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.