(Sunday, December 26, Day 188)

"The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps."


Phrase of the day: Pues bien, estaba diferente... Well then, that was different.

Understatement. But we'll get to that later... I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

On Christmas Eve Eve (yes, the day before Christmas Eve), I went to Bahia to check my mail and use the faster internet. I was lucky(grateful) that I was able to speak to many of you on skype! I had to be sure of one better-than-normal-meal for the season, so I ended up at Hotel La Herrandura for dinner.
Yeah, definitely a bit more classy than I needed, but I went more for the food than the atmosphere. I started off with a banana milkshake and then asparagus soup.
It was pretty good. For seconds I had spagetti with chicken and olives. I thought about having lazagna, but I knew it wouldn't have been as good as back home, so no point in trying.
For dessert, naturally, I had the most expensive ice cream dish. It was watermelon, pineapple, and cantelope topped with ice cream, dulce de leche, and strawberry preserves. It was pretty good also, but I was missing Big Auntie's Christmas cookies! (Cross your fingers; maybe the post office people didn't steal them and eat them and they're still on their way!)
The way back to San Isidro was definitely interesting. Now that it has been raining for a few weeks, you're able to see all the green around here. And there are always cool pics right before it's about to pour. (Yeah, I got soaked).
I'm not sure if it made the news back home, but during the wee hours of the morning on Christmas Eve, the biggest bus accident that San Isidro has ever seen happened. The day was different, to say the least. And the night as well.
There was a candle light vigil, and I saw more people than I've ever seen at one time in town.
The priest of the Catholic Church here said that there would be no Christmas this year, and much less a Happy New Year. But the food was all prepared. To celebrate Christmas, the people have a second dinner at midnight. Mario's girlfirend, Lisette, is very nice and invited me over for it. It wasn't exactly the happiest, but it was nice.
Yeah, I definitely did not drink any of that... it's funny how they are just like my friends back home and they love pictures of me with drinks though. The next morning, Christmas morning, I was woken up by Mario before I had the chance to open my gifts from back home. Apparently we were going on a car trip to visit his grandmother in Portoviejo and then...?

It ended up being a whole day of traveling. We had lunch, probably the best home-cooked meal I've had in Ecuador, at his grandmothers, and then went up to San Isidro along the coast, stopping at towns along the way. In Crucita we went to the highest mountain and enjoyed the views.
I took some crucial pics throughout the day.
One of our last stops was Mario's great grandfathers. To my surprise, he had the most Christmas spirit. His house was decked out with Nativity scenes, lights, and a big Christmas tree. That was my second favorite part of the day.
When we got home that night, I opened my Christmas gifts right away. Could not have been better! (If you haven't tried these granola bars, go out and get some).
We'll see what New Years holds... Have a great one!

(Thursday, December 23, Day 185)

"The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps."

Phrase of the day: Tendra una Muy Feliz Navidad!... Have a Very Merry Christmas!

It's starting to feel a tad bit more like Christmas now. I guess that's a good thing, seeing as how it's in two days! People have been constructing Nativity Scenes throughout the town in almost every neighborhood.

And the biggest store in town is selling fake Christmas trees. My host family doesn't have one, but a few people in town do, including Kasie's host family.

Today, my counterpart brought me a bottle of hot sauce. I'm not sure if it was because of the holiday season, but it was perfect.

At first, I was just planning on pretending it wasn't happening this year. This being the first Christmas I'm missing back home, I figured it would just be easier.

But then I received packages from Virginia.

(Yeah, that one was actually from Thanksgiving, but I was saving my favorite candies for a rainy day). And well, nothing can beat packages from Virginia.

That's right, those were legos!

If you didn't know, Christmas decorations aren't complete without a lego Santa Claus! (seriously).

I have no idea as yet what I'm doing Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but I'm super excited to get on skype in t-minus 3 hours to talk to whoever is free and would like to talk! That will be the best present for sure!

Merry Christmas!

(Tuesday, December 21, Day 183)

"The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps."

Phrase of the day: Si, No quiero conocer como son los monsoons en India!... Yeah, I don't even want to know what the monsoons are like in India!

The rains have begun! (It's like an event here). It means 5-6 months with rain almost every single day. Thankfully I brought swim trunks!

It means super muddy streets all of the time. There are days when you can't even leave town because the roads are too rough. Maybe they won't be able to bring rice into town? Ha.

It means I'll be working from the hut for a long, long time. (Not a problem at all. It's probably one of the best views in town!).

It means leaks in homes from time to time. (No worries, I keep my laptop in a water-resistant bag).

It means kitchori (spelling?) for lunch... sike! This isn't India.

It means all of the land is reviving, including the flowers. It's especially nice to see green grass again! (I don't think they have a lawn mower for me though).

It means... nothing really. Life goes on, as usual! Today was Kasie's birthday. We went to Bahia to get our mail and to buy a few last second Christmas gifts for our host families. We both received a few surprises in the mail, which could not have been better! (More on that in the next post).

She, like a lot of people I know, does not like to celebrate her birthday. That just meant we were having two cakes instead of one! Chocolate with walnuts that the baker lady, Ermita, made and an Oreo ice cream cake. I liked the chocolate one more, surprisingly.

Really, Kasie just didn't want to have her face pushed into the cake; the tradition here, as you may have noticed.

As usual though, it had to happen in some fashion! Got 'em!

And of course all of the family that was around came over to celebrate.

(Sunday, December 12, Day 174)

"The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps."


Phrase of the day: Balonmano de playa? Squash? Que tipo de Olympiadas si tenia aqui!?! (Usted tiene suerte que si hay rugby en la playa!)... Beach Handball? Squash? What kind of Olympics are you running here!?! (You're lucky there's beach rugby!)

The real reason I went to Manta was to see Tristan and the rugby team he is helping coach down in Cuenca. They were participating in a beach rugby tournament with the 7 other teams in country. Rugby is a relatively new sport here in Ecuador; it's only been around for 3 or 4 years. A little warm-up.
The tournament was interesting. The players had to wear socks or be barefoot. They played 5 versus 5 with 7-minute halves.

It was cool to see Tristan coach. Peace Corps Goal #2: Spreading our culture to the people of Ecuador. (I'm not sure if rugby is "our" culture, but it is moreso than theirs).
Tristan's team after Saturday's matches. They were a little beat up, but definitely ready to jump in the ocean and relax a bit before the championship on Sunday.
Sunday morning. The championship match could not have been more intense. The Aguilas from Cuenca versus the ever so-dominant Nomads from Quito. After 14-minutes and a 20-20 tie, the match went to penalty kicks.
Based on size and skill, the Nomads will always have the Azuay beat. 95% of the Nomads are taller than all of the Aguilas, not to mention probably everyone from the city of Cuenca. They have players from various parts of the world, including their best player, Daniel, who is from Arizona. But in the end, those with more heart can win!
See, it really was the Ecuador Olympics! Gold medals and all.

(Saturday, December 11, Day 173)

"The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps."


Phrase of the day: Despues de 6 meses, "Si encontramos pan rico?"... 6 months later, "Did we just find real bread??"

The rainy season has begun! I'm pretty scared. Just cross your fingers than I get the weaker Dengue, and not the hemorrhagic-type. But thankfully the change in season does mean blue skies for a few hours each day at least.
If you forget, there are only two seasons here in Ecuador. The cool-dry "summer" and the hot-wet "winter". Maybe I can just wear my bathing suit always? They both last for 6months each. You can thanks the Equator for that one. The "winter" also means that the land is becoming green and fertile finally.
This past weekend a few of us went to the beach in Manta. (Those pictures were taken on the way there).
Manta is Manabi's most populated city, and before the current President, it was home to the largest US base here in country. But really, what does that mean? Mobil!
That's right! I know it's ridiculous to say, but that was kind of nice to see. As was the beach, naturally.
After fruit salads Saturday morning, we just laid out on the beach. I stuck to under the umbrella unless I was in the water, of course. I'm super dark as it is.
Manta wasn't the prettiest city in Ecuador, but it did have ice cream! Pinguino to be exact. I'm not sure who makes Pinguino, but it reminds me of Good Humor.
Is it the same symbol even? Maybe Good Humor makes it? Either way, I need to bring one to San Isidro.
For snack we ended up at Hotel Oro Verde; the priciest non-American hotel chain in Ecuador. I think there are only 4 in country; I've decided I need to visit them all. They have the best food! I ate a warm carved-chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, and most importantly, real bread! I'm not sure if you're aware of the bread/pastry situation in Ecuador? But it's pretty drastic. Hardly anyone knows how to make real bread, cakes, or pastries. I went to town and bought all of this to snack on the rest of the day: Cinnamon buns, chocolate croissants, fig filled rolls...
(The real reason I went to Manta was to see Tristan's Rugby team. More to come on that tomorrow though!)

(Thursday, December 9, Day 171)

"The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps."


Phrase of the day: Empujando el carro, probalamente mi parte favorito sobre San Isidro... Push(starting) the car, probably my favorite part about San Isidro.

You're probably thinking, "that's pretty ridiculous". Well you're pretty ridiculous.

No, I'm just kidding. About being ridiculous; I really do enjoy it. It reminds me of back home. (When we were in high school, there was a period of time when everyone would do the rolling-down-the-hill-start with their manual cars). It's a bit different here, happening on the regular and out of necessity actually. I mean, have you seen the cars that my host family has? You can thank the pothole-filled roads for their condition. (Unfortunately I always have to do the pushing, as Peace Corps prohibits us from driving).
So first off, no dice on the flip(video) action just yet for aerobics. The ladies are too shy right now. But they should be okay with it after a few more classes. Aerobics are going very well though. We're meeting Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Last night we had our Women's Group meeting.
We spoke about the future goals of our group and made a pretty sweet fruit salad with yogurt.
It was probably our best meeting yet. The ladies brought their ideas to the table, and we now have a better idea of what they want to do in the next few months: 1. Begin planting brown rice for their own consumption. 2. Begin making notebooks, cards, envelopes, etc. out of recycled paper to sell in town. 3. Keep making/trying new foods because everyone loves eating.
Not only did people share their project ideas, they also brought new recipes. Rimber, Mario's uncle who just returned from living in Spain for the past 10 years, made a meringue-type topping for the fruit.
Yeah, I'm not making a very big difference here. Aerobics is great and all, but I do need to do a lot more. Mitha put up the food pyramid in the kitchen, but we'll have to wait and see if she (and all of the ladies) actually remember to look at it daily. How to actually get things done though? I still haven't found anyone motivated enough to do the projects with me, and I certainly can't do them alone. (Well I can, but that wouldn't be the point). Ideas?
Side note: In case anyone was curious how we get our mangos:
Yeah, where are those bare-footed coconut-retrieving indians when you need them!?!