Having been a whole week since my last post, I am having trouble remembering where I left off. I believe it would have been last weekend leaving off at the beginning of the week and the first days of "real classes". This week started off with a few more days of Peace Corps policies and the occasional staff skit of what not to do and how to react to certain situations. One of these said skits included a female volunteer and a prop backpack of which she knew non of the contents as she walked into her new house to be greeted by her two younger siblings and host parents. While the parents piled on the food and welcomes, her pesky siblings proceeded to pull bras, thongs, birth control pills, an impressive heap of condoms and other unmentionables out of her backpack (to which she was unaware of possessing). Other days had us sitting in a nice cool room listening to the Medical Officer cover a gratuitous number of causes for diarrhea (as well as a few happy terms such as Montezuma's revenge and adjectives such as "explosive"). Now sitting here quietly in my room I am taken back to fond memories of a famous tune written by our very own Kevin Lungren covering such topics.
This week also saw our first round of vaccines (rabies, typhoid and yellow fever?) as well as technical and language interviews. Apart from feeling like somewhat of a human pincushion I have to say I am rather proud of having tested into Spanish at the Advanced-medium level, far above the Intermediate-medium level needed to become a Peace Corps Volunteer. The last two days we had a chance to talk to some currently active volunteers from around Ecuador and ask the "nitty gritty" questions (like "how's your Spanish now" and "do volunteers tend to date while they are here?" to which came my favorite response of the day. "The best way to learn Spanish is to sleep with a dictionary").
Apart from the various school activities and a random survey we had to partake in at the center of town, I have been spending most of my time with my host family. My host dad Hermeo, who works as an electrician in the oil fields on the Colombian boarder, came home on Monday. He is a very likable person and is always checking in on me to see if there is anything I need. He has shown me around town in the family SUV and we spent most of today driving up into Quito to a park in the center of town where you can see nearly the entire valley and city of Quito. He also took me to a small shop that sells humitas, a sweet bread baked inside a corn husk, that opens for one hour per day and normally sells out before the hour is up.
In the coming week we are planning various class trips and cultural excursions, (couldn't really tell you the difference between the two) as well as various group projects like building a community garden and raising chickens for our swearing in feast. Also, to those who are interested in visiting me here in Ecuador, please feel for that free to do so after July 1st. Peace Corps encourages us to have friends and family here and you are welcome to stay for as long as you want (I know of one volunteer who had a friend staying 6 months in site).
With that I look forward to reading your comments and I hope February is treating you all well, I know I am enjoying the 70 degree weather. Que les vaya bien! Chao!
This week also saw our first round of vaccines (rabies, typhoid and yellow fever?) as well as technical and language interviews. Apart from feeling like somewhat of a human pincushion I have to say I am rather proud of having tested into Spanish at the Advanced-medium level, far above the Intermediate-medium level needed to become a Peace Corps Volunteer. The last two days we had a chance to talk to some currently active volunteers from around Ecuador and ask the "nitty gritty" questions (like "how's your Spanish now" and "do volunteers tend to date while they are here?" to which came my favorite response of the day. "The best way to learn Spanish is to sleep with a dictionary").
Apart from the various school activities and a random survey we had to partake in at the center of town, I have been spending most of my time with my host family. My host dad Hermeo, who works as an electrician in the oil fields on the Colombian boarder, came home on Monday. He is a very likable person and is always checking in on me to see if there is anything I need. He has shown me around town in the family SUV and we spent most of today driving up into Quito to a park in the center of town where you can see nearly the entire valley and city of Quito. He also took me to a small shop that sells humitas, a sweet bread baked inside a corn husk, that opens for one hour per day and normally sells out before the hour is up.
In the coming week we are planning various class trips and cultural excursions, (couldn't really tell you the difference between the two) as well as various group projects like building a community garden and raising chickens for our swearing in feast. Also, to those who are interested in visiting me here in Ecuador, please feel for that free to do so after July 1st. Peace Corps encourages us to have friends and family here and you are welcome to stay for as long as you want (I know of one volunteer who had a friend staying 6 months in site).
With that I look forward to reading your comments and I hope February is treating you all well, I know I am enjoying the 70 degree weather. Que les vaya bien! Chao!
"... sleep with a dictionary." classic.
ReplyDelete