Que sera sera

In an effort to keep up with my commitment to write 4 blogs per month, I'm going to attempt to write two more (including this one) before February rolls on in - is it really February already?!

Today is a pretty legitimate milestone for a few reasons: first, one of my very favorite friends, Dana Zichlin here is training with us for the week! She's heading to Guatemala on Thursday for her 7-week long feasibility study to determine whether Manna will start a brand new site there this summer! I'm so excited for her and who knows, maybe I'll be a PD there someday... (hey, a girl can dream of another $7,500 falling into her lap).

All of MPI Ecuador loves Dana!

And second, today marks the exact halfway point for my 13-month volunteer service here in Ecuador! The first 6.5 months have really flown and I can only imagine how much of a whirlwind the second half will be with spring break streaming in soon with summer trailing closely behind.

So, I figured I would take this time to let you know what I'll be up to for the next 6.5 months!

Agriculture: We'll be hosting monthly charlas in the library, all AG-focused, starting with a talk February 6th on raising pigs. I hope to incorporate organic farming methods into our monthly charla series, in collaboration with Fundacion Añamisi, an organization we work closely with. We also have recently purchased $200 worth of new agriculturally-focused books for adults to use in the library. I'm also planning two Saturday-morning workshops on composting and making rain barrels; composting helps families save money and use more organic methods, while rain barrels have become a popular topic because of the recent droughts.

Environment: In collaboration with the Mingas program, we have been working on installing public trash bins and promoting a cleaner, litter-free Rumiloma. We plan to kick-start the advertising campaign by working with local artists. We are also planning for one paseo (field trip) for kids in the library every month. Our Saturday destinations include local nature reserves, rivers, and organic farms all with the intention of exposing kids in our community to the great wonders of their natural world... because after all 'In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we're taught'

Other projects: I'm continuing to help run the library, mainly by applying to grants that will hopefully give us financial security for this space in the future, and helping run a reading contest for kids starting in the spring. I also teach advanced children's English and Estudios Mundiales, a new class that combines Geography, hands-on science, and environmental awareness.

Needless to say, it's very good to have another 6 months here to see these projects unfold, explore the valley, wander around weekend markets, travel on weekends, and enjoy everyday life with my 8 other compañeros.

Back in Ecuador and Broadcasting...live!

We spent the better part of this week promoting and preparing for tomorrow's celebracion comunitaria. Some of these activities include collecting borrowed chairs and tents, picking up 80 brand new manna shirts, coordinating local restaurants to cook and sell food, buying raffle prizes, preparing composting workshops, and so on. Promotion involved jumping on buses heading into the valley, walking around surrounding communities with flyers and loud speaker in hand shouting 'celebracion comunitaria en la cancha cordovez mañana a las tres en la tarde!'

Additionally, today Krysta and I made a special trip to Super K, a radio station in Sangolqui that broadcasts all over the valley, to advertise during a 30-minute interview segment. Krysta had been there twice before, once with Seth's teen camp in July and again to promote our free health clinic from August, but it was my first time and I was terrified. Not only am I not big on public speaking, I tend to panic when I can't take my time to think about my Spanish and conjugate tenses before I blurt things out.

Oh the fear of live broadcasts!

Oswaldo, the incredibly friendly director of Super K asked me a few questions in the beginning that went well and then Krysta took over, fluidly discussing everything from our current programs to tomorrow's celebration. Thinking I was off the hook, I got a little distracted by one of Oswaldo's co-workers who was snapping pictures at us. Before I knew it, Oswaldo was directing a question at me that I only half heard and interpreted to be 'what other games will you be running tomorrow?' to which I enthusiastically answered 'sillas musicales!' (musical chairs - my specialty). In reality, he was asking me about our Rumiñahui soccer team and what position I played.. oops.

Later this afternoon, while advertising with Sonia and Bibi, a community member commented that she heard us on the radio and will be coming to the event tomorrow. Despite her little chuckle as I walked away, I think a little humiliation is a small price to pay for a well-attended event...

Stay tuned for a post-celebration update!

Besitos,
Jackie

Venice Sway La

My new year's resolution: to actually keep up with this blog on a weekly basis. That's one of like five, but it's a pretty important one so if there are any of you dedicated readers that actually still check this page, you won't be disappointed!

A couple of months ago I was blessed with the opportunity to venture around Venezuela with a dear housemate of mine, Krysta. We decided to 'wing' our trip, which meant that although we had a couple of destinations in mind, we made no hostel reservations and more or less played things by ear as we explored this lush caribean-bordered country. Our approach had its ups and downs; as nice as the flexibility was, we spent lots of time sleeping in the airport and sweating half of our body weight stranded at the beach. Here are a handful of observations from Venezuela, as well some priceless snapshots that show the landscape much better than I can explain in words:

Monies: The official exchange rate from Bolivars to USD is 2 to 1, however the black market rate is 5 to 1, clearly a much better deal. This process is not at all sketchy like we originally thought, you simply go into any local store and ask if they can exchange dollars for you. We learned that the reason the black market exists is because Venezuelans are only allowed to legally obtain $2,000 USD per year and since many travel to the states or send their kids there for school, US currency is in high demand. Every once in awhile Chavez floods the market with dollars to lower their value, but lucky for us the rate was still pretty high during our visit!

Transport: Overnight semi-cama buses were really easy to come by and very affordable as well (about $16 for a 14 hour bus). However, if you ever take one be sure to bring your snowsuit because these buses literally are kept at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. We huddled for warmth on the first bus, but learned our lesson for the second and splurged on some wool souvenir blankets. Many bus drivers (specifically those en route to and from the beaches) are also inclined to turn their vehicles into night clubs. They're most likely distracting themselves from the pinpoint curves and jagged cliffs around every corner of the 2 hour drive. (see video below)

Other points of information:

• The official time of Venezuela is exactly 35 minutes ahead of eastern standard.. en serio!
  
• There is a Simon Bolivar plaza in pretty much every Venezuelan town
• Venezuelan pizza > (much, much, much) Ecuadorian pizza
• Aji flavored ice cream is in fact just as hot as aji itself
• Krysta and I played phase 10 a total of 8 times, only 2 of which I won
  

Playa Grande: turquoise water, towering peaks, and a whole lotta thongs

After only being able to stand the 90 degree heat, power outages, and intense humidity for less than 24 hours, we decided to venture off to Merida, the 'adventure capital' of the country. We spent of our time in Merida walking around the city, paroozing the markets, hiking through the historical town of jaji, paragliding, canyoning, and resting in our hostel's rooftop hammocks...

The 4-story local market; no your eyes don't deceive you, that is a giant bag of chocolate chips!

Looking like an amphibian in my parapente gear


Me and my guide (who was so professional he answered 2 phone calls during our flight) soaring into the canyon


Beautifully secluded jaji


Merida's Heladeria Coromoto, the Guinness recorder holder for the most ice cream flavors (900), including oh-so-appetizing cold duck, whisky, and tuna, among others. cheers!

We spent our last day of vacation canyoning, by far the coolest thing I have ever done in my life. Krysta, myself and two girls who teach English in Maracaibo, spent 6 hours hiking through the cloud forest, walking in and along the river, sliding down rapids, and rappelling/rock climbing down waterfalls. It was terrifying at times, I swallowed a ton of water almost lost a shoe, and came out with a dozen bruises in strange places, but it was totally worth it.

Me and krysta with our game faces on!

All of us in front of the waterfall called 'the washing machine.' gee, i wonder why?

Even though you can't see my face, i swear this is me!

And to prove that we actually did this/to give you a legitimate idea of what rappelling down a waterfall is like, check out this video!

I hope this detailed account of my South American thanksgiving quenches your thirst for now.. stay tuned for pictures from Miss Amy McGovern's visit from December!

Happy New Year,
Jackie