the hide of the pig, to my horror and to the families delight. The teenage girl next to me longingly added "necesito un novio pronto" I guess she TOO would love a man that would carve her and his name in the charred skin of a recently slaughtered pig. I'm only lucky lady! (no seriously I am.)

Later we went back to the house and they had prepared the chancho 100 different ways. I pretty much stuck to eating the mote (boiled corn) but I did have a bit of some fritada (fried pig fat) but just cause it was Chad's conquest. As we ate an impromptu fiesta erupted in the kitchen. The abuelo of the family came in with a drum and we danced and sang..and oh yes the Pajaro Azul made it's rounds one again.

After that I believe was the concert, we partied in the cold but we still had fun. I had been thrown in a fountain earlier so I was soaked to the bone. When it was time to go we were more than ready. The volunteers from both Peace Corps and World Teach came streaming in all weekend into the week. I had to go back to work but the fiesta went well into the week. I have no idea how the volunteers that live there made it happen but they were oh so hospitable and great!

I would definitely suggest Guaranda for Canaval if you are going to be in Ecuador at the end of February/beginning of March. It's a jumping good time but also a cultural experience. The best of both worlds. Be ready to let go and dive deep into the moment. Bring a raincoat...maybe, don't get your hair done before you go and if you have some extra flour and eggs laying around, pack those too, cause at Carnaval those are no longer grocery items...they are ammo!

Hasta el proximo!!!

*Gracias DD for la su hospitalidad y los fotos!

The Highly Anticipated Activities Version of the Peru Trip :)

http://beautifulworldwonderfullpeople.blogspot.com/2011/04/peru-activities-blog.html

http://beautifulworldwonderfullpeople.blogspot.com/2011/04/peru-travellodging-edition.html

Check out the link to read a bit about my travel adventures in Peru!

Today I bring you a blog about not blogging.

Why, because, I have not been blogging and I feel I won't be blogging. I know, How rude, right?! The thing is I'm Really having a great time and I don't even want to stop and organize and compartmentalize these moments into succinct neat blog entries. I can see what's going to happen. I'm going to hit a point, maybe the end of my service, and will feel there is SOOOO much to recap on and not know how. The result? My faithful readers sifting through icky, unkempt, disorganize, random, incomplete, you had to be there, I don't really remember how this went, posts. I don't want to do that...

but I know my lovely fam, friends and supporters that you would rather me be out living and loving the life I live rather than be stressed about "timely" updates. Si o no? Si! :)

What's going on specifically, will come later (let's hope), what's going on in general... A beautiful onslaught of visitors which has kept me busy, happy, entertained, recuperating, rejuvenating, and then going all out all over again.

Things at La Aldea are cool, some starts and stops, but I enjoy my time there. This next week we are switchin up the format. Before I was teaching by age group. But sometimes that = me and 40 kids! So next week I am going to try to have a class per house. That = 10 kids + 1 madre, but of ALL ages. I might combine two houses at a time, but teaching something for 5 year olds and 40 year olds at the same time.

When in doubt teach English. Everyone there is dying to for me to teach it (sigh) and everyone will be starting at ground zero. I'm going to give it a shot mañana. Vamos a ver (we will see).

In the meantime, I'll be here in Sua loving life and hanging with visitors and my local friends, may go to Guaranda for Carnival, I need to get to Guayaquil to visit the ladies, gotta get to Cayambe to visit my host fam, I'm trying to plan a trip to Machu Piccu as I have a friend coming for her birthday and beyond that who knows....

So that's me in a nutshell, you know I can't stay away too long so stay tuned...

Love and Light! ASBFD :)

The men doing the intense construction on my roof do it all in flip flops and shots...Who needs hard hats and work boots? When you're at the beach, leisure and laid back style reign supreme...ah I can hear the electric saw now..and the magic of it all is no one gets hurt or loses a digit!.Cuidado hombres con sus dedos de pie! (trans: Careful guys with your toesies!!) I just think it's the ultimate example of keeping the beach living alive and I think it's rad :)

Hey all,

I see it's been two weeks since my last post! Where has the time gone! January was a blur, as I said in my recap I had Christmas, New Years visitors, then off to the states which you read about, came back for a hot minute to say hi to my Sua crew and then I was off to Quito for the rest of the week, when I came back in to Sua the last week in January I had yet another visitor and it's been bliss ever since. January 2011 I Love You!!

Well, February brought the reality back as I had to go back to work. Alright, I know people in the states are like, um I went back to work January 2nd! I'm not looking for sympathy points I'm just Sayin! lol. So yesterday actually was my first day with a new group. Teenaged Boys...and girls but mostly boys. I was neeervous. I didn't know why. I mean the first day is always crucial and I know that so I always tend to mount a ton of pressure on myself. Besides that though I was like What is your Deal! I kept having to repeat one of my favorite Bible verses just to get me out of the door! Yeah it was like that!

So it was great seeing everyone back at work. The new schedule for vacations (the kids that live on the coast are on their school vacations now until April) is a packed one. I have kids ranging from 5 to 17 all in one day. Well that was the plan. It was kind of a mess. Since people show up 30 min to an hour late, having a class that's 1 hour or an 1 hour and half is really difficult actually.

I had had a meeting with all of the "madres" of each house and the Director and we all agreed on the schedule I had. However, yesterday it was all..."the tarde is better for the kids to come" , "the kids have this and that so they can't came at this and that time" I was like ooookaaaay, thinking clearly I'm going to need to revamp the schedule, and not sure why this wasn't brought up in the meeting but hey, I've been here long enough to know that one.

Moving on. So the chicito kids I have always had (the small kids) barely got to have a class because the bigger kids came and were all in the spot. So I had a ton of activities planned and the super active activities they were good, but man if I had them sit down and write or do anything, even if it was partner work, those kids were aaaaaaalll over the place. I didn't get to do my intro, set the rules as structured as I liked to since the classes overlapped. SOOOO it was mayhem. If you're EVER in a classroom setting you Can't miss this step and you Cannot breeze through it. Is there any going back!?!? Well either way, we had fun EXCEPT for the fact that two kids got in a scuffle and one kid that had a huge scrape on his arm was bleeding from the fight. Since I broke it up I also got blood on me. ICK! I didn't even realize it until I was walking to the directors office to tell him. I was like can I tuck my shirt in so he doesn't see it? I was like ooooooh man that is A LOW point in your volunteer service Jen! Hiding the blood on your shirt from the director from the fight you just broke up that happened in YOUR class. I took it all very personally.

Well I tell the Director and he's like "Yeah?" I was like sooooooooo don't we tell the "madres" of the house? Do they get written up. Don't you at least want to know their names? He's like it happens. All the time really. He's like look at those too. Sure enough. One of the boys that was SO good in my class was pounding some other little kid I was like whoa whoa whoa about to run out and break THEM up, but then a "madre" came and pulled one of them in the house and sent the other one away. Dangerous Minds is all I could think of. Sheesh. I had been at La Aldea since November and with the little kids this didn't happen but geezaloo, people were on 10 yesterday.

All in all though I like my new group. Those boys are nice, they obviously have a LOT of pent up energy. I think like I did with the little ones, we are just going to dinamicas , or ice breakers for awhile. I'm going to have those guys outside playing whatever running around like crazy game I can find.

I'm also changing my schedule, I'm going to be working with little kids, bigger kids, teens and my girls group. So for those four days I'm going to have one group for each day. So instead of having EACH group Everyday, I'm going to have tiny tots on Monday's, Bigger kids on Tuesdays, Teens on Wednesdays, girls group on Thursdays and Friday's a wild card. Like, computer class, or the Women's Group or something like that. I think that sounds a lot less crazy. Why couldn't we all have just come up with that in the meeting we had weeks ago? Well that would have been too much like right and that's not the way thing go here. Seriously, not to sound cynical I'm just starting to see that there is a process with things.

It was absolutely necessary for myself, the madres and the Director to have a huge meeting, make the schedule together, agree on it and have me work on programs and activities that fit that schedule, only to come game day and it all falls apart and then from the ashes of that idea is born the real function idea that is probably going to work from here on out. I don't know why thing happen that way, but I do know that it happens that way a LOT and as a volunteer from the United States that has it's own set of "rules" and way things go, you can either beat your head against the wall wondering why things can't just be done in a "normal" fashion, or you can get with the norms with where you are and see that everything has a process and a way, and maybe your "right" way isn't right for everyone. Wish me luck with this new group and new sched!!!

Just as I suspected I waited too long to write, so I have forgotten all the little antidotal stories and details to share, so this will be a broad brush stroke recap of the visit.

Overall the visit was fabulous, just what I needed and wanted.

I made a last minute decision to leave on a night bus on the 4th instead of leaving first thing in the morning on the 5th... I had my homies visiting December and January as we celebrate Navidad and rang in the new year together (Good times!). I was totally Not focused on my task at hand which was "prepare for your trip to the states and figure out the details of your travel..." So what it was instead was "run around on the 4th saying my goodbyes, final cleanings of clothes and house, trying to predict weather and activities aaaaannd just hoping for the best. Better safe than sorry, if I end up not packing my toothbrush not as big of a deal as missing my plane ya'mean?

So taking a night bus meant arriving in Gquil early morning when my flight wasn't until the PM. I hadn't notified that Gquil crew that I was going to be coming through so I figured I would just chill in the airport (oh goodness this is going to be a long post I suspect...) I send a last minute text (which actually didn't work the first several times) notifying the Guayas girls. I have a wonderful bus trip to Gquil, get let out right by the airport and end up meeting up with my two Guayas Gems. First Molls who gave me hugs and a bed to nap in (angel!) then Sabriga and I grabbed a bite to eat at my favorite Falafel spot on the Malecon. I am SO glad that I went ahead and went on that night bus and got to see my old site mates.

The airport experience struck me as...fancy..I dunno, I guess if you're flying out of Ecuador that means you have plata, i.e. money. Everyone was so super jazzy and oozing with wealth. I noted to myself...culture shock number one and I haven't even LEFT The country! That's the the thing about Ecuador. There is such a divide. There are some Extremely wealthy people here and there is extreme poverty and they are often juxtaposed in close proximity.

I first flew into Quito and waited and waited and interminable amount of time, but thank God for my antiquated ipod, and journal. Finally it was time to board the plan to Miami. It was soooooooo fancy lol I don't have another word. It was huge, it had movie screens they were serving wine, it was like every seat was first class!

When I arrive into Miami, everyone is STill speaking Spanish....and things are a bit crazy getting through "customs". Then came the task of finding my gracious friend who was picking me up...without a cell phone. It's fine, I'm not too cool for a pay phone. After finally locating them I pick up the phone, read the directions, dial the number....the operator voice instructs me that it will $1.00 for 5 minutes!!! Wha!? Back in the day weren't pay phones $.25 for an endless amount of time!? So already you know my mind is like, for that I could get a bowl of soup, some lentils, a mountain of rice some plantains and a jugo!!! BUT I was like ugh-uh Jen you are in the US you can't be doing that the whole time. I also didn't have 4 quarters...so I lug my stuff around to find someone that can change out my dolla, and then I go back to utilize my $1 to the fullest in my 5 minutes allotted.

Candi picks up (whew) she's already at the airport!! Sweet! This should be easy, I tell her I'm just going to head downstairs and wait outside of XYZ airline. So I should see her soon right!? MAn LOOOONG story short, poor girl is driving around for and hour? Hour and a half? I don't even know, and I'm trying to borrow people's cell phone to call and see what's going on. It turns out that even though I did indeed go down some stairs...that I was "UPSTAIRS" as far as pick-up places go. *Argh, chagrined from lack of cell phone *

It was soooo good to see my friend and that was the official kick off of the slumber party!!! Oh did I mention it was my birthday, yeah by the time I landed in Miami it was January 6th my birthday and all I wanted was a mellow time with the girls to catch up, laugh, cry, share, and bond. And that we Did. Now it is Slumber Party Code that what happens at the slumber party stays at the slumber party but here some pics of the fun times.

Really the most fun was lounging with our hair wrapped up in scaves, sharing blankets and eating the must incriminating snacks imaginable...but you know my fabulous friends were NOT tryin to be caught on camera like that :)

Speaking of snacks may I take a moment to talk about what I was eating!?!? Doritos, Blue Bell Ice Cream, Oreas, Pizza and more Pizza, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cheese Dip, Pita Chips, Hummus, Brownies...I mean just snack, junk, processed, ridiculously delicious and fun. After about 4 days I actually could see the weight gain in my face..but did I stop? Oh no, Soda, chocolate covered pretzels, Krispy Kremes, Seasame Sticks...I mean really the list is endless..breakfast lunch and dinner doing the most and it was sooo much fun!

I am really grateful to my girls that came through and even to those that tried but just couldn't make it. I really miss having girl time, I really miss being able to pick up phone and just say "did you hear XYZ? I know crazy right!? Alright I gotta go..." you know nothing Skype, or email worthy, just little stuff you can do because you are right there.

So my girls were helping me cause I was a bit of a cave(wo)man when I first got there... the iphone is/was an anomaly for me...me texting on that thing was a disaster. My fashion was backwards not forward and prices of things, even thought I was trying to "play it cool" were blowing me away. Everyone got me together and by the end I was accessorizing and would even leave my tennis shoes behind..sometimes. My friend Ry actually came through with a suitcase of things just for me to wear (and KEEP!) to Everyone's relief lol.

We picked up a new friend pretty much every day of the visit and it was super sad dropping everyone off :( I'm so fortunate to have had that time though with them for my birthday.

Next stop was Orlando! I took the Greyhound (that's a whole notha story) and arrived to Disney World (after a $40 CAB Ride though!! Almost had a heart attack, that's half of my rent! I'm just sayin....)

To all of you living under a rock, serving as a PCV, living somewhere where the US dollar is strong, or just those good with money...maybe DON'T go to Disney World. When I rolled up to that pristine hotel (Hotel, NOT Hostel) and was greeted by cheery lobby staff my eyes for an instant stung with tears... It was too much. I was like oh man (I think it was that cab ride too though lol). Disney is the apex of all things overpriced, false, consumerist and American dream on speed right? Most would agree, so that just was super shock to my system.

However, minutes later (this is after spending 2 dollars for a FOUR minute call to my mom to get my aunts cell phone numbers) my family from California rolled through the doors and all was right again in my soul and spirit. It was sooooooooooo good to see everyone. I missed them more being right in front of them. The Cali crew is the part of the family I would make my way to go see pretty often with me living in Southern Cali and them just living 5 to 6 hours away in Northern Cali. From there it was all a blur. I thought I was going to have a lot of down time while everyone went to the parks (for 80 something dollars a DAY!)

Well my gracious Soror Aunt sponsored me two days to go to the parks as long as I hung out with her grandson, which was turned out to be a great bonding experience for us. The parks were so much fun. The ratio was 1 adult per kid, but they kept us RUNNIN we were so worn out. I don't know how parents do it!! The kids were a highlight of the trip though, Disney was for them and there were on 10 the whoooole time, we couldn't get them to calm down...

I don't know what more to say about this part. The most treasured times worth mentioning where the walking around and stealing those moments to catch up with everyone and see what's going on in their life. I was filled with so much gratitude to be a part of a family that gets a long. We have so much fun together. My 2nd cousins were definitely pleading me not to go back and Definitely to not stay an extra year. My older cousins were teasing me asking if I herded cattle, had metal plates as to not break them on the rocks I wash them on and if I even wear shoes. Ah, so culturally sensitive :) We had crazy times at the park, fabulous group dinners, slumber parties and laughs galore. I stayed with my Grandma which was an extra treat. She's hilarious. She takes out her hearing aid and continues to talk and ask questions. When you try to answer her, she'll interrupt you and say "Chile' I can't hear you I don't have my hearing aid in!!" and then will continue on whatever rant she is on. Gotta Love Gram!

In the end it was a great trip. I lost my uncle to cancer late last year while I was away and I missed seeing him at the reunion even though he was there in Spirit. That's why we get together every two years, to catch up and celebrate each other now, because tomorrow is not promised to us. We proposed that the next reunion is held in Northern Cali (santa cruz or somewhere around there) in the summer (I think...). Next year we are just goin to get a house or two and do it SUPER Slumber party style. You KNOW I can't wait for dat! Also, October is my Grandma's 90th so I need to be making plans to be back for that.

Oh one last thing, my mom Definitely sent me back with a WHOLE suitcase of goodies...cause that's what visit back to the US are aaalll about for a PCV!!!

Building the Mocha Mamas on the Move Community Here and on Beautiful World Wonderful People Blogspot as well!

Hey All! So I'm back in Sua, I returned yesterday.

I has such a blast in the states and I will write a complete recap soon.

I wanted to write about some surprises that I found upon my return and I don't know if I should throw a fit, or pick and choose my battles and let this one slide....

So after over 14 hours of travel by plane and bus, I get off of the final bus that drops me off right in front of my door.

As I am walking to unlock the gate this guy walks right along side of me. He says good morning and waits for me to open the gate...so not in the mood for shenanigans after my long journey I ask if he's a new neighbor here? (has he moved in with the Gernman couple next door?) He tells me that he's doing construction on the building and gestures to the pile of dirt outside of my door and the 2x4s piled up in front of my window and back by the pools....

My apartment looks untouched, they must be doing it in the back or something. As long as I can get in my bed. I don't care. I let the man pass...He proceeds to the back just as I suspected.

I walk into my apartment... do a sniff test...and just as I thought... MOLD. as I opened my unplugged refrigerator I find the culprit...yeeeps...

I really want to just lay down, but I bust out the bleach and get to work...I unplugged my refri because we have power outages and when the power comes back sometimes it's in a powerful burst and can jack up your electronics i.e. blow up your fridge!

I unpack, clean the house, and finally lay down for my "night bus" nap to the sounds of hammers banging somewhere in the buidling.

When I wake up at night, I decide that I have to go explore the premises. I mean I have said "hello" to my pools, to my shower, to my bathroom and most important taken a deep breath or two on my precious most sacred rooftop terrace. My little quiet corner of the world.

With excitement I head right up to the roof first, it's night time, the moon is high and that is my favorite rooftop scene...

I run up the stairs

GAAAASPPPP!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

To my dismay, horror and surprise, I see a whole monument of cement and steel being build allll up on my rooftop completely taking the space from open breezy beautiful to a crowded, icky, construction site.

I thought the guys were filling in cracks in walls or something, I had no clue that they were building a whole new room it appears.

Where am I going to have guitar practice? What's going to happen to rooftop morning yoga? Where am I going to hang up my freshly washed clothes? The rooftop the top floor of my mansion, it's like a hurrican came through and knocked off the the top of my house. Grrrr, Ack, Weep.

So stunned I just go downstairs in disbelief. I have to use the ladies room so I enter my bathroom. Hmmmm the doors closed...I never close the door so that air can circulate but, I guess the neighbors figured I'm gone and would want it that way.

I go in. OH HEEEEEELLS NAW! Apparently the construction guys have been using MY Bathroom! (which is outside of my apartment) Mud all on the floor, SOOO very smelly and to top it all of they have used all the toilet paper I had in there!

So I tell myself to stay calm. Jen, you're probably just mad about this rooftop thing... Or am I?

I mean it's already asking a lot of me to exit my apartment to use my personal bathroom but to share it with countless construction men? Without my permission? Without a chore chart of who is going to take out the trash (you know people don't flush paper in Ecuador right?), who is going to mop the muddy floor, who is going to buy the toilet paper. Cause if I'm sharing the space I'm sharing the cost and responsibility too!

Sigh. So I try to be Zen Jen and not trip. I borrow some TP from my neighbors and leave the door open when I leave. I feel embarrassed at all the "girly" items I have stored in there that countless men have seen now, but what can you do. My private bathroom has just gone public.

So Zen Jen gives it 24 hours and in that time the new roll of TP has been used up. The trash can has filled up and I REALLY don't want to go into detail about what that means...especially since it's only men, sigh....

and the floor that at bleach swept clean is not a mud pit again.

I don't think I can do this people and this is where I need advice!

I mean, construction is temporary, they won't be here forever...should I just bite the bullet and deal with it? I can imagine it's really convenient using a bathroom within the building.

However there IS A public bathroom right on the otherside of me in the comedor (cafeteria) that all the fishermen use.

Should I be punished for having a conveniently located bathroom for all to use? It's my private bathroom that just Happens to be outside. And the door is open to welcome air flow, NOT guests.

I'm going to be passing by these guys daily and I don't want to be the stuck up gringa that can't share.

I just feel more ready to share my home, my dinner table with these guys than my Bathroom, ya know?

Did I mention I also can't shower during the day because they are on the roof and could stare right down....So night cold showers with the huge cucarachas that come out at night is going to be the new jam until the construction is complete.

So am I reacting emotionally to all of the inconvenience this has brought me, or do I have a right to raise some H E double hockey sticks about my (MY) bathroom?

Whatcha'll think?

I used to keep my fan on non-stop (without exception at night) to drowned out the sound of the city, now I am sure to turn it off at night so that I can fall asleep to the sounds of the Ocean!

This is to make you feel like you're really there, No clean up, no fronting, just the real deal. This is NOT Cribs haha.

Really I just didn't have any other pictures other than the ones I took as I was moving in...

The pictures of the food is to show you how one can make tortillas and falafels on a bookshelf :) Hey, That's the Peace Corps... Oh and the pic of me on the bed with a bowl and a rolling pin is me either mashing garbanzo beans with the blunt end of my rolling pin or making peanut butter out of peanuts....2 words, labor.intensive.

Features:

Bedroom - a mess...cause I was moving in...but it kinda looks like that right now too soooo...(oh note the no having a closet of it all...)

Living room- all tables featured are glorified cardboard boxes with sheets. It's called Resourceful people. Good thing a week later my apartment flooded...I gotta get some plastic furniture!

Kitchen - a hot mess, I have everything stored AND cook off of the book shelf (but hey it gets the job done and I'm so grateful I have that huge thing) aaaand my no sink no drain situation. I love how in one of the pics you see the hose that is outside hanging through my window...THAT is how we wash dishes here people. Hey did I mention I can see the Ocean from my kitchen too!? It all balances out to me.

Bathroom- it's outside...well I have to leave my apartment to get to it. I just think of this place as my mansion and I have a open ceiling hallway...very nice...

Shower- Also outside, By the three pools I have. It's just mansion style. The shower head is actually pretty great and the water pressure isn't bad either. Taking my first shower WHILE it was raining was a bit of a challenge but then I just pretended I was in the Amazon ;) and on a sunny day it's actually quite refreshing. Not as bad it sounds!

Not pictured: My rooftop overlooking the ocean, one of my favorite places to be!, the three pools out back. I'll post them one day...

That's pretty much it. I have my front yard i.e. the ocean pictures, but I was trying to capture that there were streetlights outside of my house for Peace Corps to approve my house, so they aren't pretty picutres, but you get to see the water and what I see when I look outside of my house.

Enjoy!!

Gabi "putting up" my Christmas Tree. She is the 8 year old in the family I lived with my first month here. She saw the pools I have out back and said she is DEF coming back over. It'll be good to have her :)

This is the land of the $2.00 mani and pedi. Now I thought I was going to loooove that. Not one that always has to have my nails did…but yeah I thought I would take full advantage of the cheapness. Turns out I have gotten ONE pedicure and that was like my first month here. Haven’t been back. Not once. So If you come visit, I will take you enjoy the wonders, but as for me? I guess it’s just not my thing. Who would knew!?

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year Too!!

Where are my manners?

I have just left my supportive audience to read my Why I Love Ecuador tidbits while I fail to give real updates, shame shame and it's gotten so bad I can't even send good tidings and cheer! I am have put myself in time out and I am back on it!

So your Christmas present will be pictures of my apartment. I was waiting to do an actual photo shoot when everything was in order, but it seems to never happen so I'm going to provide what I have which was taken AS I was moving in.

So I lived with a host family for a month and that was an adventurous one. That is going to have to be a series of stories you hear from me in person, I can't even write about all the shenanigans that were going on in that house. In the end I really needed space of my own but I like the family a lot. Now that I am able to spread my wings (and unpack all the boxes I was living out of in that tiny room) I feel more myself and I go hang out with the family when I have a chance. We are all good now.

Wait, I'm going to put pictures of Christmas on this post since it's more relevant and I'll post apartment pics for January. New Year New Apartment. Christmas was a blast. My friend Anna and her hubby own a hostal On the Beach and we cooked ALL day long listening to the waves crash and we went from DJing the Christmas music, to the smooth Brazilian tunes and closed out the night with Raggae. Such a beachfront Christmas. It was really great. There was plenty of food for everyone and everything turned out deeeeelicious!

Excuse the randomness, I'm super sleepy as I write this, but it's been to long so you gotta do what you gotta do right?

I am working at La Aldea and I will have pictures of that next year. The organization is really great and well...organized. It's an orphanage that is set up like a little village (which is what aldea means). They don't separate brothers and sisters and up to 9 children live in a house with one madre. It's a great set up and it lends itself to raising kids that have a sense of familya. I will talk more about that when I have some pictures to better explain.

I have had visitors for Christmas and I have ticket confirmations for more coming and I'm so excited. Next year will bring more friends, maybe a trip to Machu Piccu and who knows what else!

Speaking of next year, I really just realized I'm going back to the states in a matter of Days!

I am heading to Florida for my 30th Birthday Celebration and for a Family Reunion. I will be heading out on the 5th which felt like 6 months from now yesterday but now it feels like it's tomorrow. Time is a funny one I tell ya.

This will be the first time that I have gone home in over a year and a half! So Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to me on that!!!

So Stay tuned for apartment pics next year, I might get a chance to post NY pics at the top of the year but no promises :)

If not Happy New Year to all! May this next year bring lot's of love, peace, abundance and wellness! I appreciate each person reading these words and who have kept up with me and supported me for the past, what, 18 months!! Really couldn't do it without you!!

Love and Hugs

If you were to ask a gingo, how they feel about ya mismo, they would probably say they hate it. In fact if you perused half of the blogs coming out of Ecuador, I’m SURE they all mention “ya mismo” at one point or another. It’s probably the name of half of the Ecuador blogs out there! “Ya Mismo” is probably what I would call the equivalent to the English “In A Second!”. When you tell someone you’ll be there “in a second” you don’t really mean literally in one second, you will be present. You mean you are on your way, you are thinking about coming, you are in motion…that kind of thing. Well “ya mismo” means about the same thing, and while some people usually use it in the way we say “in a second” a lot of times it’s abused. And that’s why time conscious, wound tight, lovin a to do list gringos hate it.

Q: “when will this meeting that’s going on three hours be over?” A: “ya mismo”

Q: “Hey partner I planned this event with, when will you get here everyone is waiting for us to start and YOU are the one that speaks the Spanish!?” A: “ya mismo”

Q: “WHEN are you going to come put out this fire Mr. Firefighter!? “ A: “ya mismo”

Do you see how it can be frustrating for those who want answers, who want results aaaand who probably want some promptness.

Me? I love me some ya mismo!

Q: “Jen when are you going to be coming to work” A: from the bed “ya mismo”

Q: “Hey we are at the club waiting on you to get here! What time you coming?” A: never agreed to go to said club “Ya mismo!”

Q: “When are you going to be the madrina, marry my son, dance in the parade etc” A: “ya.mismo.”

It’s all to the “G” double “D” , GOOD! Make it work!

Man, I could show you better than I can tell you but this should definitely make it on the Why I love Ecuador list. People are SOOOOOO animated and it’s my favorite. Of course, this is a generalization, but in just observing that has been something I have picked out. I love it first of all because my Spanish is mas o menos and it really helps. I can be on the bus looking at people on the corner talking and I pretty much know what they are talking about because people are SO animated. I also love it because I love animated people! People who use gestures, face, and whole body to convey a message. In training they said that is something you’ll find more on the coast, and all the better that I’m here. It’s hilarious to see now how we volunteers have picked up things like pointing to stuff with our lips, doing the full body “shoulder shrug” or the super frown face when you don’t know something. We may look ridiculous, but I call it integration.

Well I had this in my notes, not sure why… but it was probably when Ecuador was in the Seleccion, with the potential to go to the world cup, which we know did NOT happen. All the volunteers bought their Ecuador camisetas and I still sport my proudly today. I will say that I DO enjoy watching futbol and I DO like that camaraderie that builds around it. Everyone in the world loves futbol (soccer) except for us (north) American’s thinking oh so much about futbol Americana. I liked going to watch soccer games at sports bars and when the world cup was on and I was pretty into it. I would have never done that in the states. Aaaand just in case we forgot what else I love about futbol here……

This might sound ridiculous, but don’t mess with Ecuador and it’s Eighties! I can be at the mall, on the bus, walking past a store. Sure there is salsa and cumbia most of the time, but sometimes the Eighties music is blaring and when it is they are playin the JAMS! I found myself like Oooooohhh I forgot all about that song!!! I love Eighties music and Ecuador delivers every time on that one. They don’t do just the popular hits that err’body knows, they get into the “what choo know about THIS” hits! Fine, laugh if you want, but that is a definite plus about living here for me ☺

So an ick thing about the city is the potential for crime. However, there are definite ways to keep yourself safe and minimize the loss if anything does happen. For us ladies, what was suggested to us, is keeping our phones and money in our bras. Now if my grandma was reading this, she’d be like, “That old trick?” but hey, it’s our survival skill. Now do I like doing this? Not at all. I don’t like having a phone that close to my body at all with all of it’s harmful waves, and if you have never tried to pay for something with a soggy sweat dollar, then you don’t know real shame. However, this list was born in an attempt to see the bright side of things even when they are not so sunny. Well the bright side of this one? When you come home ick from all the sweat and ready to jump in the shower, it never fails, the pouring out of money that had inevitably been sticking to my body. Hey it’s a stretch, but I do get delighted when I’m like, SWEET I still had 5 dollars on me. Or sometimes ,I don’t know how, I forget all together that I had money in my bra. I can only imagine this is the high that strippers get finding dollars in their underthings. May be a stretch, but on a crummy day, dolla dolla bills ya’ll on the falling on the bathroom floor are all I need to pick me back up ☺