Muy ocupada...mas o menos

I have to apologize for not writing in ages and ages. So much for keeping all my friends and family back home updated on my life here. In my defense the less I write the busier I am so things are going well.

Work is finally starting to pick up. I have two ecoclubs running at the grade school and the high school in town. Imagine a youth group that does a combination of outdoor trips and environmental volunteer projects. The kids are incredibly energetic and excited which is great.

Ecoclub kids on outings to hot springs and the river.




I also just got approving for funding for three school gardens to improve nutrition and teach some basic environmental education concepts like soil conservation and organic agriculture. This should be interesting considering the basil plant on my balcony lasted exactly two weeks. I was able to keep the rosemary plant alive for a month. We won't even begin to discuss the turkeys...

I am hoping to get a bigger project rolling soon as well. If all goes well I'll get a grant in the next few months to spearhead a sustainable cattle ranching project. As much as I am sure you all want to hear the fascinating details about higher protein grass species and nitrogen fixing trees I'll just summarize to say that hopefully with some simple changes to local cattle ranching practices we can seriously slow down deforestation rates in the region. Told you I would save the Amazon!

Other than work I've spent a lot of time the last few months hanging out with my new Peace Corps friends celebrating American holidays.

Happy Turkey Day!
Merry Christmas (jungle style)



And killing a ridiculous list of jungle creatures that seem to find their way into my apartment including approximately 5,672 moths, 46 grasshoppers, 15 beetles, 1 bat, 1 snake and an army of rats (still working on this one).

My bloodied floor in the aftermath of the snake battle. I won.

Bullfighting Ecuadorian Style

You know the classic image of a bullfight? Some Spanish man in tight sparkly leggings with a funny little hat that looks a bit like mickey mouse ears dancing artfully around an enraged bull waving a red cape. An Ecuadorian bull fight is absolutely nothing like that. It's way way better.

Instead of the one master of the bulls who has spent years training and studying the art of an ancient ritual you have a dozen regular working joes ready to face death against a bull pulled straight from someone's field and shoved into a makeshift ring surrounded by cheering fans.

These country farmers turned bullfighters boost their courage by drinking lots and lots of alcohol. Once they are too drunk to be afraid of the bull anymore they all pile into the ring and start taunting. There are no swords and no red capes just a crowd of drunken men trying every trick they can to irritate the bull into charging and then desperately trying not to get gored.

It is both incredibly dangerous and really really hilarious.

I had the chance to witness this spectacle on a recent trip to the northern sierra and it is officially my new favorite public sporting event.


This guy is trying really hard to get away.

Worth a thousand words

Just a short post with some photos.

I do a lot of baking in my new apartment. In part because I have so much free time and in part because a lot of delicious things that are easy to buy in the states like bagels or wheat bread are harder to find here. This is from the day I made cinnamon rolls for a river picnic.

Ecuadorians are in absolute awe of baked goods. Even something as simple as chocolate chip cookies amazes them and I've found that giving out baked goods to my neighbors and coworkers is a good way to be instantly liked.


My apartment has a small gap between one of the walls and the ceiling. It's nothing too noticeable and isn't really big enough for any creatures to get in except for moths. Every night dozens of moths flock to the glow of my living room light bulb. Usually I squish them without mercy but this one landed on my fridge and was so pretty I decided to spare it's life and take a photo instead.
A bird's eye view of my town.

Would you like a side of hypocrisy to go with that idealism?

As a natural resource conservation volunteer I have to deal with an extra challenge that doesn't quite apply to other Peace Corps volunteers. There is a certain element of irony (to put it nicely) in me as an American doing environmental conservation work in Ecuador. Essentially, I flew 3,000 miles from a country that has the world's highest rates of wasteful consumerism and environmental degradation to a place where most people don't own cars or washing machines to teach them about saving the environment.

I thought a lot about the ridiculousness of this situation before deciding to join the Peace Corps. I was worried that Ecuadorians would immediately see through my "do as I say and not as I do" message and not take me seriously. Luckily, this hasn't been the case. Most of the Ecuadorians I've worked with have been incredibly welcoming, eager to collaborate, and passionate about environmental issues. In fact as a whole Ecuadorians are far more cooperative and open to environmentalism than the Americans I talked to while working on global warming issues in Chicago.

However, yesterday giving a workshop on environmental education to teachers at a local high school I finally had my hypocritical skeleton pulled out of the closet. After the workshop finished I was talking to a science teacher about international environmental issues when he asked me, "Why hasn't the United States done anything to establish better control of the large industries that are causing global warming?" I explained that it was a very complicated political and economic issue and that while many Americans are in favor of more regulations other people don't believe that global warming is real or that it should be the American government's job to stop it. To which he logically replied, "Well then why aren't you in your own country changing their attitude about the environment?"

Yikes. That's a stumper. I told him that I fully intend to return to America after two years and do just that but for now I wanted to learn more about Ecuador and the environmental issues here. He seemed satisfied enough with my lame response. But I kept thinking about his question all day.

"Why wasn't I fighting the battle for the environment in my own country?” The United States certainly has more power to address the biggest international environmental challenges than Ecuador does. On the one hand my decision to come to Ecuador was purely selfish. I wanted to travel, to see the incredible beauty of the Andes and the Amazon. Also, I must admit the work I get to do here is a lot more gratifying and interesting. In America I would be lost in the labyrinth of political tension, money, and public apathy that is environmental advocacy. I might feel eventually that I had contributed some small piece to the passing of a new progressive law but overall it’s a battle that requires huge efforts for very slow results. In Ecuador I get to see the tangible and immediate impact of my work. I can see how many schools implement new environmental education programs, how many farmers begin experimenting with organic agriculture, and how many acres of land are reforested because of my efforts. Too often environmental activism in America feels like just words here in Ecuador it’s all about action.

I also know that I will eventually be a much more effective environmentalist because of my time spent in Ecuador. I have seen first hand a different way of living that uses less resources and produces less waste and I will bring that back to America. The chance to see a different perspective on the world and its future has forever changed my outlook on what exactly I am fighting for as an environmentalist. When I go back to America and enter once again into that labyrinth of politics, money, and apathy I will know for certain that the world is a lot bigger than the Senator who doesn’t believe in global warming or the thousands of Americans who think the pollution of today can be dealt with by the generations of tomorrow. When that labyrinth seems impossible to untangle what I have learned in Ecuador will give me hope.

The Shuar

One of my favorite things about living in the jungle is the opportunity to experience the incredible variety of indigenous amazonian cultures. The largest indigenous group in my region of the country are the Shuar and the more I learn about their history and traditions the more fascinated I become with this unique people.

The Shuar are probably best known in the Western world for the practice of making tzantza or shrunken heads. The tzantza were once a sacred ritual used to preserve the heads of particularly fierce enemy warriors slain in battle. The Shuar believed that this process trapped the soul of the warrior for ritual use by the tzantza owner.

The Shuar were remarkably good at resisting foreign rule and it wasn't until the late 19th century that outsiders established strong trade relationships with the Shuar and the mid 20th century that missionaries finally brought the true invasion of the outside world. The foreigners were fascinated by the tzantza practice and offered huge economic incentives for what they assumed were morbid war trophies. As a result warfare between the Shuar and nearby indigenous groups increased dramatically as warriors sought new heads to be sold to Western museums and collectors.

However, the Shuar are far more complex than the fantastical stories of spear wielding head hunters that visiting traders returned home with. They have an ancient spiritual tradition closely tied to the natural world that they live in.

Today the Shuar people and other indigenous amazonian groups face a new and much more dangerous threat from the outside world. Their ancestral lands sit on top of vast deposits of priceless minerals and oil. Since the early 20th century the Shuar have struggled with the invasion of national and international forces seeking to exploit these valuable resources. It's a complicated struggle that I am still trying to understand it within the tangled context of local and international environmental politics but it is a fascinating drama to see played out first hand.

The future of the Shuar lands is uncertain. For now I feel very privileged to have the chance to better understand this culture that seems so far removed from the outside world and yet has been profoundly impacted by it.





















This little girl is wearing traditional Shuar dress.














Shuar crafts at a local artisan fair.
















Mukindi a traditional Shuar dish of grilled giant beetle larva. I tried eating one. It's not so bad (as long as you chase it with a beer).

Home Sweet Home

I am now officially the new renter of a lovely apartment in Ecuador. Peace Corps policy says that volunteers need to live with a host family for their first three months in sight. Add to that my two months of training and I have been living with host families for five months now. Don't get me wrong I think that the host family policy is fantastic. My host family in site has been incredibly kind and welcoming and living with them offered me a great opportunity to better understand Ecuadorian culture and traditions. However, after five months I am definitely ready to leave the nest. Just being able to sleep in late on the weekends and cook American food for myself will be great.

Also I have found an amazing apartment. It's close to my office, nice and spacious, with sliding glass doors and a balcony, and best of all you can pick fresh oranges from the tree that grows outside my living room window. I'll be moving in August and seeing as the apartment has absolutely no furniture not even a refrigerator or stove the next few weeks will be a veritable shopping spree.

As one of my wiser more veteran volunteer friends told me moving into your own place marks the next stage in Peace Corps service. It will certainly be more lonely and less exciting than the bustle of an Ecuadorian family. However, it also means that I'll have more freedom and that I'm putting down roots in Ecuador. This is my home now. Which is a good feeling to have after five months of floating in and out of other people's homes.

To use one of the few Spanish phrases that everyone seems to know "Mi casa es su casa." Seriously, I have tons of space so if anyone has the desire to come experience the jungle my door is always open and my orange tree has fruit all year long.


My new living room and doors to the balcony.













View from my new bedroom.












My orange tree!

Guess who's coming to dinner

I was sitting at the dinner table the other night when my host mother suddenly screeched and pointed at the wall behind me with a look of terror on her face. I turned my head to see a giant tarantula moseying her way up towards the ceiling. My host mother then told me that this particular type of tarantula can jump several meters and is venomous. At this point I felt it would be a good idea to escape to the other side of the room and hide in the corner behind the refrigerator.

My host dad, possibly the most fearless person I've ever met, took out a broom and killed the unfortunate intruder. He then brought out his reading glasses and a needle intent on spearing and preserving his slightly squished victim. My host mom however wasn't going to stand for a large hairy spider hanging on the wall in her kitchen and insisted he throw it out. Don't worry I made sure he put it in the organic bin.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of our dinner guest but for a little perspective hold out your hand with the fingers spread wide. Now imagine that hand covered in black fur and put fangs on it. That's more or less what the spider looked like.

Never a dull dinner in the Oriente.

Corre Gringa Corre!

So I'm going to dedicate this blog to what has quickly become one of my favorite activities in Ecuador, running. In the recreational sense not the trying to escape from someone sense.

There are a couple of major advantages to running in Ecuador as compared with the US. Firstly, it's a lot more exciting. If you think the lakefront path on Saturday morning in Chicago is a challenge try adding packs of feral dogs, potholes the size of go carts and sudden tropical downpours. Things get a lot more interesting very quickly. The other day I wasn't paying close attention when turning a corner and I ran into a horse. The horse was more startled than I was. He was minding his own business having a nice mid-afternoon snack when a red faced foreigner barreled into him. Another time I only barely escaped a very scary very large dog with my incredible speed and the aid of a passerby who thankfully had some very impressive rock throwing abilities.

Secondly, it's like 90 degrees here in the shade every day so running three blocks is enough to work up a good sweat. It always makes me feel like I've accomplished something big even when I've only run a mile or two. Also it makes those cold showers a lot more enjoyable.

Last but certainly not least. My half hour jog is the highlight of afternoon entertainment in my town. People literally wait outside of their houses to watch me go by. Children cheer "Vamos gringrita vamos!" (which roughly translates to let's go white girl!). It makes me feel like a serious celebrity. When I eventually return to the states I'll probably look at strangers expectantly as I run past and wonder why they aren't jumping up and down and cheering for my amazing display of athletic ability.

Life Lessons: The Jungle Edition

So after a full month in site I have learned several valuable lessons about life in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Here are a few I wanted to share with you...

1. Nature is not always your friend.
Ironically being a natural resource volunteer with the Peace Corps has given me less respect for certain members of the natural world, mainly bugs. I used to carefully coral spiders and other creepy crawling creatures into plastic cups and carry them outside to freedom. Now I relish smashing three inch long cockroaches with heavy books and hiking boots. I´m like a Hemingway character but with less contemplation about my fate and more squeals of ¨eww, gross!¨

2. Every part of the chicken (and the fish and the guinea pig) is edible.
I mean every single part. Eyeballs, brains, bone marrow, it´s all fair game. If you don´t eat it someone else will.

3. Dryers are a gift from God to humanity.
If you have ever tried to wash your cloths by hand you will understand this. If you have ever tried to dry your cloths on a line during the rainy season in the jungle you will shout this from the rooftops. After two years I will probably cry at the first scent of fabric softener.

4. Bingo Baile is Spanish for the coolest party ever invented.
A Bingo Baile is sort of like a combination between a bingo game and a rave. It costs $2 to get in and you get a bingo card. You play eight games of bingo where the prizes are whole roasted chickens with potatoes on the side. The fun part comes when you add a lot of beer and in between each bingo game you turn off all the lights and hold a 20 minute dance party. Understanding the drunken bingo announcer’s Spanish may be one of my greatest language feats yet.

So that pretty much sums up my first month in site. So far a lot of my time is spent getting settled in and getting to know the community I´ll be working with for the next two years. I´ve started teaching some English and environmental education classes at the local schools and I´m doing door to door interviews to try to gather new ideas for long term projects. Slowly but surely I´m starting to feel at home in Ecuador. I put on a sweater every time the temperature drops below 80 degrees and I´ve started having dreams in Spanish.

Some jungle scenery.

Tale of an Ecuadorian Bus Ride

In Ecuador buses are by far the most popular form of transportation. In a country only about the size of Colorado you might think that would be convenient. However, because of the extreme geographic diversity it is entirely possible to hop on a bus at the north end of the country and drive for twenty hours over mountain peaks and through deep valleys without even coming close to the southern boarder. Luckily Ecuadorian buses are also extremely entertaining. Imagine combining a roller coaster with an open air auction and a live infomercial.

After swearing in on April 22, which fittingly enough also happened to be earth day, I headed out east to the Amazon. The bus ride from Quito is several hours of descending through increasingly beautiful scenery. You drive past towering mountains with plots of farm land clinging to steep slopes in haphazard checkerboards, through misty cloud forests and finally into the rich green humidity of the Amazon.

Along the way a parade of vendors roam the aisles selling potato chips, lemonade, empanadas and bags of tropical fruit. Ocasionally a passanger inspired in a moment of religious fervor will stand up and deliver a half hour sermon at maximum value.

At one point a guy came on the bus to sell a lovely new invention. A belt with a hidden zipper on the back where you can store up to forty folded bills without anyone knowing! Another ambitious salesman explained that if you´re a woman and you keep your cell phone in your bra when it rings you´ll get breast cancer and if you´re a man don´t keep your phone in your pocket because it will give you prostate cancer. Luckily for only one dollar he will sell you a special charm to attach to your phone that will block these cancer waves.

For the grand finale just as we were nearing the end of the trip a man boarded the bus carrying a baby monkey no tricks or trinkets he just wanted to take his pet monkey along for a ride.

Let´s get technical

So I´m just finishing up twelve days of what the Peace Corps calls technical training. For the last week we´ve been traveling all over Ecuador visiting other Peace Corps volunteers, hearing about their projects, and hopefully gaining some new technical knowledge to go start our own projects.

Traveling anywhere in Ecuador seems to require a grueling bus ride of at least five hours along rocky roads clinging to steep cliff sides. But we´ve visited some incredible places. Yesterday we learned how to use GIS systems for land mapping. This is a pretty big feat for a girl who can barely figure out how to work her cell phone. It was a blast.

We went into the Amazon jungle and hiked around practicing marking points and trails with the GPS. I saw giant tropical flowers, crazy spiked caterpillars and a mushroom that looked like an eyeball. We returned tired and covered in river mud to eat a dish of ¨iampaco¨a delicious indigenous meal of chicken, onions, hearts of palm and yucca wrapped in palm leaves and baked over hot coals.

Sometimes it's hard to believe I'm actually here. It's such a completely different world but every day brings a new adventure.


This is why I love machetes.




















Eyeball mushroom.












Iampaco lunch.

New Beginnings

Bienvenidos to all my soon to be devoted readers. It took me a little while to get the blog going but as they say in my new home country ¨Más vale tarde que nunca¨. So for my first blog you´re going to get a two paragraph reenactment of my first six weeks in Ecuador.

I´ve been living so far with a host family in a small town high in the Andean mountains taking lots of Spanish classes and making many new cultural discoveries. I spent those first weeks falling desperately in love with the Sierra (the mountainous central region of Ecuador) only to be told two weeks ago that for the next two years I will be living in the middle of the Amazon jungle. I was devastated. But no one in their right mind signs up for the Peace Corps expecting to live a life free of surprises and setbacks so Amazon jungle here I come!

Despite the 90 degree weather and the poisonous snakes my site is awesome. Think giant vine-covered trees and gorgeous green river valleys. On the bus ride down I saw eleven waterfalls. In my backyard there are at least ten different kinds of fruit trees just waiting to supply me with delicious juicy snacks. My host family is incredibly welcoming and my counterparts are amazing. I´ll be working with the local municipio on environmental education, organic agriculture and sustainable water management just for starters.

So far my jungle Peace Corps assignment isn´t entirely what I expected but at least they´ve got fun and games.


My host family's house in the Sierra.

Wild mountain blueberries.

Mountain hiking.




















Beautiful Cayambe.