November 21, 2008 - Cuenca, EcuadorI dont have much new or interesting news to report to you so I thought I would use this journal entry to give you a better idea of what my day to day life is like.  Please don´t be jealous. Every single day starts between 6 and 6:30 when Oso lets me know it is time to feed him.  He generally does this by inching his way up from the foot of the bed until we are nearly nose to nose then placing his dinosaur paw on my face.  The sun is always up by 6... thank you, equator. Once his majesty Oso has been fed, it´s time to feed the chickens.  100 chickens to be exact.  I put on my polka dot rubber boots (thanks mom!) and a jacket since it is super chilly in the morning and head out back to the chicken coop.  Feeders get filled with ground corn and waterers with agua.  Chickens are either really mean or really stupid as they all find the need to peck at anything that moves, namely my legs and hands. I definately prefer eating chickens to caring for them. This is where my days begin to vary.... On weekdays I have a 7:10 bus to catch to Guayan where our school garden is.  The bus ride is about 20-25 minutes through the ruralest communities of Santa Ana.  It is a dirt road, hardly wide enough for 2 cars to get by.  Being the rural part of Santa Ana, however, it is more common that we are trying to fit the bus by a person walking a few cows down the road.  If I get a seat next to one of the teachers, we spend the ride gossiping about other teachers and schools or talking about how I am going to take them back to the States with me by packing them in my suitcase. (no joke, this is a common conversation.)  If I have to stand or I get a solo seat on the bus I listen to music.  Once in Guayan, I am usually bombarded by the kids until the Director invites me into the office for cafecito (coffee and bread).  We sit around and chug coffee, I politely decline the disgusting cheese, and we plan the day.  At 8:00, school has officially started and what better way to kick off a 4 and a half hour school day by having breakfast.  The kids each have their own cup and they bring it to the kitchen to get their colada which is a government issued oat-flavored drink.  This is served with cookies.  Once the kids have finished their breakfast it is time for them to get to class.  There are 54 students in grades ranging from preschool to what is equivilant to 8th grade.  For all these kids there are 3 teachers.  By this time, a few mothers have arrived at the school to help me in the garden.  We do everything from weeding and watering to turning soil, rotating compost, to building a seed bed.  Usually somewhere in here another joke will be made about taking someone to the states in my suitcase.  At 10:00 the kids have recreo or recess.  The kids are free to do what they want but the majority want to hang out with Señorita Kelly.  One of the mothers will usually make us garden-workers something to drink.  This is typically warm lemonade.  For a while, the kids would teach me their games during recreo but lately there has been an interest in learning American games.  Duck, Duck, Goose and Capture the flag have been especially popular.  Depending on the teachers´moods, recreo can last until lunch is served at 12:00 or the kids may have to go back to class for a short time.  I am always amazed at how little learning goes on at school.  Lunch is usually rice and beans or rice and tuna.  Sometimes just rice.  At 12:15 The teachers and I walk up the mountain back to the bus stop to catch the 12:30 bus back to the centro (center of town) where they catch busses back into Cuenca.  I am home by 1:00.  After 1:00 I am generally free to do whatever I want.  That usually includes coming in to the city, washing clothes, playing soccer with my neighbor kids, watching a movie, atttempting to cook, hanging out with kids in the center of town, napping, bathing (since there is generally no water after 4:00), or hanging out with my landlord´s family that comes to the house in the afternoons.  On Wednesday nights I teach an english class to highschool students in Cuenca which is more like a tutoring session than anything.  Thursday afternoons I teach an english class to kids in a nearby town, Tepal.  More often than not, I make my way into the city at least a few times a week.  In Cuenca, I can enjoy internet, diet coke (coca cola light which is NOT the same, but good enough), check my mail, the super market, and usually dinner with nearby Peace Corps friends, Mike and Mary.  On days I come into Cuenca, I try to make it back to Santa Ana by 9:00 pm because much later than that and there is no guaranteed ride home for under 10 bucks which is more than 2 days pay for me.  Thats not to say there aren´t trucks I can hop in the back of but as far as official, trustworthy transportation 9:00 is about as late as I should be. Once back home, it is time to feed the dog and settle down unless, of course, there are random highschool students stopping by for help with their english homework.  A couple episodes of Desperate Housewives or Seinfeld and its time for bed.  So there you have it... more than you ever wanted to know about my daily life here in Ecuador.  Next week we are having a Thanksgiving dinner with Peace Corps friends.  We rented a cabin in the national park and are going to have a feast (minus the turkey... add some roasted chickens).  I hope you all have an awesome Turkey day and I´ll see you in a month!! Danielle... any ESL things you think would help me teach young children would be great!  I heard you are doing Thanksgiving with Jenny and John... maybe you could hand them off and I could get them at the wedding!?  If its easier by email that would be great too! Late Happy Birthday shout outs go to Steph and Sue! Hannah... I was spiderwoman for halloween! Miss you!

November 8, 2008 - Cuenca, Ecuador Hey everyone!  Rumor has it that some of you are getting sick of reading about my machete and are anxious for something new.  Sorry for the wait! As many of you know, I got my first visit from Mom and Dad last month.  We had an amazing time and packed an unbelievable amount of action into their 9 days here.  Oso and I picked them up at the airport in the costal city of Guayaquil where we spent 2 nights.  We spent the next 4 nights in my home of Santa Ana. Next we headed north for 2 nights in Otavalo, one night in Quito, and finally one last night back in Guayaquil before they headed home.  I could go on and on with the details of the visit but since many of you are just reading this blog to procrastonate or distract yourself from things you really should be getting back to, I will condense the trip to highlights. GUAYAQUIL HIGHLIGHTS: Hotel Andaluz... a less-than-spacious "mid-grade" hotel that offers guests soap, water, a bed, and an overwhelming scent of cleaning products. The roof-top of Hotel Andaluz.  Where dad enjoyed his cubans and "Soaked it all in".   People watching from the roof, we learned that a family of 5 does in fact fit on a motorcycle. Dad and I learned that it is nearly impossible to find coffee at 7:30am on a Sunday... sorry, Mom. CUENCA-SANTA ANA HIGHLIGHTS: Cuy dinner hosted by my community...  Mom and Dad roasted their own guinna pigs over the coals.  A chicken fell out of a tree and landed on the tin roof above us giving us all heart attacks.  Mom and I took shots of cheap liquor. Host family met real family.  It was really an amazing night. Tour of the highschool... Here, Mom and Dad got to meet some of the people I work with.  Everyone told them how jovencito (young) they look.  We also akwardly sat in on a woman´s interview with the director.  Not sure what (or if) she studied, but she was offered a position as an English teacher, librarian, school psychologist, or math teacher.  Her pick. Dinner in Cuenca with Peace Corps friends, Mike and Mary.  Afterwards, we went out for ice cream where Mike ran into a group of US Air Force people here to do medical services.  Dad bought ice cream for 20ish people for $15.00. Mom learned how to take care of 100 chickens.  Who saw THAT coming!? Lunch with my previous host family.  This meal was much more laid-back where mom was presented with a cross-stiched table cloth from my host mother.  Whitney... you just wait to see what beautiful thing she is working on for the bride!!  Dinner with my landlord´s family.  Ok, seriously, if we had stayed in Santa Ana any longer we would have been invited to EVERY PERSONS home.  My landlord has a truck so he took us on a driving tour of Cuenca which was actually really interesting.  He also took us to Turi, where you get an amazing view of the city with the mountains in the background. OTAVALO-QUITO HIGHLIGHTS: Casa Mojanda.  Much nicer than Guayaquils Hotel Andaluz, this place is nestled in the mountains and has private cabins with fireplaces.  The food was delicious and the setting breathtaking. Saturday market in Otavalo.  The market here in a Saturday is famous here in Ecuador.  The streets are lined with tents selling everything from clothing to musical instruments.  We got up early to take a walk through the animal market where cats, cuys, cows, and chickens are sold by the dozen. Mom and I went horseback riding through the mountains.  Our first attempt at the horse ride fell through as is began POURING as soon as we mounted.  Take two the next morning was a blast and even Mom admits that she loved it!  Dad thinks he is too good to ride horses. Dad is not however, too good to eat goat stew.  That was his dinner option at a nice restaurant in Quito.  ick!  We also lived it up for a night in Quito and stayed at the Marriott.  It has been quite a long time since I have even seen a place so fancy... it was great. That about sums up Mom and Dad´s visit 2008.  Next time they come they have to say for a month.  Well, thats what everyone here told them anyway... we´ll see.  Unfortunately I do not have pictures of their trip because my camera was stolen on the bus ride home after they left.  Luckily we printed them out before the camera was stolen so we have hard copies just not digital. After the visit it was time to get back to work.  I incubated another batch of chicken eggs which were supposed to hatch this past wednesday.  When they didn´t hatch, I opened them out of curiosity and found live chickens!  not strong enough to break out of their eggs but living none the less.  I see this as progress and hopefully the third time will be a charm.  The gardens at school are going well and the labor intensive part is mostly behind us.  I am teaching a ton of english classes as well.  Last weekend Oso and I went away for halloween.  A big group of volunteers met up in El Chaco which is a small town in the northern jungle.  Dressing up and having a halloween party was just a bonus.  The main attraction of the trip was a rafting competition.  There were 18 teams of 6 that battled it out for the winning title.  My team ended up in 4th place which was good enough to win t-shirts but seconds away from prize money.  I´m sure I am forgetting a lot of funny things that have happened in the past month but I´ll just have to tell you about them when I come home in 6 weeks!!  I am really looking forward to it!  Sr. Pat... I got your second package! thank you soooo much!! hasta pronto! Kelly

September 17, 2008 - Cuenca, EcuadorCold, wet, and rainy describe todays weather in Cuenca.  Not just morning showers, I'm talking hard, steady rain.  You know what that means?  No work.  Life here basically shuts down on rainy days.  Tools stay in the shed, meetings are cancelled, and life's obligations will wait until tomorrow.  So here I am, enjoying a diet coke and filling you in on my life's latest happenings.

I did.  I bought a machete.  For 3 reasons.1. I felt bad borrowing my landlord's every day.

2. I'm not sure when in my life I will legitimately have an excuse to buy one again.

3. It was only $5.00.

So that's been my work lately... chopping down the albeca (I have no idea what it is in English) in the school garden in the pueblo of Guayan.  Next on our agenda is to get the soil up to par so when we plant things, they will actually grow.  That means we need poopie... lots and lots of poopie.  Around here that is a cinch.  Everyone in Santa Ana has either cows, cuyes, rabbits, goats, sheep, or chickens.  I sent home flyers with each of the kids asking their family to support the school garden by bringing in at least one sack of ca-ca.  Sam... I bet if your teacher asked everyone in your class to bring in manure you would be the only one that could actually do it!!

I have also been experimenting more in the kitchen... My biggest accomplishment would have to be the calzones.  I made the dough, made the tomato sauce, and filled it with veggies since I don't have a fridge to keep meat or chicken.  They didn't even begin to compare to Mrs. Gallucci's pepperoni bread, but I thought they were pretty delicious.  I have also been making different pasta sauces and my first batch of cookies last night, which turned out paper thin... (thoughts/suggestions?)  I bought all the necessary ingredients to make banana bread but when I went to make it I realized I didn't have a cake pan, or anything to bake it in... oops.

The next couple weeks are going to be wild.  Next Tuesday I leave for Quito for Reconnect, where everyone in Omnibus 99 will be attending with a representative from their site for a 3 day workshop.  I will be leaving directly from Reconnect to MEET MOM AND DAD AT THE AIRPORT IN GUAYAQUIL!!!!  We will have to stay in Guayaquil through Monday because it happens to be election weekend where the people of Ecuador will be voting to adopt a new Constitution.  Peace Corps volunteers are required to stay out of political affairs and are forbidden from traveling during elections.  Another interesting fact about election weekend here is that there is a "dry law" for the weekend where it is illegal to sell or drink alcohol in public places.  Bummer, voting is so much more fun when you're sloshed.  

Twice a month, the Peace Corps office in Quito sends each volunteer a mail pouch with Newsweeks and relevant papers.  In my latest mail pouch, I received a letter that I wrote to myself during training.  It was an exercise they had us do just for fun, to write a letter to your future self asking questions and what not.  I told my future self to ask Mom and Dad to give Jack Jack a kiss for me but now that he lives back at the farm, Sue, would you take care of that for me?  Thanks!  

Hannah- That is so cool that you have a husky just like mine!  Snowflake is a great name.  I hope you are enjoying Kindergarten.

Sam and Morgan- I hope the 4th grade teachers aren't giving you too much homework.

Steph- I miss you.  Tell Shane I'm sorry about the Buckeyes, but maybe this year would be a good year to buy a navy and gold jersey... just a thought.

Ok thats all I have.  Miss you all.

Kelly

September 2, 2008 - Cuenca, Ecuador  Due partly to my tendency to procrastinate and partly to technical difficulties with Fuzzy Travel, it has been an especially long time since my last post to you all and I’m really very sorry.  A lot has happened in the past month and I´m happy to report that life in Ecuador is just as awesome and full of surprises as it was 7 months ago.  My Spanish has gotten SO much better and I am finally getting compliments from taxi drivers, people on the bus, and people I work and play with.  Although I occasionally still have to plan out what I want to say ahead of time, it is a real relief to be able to talk about whatever, whenever.    Since my last post, I have finally made the move from my host family’s house and began renting a place of my own just up the road.  As you will notice from the photos, my new home is great.  Perfect for one person, it is really just a single room with an attached kitchen and bathroom that are only accessible from other doors on the outside.  The house is really safe with a huge gate, bars on the windows, and neighbors who are always watching out for me.  It´s actually pretty funny… since Santa Ana is plopped right in the middle of the mountains, I have neighbors who literally have a birds eye view of my house and although I may not be able to see them, they can see my every move and later tell me they were watching me wash my clothes or sweeping the patio.  I hosted a cookout with some other volunteers a couple weeks ago and it they tell me they feel like polar bears in a zoo at my house.  This is pretty accurate since we are sizable, white creatures that people passing by can’t help but to stare at.  I don’t mind, though… I love it there. Other bonus features of the house include pots, pans, and an oven already in the kitchen, chickens that lay fresh eggs for me daily, my own gravel soccer/volleyball court, completely fenced in property, gas heated water (which means really hot showers!) and a super nice landlord.  All of this is mine for the low price of $70.00 per month.  I told myself that once I had a place of my own I would teach myself to cook, but I have to admit that I am totally slacking on that.  I have been making a lot of pasta… occasionally topped with mushrooms and peppers, lots of popcorn, and the lunch staple of apples with peanut butter (thanks to all my peanut butter donors!).   Fruit here is great and relatively cheap.  A medium-sized pineapple costs only 50 cents and I can get seven small apples or oranges for a dollar.  Rice has finally been removed from my diet and I don’t care if I never see the stuff again until I get home and go to House of Hunan!    Before leaving my host family, we had a long chat about Enrique (the dog).  They reluctantly told me that they felt that having spent 2 months with them, Enrique would be happier staying there and it would be too traumatic for him to move with me.  I pretended to agree, knowing he would definitely be happier living with me.  They told me that on Wednesdays they sell puppies in the Feria Libre in Cuenca.  The Feria Libre is a HUGE open-air market where they sell everything from carrots to fake Nikes to wall mounting cow heads to cell phones.   I went the next Wednesday with low expectations of finding another dog like Enrique.  Under the same tent, one could buy a poodle, a turkey, a guinea pig, or a box of baby chicks.  It was overwhelming… there were mangy mutts, a couple Boxer pups, a 3-month-old Saint Bernard, a German Shepherd, and more mangy mutts.  I decided to make one more lap before deciding on the Shepherd puppy when I saw him… the puppy that fate sent to me.  He was so little… only 6 weeks old and too cute for words.  He is (assumingly) a pure bred Husky with blue eyes just like his owner (this is pointed out by everyone who sees us).  I gave him the name Oso, which is the Spanish word for “Bear”.  For those of you who know Adam’s dog, Layla… Oso is her Ecuadorian equal.  His first week with me was a rough one. He had giardia and had to stay in the vet clinic for a weekend.  This just proves how lucky we were to find each other… typical Ecuadorians rarely vaccinate their dogs let alone take them to a clinic if they are ill.  I got him back from the vet a healthy and happy puppy and he has been fine ever since.  He is growing super fast and my biggest goal is to keep things friendly between him and the free-roaming chickens at my house.  There are tales of another volunteer who had to get rid of his dog because he couldn’t afford to keep buying people new chickens when his dog killed them.  Again, check out the new pictures I posted.   Things with my women´s group are moving along.  We have built our first incubator and are currently “cooking” our first batch of 20 eggs.  We´ll see next Sunday how things work out… that should be hatching day!   Kids went back to school yesterday and we are wasting no time getting started on our gardens.  I am starting out only working with three of the seven schools as to not lose my mind.  It is going to be a lot of work but I´m ready to get things moving.    Quick interjection:  I´m having a hard time concentrating on what I am typing because out of the corner of my eye I can see that the woman next to me is watching a video on her computer of a baby being born… ugh.   I had a really fun final week of summer vacation.  John came to visit me and we spent the week bouncing around the country.  He flew into the costal city of Guayaquil.  We were both anxious to get out of the heat and get into the mountains.  The bus ride from Guayaquil to Cuenca is incredible.  As we started our assent into the Andes we were both disappointed about the number of clouds that were blocking what was sure to be an amazing view.  Later in the ride we realized that it was so cloudy because we were actually traveling THROUGH the clouds and once we got above them we could see it all.  The tips of all the mountains were peaking out from what seemed to be a sea of clouds that we had just gone through.  (Check out the pictures)  We spent the next 3 days in Santa Ana and Cuenca.  John got to go with me on Monday to teach my English class and we ended up spending most of the day playing with the kids.  The rest of the time we hung out in the city and generally were being “touristy”.  We (along with Oso) took the Wednesday night bus up to Quito where we spent the next 3 days.  It happened to be the Swear-In weekend for Omnibus 100 so there were plenty of English speaking friends to hang out with.  From Quito, we flew back to Guayaquil where we walked along the waterfront of the Rio Guayas up to the lighthouse and watched people perform songs and dances.  I am still distracted by the ladies computer next to me so if John´s trip didn´t sound overly awesome in text, trust me- it was… and you should visit too.   John brought with him a video that Steph made at Victory Gallop and it almost brought me to tears!  Jack Jack looks great… Sam and Casino look amazing together… Caleb has grown a ton… Sue, Kim, and Mr. Rots are looking good… and I like the new pony!  Steph, you never turned the camera around so I can see your pretty face!    I also have a few thank-you´s to send out because I finally received packages!  Gallucci family- Thank you a million times over for all the goodies and a special thanks to Sam´s Club for selling peanut butter crackers in such great quantities!  Steph, Bo, Morgan A., and Morgan P.- Thank you guys for an awesome birthday package.  I can´t tell you how confused I was to get a duct taped shoe box from a name I didn´t recognize (You will always be Morgan Egan to me) from Lyndhurst, OH.  I honestly thought for a minute that I got a package from a random blog reader.   Adam and Whitney- Carmel Apple Pops and mini guitar hero… what more could a girl ask for?   Alright well I think you are mostly caught up on my life… anything else will be explained in photo captions.   For any of you who are curious… the lady next to me finally finished the birth movie and whoever had the baby is now the proud mother of what appears to be a healthy (although gross and alien-like) baby boy.  The lady has moved on to watch Latin music videos.    Hugs from Cuenca, Kelly

July 6, 2008 - Cuenca, EcuadorThats right.  For those of you who do not know what a weenie man is, it is a hotdog cut in such a way that when cooked, it takes the shape of a person.   This was taught to me by the intelligent, witty, and oh so beautiful Jennifer Oakley.  I am sure by now, my good friends Sam Miller and Morgan Parker are really missing weenie men AND the great song that goes with them.  This is for you two... I know a weenie man. He owns a weenie stand. He sells most everything from hotdogs on down. One day Ill be his wife.  Eat weenies all my life. Oh how I love that weenie man!  My host mother was making hotdogs the other day and I caught her just in time to teach her the delicate operation of cutting arms and legs.  They were a huge hit and have made many appearances at our lunches and dinners since.   We have also been making a lot of weenie children by using coctail weenies and are officially referred to as "hombrecitos" which directly translated means "little men".   Weenie men were also a big hit at a 4th of July gathering with my Peace Corps amigos.   Also popular at the 4th of July party, were the mini PB&J sandwiches made possible by the peanut butter sent to me by Sr. Pat... THANK YOU!!  I did participate in the run last weekend which was actually pretty fun despite a few minor glitches.  First, my host family insisted on taking me to the race in the morning which was really nice.  Unfortunately we arrived about 2 minutes late and everyone had already started running.  That was not the best way to start things off because pacing myself went right out the window.  The entire race was slightly uphill and the final 200 meters were up a super steep hill.  When I looked at my watch and realized the end should be coming up, I picked two people who were ahead of me and made the decision that I would finish infront of those two.  I passed the first guy no problem because he was about 495 years old.  We were going up that final hill and I was catching up to the next woman.  The finish line was in sight so I gave it everything I had.  I got right next to the woman, who clearly was not expecting the last minute competition and looked like she wanted to kill me.  We duked it out to the finish and entered the finish at the same time.  Unaware that we were supposed to take a card to tell us our finishing place, she took the card and technically finished a place ahead of me.  No big deal, I was just happy to be done.  I saw my friends and went over to say hi and catch my breath.  Right then, the woman walked up to us, looked at me and said (in english) "So you must be Kelly?"  I felt awful... turns out she is another Volunteer I had yet to meet and is the "peer support coordinator" for Cuenca volunteers.  Small world coincicence that the one person out of over 500 I pissed off was another PC person!  My host family was right there at the finish which was really nice of them to support me... Theyre great. I have been attending a number of graduations lately and am sad to report that the ceremony is equally long and boring no matter where you are in the world.  The main difference is, that there are a limited number of caps and gowns so after someone receives their diploma, they take off their cap and gown and hand it to another person... quite possibly making the ceremony even longer.  Alright well its time to join the family for a Crab eating extravaganza... wish you were here adam.  Dont worry, they know I hate seafood and are making me chicken    Cant think of any good spanish mess ups for this week so I´ll have to entertain you with something funny my mom asked me the other day (sorry mom) "Do they celebrate the 4th of July there?" Love and miss  you all - thanks again Sr. Pat!!

June 26, 2008 - Cuenca, EcuadorWow! Thanks for all the bed bug suggestions... The matress in out in the sun today so we will see how that works out.  I actually like Steph´s suggestion best which is to get rid of all my things and ask mom and dad for money and stay in a hotel from here on out... what do you say, mom? I just got an email confirming that I officially have a position with the Peace Corps Ecuador newspaper, El Clima.  Every 3 or 4 months, we come out with a new edition full of entertaining and mostly mindless material which gets sent out to all the volunteers.  Perks to the job include a paid 3 day trip to Quito a few times a year (the first of which is in 3 weeks).  Ecuador PCV´s can rest assured that with Kelly on the job, El Clima just got a little bit better. This sunday I am participating in my first official run.  It´s an 8k race from the center of Cuenca to Sayausi where my nearest Volunteer pals, Mike and Mary live.  Hey, making it to the end means a new t-shirt for me so I´m in!  Ill be sure to post pictures in my next update. Sr. Pat... I got a slip in my mailbox saying I have a package to pick up but its only open mon, wed, fri between 10 and 12 so thats on tomorrows list! how exciting! thanks in advance! Danielle... you are absolutely right about molestar meaning to bother/annoy!  another one to watch out for is when trying to say you are embarassed DO NOT use "embarazada" or you will be telling people you are pregnant! I guess thats all the news I have for you guys from down here today... miss you!  

June 20, 2008 - Cuenca, Ecuador   So up to this point, I have been remarkably healthy.  My stomach has been strong in the face of meat way past it’s prime, juice made with water directly from the tap, and un-refrigerated homemade mayonnaise.  My immune system has kept me free from the cold (gripe “gree- pay”) that constantly circulates through my host family, and I, unlike others in omnibus 99, have not cut myself with a machete, had lard rubbed all over me to cure a cough, or been attacked by a dog.  No, my Peace Corps ailments were much more unforeseen, sneaking up on me when I least expected, in my sleep and while washing clothes.              My legs and stomach have fallen victim to the invisible bugs that made themselves at home in my sheets, blankets, and even sleeping bag.  It’s gross, and I’ve declared war on them.  I’ve tried drowning them, repeatedly washing my sheets and sleeping bag and I’ve tried fumigating them.  Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated.              My family has a washing machine.  They have a high capacity, energy efficient, state of the art, LG washing machine.  It’s broken.  In the United States, this would be a problem in need of an immediate solution.  Here, it means you wash your clothes like the other 99% of Ecuadorians… on a washing stone.  I’ll admit that there is something gratifying about standing in the sun, washing your clothes and hanging them out to dry.  That statement refers to CLOTHES.  It is far more difficult and dare I say strenuous to wash sheets, blankets, and a sleeping bag by hand.  My right wrist has given up on me after the past few days of washing, refusing to grip things when I tell it to.  Temporary, I’m sure but worth mentioning.              Ok, what else?  I’m still on a house hunt.  Only one more month until I have the freedom to move out of family situation.  My family is really sad about me leaving, and they keep asking if it’s because I’m not happy with them.  It’s really hard because the truth is I am happy with them, they’re great and have gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable.  I have been blaming Peace Corps, saying that it is a requirement for volunteers to live independently but I’m not a very good liar and I think they know that if I really wanted to stay, I could.               Summer vacation here starts July 4th, and it looks like I will get plenty of free time over vacations to visit other volunteers around the country…. Oh! The benefits of working in schools  J              Final order of business: chickens.  We had another women’s group meeting last night where once again, everyone looks at me hoping I am going to pull a million dollars out of my pocket, wave a magic wand, or something equally unlikely.  Instead, I gave them my thoughts, ideas, and opinions.  I made them rough estimated feasibility study and a list of materials needed to start.  Once I explained for the zillionth time that I have no money to give them, we started to get somewhere.  People began to offer up ideas of where they could get loans and grants.  We now have a list of places to visit in the next week or so before our next meeting.    Spanish lesson learned the hard way this week:  While explaining to someone how to make recycled paper, unsure of how to say “pulp” I decided to take a chance and use “pulpo”.  The woman laughed hysterically and explained that “pulpo” means octopus and is also commonly used for belly button.  “pulpA” is the word I wanted for pulp.  Go figure.               All right, so that’s about it for today, miss you!

June 3, 2008 - Cuenca, EcuadorBuenos dias from Santa Ana... well, from Cuenca because Santa Ana does not have internet... still. Ok, so in my last entry I explained that the past week included the fiestas of Santa Ana as well as the celebration of Corpus Christi in Cuenca.  Let me explain... Imagine you are in the United States... scratch that, you ARE in the United States.  Imagine you are at a fireworks display, what do you see?  Families seated on blankets on a hillside, kids with popcicles, people cooking hotdogs, maybe some music playing or a band... how nice.  In Ecuador, a display of fireworks is a whole different scene.  Castillas ("cas-tee-yas" ) are large towers covered in fireworks and other random explosives.  These castillas are placed in the middle of the street and lit up.  There are no rules about how far away people need to be, no authorities to keep people calm, let alone safe.  The fireworks shoot everywhich direction into the masses of people who then knock the burning embers off of each other.  I watched a 5 year old boy´s jacket catch on fire and his mother take it off and beat it on the ground only to continue watching the display.  The other main attraction of the fireworks display is the vaca loca (Crazy Cow).  We begin with a paper maché cow.  Attach a bazillion fireworks to the cow, give the cow to a drunk person, light the fuse, and watch the person run around through the people while fireworks whiz in all directions off of said cow.   [Insert sad story here] So there I was, with my two host sisters and their group of friends watching the rediculous ritual when we noticed (for about the 12th time) that the vaca loca was headed our way.  We took off running as best we could with a mass of people also fleeing the wrath of the cow.  30 seconds later I reached to my jacket pocket to find it unzipped and my wallet missing.  In all the chaos, I had been robbed.  Luckily I still had my cell phone and was able to cancel my bank card, and report my Peace Corps ID missing.  Its a hassle and a bummer but nothing that cant be replaced.  The fiestas of Santa Ana were much more enjoyable.  The fiestas were celebrating 130 years of parroquialization.  The Parroquia is the local body of government and recently Santa Ana´s Parroquia won a national award which they are obviously very proud of.  The fiestas began with a mass (yes, mom and dad I went to church!) followed by a program of dances and finally our very own castilla and vaca loca.  In Santa Ana, however it was much more of a spectator event rather than craziness in the streets like in Cuenca.  I have attached movie clips of the castilla and vaca loca of Santa Ana.  This past weekend I was invited to a quinseañera which is a coming of age celebration for a 15 year old girl.  It was really difficult not to laugh at this one.... We start with 12 damas and 12 caballeros which basically function like bridesmaids and groomsmen for the event.  The 12 damas were all wearing pink dresses which didn´t fit so there were 12 little bellies hanging out.  The star of the party entered the room in a big poofy dress with a big grease stain on the side and wearing slippers.  She sat down, and her mother removed the slippers and replaced them with pink high heels.  Next, each of the caballeros removes a garter from the girl and puts it on their respective dama.  Then, our little princess takes the mic and (in true adulthood fashion) announces which 3 of the damas are her "best friends" and they come forward to receive and extra garter... that´s right, upon entering her party, this young lady had 15 garters under her gown!  The rest of the event was typical- dancing until 2 am.  I know it seems like all i have been doing is party, party, party but I have also been teaching english, visiting schools, researching chickens and sharing meals with strangers, washing clothes on a rock (because our washer is broken), and taking care of my pup. Alright, well thats about all for today... miss you big time.   Kelly

May 22, 2008 - Cuenca, EcuadorHey everyone! Well I dont have a ton of time today but I thought I would fill you in on this weeks happenings.  As I´m sure you cleverly figured out from the title of this Journal entry, there are 2 new members of my family here in Santa Ana.  The first is strangely ironic... My host sister had a baby (just like in Cayambe).  The baby came prematurely (just like in Cayambe).  His name is Martín Alejandro (JUST LIKE IN CAYAMBE).  Mother and baby are both doing fine and we´re hoping that little Martín can go home soon.  The second addition is my new dog!  My host sister found him in the bushes, they named him Enrique, and next thing I knew they were referring to him as "Kelly´s dog".  From the looks of him, I am guessing he is mostly pitt bull and about 2 months old.  He is actually a really sweet dog and I am obviously not one to say no when a puppy is handed to me.  There is one problem, however.  He is going to have to be bi-lingual.  It is far too natural for me to say "good boy", "come here", "sit", and "no bite" in english and I don´t particularly want to speak spanish to my dog.  My host sisters, on the other hand, continue to speak to him only in spanish.    The other weird thing about it is this... The first night they told me that he had to sleep with me, which I was happy about.  The second night, though, I went to take him up to my room and they stopped me, saying that from now on he has to sleep outside because the other dogs will be jealous.  I built Enrique a dog house and he has since been sleeping outside, but neither of us are happy about it! In other news, my women´s group has settled on a chicken production project.  Now, my job is to do all the research and try to find someone to help us.  No pressure or anything... The Fiestas of Santa Ana are this weekend and it sounds like its going to be quite a party that includes a parade, alcohol, and a rodeo.  Today also marks the beginning of Corpus Christi ( I dont know what it is... google it if you want to know) I do know, however, that it means 8 days of dulces (sweets) and fireworks.  Now, to answer that very important question, "what can/should you send me?" I have made a small list but feel free to be creative... the MOST important thing is that you declare ZERO VALUE on the box! Magazines- candy (sour patch kids, skittles... )- granola bars- those crystal light packets you pour into a bottle of water- pens/pencils- Peanut butter (I know its heavy, but its SUPER expensive here and I miss it)- DVD´s- dollar store stuff for the kids- crossword puzzles...  anything! hugs from me and wet kisses from Enrique! Kelly

May 17, 2008 - Cuenca, Ecuador    I can’t believe that I have been in my site for over 3 weeks already!  Things here are getting more familiar each day.  I’m learning how and when to ride the busses around Santa Ana as well where to get to a camioneta (taxi truck) when I miss those busses.  The people of Santa Ana have really made me optimistic about the experience I’m going to have living here for the next two years.  They are very friendly and generous people.  I have already been invited to the houses of complete strangers for lunch and to “pass time” because their child told them that I am working at their school.  Although I have a great family here, I’m really looking forward to having a place of my own.  Along with the luxury of an equipped and furnished house comes an obligation to eat what and when they eat, hang out in the evenings, and keep them informed of where I am all the time.  Two more months and I will be free to find my own living arrangements!  Last Friday I was actually given a tour of an available house.  It is absolutely perfect despite the fact that it is a little far from the center of town.  It is a two bedroom, one bathroom home with a tiny kitchen and a living room.  The view from the bedrooms is amazing, looking over the city of Cuenca from high in the mountains.  I am also allowed to have dogs and there is space behind the house for a HORSE!  We’ll see what happens, but I’m definitely going to keep that one in mind…   As far as work goes, I have been keeping very busy.  Right now, my days are spent hanging out at 7 of the local schools getting to know the kids, parents, and teachers, and anyone else who hangs out in or around the schools.   Classes here only last from 7:30 am until 12:30 pm and students are served government issued breakfast and lunch and, of course, a bit of time to work on your soccer skills.  Each school has their own idea for how to utilize my presence for the next two years.  One would like to build a greenhouse and experiment in planting new and different crops (i.e. peppers, broccoli, and asparagus) and then learn how to prepare dishes with those foods.  Another would like to introduce their students to computers.  Another wants to utilize my special education background and improve their methods of teaching and evaluation.  Other schools would like me to teach English classes to give their students an advantage when they begin high school.  The schools are all very different, as you can probably tell just by what they are asking of me as a volunteer.  Some are very small and rural, where there are three grade levels learning from the same teacher in the same room and not so much as a telephone in the office.  Others are somewhat more advanced and looking to improve by offering computers or English to their curriculum.  And only one is at the level where special education is even acknowledged.    As if that was not enough to handle… I am also working with a small group of women who are interested in starting a small business.  We had our first meeting the other night and for some reason everyone thinks that I am an expert at business starting… here is how the meeting went,   Woman 1: “Half of us want the business to be chicken production and the other half want to make soap and shampoo… is it possible to do both?” Me: “I think it is better to start with one project.” Woman 1: “But is it possible?” Me: “physically or financially?” Woman 1: “How much money will Peace Corps give us?” Me: “Peace Corps doesn’t give money.” Woman 1: “How are we going to start a project?” Me: “That’s why I think it’s better to start with just one.” Woman 2: “How many people make a good group?” Me: “I don’t understand…” Woman 2: “There are others who want to join, how many people should we have to make a good group?” Me: “I can’t really answer that, 5 people that agree and have the same goals is better than 20 people who don’t.” Woman 1: “So chickens or soap?” Half the women: “chickens” Half the women: “soap” Woman 3: “What other projects can we do?” Me: “I don’t know, candies, spices, dried meats, recycled paper, honeybees, crafts… “ Woman 3: “What do you know about incubating chicken eggs?” Me: “Nothing! But I’ll do some research on it if you guys are interested.” Woman 1: “Ok, next week Kelly will bring us a list of possible projects and we will pick one”   I have since done some research on chicken egg incubation and it looks really cool and surprisingly not too difficult!  I will let you know how our meeting next week goes and what we decide on, but I think that even if the group chooses soaps, I am going to give incubation a try on my own for the fun of it!   Well, I think I’m all caught up with you guys for now… miss you tons!   PS.  I have a new mailing address here in Cuenca so put something in the mail for me, but try to keep packages under 5 pounds and DO NOT declare a value  J   Kelly Balmert, PCV Cuerpo De Paz Casilla 01-01-1942 Cuenca-Azuay, Ecuador