November 2, 2010

I am sitting on a couch in AJS (Duran house) right now, sipping on a cup of steaming Don Cafe (the best of instant coffee), eating a banana, and waiting for the cyber to open.  Ecuadorians take All Saints Day seriously - we don´t have work until Thursday, so are trying to make the most of our 5 days off!  

I woke up with two ghosts in my room at 12:01 AM Halloween morning.  It brought my holiday in with a real fright - or as frightening as Jeff and Kipp underneath bed sheets can get.  Our group of 16 had a relaxing 3 day retreat in Playas (a beach town two hours from Guayaquil).  This was time to think about life, speak some English, jump some waves, and play "camping trip".  Unfortunately, our campfire plans did not work out...but we managed without.  Ethan flew from Seattle, Washington to lead the retreat and filled us in with the latest from the states.  It sounds like the campaign trail has started up again.  Politics is one thing we stay out of down here.  Ecuador recently had an attempted coop to sack Raphael Correa - Ecuador´s standing president.  Correa has been extremely vocal for the lower class - installing programs for free university education, and cutting wages to fund other projects.  I really don´t know enough to talk about it intelligently, but I do know that without a police force, the streets in Ecuador are crazy.  In the beginning of October, the police went on strike in response to a pay cut, leaving the rest of Ecuador to scurry to their houses, lock the doors, and stay out of the mayhem.  Fortunately, Monte Sinai was calm - Marco Solis hires a private police force to drive the streets...  Also, because Monte Sinai is underdeveloped, the most anyone could steal from the main street is a couple hundred pieces of bread, and maybe a few tomatoes.  Needless to say, we were completely safe. In Casa Tomas, we used our time in lockdown to make coop-kies and have some community bonding.  Aaron and I also made giant strides with the garden progress.  Aaron can give you an entertaining tour of our garden on You Tube (if you type in casa tomas 2010 Monte Sinai).  You may also find a tour of our house and maybe a song or two performed by the Sinai 5 LIVE!  

Anyway, back to the retreat.   I can honestly say that I had goose bumps for 3 days straight during the retreat -- not what I was expecting when going to a beach in Ecuador.  Nobody in our group planned for cool weather, which lead to a massive shortage in clothing.  It made me miss fall in the Midwest, hot apple cider, and colorful leaves.  We heard the Midwest had its first dusting of snow!  Tracy and Molly, you better be running in the cool weather...  Aaron and I went running on the beach during some free time.  It has been three months since I have had any form of extended physical activity.  Needless to say, my calves are on fire.  It feels fabulous.  

Speaking of Aaron... the one who decided it would be a good idea to use some strange leaves a toilet paper…..and Yes! Celso sped us to the ER in the gray van as Aaron puffed up like a roasted marshmallow in the back seat.  Aaron stayed remarkably calm...and found some comfort in explaining to me how to do a tracheotomy (hole in the throat for emergency breathing) with a ball point pen on our way to the hospital.  I had the ballpoint pen ready in one hand just to make him feel better, but don´t worry Mr. and Mrs. Pierre -- the ‘trach’ was completely unnecessary.  With a few shots and a bit of deflation time, Aaron was back on track.  We are now well stocked with toilet paper.  

We are actually having a hard time keeping Aaron away from the clinic.  A week ago, Aaron left a good centimeter of his pointer finger on the end of a machete as we rushed the rest of him to Sonrisa Naranja clinic for stitches.  Marita and I had a great time watching as they stitched the end of his pointer finger up like a drawstring bag.  The doctor thought it would be a good experience for me to give him his tetanus shot...in the butt.  Talk about community bonding.   I have been practicing drawing blood for HIV testing, so this was a piece of cake (or "es pan comido" as they say in Ecuador) for me.  Not so much for Aaron - apparently next time I need to be a bit quicker.  

The HIV/AIDS training has finally come to an end!  We had our first HIV charla last Tuesday for 73 socias (women who are enrolled in the microfinance program at Hogar).  As with most things at Hogar, gathering the final details together was a bit of a struggle.  But, the session went on, Daniel and Michelle from Fundación Vihda shared the 90 minute talk with me, and 37 women ended up getting tested!  Apparently these are really good odds for HIV talks.  I was really glad Daniel (a native speaker) was there to field questions.  These women were pretty fiery - a couple got on their high-horses, blaming men for the HIV epidemic.  That is not where we were hoping to go with this talk, but at least they are interested and thinking.  We are trying to clear the misconceptions that HIV is primarily carried by homosexuals and sex-traffickers.  Actually, in Ecuador, the highest instances of HIV are in the "Amas de las casas" (women of the house).  

I have also spent quite a bit of time at the Hogar health clinic in Segio Torral (30 minute bus ride from Monte Sinai).  The clinic just added a gynecologist, pediatrician, dentist, and pharmacist in addition to the lab tech and general medicine doctor that were already there.  The clinic looks like an old school house - one room for each doctor, a bench and a swing set outside for the waiting room.  The staff are great - the pediatrician took me under her wing to teach me a few things about medicine, and all of the doctors offered their arms for me to practice drawing blood.  (Don´t worry Mom, I am not drawing much blood -- but needed to know how just in case).  It is intimidating learning to draw blood on a doctor.  But I only failed miserably once...on the dentist.  His low pain tolerance, coupled with the fact that I could not find the blood in his arm was a bad combination.  Oh well.  I figure it was good for him to know how his patients feel.  

Otherwise, work is going well.  I have not blown up any computers lately and have succeeded in communicating with my boss a little better.  I have decided that she is not going to give me much direction -- and I just need to take initiative and get the jobs done.  So far, this attitude is working.  I am giving the "deer in headlights" look much less frequently and have made friends with the other Hogar volunteers.  Fabiola and Felix came to Casa Tomas for lunch the other day.  Felix is from Spain and Fabiola from Chile.  I took advantage of this opportunity to make them chili (haha) and breakfast cherry bars (which I believe was Eric´s first 4-H special foods presentation).  After lunch, I took them to Consuelo´s house for a visit -- who served us shots of homemade whiskey mixed with milk and raw eggs.  Usually I don´t know what I am being served - and try not to find out until I have finished it.  The alcohol was a bit of a surprise at 2pm in the afternoon.  

Our house has started to experiment a bit with meat!  I went with Madre Lucelli to the store the other day to buy ‘safe’ meat and cooked up a recipe of pollo con cola (chicken with cola) from our neighbor Aura.  This recipe consists of orange juice, cumin, garlic, onion, pepper, soy sauce, and cola.  I was not kidding when I said that cola is a big deal down here!  

I assisted Marita with her first Ecua-driving lesson the other day!  I think I am going to tape labels on each pedal before the second driving lesson.  A really big label for the brake would have been nice for the first time around as we tried to navigate the potholes...and a possum as it so happened.  But we are all alive (including the possum), and we successfully retrieved Jeff from his guitar lesson.  A couple more weeks/months of practice and Marita will be ready for the road. 

Monte Sinai had a rodeo to celebrate the independence of Guayaquil the other day.  They kicked off a weekend of festivities with a parade of horses through Monte Sinai.  Aaron and I paid a $3 admission to see the rodeo clowns tell jokes for a couple of hours (Ecuadorian humor is painfully not funny), followed by bronc riding.  They had 3 horses, 3 bulls, and one shoot.  Ecuadorian bronc riding is simple.  The cowboy jumps on the beast (with no halter, no saddle, and often times no shoes) they open the shoot, give the animal a hardy slap on the rump and see what happens.  Often times the horse just runs around the arena throwing a buck here and there.  When the cowboy falls off, everyone runs out there and chases the animal back in the shoot for the next rider.  Apparently audience members can ride too!  Thanks to Aaron´s large mouth, part of the crowd caught wind that the "gringa" rides horses.  Of course, they started chanting my name to go for a ride.  I must admit, I was tempted.  But yes, Dad, my common sense did kick in, and I respectfully declined the offer.  Aaron was also offered a ride...  what a great story that would have been to say we rode in an Ecuadorian rodeo!...  Maybe next time. 

As far as neighbor news goes, Luzmilah had her baby!  She left her house for the first time last weekend and brought her tiny little boy to church.  I am going to start visiting her again, now that she is feeling better.  She has now given birth to 5 kids in her house, with the help of her husband and sisters.  This is the family that is taking care of an 11 year old orphan without papers and without a family.  This little girl does not speak Spanish and can´t go to school without a birth certificate.  The lawyer at Hogar quit the day I planned to make an appointment for her.  We have been looking for a lawyer for the last 2 months with no luck.  That is how the system works down here.  Slow, frustrating, and dysfunctional.  

I have started teaching English on a regular basis to Miguel, Jose, and Maria (Consuelo´s kids).  They have recently stopped going to school because they cannot pay admission.  It is 10 dollars a month per child for high school.  I receive 40 dollars per month in stipend money (Extra money for transportation, shampoo, etc.).  It is all I can do not to hand over my stipend to get these kids an education.  Often times, handing over money does much more harm than good - I understand why we can´t do so.  But after being in this position, education has taken on a whole new meaning to me.  These kids want to learn so badly.  I am honored to spend a couple of hours with them each week.  

On a lighter note, Mariuxi and Cesar have started planning for my visit every Monday afternoon and cooking me lunch.  Jonathon (6 years old) is sitting by the door waiting every time I walk up.  Cesar always has list of challenging questions for me, and Mariuxi keeps asking when my family is coming to visit.  I told her about the Christmas present that Grandma sent with me in August - Which I can´t open until December 25.  She made me promise to open it in her house.  Mom and Dad, I hope you are ready to meet a mountain of neighbors when you come.  They can´t wait.  Oh yes, and I taught Luisana´s kids how to play spoons.  It was messy at first, and we have tears when not everyone gets a spoon.  But I think they have a new favorite game.  

That is the update for now.  Thanks for the letters and emails!  I am thinking of you all and am extremely jealous of your first snow.  Until next time, cuidate!

Becky

October 5, 2010

This week was bound to come sometime -- the one where absolutely everything that could have gone wrong went horribly array.  It was ironic that the previous weekend we (my house mates and I) had a lengthy discussion of how inadequate we feel in every facet of life right now.  I don´t think any of us feel qualified to be here.   I have certainly not completed any task set before me with any sort of grace or tact.  I just returned home from 90 minutes of catechism with 20 nine and ten year-olds.  Of course, the teacher didn´t show up.  Once again I fumbled through class, completely unprepared (and calling on Aaron to save me once again).  Every time I walk down the street, someone stops me for a friendly conversation.  Every time I leave the conversation, maybe I understand half of what they said and maybe only 75% of what I said!  I can´t even buy groceries without having to point at the carrots, saying "una libra de esos por favor,"…. I’m completely frustrated that after 7 weeks as I still cannot remember the dang word for carrot.  Our work sites are just at daunting - we made a community (house mates) decision to remind each other that we are volunteers.  Whatever we do here is something that would be lacking if we were not here.  As long as we don´t make things worse (stay out of the red) we are doing our job.  Unrealistic expectations will only weigh us down.

Ironically, I went to work Monday morning after these fabulous realizations to find that I was “in the red.”  I thought I was saving electricity when I turned off the little black box beside my computer last Friday.  When my computer didn´t light up as I pushed the power button and I caught a whiff of burnt wires, it clicked.  Yup, I turned off the surge protector.  In my efforts to save the planet, I successfully fried my computer.   All the work I have done the last two months was gone.  Nuts.

The rest of the week followed suit as my luck continued to flounder.  Tuesday morning, my bus was 45 minutes late - just enough time to miss the HIV talk (which I am supposed to be giving in a few weeks).  Wednesday, all of Monte Sinai was supposed to come to a meeting about the upcoming health brigade, and collect their tickets for the event.  Unfortunately, my boss forgot to tell me that the tickets were my responsibility.  I have never felt so helpless as a herd of desperate mothers lined up at my table demanding a guaranteed visit with the pediatrician, gynecologist, etc.  I am not quite sure how we got out of that pickle. 

On Thursday and Friday, I spent my days trying to find all the houses that Carlos and I had visited previously, to deliver tickets for the brigade.    People are starting to recognize me in the streets – and they still think I am a doctor.  That said, word spreads like wildfire that the ”doctor” is outside.  The locals think that they might as well grab their X-rays and cat-scans and chase me down for a diagnoses!  Needless to say, I had spent more time listening to extensive medical histories in the street than actually delivering tickets for the brigade.  Carlos and Alexis think it´s funny to see the panicked look on my face when another person emerges from their house yelling my name...  it actually is humorous - just because it is so ridiculous. 

Saturday we had the health brigade.  I had prepared myself by expecting the absolute worst possible situation.  To my surprise, everything ran unusually smoothly!  I cannot express the relief I felt when the doctors who we had recruited for the Saturday health clinic actually showed up.  The cardiologist was the only no-show, so of course I became the stand-in cardiologist for the day.  I even had a little waiting area of plastic chairs and a nurse (Carlos), ha-ha.  We had a whopping 14 patients for EKGs, and I think they were all pretty satisfied with their care.  I gave myself a gold star for that one (only gold star of the week)....  :)

So, what did I learn from a crazy and frustrating week?  I learned that it pays to let go.  It may be impossible to stay out of¨ "the red" while I am here.  I can´t really blame myself for the computer incident if nobody told me what the little black box was for.  If I depend on public transportation (like the majority of people in Ecuador and ALL the people in Monte Sinai), I have to accept that I am rarely (if ever) going to be on time.  I can worry about all the ways that I could have prepared better from the health brigade, but it saves a tremendous amount of anxiety accepting that I am not going to walk into my job and do everything perfectly.  Here in Ecuador, the language barrier, the culture, and the system have made it literally impossible to function up to the standards that I want to set for myself.  I have accepted this and I am moving on.  I may not feel qualified, and I may have failed more that I like to admit, but I am trying!  That is all anyone ever asked of me. 

Hola familia and friends! (Sept 15)

I just got my mail from the last two weeks.  The letters were fabulous, but I must say that Mom wins the prize this time.  She sent a huge envelop complete with every spice in the book.  I do not think any of us have much of an idea of how to use caraway and anise, but we are going to have fun experimenting.  It will be an interesting week in the kitchen...  Actually, we have been experimenting in the kitchen quite a bit. Aaron found the ‘ganas’ to make orange rice the other day.  It was nothing a little cumin and onion couldn’t fix.  Actually we may be working orange rice into our food repertoire.  Marita has mastered an Ecuador favorite called Manestra (lentils), and Jenn makes a mean pasta sauce.  Jeff’s night to cook seemingly always coincides with community cook night.  (I think he enjoys a bit of direction in the kitchen).

A couple of weeks have passed since the last update...  Somehow my personal journaling has taken a backseat to life and sleeping, so it might be a stretch to recall some of the details.  I am still figuring out a schedule...  I guess I was secretly hoping that my constant problem with a shortage of hours in the day would be cured when I crossed the Ecuador border.  Not the case.

Marita and I ventured out to Felix and Auras house the other day and learned how to make Flan de Zapillo (Squash flan).  Grandma, you would really like this.  It is similar to your custard, but made with squash.  We added cinnamon and cloves, so it really tasted like Christmas in your mouth.  We decided that when we are homesick over Christmas, we will have to whip up some Flan de Zapillo.  Aura’s daughter, Tanya, is a nurse in the center of the city.  She is the first professional health care worker I have encountered in Monte Sinai!  I am going to be visiting her more often to practice my medical vocabulary.  She is super helpful and knows a lot about the Ecuadorian health care system. 

Hector (aka Big Blue because of his blue eyes) owns a bakery down the street and gifted us some yeast the other day!  We made a fabulous pizza, I must say. Dad, you would be super proud of our pizza crust. Word got out in the town that we make pizza, Mariuxi begged us to come over and teach her.  I did not realize teaching meant cooking for her entire family plus the in-laws.  Unfortunately, our pizza did not work out the second time.  Big Blues yeast whimped out on us, and the oven died.  The in-laws graciously choked down doughy, dense pizza...unfortunately we had really talked it up before hand.  I tried not to notice Mariuxi starting a big pot of rice on the stove when we left.  We are going to have to redeem ourselves with a different very American recipe that is hard to screw up.  Any ideas?

We are slowly but surely building a presence in Monte Sinai.  The store owners are loosening up and asking us what in the world we are doing here.  Apparently Jenn, Marita, and I look exactly alike, so I never return home without receiving a couple hugs in the street from Maritas students.  It is the kids that never let go of your legs that are the problem.  I am going to have to chat with Marita about this...  The nuns are rapidly claiming every bit of our free time.  Last weekend, San Felipe Escuela had the Olympics’, which is apparently a tradition in elementary schools in Ecuador.  It is really more like a beauty pageant than anything.  My job was to keep 20 first graders who were caked in glitter and makeup in line while they waited to march onto the soccer field and perform a dance routine.  Lucky Aaron got to be on the panel of judges.  Marita had spent the two weeks prior choreographing and taught her second graders how to dance.  After the dances, they had soccer games for teams of parents.  Yes, parents are just as competitive (or possibly more competitive) here than in the States.  I played with the 1st grade moms and Marita played for the second grade Moms.  We had no idea we were getting into such a competitive mess - fingernails and all.  But we survived.  And I must say that my team won the championships!  

The community garden in San Felipe is starting this week!  We had our first meeting this Wednesday with Roberto who works in various communities teaching people how to raise sustainable gardens.  Roberto is a difficult gentleman to work with-- Aaron and I have taken to calling him Roberto Huerto (huerto means garden). After church on Sunday, we are going to start cleaning the area and fixing up the beds.  I started attending Catechism classes last week with the 9-11 year-olds.  Unfortunately, the teacher decided to take a 30 minute phone call during class.  Yes, I had my turn improvising in front of 20 restless kids in Spanish.  They really like to play the game 50 questions about the US.  Aaron did come and save me in the middle of my improv session, which I will forever be grateful for...  It could be an interesting year in Catechism to say the least.  On our way home from church, a neighbor gifted us three plantain trees!  Aaron and I planted them along the fence in the yard.  We asked for planting advice from several friendly faces on our way home and got many different suggestions for the type of dirt we should be using.  We ended up planting them in a couple different types of dirt that we found in piles in the empty lot beside us.  It is  little experiment to see which neighbor really knows what they are talking about.  

Our compost pile is thriving!  This tropical heat breaks down the food super quickly.  We are going to have organic fertilizer in no time.  Most of our neighbors have compost as well.  Candessa (the guard dog)  is doing a great job guarding our pile, so we have not had a problem with rodents yet!  We are keeping our fingers crossed.  

Work is crazy as usual.  Every day I learn a few more things about my job - many of which would have been nice to know in the beginning.  The health brigade is coming up in a week and half.  We are going to have 250 school kids coming to visit the pediatrician and get their teeth cleaned.  We are also going to have a cardiologist, gynecologist, optometrist, psychologist, and general practitioner for the people in Monte Sinai.  I believe I am supposed to be coordinating this.  Every Thursday, I go to Monte Sinai with Carlos and Alexis for more home visits.  These visits are going much better!  I can do the majority of it on my own, but when the patients give me every detail of their medical history, I get lost quickly.  I have been typing reports in Spanish for each case and presenting them to my supervisor.  She tells me what medical specialist they need to see and if we can offer any other services.  I love it, but it takes a good 45 minutes to type each report.  I visited 6 houses last Thursday...  That is a lot of reporting...  

I have also ventured to the center of the city for HIV-AIDS training.  Once I am comfortable with the vocab, I am going to be holding charlas (educational sessions) for women at Hogar de Cristo.  We are offering free testing after the charlas.  That means I need to practice breaking the news to people that they could have HIV - in Spanish.  Delicate subject.  It is going to be a few weeks before I am ready for this.  

That’s all I have time for now.  I have typed this blog 3 different times, 3 different days, and 3 different locations...  Unfortunately I have stumbled upon some bad luck in the technology world.  All the computers have viruses here (to be expected when using public equipment).  I have another blog waiting in my journal, which I will attempt to type up tomorrow!  

I think about you all very often.  Much love, and keep fighting the good fight!  

September 7,2010

I cannot believe it. Week two of work has come to an end, and I have not been fired yet. Celso kindly traveled from Duran today to visit my worksite and see how I am getting along. I took advantage of his visit (he is fluent in Spanish and English) - he translated two weeks from my supervisor and clarified a few things that have gone completely over my head. He also helped write the reports from my last few house visits. Now I just have to figure out what to do with them after I write the report.


The EKG clinic is going well. I am wearing the stethoscope correctly nowadays. AND not only can I tactfully ask the patients to take their shirts off to do the test, but also to put it back on when we are done. Small, yet crucial detail. :)

Tonight, Wellington brought us a hammock that Elise had made for the new house in Mt. Sinai. I tested the hammock out and had a long Spanish lesson with Wellington. Past tense is coming slowly but surely!

Our community of 5 is thriving as well. Jenn set up a cooking-cleaning schedule for us. As we befriend our neighbors, we are slowly collecting Ecuadorian recipes. Our newest neighbor-friend is Consuelo and her family of 6. She has an incredible organic garden, and continues to gift us with plants for our yard and veggies! She gave us a zapillo (squash) the size of a pumpkin on Monday, along with the recipe for squash soup. Needless to say, we will be eating squash soup for a couple of weeks. She has also sent us home with many different seeds. Yes Grandma, the garden plans are falling together slowly but surely. Our yard is rocky sand at the moment - hard to plant a garden in rocks. However, our neighbors recently dug a hole for septic drainage. Aaron and I are currently building up our courage to ask for some of that nice black dirt that is now piled in the middle of the road. What can I say; dirt is always nicer on the other side of the fence!

We are learning how to approach the markets with a bit more tact. Our first days, the five of us trucked into the small tiendas, picked up a head of broccoli, couple of tomatoes, and onions, and handed them to the cashier. This is not the way Ecua´s shop. Monica saw us doing this and quickly put it to a stop. Apparently you are supposed to ask for 20 cents of broccoli (or however much you want to spend) and the store owner chops off that portion of broccoli for you. The same goes for watermelon, cabbage, etc. Tomatoes, onions, carrots, etc are sold by the pound. We are still figuring out how much each item costs. We pay 5 cents per banana and 10 cents per tomato. Ecuadorians apparently pay 3 cents per banana and a couple of cents per tomato. We are willing to pay the "gringo" price. But there is a fine line between the gringo price and being taken advantage of. We are still finding that line.

A few more updates around the house:

- We had a brush fire to the east of us the other day. If we had built a cane house, we would be toast right now.

- Aaron and I discovered a stream behind our house the other day! It is not for swimming (due to pollution), but it does attract a wide variety of wildlife. About 8 cranes fluttered out of the trees when we approached the water. They were beautiful -- a stark contrast from the brown dirt and dirty water below.

- We continue to plan for our garden. Finding dirt is the latest challenge. Dirt is often the subject around the dinner table.

On Thursday, I accompanied Carlos and Alexis on house visits in Monte Sinai. They are working to map out Monte Sinai, hoping to install a water system/septic system for the community someday. They spend their days walking through the neighborhoods visiting houses to see what the families need and educating them about Hogar de Cristo (public services). If the family has a medical problem, I accompany them. We visited four houses on Thursday, all with a wide variety of problems. One home had a two day old baby - mom with severe anemia, weak spells, and malnutrition. A neighbor has a son with Down syndrome. The mom is single with no job. Health care is out of the picture for many of these families who are struggling to put food on the table. I have yet to figure out how Hogar will be assisting these families. I hope to meet with my supervisor about this soon!

Thank you again for reading. AND thank you for the letters and cards! I am currently in first place for the number of letters received in my house.

My thoughts are with you all. Un abrazo,

Becky

Trembling out of Bed

I experienced my first earthquake this morning!  That goodness Jenn and Marita woke me up, or I would have snored straight through it.  We must be pretty far from the epicenter because it was just a minute of minor shaking.  What a way to start the day!  Aaron and Jeff made us girls (who tend to take advantage of every moment of shut-eye) eggs and toast this morning.  We are enjoying our first day off today - the Duran volunteers are discerning their job placements as a group today.  We Monte Sinai volunteers got to listen in on the discernment process last night.  They have to work out as a group of 11 who will work at each site for the mornings, then divide into three afterschool programs, designating the directors and logistics coordinators.  Diffucult task.  Needless to say, I am delighted to be sitting in the Cyber right now. 

The last few days, we have been exploring the different work sites.  My lucky housemates got to accompany me (aka translate for me) two 3 hour long orientations for Hogar de Cristo.  Needless to say, we now know a lot about this organization.  It looks like I am going to be running the EKG clinic for the time being.  (Not nearly as grandiose as it sounds).  I had one 5 minute run-through on how to run a test on a machine with make-shift suction cups that are haphazardly taped on.  My ´clinic´ is in the back of a classroom, behind an office divider.  What have I gotten myself into this time...haha.  I am also in charge of organizing a variety of ¨projects¨ throughout the year.  The education department sends representatives to schools to identify families and kids who are struggling.  If there are medical issues at home, I get to join the team to visit the home and develop a case, explaining the situation, and present it to Hogar de Cristo in hopes of getting free health care in the area, food baskets, etc.  This will definitely be the hardest, but BEST part of my job.  Most kids who perform poorly in school or stop attending school do so in order to work (often selling water, candy, or newspapers in the streets).  Women are often left home to raise kids, while men are either working or out of the picture.  Even if the man is working, the money often times does not come home.  The situations get even tougher when there are developmental disabilities, infectious and cronic diseases, etc.  Lack of sanitation, dirty water, and low nutrition cause many of these problems.  The new clinic at my work place will hopefully be finished in two months.  (In Ecua time, it could be another 6 months).  However, they are interviewing doctors next week - so the situation looks promising!  The will have ginecology, emergency room, minor surgury, dentistry, and general medicine services.  My supervisor (Veronica) wants to train me in some surrounding clinincs to get a feel for the environment before our clinic starts up.  Veronic and Dolores are in charge of me for the year.  They are incredibly warm and friendly and super patient with my Spanish.  It is going to be a phenomenal experience, no matter what I end up doing.

My four housemmates have sweet placements as well.  I think I mentioned that Marita with be working with the San Felipe school right down the street from us.  Jenn will be working with the Casa Don Bosco -- a street kids program in Guayquil.  She will be organizing after school programs, doing some social work, and possbily teaching a few classes.  Jeff will also be working with street kids, similar to Jenn´s placement.  He is a phenomenal guitar player, so has much to offer in those respects.  Aaron is working at a small medical clinic called Sonrisa Naranja (Orange smiles).  Two Dutch doctors started this clinic two years ago.  As they bring stories home from their placements, I will be sure to share them with you!

We only have four days left of orientation.  Two days ago, we had the big bus quiz.  It was a 10 hour scavenger hunt through Guayaquil and Duran.  Megan (our in-country coordinator) was waiting in the middle with pizza and cake (Tres Leches!!).  We ended at Las Peñas, a lighthouse downtown, which looks over the entire city.  The day wore all of us out.  But gave us a much needed tour of the city. 

This was a short update, but I will have more coming soon.

Thanks for reading!

Bienvenidos!

Buenas Tardes Family and Friends!

I am here! The five of us living in Monte Sinai just completed our 5th(ish) day of orientation and earned our very first nap time- which I have selflessly sacrificed for all of you. (Actually I had to DRAG myself out of bed after a 90 minute nap. The heat really sucks the energy out of you South of the Ecuador).
We had the privilege of spending our fist four days with the out-going Monte Sinai volunteers, who spent their second year in Ecuador building community in Monte Sinai. We have gone from house to house meeting all of our neighbors, drinking cola at each one. To everyone, we are the ¨new gringos¨ in the neighborhood. The neighbors had grown to love Amy, Danny, Tracy, and Caroline (The pioneers of this site) dearly - so these visits were bitter sweet, saying goodbyes and hellos at the same time. I am ecstatic to move in.
These next two weeks, however will be spend in orientation at the retreat houses in Duran. Every day we take new bus routes to the various work paces around Duran and Guayaquil.  Since our trusty Mt. Sinai experts left, we are supposed to know the bus system.  I think most of you know that this is no small feat for me -- coming from the boonies of South Dakota. 
 
More about our neighbors in Mt. Sinai (because I am super excited about them).  We live just down the road from the San Felipe School, where Marita will be teaching kindergarten through 2nd grade.  This school was founded by Colombian nuns, who are hilarious.  Our first day, they welcomed us with a feast -- squash soup, chicken, rice, vegetables, and cola.  Cola is the drink of choice here, so I may be coming home with a few cavities.  They topped the meal off with rum ice cream over lime jello squares.  So, yes Dad.  I am getting my ice cream fix every once in a while.  By the way, the nuns´names are Lucelli, Mayra, and Paula.  I am trying to learn names as quickly as possible so I can initiate my Spanish conversations with gusto.  (I think I give the impression of knowing Spanish when I first meet people...  They quickly find out that I am absolutely lost after the initial salutations).  Wellington (one of our guards) assured me that I will be understanding most conversations in two months.  That is 60 days of having little idea of what is going on around me.  Humbling. 
 
Many of the neighbors have extended invitations to teach us how to cook Ecuadorian cuisine.  I have a feeling there will be plenty of cola involved.  We also met Felix and Laura - a sweet couple in their fifties who live right down the block from us.  Laura has been cooking for the construction workers at our houses.  She will probably want to continue cooking for us.  We have yet to explain to her that our naive Gringo stomachs need to adjust before diving into home cooking.  I need to practice that speech before going off on my own.  :)
 
Monica and her four kids live about 3 blocks away.  Valeria is her oldest (16yrs) and seems super interested in American culture.  Apparently Monica and Valeria are expecting daily visits from us.  Down the road from Monica, live Nelli and Luciella.  Nelli is 60 years old, with 10 kids (although she has given birth to 16 kids in her home) and has more than 40 grandchildren.  She about fell off her chair when Aaron asked if she could name them all.  haha.  I was actually wondering the same thing.  Nelli´s daughter is 27 and single -- waiting to meet a man who truly respects her.  Most of the women we have met have kids by their early 20´s.  Luciella also cuts hair and does nails for $1.50.  Yes Aimee, I may have to break down and get my nails done a couple of times this year.  Nelli is surprisingly blatant, and I am guessing has an incredible life story. 
 
Marina lives across the road from the nuns -- we met two of her 9 children - Sandra and Antonio, along with Antonio´s wife, Anna, and daughter, Allison (2 yrs. old).  Marian´s family lives all over Mt. Sinai.  They come from a campo up in the mountains.  Marina is also expecting daily visits.  She told us that Danny helped build her house, and cooks with her everyday.  That´s another thing.  Ecuadorians tend to exaggerate.  Apparently Danny put 3 nails into her wall one day and helped prepare one meal.  Expectations are high around here. 
 
One last neighbor to tell you about before you fall asleep.  MariJuana lives around the corner from Marina.  MariJuana is a member of one of the indigenous families in the neighborhood.  (These families often come from campos up in the mountains).  We are getting the feeling that there are underlying prejudices against the indigenous families.  More to come on that once I actually understand the language.
 
Oh yes, my work site!  Hogar de Cristo is a 20 minute bus ride from my house.  I lucked out with only having to take one bus to work and one home.  Also the 3 buses that pass by our house all pass by my work.  Pretty hard to get lost. 
 
Hopar de Cristo is the largest nonprofit in South America.  I am working at a brand new sight in the health clinic (Which does not exactly exist yet).  As a Jesuit program (YAY!), they focus on providing the basic rights to women and children in the poorest neighborhoods along the Coast.  The complex is huge - bustling with women going to micro financing classes, women´s empowerment groups, a food basket program, a high school, and health clinic.  More to come on my placement as I find out more info.
 
Mom is dying to hear about the food.   Just as disclaimer for Mom and Tracy -- I AM taking my vitamins.  During orientation, we are living extremely simply.  Bread, bananas, and instant coffee for breakfast.  Tuna fish sandwiches for lunch, and a cooking lessons with Diana, Ricardo, and Aide for supper.  Lentils and eggs are going to be the main source of protein -- cooked with veggies and a TON of salt.  We have also had tortillas de papas (mashed potatoes formed into patties with cheese stuffed in the middle, fried in egg and oil).  For every meal, we also have fried plantains and some sort of fruit.  The fruit is incredible down here!  Banana´s and mandarins are the hot items, lots of pineapple and watermelon too!  I am definitely in fruit heaven.  We buy our food meal by meal.  There are small stores lining the streets with fresh bread and the basic necessities.  Refrigerators are not especially cold down here, so we will try to keep down the critters and microbes by eating fresh.  Speaking of critters and microbes, the water truck comes by every now and then to fill up our cistern.  Aaron and I have guesstimated our cistern to be about 10 feet deep...  We have to clean it every 6 weeks if we want to stay considerably healthy this year.  The cistern cleaning will be a good community bonding experience.  And a dirty job for anyone who decides to misbehave.  :)
 
One more thing, and I better wrap this up.  The incoming volunteer group is incredibly musical!  We have daily jam sessions with multiple guitars, a mandolin, harmonica, and Brendan even brought a trumpet.  Eric, I bet you are jealous right now.  We had one hilarious night of Bb blues, using a bowl as a plunger mute.  (Thanks Cat for disclosing various parts of my musical past to Kipp). 
 
I think of my family and friends in the states often.  It is such a privilege to be here in Ecuador -- I thank every single one of you for your love and support.  Shoot me an email sometime -- I always appreciate updates on your lives as well!
 
PS.  Grandma -- the nuns have a couple of unused garden beds, but no time to tackle a gardening project.  They are super excited about the seeds that you sent.
 
Dad -- I learned a joke in Spanish that you might find funny.  But it is much better in person.