It is a great pleasure to be able to share with you that I will be getting married on Saturday, April 26th to my girlfriend, Mayra Bautista, here in Cuenca, Ecuador. Although Mayra and I have been dating less than a year, the process of getting to know each other—and of trying to understand what a life together might mean—has been very focused from the beginning of our relationship. Our

Today is the last full day in my American vacation. Goodbye sharp cheddar. Goodbye interstate highways. Goodbye strip malls. Goodbye my sweatpants-wearing, overweight, and loud-speaking compatriots. Goodbye quality newspapers. Goodbye wireless internet. Goodbye everything bagels. Goodbye one-car-per-person. Goodbye cold days and 5 PM sunsets. Goodbye low cost yet good quality clothing. Goodbye

Fluorescent light bulbs, A truck stop urinal, "Jesus Loves You" Scrawled above in blue ink.

There were two occasions on which I thought I might die. Just to clarify, these were not your the run-of-the-mill “I think I might die” moments—i.e. you’re sitting in a plane, passing through slight turbulence, and you begin to think, “Could this be the end?” This, of course, could never qualify as a bonafide “might die” moment, because at some level you know that the probability of the plane

On behalf of the Gender and Development (GAD) Committee of Peace Corps Ecuador, we would like to invite your support in our annual raffle, proceeds for which help further educational opportunities for Ecuadorian high school girls and support other GAD activities. One of GAD's primary objectives is to provide three-year scholarships for young financially underprivileged, yet highly motivated

After months of anguished self-analysis, painstakingly crafted cover-letters, and detailed research on organizations from all over the continent, I have decided... ...to stay exactly where I am. Sometimes you just gotta recognize when you've got a good thing going for you. I love my job, love where I live, love the lifestyle that being down here allows me. I miss having more regular contact

It is raining today in Cuenca. One of those strange Ecuadorian rains that drenches you to the bone in grey, cold water, even as you watch a strip of blue sky seemingly just 10 blocks further east. Life is hard, but there’s hope, it seems to say. Or maybe simply that God has a sense of humor. And that his humor is ironic. Seems the only way to explain a lot of things in life, no? Yesterday

I will assume that most of you know little about the country of Colombia. Perhaps you have a few, loosely combined images. Something like Shakira's hips, guerrilla warfare, and cocaine. Am I right? If that's really all that you have in your head, then you have been, unfortunately, seriously misinformed about what is in fact a beautiful and vibrant country, filled with friendly people, amazing

I am a nerd. This is a reality that I proudly except. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a dork. Let’s keep our concepts clear. As Sara Vowell explained in an excellent essay on the topic, the nerd is a social class that is slightly too passionate about their chosen subject of interest. There are sports nerds, science nerds, music nerds, art nerds, and many other subgenus within the nerd kingdom.

It is amazing how quickly time passes. I began this work with Peace Corps thinking that two years would be an eternity. Two years without seeing my family, country, friends…. That idea, of course, ended up being doubly false. Not only has the time come and nearly gone in the blink of an eye, but I have actually made two trips back to the states in my year and a half in Ecuador. And now, all

Yes, yes, I know. No need for further complaints. I’ll probably be lucky if even one person is still checking this blog after 5 months without an update. ---- Me 1: So, what happened? Me 2: Excellent question. Me 1: Thank you, I thought of it myself. Me 2: I know you did. Me 1: Anyways, where were you these past 5 months? Me 2: Lets say I was living life as it comes, sucking the marrow out

One of the great things about my current situation—living in the city of Cuenca and working in a fairly structured, time-intensive position—is the free time it allows me. Yes, you read correctly, the free time. This may sound strange when my former Peace Corps assignment was in a rural community where I literally had all day to do almost anything (or nothing, as the case might be). I did

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So. Despite being a Peace Corps Volunteer—a profession/passion/bad habit better known for living in huts and drinking river water—you happen to live in a beautiful apartment in one of the most beautiful cities in Latin America. You work in a great job, you like going to the office, and your work is fulfilling. You have a lot of friends, and are always meeting interesting new people. You have

Although she insists otherwise, it strikes me that my grandmother, Shirley, is a very lucky person. I base this claim on two demonstrated miracles that I have personally witnessed. The first is the miracle of the parking space. This miracle is doubly special, as it is a repeated miracle, which she has performed on multiple occasions. We will be circling the parking lot of a crowded mall,

I returned from my U.S. visit on June 12th. Since then I have done the following things: got my teeth cleaned, drove with my boss down the length of the Ecuadorian Andes, returned to Oña, packed up all my earthly belongings, saw Ecuador crush Costa Rica in the World Cup, placed all of my earthly belongings in a truck, came up to Cuenca, took all of my earthly belongings out of the truck,

Next week I will make a trip that I have thought about many times over the last year. Early on the morning of Thursday May 25th I will be getting a plane from Quito, Ecuador to Bogotá, Colombia, and from there will grab a connecting flight to Miami. I will spend the night at my grandparents house, and on the afternoon of Friday May 25th will arrive in Washington. One of the strange things

Change is always bittersweet, it seems. No matter the good and bad of any one situation, the moment in which you leave it behind or exchange it for something new is filled with conflicting emotions. Excitement for new experiences yet fear of the unknown. Contentment about new opportunities yet sadness for the friends and work you’ve left behind. Increasingly I’ve come to realize that in life

Today I present the list of my first 50 books read in Ecuador. I averaged a little over a book a month during training (not much free time), and then between 5 and 6 books a month in my site. This may seem like a lot, but when you live alone and without a television, that will definitely push up your stats. Most of the books are in English as I had access to a tremendous, informal library of

I spent last weekend visiting the community of a fellow Peace Corps volunteer some 2 hours southeast of Cuenca. Principal (the pronunciation rests on the last syllable) is a parroquia or parish of around 1500 inhabitants nestled in some of the most beautiful green mountains I have ever seen. The hills literally encircle the small town, so that you get the feeling that the earth has risen up to

As you may be aware, the previous week and a half in Ecuador have seen a general strike shutting down transportation and commerce in multiple parts of the country. This type of strike, known in Spanish as a paro or stoppage, occurs when a sector of the population decides to express their dissatisfaction with the government by closing off a portion of highway and stopping all the cars that would

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Meester epic battle, originally uploaded by joeliani_.

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } bug close up, originally uploaded by joeliani_.

On a previous occasion we were introduced to my cat Meester’s two primary personality traits: cuteness and low intelligence. Today I offer up a third, lesser but still impressive quality: the ability to battle strange things that enter my house or backyard. The real, undoctored photos you see above were captured as Meester courageously took on this weird type of giant horned beetle that had