Well…well…well - those are the words, I am well. I returned from Quito with Susan on Monday the 16th. We had ended up taking care of a few errands and stuff like that in the PC office. I did my best to completely avoid the Director’s office. From here on out, I think I am going to take the approach of speak only when spoken to. Normally, I would not back down in a situation like this, but in this particular case, I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I recognize that there is nothing I can [View Full Entry]

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Since I put my note on my blog soliciting funds for my project, I thought that maybe I should do the same for one of my wife's projects. So, here is some info about a raffle that her group is sponsoring. Donate if you can - it is for an EXCELLENT cause. Dear friends and family, I am writing to ask for your support for two very important Peace Corps Volunteer priorities: providing scholarships to young Ecuadorian women AND combating sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The Peace Corps Ecuador Gender and Development Committee teamed up with the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Task [View Full Entry]

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Dog Karma - yes, you read that right, Dog Karma. I seem to have it right now in full force. A couple of weeks ago, right after my blog about the neighborhood dog becoming my buddy, I experienced yet another round of good dog vibes. I was out at the FRATES communities giving presentations at the local schools about the state of Ecuador’s environment. It was an overcast, slightly rainy day; I had just given a presentation to the kids in El Porvenir and was walking the 25 minutes or so down the road to the turn off for Vencedores. The [View Full Entry]

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Sorry folks, this is not the awaited blog update about the 2nd trip into Waorani territory - that update will be posted at some point this week. What I am posting on this blog is a solicitud for funding for a project of mine. Please read my letter below and help if you can. Greetings family and friends: Well, it has been 17 months since Susan and I embarked on this Peace Corps journey. We have 10 months left and are at that point where we are trying to start wrapping up projects and putting the finishing and hopefully, lasting touches [View Full Entry]

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So, how do you measure success in Peace Corps terms? One dog at a time. Yes, I have had some crazy dog experiences here in Ecuador - some so bad that I have second-guessed my love of man´s best friend. However, this morning was a good dog morning. As I was walking to work I noticed the dog that lives around the block barking at a passer-by in front of me. This dog has barked at me and nipped my heels for 6 months. I thought I had made a break through a month ago when I was sitting at the [View Full Entry]

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The long awaited next blog. I am sorry that I have been uncharacteristically late in writing this blog. I have been swamped with other important things to do and have not had the time or energy to sit down and write an account of my experiences over the last three weeks. So grab a beer, glass of wine, cup of tea, or whatever else you desire and give yourself some time to read the latest in the adventures of Jer & Sue. The last weekend in April Sue and I headed up to Tena to help out Mary Fifield (from Global [View Full Entry]

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Last week I returned to the dam project with my Peace Corps friend Jason. The plan was for Jason to give a workshop/talk about fish-farming which is a very popular activity in these parts. Fish-farms provide food security and a source of income for a lot of poor rural families. So Jason was giving his fish talk and I was tagging along because they wanted me to give a presentation on the environment and ecotourism. Jason came in on Sunday afternoon, Sue was on her way back from the Gender and Development Committee’s - Camp Alma. You will have to read [View Full Entry]

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A couple of things tickled me this morning. As I was walking to work, I walked by the local funeral home/coffin store. Yes you read that right, coffin store. You see this business is less of a traditional funeral home and more of a place that sells coffins. Anyhow, as I walked by it for probably the 800th time, I noticed that there was a new hand-written sign out front declaring that it now provides 24-hour service. This of course got me thinking about why one would need 24 hour coffin/burial services. It isn’t like a late night drive-thru run to [View Full Entry]

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This week seemed to pass quicker than most and I am not entirely sure why that is. Perhaps it was due to the start of the MLB season and my Indians jumped out to an early start before finishing the week at 2-3, perhaps it was the lead-up to the NCAA final four, perhaps it was because Katie was leaving the country this week and you never get enough time to say goodbye or to tie up loose ends, or perhaps it was because I was busy as usual and these days time is flying by. I have been sick though [View Full Entry]

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Many of you probably received these links already from Susan, however, here are links to photos she posted on shutterfly a couple of weeks ago. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbOHLhy0cNGnB http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbOHLhy0cNGnQ I´ll check my records and see if we have left any photos out. Wouldn´t want to keep you all from seeing good photos. Peace, Jeremy [View Full Entry]

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