So San Lorenzo celebrated its 475 anniversary on June 1st and they have a parade evey year to show off the organizations that they have in the community. One of the organizations is the cooperative of san lorenzo in which my counterpart in the manager of. So I wake up that day knowing that there is going to be a parade and celebration but what I didn´t know is that I was going to be in it as well walking with her. It definitely was a little awkward since we walked in the front of the parade just behind the president of the junta parraoquial (its like the mayor ) and no one walking behind us for a great length as everyone in town is there looking at you. I didn´t know whether to wave and stop or just keep walking while drunk people are yelling in a mixture of slurred spanish and kichwa (or quichoa)...at 10 am.
Last sunday the community had their junta parroquial elections (city council), in which my counterpart and her brother were on one of the lists. I would consider their veiwpoints to be more along the lines of the green party, or some type of a liberal candidate. Suffice to say, they ended up coming in 5th place out of 5 lists (although, one person was chosen from each list to be on the city council, so my counterpart´s brother made it that way). Anyways, this is important to me because in small towns, to get any projects going, you need to converse with the junta parroquial. I haven´t talked with the president too much but from what I hear she is pretty easy to get along with so I feel this won´t hinder anything moving forward, but who knows. What I am really glad for is that the elections are finally over in this town. Not a day didn´t go by that I didn´t hear a song from each of the party´s (yes, they all have songs) lists being played ad nauseum for hours every day. 6am? why not....10:30pm?....sure, lets give it a go. Then, we have each people who represent the lists drive around in their trucks with megaphones attached to the top of the trucks yelling out their propaganda. They sure enjoy their politics down here.
On a different note, at our house, we were out of running water for about a week at the start of june so i learned how to live without running water for awhile (wasn´t too bad, just a little more work). Anyways, I had to bath myself and learned the time old tradition of the bucket bath. I don´t think I have taken one of those since I was washed as a baby in the sink of our house. I found it a little hard not to get the shampoo out of my eyes when I washed my hair, I think I need to lean back further on attempts in the future. Live and learn I guess.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
you can teach english, right?
One of the first projects we are supose to do as PCVs is called CAT, which is basically a community needs assessment project. I am suppose to interview 50 or so families and find out what sort of long term porojects I can develop over the next two years. We give a presentation at our reconnect conference in a few months with our counterpart and then give the presentation again to our community. Anyways, during my interviews with the families (the ones that actually agree to talk to me...I think most people think I am a missionary or something), I inevitably talk about what I am doing in the community. I give the whole thing about community gardens, working on the irrigation canal, small businesses, and then I mention casually that I am willing to help out with english classes, or atleast tutor people who want help.
Usually people just smile and nod until I tell them that I am willing to help their son, daughter and themselves with english, then they perk up like it is christmas morning. ¨clases de ingles, en serio?¨ is usually the typical response. And word has gotten around town that the gringo is willing to help out with english, so this has given me something to do on top of the other stuff i am working on. I have to remind my fellow san lorenzons (i am sure that is what they are called) that i willing to help and tutor but that I am NOT an english teacher. It certainly has been a learning experience for me as one day I am helping a 10 year old kid who basically knows nothing to a 29 year old woman who can read and write but needs help speaking. I am trying not to make this my number one goal here but it has helped fill out the schedule and hopefully some of the kids will use it later in the their lives.
As far as the other projects go, i have my own demonstration garden going and have had a few workdays getting the community garden going at the local health center. Also, we have had a few mingas (workdays) on the canal outside of san lorenzo, avalanches of dirt get into the canal as must be cleaned out with many of the following combination: shovel, pick, hoe, 35 to 40 ecuadorians, one tall gringo. Any of these combinations will suffice to cleaning out a canal. Make sure that it is really hot while you´re at it.
Other than that, I am just trying to intergrate with my community, really try to get to know the locals, it has been fun at times, awkward at others and plain hilarious when you see people who are afraid to talk to you sober but when they are drunk (usually sundays), they absolutely love slurring their spanish to the new gringo.
Till next time
Usually people just smile and nod until I tell them that I am willing to help their son, daughter and themselves with english, then they perk up like it is christmas morning. ¨clases de ingles, en serio?¨ is usually the typical response. And word has gotten around town that the gringo is willing to help out with english, so this has given me something to do on top of the other stuff i am working on. I have to remind my fellow san lorenzons (i am sure that is what they are called) that i willing to help and tutor but that I am NOT an english teacher. It certainly has been a learning experience for me as one day I am helping a 10 year old kid who basically knows nothing to a 29 year old woman who can read and write but needs help speaking. I am trying not to make this my number one goal here but it has helped fill out the schedule and hopefully some of the kids will use it later in the their lives.
As far as the other projects go, i have my own demonstration garden going and have had a few workdays getting the community garden going at the local health center. Also, we have had a few mingas (workdays) on the canal outside of san lorenzo, avalanches of dirt get into the canal as must be cleaned out with many of the following combination: shovel, pick, hoe, 35 to 40 ecuadorians, one tall gringo. Any of these combinations will suffice to cleaning out a canal. Make sure that it is really hot while you´re at it.
Other than that, I am just trying to intergrate with my community, really try to get to know the locals, it has been fun at times, awkward at others and plain hilarious when you see people who are afraid to talk to you sober but when they are drunk (usually sundays), they absolutely love slurring their spanish to the new gringo.
Till next time
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The U Curve
During our training, the peace corps does a session on your state of mind once you get to your site. It is said that volunteers go through a U curve of some sorts. First you arrive in Ecuador or at your site, and you are in the honeymoon period. Everything is so exciting to you, the food, the culture, learning spanish, getting to know your fellow PCVs, etc. Then reality starts to set in, you start missing your family, friends from back home, miss having all the creature comforts that you had back in the states. It is said that you enter a depressed period. Then with time, you either stay depressed and truly start to dislike this country or you start heading back up the U curve, into the humor/ acceptance stage of your perios of service. Well, apparently, this weekend I went through the whole damn U curve...
So for the first time last weekend, I really got sick. Not the ¨oh, I have diarrhia, i just need to drink some water and I´ll be alright¨, that happens all the time...or atleast to me. Not only did I have diarrhia, but I had these sulfur type burps, which are not fun and they taste absolutely disgusting. I would of thrown up too had I actually been able to eat some food. The reason I got sick...maybe it was playing with animal shit all day trying to get a compost pile going while later cooking that night with meat that was probably better left untouched. This was sunday...monday and tuesday really didn´t feel that great. Everything little thing that bothers you about a place becomes compounded when you are sick. The cold showers, eating plates of white rice after white rice, the bumpy bus rides that take twice as long as they should, that fact that in most houses, I can´t stand up straight because the walls are made for 6ft gringos and that you have lost weight from being sick. All those things, and then you realize ¨why am I here right now...what am I doing here?¨
Yet then you wake up one day (i.e. today) and you feel better. The air smells cleaner, you can actually eat breakfast, the spanish just seems to flow out of you, you don´t have to think about it. You realize that life here doesn´t suck, it would of sucked if I was sick in the states too. And you´re heading back up that U curve...
So for the first time last weekend, I really got sick. Not the ¨oh, I have diarrhia, i just need to drink some water and I´ll be alright¨, that happens all the time...or atleast to me. Not only did I have diarrhia, but I had these sulfur type burps, which are not fun and they taste absolutely disgusting. I would of thrown up too had I actually been able to eat some food. The reason I got sick...maybe it was playing with animal shit all day trying to get a compost pile going while later cooking that night with meat that was probably better left untouched. This was sunday...monday and tuesday really didn´t feel that great. Everything little thing that bothers you about a place becomes compounded when you are sick. The cold showers, eating plates of white rice after white rice, the bumpy bus rides that take twice as long as they should, that fact that in most houses, I can´t stand up straight because the walls are made for 6ft gringos and that you have lost weight from being sick. All those things, and then you realize ¨why am I here right now...what am I doing here?¨
Yet then you wake up one day (i.e. today) and you feel better. The air smells cleaner, you can actually eat breakfast, the spanish just seems to flow out of you, you don´t have to think about it. You realize that life here doesn´t suck, it would of sucked if I was sick in the states too. And you´re heading back up that U curve...
Saturday, May 2, 2009
The next step
After nearly a 10 month application process (how many times did I have to go to the dentist?), then a 5 month wait after learning that I would be going to Ecuador and 9 weeks of training, I am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer! It is...finally...here. Omnibus 101 swore in last wednesday at the ambassador´s office in Quito in the lawn in front of the building. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I am exciting about getting to my site, integrating into the community and continuing some projects however I will miss my fellow volunteers from 101 that I have gotten to know pretty well over the last 9 weeks. Anyways, I guess all good things must come to an end as I get ready to the real Peace Corps experience. I got into San Lorenzo on Thursday, a day after the swear-in celebration...I´m not going to lie...the 6 hour bus ride wasn´t the greateast experience I have had ;-). Anyways, I am excited to be here and glad that training is over (another safety and security session and I don´t know what I would have done...)
We spent three days in Quito before heading out, it was kind of crazy because Ecuador just had its presidential elections and Rafael Correa got re-elected, which is apparently the first time that has happend in the last 40 years. There have been 8 presidents in the last 10 years...so stability might be a good thing. I don´t know too much about Correa so I won´t comment on it, but it seems opinions are mixed. The interesting thing is that when we were in Quito, we were all standing on a street corner and a guy told us that ¨Correa was coming around the corner and we couldn´t cross the street¨. Not 30 seconds later, a caravan rolls by and Correa passes us by with his window down not 5 feet away. I was dissapointed I didn´t get a pic but I did wave as us and ask us where we were from. Ahhh, the glamarous life of a peace corps volunteer!
Anyways, I got an address at my site, if you want to send me something (letters, paperbacks, non perishable food would be appreciated). Just don´t declare anything and limit it to under 4.4 pounds (4 pounds to be safe), I don´t want to go to customs to pick it up.
Josh Raser
Casilla 02-01-32
Guaranda, Ecuador
South America
till next time...
We spent three days in Quito before heading out, it was kind of crazy because Ecuador just had its presidential elections and Rafael Correa got re-elected, which is apparently the first time that has happend in the last 40 years. There have been 8 presidents in the last 10 years...so stability might be a good thing. I don´t know too much about Correa so I won´t comment on it, but it seems opinions are mixed. The interesting thing is that when we were in Quito, we were all standing on a street corner and a guy told us that ¨Correa was coming around the corner and we couldn´t cross the street¨. Not 30 seconds later, a caravan rolls by and Correa passes us by with his window down not 5 feet away. I was dissapointed I didn´t get a pic but I did wave as us and ask us where we were from. Ahhh, the glamarous life of a peace corps volunteer!
Anyways, I got an address at my site, if you want to send me something (letters, paperbacks, non perishable food would be appreciated). Just don´t declare anything and limit it to under 4.4 pounds (4 pounds to be safe), I don´t want to go to customs to pick it up.
Josh Raser
Casilla 02-01-32
Guaranda, Ecuador
South America
till next time...
Monday, April 20, 2009
tech trip
A lot has happend in the last two weeks as I have not had time to update this thing. It was cool spending Semana Santa in Pesillo with my host family and have some down time with them. One of the days my host mother made us fanesca, which is a typical ecuadorian dish, consisting of soup and other vegetables (supposedly it has 12 grains in it). It was really good...served with this drink that tasted like a cross between oatmeal and horchata. During that weekend, I got to experience something rather incredible. One of the PCTs, Ian, who is jewish, hosted a sader at the restaurant in Pesillo, where one other PCT, Mike, lives. Mike´s host family was there and so was every other PCT in Pesillo. It was interesting to say the least because first I didn´t know what a sader is and second, it was mostly in Spanish. You really have to love the cross-cultural immersion of Jewish and the Catholic religions together. My contribution to the whole thing was helping Mike´s host family paint their restaurant, pretty random but they were doing it and I offered to help.
After that, our entire group headed to Porto-Quito to start our 8 day cultural/technical trip. Porto-Quito is located about 2 hours west of Quito in what is known as a transitional zone. It was extremely hot and the conditions were almost jungle like...very humid. It was fun hanging out by the pool, playing soccer, and just relaxing for a few days. Even the cold showers felt nice! Anyways, we did do some organic gardening sessions, mixed in with a ¨leadership¨ session, which was actually very informational and not boring. I have tons of bug bites on my calfs to prove that I went there, the itching has just started to subside. After that, the sierra group (all the volunteers heading to work in sierra region, about 16 of us) headed to Riobamba, which is about 4 hours south of Quito. One of the larger cities in Ecuador, it was a good change of pace to actually experience a larger city in Ecuador. The agricultural group headed to an organic farm just outside of Riobamba and visited a farm with its own microclimate that can grow fruit (such as oranges, blackberries, and limes) that normally cannot be grown in the sierra because of its climate. Fascinating stuff and something to aspire to at my site. After Riombamba, the group headed to Salinas, which is about 2 hours west of Riobamba and 1 1/2 hours north of my site in San Lorenzo. Salinas is known for its cheese, chocolate and other value added products like soccer balls. Spending time there (along with some breathtaking hiking) showed me what could be done with local resources if used properly, definitely something to aspire to.
Really tired from traveling all day...10 more days until my projects begin!
Ashta Cama
After that, our entire group headed to Porto-Quito to start our 8 day cultural/technical trip. Porto-Quito is located about 2 hours west of Quito in what is known as a transitional zone. It was extremely hot and the conditions were almost jungle like...very humid. It was fun hanging out by the pool, playing soccer, and just relaxing for a few days. Even the cold showers felt nice! Anyways, we did do some organic gardening sessions, mixed in with a ¨leadership¨ session, which was actually very informational and not boring. I have tons of bug bites on my calfs to prove that I went there, the itching has just started to subside. After that, the sierra group (all the volunteers heading to work in sierra region, about 16 of us) headed to Riobamba, which is about 4 hours south of Quito. One of the larger cities in Ecuador, it was a good change of pace to actually experience a larger city in Ecuador. The agricultural group headed to an organic farm just outside of Riobamba and visited a farm with its own microclimate that can grow fruit (such as oranges, blackberries, and limes) that normally cannot be grown in the sierra because of its climate. Fascinating stuff and something to aspire to at my site. After Riombamba, the group headed to Salinas, which is about 2 hours west of Riobamba and 1 1/2 hours north of my site in San Lorenzo. Salinas is known for its cheese, chocolate and other value added products like soccer balls. Spending time there (along with some breathtaking hiking) showed me what could be done with local resources if used properly, definitely something to aspire to.
Really tired from traveling all day...10 more days until my projects begin!
Ashta Cama
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Lovin´ San Lorenzo
As stated in the last blog post, my site will be in San Lorenzo, a tiny pueblo of about 800 people 6 hours south of Quito by bus. This week I got to visit my site for a few days, meet my counterpart, and look at some of the projects that I will be continuing. On sunday I headed down with Mary, who is one of our co-trainers and the PCV which I will be replacing. The bus ride was long...but once I got there, it was all worth it. San Lorenzo is a nestled in the mountains of the sierra, on a clear day you can see Chimborazo, which is the highest mountain in Ecuador. I arrived to meet my host-family, who is all super nice and welcoming. It helped to know that I am the 2nd PCV to ever be there, so everyone is down didn´t seem to shocked to see another gringo...I think. My host-mother is my counterpart (the person I am working closely with) and she also happens to be pretty amazing. She is a single mom, raising three kids (20 year old daughter, 13 year old son, 5 year old daughter) and is also the president of the cooperative that I am working with. I honestly don´t know when she sleeps but it has to be sometime during the night. I got along with the family instantly even though my spanish is not where I want it to be (which is to say...perfect) but it helps to be able to laugh at yourself.
I got to see the canal that I will be working on, it extends about 5 km back from the city in the hills...beautiful hike with amazing views of the city and surrounding communities. So if anyone comes down to visit me...you know of one place where we are going. Checked out the gardens at the schools...i said i would offer to help out teaching english...don´t be surprised if I am english teacher to go along with peace corps volunteer in a few months. I am really excited about a few reforestation projects that I can be involved with and the vermicomposting project as well. Basically we would take food waste from the city and chop it up in a shredder and use it in worm beds to make compost. We would still need to design and make the shredder, which mary would help me with.
As far as the cooperative goes...I will be helping Maria (my counterpart) make value-added products to help create small businesses. Two of the highlights are making marmelade out of sambor (similar to watermelon) and making wine. Wine is usually not grown in this part of Ecuador but it will be interesting to see what happens with that.
I am really excited about everything right now...I always thought my peace corps experience would be living in some shack by myself in the middle of nowhere with no running water and electricity. I don´t know if I got lucky or not, maybe I should of applied to go to Africa then. I guess I came in with such low expectations that everything I recieve is a luxury, I don´t know. Anyways...I got a week then we head out on our technical trips (a week learning agricultural practices with other volunteers that will be living in the Sierra)...stoked about that.
Ciao
I got to see the canal that I will be working on, it extends about 5 km back from the city in the hills...beautiful hike with amazing views of the city and surrounding communities. So if anyone comes down to visit me...you know of one place where we are going. Checked out the gardens at the schools...i said i would offer to help out teaching english...don´t be surprised if I am english teacher to go along with peace corps volunteer in a few months. I am really excited about a few reforestation projects that I can be involved with and the vermicomposting project as well. Basically we would take food waste from the city and chop it up in a shredder and use it in worm beds to make compost. We would still need to design and make the shredder, which mary would help me with.
As far as the cooperative goes...I will be helping Maria (my counterpart) make value-added products to help create small businesses. Two of the highlights are making marmelade out of sambor (similar to watermelon) and making wine. Wine is usually not grown in this part of Ecuador but it will be interesting to see what happens with that.
I am really excited about everything right now...I always thought my peace corps experience would be living in some shack by myself in the middle of nowhere with no running water and electricity. I don´t know if I got lucky or not, maybe I should of applied to go to Africa then. I guess I came in with such low expectations that everything I recieve is a luxury, I don´t know. Anyways...I got a week then we head out on our technical trips (a week learning agricultural practices with other volunteers that will be living in the Sierra)...stoked about that.
Ciao
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
My site
So after 6 months of knowing what country I am going to in the peace corps (Ecuador, duh...), I finally know where I will be spending the next two years. My site is a small town about 6 hours south of Quito (by bus) in the Sierra called San Lorenzo, in the province of Bolivar. It is a town of about 800 people with a surrounding community of 2,000, sort of like Pesillo. The neareast city is Guaranda, which I will be going to for supplies and Riobamba (which I heard was really nice as well). One of the 4 co-trainers that we have right now worked and lived at that site so I get to pick her brain about everything. My official job description is a bit open-ended but here are the highlights:
1. I will be working with an agricultural cooperative that is interested in promoting small value-added projects and also work with the community to improve record-keeping and collection mechanisms.
2. Improve irrigation use and water management, especially field level irrigation
3. Crop diversification, school, and family gardens. (also help with solid waste management using worm composting)
It sounds like a lot and I guess it is, but I will be working in an unstructured environment and need to ¨self-motivated¨. We´ll see how it goes...very excited about the whole thing. I will be doing a site visit on sunday through thursday of next week in San Lorenzo to check it out and get to know my counterpart, the person who I will be working with the closest (she happens to be my host mother for the first 3 months so that is cool). From the map, San Lorenzo is sort of in the middle of Ecuador, maybe a little south...but I like it because I am in the mountains and can get to the coast or oriente (jungle) within a day, so I can visit other volunteers as well.
It is great knowing where I will be going to...finally, now I can prepare myself for the next stage of Peace Corps life.
Til´ next time
1. I will be working with an agricultural cooperative that is interested in promoting small value-added projects and also work with the community to improve record-keeping and collection mechanisms.
2. Improve irrigation use and water management, especially field level irrigation
3. Crop diversification, school, and family gardens. (also help with solid waste management using worm composting)
It sounds like a lot and I guess it is, but I will be working in an unstructured environment and need to ¨self-motivated¨. We´ll see how it goes...very excited about the whole thing. I will be doing a site visit on sunday through thursday of next week in San Lorenzo to check it out and get to know my counterpart, the person who I will be working with the closest (she happens to be my host mother for the first 3 months so that is cool). From the map, San Lorenzo is sort of in the middle of Ecuador, maybe a little south...but I like it because I am in the mountains and can get to the coast or oriente (jungle) within a day, so I can visit other volunteers as well.
It is great knowing where I will be going to...finally, now I can prepare myself for the next stage of Peace Corps life.
Til´ next time
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