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).