3/31 Photo(s)- Farewell to Andy

This past Sunday we bid farewell to one of our fellow volunteers. Andy finished his 2 years of service in San Pedro de Vilcabamba- and what better way to end then to go to Jason's house to eat a delicious pork strudel (aka Jabba the Hutt because apparently the last time Jason made it, it exploded in the oven and looked like Jabba the Hutt). It was sad to say goodbye, I think in part because you don't know when the next time is that you will see that person. Such is how it goes with the Peace Corps- we all go our separate ways after our service, but with luck we will see each other someday!

Andy's last visit to Jason's retro apartment- these robots line the outside of his apartment!

The non-Jabba the Hutt

And mini cheesecakes!

I was trying to point at Andy (2nd from right)...but it looks like I am punching him

Last wave

Sad faces

3/30 Photo

An example of why I am not sure a building would withstand an earthquake here in Ecuador...this is a brand new structure being built here in town. In person, it literally looks like the cement blocks are going to come crashing down...and the floors don't appear to be even... and the stairs have absolutely no support. If and when it gets done, I will post an after shot. It'll end up looking pretty good on the outside, but knowing how the structure is on the inside...scary!

Get excited!

The internet is back up at our house!!! I am currently home on lunch break and then Adam and I are headed off to the orfanato to make oatmeal cookies with the kiddos.

As promised, mas fotos for your viewing pleasure (I figured I better get these up before the internet goes out again!). These are all photos from our hike that we took on Saturday. I don't know much about plants, so I can't really identify the different types that I took photos of. The trails are right around the corner from our house (about a 20 minute walk away) along the hillside. We took this hike with our friend Lori and her daughter on a slightly drizzly day.

The view of Loja down below

Photo A Day Disclaimer!! =D Ha!

Ah yes, so I have discovered that I need to put a disclaimer on the daily blog post and add ¨I will post daily when I have INTERNET access.¨ Because to all you avid readers, this weekend our internet went down. Epic Fail!! We believe it is because our fellow PCV Ethan Rinks was at our place- and it seems that anytime we have him over, our internet goes down. It is still down so I am at my office and decided to just let you all know.

Here is a picture for now, and when I have internet at home, I will post up many more photos just to make up for the weekend of down internet. =D



The above photo was taken on our weekend hike in the hills by our house. More photos later! Cross your fingers that our internet at home will be up and running again!

Origami, origami, origami...and some radio taiso!

So I have made a huge decision. *drumroll*... to keep all those readers out there (maybe just Jennifer and my family?) interested, I am going to attempt to start posting a photo each day. Because I certainly do have enough photos to post up on this blog of just everyday life in Ecuador. I am just lazy. But really, as one of the few lucky volunteers with internet in my apartment, I should be sharing a lot more than I am! So there you go. I am going to give this a try. And if I fail, I will say it was an early April Fools joke. And then edit this post... or maybe turn it into a photo every other day. Or week. Vamos a ver.

In other news, this week has been a fairly busy week for me, surprisingly. As Peace Corps volunteers, Adam and I have discovered that occasionally (or maybe more than occasionally), you will have a lot of extra time on your hands. This week, though, Eri and I had been scheduled to do origami/arts/crafts workshops with teachers. So for 4 full days, we worked with 3 groups of teachers from all over the province (2 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon)- in total, more than 125 teachers and hundred of sheets of paper! Some traveled as far as from 6 hours away!







It really was a good time. Eri did the leading up in the front of the classroom and I walked around the classroom helping teachers that missed a step or were confused by the instructions. We did have to explain on the first day that I was in fact NOT Japanese and could not speak Japanese, but rather, I was a volunteer from the USA and only spoke English and my broken Spanish. We made everything from samurai helmets, jumping frogs, birds, flowers, and, of course, the fun kusudama. Our colleagues from the Centro de Protección de Derechos came and talked a little bit about the work our office does, the Codigo de Niñez, and children's rights.







However, something that Eri and I didn't expect was the pomp and circumstance that concluded our 4 day workshop. I think if we had known this was a big deal, we would have been really nervous. Especially since we initially didn't have any details about the workshop, where it would be held, how many people were going to attend, and at what times. Literally on Monday I texted Eri just to see if she was going to be meeting us Tuesday at the office at 8:45 for the workshops with teachers that started at 9, and she texted me to say she thought it was 11, but that she would be there at 8:30 to talk to our colleagues about what was going on. Tuesday morning we learned it would be 3 groups for 4 days. And so it goes with planning in Ecuador, because apparently the two of us were the instructors of a 4 day seminar inservice in Cultura Estetica en el Area de Origami, organized by the Direccion Provincial de Educacion de Loja. Yikes!

But it worked out great, the teachers enjoyed the workshops, everyone received certificates during a ceremony, there was an exhibition of their works, we heard lots of speeches at the conclusion of the event, we had a closing snack of tamales and coffee, we have future events booked, and I learned lots of new vocabulary words (and discovered I have a LOOOONG way to go with my Spanish). And Eri and I received thank you gifts which came as a total surprise. Big props though to Eri, because really I just followed instructions and helped out, and it really was a lot of sharing about Japanese culture. And she led the Japanese exercise routine (see video below...the teachers loved it and Eri told me that probably all Japanese kids know this because they often start school with these exercises. Google "radio taiso") and was talked into giving a demo of her belly dancing skills!









In other random news-
-I made mini cheesecakes last night (turned out all right, minus a slight funny taste from the dairy products of Ecuador) and prepped a breakfast casserole for tomorrow morning.
-Discovered that Dijon Mustard doesn't exist in the Supermaxi here. I tried to help an Ecuadorian guy in the store who was confused by what the "mostaza dijon" was that his recipe called for and never bought salsa de soya either. He settled for regular mostaza in the end.
-Adam got stood up by Andres (one of his colleagues at CASMUL) again for a community bank meeting. He is starting to get frustrated about setting up meetings or scheduling activities, and then finding out it was either cancelled, or they changed the time, or they just plain forgot to pick him up AT the time that he is supposed to be meeting someone.
-It is currently raining. It pretty much rains almost every night, but in the day it may vary from sunny and hot to cool and cloudy. The weather is good in Loja. Can't complain!
-The animal on our roof is still alive and well, scurrying all about in the night. Andy (fellow PC vol) thinks it is rats. I feel like it could be something bigger, but I do have an active imagination.
-I heard cowbells this morning. =D Followed by very loud moos.

Giving Adam a good scare

So as many of you who have been following along with the blog know, early during training I was diagnosed by a dermatologist in Quito with having an allergy to mosquitoes. We didn't do a skin test, but based on my horrible breakout in hives after getting the mosquito bites during our cultural visit, he figured that was what it was. I was given cortisone shot, Zyrtec and some skin creams and was back to normal pretty quickly.

Thankfully we were sent to live in Loja (in the Andean mountains because I was not medically allowed to live in the coast or the oriente) where the mosquitoes are sparse. However, they do exist, and I have broken out into hives 3 times since we have moved here.

Currently, I am in one of those states- I have lovely hivey bumps all over my lower back, and one fatty one on my arm. It is incredibly uncomfortable and itchy. So this afternoon I decided that I would take an antihistamine to help with the reaction. Of course it knocked me out completely. I went to lay down for a nap, and when Adam tried to wake me up to go to the orphanage, he actually thought I might be dead because I didn't move at all or respond when he shook me. I gave him a good scare. Poor guy!

More updates/photos later. Just thought I would share that I am really really uncomfortably itchy. Waiting for a response from the PC doctor to see if I can pick up some Zyrtec at the pharmacy.

¡Feliz Día de la Mujer!

Today was International Women's Day! Cheers to all the women in our lives and the great accomplishments that have been made by women worldwide!

P.S. Funny story- apparently in Ecuador, people only say "¡Feliz Día de la Mujer!" to women...so when I said it to Juan Carlos and Oswaldo, they laughed at me (as if I had forgotten they were men). Now I understand why Efren, one of the lawyers in my office, looked at me strangely when I gave him a card with a chocolate on it.


Cookies I made for the kids at the orfanato- and Adam too, since he ate about a dozen of them!

I Heart Scrapbooking

This is for all those scrappers out there ;P Shout out to my sister Susan... I just recently made a mini album of our pre-Peace Corps road trip and liked the way it turned out given the limited supplies I had packed. I saw an ad in one of the old copies of Simple Scrapbooks that I packed with me (from 2oo7!) and used that idea. Unfortunately it is really thick because I couldn't choose just ONE picture from each stop we made- how could I choose between all the photos!


I made it with cream textured cardstock that I found in a paper store here in Loja (I was sooo excited to find out that they sold it here, even though it is one gigantic posterboard sheet and took a lot of crooked cuts to get the pages square), a small sheet of patterned paper I brought with me (I love the brand Crate Paper, gorgeous!), and some other colored sheets of textured cardstock that I brought from back home, as well as some ribbon that Susan sent me and travel stickers from KI memories.

Look at that beautiful texture on the paper! Yay for this new paper find! I bought hot pink, dark brown, and bright green sheets too (a little over $1 per sheet...kind of spendy in Ecuadorian standards, but imagine the cards I will be able to make!! Check your mailbox for a cute card coming your way! Lol.

I think that we might use the pages to decorate one of our blank white walls in our house around a map of the U.S. That way when we have non-Americans come visit, we can show them some of the beautiful places that exist in the US (Grand Canyon, Smoky Mountains, the Upper Peninsula...you know!). Perhaps it would be a great way to meet Peace Corps Goal 2- Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served. Many folks here think that the US is very small (like Elar, who often used to ask if we knew Newark or that one restaurant in Newark), or their perceptions of the US are from movies and t.v. shows (like The Hills, My Super Sweet 16, or action flicks like Rocky).

Since I do have some spare time on weekends and in the evening (before I was reading Harry Potter in Spanish), I have also been trying to learn about digital scrapbooking but am not so good at it...lots of Photoshop techniques to learn. Here are a few pages that I recently made using some free kits from 2Peas (Rhonna Farrer and Vinnie Pierce template). I still like using real tangible products better, but hey, I am in Ecuador in the Peace Corps so the fact that I am even able to continue this hobby is saying something!!

(one of the towns from training that we finally visited on our last week of training)

P.S. Today we are on the upswing! =D Walked around Loja, enjoyed the good weather, said hello to our Ecua-acquaintances at Zona CD, talked with Jennifer on Skype, and cooked up some fajitas for dinner with made from scratch tortillas. Delicious! Oh, and I think I am going to start putting up some recipes since I am starting to learn to make a lot of things, especially from scratch. =D

Getting back up on the roller coaster...

Warning- a lengthy stream of consciousness post ahead. No promises that it will make sense. It's late (I haven't been able to get to bed before 3am recently). I think I haven't adjusted back to the time zone yet.

(views from our Saturday hike in Loja...beautiful!)

Lately we've been having a number of ups and downs. I think part of it is coming back from our trip home and getting readjusted, and I think the other part is simply the Peace Corps lifestyle and facing the fact that we won't always be busy, productive, or having a blast (hmm, it kind of sounds like life in general huh?).

In regards to the Peace Corps lifestyle, it is a difficult thing to describe. It depends on the person, the community, the counterpart organization, and the country- but for many, our schedules are quite flexible and our work isn't always defined. And a common nemesis of many volunteers is having too much time- it sounds wonderful doesn't it? But really, it often gives volunteers too much time to think. So often volunteers are on a hunt for more projects, reading material, podcasts, dvds...anything to keep them from just sitting.

Clearly this is a stark contrast from our past life in the working world. For some, I think it is an easy adjustment- they like the added free time, the flexible schedule, the ambiguity. For others (ahem, Adam and I), we like to be busy and productive- and we like clarity (objectives, goals, how we are going to get there). And we also want to do work that we are knowledgeable and skilled in. Sometimes that just doesn't happen.

Although we both have work that we are doing, the work we do at times doesn't necessarily fit all of the above criteria. So we have been searching for additional opportunities that might get us more motivated, make us feel more productive, and keep us busy (and happy), in addition to the work we have already been doing. Which leads us to the ups and downs.

Up for Adam- He was able to have a few meetings with the Municipio person in charge of the trash management in Loja and took a trip out to the local landfill to see how the separation of trash (organic, plastic, glass, cardboard, and other trash) worked and to see how the composting and worm bins functioned. The guy is excited to have Adam work with him on improving the trash program in Loja. Adam has already begun working on a website to educate people on the separation of trash (a big problem) and has some ideas for ways to get people in Loja educated (so that they don't throw plastic cups into their organic bin).

Up for me- Eri and I have been organizing activities in various communities to teach kids origami and to talk a little bit about children's rights. She has gotten a few things set up to happen weekly so it puts a few more things on my schedule. Usually one of our colleagues from INFA CPD comes with us to do dynamicas like singing songs and talking about the work our office does (I still have no clue about the children's songs here in Ecuador!). I am so appreciative of having Eri there. I know when I go to the office I will at least have someone to talk to and brainstorm ideas with- and someone who will plan things with me. I have also been trying to get involved with the UTPL (one of the universities in town).

And the downs.

Down for Adam- The 2 meetings and the visit to the landfill has occurred over the past 2 weeks. So although it is very productive from a PC lifestyle point of view...it doesn't occupy a whole lot of Adam's time. And it is still unclear exactly what the guy at the Municipio would like Adam to do (we have brainstormed doing trainings of teachers so they can do activities in their classrooms about recycling, littering, and the trash program in the city, among other things). So these few meetings, along with his regularly scheduled computer classes and his work at the orphanage, still leave him with a lot of time.

Down for me- Eri is off to Mexico for 2 weeks. I have no desire to go to the office. There are all new colleagues there who still can't remember my name after 2 months (That girl...she is Asian. Possibly Japanese like Eri? Or maybe Korean? Probably Korean. You know, I think her name is Eri too. That is what I'll call her. What does she do here? I think she fixes viruses and computer problems. Hey! Eri! Venga! My internet is down!). It is incredibly awkward. And I haven't been able to get a meeting scheduled at the university because everyone is busy and I was gone at home for half of Feb. So I will also have a lot of time on my hands.

So how do we cope with our free time (the cause of our downs, can you believe that?)? There is an endless number of crafting, scrapping and baking blogs to read and I have encountered textured cardstock at the local paper store so I've been doing some scrapbooking. Plus we finally have a World Wise Schools match where the teacher is responding to us! So we just sent our first letters to the students and are devising other ways to share our experiences with them! I am throwing ideas to Adam about ways he can use his time- go for a run, hike up the beautiful hills around us, visit the print shops so he can give a budget estimate for an education campaign on trash, set up additional meetings, create a gameplan to hit up each of the 50+ barrios in town to educate people on separating their trash, etc.

I think the reason why free time leads to the so-called downs is that it gives us too much time to think "why did we quit our good jobs to come and do things that we aren't good at in a language that we can't speak well, would things be better if we were with counterparts that were more into us being here, are we being bad volunteers because we have this extra time, how come our Spanish isn't better after 8 months" etc. etc. You get the drift! And I think that we aren't alone in sometimes having these thoughts.

However, as many of you probably know...when you are in a slump, you are in a slump. There is nothing you can do but hope that it passes. And that next week will look up. Such is the rollercoaster that we ride. I am sure next week will be a great week for us (suddenly we will have community meetings to attend, home visits to go to, special events to plan, etc), and that before the end of March, we will have at least a few more ups and downs.

Ok, hope this wasn't too "down" of a post! With that, some photos from the past few weeks.

We made "Lunar New Year" lanterns with the kids at the orphanage

Me demonstrating how to cut the lantern (Adam is camera shy)

Driving in heavy fog to do home visits and a charla in Zambi (2.5 hours from Loja)

Kids in Zambi are so adorable! Especially with newspaper samurai hats!

Only 3 yrs old but he sure could follow directions!

Hooray for talking paper birds!

One thing not great in Zambi- red clay that sticks to your shoes!

Passing time in the office making origami mobiles

More arts & crafts at the orphanage- dragon masks!!

Happy Peace Corps Week!

Happy Peace Corps Week! This week Peace Corps celebrated its 49th Anniversary. For more information about Peace Corps, visit http://www.peacecorps.gov/.

Over the past week I have been thinking a lot about the differences between being a traveler versus a resident in another country. Adam and I enjoy traveling and love seeing new places, learning about new cultures, and visiting historical sites. There is something about the newness of a place- the unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells. We hadn't lived abroad before this experience (not even to study abroad) and I suppose we were thinking that living in another country might be like traveling- and in some ways it is (we learn new things every day about the culture here & we take on the traveler role when visiting other volunteers' sites) but there are definitely big distinctions between living and traveling- as I often witness when I see travelers passing through Loja with their big backpacks, cameras, and the excited "Wow this place is amazing and beautiful" look in their eyes.

I have been trying to look at things through a traveler's eye (it makes things more exciting and helps take away the frustrations at times!) and thought I would share the difference between the reactions of Traveler Emily and Living in Loja Emily! Enjoy (and don't worry, I do love living in Loja if it sounds like I don't! All my rants are said with endearment...most of the time anyway!!)

When visiting the Sunday Market
Traveler Emily- Whoa! Check out those weird looking fruits...what is that, I have never seen a fruit like that before?! Look at all this fresh produce. Hey and that guy is grinding fresh from the farm coffee beans! And people are negotiating, that is so cool! Hey Adam, maybe we should go try negotiate for some bananas!
Living in Loja Emily- Hmm, nope, don't want babaco today. Man, how come all the broccoli is wilted. I can never find decent broccoli at the Sunday market. And is nobody selling white onions this week?! Oh, there is that gross coffee that I should avoid. You know, I should just go to the Centro Comercial- I hate negotiating and they never give me yapa at the Sunday market. (*yapa is when they toss in a bonus, like an extra banana)

When visiting the Centro Comercial Fruit/Veggie Stands
Traveler Emily- This is awesome! Look at all the prices. Avocados are 4 for $1! A pound of tomatoes for $0.50! I wish we had a place this cheap in California! I would eat guacamole everyday! You can buy everything here! And check out the meat section! It's like a huge butcher warehouse!
Living in Loja Emily- What?! She is trying to sell avocados 4 for $1? Yeah right! I am going to that lady, she usually sells them for $0.20 each. And why are tomatoes $0.50 a lb. That is so expensive. They were literally $0.30 a lb last week! I'll come back when the prices are lower. And why in the world won't they sell me just one bulb of garlic. I don't need a whole pound! Oh! Oh! I can smell the rotting meat from the meat section over there. I gotta get out of here quick!

(our normal veggie lady's stand...on the very top the green/yellow fruit is babaco)

(just a small view of the Centro Comercial...no pix of the meat section this time. Couldn't handle the smell! Maybe next time!)

When Walking on the Sidewalks
Traveler Emily- Is that guy walking down the sidewalk with live chickens in his hands? Is he selling them? I need to get a picture of that. Where's my camera?
Living in Loja Emily- Seriously, why is this guy walking so slow and why is he walking in the MIDDLE of the sidewalk. Move to the side buddy, you and your chickens!

When Eating an Almuerzo
Traveler Emily- Wow, I can't believe this! Only $2.50 for soup, a main course, and a drink?! Oooh check out this soup. I think it has yucca in it. Let me take a picture of this. Wow, and check it out, the main course comes with fried bananas. That is pretty great. I need to take another picture of the food. Man, Ecuadorian food is so good!
Living in Loja Emily- Sure, I guess we can get almuerzo today, but not the expensive place that charges $2.50, we should go to the $1.75 place ($1.50 if we don't get soup). And no soup for me today- they only have the yucca one, gross. Man, what I wouldn't do for some Thai food right now!

The almuerzo Adam ate today for $1.50- pollo al jugo

The almuerzo I had today- pescado frito

When Walking into Supermaxi or Tia (since I always love going into grocery stores in other countries)
Traveler Emily- Hey check it out! Corn flakes with Spanish written on them! I am taking a picture. Ooh what's that? Hot sauce with maracuya- what is maracuya? And check out all these Asian sauces. Haha, this brand is called Oriental and has a cartoon of a guy with squinty eyes- that is so inappropriate! Another photo! Wow and an entire half aisle of tuna??
Living in Loja Emily- Ok, what is on my list. Corn flakes, boxed milk, bread, ground beef, and sugar. Check check, let's make this fast. Ok, and avoiding the sauce aisle with the nasty Oriental brand. I can't believe Kikkoman's soy sauce is $5 for a teeny tiny bottle. Good thing we brought back 2 quarts of that stuff.



About Hobbies
Traveler Emily- Look at all these craft shops! One after the other! They are selling yarn, ribbon, buttons. I could totally live here and scrapbook! And there is so much to take photos of! I love it!!
Living in Loja Emily- All these craft shops and none of them sell scrapbooking supplies. So sad. I need my sisters to mail me stuff. I am having scrapbooking withdrawals. I should've picked up knitting- I would have no problem doing that here. And I can't even bring out my camera because I don't want to look like a tourist or get robbed.

When We Hear the Lovely Sound of Roosters
Traveler Emily- This is great! We can hear roosters and we are in the middle of the city! So cool! I would never need an alarm clock if I lived here!
Living in Loja Emily- Stupid roosters! Whoever said they cockadoodle at sunrise is a big fat liar. They have no sense of time- midnight, 2 am, 3 am, 5 in the evening. Good thing I am used to it now and don't even hear them in the night! No more earplugs, finally immune!


Ok those are the anecdotes for today! =D I am going to keep trying to put my "traveler lens" on when I am moving too fast and not enjoying the little moments! I am glad I took my camera out today and took some photos of things that have just become normal, everyday life!

And not to worry, a post about what we've been up to will come soon, photos and all!