Por fin...

First of all, let me apologize to those of you who are avid Ecuador blog readers. I realize it’s been well over a month since my last post (probably closer to 2 months) and I have yet to update anyone on the goings-on of Macas. The past couple of months have been a little hectic and updating the blog hasn’t really been at the top of my priorities. But hopefully crazy times have passed and I’ll be able to start writing with more frequency.

The most exciting news would have to be that I finally got an apartment!!! Peace Corps policy requires volunteers to live with a host family for the first 3 months we’re in-site. Tack this onto our first 3 months in-country, where we were also required to live with a host family, and we’re talking about 6 months of little to no privacy. I was fortunate to have 2 amazing families, and I really enjoyed my time with both of them. However, since I’d been living on my own for close to 5 years before joining PC, I had gotten used to my independence and I was ready to have it back. Actually finding an apartment turned out to be a little harder than anticipated.

Within my organization here in Macas, I’ve been working on a huge mapping and zoning project that has required me to spend a great deal of time in a town called Puyo, which is about 3.5 hours (120 km – the roads here are awful) from Macas. Basically, I spent the month of July sleeping on the floor of my fellow Peace Corps friend’s apartment in Puyo. Obviously since I wasn’t in Macas, I couldn’t look for an apartment. Luckily, another PCV who lives in Macas, Ryan, came to the rescue. Ryan is with the youth and families program and has been in Macas for over a year. He basically became my surrogate realtor and spent a good amount of time looking for an apartment for me. About once a week I would get a call from Ryan, updating me on what he’d found and when I would be back to look at something. After a month of searching and a few disappointments (I learned that “I’ll hold the apartment for you” really means “I’m going to rent this out to someone 5 minutes after you leave, even though I promised you I wouldn’t let anyone else see it until next week”) Ryan and I finally found a great apartment. It’s got 2 bedrooms, incredibly high ceilings, and an amazing view of Sangay. It also has floor-to-ceiling windows in my bedroom and the living room, which make for great views (and very bright mornings). All the credit should definitely be given to Ryan since he not only found the place, but also helped me buy everything a PCV needs to survive alone for 2 years. These necessities include: a bed, a bed frame that Ryan and I built, a stove, a gas tank to attach to the stove, some dishes and other kitchen utensils, a plastic table, and some plastic chairs. I also built some shelves to house all my clothes. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s actually more than I had in the apartment I was living in before coming to Ecuador, so I feel pretty set. It’s also a very nice apartment in a great neighborhood, so I definitely lucked out. It has been great finally having my own space and cooking my own meals.

Speaking of meals...

I know my blogs seem to revolve around food, but those of you who know me know that my entire life revolves around food so this is nothing new. One of the great, and worst, things about living with a host family is you have all your meals provided for you. This is great because I was getting a variety of delicious meals, but bad because the portions were HUGE and I always felt bad if I didn’t eat everything on my plate. Life on my own is a little different. Not only am I an inexperienced chef whose main cooking repertoire in college involved anything from a can that could be heated in 5 minutes, I am also living on a strict budget that doesn’t allow for many splurges. That being said, I will now provide you all a list of common Marcie meals:

• Rice and tuna – an Ecuadorian classic. I never knew just how delicious a can of tuna, a cup of white rice, diced tomatoes and onions, and a squeeze of lime could be. I have this at least 5 times a week. Plus, I can get enough tuna, rice and veggies to last me a week for under $5.
• Eggs – great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. These protein-packed, potential chickens are great scrambled or fried, and add a nice bit of flavor to a plate of rice. Cost: less than $1 for a dozen eggs.
• Fruits and veggies – definitely the best part about Ecuador. All produce is fresh and incredibly cheap. I always have a plethora of papaya, tomatoes, avocados, apples, carrots, onions, and just about every other fruit or veggie you can think of.
• Bread – Ecuadorians love their bread, and I don’t blame them. As I’ve mentioned before, there are bakeries on every corner. And since a roll is about 10 cents, bread has become a staple in my diet.
• Condiments – I never knew just how delicious mustard, jelly or any other type of spread could make an otherwise bland meal. Mayonnaise is definitely the most popular down here, but since I’m not a big mayonnaise fan, mustard has become my topping of choice. My new favorite meal: mustard and tomato sandwiches. Don’t mock it until you try it. I bought a jar of mustard and 5 rolls yesterday for less than $1. Delicious and frugal.
• Granola and yogurt – my one splurge during the week. A huge jug of yogurt, some granola, and fresh fruit are my typical breakfast items. Granola is a little more on the expensive side (about $3 a bag) but it lasts me 2 weeks and is well worth it.

All in all, living on my own again has been great. I don’t have much furniture and my diet isn’t too varied, but it’s been wonderful having my independence again. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Who’s hungry for some guinea pig?

July will mark my 5th month in Ecuador, and after almost 180 days in-country, I’m proud to say that I’m finally adjusting to the food differences. For your reading pleasure, I have chosen the best and most common dishes enjoyed here along the equator.

Fritado: This is by far the most popular meal that I have encountered here. “Fritado” literally means “plate of fried food,” and that’s exactly what it is. Fried pieces of chancho (pig) are served alongside mote (pronounced “mo-tay”), which is similar to soggy popcorn. Depending on what part of Ecuador you are in, you may also get a nice helping of rice and a small salad of red onion and tomato. People here love their fritados, especially the chancho, and they don’t let a single piece go to waste. As my 6 year old sister, Sofia, declares each time we eat this, “Me encantan los huesos y la grasa!” (I love the bones and fat). I have yet to get to the point where I will gnaw on the bones to suck out every last morsel of juicy pig, but I’m working on it. Until I am able to do that, I just give all my leftovers to Sofia.

Carbs: The Adkin’s diet definitely wouldn’t do well here. I knew coming into Ecuador to expect rice to become a main staple in my diet, but I don’t think I realized just how much of it I would be eating. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t eat rice for at least one meal. Cheap, easy to cook, and very filling – I’m starting to see why this is the most widely eaten food in the world. Yucca is another popular dish here in the jungle and basically takes the place of the potato, which is common in the mountainous regions. In fact, fried yucca is very similar to french fries, and actually better in my opinion. Noodles and spaghetti have the same popularity as rice since they are also cheap and easy to cook. Finally rounding off this carbohydrate food pyramid we have bread. I honestly have never seen so many bakeries in all my life. There is literally a “Panadería” on every corner, waiting to satisfy your bread needs. As if this wasn’t carb-loaded enough, it is not uncommon to have a mixture of all of these at each meal. For example, the other day for lunch I had spaghetti and potato soup, followed by a big helping of rice, more potatoes, more spaghetti and a small serving of canned sardines. Mmm, mmm.

Chicken: I was talking to my fellow PC volunteer, Kelly, the other day, and we were commenting on how accustomed we’d grown to Ecuadorian life. Our first few weeks in-country were filled with horror stories of how we’d seen some type of animal killed, skinned, dismembered and cooked for dinner. Now, a story like that is common and actually no big deal. Take chicken, for example. My host family has a bevy of poultry running around their property (which has led to my 5 AM wake-up time, thanks to the roosters), and these birds account for at least one of our weekly meals. Although I have not personally killed a chicken yet, I’m fairly confident that after having seen my host mom perform the “hunting of the fowl” on numerous occasions, I could wring a rooster’s neck if push came to shove. For now, I’m content just watching and eating.

Cuy: Nothing says “Come and get it!” quite like a grilled guinea pig, better referred to as “cuy.” Known as the filet mignon of Ecuador, cuy is by far the most interesting food I have encountered so far. Picture your favorite childhood pet, skinned and roasting over an open fire. Now picture it being the most sought-after and expensive dish in Ecuador. Cuy is considered a delicacy here, and a well prepared plate (which will include the guinea pig, some mote, and a small salad) can cost anywhere from $10 - $15. Considering I can get a complete almuerzo with soup, rice, beans, meat, dessert and a drink for $1.50, cuy is a little pricey. I have yet to try this tasty meat, but I’m preparing myself for when that day comes. Thankfully I never had a guinea pig for a pet.

Now that we’ve covered the main food groups here in Ecuador, it’s time to shift our focus to table manners. Forget everything you learned in cotillion. It would suit you better to practice all the things your mom specifically told you to avoid during dinner time. Instead of one hand placed in your lap while the other works the fork, place both elbows on the table, assuming a leaning-over-your-food type posture. And while we’re on the subject of forks, you can forget using them. Spoons and an occasional knife are the common utensils here. If you are lucky enough to receive a knife during dinner, place it in your dominant hand while clamping the spoon tightly with your other fist. Make sure neither utensil leaves your hands during the entire meal. If you are not fortunate enough to receive a knife, a piece of meat (preferably with a bone attached) makes a nice substitute. This should also never leave your grasp until it is time to loudly suck every last piece of meat from said bone. During the meal, you shouldn’t even think about taking a sip from your drink. This is reserved for after you have finished every last rice grain on your plate. You are then expected to drain your cup in one hearty gulp. Now sit back and admire your swollen belly, knowing that you have just completed a true Ecuadorian meal.

Ecuador Home Remedies, Part Deux

So I'm beginning to think that there is no such thing as a "normal" cure for any type of sickness here in Ecuador. Be it a nasty cough, an upset stomach, a bad cold or any other ailment that has you feeling puny, you better believe that the Ecuadorians have some special home remedy up their sleeves. This weekend was no exception.

On Saturday, I awoke feeling exceptionally close to the equator, i.e.: I had a temperature of 102 and a sore throat to go with it. Seeing as how I already put my host mom through enough worry (and pots of burning leaves) with my cough, I wasn't planning on telling her about the fever. I reasoned that since it was Saturday, I could easily just stay in my room and rest without raising too much suspicion. This actually worked wonderfully for all of Saturday and most of Sunday. However, come Sunday evening when my temp still hadn't gone down, I knew that I needed to speak up.

I guess it's inately in moms to know when their kids are sick, even if the kid is a temporarily adopted gringa. Also, I hadn't left my room for two whole days, not even to eat. Before I even told Monica I wasn't feeling so great, she had come into my room with a worried expression and a head full of ideas on how to treat me. I explained to her that I was "con fiebre" and she immediately varified this by feeling my forehead and replying with, "Sí, sí pobrecita." Having been through the gamut of cures with my cough, I started preparing myself for the worst. I had already started thinking of how to say, "Please, no more burning leaves," when Monica surprised me by giving me a pill. Shock prevented me from doing anything but sit on my bed and stare, until finally Monica put the pill in my hand and told me it should help lower my fever. I looked at the tiny red capsule with skepticism, half expecting it to sprout wings or do something equally radical right there in the palm of my hand. After a few more moments of staring, I decided that maybe the days of crazy medicine were behind me and happily took the pill.

Unfortunately, it did not make my fever go down. I think I was the only one truly upset by this. Monica, being the ever-vigilent mom, told me not to worry and instructed her other (real) daughter to go gather some lemons from the backyard. Half an hour later, Monica strolled confidently into my room carrying a pot of warm water, a wash cloth and about a liter of pure, freshly squeezed lemon juice. She sat on the edge of my bed and told me to lay my head in her lap. Simple enough, I thought. She then mixed the lemon juice and water together and began to douse my entire body with the liquid. My head, stomach, feet and every other body part inbetween received a cool bath of lemon water. It actually felt good to have something cool on my fever-ridden body. However, I figured that just plain water without the lemon would have felt equally as refreshing. Nevertheless, I didn't say anything to object. After I was completely soaked, she poured the remaining liquid onto the wash cloth and instructed me to lie with it across my forehead. All this took place around 8 in the evening.

Fast forward to 6 the next morning where I found myself a sticky mess, reaking of lemon juice and in desperate need of a shower. However, I was also fever-free. Following Monica's advice, I stayed home from work that day to rest and make sure that my temperature would stay at a normal level. My fever never returned and it seems that I have made a full recovery. The lemon cure actually worked! Either that, or I just had a 72-hour bug that happened to end the same day I received my citrus bath. I'm going to go ahead and give this one to Ecuador, though. She earned it.

So let's see... That makes the score: Modern Medicine - 5,823,977. Ecaudorian Home Remedies - 1.

¡Vivan las Madres!

To say that Ecuadorians love their mothers would be an understatement. Second only to the Virgin Mary herself, moms are definitely the lifeblood of Ecuador. This was made apparent to me on Sunday when we celebrated Mother’s Day with the only thing that Ecuadorians might love more than their moms: a fiesta.

For my first 3 months living in Macas, I am required to live with a host family. I definitely lucked out in that department because my host family is wonderful, especially my host mom Monica. She treats me like one of her own kids and is constantly referring to me as her “hija adoptiva.” To show my appreciation to her for being such a great surrogate mom, I made pancakes for her on Sunday morning. Even though they looked pretty bad (I have a hard enough time making pancakes in the States much less in Ecuador) they tasted fine and she loved the gesture. Later on that afternoon, the whole family drove out to a river to enjoy a rare day of sunshine. Now I’m used to the American way of celebrating Mother’s Day, which usually consists of a nice brunch, some flowers, and a sappy Hallmark card. Very simple and relaxing. So when we got back from the river, I thought that the day of celebration was over and that we were just going to spend the evening watching telenovelas. This was foolish thinking on my part.

Around 6 PM, our neighbor came over and invited us to have dinner with her family. My family happily accepted and the two moms of the group (Monica and our neighbor) started planning what they were going to cook. An hour later, one of our chickens had been caught, killed, defeathered, and thrown in a large pot of boiling water on our outdoor fire pit. Our neighbor’s entire family had come in to celebrate Mother’s Day so by the time the chicken soup and yucca had finished cooking, there were about 15 of us crowded around a table to enjoy the meal. This is when things started to get interesting.

Our neighbor’s husband had brought over a few bottles of liquor to celebrate the women in his life. After dinner, we brought out the plastic shot glasses and began toasting the moms. After the bottles were emptied, the neighbor’s daughter was sent to buy more liquor and I was sent inside to bring out my guitar and sing songs in English. I fumbled my way through “Tears in Heaven” and “Hotel California” while the whole family clapped and tried to sing along. This went on till about midnight. Again, I foolishly thought the party was coming to an end. After all, it was Sunday and we all had to go to work and school the next day. About the time I was thinking that things were winding down, the neighbor’s daughter showed up with more liquor (this was her 3rd beer run of the night) and the guitar was replaced by the stereo blasting reggaeton. The chairs and table were cleared out of the way and the dance party began.

The rest of the night is somewhat of a blur, but I will say that all the guys at our party relentlessly tried to teach me how to dance everything from merengue to bachata to reggaeton. Around 4 AM and 13 bottles of liquor later, our neighbors decided to head home, only because it had started to rain. Out of the 15 party goers, four were under the age of 14 and therefore didn’t drink. Doing some quick math, we find that roughly each person had more than an entire bottle of liquor to themselves. ¡Viva el día de la madre!
All in all, the fiesta was amazing and I had a great time. Everyone spent the whole night talking, laughing, dancing, and celebrating their moms. The following morning was definitely rough, as was the whole rest of the day. But it was well worth it. Later on that day at work, my host dad asked me if I had enjoyed the party. I told him I loved it and that it was definitely a different way of celebrating Mother’s Day than I was used to. He just laughed and told me to wait until Father’s Day. Yikes.

As a side note, I’ve had leftover Mother’s Day cake as the main course for at least two out of three meals everyday since Sunday. It’s my family’s favorite breakfast food, and the cause of my mid-morning sugar crash. And I thought PopTarts were sweet…

Mrs. B, I talked to Kelly and she told me to tell you that she’s doing great and loving her site. She’s becoming fast friends with the guys who drive the garbage trucks, since she usually catches a ride with them on her way to the different communities. And while my breakfast usually consists of cake, Kelly is choking down pig skin and mote each morning. But other than that, she loves the people in Santa Ana and is becoming a master hangman player with all the kids at the schools where she teaches English. She says to say hello and to send more crossword puzzles!

How to cure a cough

For the past three weeks, I've been suffering from a rather nasty cough. I think it was brought on by the climate change from cold and rainy Tabacundo to hot and rainy Macas. I've grown immune to cherry-flavored cough drops and now actually just eat them to fill my candy cravings. Musinex, which my Mom wisely sent me in the mail some time ago, has also failed to alleviate the cough. So now, with abs of steal and a very sore throat from relentless hacking and wheezing, I've decided to turn to the wonderful people of Macas for advice. In no particular order, here are some of the tidbits of advice that have been thrown my way:

Mariana, a girl I work with: Told me to buy jengibre (ginger) at the pharmacy. Says it will cure anything from arthritis to an awful cough.

Emma, another girl I work with: Told me to buy Sangre de Dagón, which apparently is some type of tree sap. The first time she pronounced it, though, I thought she said Sangre de Dragón, which is dragon blood. Emma found this quite hilarious, and said that both would most likely cure my cough.

My host mom: Gave me a small container of menthol and told me to rub it all over my body, specifically underneath my armpits. She said it would help me "sweat out the cough."

My host mom again: Boiled milk, three types of flowers, sugar and garlic to produce a nighttime beverage that would help me not only to fall asleep, but to also stop the wheezing and hacking.

My host mom (God bless her for trying): Came into my room right as I was getting ready to go to bed with a huge pot filled with eucalyptus leaves. She then proceeded to light the leaves on fire and blow with great force to assure the maximum amount of smoke possible. As I sat stupefied on my bed, she explained that the aroma from the leaves would be released by burning them and thus cure my cough. After the whole pot was blazing with fire, Mom walked out and closed the door to let the smoke gather in my room. Needless to say, my cough did not go away.

So sadly, I'm still suffering from a ferocious sounding cough. If anyone has any advice, I'm open to trying anything (as can be seen by the above tips I've taken). Just please try to steer clear of dragon blood and burning leaves.

Pics of this and other fun stuff can be seen here. Enjoy!

MACAS!!!!!

So it's been a rollercoaster ride of events these past few weeks, complete with dog bites, swearing-ins, and moving to Macas. Suffice it to say, there hasn't been a dull moment and por fin I'm getting a chance to sit down and blog.

First things first: dog bites. I was warned that it would happen, and I guess now I can say that I was the first one in our group to get bitten by a crazy Ecuadorian dog. Before I go any further, those of you reading this who are concerned for my possible contraction of rabies need not fear. The bite wasn't too bad and Peace Corps keeps rabies shots handy for occasions such as this. So now for the cool story... I was walking in town to our training center Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago. I was going down the exact same, busy road that I've walked for the past 2 months so of course I wasn't expecting any crazy dogs to attack me. About 3/4 of the way there, I walked inbetween 3 little girls who were playing on the sidewalk. I'm guessing the dog felt that I was going to harm the girls in some way because as soon as I walked past them, it came up beside me and bit my left calf. I had to kick the thing to make it let go, and then the little girls started throwing rocks at it to make it run away. I was more pissed than anything, because not only did I do NOTHING to provoke it, but it also ripped my nice pair of pants. Luckily, the bite wasn't deep and it just bruised more than anything. The next week, I talked with the owner of the dog, who was extremely apologetic and assured me that the dog didn't have rabies. I still got the post-bite shots to be on the safe side. So lesson learned: always carry a stick/handful of rocks to keep crazy dogs from ripping your pants.

This past week, we bid farewell to Tabacundo and our host families and headed to Quito to be sworn in as official Peace Corps volunteers. Quito was definitely a welcome site from cold and rainy Tabacundo. The majority of the time was filled by completing necessary PC paperwork and whatnot, but during the night we were able to go out and enjoy all that Quito has to offer. We definitely were not the only gringos in town, which was a nice feeling. Plus, we got to eat at some amazing restaurants, including an Indian food place that was wonderful! Best naan I've ever had. On Thursday, we all headed over to the ambassador's house to be sworn in. Her home is beautiful! It is huge and has wild flowers growing everywhere and there is an amazing view of Mount Cayambe from her balcony. The weather was perfect, which made for a great ceremony. My friend, Aquila, and I spoke on behalf of our Agriculture and Natural Resources groups. Definitely the main point to be praised was that our entire group made it through training. We started with 43, and 43 were sworn in. This apparently has never happened before, because usually a few people drop out before finishing training. It made me extremely proud to be a part of such a cohesive, awesome group. All my fellow trainees have definitely made my time here so far wonderful.

After swearing-in and having a big celebration that night, we all packed our stuff and headed to our sites the next day. Macas is about 8 hours from Quito, so I took a night bus on Friday and got here Saturday morning. This town is AWESOME!!! It's beautiful and clean and the weather is perfect and there's a supermarket right in the town!! That's definitely something I'm not used to. My host family is also amazing. They're very warm and welcoming and the food is excellent. I had granola and yogurt and coffee for breakfast this morning, which blew me away. I definitely lucked out in terms of living arrangements. I'm still not quite sure what it is I'll be doing, but I have some time to figure that out so I'm not worried.

Well, that's all for now. I promise pictures will be coming soon. I just haven't had time to upload anything yet. Hope everyone is doing fantastic!!

Buses and Landslides and Monkeys… Oh My!

After our week in Puerto Quito, the whole group split up into smaller groups to accomplish our second week of technical training. Us 4 IT volunteers headed to San Juan Bosco to learn about computer stuff from Jungle Dave. The trip was great, but to give everyone a better idea of what all happened, I’m going to list the top 5 things we learned in order of importance.

Marcie’s Jungle Conocimientos:

5) Although 300 miles doesn’t sound like that long of a trip, it is. Especially when you’re driving in Ecuador. To get from Quito to Cuenca, which is a little more than 300 miles, it took us 12 hours. To get from Cuenca to San Juan Bosco, which is probably less than 100 miles, it took us 6 hours. When traveling by bus in Ecuador, make sure you have something to keep you entertained. Or at least enjoy Antonio Banderas movies, which is all they play on the bus.

4) Mudslides should be factored into every trip. And never underestimate the power of 50+ Ecuadorians when there’s a bus stuck in a ditch in the mud and it needs to be pushed out. Where there’s a will (and plenty of dead branches to lay on the road to provide some sort of traction) there’s a way.

3) Hot water is not something to be taken for granted. In our hostel in Cuenca, not only did we have hot water for a shower, but we also had a decent amount of pressure. It was the first hot shower I’ve had in 2 months. And probably the last one I’ll have until I visit the States.

2) Monkeys make great pets. Especially if the monkey is named Pepe and has been trained to ride on the back of a poodle named Gabiota. My only advice is to watch out for monkey poop.

1) Ecuador is the only place that I know of where you can be in the mountains in the morning, freezing cold, but after 4 hours of driving, either be at the beach or in the jungle. This country is absolutely beautiful. I’m very lucky to be living here for the next 2 years.

Puerto (Mos)Quito

As part of a 2 week technical trip, our whole group went to a town called Puerto Quito, located in a transitional area between the Andes and the coast just west of Quito. Although Tabacundo and Cayambe are great, we were all anxious for a change of scenery. No one knew what to expect in Puerto Quito except that it would be warmer than what we were used to in the mountains. It turned out that “warmer” was an understatement. We basically ended up in a tropical paradise for a week of training. It was absolutely beautiful. The place where we stayed was actually a satellite school where students from Quito would come to learn about different climates, wildlife, natural resources, etc. Despite being labeled a school, it felt like we were at a resort. It was unbelievable. None of us could get over the fact that here we are, volunteers for Peace Corps who are supposed to be living in sub-par conditions, staying at an incredibly gorgeous resort for FREE that any one of us would have paid good money to stay at in the first place. Our biggest challenge the entire week was trying to decide if we should go swimming in the pool or lounge by the volleyball court sipping a beer and playing cards.

The whole week was really fun for our entire group. All the girls and guys were split up into 2 separate cabins with bunk beds while the married couples got their own rooms, so it kind of felt like summer camp. All our meals were prepared for us there and were delicious. Definitely the best food I’ve had in awhile. During the day we did training activities that we had been unable to do in Tabacundo, like work on an integrated farm or visit a cloud forest. Even though Puerto Quito is only a few hours away from Quito, the climate is completely different. It was incredibly hot and humid the whole week, so everyday after training we would all jump in the pool or river and then just hang out for the rest of the night. It rained pretty much every afternoon, which was great because it cooled things down for the night. A couple of times during the storms we all went out and played soccer in the pouring rain. It was a blast.

The only downside to Puerto Quito were the bugs. They had these little gnats that everyone called “no-see-ums” that were pretty bad. It was actually the exact same bug that we battled in Panama. Thankfully, though, there weren’t nearly as many here. Basically, a no-see-um is a tiny little bug that you can’t feel when it’s on you or even feel when it bites you. After it bites you, though, it turns into this tiny little blood blister and then eventually morphs into a mosquito bite that itches like crazy. Since I had had a horrible experience with these little monsters in Panama, I knew to wear pants and closed toed shoes despite the heat. I got a few bites, but I definitely was better off than some of the others in our group.

All in all, it was a fantastic week. Everyone in the group got to know each other better and it was great to have a change of pace. I look forward to visiting that area again soon.

Hey, site

So I found out where I'll be living and working for the next two years. Look out Macas, Morona Santiago! I'm really excited about where I'll be. It's actually a town in the jungle and it looks beautiful. The weather is hotter than here, but on average should be in the 70s which is awesome. Plus, I'll be able to hang out in the rainforest with monkeys whenever I want.

As far as work goes, I'll be doing a lot GPS and GIS stuff for the people that live there. Mapping, zoning, and all that fun jazz. I still need to get a lot of training for everything, but I'm really excited about heading down there. We'll be done with training in April and then we'll be sworn in to start our official work.

As far as everything else goes, Ecuador is still fantastic! I'm having a blast with everyone in our group, and although my host family hasn't dressed me up anymore in traditional Ecuadorian clothes, they're still a blast to be around. Hope everyone is doing well!!

Haircuts and such

So, I decided to brave the language barriers and get my hair cut this week. As most of you know (or have seen in pics) my hair is relatively short, so I wasn't looking for too much of a cut. Just a trim to keep things manageable. Being a relatively simple person who doesn't put a lot of thought into my appearance (as can also be seen in the pics), I didn't do any research on hair cutting places. Rather, I just walked around town until I saw a place that was open where someone inside was holding hairspray and/or scissors. So I walked in and told the lady that I would like a "corta de pelo." She asked me how I wanted it cut, and I told her just a tiny bit. She nodded in what I thought was understanding and started cutting away (my hair was dry the entire time - wetting and shampooing hair before getting it cut really isn't heard of here). I'm pretty sure she had never cut curly, red hair before because she seemed a little puzzled. The entire time, she kept trying to comb my hair straight as she cut. As I saw the mountain of red hair beside me growing bigger, I decided to tell her that I was happy and she could stop. I'm positive that if I hadn't of stopped her, I would have ended up with a bowl cut. So needless to say, my hair is consideribly shorter. Luckily nobody here cares and it's super easy to deal with. It just goes to show you that no matter how well you think someone understands you, chances are they probably don't.

Top 10 signs you know you're in Ecuador

10. Cars honk once to let you know that they're not going to stop at a stop sign/red light and twice if they plan on hitting you.
9. You are wearing the same pair of underwear you had on last week because, due to the fact that it rains pretty much all day everyday, your laundry is still wet.
8. You are awakened each morning around 5 AM to the sound of (1) your mom using the blender (2) Spanish music blaring from your neighbor's house (3) your mom yelling at your younger brother to get up and go buy bread or (4) a combination of all 3.
7. You see an entire pig hanging in front of a store, turn your head for 5 minutes to talk to a friend, and when you look back all that is left of the pig is the head.
6. Breakfast can be anything from a piece of bread to a can of tuna.
5. Even though it's pouring rain, you have no running water in your house and become thankful for a bucket and stovetop when shower time rolls around.
4. Walking 45 minutes one way to get to class/internet/the store is actually not that bad.
3. Wearing a Fedora hat with a feather on the side is stylish, while in the states wearing that would make you a pimp.
2. Little kids will literally stare at your screen while you write emails, trying to read what it says and even asking questions about what words mean what, even though you've never even met these kids.
1. You wake up every morning with an incredible view of the mountains, and get to start your day off by walking in the clouds.

Chancho + Fedora Hat = Awsome

So I’ve decided to try and post weekly to the blog, not only to let everyone know what I’ve been up to, but also to keep somewhat of a journal of my time in Ecuador. Don’t hold me to the weekly post, though. I’ve already switched to the Ecuadorian time schedule, which basically means there is no schedule.

In order to complete an integration activity this week, our language facilitators had each class prepare a traditional Ecuador meal and bring it to class to share with everyone. The goal of the homework assignment was for us to go home and talk to our families about the typical dish, and then have them help us prepare it. So being the diligent student I am, I went home that night to talk with my host mom about ideas. As soon as I said the words “plato tipico” her eyes lit up and she started spurting out all these different ideas. I tried to tell her that it wasn’t supposed to be an entire meal, just a sample, but she didn’t hear a word I said. So the next day I was sent to the market to buy 5 lbs of chancho (pig), 12 corn on the cobs, some bags of corn, potatoes, and other random vegetables. We ended up making fried chancho, corn on the cob, mini baked potatoes, aji (the typical sauce here which includes onions, peppers and different kinds of tomatoes) and tostados (fried corn kernels with spices). The whole meal was really good. It reminded me a little bit of a bar-b-que. Needless to say, we had plenty of food to feed my entire family plus my 6-person language class.

A lot of this week in our training classes was devoted to food preparation. Peace Corps gave us this cook book that’s Ecuador specific. It has all the typical foods and spices one would find here, and how to prepare tons of meals. It’s about a 200 page book that has vocabulary, recipes, nutrition facts, how to select food from the market, and mucho mas. The cook book is no doubt the best thing we’ve received so far. Every volunteer is pumped to live on their own and start cooking something other than arroz con papas (rice and potatoes). It even explains how to cook things in a Dutch oven over an open fire, since that’s what a lot of us will be using.

On Saturday, we broke up into 5 groups and each traveled to a different city for a cultural day trip. My group went to a town called Cotacachi and then later to Otavalo. It was a really fun day. In Cotacachi, we went to this beautiful lake to hike around and just enjoy the scenery. To get to the lake, we all piled into this truck and headed out on the hour drive. About halfway there, we see this old woman standing on the side of the road holding a piece of string that’s stretched out across the road. As the truck got closer, she pulled the string tight to make a very weak road block. Since we were all riding in the back of the truck and none of us had ever seen anything like this before, our natural reaction was to duck. This obviously looked ridiculous since (1) it was a 90 year old woman holding a piece of string and (2) the string didn’t even reach the truck’s headlights. The cab driver just plowed on through and when we looked back, the woman was laughing her head off. Our teacher told us that when people do this, they’re hoping cars will stop and then they can charge everyone a fee to pass. Most cars just drive on through since, like I said before, it’s a piece of string. Still, pretty funny.

We spent most of the day in Cotacachi, enjoying the scenery and looking at the market. The town is known for it’s leather and very touristy. For the first time since we’ve been in Ecuador, I didn’t feel like I stood out quite so much. We were surrounded by other gringos. I ended up buying a belt and a traditional Ecuador woman’s hat, which is basically just a fedora with a feather in the side. I felt pretty good about my hat purchase, especially since everyone in the group said I was probably the only one who could pull it off. In Otavalo, we went to another market. It’s actually the most well-known market in South America, and for good reason. It’s HUGE, filled with all kinds of stands and people selling stuff. Knitting is very popular there, so most of the stands are selling sweaters and gloves and anything else imaginable made out of yarn. Again, it’s a very touristy place so we were surrounded by other gringos, mostly from Europe and Australia.

So this brings us to Saturday night when I got home, undoubtedly the most cultural night I’ve had here so far. I showed my family the hat I had bought and they went nuts! Apparently, there is a huge festival in our town in June called Festival de San Pedro where all the woman dress in traditional clothing and they all dance in the streets and have this huge party. Traditional clothing consists of the hat, a white blouse with some sort of design sewn into it, a colorful skirt, scarves, necklaces, and white slippers. The moment my family saw me wearing my hat, they decided it would be a good idea to dress me up in the outfit. So for the next 2 hours, I was dressed up and had to dance around the house to the traditional San Pedro music. It was actually really hilarious. Imagine me dressed from head to toe in Ecuador’s finest clothes, holding a guitar, and twirling around while my family shouted instructions to me on how I should dance. Priceless. Luckily, my family is addicted to my digital camera and took plenty of pics and videos.

Well, that’s all for now. I’m off to take advantage of the sun and do my laundry. Love and miss everyone!!

Also, I've been trying to upload pics but internet connections have been crazy slow. Hopefully those we'll be up soon, but for now just use your imaginations.

First few weeks...

Hi, everyone!

Finally, the long-awaited, much anticipated “Marcie in Ecuador” blog is here! Now y’all have an excuse to procrastinate even more at work or school. Yay! I apologize for not getting this up and running sooner. The problem hasn’t been lack of internet (there are internet cafes everywhere and even a few places with wireless) but rather lack of time. Our days are packed, usually going from 8 – 5 everyday, and since my home is about a 45 minute walk from the training center and I don’t like to be out after dark, time is limited. Thank goodness for the weekend!

So today marks my 11th day in Ecuador. It’s definitely been a rollercoaster ride, but I’ve had a blast so far. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful location. We’re over 9,000 ft. above sea level, so we’re literally walking in the clouds everyday. The weather has been great thus far. Cold in the mornings and at night, and pretty moderate during the day, usually around 65 degrees. I will say it’s been an adjustment getting used to the changes in weather throughout the day, though. One minute it’s cloudy and freezing, and the next minute it’s sunny and burning up. I’ve learned to dress in layers. We’re also right in the middle of Ecuador’s rainy season, but it hasn’t been too bad yet. Just a couple of heavy showers so far.

I live with a family in a barrio close to our training site. My family is awesome! I really couldn’t have asked for a group of nicer people. Like most families here, there are a lot of them living in the same house, about 8 total plus some neighbors. They’re all extremely welcoming and curious about me and why I’m here. I feel really fortunate because even though it’s a ton of people living in the same house, everyone is extremely independent and I don’t have trouble finding time for myself. I will say that my sleeping schedule has changed quite a bit from what it was in the States. I’m up by 5:45 every morning and in bed no later than 10:30. On the weekends I get to sleep in till about 8. Hahaha. My bathing regimen has also changed a bit. Hot water is limited, so if I want a lukewarm shower I need to be in there by 5:45 in the morning. I now only take showers every other day. Cold showers in about 40 degree weather will really wake you up in the morning!

The other cool part about living in my house is the way we do laundry. Electricity is crazy expensive here so washing machines are few and far between. So we have what’s called a washing rock. It’s basically 2 huge stones on either side of this basin. The stones are tiled and the basin is filled with water. The day before I want to do laundry, I soak all my clothes in a bucket with some detergent. The next day I use this bar of laundry soap and scrub the hell out my clothes, using the tile as a scrubber. After I rinse them out, I hang everything up to dry and that’s that. So far I’ve done laundry twice and it’s been an experience each time. Yesterday, it took me about an hour and a half to do a medium size load. Hahaha I’m still getting used to it. The one thing I have learned is to make sure all my clothes are completely rinsed out before I hang them up to dry. My dark jeans paid the price yesterday and now have a few white blotches on them from bleach, I guess. Maybe I’ll start a new fashion trend.

Food so far has been really good. Since breakfast is so early, I usually can’t eat that much. Typically I just have some form of milk shake (my mom loves making this tomato, banana, and milk drink that’s actually really good and pretty healthy) and a small piece of bread. For lunch, we eat at the training center and usually have chicken, mixed veggies and either rice or potatoes. Dessert is a piece of fresh fruit that’s always delicious. Dinner varies each night. We’ll either have some form of soup (usually potato or yucca) or meat with rice and some form of salad, like avocado or carrots. Fish has been a popular supper item and they love papas fritas (French fries). Everyone is very diligent about finishing everything on their plate, and since everyone works hard everyday, they usually have pretty big portions. My mom has learned to give me about half of what she gives everyone else because I literally can’t pack it in. What’s been cool about dinner is that I’ve been helping out by either peeling potatoes or making juice. Usually simple tasks since my cooking skills are limited. I think my mom really enjoys teaching me, though, and it also lets me have a say in how much she puts on my plate.

Like I said, our schedules are pretty packed during the weekdays. 2 other volunteers live in my same barrio so we usually walk to the training center together. We leave around 7:15 every morning to get to our classes on time. I’m using the word “classes” loosely, since it’s nothing like college. There are 43 volunteers in our group, and everyday is different. We’re broken up into 2 groups: Natural Resources and Agriculture. Depending on the day, we’ll have technical training courses relating to our particular program. Being in NR, I’m learning about everything from soil to agriforestry to conservation, etc. Since we’ve only had one week of training, we haven’t gone too in-depth with our programs. However, this last Friday both groups joined together and we made this HUGE garden complete with trees, vegetables, fruits, flowers, greenhouses, etc. It was really awesome and a fun way to learn specific vocabulary. I don’t think I’ve ever shoveled so much in my life, though.

When we’re not working on technical skills, we’re working on language and culture. Our language groups are broken up into about 4 – 5 people per group, depending on Spanish level, with an instructor. It’s been really effective since the groups are so small and you can get more one on one teaching. Training is 10 weeks long, and then we’ll be sworn in as legit Peace Corps volunteers.

I still don’t know where I’ll be working once I’m actually sworn in. We don’t find that out until week 5, but it could be anywhere in Ecuador. As far as I know, I’ll be working somewhat with computers and teaching so I’m excited about that! And once we’re sworn in we’ll all be given cell phones which is awesome. Lack of communication has been the hardest thing to adjust to, so I’m looking forward to being more in the loop.

Well, that’s all for now. Sorry this was so long, but hopefully it gave everyone a basic idea of what I’ve been doing since I left. I hope everyone is doing fantastic!! If you get some time, jot me an email or letter and whenever I get a chance I’ll get back to you. Love and miss you all!!! Check out the pics at www.flickr.com/ecuadormarcie!!!