Family

It’s lunch time. My host mom moves the table runner and candle sticks to the side of the table and puts a fresh table cloth on the table. She sets the table with a fork, knife, spoon, and glass. She tells me as she is doing this that my host dad doesn’t like all this. She says, “He just likes it to be the same, he doesn’t understand why I change it all the time.”

I get it.

Over the weekend we lost water for an afternoon so we decided to pack up and go to the grandparent’s house about 30 min away. My host mom packed all the food we were going to eat for lunch and dinner and not to mention a few snacks and drinks. We got to the house (no one lives there all the time anymore) and my host mom put a fresh towel in the bathroom, put bread cinnamon rolls (snack) on the table in a glass bowl, and moved a table and chairs on the front porch for cards. This woman thinks of everything! When we got into the house she even said, “She’s hungry” to my host dad. Maybe it was a lucky guess or maybe she’s incredibly good at reading people, but none the less I’m impressed.

As I grow older I have learned to appreciate these little accommodations that people sometimes make. I’m reminded of when I visit my parents' house in Livonia and my mom makes me breakfast every day or how she nicely sets the table for dinner or how she sets out a pair of slippers in the spare bedroom or maybe, just maybe there’ll be some chocolate milk in the fridge for me to enjoy.

I guess some concepts are international. Even for those who do not have a lot, one can make an experience so much better with just a little thought. I have to say it makes me love it here and miss home all at the same time. 

much love,

E

The family - that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to.
- Dodie Smith

You never get over being a child, long as you have a mother to go to.
- Sarah Orne Jewett

Right on Time

Eric have had quite the journey to make it to site, however I feel that we are right on time. I will explain this more later. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tEI2FnX2fs&list=PL77A4E42A58F79B12&index=9

I had a string of bad luck for our first three months in country. To give you an idea... I was sick for two weeks when I found out I had parasites. I took medicine and was better in another week. I got bit by a dog while on my way to Eric's host family's house (there happened to be NO ONE around at the very moment this happened). I found out I needed a root canal a week before we were supposed to leave for site, which was very painful. Eric and I found out we didn't have a place to live less than a week before we were supposed to leave for site.

With all this that has happened I still feel incredibly lucky to be in Ecuador! All of the bad things that happened to me could have been SO much worse. Luckily the dog bite was not severe (see picture, although I had a nasty bruise after), the parasites went away with medicine, and I didn't have to pay for the root canal (one of the benefits of being a volunteer). Not to say that all of this wasn't stressful because trust me it was. I just have faith that there is another plan in my life.

Eric and I stayed in a Hostel in Quito until my root canal was finished and we had a new host family to live with in Piñas. We finally moved in with our new host family today. We have been again blessed with a great family. They seem really nice and we are excited to get to know them. It is a family worth waiting for! Our house is located in the center of town; really close to my school and close to Eric's school. While they say everything is close in Piñas, we have quite the prime location.

The picture on the left is a view from my new host family's house. Our host dad is the Fire Chief and I have noticed he's kind of a big deal in town. He said if we ever need anything we can just call the fire station and they can help us. My host dad's father lives on the second floor and he owns a hardware store. Our host mom lives the weekdays in Machala (a nearby city) with their daughter who goes to high school there. They travel back on the weekends to Piñas.

All this to say, things are looking up. Classes begin May 2 so we have a little time to get acquainted and settle in.


Much love,
Emily

An Orchid from the Botanical Garden in Quito. Piñas also known as the Orchid of the Andes. Supposedly there are over 100 different species of Orchids. Also there are about 30 hummingbird species and 330 species of birds (The Big Year, anyone?)

A month update...

Since our last post so much has happened  We have had many highs and a few speed bumps but we are now officially Peace Corps Volunteers. I will try to make the last 4 weeks short and sweet and go into more detail as we get feedback from our comments and emails. With so many important but complex moments it is hard to know which ones everyone will want to hear about.

Site Visit:

As I am sure you all know by now we are going to Pinas, El Oro. We went for a week-long visit about three weeks ago. With the help and accompaniment of our counterparts (my principle and one of Emily's teachers) we made the 14 hour bus ride down to the small city of Pinas. Pinas is the Spanish word for Pineapple. Even though you will be hard-pressed to find any Pinas in Pinas you will find an abundant amount of orchids, birds and bananas. The providence of El Oro (Spanish for Gold) sits north of Peru. If you look for information about Pinas I believe you won't find much, but once we go there next week I hope to share more about the city in which we will be living. Here are two videos that show what Pinas looks like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtCk124EOp8 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2_dZtWDYa0.

Exams, Classes, and Senioritis:

Needless to say after 3 months of training we are excited to get to work, because sitting in classes all day is educational but get tiresome (although the training staff does a wonderful job at trying to keep thing entertaining as you can see in the photos below). The weeks following site visit are hard because all you want to do is get to site and meet the people that you will be spending two year with. Correction, this is our opinion and the experience is different for everyone. However, I believe that we are the first group in a long time to have all the original members on the omnibus (cohort, group, team) make it to swear-in. Our group is a great one full of different personalities that have all find a way to work together or find a way to compromise. We had to take many exams including to test our competences of: safety and security, personal health knowledge, language and culture, as while as technical knowledge in the areas that we will work.

Packing and Parties

Packing is once again at the forefront of our lives and it seem that we have more than we came with. It is even more difficult because we have two different houses to pack up. But as you might we remember we are pros (click here if you don't). We are willing to take the challenge (mainly because we have no choice, lol)

In the past few weeks there have also been a lot of fiestas (parties). Including but not limited to Family day, Volunteer gathering, March madness, baptisms, and graduation. Below are photos:

Waiting

Currently, we are waiting in Quito. We are waiting on a place to stay in Pinas. There has been a lot of confusion about the best housing option for us. It is my understanding that placing married volunteers is hard.The Peace Corps wants the most supportive and safe environment for all volunteers and that usually entails living with a host family. However, that is a little hard for married couple because most families know volunteers to be single and usually want a female so they are either a little hesitant or don't have the space for two volunteers. There are some great prospects in Pinas and we are sure to hear something soon. By the end of this week we are heading to Pinas. In the meantime we are trying to enjoy the free and cheaper activities of the capital (Quito).

Site Assignment!

Yesterday was the day Eric and I have been waiting for for almost two years! Crazy... The Peace Corps did a great job with the presentation of sites. We started the day with safety and security which to be honest was tough to pay attention to with the excitment and anticipation! At lunch they made everyone leave the training center and we couldn't return back until 1:30. When we came back one of our facilitators greeted us in traditional Ecuadorian regaila.

We all walked out to the backyard of the training center where there was a huge map of Ecuador made out of rose petals. Each province had a sign. The rest of our facilitators walked out of the center in traditional dress of each province. (It continues to amaze me how Ecuador has so much different culture, dress, food, etc. in one small country!) They called each of us individually and walked us to our province.

There were plenty of jokes to go around that Eric and I were going to go to different provinces, but DON'T WORRY we are both going together :)

So now I'm sure you would like to know where we are going, huh? Alright, well drum rollll! Eric and I are going to be spending our next two years in Pinas! Pinas is located in the El Oro province. It is located on the south coast of the country (some people like to say north Peru). It is a smallish city and though it is located on the "coast" our city is still quite high altitude and on the east side of the province. This means it won't be too hot (I was worried about that!).

Some of you may know that we thought we were going to a different place. While I think the other location we were hoping for was also a good fit, I am opptimisitc about our placement. We will be visiting our site on Monday for the next week so we will know more then.

Much love,
Emily

"It is strange that the years teach us patience; that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting."
Elizabeth Taylor

"We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us."

Voting, Carnival, Valentine's Day surprise,

As some of you may know, Ecuador has just had their elections where they elected second term Rafael Correa. Through election season, I have learned a lot about the way Ecuador holds its elections. First, and perhaps most interesting, voting is obligatory in Ecador. This means that every citizen 18 and over HAS to vote (16-17 is optional). On voting day (Sunday), everyone must go to the polls in their area. There are tables that are assigned about 300 people by last name and sex. The voter goes to their table and receives four big pieces of paper that have the names and pictures (for those who don't read) of all the candidates. There were about 35 people running for president and just as many (if not more) political parties. The president must receive 51% of the popular vote. If he/she does not recieve 51% of the vote, another election is held in March between the top two candidates. Correa secured 68% of the vote, so another election was not necessary. After you vote you receive a card that states the year and that you completed your duty. Voting means chosing someting for every option; you can't leave anything blank. This voting card you need for everything. If you want to buy a car, open a bank account, etc. the tellers have to ask for your cedula (ID) and your voting card. I find this fascinating.

On Monday February 11, my host family and I went to Chota for Carnival. Carnival is a celebration of water, signifying life, for the beginning of lent. This means that everyone gets together and throws water, shoots foam, and covers each other in paint. It's a fun tradition and no one is spared. Unfortunately while in Chota I picked up something more than just paint and foam. On Wednesday, I woke up at 2 a.m. with a sharp pain in my stomach. I spent the day throwing up. I'll spare you the rest of the details, but I have been sick ever since. I am getting better each day though!

On Valentine's day I stayed home from training because I was still pretty sick. At about 11:30 p.m. I woke up to use the bathroom. I had a pretty bad headache and was falling back asleep when I heard this music getting louder and louder. I was pretty confused because everyone was sleeping when I got up. The music got so loud I thought, "What the heck is going on?" I remembered, my host dad has a music group. Then I had the thought, "Why are they practicing so late?" Pretty confused and a little angry at this point I hear my host mom say, "Go get Emily up!" Prepared for this I wait for my host sister to run into the room. She runs in and tells me to get up. When I ask her what is going on she says something I don't understand. So I get up and I see my host mother and sister standing at the main door. Outside the door is my host dad's group was playing love songs to my host mom (there was still 20 minutes of Valentine's Day left). When I get to the door my host mom says, "Serenade!" (Earlier that night she was telling me that Eric needed to come to my window and serenade me with his ukulele.) I would have prefered the serenade take place at, oh, 9:00? But I guess you don't get to choose a random act of love :)

"Love doesn’t sit there like a stone it has to be made like bread: re-made all the time, made new."

Much love,
Emily

How to Change Seats While Riding a Roller Coaster:

If being a Peace Corps Trainee (PCT) is like being on a three month roller coaster ride, than being a married PCT is like being on that same ride while sharing a seat. Sharing that seat comes with both its ups and downs (no pun actual intended, but let's keeping going and see what we get out of it).

As the ride starts you have someone to talk with, confided in, and if necessary hold your hand. As the drops and sharp curves come you do not scream as loud because you truly know you're not in to alone (and you don't want to hurt the other person’s ears). Somehow the ride starts to feel smoother but the seat you’re sharing starts to feel smaller because it truly meant for one. Your PCT husband, wife, partner starts to only notice half the ride, half the experience. Then you realize you too are only experiencing half the ride as well. You look behind you and other PCTs still have their hands up, screaming in the wind. You look ahead and see the weeks of track left with all its dips and curves but you are already starting to reflect on haw nice the ride was. Because you and your PCT partner have worked out a system, where you hold her stead on the drops because you like them and she doesn't, she pins you to the side of the seat to lessen the effect of the curves, and you both look forward but only to one side when going uphill. Don't get me wrong it is a pleasant ride but when you look back and see all those hands and hear all those screaming voices you realize you are missing part of the ride.

I use this long roller coaster metaphor mainly to prepare my family and friends for the latest news in our Ecuador service. I also wrote it to encourage of PCT couple to do what we are doing (if the similar conditions exist).

Em and I are now living in separate houses (no we are not separating). I am moving to a new host family. Although we love our host family and are doing really well in training, our Spanish is suffering from around each other 24/7. Neither of us understands enough of all the parts of speech to hold a long conversation with each other and we often revert back to using English. Monday-Friday; 7am-5pm we are around 25+ PCT (unmarried or single however you take it) who HAVE TO talk in Spanish all weekend and every night in Spanish and they just want to speak in their 1st language. I am currently on an English ban for two weeks (not listen or speaking any English) but I know that it is not enough. Emily and I have decided that we will live with separate host families during the rest of training so that our language skills will increase at the rate of other PCTs. Many married PCTs have a hard time learning a language at the speed of a single PCT. So we are trying to squash that.

To settle your fears here are a list of questions I thought you might ask if I were to tell you this in person:

1. Are you and Emily doing ok?

Yes, we could not be better and our love and support of each is at its strongest.

2. Did Peace Corps make you separate?

No, we talked with them about some language strategies and this was one of the options.

3. Are you far from each other?

No, only two blocks away and we see each other almost everyday

4. How/ who is the new host family?

The new family is great a little quiet and reserved but I am slowly breaking that shell

5. Can you visit each other?

Of Course, Em has the same family so I feel comfortable going over there and they know us as a couple and love us both. My new family was more than happy to hear that I was married and has welcomed Emily over whenever she wants. Ecuador is all about family and is sad to see a couple live a part but understands why we have chosen this option.

6. Why have you not called, Skyped, or emailed me?

Two reasons first is the lack of time. When living with Emily's family we both had internet, but very little time during the week we are up at 6am, in training from 8-5pm, family time from 6-8pm and in bed by 9pm. on the weekend that family keeps you busy with something 6am-9pm.
Now that I am with my new family I have lots of time. But problem number two I have no internet. So, I am spending a lot of time getting to re-know the Spanish language and myself lol.

If you have anymore questions or concerns please email me of comment. Emily and I are having a good time here and really want to grow in the language. As far as the metaphor goes just think of it as new seats on the ride a better, scarier view. But if we need support we just need to reach out to each other. Now that I am done being calm, I need to throw my hands up and scream into the wind.

Always
Eric Aiken

-" Life can be like a roller coaster...
And just when you think you've had enough,
and you’re ready to get off the ride and take the calm, easy merry-go round...
You change your mind, throw you hands in the air
and ride the roller coaster all over again.
That's exhilaration...that's living a bit on the edge...that's being ALIVE." (Unknown to me)

-Life is a roller coaster, but I feel a change. (Donny Most aka Ralph Malph of Happy Days)

curiouser and curiouser

Last weekend Eric and I did our first load of laundry. It was long overdue (we were running out of clean socks and underwear). I have to say after doing my first load of laundry I can see why Ecuador is where clothes go to die. Ecuadorians use what is called a piedra de lavar to wash clothes (see picture). After soaking the clothes for a day you rub the clothes with a bar of soap and scrub with a brush and on the stone. Then you use a cup and pour water on the clothes rubbing against the stone until all the soap is gone.  Then you ring the clothes out and hang them up to dry on the line. A lot more work than we are used to for a load of laundry!

Last Saturday our host sister invited us to play soccer and basketball.  Little did we know we were signing up for a whole day tournament of basketball and soccer! A few of the catholic churches in the area came for a tournament in a nearby city. We got up at 6:30 a.m. and left for the tournament at 7:00 a.m. We arrived in El Quinche at around 8. We all went to misa (mass) and then began playing the tournament. We didn’t end up playing soccer because they had a lot of people to play, but Eric and I both played basketball. 

     Being pretty tired, it was a good practice in language when we were not 100% alert. From here the day had an interesting turn in events. In the first game they told us they were giving the other team a 12 point lead to start because we were “too good”. I’m not exactly sure how they knew this, but somehow they were sure of it. We won the first game and waited to play the next team in the finals (there were only four teams). However, last minute, another team entered into the tournament (after the first round). There was some talk about this and it was finally decided that they would play the team that we beat. In the next round we played in the first finals. We again beat the team. We were pretty beat by the time the second finals came around. It was about 3:00 and the games were 40 minutes each and very tiring! We were about to start the game when the “officials” said that we could play in the second finals but Eric, myself and our other good player could not play. They said it wouldn’t be fair considering the other team was much younger than us and Eric and I are extraneros (foreigners). Considering we were only playing with five people, this didn’t give us many choices. Eventually they agreed to let us play, however, there was some tension between one of our players and a player on the opposing team. Being tired and not wanting a fight to break out, Eric and I decided it would be best to leave. Instead some people we came with played in our places. In the end our team lost the basketball finals and won the soccer championship. After our team was done taking pictures with our trophy (a huge rosary) we finally were able to go home.

The next day we got up early again to climb Ilalo (an old volano). See pictures.

Thus far it has been a great experience. I am curious to see what other adventures we will encounter.