The Basillica!!!

Here are some photos of our cultural trip to Quito!  The Basilica was absolutely breathtaking!  Hope these pictures will do it some justice...

One of the plazas in Quito you can see the Basilica in the distance...the two peaks

Rukullacta: Week 1 in site...

Ok so I'm here in Rukullacta.  I've been here for a week now.  What to tell you guys....Well I live in a really tranquilo site.  It's very quiet all except for the roosters, the occasional dog fights, and the blasting music from the neighbor at all hours of the night and early morning (thank goodness for earplugs).  I'm surrounded by green...green, green, green!  I'm surrounded by mountains and forest and the Sumako volcano is not very far; I can see it when I go to Tena.  It's really hard to describe what I see except to say that there are times when I stand outside mouth agape staring at the distant mountains and think...Damn, I'm so freaking lucky! 

So I'm going to be working with the Runa Foundation in Archidona helping with investigations in guayusa and who knows what else...my job seems a little vague at this point.  For the past few days I've been visiting the viveros (tree nurseries) to meet the guys that work there and help out where I can.  Unfortunantly everyone runs circles around me and at times I feel more in the way than helping but I know that will change with time.  I have also been going out to communities to help cut estacas (tree cuttings) for the viveros.  That is an awesome job!  I went yesterday with Silverio, my counterpart, to a distant community to cut estacas at his cousins farm.  We went fairly far out into the "monte" (woodlands, forest) to find the guayusa trees.  It was an amazing experience.  I'm out in the monte hanging out all day with a Kichwa family cutting estacas and listening to them speak Kichwa and attempting to speak a little Kichwa myself.  At the end of the day before we left the Senora of the finca (farm) asked me if I would like to have some chicha de chonta (chonta is fruit from this type of palm tree...I'm not sure if I spelled 'chonta' correctly I'll check back with you guys on that).  I'm not a huge fan of chicha...it tastes very different to say the least, but I wanted to be polite and show my appreciation for letting me follow them around for the day.  I drank as much as I could and after La Senora invited me into her house to see some of the handy crafts she had made from 'Mate' which is fruit they use.  They carve it out and dry it and use it serve chicha and other things in.  As I stood there admiring her work she asked me which one I wanted.  I was really taken aback.  She wanted to give me one of these beautiful bowls?  I was so touched by her kindness I didn't know what to say.  To be honest I didn't think that she cared too much for me she didn't speak to me very much while we were out in the monte working.  And now she was offering me this beautiful gift.  It was a really really great day.  I hope I have many more similar experiences....

Here are some photos of my new family.  These are just a few of the kids...

Baby Dillon and Will

Baby Dillon and Jessica

Me!

Jamil and baby

Maria Jose and baby

Maria Jose, Jennifer, y Yo!



Finished Training!!! I'm now a Volunteer!

Hey everyone!
Sorry for the lack of updates but it's been a little crazy since the swearing in ceremony.  So I am done with training (or I have been for the last week).  I can't believe it's over.  It feels like these past three months have gone by so fast.  I still can't believe I've been in Ecuador for 3 months.  Sometimes it feels like I've only been here for three weeks. 
So swearing in was a huge mixture of denial, exhilaration, relief, sadness, and uncertainty.  All the normal things you'd expect from someone who is about to be shoved onto a bus to leave everything they know in Tumbaco for something completely unknown and uncertain.  I tried to tell myself that I was as prepared as I was ever going to be and there is nothing to do but close my eyes and JUMP into this new world and hope for the best....so far I feel as though I'm doing pretty well.
I really miss my host family in Tumbaco.  It was really difficult to leave them, they are such a wonderful family and the next volunteer who gets to live with them is sooo lucky.  I cried a lot the morning before I left and Marta (my host mom) did as well.  Which I was a little surprised about and made me cry all the more.
I hope everyone is well in the States...I miss you guys....Come visit....Be happy....

Family Appreciation Day.  Marta (mi madre), Mayri (back left), y Gaby (back right)

Kristin and Whitney at our Swearing in!

The boys

The Girls

Christina and Kristin...We did it!! We're Volunteers!

Tech Trip to Puerto Quito & Carnaval!!

March 11, 2011
Puerto Quito:
Well what's been going on for the past 2 or 3 weeks? A LOT! And of course I've not been keeping up with my blog. I've been so busy with training that I can't keep track of the days. I can't believe we are already into the 2nd week of March. So what's been going on? Well last week we had our tech trips. My groups trip was in Puerto Quito. About 3 hours from Quito in the Coast; it wasn't actually anywhere near the coast. It's one of those transitional locations between the Sierras and the Coast. It was absolutely beautiful and fertile. You could throw an old stick out into the yard and in a year you would have a tree. The climate on the other hand was TERRIBLE! It was so hot and humid I had to peel my clothes off at the end of the day. I was dripping sweat from every crevas of my body. Sweating is an understatment...I was leaking for 5 days straight! Well aside from the heat and the leaking I had a really good time. I was a little under the weather for the first day or two, what with my stomach battle against the amoebas. I felt that I really learned a lot and it gave me an opportunity to meet the people in our group on a more personal basis. It's been difficult to try and fit in during training; I've felt alone amongst many of my american companions. But I feel like things are getting better, maybe because I don't care anymore and I'm starting to come more out of my shell.
Anyway back to Puerto Quito. We learned how to make yogurt, milk cows, make cheese, prune cacao trees, harvest and process yucca, learned a little about pigs, chickens, and cuy. Que mas? We learned how to make a worm bed, dig canals on the sides of mountains with a Nivel-A (or A frame) and how to kill and process rabbits (not one of my favorite arts). All in all it was a good trip and after a hard days work we got to go lay in the hammocks and swim in the pool or river behind the farm.  Thanks to all you taxpayers for my "vacation"!!

                                        This was our first day driving to the farm in Puerto Quito.

                                                        This beautiful tree in the bosque.

                  Me with our Nivel-A that we made to dig canals on the side of this hill. I was so sweaty!!

           Our group after a long day of pruning Cacao trees. The huge fruit that Mayling is holding is called a     Jack Fruit.

And after a long hard day....Time to relax by the pool...with an icecream...Life doesn't get much better.

Carnaval:

So carnaval...a really fun and dangerous time for "Gringos." I was assaulted by espuma, huevos, agua, and harina de colores (foam, eggs, water, and colored flour)!!! I had a really great time with my host family and I got to eat cuy! An interesting little animal, but I don't think it's my favorite thing I've eaten here so far. I'm not a big fan of eating things with a face or feet. But I'm glad I tried it. Definantly worth the try.

My siblings! Carlos, Mayri (in purple), and Gaby. We were in a town called Chaltura outside of Otavalo where we had just eaten cuy and now it was time to attack eachother with foam spray!

Very dangerous!

                                                                 Fritata de Gringa....

What's to come?...Well in 5 days I find out where my site will be for the next two years! Everyone please cross your fingers that I get placed into a good site with welcoming people and another good host family.
What else?...Well I got talked into dancing (I think the Bomba...A coastal type dance) with 5 other trainees in front of all the other trainees, facilitators, trainers, and THE AMBASSADOR of Ecuador!! What have I gotten myself into! I'll let you know how that goes. This is completely not like me. I don't dance to anything with much more than a rigid hip wiggle. This is going to be interesting.

A few adjustments that are quite different from the States:

1. You have to throw toilet paper in the trash, not the toilet. That took awhile to train myself into doing.
2. The water is not hot...more like luke warm...on good days. It's a struggle some mornings to take a shower.
3. The light switches are sideways not up and down
4. The rooster crows at 3am...4am....4:30am...5am.....5:30am...6am.....well you get the picture and it's usually right under my window...how does he know to do that?
5. Anytime you walk into a small store or place of business you must greet the people in the store. Or should, it's polite. I'm so used to not talking at times I forget.
6. I take a public bus to and from the training center...I now have a different outlook on personal space. But everyday is an adventure!
7. I think the people here really like christmas because I see christmas decorations everywhere and it's March...
8. There are dogs EVERYWHERE. That's a tough one for me because I want to take all of them home with me.
9. I eat soup twice a day almost everyday. That's been an adjustment...I'm only used to soup on cold days or when I'm sick.
10. Rice and potatoes have become the staple point of my diet...I have a feeling that's going to get old soon, but the fruits here...my god they are good! And my host mom makes the best juice in the morning! It might be one of the favorite parts of my day. That good old glass of fresh juice.

I'm a horrible blogger...

So just to clarify I want everyone to know what a horrible blogger I am.  I’ve been in Ecuador for 3 weeks now and I have not written anything.  Luckily I’ve been journaling religiously so I’m going to back track from what I’ve written in there.  Ok…here goes…

2/2/2011

                I flew from Knoxville to D.C. at around 7am and arrived in D.C. around 9am.  It was my very first time on a plane by myself!  So many firsts for me on this journey.  The flight went off with no problems but I was a nervous wreck getting to the luggage terminal; waiting forever for my bags and then hauling all of my crap from the luggage area then  outside to try and find a taxi or shuttle to the Holiday Inn hotel.  Again I made it to the hotel with no problems.  Yay!  Got checked in and met my first PCT Erin Menzies.  She is also in our Ag group specializing in Water Resource Engineering.  We chatted for a bit then took a walk around D.C. to get lunch before officially meeting the other PCT’s. 

                Our In-country orientation consisted of a series of “meet and greets” with games, presentations, goal setting, etc, etc…It was soo long but entertaining at the same time.  It really got me motivated for the journey ahead.  After our orientation I met up with my friends Dominic and Linda for dinner.  It would be my last meal in the states…it was awesome…. thanks PC for  the crab cakes and beer.  It was so great to see my friends before leaving but sad at the same time.  It really made me realize that I was actually leaving (this was no longer a daydream, I couldn’t just pinch myself out of Ecuador) my friends and family and probably wouldn’t see most of them for 2 years.  

                After dinner I headed for bed (we had to be up and out of the hotel by 3:30am!!)…so after like 3 hours of sleep we slumped out of the hotel and onto a bus for the airport, and after a long series of ticket lines, security checks, layovers,customs, and greasy fast food we finally arrived in Quito, Ecuador at around 7:30pm!!  I could feel the affects of the altitude as soon as we got on the bus for our hotel in Tumbaco.  We were up at about 9,00ft (someone might need to correct me on that) and I was really lightheaded and really out of breath.  BUT some things I saw on the bus ride through Quito:  a man breathing fire in front of traffic; KFC, TGIF, Dominos (guess I’m not so far from home); some beautiful buildings; barbed wire and broken bottles on the walls of all the homes in residental areas and dogs everywhere (it was a little unnerving at first with the broken bottles but I’m getting used to it now; as for the dogs that will take a little longer…I want to take every dog I see home with me).  From Quito we drove to Tumbaco (about a 45 minute drive and a 2,000ft decent) to the hotel San Patricio.  It was a beautiful hotel and I really enjoyed staying there those first two nights in Ecuador.  We took a bus to the PC training center nearby and had more orientations about what to expect from PC and what PC expects from you, host family expecations, money, food, medical issues, crime, etc, etc…I’m so sick of presentations and it’s only 3 weeks in…Ha! 

2/5/2011

                I met my host family…dandandaaa!  They are awesome.  That weekend PC gave us our host family presentations about what to expect, advice with kids, food restrictions, etc.  Everyone was pretty nervous and not sure what to expect.  I was nervous mostly about my spanish and communticating with my family.  PC wanted us to play this game where we get a card with half our name on it and our family gets the other half.  So we have to walk around from family to family and find our match.  I plunged into this huge crowd of Ecuadorians thinking “holy shit, how am I going to do this”…turns out you can get pretty far with a smile and hand gestures.  My host family found me first and I felt a huge wave of relief.  I have 5 new family members.  My host parents: Marta and Carlos and three siblings: Gaby, Mayri, and Carlos (Jr).  Here’s a little info on everyone that I have slowly accumulated over the weeks.  My host dad Carlos is a math teacher at a high school in Quito.  My host mom teaches people how to make hand crafts such as dolls, needle work, etc.  She also does repairs on handcrafts.  I’m hoping she can teach me how to crochet one day when I have some extra time (which to be honest probably won’t happen because PC keeps us all so crazy busy!).  Gaby(27), my host sister, works in a factory in Quito that manufactures things like diapers and shower probucts.  I think she works in quality of packaging, and making sure everything looks correct.  Mayri (25) is in school studying chemistry and wants to be a chemical engineer.  Carlos (17) goes to a high school in Quito and wants to be a Chef.  My family here in Ecuador is really great!  They have had many many volunteers before me so they know the ropes and are really patient with my “gringa spanglish”…we get a lot of good laughs at my attempts to construct sentences.  Oh one funny thing (Mom you will get a kick out of this) my family asked me what my Mom’s name was and I told them “Tanya”…they looked at me with this funny look on their face and asked me again and again I said “Tanya”…they said it sounded like I was saying “tenia” which in spanish means tapeworm.  Sorry Mom, your name means sound like tapeworm here.  Anyway I’m going to try and post a video here soon of my house so you guys can see where I’m living and what it’s like here.

The Great Packing Disaster.....and still not finished

Just a few pics of my progress...and Phoebe.  Still some things to get.  I need to get my host family gifts and a few other little things and BAM I'm done and ready to go!!! I'm leaving in 4 days...I'm so excited!!!

One of my duffels and my backpack (thanks again Carrie!) and just a few of my boxes from my house in Murfreesboro. 

Miss Phoebe...she's been so curious about all my packing...I'm gonna miss her so much!!

 Toiletries and clothes EVERYWHERE! This does not include shoes or my electronics.

So this weekend, Joshua (my boyfriend) is in town and we have a big weekend planned.  Today we're going to sell my car (goodbye Patty Passat!), going to the Knoxville zoo, eating at this pizza place we saw on that show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, visiting my grandmother, seeing my Dad's new house, and then squeezing in a movie.  Tomorrow, my Mom's side of the family is coming over for dinner and to say good bye.  Lots to do, lots to do!

How did I get here?

I cannot believe there are only 19 days left before I leave for D.C.!  The last few days I've been asking myself how did I get here so quickly?!  It feels like just last week I received my invitation and was having Thanksgiving with my family.  Time is such a weird thing. 

Anyway, yesterday was my last day at work.  It was full of mixed feelings.  I'm super stoked that I won't be waiting tables again....EVER!...but I'm so sad to be leaving my friends.  We are such a close knit group at work; it's going to be so strange not to see them for a few years.  I'm sad to be leaving some amazing people, but I'm so excited about the new friends I'm going to meet in my training group.  Omnibus 105 Wooo!!!!  One of the girls in my group started a Facebook group a few weeks back so we could start meeting each other and talk about PC things such as packing, flight info, PC issues, etc.  Everyone seems so great, I can't wait to meet them! 

These next two weeks are going to be crazy!  I have so much planned.  My sister is staying with me this weekend; I'm going to a slumber party tomorrow with a bunch of my girlfriends; I've got a couple of appointments to go to this week; I'm going to Chattanooga on Thursday with my friends Lin, Claire, and Allison; then Saturday my mom and her fiance are helping me move back to Knoxville.  Whew! 
I can't believe I'm going to be in Ecuador in less than 3 weeks!  This is going to be an incredible adventure!!