April

First and foremost I would like to give a big shout out to my (sister’s) girl Lisa “Leese” Anderson. She recently sent me a top 10 list of reasons why living the Peace Corps life for 2 years is worth it. It really made my day and is a near cure for those “what the flip am I doing here?!” moments. She has had my back ever since the Mariah Carey on cassette tape days, and just recently celebrated a (can I say which one?) birthday. What up, Leese!

The other day I was walking with a group of children explaining to them that April 1st was known as April Fools Day in the United States. As I began to explain to them how people celebrate the holiday, one little girl cut me off.

“I know, I know! Here that day is called ´the day of the innocent.´”
“Oh, really?” I asked, waiting for more information.
“Yeah! Its when you go up to a friend and play a trick on them like saying, ´hey, I saw your mom with some other guy last night.´”

After standing there trying not to laugh for about a minute, I politely explained to the girl that that joke may be a tad too hurtful for April Fools Day, and suggested she try tying a friends shoes together, or some butter on the doorknob.


Hey! I´m back! So much for blogging monthly, huh? My bad. I think that one of the problems is that everyday things get less entertaining and more normal to me. Seeing three human beings on one bike no longer causes me to double take. Men hiss, and I smile and respond with a “why, good morning!” When I walk into my friend’s mom’s house and she is ironing topless, I open the fridge and look for something to drink. Answering and/or avoiding questions about my personal life and whether or not I will marry an Ecuadorian and start a family soon no longer make me cringe (that much). After 10 months, I think it is safe to say that the most intense phase of culture shock may be officially over. Pass. The. Courvoisier.

Heres whats been up.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, two women from France have come to San Vicente for 4 months to work for the same foundation that I work for. They are working toward a degree in Non-Profit Organization fundraising which is just what the foundation could use right now (among other things). I have worked closely with them which has helped me to keep busy as well as feel like I have an actual role within the foundation.

Our first attempt at raising money was by hosting movie and bingo Friday nights for the children. We put on a movie, Toy Story, The Incredibles etc. and then would play a few games of bingo afterward. The kids could play as many games of bingo as they wanted for 25 cents and the prizes included (pirated) DVDs and toys/games that friends and family had sent me from the states. In addition to teaching children how to gamble, the movie and bingo nights helped us to get the word out about the foundation and the kind of programs it has to offer.

Our second attempt at fundraising was in the form of a laptop computer raffle. We had 1,000 tickets printed out and sold each one for a dollar. We ended up raising about 500 dollars for the foundation, which means a small portion will go to the kids’ basketball program. (Hollaaaaaa.)

Ok, lets talk about something interesting. Lets talk about a conversation I had with the coconut juice man. So there is this man that sells coconut juice in Bahía. (Side note: if you have never had fresh coconut juice, I suggest you change that immediately.) We have always been friendly in passing, but I have never stopped to have a conversation with him. He had questions about where I was from and what I was doing in Ecuador. Before I move on to the rest of our conversation I would like to explain that an Ecuadorian’s biological clock ticks a lot more quickly than someone’s from the United States. By the time most Ecuadorians are out of high school (sometimes sooner) they are usually ready to settle down and start a family. It is for this reason that Ecuadorians find it hard to believe that at the ripe old age of 24, I am not only single, but have no children.

“So, how many children do you have?”
“Zero.”
“Wait, how many?”

Confused stare.

I love it when they ask this question twice as if to refresh my memory of the group of children I have neglected somewhere. “Wow, you’re right! I actually have 9! Geez, I better get home!”

“None, I don’t have any children.”
“Hmm…why not?”
“I don’t know. Yeah…I’m not quite ready for kids.”
“Well, how old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”

Judgemental stare.

“Humans were made to reproduce young. You should find someone and start having children soon.”
“Well where I come from people wait until their late 20´s to have children all the time. In fact, my sister ju…”

*Moves on to next customer.*

I would say that I have this conversation at least 1.5 times a day. It seems like 5 out of 10 conversations with Ecuadorians involve some combination of the following frequently asked questions:

1) Are you married?
2) How many kids to you have?
3) Have you fallen in love with an Ecuadorian yet?
4) If you did fall in love with an Ecuadorian you would stay, right?

I think this is one of those cultural things that used to bother me, but I really don’t even notice anymore. I have just come to understand that our 24, is an Ecuadorian’s 42. Now, I could have this conversation in my sleep. And as a matter of fact, I think I have.

What else. I can’t believe it is already April. April means a few things. First, it means that in just two short months my Omnibus and I will celebrate one year in Ecuador. It means that the rainy season is coming to an end, but not without one last hurrah. April on the coast of Ecuador means that the crickets come back for one last attempt at completely ruining your life. I thought I had completely cricket-proofed my house, but have come to realize that there is no such thing. The good news is that due to my stellar house-sealing skills, when the crickets get in now, they are usually missing a limb or two. The bad news is that A: they can still chirp, and B: they can still fly. Plus, I think the three month battle between the crickets and I has served them a lot more than me as they have become much better hiders. Thank you, Lindsey Stratton, for the 3M foam earplugs.

Whoa, that was all over the place. Its all I´ve got for now. Eat a chipoltle chicken fajita burrito (light on the rice) in my name.