Wednesday, June 23
Wow, it is kind of hard to believe that June is actually almost over with already! The whole concept of time here has yet to cease to amaze me as it seems to go by so slowly during the day and yet once the month is almost over you are left wondering where the month went. Another one of the many mysteries of the Peace Corps life I suppose.
The visit with my parents was very enjoyable and a nice break from life in Ecuador in some ways. Highlights for me were definitely sleeping in air-conditioning under covers, multiple hot showers where you do not sweat after them, eating good food and not worrying about the price because everything seemed cheap to my parents, Christmas in May as my parents brought me two suitcases full of goodies from home, microwave popcorn…yes this does make the top of my list, don’t judge me…and of course spending time with my parents and speaking in English. However, I do not suspect that they will be coming back here anytime soon as the only real reason they came to begin with was because of me. I am planning on going home for 21 days (the max vacation time you can take at one time) over Christmas this year and into New Years. Although I did enjoy seeing the differences with these two holidays last year by staying in Ecuador, I much prefer to be home for them with my family and friends.
So where does that leave me now you might ask. That would be a pretty good question. The last couple of months my counterpart has been struggling with his job and this past week INFA fired him. So my work with INFA has been very minimal lately. The new representative of INFA in my community just started work this past Monday. However, she is completely new to INFA as an organization so she has a lot to learn on her own before she starts working with me on projects. This basically leaves me with my work at the local school teaching 7th to 9th grade once a week with weekly after school English review classes for each grade as well. Of course I throw in trips to the river with the kids every once and a while too. Surprisingly though, I have managed to keep myself somewhat busy with random errands and trips…not to mention I am to the point now in my service where “la hora Ecuatoriana” seems normal and right. If I don’t have time for my afternoon nap…or glass of wine at times…my day just doesn’t seem quite right. Not to mention I think I have replaced the concept of having to go into the office every day with making myself go running every morning to get me out of bed. So far though, I can’t really complain about this aspect…however I do foresee myself complaining about not being able to do this once I return back to the States.
All in all though, I am still pretty content with my work. Sustainable development, one of the three main goals of the PC, is a phrase that all of the PCVs discuss time and time again as it really does seem impossible to achieve sometimes being a foreigner living in a different culture. However for myself personally, I know what is keeping me in the PC are the kids that I see every day in my community. To make it through the full PC service, you have to find that one thing that makes it all worth it to you; for me that is the kids.
In one of the first months in my community I remember my host mom laughing at me…one of the many times…because she was saying that my only friends were kids ages six to about sixteen. And now after living here for almost a year, I would have to say that I am glad they are my “friends” as I seem to fit in better with them than I do with the people who are my own age as all of the women have a kid or two at least and all of the men just want to drink and sleep with me. So between what I have to pick from, I will choose the kids any day, anytime.
Now as to the funny aspects of the PC life, I guess I should mention a couple of things here. One being that I have now lived in Ecuador for a full year…and that still amazes me. It also helps me realize just how much I have come to accept life here as it is. Some things, such as fitting seven people on one motorcycle or constantly throwing the trash on the ground or out the window, will always make me shake my head. However, living in constant dirt where when you wash your clothes (by hand may I remind you) the water is guaranteed to turn black before you are done or being so immune to the cat calls and whistles that you don’t even flinch anymore when someone yells out at you, I have strangely adapted to. Another thing that I have adapted to is the simplicity of life. The great part about this is that you enjoy the simple things in life so much more such as a warm shower or walking around in a clean park.
With all of that said, I have to admit that at the age of 24 I never thought that I would willingly take a pair of child-proof blue school scissors and use them to cut my own hair after getting my hair cut the day before at a salon. I don’t know why, but for some reason the Ecuadoreans really do believe that a slight mullet cut on a Caucasian woman looks really good…and I strongly disagree. However, I was pleasantly surprise with the end result after about an hour of me cutting off the back part of my mullet. I just woke up that day and said that’s it; I’ve had enough of this semi-mullet crap. Then I literally pulled the back part of my hair together and hacked off a good couple of inches. The funny part of the story is that I never even touched the front part of my hair as it was already cut really short. All I did was even out the back part of my hair to make it as short as the front already was. The end result is that I now have really short hair, but at least it is not a mullet. And I must proudly add, I did a pretty darn good job at making it all even considering I cut it myself with the help of a couple of mirrors.
Some strange sites that I have seen recently have been bags of trash floating down the river, as that is how some people choose to get rid of their trash. Yet that isn’t the part that really surprised me as trash being thrown wherever whenever is pretty normal here. The part that amazed me was that the kids were playing in the river when the trash came by and instead of jumping out of realizing just how disgusting it was, they ended up using the bags of trash as water float toys…I was actually speechless and really rather grossed out. I guess I forget sometimes just how easily amused kids can be.
I am not sure when I got to this point, but I can honestly say that I am really just used to life here. You are reminded almost daily about the cultural differences, but the day-to-day life you adapt to before you even realize that you are. Although I think I might be partially deaf when I return to the States, as they listen to music and movies at the top level possible all of the time and blow out your ear drums, I know that all of this will have been worthwhile.
The main thing that I have learned from this experience is what is important to me. It really is amazing just how much your culture, friends, and family all affect who you are and how you make the decisions that you do in life without you even realizing it. In my opinion, learning what is truly important to you is a hard thing to do. That is something though that I feel I have achieved with my PC experience and for that I am very grateful. Another thing that I have realized is that I love my own culture. I have a huge amount of respect for different cultures and ways of thinking. However, when push comes to show I will pick my own culture just about every time.
After a year in country and ten months into my two year service, I have learned a lot about so many different things. On the other hand, I am not really sure how much more I have to “learn” in the upcoming year. I do not doubt that I will have many more experiences and make many more memories, but what I have come here to learn I believe that I already have. With that said, by completing my two years of service I know that I will gain a great amount of respect within myself for that accomplishment. Not to mention that with all that this experience has given me, I owe it to the people in my community and this country to fulfill my commitment to them.
The Peace Corps experience really is just that; a once in a lifetime experience. Then again, isn’t life just that as well?
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Dad's Blog Post
May 26, 2010
(So I was going to add in my comments to his blog as well...but for those of you that know my dad the blog speaks for itself and therefore I have decided not to add in any comments besides this one...only my father...love ya!)
Hepatitis A & B, malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, tetanus, altitude sickness, multiple uses for bottled water, ear plugs, suntan lotion, DEET mosquito spray, fresh fruit and vegetable cleaners, and enemas are some of the considerations for before, during, and after a trip to Ecuador. They are not all necessary to survive…..but better safe than sorry.
A little larger than the UK, Ecuador has a diversified culture, climate, and geography. People range from the natives of the Oriente Amazon Basin to those of the Andes, from growing city centers of the big capital city of Quito to a banana and shrimp center and port city of Machala, from smaller communities than El Retiro to Columbian and Peruvian border towns, from the Galapagos Islands to immigrant attracting cities like Cuenca to name a few. Each seems to have their personal history, story, and sometimes their own language and traditional dress code. The Incan and Spanish heritages are very evident even though they were relatively short lived periods. One can choose between burning up on the coastal plain or suffering a degree of oxygen deprivation in the cooler mountains. Four seasons are replaced with two, wet or dry, which due to a large dependency on hydro electric power can affect the politics, civil demonstrations, and power outages as well as the number of mosquitoes. Active and extinct volcanoes overlook Quito, snow covered mountains virtually sit on the Equator, jungles lie on one side of the Andes while Pacific coastal plains are on the other. Although only there a short time, I believe we probably saw more sides to Ecuador than many Ecuadorians will see in their lifetime.
Internal transportation is mostly accommodated by air, bus, coach, trams, taxis, cars, pickup trucks, motorbikes and bicycles. Air travel is definitely upscale for which in my shorts I felt underdressed. Buses are frequent and cheap with their price options apparently varying with the amount of graffiti, safety, and number of armed guards aboard. Quito trams can be packed like Japanese subway trains making great locations to meet pick pocketers which I had the pleasure to encounter and from which I hope some local is benefitting from improved vision that the cheap pair of spectacles afforded me. As packed as they can be there always seems space for just a few more ladies carrying the equivalent of a portable farm on their back. Taxis seem very affordable for foreign visitors with a willingness to cram as many people and overstuff as much as a small vehicle permits. Want more space? Then just see how high you can stack stuff on the flat bed of a pickup, or how many families you can cram in it and on it. Three on a motorbike? - No problem! Cars are European small sized with all the common world brands including Skoda (which I have not thought of for years!), DYK (KIA?), and Chevrolet on cars I did not know they even made. The roads are not bad in general if you remember the speed bumps that occur from time to time, the military and police check points, toll booths in certain areas, low flying agricultural sprayers, traffic lights and speed limits which may be thought of as optional, and my favorite….roundabouts!
The cities are littered, noisy and very active for most hours of the day. The locals hustle and bustle about their business giving the foreigners a quizzical look as they pass or even take the opportunity to practice their English which may range from a word or two they think they have picked up to what they learned when they illegally lived in New Mexico or New Jersey for three years. Quito as a Capital city has its fair share of English speakers, but good luck elsewhere at non-tourist sites where sun reddened white skin is a novelty. Small towns like El Retiro are littered, quieter, have their own pace, street animals such as dogs, chickens, roosters, and cats with people walking around or sitting in the front of their homes escaping the increased heat inside. Children are very evident, and are often seen in their school uniforms. Although there are areas as in all countries you have to be on your guard, people of all ages seemed very friendly to me particularly as my Spanish is practically non-existent. Perhaps it was Lesley’s conversational Spanish, or the fact she really did live where she does, or that they knew her, or simply my smile, wave, or “Buenos” which was reciprocated.
Food was good for me but then again I was a tourist eating for the most part at non-typical places. Fruit was plentiful and in many guises and forms I did not have a clue about. Shrimp were cheap and tasty. Fish came in two varieties – from the rivers or from the sea. The baked goods were good and meat was cooked to my liking i.e. overcooked. ‘Aqua’ in bottles or bags was readily available and often refreshingly cold. Chicken and rice were common when you did not want to experiment and many experiences where available if you did including ceviche. Fried foods were indeed prevalent and although the country can produce many vegetables unless they were potatoes they rarely appeared in the meals.
Litter was everywhere except inside the buses which had signs “Do not throw litter in the bus” which apparently is interpreted as an encouragement to throw it out of the window. This is not to say civic pride is not important, it is just not measured by the amount of trash lying around but perhaps rather by the number of cock fighting rings, or indoor soccer fields (which are outdoor), or the number of statues and memorials and actual working fountains, or the number of Cathedrals you can get around a public square etc. The people may be missing a lot of what ‘we’ take for granted, but cell phones and internet cafes are not amongst them and I believe this connection with each other and the information age will have a marked effect upon their future.
On another note, I have always enjoyed what I considered representative music of Latin South America from pan flutes to Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66, but I was totally unprepared for the bombardment of Reggaeton which seems to be required by law to be played in taxis and busses at decibel levels that would be heard above my gasoline 2 stroke lawnmower. If I was not already partially deaf before my trip I would be by my return. I think I should look to invest in the stock of an Ecuadorian hearing aid company particularly as their currency is the US dollar.
Otavalo, Huaquillas, Cuenca, and Machala all have classic open air street markets we visited that included specialty areas selling traditional local artisan goods, clothes, electronics, jewelry, fresh meat ( I mean carve it from the animal right there) , fish, seafood, poultry ,produce, flowers, currency exchange by men with suitcases, and much more. They even seemed to group the stores selling similar items together for your convenience. Bartering here is the name of the game unless you, as someone who sticks out like a sore thumb because of your race, height, inept Spanish etc., do not wish to play and therefore pay full price telling yourself that back home it would be considered cheap. Tipping is generally rare in Ecuador which once embraced is strangely enjoyable to us foreigners as it appears to us that people do their job without expecting extra compensation. A more realistic way of looking at this is that the taxi driver and street vendor will often start you at a price which is way more than accommodates a 10-15% tip.
What is the Peace Corps and what are they doing in countries like Ecuador? Why would anyone want to be a PCV? These are questions I have discussed with Lesley on several occasions. There are several ‘stock’ answers, but they always seem to be just a part of it. We enjoyed meeting several PCV’s and had a very pleasant visit to the head Quito office. The office is about trying to achieve the commendable goals of the Peace Corps in an acceptable prescribed non-political manner by training, vetting, placing, supporting, and monitoring volunteers in areas of the country they have identified may benefit developmentally in areas such as social, education, business, agriculture etc. That is not what I call an easy task. The Volunteers wind up in a Country not of their choosing, in a culture and language very foreign to most of them, trying to get involved and ‘develop’ a local community perhaps alongside other local organizations. That is not what I personally call a desirable task, but it does seem to attract many even if it does not retain them all. Enthusiasm, goodwill, dreams, and ideals are easier to extinguish than maintain and promote.
So, what counts as success? There are some obvious success stories and legacies, but perhaps most success is less obvious but just as real. The PCV’s expose themselves to a real life personal test of growth and development all of their own. They may not use the word ‘enjoy’ to describe their experience but prefer to use ‘value’. Even the failures do not diminish the success of trying to make such a positive difference. Such an experience as this will help them know who they are, what they value, and probably help them and us in our future. Foundations of buildings are generally hidden below ground for more apparent structures to be built upon and all PCV’s help lay a foundation on which good things can be built. You certainly have my respect and I wish you all well.
The blunt truth is as much as I have learned about Ecuador; the only reason I went or would return is my family…thanks Lesley! No amount of photographs, SKYPEING, book or blog reading can impart the experience of being there, and that is certainly not the same as living there. It is a unique, vibrant, growing third world country and may be desirable for many, but not this particular individual as it breaks the pact I made a long time ago with the sun which has the capacity to burn me on a cloudy day if it so wishes.
As it has been duly noted by Janet and Lesley that whilst in Ecuador I said on more than one occasion “Leave me alone, I am happy!” ….and having seen the amount of impromptu soccer games in the schools and towns on any reasonably flat piece of available land (often bounded by precipitous drops or busy roads) together with several very good looking soccer stadiums I will conclude as a complement to Ecuador by saying I will be rooting for them in most International soccer games…..as they don’t play England too often!
(So I was going to add in my comments to his blog as well...but for those of you that know my dad the blog speaks for itself and therefore I have decided not to add in any comments besides this one...only my father...love ya!)
Hepatitis A & B, malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, tetanus, altitude sickness, multiple uses for bottled water, ear plugs, suntan lotion, DEET mosquito spray, fresh fruit and vegetable cleaners, and enemas are some of the considerations for before, during, and after a trip to Ecuador. They are not all necessary to survive…..but better safe than sorry.
A little larger than the UK, Ecuador has a diversified culture, climate, and geography. People range from the natives of the Oriente Amazon Basin to those of the Andes, from growing city centers of the big capital city of Quito to a banana and shrimp center and port city of Machala, from smaller communities than El Retiro to Columbian and Peruvian border towns, from the Galapagos Islands to immigrant attracting cities like Cuenca to name a few. Each seems to have their personal history, story, and sometimes their own language and traditional dress code. The Incan and Spanish heritages are very evident even though they were relatively short lived periods. One can choose between burning up on the coastal plain or suffering a degree of oxygen deprivation in the cooler mountains. Four seasons are replaced with two, wet or dry, which due to a large dependency on hydro electric power can affect the politics, civil demonstrations, and power outages as well as the number of mosquitoes. Active and extinct volcanoes overlook Quito, snow covered mountains virtually sit on the Equator, jungles lie on one side of the Andes while Pacific coastal plains are on the other. Although only there a short time, I believe we probably saw more sides to Ecuador than many Ecuadorians will see in their lifetime.
Internal transportation is mostly accommodated by air, bus, coach, trams, taxis, cars, pickup trucks, motorbikes and bicycles. Air travel is definitely upscale for which in my shorts I felt underdressed. Buses are frequent and cheap with their price options apparently varying with the amount of graffiti, safety, and number of armed guards aboard. Quito trams can be packed like Japanese subway trains making great locations to meet pick pocketers which I had the pleasure to encounter and from which I hope some local is benefitting from improved vision that the cheap pair of spectacles afforded me. As packed as they can be there always seems space for just a few more ladies carrying the equivalent of a portable farm on their back. Taxis seem very affordable for foreign visitors with a willingness to cram as many people and overstuff as much as a small vehicle permits. Want more space? Then just see how high you can stack stuff on the flat bed of a pickup, or how many families you can cram in it and on it. Three on a motorbike? - No problem! Cars are European small sized with all the common world brands including Skoda (which I have not thought of for years!), DYK (KIA?), and Chevrolet on cars I did not know they even made. The roads are not bad in general if you remember the speed bumps that occur from time to time, the military and police check points, toll booths in certain areas, low flying agricultural sprayers, traffic lights and speed limits which may be thought of as optional, and my favorite….roundabouts!
The cities are littered, noisy and very active for most hours of the day. The locals hustle and bustle about their business giving the foreigners a quizzical look as they pass or even take the opportunity to practice their English which may range from a word or two they think they have picked up to what they learned when they illegally lived in New Mexico or New Jersey for three years. Quito as a Capital city has its fair share of English speakers, but good luck elsewhere at non-tourist sites where sun reddened white skin is a novelty. Small towns like El Retiro are littered, quieter, have their own pace, street animals such as dogs, chickens, roosters, and cats with people walking around or sitting in the front of their homes escaping the increased heat inside. Children are very evident, and are often seen in their school uniforms. Although there are areas as in all countries you have to be on your guard, people of all ages seemed very friendly to me particularly as my Spanish is practically non-existent. Perhaps it was Lesley’s conversational Spanish, or the fact she really did live where she does, or that they knew her, or simply my smile, wave, or “Buenos” which was reciprocated.
Food was good for me but then again I was a tourist eating for the most part at non-typical places. Fruit was plentiful and in many guises and forms I did not have a clue about. Shrimp were cheap and tasty. Fish came in two varieties – from the rivers or from the sea. The baked goods were good and meat was cooked to my liking i.e. overcooked. ‘Aqua’ in bottles or bags was readily available and often refreshingly cold. Chicken and rice were common when you did not want to experiment and many experiences where available if you did including ceviche. Fried foods were indeed prevalent and although the country can produce many vegetables unless they were potatoes they rarely appeared in the meals.
Litter was everywhere except inside the buses which had signs “Do not throw litter in the bus” which apparently is interpreted as an encouragement to throw it out of the window. This is not to say civic pride is not important, it is just not measured by the amount of trash lying around but perhaps rather by the number of cock fighting rings, or indoor soccer fields (which are outdoor), or the number of statues and memorials and actual working fountains, or the number of Cathedrals you can get around a public square etc. The people may be missing a lot of what ‘we’ take for granted, but cell phones and internet cafes are not amongst them and I believe this connection with each other and the information age will have a marked effect upon their future.
On another note, I have always enjoyed what I considered representative music of Latin South America from pan flutes to Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66, but I was totally unprepared for the bombardment of Reggaeton which seems to be required by law to be played in taxis and busses at decibel levels that would be heard above my gasoline 2 stroke lawnmower. If I was not already partially deaf before my trip I would be by my return. I think I should look to invest in the stock of an Ecuadorian hearing aid company particularly as their currency is the US dollar.
Otavalo, Huaquillas, Cuenca, and Machala all have classic open air street markets we visited that included specialty areas selling traditional local artisan goods, clothes, electronics, jewelry, fresh meat ( I mean carve it from the animal right there) , fish, seafood, poultry ,produce, flowers, currency exchange by men with suitcases, and much more. They even seemed to group the stores selling similar items together for your convenience. Bartering here is the name of the game unless you, as someone who sticks out like a sore thumb because of your race, height, inept Spanish etc., do not wish to play and therefore pay full price telling yourself that back home it would be considered cheap. Tipping is generally rare in Ecuador which once embraced is strangely enjoyable to us foreigners as it appears to us that people do their job without expecting extra compensation. A more realistic way of looking at this is that the taxi driver and street vendor will often start you at a price which is way more than accommodates a 10-15% tip.
What is the Peace Corps and what are they doing in countries like Ecuador? Why would anyone want to be a PCV? These are questions I have discussed with Lesley on several occasions. There are several ‘stock’ answers, but they always seem to be just a part of it. We enjoyed meeting several PCV’s and had a very pleasant visit to the head Quito office. The office is about trying to achieve the commendable goals of the Peace Corps in an acceptable prescribed non-political manner by training, vetting, placing, supporting, and monitoring volunteers in areas of the country they have identified may benefit developmentally in areas such as social, education, business, agriculture etc. That is not what I call an easy task. The Volunteers wind up in a Country not of their choosing, in a culture and language very foreign to most of them, trying to get involved and ‘develop’ a local community perhaps alongside other local organizations. That is not what I personally call a desirable task, but it does seem to attract many even if it does not retain them all. Enthusiasm, goodwill, dreams, and ideals are easier to extinguish than maintain and promote.
So, what counts as success? There are some obvious success stories and legacies, but perhaps most success is less obvious but just as real. The PCV’s expose themselves to a real life personal test of growth and development all of their own. They may not use the word ‘enjoy’ to describe their experience but prefer to use ‘value’. Even the failures do not diminish the success of trying to make such a positive difference. Such an experience as this will help them know who they are, what they value, and probably help them and us in our future. Foundations of buildings are generally hidden below ground for more apparent structures to be built upon and all PCV’s help lay a foundation on which good things can be built. You certainly have my respect and I wish you all well.
The blunt truth is as much as I have learned about Ecuador; the only reason I went or would return is my family…thanks Lesley! No amount of photographs, SKYPEING, book or blog reading can impart the experience of being there, and that is certainly not the same as living there. It is a unique, vibrant, growing third world country and may be desirable for many, but not this particular individual as it breaks the pact I made a long time ago with the sun which has the capacity to burn me on a cloudy day if it so wishes.
As it has been duly noted by Janet and Lesley that whilst in Ecuador I said on more than one occasion “Leave me alone, I am happy!” ….and having seen the amount of impromptu soccer games in the schools and towns on any reasonably flat piece of available land (often bounded by precipitous drops or busy roads) together with several very good looking soccer stadiums I will conclude as a complement to Ecuador by saying I will be rooting for them in most International soccer games…..as they don’t play England too often!
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