Summary of Personal Goal 1

>>>>> The language story continued (or started depending where you left off).

As you may recall, I laid out 9 three month goals to be completed while I am here in Ecuador. Let me tell you (especially those aspiring Peace Corps volunteers) this is the key to success in the Peace Corps. Set short term goals that you can complete yourself without the help or motivation of others. They have to be ‘DO IT FOR YOURSELF’ Goals. Like learning to cook, getting in shape, reading, writing, painting, etc. I would also suggest things that you just never found time for in the states. Like making the crafts you’ve pinned on Pinterest, cleaning up your Facebook, making a quilt, or studying all the poets of North Ireland. My first goal was to learn Spanish this is my evaluation of the first three months.

Although I had Spanish in both high school and college, I was never a big speaker in class. (Right TabithaJ) Grammar was easy for me but I lacked the discipline to practice more than required to do the necessary homework. When we were placed in Ecuador, I was thrilled but regretted not taking advantage of all the practice opportunities I had in College. When given the language test, I placed at the lowest level in my Omnibus. I used this as motivation and made some hard decisions along the way to get better. Like moving in with a new host family (separate from my wife) for training. 

What have I learned

I learned that self evaluation in language is hard. I could never see improvement in myself, even though I had people telling me I was improving. I think this is because language is more fluid than other goals. For example you can see progress when reading a book, or creating a painting even when working out progress is noticeable. But in language some days it is there and some days it is not. Image if language learning was like weight loss: Some days I would loss 10 pounds and other days I would gain 15. It was and still is a dizzying experience. This is due largely to the fact that the more I learn, the more I realize I what I don't know. 

I have also learned that you have to making a habit of improving. You second language will always be you second language and there is much to learn. This can be frustrating if you expect to be as fluent as a native speaker but exciting if you are a lover of challenges and LIFE-long learning. Luckily, I more to the life-long learning. Em and I both have a tutor to help with this journey.

I learned that books can only take you so far. You have to get out there and make mistakes, look foolish and feel a little uncomfortable. This is the boundaries that books just cannot push. I have also learned the strong power of necessity. When it is important you are willing to make more mistakes, take more risk, and be a little more willing to prepare yourself. 

The last lesson learned was to be realistic and flexible with my work routine. I planned out my language learning day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute and at first I would bet myself up if I was not motivated to work at the scheduled time or get frustrated when I was not learning. I have since then learned to be more relaxed my timetable and setting manageable objectives..

How this translates to other goals

For my next goals, I have a more realistic mind set. I know that these goals are going to require a lifetime of learning but I can start a good habit of learning while here in the Peace Corps. I also I have learned to set realistic consequences. This has help keep me motivated but not self destructive. I have also made a conscience effort to make all goals self motivational and self for filling. While I know that the results of my goals will make some people in my life proud of me or happy with me. These goals are “DO IT FOR YOURSELF” and that’s ok. I am currently finishing up my second goal 'Fitness' and it is going great mainly due to the lessons I learned for my first goal 'Learning Spanish'.

If you are now feeling inspired which i hope you are, I would recommend the Power of Habit and the 4-hour Chef to anyone that is looking for tips on changing their habits or creating new ones. Just remember books can only take you so far.

Always

Eric Aiken

"Education is the progressive realization of our ignorance."

Einstein, Albert

“People never learn anything by being told, they have to find out for themselves.” 

Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die

Creeping on 27

Some of you may realize that my birthday is coming up! A fellow volunteer asked me today how I felt about getting older. I guess I realized that I try not to think about that part. I was in class last week and a student asked me how old I was. This is a pretty normal occurrence here, at least for me. I was told it is rude to ask a woman how old she is but that has never stopped anyone from asking me, maybe because they think I look younger. It doesn't bother me much. I figure I would rather them ask then guess and talk behind my back. Anyway, I told the student 26 (in English). She repeated in Spanish 26? Noooooo 20, 22 maximum. I told her thank you and continued helping the rest of the class. So I guess feeling old doesn't have to mean looking old.

In other news Eric and I have been in our site for almost three months and we have been in Ecuador for almost six months! Wow. I have to say we were struggling for a while because we didn't know many people here and we really missed home at times. Though we still miss our lovely friends and family, we are really beginning to integrate into the community. It is really cool to see.

If I have learned anything from college and my student affairs experience it's to get involved. I tell my students all the time to find something they like to do and join the club. It's a great way to meet friends with similar interests. Knowing this, Eric and I applied this theory to our life in Ecuador. So far it has been a great way to meet people and to do some fun things. Here are a few of the things we started to do:

I began playing basketball with some women in the evening. It is difficult to exercise here so this was a great opportunity. I found out about the group through my host mom who used to play with them. They seem like really great women and they are good basketball players! They asked me to play with them on the city team. It is supposed to start sometime at the end of the month.

About a month or two ago I began taking guitar lessons. This has been great for my free time and to practice my Spanish a little bit. My instructor seems to really know music and has also been a great person to get to know. This also has opened up the door to getting to know his family as well. Eric enjoys hanging out with his brother (who sells flooring).

Eric and I started an English club for the community. This was really Eric's idea to meet the needs of the many requests we have gotten for English lessons. We were on two radio stations to publicize the event. It was quite embarrassing for me because I got nervous and I don't speak Spanish very well when I'm nervous! One of my English teachers actually said that he heard me on the radio and I told him how embarrassed I was. He started laughing and said that when he heard me laughing on the radio he knew I was nervous.

Eric is also supposed to start playing basketball for the city team on my host brother's team. No one has seen him play, but they seem pretty confident that he's good.

Eric has been going with one of his teacher's to a men's social club. I think it might be similar to a Rotary but seeing as I have been to neither Rotary or the club Eric goes to, I may not be the best source. From what I can tell, it's a bunch of men that get together and play cards and carom(pool without pockets).

We both try not to shut any doors of opportunity but it can be hard when all the opportunities come on the same day. It becomes more complex when you add in the go-with-the-flow culture. Many things fall through so picking a weekend activity is like playing roulette (say yes too many things and you will let someone down but if you don't say yes to enough you could be stuck in your room waiting for the phone to ring) None the less we are beginning to really love Pinas. We are meeting some really great people and I think we will have a great two years here.

 

Eric playing the ukulele with Claudio Jose the son of my host sister. 

Me visiting a friend and fellow PCV in Arenillas 

I finally ate ceviche! A typical costal seafood. I meant to take the picture before we started eating...

This was a pretty sunset from the balcony of our house. Remember the sun sets at 6ish all year round!

Breaking News...

“Language is the class you never graduate from, you’re always a student” –Bibi PC Training Manager

Before we start on what is sure to be a very nice and complex view of how language is shaping my experience in Ecuador. I would like to give a quick update for friends, family, and people reading at work.

The S.H.H. report (safety, health, and happiness report):

 On the topic of safety I feel more safe and relaxed in site than I have the whole time I have been in Ecuador.  It has a lot to do with the host family we have and the community support that we are receiving.  There is a lot of machismo culture in Ecuador but in our site it is tame and mild. I don’t worry about Em walking around alone and we do not worry about getting pick pocketed or robbed. On the topic of health, it is a running joke between Peace Corps Volunteers that you only get sick once and stay in this limbo of 40-80% health. For the lucky ones it higher and for the unlucky ones well if they stay they are true champions. On the topic of happiness, we are pretty happy here. As with any move there are lags in the integrate cycle. (What’s that, you want to know how you can help us through a lag period, thanks for asking.) What would increase our happiness is a visit for someone or even more economical a care package. SEND US SOMETHING, lol.

The highs and lows forecast:

Highs: Host family is awesome; there is a good balance of support and space. I am making movement on my PC goals and Em as set some of her own. Our site community and school community is good; they have really welcomed us with open arms. We have started to travel around our Province a little and visit other volunteers. I am in love with the seafood here and I’m trying to learn how to cook some of it.

Lows: Number one; there is always a battle to find something to eat. Often during the week we cook for ourselves and finding the time to cook the local meals is an uphill battle. Also our knowledge of how to cook with the local ingredients is a competence that we have not yet mastered.  Number two, Boredom is a really killer. When we are bored it is hard not to think about home so we try to stay busy. Number three, Teaching English, like teaching anything, is a time consuming process. That means we spend a great deal of time think about the English language, speaking in the English language, and discussing the English language. As you can imagine, our Spanish takes a backseat some days this is the saddest part of being a TEFL volunteer.

The Big Story:

Even with all the English, Em and I are still making progress in our Spanish. I was told by an Ecuadorian that my Spanish had improved greatly. This was after having a 45 minute conversation about varies topics that didn’t include the basic: where are you from? How long are you here? What’s your favorite color? Etc. Along the same note Em was told by an Ecuadorian that hear accent and pronunciation was really good. This is big because I know it is something she works hard at.

>>> Ok so this post went long then I thought so I am going to add some pictures and continue my Language story, later.

This is our new Host Family "Ellos son muy amable" (google it a little language lesson lol)

Some very good friends of ours took us to a water park. Where we found out their brother owns it and we had the whole thing to ourselves.

the view outside a window in our house

One of the best meals I have had so far.

A day at the beach 

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."