We aren´t in Kansas...I mean Puruhantag....anymore

After just a few days in Loja, it is clear that we aren´t in Puruhantag or Cayambe anymore. We went from living in an finca organica (organic farm) off of a dirt road to living in an apartment in the city of Loja. Although just outside of Loja are barrios and indigenous communities, our experience within Loja will be very different. We will start cooking our own meals soon (our new host mom got a tank of gas for the stove today) but we have already had shawarma twice, as well as pizza and lasagna. Below I have posted some other photos that I took in the Cayambe area, as well as a fun video of when we vaccinated the chanchos (pigs) that our host family owns.

Outside of Olmedo, where some of the trainees lived

Another view between La Chimba and Olmedo

Tiffany and Pacha riding in the back of Edwin´s truck

View of the museum commemorating Transito Amaguaña, an indigenous activist who passed away this year. The president came out to La Chimba while we were in training, but only those trainees that lived in that town were able to go

And now...the video...the squealing was out of this world!

Finally Volunteers

August 19, 2009

Adam and I were sworn in as volunteers...woo hoo! We are now in Loja and have already gone to our first set of charlas (mine on family communication, and Adam´s on how to be good parents). We haven´t really celebrated Adam´s birthday yet (it was yesterday) because we both got back from our agencies late. Maybe tonight! Until then, here are some pictures to enjoy!

Adam and I all dressed up!

We had to sit alpha order so I didn´t get to sit next to Adam...sad!

Adam sharing a joke with the Country Director and Ambassador

The five guys in our training group

The whole group that got sworn in

Prom photo! Haha. Adam and I with Joannah and Rob

Asians!

The four co-trainers, Nate, Ryan, Grace & Nick

Nancy and I

The two Texans in the group

Non-gringo gringos

Tall Rob with two of the language facilitators

Puruhantag!! Us with our two language facilitators, Fernanda and Pablo

Mary and I with the PC bandera (that means flag in Spanish!)

Adam and I with Nancy

And finally, the frantic ending with all of us getting ready to get on our buses to our site... with too much stuff!

And here is a video of the cultural performance that they had during our Swearing In Ceremony:

I would never do that in the U.S. but in Ecuador...

Adam and I finished our time in Puruhantag. We had our Family Appreciation Celebration (where Adam and I squeezed 100 lemons for lemonade, along with Tiffany and Tom!) over the weekend and it was a great way to end our time. On our last night, we had cake with the families in our community, and our host dad Edwin said some very nice words. We hope to visit them sometime in the next year when we are in the area. Our host dad said it wasn`t goodbye...just hasta luego. I think that sounds pretty good to us too.

We are now in Quito, where we are 2 days away from getting sworn in on August 19 at the Ambassador´s house as official volunteers. We are excited to get started as volunteers, and to start our lives in Loja. We are a bit nervous since it is a new stage in our lives and it has felt like life has been on hold for 2 months. Wish us luck as we begin connecting with our communities and figuring out what it is that we will be doing for the next 2 years.

Speaking of Loja, I have posted information about our new mailing address to the right. I know that it is expensive to mail things, including letters...but we would love to receive mail if you feel the urge to send stuff including letters of what you are up to. And not that this is a hint, but we will be posting a wish list of things that we can`t get in Ecuador. Look for that in the future on the side bar. :D

I´ll try to keep folks posted on what we are up to via email as well. Just haven´t really had much time to think of what to share, since sometimes it feels like daily life here. But as I think about things, I realize that there are definitely things that we have done here that we would never do in the U.S. Such as...

1. Pay $1.15 for a Snickers bar

2. Ride in the back of a pick up truck down the highway. Yes, it is kind of scary.

3. Eat a burger at the bus station...and really, really enjoy it

4. Throw used toilet paper into the trash can...it can be dangerous to put it down the toilet here

5. Ride in a car without a seatbelt

6. Buy ice cream sandwiches on a daily basis

7. Text message

8. Sleep talk in Spanish (Adam mumbles a lot in his sleep)

9. Drink instant coffee because everyone here loves the Nescafe. I have heard that Loja is different so I am looking forward to that!

10. Not take photographs because you don`t want to look like a tourist. I hope that in Loja I can do a photo project with the kids. I just have to figure out where all the cameras are in this country!!

Ok that is all for now!! More photos later!!

Photos from Emily´s tech trip to the Esmeraldas province

My tech trip went pretty well overall, even though hot and humid weather with mosquitos don´t quite agree with me. We visited current volunteers in their sites, gave a few charlas, saw some neat projects, and played with a lot of kids. I went to Quininde, Caselnuovo, Sua and Atacames for my trip. Adam went on a separate tech trip and hopefully I´ll get to load some of his pix later on. He had a great time eating yummy pastries, hanging out at the beach and giving a leadership charla.

River in Quininde

Bananas! For an entire bushel like what is pictured, you can get it for $1!!

We visited a garden that a current volunteer, Geoff, is working on with youth in his community. We helped out pulling weeds and getting rid of snails and rocks.

Eik working the machete in the community garden in Quininde

Dana with one of many massive snails that we found in the garden

Close up!

Us with the kids that we did a self esteem workshop with...super fun!

Why it is dangerous to lend your camera to the kids...they don´t like giving it back!

Peace....Corps!

We visited Geoff´s other worksite, which is with an org called CEMOPLAF that does reproductive health education and HIV/AIDS awareness. The youth that work with them make candles to sell. Yes, that is a vagina behind her

Pam and I with my bolon (made with green bananas...I had peanuts and cheese in mine...and didn´t much like it)

Our hotel in Caselnuovo

View of the beach from our hotel in Caselnuovo

We finally got to relax towards the end of our trip in hammocks!!


We then visited another volunteer, Lauren, in her site in Sua. We spent all morning playing games like Pato Pato Ganzo (Duck Duck Goose) with the kids...super fun!

After a long morning of games, the kids were rewarded with BonIce (think Otter Pops)

A couple totally cute kids in Sua playing in the street

Then we visited another volunteer, Chris, in his site in Atacames. He helps out at an organic cacao production place. These beans eventually become fine dark Ecuadorian chocolate that shows up in places like Whole Foods and World Market


Drying out the beans

Rainforest Alliance policies

Super posed shot of fascinated aspirantes

Streetview of the city of Atacames, by the bus stop

Nice green views on the bus ride back from the costa to the sierra

12 people crammed into the bed of a camioneta (truck)...real comfy!