December 6, 2009

I’m writing you from my new house! I moved out of the host family’s house and into my own house this past weekend. It’s very strange and new still, but I know I’ll get used to it soon! Even though sometimes it drove me insane, I am still used to being around the family and the loud presence of jovenes, so having my own place and quiet is a little strange. The landlord lent my his tv for a few days after I moved in because he didn’t feel like moving it so I had cable for a few days. So it was a slow adjustment because I at least had the noise of tv for awhile.

So about my house, it’s really nice. It’s really spacious for one person and has 2 ‘bedrooms’ but one is just empty now since I only need one room. The one that’s empty has a big metal door that’s like a garage door, so at some point I may use that for some purpose. I bought a fridge and a stove-top and my landlord surprised me and let me borrow a hammock, bed, and a gas tank, saving me from having to buy a lot of expensive stuff. I also borrowed a fan from a friend, so I essentially got out of having to buy much stuff! Also my host family gave me a small Christmas tree to use so I can decorate my house :) the house is very secure, and I have all of the keys to all of the doors, which makes me a little nervous that I’m going to lose them. I’m planning on giving 1 copy of the keys to my host family in case I do lock myself out, because the doors lock automatically when I leave. Right now I feel like a janitor because I have 10 keys on my key chain now – doubles of: lock on the gate to get to the house, front door, back door, lock on the water tank, keys to my bedroom (the other bedroom and the bathroom I don’t care around). Other than that the house is really great. It’s strange to have my own place but I'm excited to get to ‘nest’! I’m going to buy wood to make a table, and I made a makeshift closet by hanging a broom handle with cable from the metal supports of the room (which I was really proud of doing so innovatevly!”. However my host family is helping me a lot getting stuff settled in. Today the host dad came and put some nails in the walls for me (apparently just trying to hammer nails into a cement wall makes big cracks in the cement so its better to drill a hole then put the nail in) and said he’ll come back to install towel racks, other nail hangers, and even a real closet and shelf system in the kitchen when I’m ready. Oh and the windows now are just glass without screen, so I’ve been putting screen on the windows/openings to keep the mosquitos down a little (I did buy a fumigator spray today to kill the mosquitos sometimes when I just need a break). He seems pretty excited to be able to help and I’m welcoming the help. If I would have just nailed the nails in without asking him for a hammer I would have big cracks in my wall right now. I have lots of stuff to learn about Ecuadorian housing!

Well, it’s been awhile since I last updated. For one thing, we don’t have consistent power. There is a nationwide power shortage so the government has been doing scheduled power cuts twice a day. Here ours is out in the morning from 8am until 10 or 1030, then in the evening from 5 until 7 or 8. Every year the rivers run dry, which is where they generate most of their energy, so during the months before the rainy season starts there are always power cuts. Its annoying at times, but that is how it is here. One thing I think is pretty dumb though is that in the big city the street signals are connected to the same power source and they don’t have a backup generator to provide power during the cuts. They cut the power there during the mid afternoon, while people are out having lunch or driving home from work. So they have cops directing traffic at all of the intersections because the lights don’t work. It seems pretty inefficient, but I guess they cant prevent it.

Another issue that’s going on right now is that with the droughts there isn’t enough food in the fields for the cows so the cows are really skinny and not giving off very much milk. Therefore, the price of cheese made in the coastal region has doubled in the last month. Milk from the sierra is just as cheap because they have plenty of grass for the cows, but the milk is brought here pasteurized so people here cant make cheese from that milk. Apparently this isn’t a regular thing though – this year is the first time its happened.

A few weekends ago I went with my host family out to a farm in the campo (country). It’s the farm of my host dad’s family, but none of his family lives on the farm. They have a family that they pay to work the land and a house for visitors. So we went and stayed in the visitors house. My host parents, host sister, and about 15 relatives and I all climbed into a camioneta to get to the house, which is really far back on bad roads. It was a little scary getting to the farm but once we got there it was soo interesting! Near the farm we tried to cross over a small creek, but it turns out the small creek was a bit deeper and mushier than the driver realized. Sooo we got stuck. First the men got out and tried to push, then they put rocks underneath the tires to try to help. Tires still spinning we decided that everyone should unload, so we all climbed out to reduce the weight. Then after watching the men struggle without progress, the women decided to help. After a few tries I was the only woman still helping, while the others took pictures of the efforts. Finally we got the truck unstuck but I apparently was holding/pushing wrong because I didn’t have a good hold once it starting moving. I made a split-second decision to keep pushing even though I knew I wouldn’t make it out of the muck unscathed, which resulted in the truck getting out and me on my knees in the 8 inch deep mud. I tried to get up a couple times and failed, just falling back down (which my host mom got on video) until one of the guys came and helped me up. Everyone fussed over the fact that my pants and shoes were covered in goop, but I told them I’d rather just wait to deal with it til we got to the farm, so I just rinsed me hands off in water pool of the creek (with 3 of the men standing around just in case I needed help or fell into the creek). Everyone laughed at me for only bringing 1 pair of jeans until I pointed out it was only an overnight trip, at which point they still laughed because I was covered in mud. It was a dirty experience but at least it seemed to be my initiation into the extended family. It broke the ice between us and seemed to show them I’m out there to help and make an effort, that I’m no different from them just because I’m from the U.S. So anyway, after the creek extravaganza we headed on our way to the farm!

When we got there my host dad took me around the woods to show me the various fruit trees – including orange, coconut, plantain, plum, banana, lime, guanabana, and papaya trees. He knows how much I love coconuts so he used a long cane to knock the rest of the coconuts off the 75 ft tree which was a really interesting process. He started by putting the end of the cane near the tree then hoisted the cane up like a high jumper until he had it upright. Then he twisted and hit the coconut until it fell. It sounds really easy but my super-strong host dad had trouble controlling the cane so one of his nephews who looks like a line-backer came by and help him. I sat by and took pictures (I offered to help but both of us knew it wouldn’t be much help haha) So anyway, we collected various fruits and it was truly one of the most interesting experiences I’ve had here in Ecuador – an experience I couldn’t get in the U.S.! After going on our walk, we went back and had lunch. Afterward, we went down to the river to “bathe” which I translated as swim but actually meant bathe, as in soap, shampoo, etc. That was a real “I’m actually in the Peace Corps” experience, but it was actually pretty fun. The water was a huge relief from the heat and I learned to wash my body under my clothes which was pretty awkward. I spent a good amount of time in the water enjoying the freshness and company of the host family. Then we went up and had dinner. After dinner there is of course no power, so the sun went down and we sat around talking over candles. I didn’t last long though and went to bed pretty early. The next morning at 5am my host mom burst into my room and excitedly told me that the monkey was singing and I needed to get up to hear it. Even though I’d gone to bed early I wasn’t ready to get up yet, so I just laid there in the bed and listened for about 20 minutes until I fell back asleep. It was a very monkey-from-the-zoo singing, but really neat to be hearing. The monkey lives a little ways from the house we were staying in, so naturally the next day when I got up they told me we were going for a hike to find the monkey. I was pretty excited, not only to look for the monkey and see my first in the wild monkey (there is a little baby pet monkey chained to a sign on a roof in my town that I pass by sometimes, and he comes out and jumps around when I pass – so cool!) but to just check out more of the wilderness of the campo. So we prepared to head out, which involved putting jeans on and tucking them into my socks to keep the millions of little red ticks from getting inside my clothes. We walked and walked through the forest, and passed the monkey’s habitat area without a sighting (sad face). After a long hike we arrived at a small cane house and rested for a few minutes before heading down to the creek bed. There wasn’t much water as it’s the dry season, but I imagine it is gorgeous during the rainy season. There was a cascade of rocks and boulders followed by a short bed then a 50 ft dropoff that would make a beautiful waterfall. While they played around I spotted a really pretty and huge tree that I could easily climb and relax on. When they finally noticed me up there I was taking pictures of them, then one of the relatives came and took my camera to get pictures of me on the awesome tree. Eventually the host dad went down to the waterfall edge and climbed down so he could get a picture of all of us on the ledge from below. I can only imagine how cool the waterfall is during the rainy season! After awhile we headed back up to the little cane house and my host dad made a fire to smoke the ticks off our clothes and the termites of the cane house. Then we headed back on the long hike towards the house. After we got there I decided to go out into the forest and gather some oranges and limes for everyone to take back home. I picked enough to fill a big bucket then when I got back to the house my host family was leaving for another walk so I tagged along. This one involved crossing a stream on rocks in my tennis shoes then hiking through a very arid environment until we reached a really pretty riverbed. I decided not to swim because I was in my normal clothes and shoes, and walking back in wet clothes wouldn’t be fun, but the host family got in. After I’d had my fill of the scenery I decided to go back because I was feeling very dehydrated. When I reached the stream I saw a beautiful butterfly that I think was a monarch. I tried to get a picture but it flew away just before the picture took. This time crossing the stream in my tennis shoes on little rock steps didn’t work out and I ended up with a very wet right foot. But it was ok because when I got back I just laid the shoes out to dry and went to bathe in the river again. This time everyone came and went from the river and I stayed longer, and ended up getting to bathe without clothes, which was much neater than with clothes on under the hot sun :) It was such a relaxing and natural feeling bathing in this fresh and clean stream – amazing! I rejoined the family at the house for lunch after awhile then we prepared to leave. Of course the camioneta was running on Ecua-time so it was a couple hours late, but I passed this time playing with the little boy that lived on the farm. He was so cute and different from the kids in my town because they are very isolated living on the farm. Initially he was really afraid of my differentness and shy, just watching me from a few feet away. But after awhile I finally got him talking and we made drawing with the corn kernels and played some hide and seek games. I went back upstairs into the house for awhile because I needed a little break from entertaining him and when I got back he had collected a bunch more corn kernels to play with – it was soo cute! Finally as the camioneta arrived I was trying to pull a splinter out of his foot, which ended up being pretty unsuccessful unfortunately, but he was so cute pretending it didn’t hurt yet flinching when I touched it with the tweezers. When we drove away he was sitting on the ground watching us leave, waving, with a puzzling look on his face. It was a very cool experience, and probably the closest thing I will have to interacting with the indigenous people here in the coast region. After a long but pretty trip back in the camioneta, we arrived at the car just as the sun had set and headed back to my town.

One thing I feel a little guilty, but that’s not really the right word - maybe self-conscious, about is that no matter how hard I try to be just another person here I am always treated as if I'm above everyone on the pecking order. For example, normally the father would be served food first in a traditional Ecuadorian family, but with me I am always served first, whether I’m in my host families house or in a guest’s house. I also am always given my own bed when we’ve been on vacations even though usually 2-3 people are sharing beds (which I am secretly grateful for because I've never liked sharing a bed with another person). It’s just strange to receive special treatment all the time. I don’t know if it’s because of my skin color/nationality or because of respect for my decision to move to Ecuador and work and live with the people here, but I tell myself it’s the latter to help me feel better. It is very strange to move from being a majority as a white woman to be in the states to being a “rich and powerful” minority here, receiving respect and privileges just for things I cannot change, how I was born to be. I sympathize with the white men in peace corps, who receive more special treatment than white women because they are basically at the top of the social order in Ecuador. Nonetheless, I am sometimes grateful for the special treatment when it keeps me from having to deal with things I’m uncomfortable with even though normally it just annoys me. And there’s your reflection for this post :)

Another random note, my host mother from the sierra called me the other day. When I picked up my phone and saw it was here I was really confused and wondered if I had put someone else’s number on her name because I couldn’t imagine her calling me. Then I had a little panicky feeling and wondered if something bad had happened to someone in the family. I answered it and kept waiting for some sort of news – good or bad. But news never came, she just asked how things were going and what I was doing, then when I was coming to visit, and abruptly said goodbye and hung up. I used to think about them all the time, but to be honest I hadn’t thought about them in awhile since I've gotten used to being here, but now the longing to see them is back again. I feel such a desire to see them, especially the kids, and the feelings of missing them are back stronger than ever. They were the first Ecuadorians I really got to know and I feel like they are a huge part of my experience in Peace Corps. So many days spent with them, and though the number of days isn’t that many relative to my life, they make up a huge part of my transition process. I’m also a little surprised that they were thinking about me enough to call, especially when I know they don’t have a lot of money and every call costs. But anyway, I told her the next time I was in Quito I was planning to visit and that I miss them a lot, and I hope I conveyed that I really do miss them. I am really hoping for a reason that I have to go to Quito so I can go see them, even though I said I wouldn’t be back until August probably.

Ok I’m gonna sign off but I plan to do another update soon including:
- World AIDS Day activities
- Work update
- More details about MY NEW HOUSE! :)

Check out these pics on facebook with work stuff and my new house!
Work pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2042449&id=46900557&l=bdf6e800e4
My first house (who would've thought it would be in Ecuador!) http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2042592&id=46900557&l=c3158e48ca