One and One

Eric and I just celebrated one year in site in April, meaning we have one year left in Ecuador!

Time seems to fly by and stand still all at the same time. It's crazy to think that we now have less than a year left, but when we are in site it seems like time stands still. I think this is partly due to the weather being the same all the time. It is always spring time here! Sorry to brag, I know my family and friends in Michigan are probably jealous after the winter they had (is it over yet?). Sometimes I have thoughts like, "oh yeah, it's insert season here (spring,summer, fall, or winter) at home." Very strange.

Anyway, here is an update on things in Ecuador...

Puppy!
In March we visited some friends who were COS'ing (Close Of Service) in Loja. We discovered an organization called Cielo Animal that rescues animals. I learned that many of the dogs that are rescued are females because the culture of spay and neutering is much different here almost non existent. Cielo Animal rescues animals from the streets and finds foster homes around the city to house the animals until they can be adopted. Much different than in the States where there is fostering AND a building for the organization. We ended up adopting a puppy named Eva. She is the sweetest puppy and we are very happy to have her.

A picture at home of Eva

Machu Picchu
A couple of weeks ago Eric and I met some friends in Machu Picchu. We had an amazing time there! It was nice to see some familiar faces and catch up a little, while also marveling the Inca ruins. The ruins are truly amazing but I was surprised how "touristy" the surrounding cities are. Cuzco economically depends on tourism, but it seems to take the personality out of a city that caters so much to foreigners. Despite this, we had a great time! Some of the highlights were: sunrise at Machu Picchu, dance shows, hidden cafes with great food, and of course spending time with our friends!

Bright and early at the entrance to Machu Pichu to catch the sun peak over the mountains. 

Something else that I didn't think about until we got there was how much walking it would be! I'm not exactly sure how the Incans built and lived so high up in the mountains so many years ago and not to mention how Hiram Bingham made the trek with the natives when he first discovered Machu Picchu. I definitely felt the altitude when hiking and had to take it slowly. It was more difficult than I thought considering you have to hike a good bit upward to visit any of the ruins. Even though it was challenging, the views were worth it.

The sun rising above the ruins. 

The whole group hiking Machu Pichu Mountain. You can see the ruins above my head on the left. 

Mid-Service
To celebrate finishing one year of service and to talk and plan for the second year, Peace Corps has a mid-service conference. It was nice to spend time with the other volunteers from our omnibus and talk about our challenges and successes in the last year. I am still in disbelief that one year has passed. We have been making plans for everything we want to do in the next year and it hardly seems like enough time.

Emily with other volunteers outside at the Training Center in Tumbaco at the Mid-Service conference.

On May 5th we start another school year in the high schools. One last school year before we COS and go home in March. Woah...


The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.
-C.S. Lewis