Freezing on the Equator

Sorry it has again been so long since I blogged, but a lot has been going on here. During the beginning of August I went to the jungle on a medical brigade, then I went to a workshop in Quito, had medical exams, and have been planning for the new year.

The jungle was a very incredible experience. I stayed in a town called Misahualli, about 45 minutes outside of the big city of Tena and 5 hours from Ambato. I met up with the Timmy brigade, which consisted of 4 medical providers (2 doctors, a physician’s assistant and a nurse), 4 pharmacists, several nursing students and technicians, three college students and translators. The brigade went out into different communities each day and provided a full day of medical care, treating up to 150 patients each day. The patients went through triage, saw the medical provider, then received their medications from the travelling pharmacy. After a full day of work, we then went back to the headquarters in Misahualli to enter patient data into the new computer system and count pills/restock the pharmacies for the following day. It was a lot of work, but also very fun and rewarding. A lot of people were treated and helped in short amount of time and I met a lot of neat people on the brigade. It was also fun going into the jungle for the first time and seeing some of the indigenous culture in the jungle.

The trip was a lot of work, but also some touristy fun. We got to ride a canoe down the river to an animal rescue center, eat traditional meals, and enjoy the warm climate of the jungle. I at a fried grub for the first (and maybe last…) time! I also stayed with the group for the last two days as they went to Otavalo and Quito. It was fun to be with them, I helped with the shopping in Otavalo, and we went on a really neat tour in the historic center of Quito where I learned a lot more about the churches and buildings I have seen but never known much about. The Timmy brigades come every 2 months, so I’m hoping I can fit a few more in during my service!

After the Timmy brigade I came home for 2 days, had a Cora pregnancy scare, then left for the Brigadas Verdes workshop at the training center in Tumbaco. The good news is I don’t think Cora is pregnant. The spaying wasn’t a complete success as she still went into heat, but successful enough as a method of birth control.

The Brigadas Verdes was a workshop to help us design youth groups specifically geared towards environmental protection and awareness. Some of the sessions were focused on engaging youth while the majority were focused on environmental issues in Ecuador and how we can help decrease the carbon footprint here. We learned a lot about water conservation, forest conservation, and recycling. The last day we spent learning different recycled crafts that my kids will be excited to continue with this coming year. It was a really well presented workshop and I think all 13 of use there left feeling a little more inspired with some things we can do back in our communities.

Some of stayed after the workshop and spent a little time in Quito, which is always fun. From there I went home for a few days and then right back to Quito for my 1-year medical exam. Other than some asymptomatic amoebas, I have stayed healthy all year! We did our medical exams in groups, so I got to hang out with the other 5 in my group who I haven’t seen in a long time. Seeing them made me really excited for our mid-service conference coming up next week where all 53 remaining people in my omnibus will get together for a week in the training center for some more in-service training, debriefing, refocusing, etc. It will be interesting and wonderful to see everyone! I haven’t seen some of the people who live far away since our reconnect last November, so it should be fun.

The volcano, Tungurahua, was very active for a week last month. Tungurahua is the volcano nearest me, very visible on clear days. I am in no danger when it is active, no ash came my way this time, and it was absolutely gorgeous. Some of the days were very clear except for the plume of smoke billowing out of the volcano, and a few of the nights we could clearly see the lava spewing out the volcano from the roof of the house. It was a bit eerie during the height of the activity because there was constant rumbling, like claps of thunder but on perfectly clear days. Some of the eruptions were so strong that they rattled the windows, even from this far away! It has calmed down now, but it added a little excitement for a while.

Since the volcano erupted, it has been bitter, bitter cold here. We had one absolutely gorgeous day on a Friday two weeks ago, the most beautiful day I have had yet here in Chibuleo. That afternoon the clouds moved in with rain and have been here ever since. The sun has been out for about 2 hours during one morning in the last 10 days. It is an almost constant drizzle, freezing wind, and just plain cold! I am back to the multiple socks, two pairs of pants, and 5 thick layers on top, plus the hat, scarf, etc, and even then I am freezing. It has been good practice for my baking since it is so cold in the foundation. I have made something every day so that we have an excuse to turn on the oven and heat up the kitchen a little more, where we all huddle during the days. Even the natives here are talking about how cold it is, especially for this time of the year, and are blaming it on the volcano. Whatever the cause, I just hope it passes SOON! Another reason I’m excited for mid-service: thaw out in the valley for a week.

Tomorrow is the parent meeting for the beginning of the year, then Wednesday the kids come back! It has been a nice enough break, but I am more than ready to have them back and have more things to do with my days. I have been spending my time planning and am excited for the things I am going to do with my different groups, especially my garden group, dance group, cooking group and environmental group! I am also waiting for things to get going to see if I can work a little more with the group in the high school, but still need to plan that with my counterpart and the director of the high school. If that doesn’t work out, I’m going to try to start a youth group with the jovenes in my community, hopefully using the foundation, but inviting all of the older youth who don’t regularly come to the foundation.

On Thursday a few Peace Corps official are coming for a visit to see the work I am doing in Chibuleo, including one woman coming from DC, so hopefully everything goes well! From there I leave Saturday to meet up with people for mid-service, then come back for a few normal weeks of work before Darcy and my parents come! The visits are coming up soon now and I couldn’t be more excited!

I am still playing soccer with my host sister, Amparo, and Sunday’s are a great family soccer day. Playing is a lot of fun and I really, really enjoy all the women on the team. The host family is still fantastic and I love living with them. Dalila is growing quickly (now 2 years old) and talking a lot more. Soon there will be another little baby with one of the brothers who lives in the community over, so hopefully he will visit frequently too! Darcy is planning to spend 10 days with me in Chibuleo, so I am really excited for her to know the family here, them to know her, and have her do some fun things with the kids at the foundation. My parents are also coming to visit for a few days, which everyone is really excited for! They have never had PC family visit here before, so everyone is looking forward to it, me included!

Those are the updates for now. I have some pictures that I will try to post as soon as I get fast enough internet for that. I hope everyone is doing well at home – I miss you all!

Un abrazo,

Kerry

Beaches and Ballenas!

I just got home from an incredible beach vacation in Puerto Lopez with Shannon and my host sister Pauli! Even though it took us 16 hours to get there, 12 to get back, and we were only there for 2 days total, it was well worth it! We spent Sunday out on a boat whale watching, going to Isla de la Plata, and snorkeling, then relaxed on the beach all day Monday, happy to be out of the cold! The whales were unbelievable. On the way to the island we saw a pod of 8-10 adult humpback whales (ballenas) VERY close to the boat. The guides told us they were all males following and courting one female, which made it exciting for us because we saw several of them breach, and lots of tails poking out of the water. At one point the whales swam under the boat and came up right alongside us! Even the guides were excited about it, so I think we got very lucky! On the island, Isla de la Plata, we got to see many blue footed boobies, enjoy the strange mating dances, and hear their funny calls all along the hike. We also saw hundreds of frigit birds (fargatas) in a favorite mating site on the island, with the males throats all puffed and red to attract the females. From there we went snorkeling off the island where we got to see a little bit of coral a few neat, big, colorful fish! The way back was even more exciting when we came across a momma and baby whale. The guides said the baby was very young and he was just loving life. He leapt from the water every few minutes, which was quite the site right near the boat!

We spent almost the entire day on the beach Monday, which I’m regretting with the sunburn now, but was quite wonderful. There were 6 other volunteers there, so we hung out with them a lot, which was nice because I hadn’t seen them since November. I also got to see Kirsten, a good friend of Kathleen’s from Baltimore who I met a few times at CC. She was visiting Ecuador with a tour, so we hung out with her group a bit.  Eating lunch on Monday, I ran into an old friend who I grew up with and haven’t seen in about 5 years, so it was funny to randomly run into her on a beach in Ecuador!

We decided to take a night bus home on Monday instead of losing another 16 hours of travelling during the day, so we left Puerto Lopez at 7pm and got into Shannon’s site at Tisaleo at 7am. We spent the morning resting in Tisaleo, then went into Ambato to get our nails done, do some shopping, and enjoy our last day of vacation!

I went to work at the foundation today where I made apple cobbler with the kids, which was a huge hit! The baking group has been the most successful part of summer classes because the kids all love it, and they enjoy having a little dessert after lunch! We have made cookies, carrot cake, tres leches cake, and now cobbler. Hopefully I will be able to continue with the baking group once regular classes begin again in September, although it’s harder when the kids have homework that they have to get done. Tomorrow I am only going to the foundation to check in for a few minutes before I leave to catch a bus to the Amazon. I am going to meet up with the medical brigade in Misahualli tomorrow night and begin working with them Friday, which I’m looking forward to. It should be a great experience!

Tomorrow is the last day of classes, then the foundation closes for the rest of August so they can do some repairs and have a little time off before regular classes begin again in September. I can’t believe how quickly time is flying – we are just 2 weeks away from completing one year of service, which means there is only 1 year to go! I’m looking forward to our mid-service conference in September to see everyone again, then in October my parents are coming for another visit!

I am keeping busy with extra activities since things have been slower at the foundation, but things are always hectic there. Last week we took 36 kids on a trip to Chambo, just outside of Riobamba, to do an exchange with another KNH foundation in the area. It was a sports day, so we had a young boys’ team, a girls’ team, and a teenage boys’ team. There was of course of election of the sports princess, and then my group presented the traditional dance. All of the bosses from the KNH office in Riobamba were there and loved the dance, so that was good and my counterpart was happy. All of this happened before lunch, and after lunch all the kids went swimming (because we were at a little ranch). I was elected to go into the pool to help with the kids since neither they nor the adults know how to swim. Luckily it all ended well and it was a lot of fun just hanging out with the kids!

I’m still working on my embroidery, so hopefully next time we have to present the dance, I will be wearing my own blouse! We’ll see…might not get it done that quickly.

Cora is doing well – someone commented on how fat she was the other day, but she is really just well fed, unlike many of the dogs here. Her ego was only a little bit hurt. She and Precioso are still best buds, and I’m so happy to have a family that doesn’t mind taking care of her for me when I’m gone. It is so much less stressful leaving when I know that she is in good hands, getting fed, and playing freely all day!

Those are the updates for now! Things are going very, very well and I will have more updates about the jungle in the next few weeks. I hope everyone at home is doing well – I miss you all!

Un abrazo,

Kerry

Busy days in Chibuleo

I have once again been bad about posting a blog, but I think it is a good sign that I don’t have that much time to write since moving to Chibuleo.

It has been a rollercoaster ride for me here, so I can’t imagine how everyone is feeling back home in CO. All I got about the Waldo Canyon fire were Facebook posts and photo updates of the beautiful landscape of the only home I have known being completely destroyed. I am happy to hear that it is 100% contained now, but my heart goes at to all of you affected by the fire.

Just a few days after the worst of the fire, I got news from home that a dear, dear friend of mine passed away while working in Mexico City. Mando was a great friend all through middle school and high school, an outgoing, funny, friendly, brilliant person who will be missed by all those who knew him, all over the world. It is hard to be away from home during such times, but I have had to keep going with life here, and I have seen just what an amazing support group I have, both with my Peace Corps friends, my family here in Chibuleo, and all my family and friends back home.

We have started our “cursos vacacionales” at KNH, which are like summer classes for the kids now that they’re out of school. This is our first week and it is definitely what I expected, but it is still going well. The kids come for classes and lunch from 9am-2pm each day, and I find myself much more exhausted after these days than normal days when I work 9am-5pm! I think it is because they kids don’t have homework, so they are there and expected activities all the time, so it is a full day of spending time with the kids. While it is tiring, it is also a LOT of fun! My summer courses include health, cooking, art, dance, environment, garden, and theater classes. The others are each doing a class or two each, but the majority of the work is mine. It is frustrating at times, but it’s also great because I love working with the kids. There are only a few kids during the summer classes (about 15 come each day), so it is a good group to work with.

There is a girl working at the foundation with me, Vivi, who is a college student doing her thesis/practicals at KNH for a few months. She is 21, from Ambato, interested in public health, and a lot of fun to hang out with! I spent last weekend with her and her family in Ambato because there was a baby shower for her sister, so I helped decorate for it. As a typical Ecua party, the baby shower lasted for about 6 hours, but it was fun and I got to meet a lot of Vivi’s friends. We went out dancing in Ambato, so I got to meet more of her friends and she got to meet my PC friends from the area, so it was a nice little exchange and everyone had a great time. I am realizing how nice it is to know more Ecuadorians, spend more time with them, learn more about different families and cultures, and actually improve my Spanish! Funny how your Spanish gets better when you spend your days talking with people…

I made it home on Sunday in time for the second half of our soccer game (since they called me to see if I was playing 5 minutes before the game started…). I think we are almost out for the season, but it has been a lot of fun and another good way to meet more people. It is also nice to get out and exercise some, especially when the weather is nice! After the game we went back to Chibuleo in time for the end of the fiestas. I am not a fan of the campo fiestas because they are usually the same: the men (and in this case the women too) get way too drunk, they all want to dance with the gringa, the music never ends and it is COLD! I went out for a bit and only had to dance with a few guys, but decided I had enough when I got followed into my house by a drunken man when I went for dinner and my host mom had to chase him out. At least I know they are all looking out for me!

Cora made herself scarce during the fiestas because she is afraid of the fireworks. She is doing well, but I came to the frustrating realization that her spaying was not as successful as I hoped because she went into heat. She is now, however, a true Ecua dog because she is living on the roof for a bit so the perros don’t bother her to death. I’m working on getting things figured out for her, but all in all she is doing well and still cute as can be!

I got my vacation days approved, so I’m headed to the beach with Shannon and Katrina at the end of the month to do some whale watching! I am super excited, and also looking forward to being out of the cold for a few days. I am also looking into the possibility of helping with a medical brigade of American doctors in early August, so hopefully I will know more in the next few days. There are no classes at the foundation in August, but if everything works out then I will be in different projects and workshops for almost the whole month, which should be good!

The rest of my time I am passing in the house with the family or with Shannon. I have started embroidering and the two indigenous women I work with are so excited to be teaching me how to embroider the traditional blouses here in Chibuleo. I am making some progress, so hopefully in a few months I’ll have the collar embroidered and be ready to make my blouse – then I will have my own blouse for the dances!

That’s about it for now. Overall, things are going really well here in Chibuleo, but I am sending all my thoughts and love to everyone at home. I miss you!

Xoxo,

Kerry

Summer in Chibuleo

It has once again been too long since I’ve written, but I think it is a good sign that I don’t have that much time to write since moving to Chibuleo.

It has been a rollercoaster ride for me here, so I can’t imagine how everyone is feeling back home in CO. All I got about the Waldo Canyon fire were Facebook posts and photo updates of the beautiful landscape of the only home I have known being completely destroyed. I am happy to hear that it is 100% contained now, but my heart goes at to all of you affected by the fire.

Just a few days after the worst of the fire, I got news from home that a dear, dear friend of mine passed away while working in Mexico City. Mando was a great friend all through middle school and high school, an outgoing, funny, friendly, brilliant person who will be missed by all those who knew him, all over the world. It is hard to be away from home during such times, but I have had to keep going with life here, and I have seen just what an amazing support group I have, both with my Peace Corps friends, my family here in Chibuleo, and all my family and friends back home.

We have started our “cursos vacacionales” at KNH, which are like summer classes for the kids now that they’re out of school. This is our first week and it is definitely what I expected, but it is still going well. The kids come for classes and lunch from 9am-2pm each day, and I find myself much more exhausted after these days than normal days when I work 9am-5pm! I think it is because they kids don’t have homework, so they are there and expected activities all the time, so it is a full day of spending time with the kids. While it is tiring, it is also a LOT of fun! My summer courses include health, cooking, art, dance, environment, garden, and theater classes. The others are each doing a class or two each, but the majority of the work is mine. It is frustrating at times, but it’s also great because I love working with the kids. There are only a few kids during the summer classes (about 15 come each day), so it is a good group to work with.

There is a girl working at the foundation with me, Vivi, who is a college student doing her thesis/practicals at KNH for a few months. She is 21, from Ambato, interested in public health, and a lot of fun to hang out with! I spent last weekend with her and her family in Ambato because there was a baby shower for her sister, so I helped decorate for it. As a typical Ecua party, the baby shower lasted for about 6 hours, but it was fun and I got to meet a lot of Vivi’s friends. We went out dancing in Ambato, so I got to meet more of her friends and she got to meet my PC friends from the area, so it was a nice little exchange and everyone had a great time. I am realizing how nice it is to know more Ecuadorians, spend more time with them, learn more about different families and cultures, and actually improve my Spanish! Funny how your Spanish gets better when you spend your days talking with people…

I made it home on Sunday in time for the second half of our soccer game (since they called me to see if I was playing 5 minutes before the game started…). I think we are almost out for the season, but it has been a lot of fun and another good way to meet more people. It is also nice to get out and exercise some, especially when the weather is nice! After the game we went back to Chibuleo in time for the end of the fiestas. I am not a fan of the campo fiestas because they are usually the same: the men (and in this case the women too) get way too drunk, they all want to dance with the gringa, the music never ends and it is COLD! I went out for a bit and only had to dance with a few guys, but decided I had enough when I got followed into my house by a drunken man when I went for dinner and my host mom had to chase him out. At least I know they are all looking out for me!

Cora made herself scarce during the fiestas because she is afraid of the fireworks. She is doing well, but I came to the frustrating realization that her spaying was not as successful as I hoped because she went into heat. She is now, however, a true Ecua dog because she is living on the roof for a bit so the perros don’t bother her to death. I’m working on getting things figured out for her, but all in all she is doing well and still cute as can be!

I got my vacation days approved, so I’m headed to the beach with Shannon and Katrina at the end of the month to do some whale watching! I am super excited, and also looking forward to being out of the cold for a few days. I am also looking into the possibility of helping with a medical brigade of American doctors in early August, so hopefully I will know more in the next few days. There are no classes at the foundation in August, but if everything works out then I will be in different projects and workshops for almost the whole month, which should be good!

The rest of my time I am passing in the house with the family or with Shannon. I have started embroidering and the two indigenous women I work with are so excited to be teaching me how to embroider the traditional blouses here in Chibuleo. I am making some progress, so hopefully in a few months I’ll have the collar embroidered and be ready to make my blouse – then I will have my own blouse for the dances!

That’s about it for now. Overall, things are going really well here in Chibuleo, but I am sending all my thoughts and love to everyone at home. I miss you!

Xoxo,

Kerry

The Good, the Bad, and the Unforgettable: One Year in Ecuador

I still can’t believe that a full year has passed here in Ecuador. In some ways it feels like we just arrived, but at the same time things are so much more comfortable that we could have been here for years. The trainees for the new health group visited my site today, which really made it sink in that we are no longer the new, scared, unsure volunteers. While there is still much to learn, a lot has already been learned and we are now the confident, integrated, working volunteers who Peace Corps turns to for teaching the newbies.

Not everything has been easy going, fun, or enjoyable during the year, but I am happy to say that I am still here and feeling great about things. I reached some of the lowest points in my life with the loneliness, insecurity and humility, but I have learned a lot about myself and others through these times. Some of the “worst” times during my first year:

Living in Zhoray, the electricity went out for the second or third time that week, but this time everyone was saying that there were major issues with the electrical lines and the electricity wouldn’t be restored for a few weeks. When there are 12 hours of darkness a day, this is a daunting thought. With that in my head, I went up to bed early only to find that the roof had leaked a lot of thick, nasty brown liquid directly onto my bed. The difficulty of washing sheets on the stone and knowing my newly clean sheets were dirtied again was also daunting.  I remember talking to my parents, upset by all of this, just to get off the phone for the lights to come back on… 

I know there were coral snakes in the area where I lived, but I was lucky enough to never come across one myself. One Monday while I was giving classes in the school, there was a large commotion and the kids were extra hyper when I walked into the 4^th grade classroom. I asked them what was happening and they couldn’t be more excited to tell me that Nayeli had spotted the coral snake under Erika’s desk. Since Nayeli spotted it, she got to keep it. Luckily for me it all happened just minutes before I got in there, so the (baby) coral snake was captured and being passed around in a coke bottle for everyone to look at.

Just a few days after having to move out of my host family’s house in Zhoray, Cora escaped from the Subcentro and ran away. I was already feeling really badly about how things were going in the community and with the move, Cora was about the only friend I had left, so I went everywhere I could to look for her. Everyone told me not to worry and that she would come back, but after several different threats of different people stealing her, I wasn’t reassured. It of course all worked out, Cora had just been confused and not understood that we had moved out of the house because she went running right back to the terrace that she knew.

Katrina visited me in my site in Zhoray, so my host family made a special meal of guatita for us: intestines. It is a specialty for them, and a horror for us gringos. Katrina, having been vegetarian before coming to Ecuador, couldn’t bring herself to eat it. Knowing how offended and weird the family got around food and how accustomed I had gotten to choking anything down (cow udder, pig liver, stomach and intestines being some of the more interesting), Katrina shoveled a little onto my plate each time the family wasn’t watching. Peace Corps Volunteers have a special bond and we have all learned to suffer for each other and take one for the team. Hopefully that will never again include intestines for me.

Those are a few of the bad experiences I had during the first year, but in retrospect, none of them ended too poorly and it could have been much worse. Sure, there were some low points, but there were many, many more positive aspects. Some of the best parts of my first year:

Cora. My family at home, my Peace Corps friends and I were all a little unsure at first whether it would be a good idea to get a dog with all the added responsibility, but it quickly became clear that getting Cora was one of the best decisions I made in Zhoray. There were so many times where I had nobody to talk to, nobody to spend time with, and no way of contacting anyone outside of the community that Cora gave me company and love, for which I am forever grateful. I guess it was a pretty good tradeoff: I saved her from getting poisoned and she saved me emotionally, so it was a great friendship from the start. She is no longer my “little” Corita, but she is still cute as can be, absolutely loving her freedom and friends here in Chibuleo.

Peace Corps friends have been an incredible part of the past year and I have definitely formed friendships that will last a lifetime. There are so many things that happen in daily life here that are hard to explain and even harder to understand when you are not experiencing them, but all of the PCVs here understand and we can talk and laugh about them all the time. They are a much needed support system, good escape, and just an all-around great time. I am even luckier now that I am living near Shannon and Orrin, two of my best friends here, because I get to see them a lot and we always have a wonderful time together.

Nayeli, my little host sister in Zhoray, was one of the cutest, sweetest people I have met in Ecuador and a good friend who I will never forget. One of the best moments so far in my service was chatting with her. I had moved into the subcentro and she still came to visit whenever she could and spent as much time with me there as she was allowed to. One day we were sitting in the kitchen and she was sitting across from me talking when she suddenly got very serious. I asked her what was wrong and she told me, “I don’t know what to do. I always thought I wanted to be a police officer, but now I think I want to be a volunteer.” It is these moments when I understand why I am here.

Chibuleo is one of the best overall parts of the year. Now having been here for 3 months, I still love the community, the work, and my host family. The trainees who came today were all in awe of what an incredible life I have here and just kept saying that they hope they end up in a community like mine. It helped that they were here on the sunniest, warmest day I’ve had here yet in Chibuleo, but I’d agree that I’m pretty lucky. I am getting to know more of the kids at the foundation and working on more and more projects with them. Even though I still confuse the 4 Johnathan’s and the 3 Doris’, I am getting better and we typically work really well together. I am excited for summer classes when they come for full days because we will be able to do even more involved activities without the rush to finish so they can get to their homework. I am still spending a lot of time with the host family, whether it is at the foundation, at home, or at the soccer fields all day Sunday. They are wonderful, generous, caring people and I couldn’t be with a better family. One of the trainees asked me today if I was going to move out and I caught myself laughing because the thought had never even crossed my mind! Aside from all the people and projects being wonderful, Chibuleo is also just gorgeous. I am surrounded by famous and beautiful mountains and volcanoes and I get the chance to walk around and enjoy the beauty a lot, especially on the sunny days.

All of these are the reasons why I love the Peace Corps and my life here in Ecuador. Each day is a new experience and I am constantly learning new things about myself and others. I have grown a lot in the past year and have changed some of my approaches to life, daily activities, and interacting with others. I have learned to be even more patient because things never go right the first time here and plans constantly change at the last minute. With the patience, I have also learned to be much more tranquila and flexible with things. It’s not the end of the world if I miss a bus, if someone walks into a meeting an hour late (hey, at least they showed up!), if there’s no water or electricity, if the forms take an extra day (or month) to get signed and approved, etc. It is a different pace of life and I have learned to accept that. I have become much more confident in myself, especially gaining confidence to ask questions or ask for help without feeling embarrassed or shy. With that, I have learned that people are generally really good hearted and eager to help however they can. I have also become braver with trying new things, including new foods, activities, and talking to new people, but also braver with saying no to things and standing up for what I believe, value, and shouldn’t compromise.  Most importantly, as Peace Corps promised us during training, I have learned to laugh and not take things too seriously. My problems are really not that bad compared to things that other people have to face daily all over the world. Life is too short to take so seriously, so even when I make silly mistakes or do something humiliating (things that occur frequently when living in a different culture with a different language), it is so much easier to laugh than to get upset. Usually everyone else is laughing at me, so may as well join in, right?

So those are some of the good and bad parts of my first year in Ecuador, and a lot of what I have learned. Now, just a few more of the more unforgettable moments J

When my parents came to visit in Zhoray, Zoila picked us up in Azogues so that we didn’t have to bring all of the luggage and Cora on the bus. Cora had been at the vet for a few days while I was on vacation and I don’t think they fed her enough because she was starving when I got her, so I gave her food before we left. We were about 15 minutes from Zhoray when Cora got carsick in the front with me and vomited into her bowl. That was funny enough for us, that of course she got sick right before we got there, but then Zoila pulled over, opened her door, and got sick herself. Thanks Cora, for that little chain reaction. And Mom and Dad, for doing your best to stifle the laughter from the back seat.

A bunch of us got together in Guaranda for Thanksgiving last year, our first big holiday away from family. Rebecca and I both got to Guaranda the night before and we were hungry after both having had a long day of travel. Tom, who was hosting everyone in Guaranda, took us to the only place open at 10pm on a Wednesday night and we got hamburgers from a street stand. Just looking at them we knew it was a bad idea, but we ate a little bit anyways because we were hungry. I only got through about half of mine before throwing it away, too weirded out by the grey color and odd taste. About half an hour later we were sitting in Tom’s room waiting for him to shower when I looked at Rebecca and told her I thought I was going to be sick. She looked at me and said she was also sick, so we grabbed bags and just sat next to each other vomiting on the bed between bouts of hysterical laughter, knowing we had brought it upon ourselves and that only in Peace Corps would you find two people laughing in such a situation. That night was the sickest I have been in Ecuador – lesson learned.

In Spanish, the verb for being bored is aburrarse. I was working with the two educators at the foundation in Chibuleo and with some of the kids on the mother’s day presents when one of the girls turned to Martha and said that she was bored. Martha was concentrated on the box she was making and told the girl “no se aburra,” which is “don’t be bored.” Well, I understood it as being “no sea burra,” pronounced the exact same way, but means “don’t be a donkey.” I was smiling and trying hard not to laugh when Maria Eugenia looked at me and burst into laughter. Martha finally caught on too, not even realizing what she had said, but the funniest part for both of them was that the gringa had caught it first. There was hysterical laughter for several minutes while the kids all just looked stunned, and the educators continued talking and laughing about it for the rest of the week.

Just last week, Shannon and I were walking around the center of Ambato before dinner. We were on one of the main, busy streets when all of a sudden we look up and there is a man seemingly practicing with sled dogs. The man was on a make shift bike/sled with a team of what appeared to be huskies and random other roof dogs. There was another man running in front of the lead dog, so moving faster than the team of dogs. Nobody else in the streets seemed to pay any attention to them at all, except for the drivers who only cared because they were mad that traffic was being held up! There is always something to see here….

There are so many other unforgettable moments and I will continue to throw them in as I remember them (since I have been bad about journaling and actually not done so in about 9 months…). Overall, the entire year has been unforgettable and I am proud of the remaining 58 volunteers from OMN 106 – I can’t wait to see what new adventures our next year will bring!

Un abrazo,

Kerry

I am back in Ecuador now, but had a great visit to the US in May! I got home on a Tuesday in time to surprise all my friends at CC for their champagne celebration after the last class of their CC career, which was amazing. While it was hard to keep the visit a secret from them, it was well worth it when I saw the looks on their faces that day on the quad! It was so wonderful to see all them and be there during their important graduation while they have been there for me so much during the past year.

After hanging out with them all of Wednesday, I went up to Denver on Thursday to see Liam, Jamie and the pets! It was so wonderful to have some time just hanging out with them because I haven’t seen them in a year either. I spent the night in Denver with them, then my parents came up to Denver on Friday evening where we went to the Rockies game with the family and good friends Colleen and Brad. It was beautiful, WARM weather, and it felt so at home to be at a Rockies game on a summer night with such important people in my life.

I spent most of Saturday with my parents and doing some of the shopping I needed to do on the visit. Saturday night was the big senior dance at the Antlers, so I went with all the CC girls and their families, which was a lot of fun. We danced the night away and just enjoyed being with each other. I spent most of my time with all my best friends, but there were so many people to see that it was fun to just bounce around and say hi to everyone, catching up with as many people as possible in a short amount of time!

On Sunday we had a BBQ at the house with the extended family. It was the first time I got to see my grandparents, and the only visit I had with my uncle and his family, so it was really nice to see them. I still could not get over how wonderful the weather is in CO and we were able to sit outside in the sunlight until after 6 at night! It was nice to catch up with everyone and hear everything they’ve been doing. It was a crazy time for everyone with all the graduations, birthdays, etc, so I’m just glad we were able to find a time to see all of the family!

Monday was the big graduation at CC, so I went and watched all my friends actually walk. It was great to see them all afterwards and I said goodbye to all of their families who were there. On Monday it sank in that I didn’t really have that much more time in CO, so I went and ran a bunch more errands before Mary came over for a wonderful visit. I caught up with her for a (not long enough) bit and then went for a walk with my mom to visit with Bev. It was such a whirlwind trip, but I happily got to see as many people as I could.

I spent Tuesday in Boulder shopping and hanging out with my mom and Jamie, then Wednesday shopping with my mom all day. I had lunch with my grandparents on Wednesday, which was nice to spend some time just with them. We were at Whole Foods when the Thunderbird show was happening for USAFA graduation, so we got a pretty good view of that too! On Wednesday night I went to dinner with all the girls to say goodbye to them, which was the most fun I had with them, but also bittersweet. I am not very good with goodbyes, but luckily I know that I will continue to talk to them all the time.

After a crazy 9 days in CO, I went to Boston with the family for the NCAA Lax Championships and to see all of the extended family from the East coast. It was a blast hanging out with all of the family, and I got to meet/see some little cousins who aren’t so little anymore! The time passed way too quickly, but it was a great mix of lacrosse, family, friends, warm weather, and the big city of Boston. We spent 5 days in the Boston area before I headed back to Ecuador.

The visit was way too short, but wonderful none the less. Being back in Ecuador now, it is strange to see how different my two lives are, yet how easily I can fall back into either. It made the goodbyes less difficult than they could have been knowing that I was coming “home” to Ecuador and a wonderful family and community who welcomes me and loves me like one of their own. The happy and excited look on my host mom’s face when I walked in the door after my trip said it all for me, and I am inexplicably lucky to have homes in CO and Ecuador, two of the more beautiful places in the world!

Un Abrazo,

Kerry

Where oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?

To Riobamba is the answer…Cora got spayed in Riobamba 2 weeks ago and is still there ¨recovering¨ (vacationing…) at my counterpart´s house. My counterpart and her husband were fantastic about helping with getting her spayed and really did all of it: they scheduled the appointment at the cheapest but most trusted vet they could find, they brought me and Cora from Chibuleo to Riobamba in their car, they took Cora to the actual operation while I was at a workshop, and when I got home she was sleeping on a sheet bandaged in pantyhose so she couldn´t get at the stitches, fully medicated and fed. They told me they want to keep her at the house where it is a cleaner and more controlled environment until the stitches are out, which is another week or two. I miss having her around, but I know she is in good hands with lots of company from their husky pup. All I hear is how well behaved she is, how much she likes it there, how much they like having her there, etc, so I ´m a little worried that they want to keep her now, but I know they´ll bring her back when she´s healthy. In the meantime, she is very missed here in Chibuleo with the kids asking daily where she is and when she´s coming back. Even the grandpa was asking me about her the other day, so I think he misses his snuggly little pal too. Peace Corps should consider contracting Cora to teach the trainees about community integration because she seems to be a rock star at it!

In other news, things are still going incredibly well here in Chibuleo! We are finishing up the final preparations for our Mother´s Day celebration on Friday where all of the mothers of the project will come for lunch with their kids, then we are doing some poetry reading, presenting our dance again, and giving them the gifts that we have been working hard on over the last few weeks. The gifts are little homemade boxes with a pair of earrings inside made from the paper beads I taught the kids to do. We made over 100 pairs of earrings in 1.5 weeks…whew, glad it´s done! I think they turned out well though, and the mothers will hopefully like them!

I am finished with my work at the high school for the school year, so all we have left to do is have a little ending party. The kids have been great and I had a lot of fun with it, so hopefully I will do more with them again next year. Since I´m done there, I am going to start going to the subcentro again in a few weeks and probably work there more in the mornings. Once the kids are out of school here, however, our schedule changes at the foundation. The kids will only come Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but they will be able to come at 10am onwards, so full days with them.

I just heard from Peace Corps and they want to bring the new group of trainees to my site during one of their tech trips, which I´m really excited about! They will be able to help us with tire gardens and practice giving charlas to the kids at the foundation. I will also be able to just meet the new health group and hopefully some of the people who will be moving to communities around Ambato and Riobamba!

That´s about it for now. I´m going on a little vacation next week to see some friends and am really excited to escape the cold of Chibuleo for a bit because it has been horrible lately! The combination of rain, fog, and falling ash from the erupting Tungurahua is not pretty. My computer is broken, which is why I haven´t blogged lately, but hopefully in the next few weeks that will be fixed. Until then, I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the sunshine and warm weather in the States!

Abrazos,

Kerry