tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75775041747554203252024-02-19T05:10:55.519-06:00Some people juggle geese...Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-67102321654011769432014-03-09T15:35:00.001-05:002014-03-09T15:41:35.611-05:00A year after Peace CorpsIt's been nearly a year since I came home from Peace Corps in Ecuador. It doesn't feel like a year but I have crammed a lot in, so maybe that's why.<br />
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Right after I got back, I headed to North Carolina at Landmark Learning to earn my Wilderness First Responder certification from NOLS WMI.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nook, a beautiful home away from home.</td></tr>
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Not only did I find the most amazing emergency medical school I could imagine, but I fell back in love with EMS after however many years away from it. And...who knows... it may have been the start down a new path in life.<br />
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Right after I got back from North Carolina, I was on my way north back to Alaska permanently to work as a rock climbing and ziplining guide for Alaska Mountain Guides. On one of my first days in the tiny super touristy southeast town of Skagway, I walked into the volunteer fire department and began my time as a volunteer. It was rewarding, difficult and inspiring work that ranged from rescue on the sea, glacier rescue, search and rescue overnight on a famous trail, fire training, medical calls, trauma calls, medivacs all the way up by ambulance to Whitehorse, Yukon, by way of dirt roads, and medivacs off cruise ships. I was aching to have my EMT certification back so...when it became clear that I was returning to Illinois for at least the winter, I reserved my spot with Landmark Learning again for their month-long EMT-B class.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing like wheeling in a stokes litter over a trail with a full overnight rescue pack on.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skagway's water rescue boat on one of southeast's many gorgeous islands.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practicing rappelling and ascending on the clocktower wall over Skagway.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EMS trauma rodeo... I got a traumatic brain injury with raccoon eyes, projectile vomiting (see the red cups of melted ice cream, food coloring, and fruit chunks to the left), and a compound forearm fracture. Scared the shit out of a passerby but I couldn't verbally communicate to her because my mouth was full of fake vomit.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Oh, right. I was also a guide for Alaska Mountain Guides:<br />
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Leaving Skagway was hard and I had a feeling I wouldn't be coming back as soon as I wanted, which indeed turned out to be true.<br />
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I got to stopover a few days in Washington to visit my old friend Scott at Mount Rainier, where my visit just completely happened to coincide with a kind of geological delegation from Colombia. A group of scientists and emergency management and mitigation personnel from the U.S. visited a group of people with likewise professions in Colombia at the site of a volcanic disaster that claimed approximately 23,000 lives in 1985. So during my visit, these Colombians just happened to plan their trip up to the same place. So I got to follow them around and participate in their discussions - even met the famous Marta Calvache! I was seriously pleased to be able to converse with her in her native language.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What do you do on a geology field trip? Look at dirt. I mean, ash.</td></tr>
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Pretty soon I was again heading down to North Carolina to work like mad for a month in my EMT class at Landmark Learning with some five teachers, most of them paramedics but all WEMTs. Despite not having a single call during my 12 hours of practical time, I thoroughly enjoyed focusing pretty much every waking hour of every day on the class. And when it was over, I was completely at a loss for what to do now. I spent a month focused and excited about what I was doing and then there was no where to go with it and carry on the energy.<br />
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So... reluctantly... I drove back to Illinois.<br />
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Job searching in Alaska was going no where since I failed to obtain a state driver's license (my new glasses never arrived in time for me to take the vision exam), and pretty much every job I wanted required one. And I needed a job. So I began looking in northern Illinois, which pretty much means retail even with a B.S. and M.S. in geology. At the same time, curious about continuing EMS education, I started checking out the paramedic program at McHenry County College. That started leading me in the direction of finding local fire department or private sponsorship, which led me to sign up for my only prerequisite class - Human Biology.<br />
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And to help me along with actually living here and being able to pay bills, Starbucks offered me a full time job. I get a free pound of coffee a week (I'm currently sitting on nearly 10 pounds of coffee as I don't drink it that fast - any takers?) and all the free drinks I could possibly want (that excitement runs out after a month).<br />
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I went a 24-hour ridealong with the fire department I most want to work for a couple months ago. We got slammed by something like eight calls, starting one hour in at 7 am with a full arrest - and so I found myself totally new to this crew, feeling completely calm doing chest compressions and working with the bag valve mask. The day and night just continued like that with psychiatric patients, some trauma, a car accident on a seriously icy stretch of road, drug withdrawal, on and on. It was exhausting... especially with the fire calls going off constantly next to our ambulance tones... especially when I had to go to work at Starbucks the following day...but I liked it.<br />
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The next step is waiting for them to invite me to a couple tests - one physical, one written, and an interview - before I can possibly be invited on as a cadet. The disappointing thing is, I can't jump right into paramedic school - they have you become firefighters first. The positive thing is, though, that I'd get nearly a year working with them as an EMT gaining experience in a suburban Illinois district. I'm currently working my ass off at the gym preparing for the physical exam (look up 'CPAT' to see why I'm a little driven). I sort of hope they remember the time when I was one hour new to their department and jumped right into helping with a full arrest patient...maybe that'll get me some leverage...<br />
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So that's where I am now. Working for Starbucks, taking Human Biology, and working out. Kind of floating, kind of not really sure what's going to happen or where I'm going. But I think maybe I have a plan? Sort of, kind of?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, and I turned into Katniss Everdean. I bought a beautiful black competition recurve bow that I shoot once or twice a week. </td></tr>
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<br />Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-33276796985000286162013-04-26T10:23:00.000-05:002013-04-26T10:23:00.898-05:00Back home after more than two yearsIf anyone's still out there, following this blog - I'm sorry I neglected it. Last Saturday, I flew from Quito to Houston to Chicago for the last time as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. I stuck it out and lasted the two years in country. Some miserable days, some nice days. I didn't share the half of it. <br />
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My plan within the next few days is to get my web albums completely updated with photos. On Monday I have an interview with the Northwest Herald (McHenry County, Illinois) to talk about Peace Corps service. And soon, I promise I'll write here what it's like for me to return to the United States after life abroad in South America. <br />
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So, thanks for following me this far. I think the next chapter in my life will be pretty fun as well.Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com5Cary, IL, USA42.213249900000008 -88.2476849999999942.166208400000009 -88.328365999999988 42.260291400000007 -88.167003999999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-77915282468579160162012-10-29T10:31:00.004-05:002012-10-29T10:36:05.886-05:00Videos: Inti Raymi 2012 and my new hobbyWhile visiting the United States, I found a new sport that I thoroughly enjoy. I was so into it the first week that I decided I wanted to know what it was like shooting a pumpkin. And because there were so many deer hunters on the ranges, I decided to make a little spoof hunting one little pumpkin.<br />
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So this is from last June but because it's too hard to upload videos on the machines where I live, here's a very late film from this year's Inti Raymi celebration in Ibarra, Ecuador. For more information on the holiday, check out: <a href="http://www.thisisecuador.com/component/content/article/1-welcome-to-ecuador/122-inti-raymi-an-explosion-of-colors-music-and-indigenous-traditions.html">INTI RAYMI: An explosion of colors, music and indigenous traditions</a><br />
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We began dancing around 6 p.m. and didn't stop for one minute until around 1 a.m. when my group decided to call it quits. The party did still go on, however, just without us. </div>
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Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-61043330070412828162012-10-24T08:22:00.000-05:002012-10-24T08:25:50.641-05:00Big long illustrated update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I realized as I write this that I am, in fact, almost halfway through my stay in my new site. I guess it's not my 'new' site anymore, but my permanent site.<br />
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Five months has gone by fast, but I still went through the normal cultural adjustment stages. When I arrived, everything was fantastic and new and nothing could be bad. Then I sank into confusion about what to do. Then I missed 'home,' home in the general term for the States. Since then it's pretty much been up and down on a daily or hourly basis. I still have some days where I prefer to just stay home and read or make something. I'm grateful for the days when I have a mountain of laundry to wash by hand, or I have to spend some time forraging for plants for my rabbit. Sometimes I walk the hour down the mountain to Apuela for internet even though someone in town offers his computer and internet for an hourly fee. I just like to go. <br />
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I've focused completely on trash management, at first only on accident. I think it started when I made my recycled art projects on the benches outside one of the two stores in town. The store owner started making her own folded chip bag wallet, then others picked up on it. I did just a couple workshops at the afternoon kids' group and more adults began their own projects. Once I began teaching recycled art in the school, many parents and their families got interested and started their projects.<br />
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I've also been helping out in the tree nursery, but so far progress has been pretty disappointing. I can only convince the other workers to do something if there's a tourism group coming to visit. We tried moving the workday from Friday to Monday and tried to assign a daily schedule to water the trees (only 15 minutes!) but nothing worked. Now it's pretty much just me and another American volunteer who are watering the trees every day so they don't die.<br />
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The tree nursery is really interesting though. First, it's a joy to see seeds germinate and near-dead twigs come blooming back to life with the copious water we bring. And with that comes more wildlife. One tree, a chinchin as it's known, is host to the larva of a big yellow butterfly. Its larva are green and spiky and have a colorful purple, green or pink crysallis. I used to take some home to watch:<br />
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I haven't travelled much at all since moving sites. Technically there's a rule in Peace Corps that says if you move sites, you can't take vacation for three months. Which was fine because I didn't have any money to climb mountains. Pretty sad actually. But I for sure didn't pass up the fantastic whale migration whose hub is Puerto Lopez. It didn't disappoint this year and we even visited Isla de la Plata to glimpse blue-footed boobies (and red-footed boobies and Nazca boobies). It was a nice break...<br />
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When I returned home, my family celebrated my birthday! It was a wonderful surprise complete with cake brought in from 'outside'. As you can see, it didn't completely survive the three-hour car ride:<br />
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Last month I began working on a recycling project. There had been a program before my time but it didn't take. My plan was to imitate another Peace Corps Volunteer's successful project in Santo Domingo by holding a recycling contest in the school. My project ended up being a little different than hers as a couple months ago a group of volunteers literally filled my room with donations of toys, art supplies, and school supplies. I was at a loss for what to do with the stuff and really didn't want to be the one to hand it all out like charity. Using the stuff as prizes seeing to be the solution. So a few community members and I finished the small recycling center on the corner of the football field by completely enclosing it with metal screen and finishing it with a nice door and lock. This was partly because we didn't want anyone taking away the plastic bins, to keep dogs out, and to keep kids from taking materials out to reuse in the contest. <br />
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I was really exited when my host mom Alicia began collecting bottles right away:<br />
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Then her pile grew:<br />
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And grew:<br />
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Not many kids brought in recyclables the first week of the contest, but once it was clear to them that the program was on, they bombarded me with bags filled with bottles. This was the second week:<br />
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The third week, we had to organize the small recycling center. I invited the kids to earn 10 points per family if they helped me crush all the bottles. What a BAD bad idea. Ten kids in a small space stomping on a couple thousand bottles. I regreted my decision immediately, but a few actually worked and in a couple hours we had finished the work. The next day I tied up the bags and weighed them out - 80 kilos of plastic and 6 kilos of metal plus a bit of cardboard. That's roughly equivalent to $21. 80 kilos of plastic represent about 2,700 bottles of various sizes. <br />
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Like I said earlier, I haven't had time or money to climb any big mountains. I'm for sure aching for the exercise and the adventure though. When a couple tourists came through and requested a guided hike, the guide invited me along to get to know the mountain above us where our town's water comes from. I had a bad cold but I pushed through it anyway (mistake, as it then progressed to a nasty sinus infection). The top is covered in forest and is inhabited by Andean bears. We didn't see any of the shy creatures, but we saw plenty evidence of their existence.<br />
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There have been a number of festivals in the area, including one where all the communities in the area gather with colored torches corresponding to their community (mine was white) and walk down to the town of Apuela for a nighttime Catholic mass. It was quite stunning but of course that was the time my camera battery decided to no longer hold a charge.<br />
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Roughly every Saturday, a few women, their kids and I get together to work on recycled art projects. Most of them have worked on the folded chip bag wallets but they seem to prefer paper bead making.<br />
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One of the women is a brilliant crocheter whose crafts are sold in the Intag store in Otavalo. After I taught the schoolchildren to make plastic string for knitting, this artisan learned from her daughter and began making all kinds of amazing things. One of her products was a traditional hat crocheted from black and transparent plastic string. She likes the material so much that she now wants to buy new plastic bags...whoops...not really the point of reducing and recycling! What's really ironic, though, is she's a cabuya artist. She makes things out of a fiber produced from a big agave-like plant called the penca. The fiber is called cabuya. Before traffic arrived in Pucara and with it plastic products, these cabuya artisans wove bags to sell. When plastic bags arrived, they pretty much snuffed this trade out of existence and now the artisans make their crafts to sell as purses and such for tourists. Now these artisans know how to make string out of plastic and are crocheting that in plastic bags. Funny...like an inversion.<br />
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About it for now...to be continued!Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-17108043397094467952012-07-05T10:00:00.002-05:002012-07-05T10:00:43.671-05:00Baking for the first time in a year and a halfPart of why I love my new host family is they encourage me to create stuff. And I´m very lucky because they have an oven. So I´ve been experimenting with some of the recipes in Buen Provecho (our Peace Corps pdf recipe book) and have been less than thrilled with some of the results. But I have other sources so lately we´ve had plenty of fresh bread and cookies. One major problems with baking here are a lack of measuring cups and spoons, and no oven thermometer. It makes things...tricky. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honey wheat bread dough made with miel de panela instead of honey.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honey wheat bread dough rising :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked honey wheat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretzels - good out of the oven, stale a day later</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second attempt at chocolate chip cookies. Sadface.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third attempt at chocolate chip cookies - it looks good!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally on the way to cookie success!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If they would just be done now, they´d be PERFECT.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But alas, they flattened. But they´re still chewy and delicious!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-77719897174640702762012-07-04T10:05:00.001-05:002012-07-04T10:05:50.780-05:00Homesick<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">What do you do or how
to you feel when someone you meet basically tells you that your job is
impossible to realize, or impossible to even make a dent in?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">One lovely warm day
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brother to play soccer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It ended up that
he went off to pick and chew on sugar cane, so I sat on a wood bench in front of
a friend's newly constructed house, watching two cows mow down a lawn and
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grass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then one cow pooped and my host
brother's soccer ball plopped directly into the fresh paddie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The cows' owner came
back and sat down to talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
question:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How long are you here for and
what exactly are you doing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I explained
and like many other times, he focused on trash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He told me what all us volunteers already know - how people toss trash
on the ground even when a trash can is a step away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They do it when they're kids and they do it
when they're adults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It drives him crazy
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- he said that in all his six-something years of living here, that was the
first time anyone helped him pick up trash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He went on and told
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</span>Apparently a month later, when the teachers left, the school fell back to
being dirty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Same thing happened with
another volunteer 'like me.'<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there
once was a recycling program in town but people just got bored, or
disinterested, unmotivated, or something...and now there's a small recycling
shack and no one recycles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
governmental organizations that promised to take their trash out of the valley
never followed through either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He shook his head and
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I went home and took
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Then some bizarre things happened this week:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-Went to wash the
dishes and found a skinned pig head (plus eyes) floating in the sink.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-Found cardboard in
the toilet and had to fish it out myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-Lightly scratched my
nose and suddenly it was gushing blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>People found this hilarious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-Cracked open an egg
and found blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Host mom says that's
because it's the hen's first egg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is one of many reasons I prefer veganism...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-Made chocolate chip
cookies that melted into one tasty cookie blob.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Still learning how to bake without measuring cups or spoons in an oven
without a thermometer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-There is something
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<br /></div>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-1007409662293440622012-06-24T07:47:00.003-05:002012-06-24T07:47:45.103-05:00Inti Raymi in IbarraThis weekend I was invited by a school teacher in Pucara to join her and her family at their house in Ibarra to see the city's version of Inti Raymi. I jumped at the opportunity, but the day I was to leave for Otavalo, I woke up with gripe (a cold). No matter - I couldn't let that stop me. Inti Raymi is the indigenous peoples' celebration of the summer solstice and seems to be celebrated much more intensely up in the northern parts of Ecuador than in Chimborazo. Some communities (like in Cotacachi) have a reputation for fights breaking out. In fact, people look forward to these fights to beat the shit out of each other. They bring whips and backpacks full of stones and the police can't really do anything to stop them. However, I was told over and over again the festivals in Otavalo and Ibarra are much tamer.<br />
<br />
When I arrived Friday afternoon, I met the family and went for a drive to a lake called Yahuarcocha, which means 'lake of blood.' A legend says that in the 15th century, invading Incas battled with the indigenous people of this area. The Incas won, and set to work killing all males over 12 years of age - about 30,000 people. They apparently did the killing atop this rock you can see when you drive all the way around the lake. The Incas then threw the bodies into the lake which, little by little, turned the lake red.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The innocent-looking rock upon which apparently thousands of people lost their lives.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The next day, my gracious host had to race to Quito and back so almost needless to say, she didn't make it back to Ibarra until around 8 p.m. So I just hung around her house making use of the constant internet access. Around 7:30 p.m. I joined the rest of her family at the grandmother's house where they dressed me in a skirt which only a small group of local indigenous people wear. The skirt was a lime green color and the top shirt was way way too big, so I felt a bit funny and wished I knew to bring my other clothes from Chimborazo.<br />
<br />
We took a taxi somewhere - I have no idea where - and waited outside in a crowd for a while. Again, no idea why. Then a blue city bus came and whisked us a group of us costumed dancers away somewhere else that I don't know. But this is where it all started. The folk band struck up (they were very ridiculously good) and led us into the courtyard of a random house with some San Juan tunes. Several circles around them were formed and we began dancing more or less in line. Every so often a cup of trago (alcohol) or cup of less-than-appetizing chicha (fermented drink) would appear in your hand to down.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this picture. None of my pics turned out particularly clear but this one was actually colorful and alive.</td></tr>
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<br />
Someone blew a horn, and then we were all pouring back out to the street. We did this throughout the night - dance and march around in the street, then end up in someone's courtyard dancing in circles in a tiny space. <br />
It was exhausting. We got back around 2 a.m. after dancing constantly for five hours. And now my cold is way worse, I have a headache, and any minute now I'm heading back to site.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancing in a parade with 'chivos' (the men in fur chaps with colorful, creepy headdress) leading the way.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-57197293665718159572012-06-21T12:50:00.000-05:002012-06-21T12:53:41.309-05:00The makers of panela: How to transform sugar cane into sugarYesterday another group from Siempre Verde passed through Pucara visiting a 'molienda,' or panela-making facility, and the community tree nursery. When they left, the panela makers insisted I stay with them until the end - and it was just noon. They began work at 3 a.m., helping themselves to doses of the Mexicano, a drink of trago (alcohol) with cane juice. They figured they would be done by around 6 p.m. The process is so incredible, so magical (am I being too cheesy?), that I did indeed stay to see all their 'paradas' through. And I decided to show it all here and take you from live sugar cane stalks to juice to pure delicious sugar.<br />
<br />
So the magic starts here:<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting the sugar cane for two whole days prior to the molienda</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTtX5iM5NkZ_dgTX4TgYT6Ch_-0YjwDuELwp-M-USM3OScX2UA-AWvEoZ54AAFx4oYZJ7mxezwE-NLj0r4dovvOr_PZ_YhayruPk7d7-Ie3x0VsehECL85hW9UyVpux2HTruFuRgYsIw/s1600/DSC_1980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTtX5iM5NkZ_dgTX4TgYT6Ch_-0YjwDuELwp-M-USM3OScX2UA-AWvEoZ54AAFx4oYZJ7mxezwE-NLj0r4dovvOr_PZ_YhayruPk7d7-Ie3x0VsehECL85hW9UyVpux2HTruFuRgYsIw/s1600/DSC_1980.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next they pass each cleaned stalk through a gas-powered press, and the juice is caught and moves down a tube to a holding tank.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpX862txT122iKaMRUWPvRdnssOXCRfe9WxNemosWPABzwBstrTkgqrn6R0BxOkcG6TIF1M-GJYCUFXZaUmMPZAOfn_gQgY1Ehtc1N-AOoxJ840ntOPXxM0bFjn6ddwDag9wRS_Zz7W4/s1600/DSC_2006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpX862txT122iKaMRUWPvRdnssOXCRfe9WxNemosWPABzwBstrTkgqrn6R0BxOkcG6TIF1M-GJYCUFXZaUmMPZAOfn_gQgY1Ehtc1N-AOoxJ840ntOPXxM0bFjn6ddwDag9wRS_Zz7W4/s1600/DSC_2006.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the cane juice extracted from the stalk and passed through a few filters where it begins warming in the tank below.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKOFS2Gwsf6hRMCJ69gwOGhIjIGXkoMrcOSy1afoaRXJOgJDeSFfFWQcsEXSQUDk-Wr7KS5s4AU9_wE_CVBoIcK7Wg2SlLHrQOiJkQxu7KK4i8Zscgsqc21qGLX3oGXn97N9gaf3GYl0/s1600/DSC_2004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKOFS2Gwsf6hRMCJ69gwOGhIjIGXkoMrcOSy1afoaRXJOgJDeSFfFWQcsEXSQUDk-Wr7KS5s4AU9_wE_CVBoIcK7Wg2SlLHrQOiJkQxu7KK4i8Zscgsqc21qGLX3oGXn97N9gaf3GYl0/s1600/DSC_2004.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are five tanks in this molienda. The first tank (closest) holds one 'parada' (or batch) of sugar, the next two tanks hold the next parada, and the last two tanks hold the last parada, or the one most ready to be poured and set.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9i9zgNQVFoFixNVIZkkjg7QEPUzH0p4E72WFMV614RdMbTZnqPbQKFg7n_EO8NMiNPF8QI52nHLUWAeDadNbtjeqSvXURrDtL-LmoZSXjESiyL1VHi2UQotGe5XG93jgCElsSAOcO6c/s1600/DSC_2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9i9zgNQVFoFixNVIZkkjg7QEPUzH0p4E72WFMV614RdMbTZnqPbQKFg7n_EO8NMiNPF8QI52nHLUWAeDadNbtjeqSvXURrDtL-LmoZSXjESiyL1VHi2UQotGe5XG93jgCElsSAOcO6c/s1600/DSC_2011.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While the cane juice is cooking, it requires constant attention. Sometimes the 'melero' (the person working the sugar) needs to use giant ladles made from dried gourds to pass the liquid from one of the two parada tanks to the other, then back again.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gt3DI6dff398oqbbbi_ucaZgbX5RLuOkuzVMFylEpgnuIToUwiPJFyzf14iyfTthXJOh6lHNnbAYYSsOj3VO-oDCwh8wf3W-KBCf-F1LjGZ-JywOx5dNoiiYLN0HIe65sO0EAuc9cdo/s1600/DSC_2008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gt3DI6dff398oqbbbi_ucaZgbX5RLuOkuzVMFylEpgnuIToUwiPJFyzf14iyfTthXJOh6lHNnbAYYSsOj3VO-oDCwh8wf3W-KBCf-F1LjGZ-JywOx5dNoiiYLN0HIe65sO0EAuc9cdo/s1600/DSC_2008.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soon foam forms on the surface of the paradas and the meleros here insist on skimming it off because it improves the taste of the sugar. They also call it 'otavalillu' and say it's a delicacy, so when they skim off a wooden bowlful, they try to drink it instead of toss it out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLQGsjLsoZKGciNnRiXxew0-xOMeiUFeRKVkwbKU0ffKMJBGqYUmVhZYRpZwvbEVVTZqp364LFd6dvaApiRoBO2a8BfqGaONP53oqHcA8JVUp9wBhJ55f-bA-gaqIddzldnq24FBi9eE/s1600/DSC_2070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLQGsjLsoZKGciNnRiXxew0-xOMeiUFeRKVkwbKU0ffKMJBGqYUmVhZYRpZwvbEVVTZqp364LFd6dvaApiRoBO2a8BfqGaONP53oqHcA8JVUp9wBhJ55f-bA-gaqIddzldnq24FBi9eE/s1600/DSC_2070.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Except it is very, very sweet. It has a unique flavor from cane juice and from panela, and it's only one of many different products they can create - not just sugar.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKJV6HNq1U43SOolyt_Lz13Wns6dlOwrCHSTgdONpiJGK6yUsi3jqJV8CSVeIgjr6V3yq7JfCjuVyKLvqsgrncNrPIU-p8TDu-N9HDZfJwqSgwL8Iu4bj92bt7LK2Vhp_BQT8WBfgiJc/s1600/DSC_2016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKJV6HNq1U43SOolyt_Lz13Wns6dlOwrCHSTgdONpiJGK6yUsi3jqJV8CSVeIgjr6V3yq7JfCjuVyKLvqsgrncNrPIU-p8TDu-N9HDZfJwqSgwL8Iu4bj92bt7LK2Vhp_BQT8WBfgiJc/s1600/DSC_2016.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy is called the 'hornero,' or the guy who stokes the fire below the tanks. One of the many beauties of this operation is that the squeezed and dried cane stalks are used to fuel the oven.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdCz58Dk_Q0W6wBgaNWZy4QgjCH8I8S5fOLL434fSfwoa8_FlR0z54UGKfmeCHKB9ScKB0uIaKhFp-2ZFHRg7Nsqdp470_4C6bhj6U81ZmkYNz_fs8oZzpNUiBQVAZNogSZRvQZ2zI3E/s1600/DSC_2029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdCz58Dk_Q0W6wBgaNWZy4QgjCH8I8S5fOLL434fSfwoa8_FlR0z54UGKfmeCHKB9ScKB0uIaKhFp-2ZFHRg7Nsqdp470_4C6bhj6U81ZmkYNz_fs8oZzpNUiBQVAZNogSZRvQZ2zI3E/s1600/DSC_2029.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the meleros offers otavalillu to the Siempre Verde students. The meleros are VERY proud of their work and they should be. They love sharing every bit about the process with the community and visitors.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_5DS1stFb0cKotFJ0uGt2usVFLL-M_8u-mEa8or-vvXiBA0MCtnv_P25z09tjKfZCrwTyhBxsgveUvJVkfS1RcHsSErnMSeEu3rg9JQ9PBZscxka4YHfOTOTY0TekSZSnGj-a8unjxU/s1600/DSC_2041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_5DS1stFb0cKotFJ0uGt2usVFLL-M_8u-mEa8or-vvXiBA0MCtnv_P25z09tjKfZCrwTyhBxsgveUvJVkfS1RcHsSErnMSeEu3rg9JQ9PBZscxka4YHfOTOTY0TekSZSnGj-a8unjxU/s1600/DSC_2041.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next, a scoop of boiling-hot caramel-like sugar is poured into a wooden basin (called the caballo, or horse) and an artisan begins working a bit of it with a wood spatula. At first he pushes the spatula around rapidly, then begins twirling the sugar until it turns from dark brown to light brown incorporating air bubbles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksg-JHPvGYnlEwGyV1uz5wEC33N1fnbe1uzR3tTnIaTD_yFlpR3g-c-CIxZ4CvY061kSAJ0HfHXkE7Bw6J6jcfSSw750kOyGwL5w20hOA1YJyDVDZgTi8rwq2083t2DCIO4L_kmoWcPA/s1600/DSC_2044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksg-JHPvGYnlEwGyV1uz5wEC33N1fnbe1uzR3tTnIaTD_yFlpR3g-c-CIxZ4CvY061kSAJ0HfHXkE7Bw6J6jcfSSw750kOyGwL5w20hOA1YJyDVDZgTi8rwq2083t2DCIO4L_kmoWcPA/s1600/DSC_2044.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then in one fraction of a second, the sugar is twisted into a pillar right when it sets. Sugar left on the spatula is pulled off, rolled to a ball, and stuck on top.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGitf-GueXwFfAlOhojlgAiGng7F30PwMb6BRyaFI8SvgK2uM2QVh1jf7bWsO9hbWfT6zfj4iTX3G2pRw79LDJhIoffJ-JYttWIzvnE51PzUjHNfd1VroF2T9s0IKaBrCNOOB4M9TCOc/s1600/DSC_2037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGitf-GueXwFfAlOhojlgAiGng7F30PwMb6BRyaFI8SvgK2uM2QVh1jf7bWsO9hbWfT6zfj4iTX3G2pRw79LDJhIoffJ-JYttWIzvnE51PzUjHNfd1VroF2T9s0IKaBrCNOOB4M9TCOc/s1600/DSC_2037.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's called 'santo,' or saint, because it ends up looking like a figurine. And it is delicious, by far a favorite of everyone of any sugar product because of its light, airy texture. It just melts in your mouth.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aCUiGOgpGOG2MN6KufdE39L9QNOrAXbtgWk6CtA_S5RIbxrJQWS09epivKvRiuo-1Xu34kFK_G68kcQMDXuhkkqTUCc8J6z8G2JZPucnQksjsZ9-YdBgy9nM-Fr4CouzZpxqUF39o68/s1600/DSC_2026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aCUiGOgpGOG2MN6KufdE39L9QNOrAXbtgWk6CtA_S5RIbxrJQWS09epivKvRiuo-1Xu34kFK_G68kcQMDXuhkkqTUCc8J6z8G2JZPucnQksjsZ9-YdBgy9nM-Fr4CouzZpxqUF39o68/s1600/DSC_2026.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now the parada in the last tank is released into a wood tank to cool and be worked over for maybe 10 or so minutes with a giant wooden paddle. Kids love to dip spatulas in this and stick the boiling goo in water to cool, thus making caramel.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRLH5TeFq2BD3e3PoA7vAMS24qyNGAD4jasV_ikruE2IJEdm-ui9OvBRKRQOEqFmQnAeMffwR2Uy135QtO5q2986oXNfpDyQfuEcfJHoTU2RjZx4Eh7DEPardwjVWLj4f6e4tKpuyQp_0/s1600/DSC_2055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRLH5TeFq2BD3e3PoA7vAMS24qyNGAD4jasV_ikruE2IJEdm-ui9OvBRKRQOEqFmQnAeMffwR2Uy135QtO5q2986oXNfpDyQfuEcfJHoTU2RjZx4Eh7DEPardwjVWLj4f6e4tKpuyQp_0/s1600/DSC_2055.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the sugar molds. Other operations focus on making grain sugar, which is a slightly different process. The molds must be slightly damp so the sugar doesn't stick to them (so this guy is wiping them down with a cloth) but they can't be wet or the sugar won't set properly.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftY0AjiERqf6bQvWKOpQn_iYFl6D-3WbsulA9ypccqcK6dUDq-g770jSG0zYMA7b6anNvUjWbauAkVoByFVkQVmbxY-XO4I_97rsSctLAfwgNuvDSQlMDYnqkLHbN5Zkji0TbiJHWAJQ/s1600/DSC_2053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftY0AjiERqf6bQvWKOpQn_iYFl6D-3WbsulA9ypccqcK6dUDq-g770jSG0zYMA7b6anNvUjWbauAkVoByFVkQVmbxY-XO4I_97rsSctLAfwgNuvDSQlMDYnqkLHbN5Zkji0TbiJHWAJQ/s1600/DSC_2053.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The melero then scoops up a gourdful of panela and pours it expertly into the molds as the Siempre Verde kids look on.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrKdafR8vUUruOAG2IJ_6zrEFlndVqdF9vxFHd77ICy673FiLpzk8qXDVnFCdPztO9d_4LNgxm8RunBVPf7b-rwQwCuwibOx8BL4UIZGcxft3NpVMgU5stRP48xosCzenOHkp5OyHYB0/s1600/DSC_2057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrKdafR8vUUruOAG2IJ_6zrEFlndVqdF9vxFHd77ICy673FiLpzk8qXDVnFCdPztO9d_4LNgxm8RunBVPf7b-rwQwCuwibOx8BL4UIZGcxft3NpVMgU5stRP48xosCzenOHkp5OyHYB0/s1600/DSC_2057.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It gets tougher as the sugar cools.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQUdzyxWJi7wvIZJyl5ZoiU-M41M0Y5GK4z2CV8mGvEFD1gc8WQDCp9IjXtIW0kS41klgEZn9NR6XuD7q4gmv8ih5D0gPqSBriIxcfSPm-wa-DNGrA5Szmz246jnVZTIr1WQfE801NaI/s1600/DSC_2007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQUdzyxWJi7wvIZJyl5ZoiU-M41M0Y5GK4z2CV8mGvEFD1gc8WQDCp9IjXtIW0kS41klgEZn9NR6XuD7q4gmv8ih5D0gPqSBriIxcfSPm-wa-DNGrA5Szmz246jnVZTIr1WQfE801NaI/s1600/DSC_2007.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the sugar sets (about 15 minutes, but longer to be on the safe side), they're popped out and joined together into panela hamburgers. Each hamburger is worth $4. In each parada, they produce maybe 15 hamburgers. And in one day, they made a whopping six paradas. I'll leave the math to you.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW26XmsKlu9KuI8DLm_G7hPrLDUxJLUKjc4ROhmg0FeAqF4OQe8N9DD7n-leGQoKzLASxvk45pCb96VxnbPQ590p3_n8BawIywj_se6xtNYrOWyL1n4QmNPBCq7lcsPD-wNNILQL9b1gQ/s1600/DSC_2069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW26XmsKlu9KuI8DLm_G7hPrLDUxJLUKjc4ROhmg0FeAqF4OQe8N9DD7n-leGQoKzLASxvk45pCb96VxnbPQ590p3_n8BawIywj_se6xtNYrOWyL1n4QmNPBCq7lcsPD-wNNILQL9b1gQ/s1600/DSC_2069.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What kids wouldn't love to visit a sugar-making factory?</td></tr>
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<br />Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-64863262486609260212012-06-19T12:51:00.001-05:002012-06-19T12:51:33.382-05:00And we´re off...Recycled art seems to have swept through Pucará faster than I ever would have imagined. The first week I was in town, I showed my host family the crafts I´d made from trash (folded chip bags, crocheted plastic bags, paper, beads, etc.) and they told other people, and soon the teachers from the school saw the crafts, and soon everyone in the town wanted to know how to make them.<br />
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So now I´ll be in the school working with the older kids each Tuesday. Today was our first day and I think they did well, except we ran into one problem - we ran out of trash! I hope they continue to be excited about the idea and begin cleaning up the street and saving their own trash. I worked with another community member´s group of kids last week and we did just that - collected a couple bags full of trash to wash and cut up. Some teens came to this group and asked if we could have a workshop every day (every day!) to work on the trash projects.<br />
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Lately now I´m acting as the volunteer/Spanish school coordinator and kind of learning as I go. The community has one student now who is only here for a few days, but the trick was finding activities for him to do in the afternoons. Luckily another tourist group is coming through on Wednesday, so the family showing the group the panela-making process had to cut caña (sugar cane) today and yesterday for the demonstration. The student helped them yesterday with cutting the caña and hopefully tomorrow will see how the caña juice is transformed into chemical-free granular sugar.<br />
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And finally... one of the teachers invited me to stay with her family in her house in Ibarra to see Inti Raymi (the indigenous festival of the solstice). I missed it last year despite living in an indigenous community (they didn´t celebrate it). Apparently the night before they dance all night in a circle and bathe in waterfalls. Should be fun!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU87-yiZTMj6dNilKDogC8DUPokrPLpgrvMhExRcx8uQP9o5wY4g7Drtu5oc5bGTU5He-gQ94RJS0Ifdb0CJuT3xYR8vWOcS4MQJzxy6fSoRHIj5gV3_kj2jUpGys3pKbHseacpmjk600/s1600/GOPR0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU87-yiZTMj6dNilKDogC8DUPokrPLpgrvMhExRcx8uQP9o5wY4g7Drtu5oc5bGTU5He-gQ94RJS0Ifdb0CJuT3xYR8vWOcS4MQJzxy6fSoRHIj5gV3_kj2jUpGys3pKbHseacpmjk600/s320/GOPR0136.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siempre Verde high school group from Georgia and South Carolina (?) on a tour of a farm</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making panela (raw sugar) from caña (sugar cane) juice.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working in the vivero (tree nursery) during a minga.</td></tr>
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<br />Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-83676643278949800862012-06-14T11:59:00.001-05:002012-06-14T11:59:34.241-05:00On being famous¨Famous¨ may be the wrong word. But after I agreed to act in a short comedy in front of the crowds of the festival of San Antonio de Pucará, there have been no shortage of comments from people I know and don´t know about how ¨I´m that girl in the play...¨ People joke and ask if I want to marry them too. They call me the ´lungita.´ I guess you had to see it to understand...<br />
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The festival was last Saturday and included a soccer match (we lost), a voly tournament, various dances, and our little skit. It was call the ´Divorcio de los indios´ which is in itself awkward because ´indio´ is often an offensive term...especially when used by someone who is not indigenous. Like saying ´indian´ instead of ´native.´ But I played the role of María (I know, stunningly ironic) who, with her mother Francisca, is asking the local comesario (´cumisario´ is how I had to pronounce it) to divorce her abusive husband Manuel. Pretty soon Manuel is flipping over the desk and the comesario is tossing a plastic chair aside, and María is hiding behind her mother. The debate continues, when suddenly María changes her mind and Francisca demands Manuel be a better husband. Kind of anticlimatic that in the end she takes him back. But there were a lot of funny moments, and most of mine were when I forgot a line or completely mispronounced a word - like having to say ´Bunitu caballeritu.´ I totally stumbled on this word and pronounced it slowly into the microphone: ¨Boe-nee-too ca-bay-sher-ee-too,¨ and the crowd laughed so hard I could hear people in hysterics.<br />
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Oh yea, and I had to dress up as an indigenous woman. I combined some of Chimborazo clothing with an Otavalo shirt... it looked confused, but fine in the end.<br />
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The community has meetings very frequently, for example, there´s a meeting today at 4 p.m. for the tourism council. Quite a few tourism groups are coming through which the council organizes.<br />
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But before that I´m helping out a local woman with her group of kids - kind of like an extracurricular club. The kids all saw what I´d made out of trash and wanted to make that their next project. So hopefully today we´ll do some trash collection, wash it all off, and start making some pretty amazing things out of it all. Apparently they´ll also be interviewing me for their program to be broadcast on Radio Intag. Fun!<br />
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Finally, the school teachers were over for lunch one day and saw all my crafts too - and immediately began making their own chain links out of garbage I´d already cut up. At the same time my host mom Alicia was continuing the cord on a bag I was knitting out of plastic bags. It was quite a sight. So the teachers decided they were going to collect their own trash this week and have me visit on Tuesday to help them teach the kids what to do. <br />
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So I´m already busier in two weeks in Imbabura than I was in over a year in Chimborazo. It´s exciting stuff. <br />
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And so while I wait for pitifully slow internet to upload one of three videos I have ready, here are some pics! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1LHuJvYgp_Q_WBTAOmEt3vgj53PxuGyzyFND82J-fEbgdr7G5vLDZPK5vKhyphenhyphenr1q9R3RQJE92ImTUxIMk_uPiNcbcjgWFNKT6E0i20qIelQkf_ri1V07be_-fqgDvmU0PleB2EjQzJ3c/s1600/GOPR0022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1LHuJvYgp_Q_WBTAOmEt3vgj53PxuGyzyFND82J-fEbgdr7G5vLDZPK5vKhyphenhyphenr1q9R3RQJE92ImTUxIMk_uPiNcbcjgWFNKT6E0i20qIelQkf_ri1V07be_-fqgDvmU0PleB2EjQzJ3c/s320/GOPR0022.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pucará</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQ6kBQStivPButYJVXKZ25ypU9k1P2yWt3vQNeEdvFwfvWU5ZSLX8LvA4uCVBeF4otVexVBKVMmDCczA5syFvg4PrAA6y2ZVFPXXWGVwXQ1mph2R4DflY5qSq6rfVbHmbvsw1rPVm1WE/s1600/GOPR0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQ6kBQStivPButYJVXKZ25ypU9k1P2yWt3vQNeEdvFwfvWU5ZSLX8LvA4uCVBeF4otVexVBKVMmDCczA5syFvg4PrAA6y2ZVFPXXWGVwXQ1mph2R4DflY5qSq6rfVbHmbvsw1rPVm1WE/s320/GOPR0028.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to Plaza Gutierrez</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Pucará gazebo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowilUrs-Z-0aw0q_UTFLEnOqK8mGiGHE2OPu-EYriXB7BEqgdzKSxOlQiuH27V0LqzbmNFVe9au_6017tcDXF_a_kc6vmzgtVovB_ffB_10-_Fn6FXUIp7987eiE_wz84Uk4QcXq3Ta4/s1600/GOPR0090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowilUrs-Z-0aw0q_UTFLEnOqK8mGiGHE2OPu-EYriXB7BEqgdzKSxOlQiuH27V0LqzbmNFVe9au_6017tcDXF_a_kc6vmzgtVovB_ffB_10-_Fn6FXUIp7987eiE_wz84Uk4QcXq3Ta4/s320/GOPR0090.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soccer game</td></tr>
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<br />Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-48710568554296884312012-06-03T10:17:00.000-05:002012-06-03T10:17:05.860-05:00The house tourWell the long journey acoss the country with all my stuff and animals has come to an end. Not one little thing went wrong and I arrived on Friday totally ready to begin my new life in Pucará.<br />
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The next day my thermometer read 76 degrees (!) and I decided to take some pictures to show you around my house. Hopefully soon I´ll have a videocamera again to give a better feel of the place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix29LaPj1kPjW4j4kMU1KOpgfZeRiRb9VdVCsQXm6VgAQbVSCp1FUAHOfHg850lM0FCA-tK89mcX68gaUO6no9OuCZeMiyKnVbqtkxeV3BiQiLGbx-JExLfiX-x84pEUjyJBEi9hq8OUI/s1600/DSC_1889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix29LaPj1kPjW4j4kMU1KOpgfZeRiRb9VdVCsQXm6VgAQbVSCp1FUAHOfHg850lM0FCA-tK89mcX68gaUO6no9OuCZeMiyKnVbqtkxeV3BiQiLGbx-JExLfiX-x84pEUjyJBEi9hq8OUI/s320/DSC_1889.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The front of my house from the road!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back of the house</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LDxMgfAhQbpRt0x7QilFRqebxT5aK7lchjVTlJb5chesx4ddOoP3kg8WJameh5bgBNFH-gEhAI_hH0bvgr4xwrXTi5wOnG63gcbutSV_QgAES-q9OAH717u3aJB7XXzhRMEp0eaBJow/s1600/DSC_1877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LDxMgfAhQbpRt0x7QilFRqebxT5aK7lchjVTlJb5chesx4ddOoP3kg8WJameh5bgBNFH-gEhAI_hH0bvgr4xwrXTi5wOnG63gcbutSV_QgAES-q9OAH717u3aJB7XXzhRMEp0eaBJow/s320/DSC_1877.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The backyard</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new laundromat</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnHFAIGQF025c6VSyLc4Z4h3HZr_c-fvcsBmdI9420zZZSfIremh65wBVPYARtIV6Nu7_GzafKFlDcDgWI5CgyLDHQ9A0dl9j8VKpjMyirDNbDv9e-4f-BqZ9phNN78xdu_M46WGG41O4/s1600/DSC_1885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down the road to the town center, school on the left</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5tE7wlG2Hn_M0lr0ng_6oznfRf78oeiEh3yii-WCVU1V0LkT1Lln33j4i9ZaZVdPjotE4lXUQhRBrKyqVeexJJadTX9KDDKpCi21wcfxXwj5PWmLlMJpMt12pmNw5cAfs4Wa0oQqASI/s1600/DSC_1877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up the road... end of the line!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMJbj2jBfEd-kuzQYmwd3OWW_Xdh8VGjTcIfUqNvb6aLPo5ighVeN5Cfvc9X6wEgiAncAd2xtQGAlQtV-Hi069b0sod6VDfwD8WMBVY6vhcpHuk9NtDMT6gP4uygiuc48pu0jlcJl9LY/s1600/DSC_1867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMJbj2jBfEd-kuzQYmwd3OWW_Xdh8VGjTcIfUqNvb6aLPo5ighVeN5Cfvc9X6wEgiAncAd2xtQGAlQtV-Hi069b0sod6VDfwD8WMBVY6vhcpHuk9NtDMT6gP4uygiuc48pu0jlcJl9LY/s320/DSC_1867.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New room! Fresh-painted walls!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGVd0yWfxr5fuKHPOS4VfF1GrLJai2qZE6f3CX0dXPlKqXxl7iaa0mLrmcjKzxbyfZ025v6bT7Rtdw_5GTV31TXZH-CMAAFueHpBV1tp-0mPiW8AueeLS3wIBzL0gRRNjA10eb8FHPOk/s1600/DSC_1870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGVd0yWfxr5fuKHPOS4VfF1GrLJai2qZE6f3CX0dXPlKqXxl7iaa0mLrmcjKzxbyfZ025v6bT7Rtdw_5GTV31TXZH-CMAAFueHpBV1tp-0mPiW8AueeLS3wIBzL0gRRNjA10eb8FHPOk/s320/DSC_1870.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The other side of my room</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GOSIDB5aoiiyK8awmsFr3gSs58fFDf2HLdwMUhIrQRXrKMk7y0iyFwQMmriGOQ1zo60a-m5S3lBUDobH6wmfzfzAB_B7fEkeDqVh_yaCQDXs-hE27gHZ4vDvY9RCrKbeurzDTlK_DuM/s1600/DSC_1893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GOSIDB5aoiiyK8awmsFr3gSs58fFDf2HLdwMUhIrQRXrKMk7y0iyFwQMmriGOQ1zo60a-m5S3lBUDobH6wmfzfzAB_B7fEkeDqVh_yaCQDXs-hE27gHZ4vDvY9RCrKbeurzDTlK_DuM/s320/DSC_1893.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Misi seems to be right at home. Also trying to crochet a rug for my door, but my host Alicia decided we should make a circular rug.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujGwS5kJViQHk8yZt7uBKud6qJNaSvzCSoA5TfsHAae21fu9ERYLLqLwOj8tyqLfH203jii9J3vY_es4M-bgT9_x6Db0tVy4qqj7JMtvzRNXJlLeYQ29WGIY5V-ZuImQFnzFcbmDt08A/s1600/DSC_1918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujGwS5kJViQHk8yZt7uBKud6qJNaSvzCSoA5TfsHAae21fu9ERYLLqLwOj8tyqLfH203jii9J3vY_es4M-bgT9_x6Db0tVy4qqj7JMtvzRNXJlLeYQ29WGIY5V-ZuImQFnzFcbmDt08A/s320/DSC_1918.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Misi!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDMqX80OqZsHAZ2s2jhJLfPSNcwn0nuUjssXDJkbRhQOBdWBLDiI9v6zVpttm5c3v3LgYEEnOoVuQi2FqHiKpT-wkWhOZDZghRmI41sNaVXHVTIw4s01wuRD_CxnmIwdrDLg7xi9FNZQ/s1600/DSC_1859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDMqX80OqZsHAZ2s2jhJLfPSNcwn0nuUjssXDJkbRhQOBdWBLDiI9v6zVpttm5c3v3LgYEEnOoVuQi2FqHiKpT-wkWhOZDZghRmI41sNaVXHVTIw4s01wuRD_CxnmIwdrDLg7xi9FNZQ/s320/DSC_1859.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And Moo seems to like her new home just fine, too</td></tr>
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<br />Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-8347659849487367272012-05-31T20:51:00.002-05:002012-05-31T21:00:02.314-05:00A mad dash across the countryI formed a plan for moving all my stuff plus my cat Misi and my rabbit Moo from point A (Alao Llactapamba, Chimborazo) to point B (Pucará, Imbabura). It was complicated figuring it all out but in the end not a thing went wrong.<br />
<br />
Step one: Pack up all the stuff and bus it to a volunteer's place in Riobamba.<br />
<br />
Step two: Next day, bring up animals plus their stuff. Spend night at volunteer's place, but...<br />
<br />
Step three: Wake up at 2 a.m. Drag stuff downstairs for a taxi. Take a 3 a.m. bus to Quito, get a porter to move stuff around, get bus to Otavalo at 6 a.m.<br />
<br />
Step four: Pile into the hostal, eat pie.<br />
<br />
And that's how it went.<br />
<br />
Today was just loooong though. It was rush, rush, rush. Out of one vehicle into another. Misi cried the whole time but there wasn't anything I could do. Moo was perfectly fine.<br />
<br />
I was relieved to finally get to the hostal, relax, and investigate the many things I've heard about Otavalo, except then Misi began crying nonstop. It was pretty bad too - to the point where I thought maybe my gracious hostal hosts might retract their offer to let me keep them in the courtyard and kick us all out.<br />
<br />
So I went to the vet just down the street to ask for help, and they had me bring Misi in. They checked her out and there seemed to be nothing wrong with her - just, as I emphasized, she was scared and stressed about moving. So they gave her an oral injection and a pill to calm her.<br />
<br />
An hour later, she was still howling. But sort of...blinky. Droopy. Aha! It kicked in. I went off for dinner and came back to find her waking up yowling, passing out, then waking up again crying. I feel terrible but hopefully soon she'll be settled with me in our new home.<br />
<br />
So we pack up again and head out tomorrow morning. Finally! I'm still so happy I made the decision to change sites. It was definitely the way to go.<br />
<br />
And finally, I got all the talent show videos up from our last training (Midservice). Some acts are amazing. Some are hilarious. Some are...well, they are. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
1<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Eo9JpneFhpk" width="560"></iframe><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZUnF4QC66c0" width="560"></iframe>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HgOA3qCbD0Y" width="560"></iframe>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FCdM_Qis52I" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/t5G-RfhMYNk" width="560"></iframe>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-85825064482201318942012-05-29T13:48:00.001-05:002012-05-29T13:50:35.102-05:00And then life was goodAny doubts I harbored about Pucará were dashed in minutes upon arriving in the community and I knew things were going to be just fine.<br />
<br />
The drive is long and scenic, like driving to Alao only even more stunning. The mountains are rugged but more or less covered in reforested greenery. My new community is remote but well connected by a bus system to Otavalo that also continues in the opposite direction to a larger community called Apuela - where people go for market day on Sunday.<br />
<br />
Because I´m changing sites (drastically) I´m required to live with a host family again for three months at minimum. All those anxieties I had about what kind of family I´d be living with (especially after my last experience) were also dissolved when I met Alicia, a super friendly, helpful, caring mother of three. I´ll be living in an addition to a small cement block house, in a freshly painted room (the same color as what I painted my old room!!) with a window view of volcán Cotacachi - yes, outside my room I can see snow!<br />
<br />
But the weather in Pucará is completely different than Alao. It´s semi-tropical so the climate supports plantain trees, yuca crops, sugar cane (caña), mandarine oranges, and even some coffee plants. The climate is generally chilly or warmish at night and sunny and hot in the mornings (however, people tell me this is recent and before it would rain all the time, so I´ve been getting a kind of funny impression of the place).<br />
<br />
Already I´ve done more in four days than I have in a year in Alao. Each day has been full of meetings, we had a minga on Saturday, I´ve been given tours all over. I probably know more people in my new site in four days than I know right now in Alao. People were so ridiculously friendly and inviting - already I have invites to at least five houses to visit and hang out. It´s overall just a completely different culture and experience. And already having a year in another part of Ecuador has really helped with integration and the likes - it´s not nearly as hard the second time around inserting myself in a new community, especially one so warm and welcoming.<br />
<br />
Today, Tuesday, I´m back in Riobamba. I just moved most of my luggage to a volunteer´s apartment in Riobamba, and tomorrow morning I´ll cart my cat and rabbit and their things. Thursday morning, very early, I should be on my way north for good.<br />
<br />
I promise pictures very soon, but my little digital camera broke and am waiting for my replacement.<br />
<br />
Also, please note that I have changed my mailing address to the right if you intend to write to me :)Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-32705954316160025412012-05-23T21:39:00.000-05:002012-05-23T21:39:16.698-05:00Waiting!Wow, another post??<br />
<br />
I´m here in Quito enjoying nearly boiling hot, skin-beating showers and delicious American-style bagels. <br />
<br />
The day was not totally perfect like that.<br />
<br />
Yesterday was the breaking point. I paid my host half a month´s rent ($35) because I was fairly sure I would move soon. She at first smiled and said thanks and then...counted. She asked where the other half was, and I explained why it was so. She argued I had to pay for the previous month, and suddenly things got pretty ugly. So ugly that I had to call my program manager to have her explain that I pay for the month in advance - always had. So my host agreed but hasn´t talked to me at all since.<br />
<br />
I went upstairs and immediately began packing. That was it. I´m DEFINITELY moving to Pucará!<br />
<br />
This morning woke up super early to drag my heaviest bag (the one loaded with Peace Corps books and climbing magazines...of course...) and my travel bag downstairs to catch the 7 a.m. bus, but the 7 a.m. bus didn´t come. Another one about 7:30 got me to Riobamba. Took a taxi to the terminal (who was using a meter! shocking. Fares are always $1 wherever you go, so he raced to get me there when the meter struck $1 on the dot) and got a bus to Quito. <br />
<br />
That´s where we leave the ´good day´ part to return to later.<br />
<br />
Going from south Quito to north Quito is not fun. It usually requires using trolebuses which are often packed. Thankfully, mine were not so bad. Except I got on the wrong one, pretty much three times. Ecuador PCVs out there, don´t laugh. I´m terrible at cities. Two mess ups were easy. One not so much. That was the one when I realized I needed to be on the blue line, not the green line. So I thought I could get off at one closely-located stop and walk to the other line. Hah! Apparently I still have much learning to do about Ecuador. I did, however, find that stop and get on the right bus, sweaty, tired, annoyed.<br />
<br />
And back to ´good day´!<br />
<br />
I dumped my ton of books at the hostal and walked to the Peace Corps office. Had a great talk with my program manager about changing sites and all the details, got some paperwork signed, saw the doctors about the previously mentioned disease, and left feeling pretty good. And it was 5 p.m. which means... BAGELS! Mister Bagel, that wonderful RPCV-owned joint near Parque Carolina. I was told it would close at 6 so I took a taxi that overcharged me and didn´t even go the whole way. Horray! But I got my bagels. Lots of delicious bagels. And walked back.<br />
<br />
So... until next week! It´s a busy next few days...Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-1965564424402437352012-05-21T12:13:00.000-05:002012-05-21T12:14:52.697-05:00Why not to ET - the big giant list of stuff<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Still waiting to visit Imbabura - the date has been pushed back until next Thursday. So here´s a post I´ve been meaning to publish for a while!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">One rainy, cold day when I was feeling particularly down, I decided to try to organize my thoughts into a list of ´Why Not to ET´ (ET = early terminate = governmentspeak for ending service). Well... suddenly I thought if there´s a list of ´why nots´ maybe I should make a list of why it would be a good idea to ET. I hope you can see the humor with some of the comments. </span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">WHY NOT TO ET:</span> </span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">1. I made a commitment to 2
years of service.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">2. I'm worried it would look bad
for future employment if I quit.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">3. I have free health care.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">4. My food, shelter, and extra
stuff is paid for.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">5. I want to feel a sense of
accomplishment for getting to the end.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">6. I get to climb a mountain
every month.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">7. My loans are deferred.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">8. I'm practicing Spanish.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">9. I have free time for self
like reading, knitting, watching movies, etc.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">10. I get to travel occasionally.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">11. I'm learning patience.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">12. I'm learning humility.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">13. I live in the mountains.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">14. I like sierra food more than oriente or costa food.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">15. I'm remote but I have electricity, water, and gas.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">16. The Milky Way is brilliant when the power goes out at night.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">17. I get free flute (quena) lessons every Saturday.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">18. I have a job with almost no supervision but a lot of trust and
faith.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">19. People I hardly know from the States sent me packages full of tea
and candy.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">20. My room is freshly painted.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">21. My favorite person in the community is the new president.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">22. I am finally cooking for myself.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">23. My cat doesn't have the right immunizations or medication to go to
the U.S. yet. (done)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">24. Movies are $1, yea!! Which is
great until: See #23 of opposing list.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">25. People finally want to work with me building ovens and making
recycled things in an artesanias group.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">26. I have earplugs now.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">27. I'm learning a new language
bit by bit (Quichua).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">28. Getting packages and letters
is fun!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">29. My immunity is finally
kicking in...?!!!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">30. I'm getting along better with
my host now that I cook for myself.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">31. I have a DVD player again!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">32. What else would I do? Job,
grad school, be a bum?</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">33. Big avocados are roughly
3/$1, oranges 10/$1 and there's Malta, spicy chifles, Amor chocolate wafers,
alfahores, patacones with ketchup, fresh limeade, cheese and onion sugar-coated
empanadas, mora, bamboo-scented deodorant, lychees, ...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">34. My Ecuadorian mom in Tumbaco
checks in on me and cares about me.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">35. There's now recycling in
Riobamba that pays for plastic bottles and I'm going to encourage my community
to take advantage of this.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">36. I'm getting used to not
having internet.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">37. The kids seem to really like
me.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">38. I have an amazing mountain
view out my window.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">39. I have apparently avoided
getting parasites (so far).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">40. I've been offered a site
change.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">41. I don't get noncompetitive
hiring status in the federal government if I leave early.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">WHY TO ET:</span><span style="color: #6aa84f;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">1. I miss blending in.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">2. I'm sick frequently.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">3. I'm lonely and bored.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">4. Every person I've developed a
working relationship with in my community has left.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">5. It's cold and I don't have a
heater - just lots of blankets.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">6. It rains a lot and there's a
lot of mud and pig poo somehow always gets indoors.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">7. Donkies, roosters, buses and
lecheros wake me up at 4:30 a.m.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">8. Maria is hard to get along
with sometimes.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">9. Internet access is once or
twice a week.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">10. I don't understand Quichua.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">11. There are gigantic chunks of meat in the fridge dripping over
everything.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">12. The school teachers (used to?) drink during class.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">13. Sometimes I see or hear animals slaughtered.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">14. The weekly parroquial meeting I pay $1.30 to get to only actually
meets...never.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">15. Bills are draining my bank account without me noticing.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">16. Spanish is still hard to speak and understand sometimes.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">17. I feel somewhat forgotten/cut-off...from people outside the country
and from people inside.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">18. I have to bring my garbage to Riobamba - compared with burning it or
tossing it in the river. Not a great
alternative because it just ends up in an environmentally unfriendly dump
anyway.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">19. After my journal was stolen I've felt a little violated and bitter.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">20. People see me as just a rich gringa and attempt to swindle money
from me.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">21. Things aren't happening and I feel I'm wasting my time for people
who don't care about me.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">22. The kitchen is gross and when I clean it, it just gets messy again
the next day which is not my doing.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">23. The cat broke my DVD player (turns out that's not hard to do). But this is resolved.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">24. Phone service cuts out a lot.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">25. Sometimes landslides cut off access to my site and I have to walk 2
hours with groceries. The worst part is
that the road is in bad condition when it opens back up - almost too dangerous
for buses to travel on.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">26. I feel like I'm missing time I'll never get back with family and
friends.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">27. I miss the changing of the seasons.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">28. Maria doesn't believe in me or support me, yet still expects me to
get something done when no one else participates.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">29. One year has passed and nothing has happened.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">30. My cat has all her immunizations to go to the U.S.</span></div>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-83879652041913437542012-05-19T12:46:00.001-05:002012-05-19T12:46:29.923-05:00Bacterial dysentery!A fancy term for getting e coli., or some other equally fun germ that settled quite well in my digestive system. I have to say that it´s pretty phenomenal I got this as I don´t eat meat (strike out raw meat sources), I boil my water, I wash my veggies, and I use hand sanitizer. Oh well eh? It´s probably from my cat sticking her paws in my mouth in the middle of the night. Tests were pretty conclusive so I got the right meds and am on my way to healthiness!<br />
<br />
So that was a fun update.<br />
<br />
I should also add that I have a date with Pucará, my new community, on Wednesday! I head up to Quito on Tuesday for some Mister Bagel, run up to Otavalo and then Pucará on Wednesday for a day of meetings and activities, come back for a night in Quito, run back to my site, and hopefully begin packing like crazy. I´d take pictures of the site and of the journey ahead but my camera (my waterproof, shockproof, dustproof camera) bit the dust when my cat bumped it off the bed. So much for being shockproof. So far she´s broken my digital camera and my DVD player. Must be on a mission to cut me off from modernity.Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-73864583021244919432012-05-16T12:56:00.000-05:002012-05-16T12:56:57.462-05:00There is nothing much to sayWell I screwed up trying to keep up with this blog, and some of you have reminded me it exists! Sorry about that!<br />
<br />
But the truth is, I haven´t had tons to write about, or at least, any motivation to write about the goings on of my Ecuadorian life. Things might be changing though, dramatically!<br />
<br />
I was offered a site change by my program manager and I think (like, 99% sure) that I´m taking the offer and moving to...<br />
<br />
...<br />
<br />
...Imbabura province!<br />
<br />
Believe me, this was not an easy decision but it seems the most logical one. My site in the mountains of Chimborazo has been disappointing. I stuck it out for over a year but things weren´t happening. I like the people in my site but unfortunately trying to get them into one of my projects was like pulling teeth. It´s the same story for a lot of people - set up a meeting for something and no one shows up - except it happened over and over and basically one year later, I´ve got absolutely nothing done, my language hasn´t improved (nor have I picked up much Quichua), and I´m in a pretty bad emotional place about why I´m even spending two years of my life being miserable.<br />
<br />
I spend most of my time reading, watching movies, yep, there was supposed to be a third thing there but I realized that´s about it. I used to go out and wander around the community every day looking desperately for something, anything, to do, but nothing resolved. I helped my host with her tiny high-angle farm some days. I used to have a garden in the school but one day I found it all ripped up. I went to community meetings and parroquial meetings every week. Despite all the energy I put into searching for needs and desires, trying to launch projects, etc., nothing materialized and here I am feeling very dejected, unaccomplished and mopey - basically, waiting for my time to be over.<br />
<br />
This isn´t ok.<br />
<br />
After having some excellent talks with fellow volunteers to help me straighten out my thoughts (thanks guys, you know who you are) and talking with my program manager and the country´s second-in-command, I realized I had to do what was best - and now I believe what´s best is leaving my community.<br />
<br />
I have one option and so far I´m liking the idea of it - a small (smaller than mine right now) community located in Imbabura province. I´m planning on visiting it soon, hopefully next week or shortly after. There´s already quite a volunteer program started there so that would be my main concern - where do I fit in? I also want to make sure my new host family accepts my cat, maybe even my rabbit. Moving across the country requires me to live with a host family again for three months. Don´t think I mind this too much. I like living with other people.<br />
<br />
If you´re curious about the site, there´s tons of information here: <a href="http://casainteram.org/pucara.html">Pucará</a><br />
<br />
Hopefully...changing sites will give me more to talk about here!Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-68269890022570915132012-03-30T13:19:00.008-05:002012-03-30T13:56:56.046-05:00A long overdue updateWell hello, it´s been a while hasn´t it? I´ve been prodded by people to return to the blogging world and update this thing. I´m sorry I´ve neglected it.<br /><br />First, I´d like to share a video of footage on a not-so-recent climb up the central peak of Rumiñahui in February:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TBMxddwi4x8" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Life in the campo of Ecuador has been up and down but I´m still at it, trying different approaches until things work. I´m focused on one project right now, my Brigada Verde, or the eco-club. One day I went to the school and handed out little slips of paper that were invites to come to the school at 2 p.m. on Sunday for the first (really not the first, but the NEW first) meeting of Brigada Verde. I brought some recycled crafts to show the kids and they went crazy over them. So with all the enthusiasm, I thought I had finally done it and finally had an established project with participation.<br /><br />I prepare diligently and even bought my own little whiteboard for Sunday (by the way, this was last Sunday). I wrote out some ideas and thought of what I´d say. I was ready to go when Sunday rolled around, and I strolled to the school early to meet the kids. Only... there were none. I looked longingly up and down the street for kids to crest the hill en masse but none came. Then suddenly a girl jumped me from behind - aha, she and her friend were here for the club! We waited, then one girl ran off to apparently find more kids, and the other surprised me by turning on the air raid siren to attract more kids. Then suddenly there were five kids. Then 7. Then 9. The school director didn´t show up to open a room for us so we crouched on the church bench and tried to start, but it was distracting and the kids wouldn´t concentrate (they just want to play). So we packed up and went to the Casa Comunal, the communal meetinghouse. We knew it was locked but we risked it...and it was locked. So we commenced on the steps, only now we picked up more kids, a total of 19! Being a large, squirrelly group, I resorted to the goldmine and handed out membership cards for them to sign and color. It worked like a charm. So - ART is the key to these childrens´hearts.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJQyqbd1VEN2CP5ntgx8wOSYS59fbBy_7XTnEDs7EQsHq1fcKzNVTuJXb4EvF0gHNlS3Zci-PhGx68xmIr6RS6GqUHaLGLUFyy7X50S0paBTO5c8SRy9F615BYmEjI6-hjPxK54JWVPY/s1600/Day+85+-+25+March+2012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJQyqbd1VEN2CP5ntgx8wOSYS59fbBy_7XTnEDs7EQsHq1fcKzNVTuJXb4EvF0gHNlS3Zci-PhGx68xmIr6RS6GqUHaLGLUFyy7X50S0paBTO5c8SRy9F615BYmEjI6-hjPxK54JWVPY/s400/Day+85+-+25+March+2012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725759620500817666" border="0" /></a><br />An intimidating storm approached from the west (that´s backwards for the prevailing winds in my valley) and began thundering and dumping us with copious amounts of rain, so we broke up for the day. On Monday I met my host Maria in Riobamba and we found a place to laminate the cards. It was more expensive than I thought ($6 for 20! yikes) but they look good. I brought them to school on Wednesday to show the kids and told them they had to go to next Sunday´s meeting to get them. More kids asked if they could have their own cards. I think once this club gets established (perhaps, I mean to say, lures kids in with exciting crafts and activities), I won´t have to worry about attendance and kids not showing up.<br /><br />I´m also working on designs for bread ovens that some people would like to construct. I had to switch mentality from the New Mexican adobe design (made of clay and sand) to a brick and cement-only design. I have plenty of materials now and hopefully the people that were interested are still interested.<br /><br />In a couple weeks, Maria and I will be taking a journey to Quito for the baños secos (dry toilets) workshop. She seems very excited, and so am I - not just to learn about how to deal with poop, but for her to see some more of Peace Corps life. After that, I think I´ll be climbing Cotopaxi again (attempt 2) with another PCV. Super excited. If not then, then after midservice the first week of May.<br /><br />And let´s see...what else...oh! I got a very interesting flyer from my grocery store that announced two places in Riobamba (and others in Latacunga and Ambato) are taking plastic number 2 bottles for recycling, and paying 2 cents for each. I really badly want to get my community into a recycling program - maybe as simple as setting out some containers in the Casa Comunal, telling people to deposit their bottles in them, and having volunteers accompany the cache to Riobamba on buses friendly to the cause. The money can go to the community, so 1) no more burning plastic bottles or tossing them in the river, and 2) money!<br /><br />Ok, enough of work.<br /><br />For fun, I´ve been following Maria around. Only lately she´s in a fishing mood, so we´ve been going to some really pretty spots. Being vegetarian, I have zero interest in fishing but I still find going out fun. One particularly beautiful day (until it hailed peas) we grazed a slope´s mora (like blackberry) bushes for their sweets. Most were picked over, but Maria underestimated my intense desire to collect berries. It must be a vegetarian thing - all that energy not fishing or hunting diverted to plants. So I threw myself into the bushes and got the extra juicy, sun-ripened berries high on top of the plant out of reach of normal people. Doing this, we filled a milk can with them and I ended up quite cut up and itchy. TOTALLY worth it though for a couple cups of juice. These are my hands, bloodied or juicy, sort of both:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM9FxXdZTJmGrFJcxRx8_qHmvF_DA53ic3CGW-iQPVXrBExR5Mo5qgFT7bcCt4JVX2z-ypK3_mR91M55LaWAErT5oowoK_IsNd5wOZz7N-c2oIqbAdIP_lm-nnCZY5csrbqIpDz4v_mB8/s1600/Day+84+-+24+March+2012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM9FxXdZTJmGrFJcxRx8_qHmvF_DA53ic3CGW-iQPVXrBExR5Mo5qgFT7bcCt4JVX2z-ypK3_mR91M55LaWAErT5oowoK_IsNd5wOZz7N-c2oIqbAdIP_lm-nnCZY5csrbqIpDz4v_mB8/s400/Day+84+-+24+March+2012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725763114017334338" border="0" /></a><br />On Tuesday, we got up super early (Maria at 3 a.m., me at 4 a.m.) and trudged up the hill with the local cheese maker Jose and delinquent neighborkid Rebeka. It began raining when we started, making the way muddy. But on we went, determined. I love hiking in darkness and really enjoyed every step. When the sun began subtly illuminating the valley, the mountains backlit so lightly, I got a real feeling of how immense they are and how delicate a perch my site has in them. We stopped so the group could dig up worms, then continued directly up to meet a trail that we followed to a small stream. My reaction was, ¨This is IT?¨ It was tiny. And they wanted to pluck large trout from it? Huh. But sure enough, Maria caught one and it was bigger than I´ve seen - about a foot long. We continued following up the stream but it was very, very difficult going. It was a narrow, incised stream covered on both sides by soft moss and thick plants. Some places were so sketch that if you slipped off the moss, you´d fall 15 feet into a pool, unable to climb back up the waterfall or down below - you would be truly stuck without a rope, and in very cold water.<br /><br />Rebeka and I foolishly continued following Jose along the stream while Maria climbed out the other side. Eventually we met up but it was ridiculously hard. We kept following the stream and I wondered where it actually went - I thought we were near the crest of the mountains. Oh, how I was wrong. We entered one large basin and saw the stream far in the distance cascading over rocks. And at that cascade, we climbed up into another basin. It was here that we ran out of fish and the group switched to hunting rabbits. They had zero success so we packed it up and hiked on home.<br /><br />Hmm... what else?<br /><br />The weather has been unbelievably nice lately. Sort of warmish, sometimes sunny, nothing like the past year I´ve spent in the Andes. Very pleasant and doable. In fact, last night I recorded the warmest temperature EVER in my room: 71 degrees. Usually it´s in the 50s.<br /><br />Finally, my kitten is a giant cat, and I she always looks happy even when she´s not:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLU5j21i7Fo9mD4bbtzBkmfCRFTKghyUHQgVi9eWBfm_nY7EspFgaGHC0swojcm_t0b2bYtaKxintddjHtmwU7ECe_Udm1GDeJJx8LvnKc48wfbscPnzCU8pbucMJEe_qNSWY_VL48yX8/s1600/DSCF2151.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLU5j21i7Fo9mD4bbtzBkmfCRFTKghyUHQgVi9eWBfm_nY7EspFgaGHC0swojcm_t0b2bYtaKxintddjHtmwU7ECe_Udm1GDeJJx8LvnKc48wfbscPnzCU8pbucMJEe_qNSWY_VL48yX8/s400/DSCF2151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725765783458180802" border="0" /></a><br />Until next time! I promise to update more. Maybe once a week at most.<br /></div></div>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-62329132656536252852012-02-01T11:23:00.000-06:002012-02-01T11:24:44.395-06:00A real project?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:hyphenationzone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>ES-EC</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> 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the details but coming home was very disappointing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It could be taken as just a misunderstanding and a natural (??) desire to take advantage of a foreigner, but the way I see it, it was a pretty cruel thing that happened and I was offended.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US">The rest of the week I spent mostly indoors avoiding life outside.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I didn't want to face anything related to what happened that Tuesday afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My host even thought I was mad at her because I was so elusive, but she was too so we didn't actually meet until Saturday morning.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I tried entering the kitchen as bright as I could manage with the required "Buenos dias" and though it was rocky, eventually things would repair yet again.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US">The week continued to get bad, pretty much ending with my folks announcing that they have to give up one of their dogs, Gizmo, because he has a major behavioral issue (like, almost ripping fingers off and sending both my folks to the ER).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Gizmo's threatened and bitten my dad, mom, and even my best buddy back home who began wearing full motorcycle protection gear to my house to avoid his teeth.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But he never bit me, so while I can understand his behavior is unacceptable, it's hard for me to feel like he's really a bad dog.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But later that day my mom texted me to say they were giving him another chance but only with training.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We'll see...</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US">The weather was nice for a little while in early January but now it's back to being mostly rainy and quite cold.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It's 55 in my room right now, which isn't a very comfortable temperature to be honest.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My fingers are icy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My host had to cut grass for her guinea pigs and rabbits (which are all dying, along with the chickens and we don't know why) and came back soaked and muddy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So I've been doing a lot of indoor work myself.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US">Last night was a regular community meeting and I requested to have a word.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I'd written out a long speech detailing what happened on Tuesday, about integration, about what I want from the community, and pretty much crossed all that out until what remained was a short bit on how I've been here almost a year, how I have a year left, and I want to DO something with that year but I need help and interest or I'm leaving.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I had to write it out or I wouldn't remember everything, but the reaction to it while I read was interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At one point I listed a bunch of potential projects related to my program, and after a few there were loud (excited?) whispers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I recall doing this almost exact speech when I first came to the community, but now that one of my favorite people is president, I think I have a better chance of getting things happening with his support.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US">So when I was finished, the secretary next to me said she was personally interested in learning how to make things with used materials (trash), and a few others chimed in that they want an artesanias group.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The secretary was fiddling with a plastic bag and held it up saying they could do something with it - and I added that yes, I can show them how to make yarn out of it, and it's easy (huge gasps and whispers).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>People in the front row agreed and said they have a problem with what to do with trash, and they especially want to stop burning it (my mouth might have dropped open at this moment).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Turning trash into some useful materials may help the problem a little and it may begin opening doors to other solutions like reducing trash in the first place, recycling, and maybe designing a small landfill.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Who knows... I just know I was thrilled with what I heard.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Finally, THEY picked the day, the time, and the place.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It'll start this Sunday at 10 p.m. in the community house.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I'm planning on making a couple posters to announce the event to the rest of the community and at the first meeting we'll look at some things we'll be making (some examples I've made and pictures on my computer of other possibilities), and agreeing on a schedule of what we want to make and when.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US">Then my host next to me jumped in and told everyone how they need to make wood ovens.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She told them how creative I apparently am, how one day I decided to paint my room and the next day it was painted perfectly - "like a man paints."<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(everyone roared laughing). Hah.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Right.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And she mentioned the 'marvellous' things I knit.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So naturally, I can make ovens.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Wood-burning is not at all ideal in my location because of heavy deforestation, but people need to burn fires so it happens.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Good ovens help a little by convecting and conserving heat, reducing the need for tons of wood.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Plus building them can introduce other topics like why not to burn trash, what kind of wood is best, how to cure wood properly for maximum efficiency.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Again, there was a great amount of reaction and enthusiasm to this idea.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>One guy invited me to see his oven the next day - hello, oven-making counterpart.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US">So I left the meeting feeling like things were actually going to happen now.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Finally.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maybe?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I've learned not to be too optimistic.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But I will be happy if one person shows up to the artesanias meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-44525676596832220282012-01-28T13:04:00.002-06:002012-01-28T13:06:43.848-06:00Chimborazo climbSooo... it was very cold and windy and I didn´t get much video. But this is what I got! Up to 20,500 feet, the Veintimilla summit of Chimborazo:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hXsNrCcF9Gc" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe><br /></div>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-65019471376562723892012-01-22T15:45:00.002-06:002012-01-22T15:49:38.455-06:00Visiting Chimborazo, and when your site gets cutoff by debris flows<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:hyphenationzone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>ES-EC</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> 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</w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" ><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/caSeRO_PLeE" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style=" Arial","sans-serif";font-family:";font-size:100%;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Last Thursday morning I got up leisurely and hopped a bus to Riobamba with a full pack of things for sleeping in a cold refuge on Chimborazo.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was my one night to acclimatize... not much at all, but it's something...at least to get myself in the mindset of being slighly uncomfortable. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >I went online, did a little food shopping, and had a juice at La Merced to wait.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>About a quarter to 1, I wandered to the office of the group I'll be climbing with later.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They said to be there around 1, so I thought I was early.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No... I missed them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I waited nearly an hour and gave up, got a taxi to the terminal for a bus to the park entrance.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Turns out the terminal is being completely gutted for renovation, the terminal is now operating out of the parking lot and is a mess, and none of the buses stop at the park entrance.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Even the Flota Bolivar that goes to Guaranda and passes right by the entrance refuses to make a stop here.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So note to those wanting to go on their own to the park... it's a taxi for you unless you can fanagle a ride from a climbing company.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >So I asked the first taxi I saw how much it would be to go to the refuge on Chimborazo.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Taxi: "Hmm...the refuge... $40."<br />Me: "No way, that's way too much."<br />Taxi: "$35.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It's really far away."<br />Me: "The last taxi I was in offered me the ride for $20 and I won't pay a dollar more." (this is the genuine truth...that's the price he gave me)<br />Taxi: "No lower than $25.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It's very far, there's no chance you'll get a better deal than this."<br />Me: "I only have $30 and I need to get home somehow.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I can't use more than $20."<br />Taxi: "Just $25.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You won't find a cheaper ride."<br />Me:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>"Well, we'll see..." (walked to the road to hail another taxi)<br />Taxi:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>"Fine.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Fine, $20."<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Feeling frustrated at being left by the free ride, I was nonetheless pleased at my haggling skills.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >We raced out of Riobamba towards Guaranda, and the scenery began to look much like my site's.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The rain began and trees disappeared as we drove higher, and soon we were cruising through a rocky, sandy land with just very short shrubs and vicunas grazing here and there.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I began feeling just a little bad about how low I made the taxista go for a price...it really is a far trip.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The park entrance was under construction so we continued on up without stopping.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I imagined if the Guaranda bus let me off at the entrance, how much walking up to the refuge I would have had to do (a LOT).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Eventually we made it just as we hit snow fall, and I spent little time putting on more warmer clothes and walking up to the second refuge.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Got my GPS out and started searching for the four geocaches sprinkled around this small area.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At around 16,000 feet, I felt knackered already.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The going was slow but with geocaches and vicuna photo opportunities, I took my time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The second refuge really isn't far at all...around the first corner, when the mist and snow cleared, it was perched on a hill.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >I was shocked when I reached the refuge and hardly anyone was there.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I thought the group I was supposed to go with would be there, but I actually beat them to it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Instead another guide of the group I'm going with greeted me and made me tea.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We talked a little, then he wandered off to bring me back a big bowl of salty, buttered popcorn.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Put my stuff upstairs and claimed a bed, then went uphill a little in gorgeous snowfall to find the last geocache at 5110 meters (16,700 feet).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>By that time the snow picked up a little and obscured the cliffs around me, but it was gorgeous and I enjoyed the walk immensely.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Found the geocache and turned around to see the snow and clouds completely cleared to give an unobstructed view of the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Of course, the bulk of the mountain hid the summit.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >When I wandered back down, a huge number of people had arrived at the refuge.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Most of the tables in the lodge were filled with climbers already devouring their dinners, and I said a "Buenas tardes" to them all and got little encouraging response, so I just took a table and flipped through photos in my camera not knowing what else to do.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When a bunch of them cleared out, one (they're all obviously American) asked where I'm from.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Turned out they were all very friendly and talkative, and they immediately offered me a slice of cake and a handfull of gummy worms (someone's birthday).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They played Spades awhile and I watched til they headed for bed around 7.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I tried to read but frustratingly I couldn't concentrate at all, and decided to beat the cold and boredom and go to bed myself.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Ohhh to sleep at altitude.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>How miserable.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was freezing at first but soon I was blisteringly hot in my bag.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I tossed and turned because the low level of activity actually made my heart beat faster.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At 10,000 feet in my site at rest, my heart beats around 52 BPM...at 16,500, it was racing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Eventually though I was able to sink into sleep until around 10 or 11 when the climbers woke up and began packing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When they left, I took a couple anti-nausea chewables and an Aleve, and tried to go back to sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Same thing...tossed and turned, and eventually fell asleep until a climber woke me up again.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He was completely outfitted still and I asked if he'd already left or was going to leave.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>His partner got sick at a point in the route that demanded extra care so around 2 hours into their climb, they returned.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I never really got back to sleep, so around 6:30 or so I got up, packed, and went downstairs where an American was hanging out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He too had felt not so good and had to return to the refuge, but we had a really fun conversation that was pretty enlighening for me - all about the route on Chimborazo, on Cotopaxi that I'll be seeing soon, Everest base camp that I plan to visit next year, etc.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >We went outside to get a visual of his climbing teams that were just returning from the summit and were visible as specks on the long glacier ramp.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The sky was totally blue, completely clear.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I headed down to the first refuge to wait and find the last geocache.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In just a short while, the clouds rolled in and made for some dramatic photography.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Teams usually get down around 10 a.m., which is when the tourist buses begin arriving.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A lot of teams arrived just then but the American team came down around 11.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The tourists were a little annoying...they were cold, loud, and several of them had to continuously run to the bathroom to vomit (really, if you only ever lived at near sea level and take a bus right to 16,000 feet, do you really expect to have a fun time?).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The American team came and went to Ambato, and I waited for a couple climbers who would hopefully take me back to Riobamba.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Those guys came, and sure enough I was thankfully given a ride back to Riobamba...actually right to my bus station.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >The bus left shortly after... though standing water and very low storm clouds in my valley made me worry...when those things happen, the quebradas usually go crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sure enough, we turned a corner and everyone stood up gasping, whimpering, and complaining...the road was gone and a gushing muddy river took the place of what is usually just a thin, clear trickle of water.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It flooded the road more than ankle-deep.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A bus was waiting on the other side presumably - rumor had it - to take us home.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was hopeful but realistic... if this quebrada was flooded, the next one over would be too.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So some of us crossed this one on foot.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It wasn't so bad, except one part was wide and unstable enough that you couldn't leap across and had to wade through.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was so fast and steep that large rocks were rolling through it, and one big one hit my foot as I crossed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >It took 15 or so minutes to reach the second quebrada, and what had happened was stunning.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The road was REALLY gone, totally covered with logs and boulders.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Only I couldn't see where all that debris came from... the hillside above was grassy and unbroken, and the stream coming from the crevice was somewhat small and contracted.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There was hardly any mud in the debris flow.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Curious...</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Passing one settlement, a girl yelled out from far away as I walked by: "Gringita, stop here!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You can't go on!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You can spend the night here!"<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I yelled back, "It's ok, I live in Alao, that's where I'm going."<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They returned, "No, please, it's too far!"<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Me: "I've done this before.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It's ok!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I want to go home." As I continued walking they kept calling to me, and then just resorted to "Ayyy, Dios mio!"<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>...I laughed.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >But for 2 hours not a single vehicle passed me going the right direction, so I ended up walking the whole valley back to my site.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was raining the entire time, and wow was I tired.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At least I had plenty of food and water!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Even a headlamp if it got much later.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Right when I reached my site, a trumpet blast honked out from up high and echoed around the valley.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Haha... I was welcomed by trumpet.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Actually, a trumpet is the instrument that announces to people that the workers' association is meeting.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >My host Maria was shocked to see me, very worried that something had happened to me on Chimborazo or with the weather...especially because two ill-meaning signs appeared to her (the rooster made a gurgly cooing noise, and her dog in Riobamba howled a lot... both apparently mean someone will die - also, if you spot a condor perched, or if a black weasel crosses your path).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The weather didn't spare my site either - wind direction came oddly from the west to east, so my room was flooded.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maria kindly swept the water out before it got too far in.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >So it's Saturday now, the first I might have ever spent in my site (it's my day to talk with my folks on Skype and I have quena - Andean flute - lessons the same day) and I haven't heard any buses come or go.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maria says some small trucks are making the passage and she went to catch one to town but I'm not sure if they have any regularity.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I wouldn't mind so much, except on Monday I need to be in Riobamba early to meet my climbing guide and get to Cotopaxi.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So either the buses need to be running tonight or tomorrow morning, Sunday, to assure me they'll be going on Monday; or I catch a camioneta (small truck) tomorrow; or I walk out on foot... extremely not ideal.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I really just hope the buses run so I can go on Monday.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Saturday night:</span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Caught sight of the very large truck that comes here every day, so I wondered if it made the passage.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, not a single bus has made it to my site.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Apparently camionetas are making the trip but again, without much regularity.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I'll be getting up early tomorrow, hoping to hear some bus horns...if not, I'll be heading out on foot with all my climbing gear hoping to catch a ride from someone passing by along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At least it's mostly downhill!<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:10.0pt;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">Horray!</span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">I get to look like a lost tourist again with a backpack.</span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-40796701535403465732012-01-13T11:03:00.003-06:002012-01-13T11:16:48.553-06:00Room: painted<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> 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semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >I never thought I'd be so covered in paint.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >But my project of improving my room is continuing nicely.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On Tuesday I finished coating the dark perwinkle blue walls with white primer (2-3 layers!) and began painting over that with the final color, a light yellow.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It comes out of the can a dark canary-yellow and stays that way on the wall for hours until it dries and lightens up dramatically.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="Arial","sans-serif"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >I can see the difference in lighting now, especially in the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My room is radiantly bright compared to how it was with dark blue walls. It feels bigger - maybe even warmer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style=" Arial","sans-serif";font-family:";font-size:100%;" >I finished painting the entire place on Wednesday morning, let it dry all day, and began moving things back in place. It is AMAZING. Not such great photos to offer you, but here they are:<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">BEFORE:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7w0dOY7E8IkZk7-eDNiji_UHXWNXeGN7PAGELNtAOErXpanDlkLWJx70MWykv7Otn7kcDDSsB7e-5meSDCgDPH1Iz6El8GITzQzSl3tgHny3Iu1AOZ-IrF7NrdM9FmiP6y6Dbes0y-T0/s1600/CIMG0129.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7w0dOY7E8IkZk7-eDNiji_UHXWNXeGN7PAGELNtAOErXpanDlkLWJx70MWykv7Otn7kcDDSsB7e-5meSDCgDPH1Iz6El8GITzQzSl3tgHny3Iu1AOZ-IrF7NrdM9FmiP6y6Dbes0y-T0/s400/CIMG0129.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697165427082086466" border="0" /></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Zkm5ZJqGEjfn34whHDZvQtwf8M4Ik07KvssWE1sAiF4EOuz0QBVPOYI469LChDQfDjQmC3Ty4dGlwq5npqlT53xb2EF8oKgsFaIOBvteu8b-3aCByat0froJGLvxFi1y7c-JZxivAk8/s1600/CIMG1586.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Zkm5ZJqGEjfn34whHDZvQtwf8M4Ik07KvssWE1sAiF4EOuz0QBVPOYI469LChDQfDjQmC3Ty4dGlwq5npqlT53xb2EF8oKgsFaIOBvteu8b-3aCByat0froJGLvxFi1y7c-JZxivAk8/s400/CIMG1586.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697165431310000258" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">AFTER:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLUZazJ80JfluCkLOJreGsrrH8ryennn9SqA8K3OWWHRyWl16tkxLQcdRyaN6hHMeZtBEr8X7UVM8JG7WFZiEqD8K3QgTz3m3dZXWTvYS6KdGkN2bz3DZlzJHt0ZSCeZsuaHscFuzmdI/s1600/DSCF1272.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLUZazJ80JfluCkLOJreGsrrH8ryennn9SqA8K3OWWHRyWl16tkxLQcdRyaN6hHMeZtBEr8X7UVM8JG7WFZiEqD8K3QgTz3m3dZXWTvYS6KdGkN2bz3DZlzJHt0ZSCeZsuaHscFuzmdI/s400/DSCF1272.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697165435667505202" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVLxvaZPwFQ7ztBiag3LGV1gvh0WbuvBCQMq63TBkeY6NxmUdJrGU_dfZyq7DqzgafsbZteECH5Tn_Ks3_SWqYYUO8OzOmdKYt4BKuseu1-tiQYxrs9CG1TEzXFBfPzYHdOEcg8vZIjU/s1600/Day+10+-+10+Jan+2012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVLxvaZPwFQ7ztBiag3LGV1gvh0WbuvBCQMq63TBkeY6NxmUdJrGU_dfZyq7DqzgafsbZteECH5Tn_Ks3_SWqYYUO8OzOmdKYt4BKuseu1-tiQYxrs9CG1TEzXFBfPzYHdOEcg8vZIjU/s400/Day+10+-+10+Jan+2012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697165438583306034" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style=" Arial","sans-serif";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ></span></p>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-88270591800403819282012-01-09T10:39:00.002-06:002012-01-09T10:46:39.743-06:00Riobamba scavenger huntsI´ve been to Riobamba a lot this week, and I´m getting very very sick of the 2-hour one way bus ride. But I have good reasons.<br /><br />It´s my mission to improve my room - and the plan is really coming together. I bought a largish bookcase, got a water tank (with a spiget!!) for boiled water upstairs - anytime I want it!, and now I´m right in the middle of painting my room. I wasn´t sure how much paint would do it, so I just started with a gallon of white primer. Turns out I need 2-3 coats of it, so I only got a little more than half the upstairs painted. And so here I am again in Riobamba to buy more white paint and the light yellow paint I hope will add a lot of cheeriness to the place. It used to be a dark perwinkle color so I figure anything is better than that. Who likes dark blue indoor walls?<br /><br />So if you´ve been following past posts, you´ll remember that my host and I had a bit of a falling out in November. I threatened to move out and even found several options, but time ran out for me to move that year so I didn´t. But things got suddenly better... Maria no longer felt obligated to cook for me once I made it crystal clear that wasn´t what I wanted, that the freedom to cook for myself was the one big thing I absolutely needed. Now she does share my favorite dishes with me and the juice she still makes every morning, but she makes her own meaty soup and meals and leaves the rest to me. Finally. I hope this keeps up!<br /><br />I´ll leave you with a parting video of my kitten, Misi:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8XWYIKO95Ew" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Oh - and I´m still keeping up with the 365 Project. Check out my link in the upper right menu!<br /><br /><br /></div></div>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-68724329150169560462012-01-06T11:13:00.002-06:002012-01-06T11:15:00.723-06:00Back in site<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:hyphenationzone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>ES-EC</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> 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mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">I flew home to Ecuador feeling optimistic though apprehensive about a lot of things.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I felt good in the car ride to Riobamba.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then... I got on a bus to my site.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Of course, the first familiar face I encountered is the bus driver... my least favorite bus driver... who is one of the most unfriendly people I've met here.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>His automatic unfriendliness towards me and no one else is baffling but I ignore it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then the pan man boarded - that 30-year-old vender who bothers me at every chance to go with him on trips in Ecuador, to marry him, to answer his endless questions about the glory of America (but his mind is set that food is cheap and jobs are plentiful there).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Less in the mood for this than I usually am, he probably sensed some extra hostility and went on his way.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">I passed out cold on the bus in short cat naps.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And was awakened when a screaming girl got on the bus passing the road to the other side of the river.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Suddenly she was ripping the hair out of the woman in front of me, beating her with fists and slapping her face.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A man got on too that seemed to be on her side, but unwilling to join the fight.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Everyone began screaming in Quichua, so I didn't have a single clue why this was happening.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Another woman got on who appeared to be the girl's mother and began beating the woman as well.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The whole time I was sitting there wide-eyed and totally confused and terrified.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Everyone else on the bus seemed irritated but didn't interrupt the attackers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The bus driver demanded in Spanish that they take their fight off the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And I moved to get out of the way, totally unsure of what I should actually be doing if anything.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The bus continued to my site as the beating continued, the victim's little boy screaming shrilly in the front for his mom.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Soon the attacking woman was dragged off with the young girl, but another woman on the bus ran to the front and began beating the woman... which led to the other woman off the bus and the girl to charge back on and help.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Soon the victim's face was gushing blood, and everyone was dragged back off and the door slammed shut on someone else trying to get on.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(note: I felt safe more or less because this was obviously a personal issue)<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The woman called the police and I couldn't get off that bus soon enough.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Welcome back to Ecuador!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I dragged my bags up to my room shaking and thinking how I'd always seen the people in my site to be generally peaceful... not resorting to mob violence for revenge, and certainly not starting a fight on a bus.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Suddenly less than excited to be back, I spent the night alone organizing my new bounty, watching movies, and doing the miniature puzzle from home to see if I'm missing any pieces (the box burst and all the teeny pieces went all over the bag... I'm missing 1 piece).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I was planning to go to Riobamba the next to search for a few things - a tank for boiled water, shelving for my books, and paint for my room - but woke up the next morning feeling exhausted.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I kept setting back the alarm until I finally just turned it off, and thanks to the last few days of almost zero sleep, I rested until about 1 p.m. in bed.</span></p>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7577504174755420325.post-49893798728034284152012-01-03T17:21:00.003-06:002012-01-03T17:28:29.420-06:00Absurd packing list and waiting for the plane back to EcuadorHello from Panama!<br /><br />Ok, well, I'm not THAT thrilled to be here. The Panama airport hasn't been too kind to me. While I wait in travelers' limbo, I decided to share a list of the massive pile of stuff I'm moving from the U.S. to Ecuador. Way, way more stuff than I planned or wanted to carry back. But I guess it all just added up. And oh is it random. These are all the things I wished I had brought with me the first time around!<br /><br />Books: Geology Terms in English and Spanish; Russian; Indonesian; Minus 148; How to Crochet; The Anatomy of Fascism; Alive; Looking for Alaska; Fire Mountains of the West; Frozen Earth; Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land; GRE Premier; Mountaineers<br /><br />Candles + candle wicks + oil scents<br />Games: Bunch of Sudoku books; pack of cards; puzzles<br />Cards for sending<br />Alaska 2012 calendar<br />Pile of yarn<br />Spices: paprika; tumeric; coriander; chipotle; New Mexican chile (noooo I forgot this!!)<br />Nutritional yeast<br />Clif bars (for giving to guides)<br />Vegan marshmallows<br />Chai tea<br />Cat treats and toys; rabbit treats<br />Preserve toothbrushes<br />Painting supplies (roller, refills, color swatches, tape, trim brush)<br />Mounting putty<br />Earplugs<br />External DVD/CD player<br />Gaiters (already had)<br />Tent stakes (already had)<br />Carabiners + ATC (already had)<br />Climbing boots (already had)<br />Flat water bottle<br />Ice ax leash (already had)<br />Gloves (already had)<br />Pile of photo prints<br />Helmet (already had)<br />Harness (already had)<br />Peanut butter<br />Black olives<br />Candy (candy corn; Smarties; misc)<br />Rainproof/windproof lightweight jacket<br />Prayer flags<br />Pile of DVDs<br />Compact digital camera + batteries + cards<br />Glacier glasses<br /><br />And here's Day 3 of my 365 project! This about it for on-time photos.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlHnmKU4xy_Q2U37oi7VuTHhks8dy-4VkSpbn02qYNpvh7p-yc-Q8PNOqk2wmRku2Ss-F72vB5dHtGUDXHSNGPnrZqZ023il6U7lYffnoP1OkOvLVDcbQKhd9T9qol847uwpzrK0KORo/s1600/DSCF1169.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlHnmKU4xy_Q2U37oi7VuTHhks8dy-4VkSpbn02qYNpvh7p-yc-Q8PNOqk2wmRku2Ss-F72vB5dHtGUDXHSNGPnrZqZ023il6U7lYffnoP1OkOvLVDcbQKhd9T9qol847uwpzrK0KORo/s400/DSCF1169.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693550978460804882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Flying over the gulf from Chicago to Panama<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCMVBvRb2XbcnTQihCzi_RAwX3aG4bc6A0K8oYfc-kMMTk6-JCnY8nEkkfGCRZgpaVDS0aBor277aOebQsGUBRgaJPcLq0suQ1Wz4gtfTzYN51SFkGUD97kvLDF1tZXQ7Et4Csm_f6g8/s1600/DSCF1163.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCMVBvRb2XbcnTQihCzi_RAwX3aG4bc6A0K8oYfc-kMMTk6-JCnY8nEkkfGCRZgpaVDS0aBor277aOebQsGUBRgaJPcLq0suQ1Wz4gtfTzYN51SFkGUD97kvLDF1tZXQ7Et4Csm_f6g8/s400/DSCF1163.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693550970379048754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">So blue...so pretty</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBK-L_vRKjCEhOsNQ4_iAOEfmXJvVdlRoYhfqsL_3CZc7HVn7fEfAecUSPtgmL3HgW-52x1PD4mxqYChzjzROf9nfJ7At_JeBH9AlMbmM33o8hUptSf5Ou0f1LOSc3VZTkm3Bh9-BhPt4/s1600/DSCF1162.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBK-L_vRKjCEhOsNQ4_iAOEfmXJvVdlRoYhfqsL_3CZc7HVn7fEfAecUSPtgmL3HgW-52x1PD4mxqYChzjzROf9nfJ7At_JeBH9AlMbmM33o8hUptSf5Ou0f1LOSc3VZTkm3Bh9-BhPt4/s400/DSCF1162.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693550971727808850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The world is just awesome.</span><br /></div>Christinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13676336647258699748noreply@blogger.com2