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Published: February 21st 2008
Bengals in Puyo
This guy was walking down the street in Puyo in front of my office. I don´t know what it says about the Bengals when their jersey´s make it to Puyo. I´ll let you be the judges.The last week has been a whirlwind of activity and changes for me. I have reached a spot of moderate stress in regards to work. Here I thought this Peace Corps thing was going to be about doing nothing except reading books and hooking up with country nationals - that’s the stereotype right? To the contrary, at least in Ecuador, most of us PCVs work our tails off - I think I may be on my 4th or 5th tail at this point.
Anyhow, the week started like any other. I worked on putting together a new kid’s page and managed to get that done despite having a major crisis with my computer at the office. At precisely 9:48am on Tuesday, February 12th, my computer decided to turn off unexpectedly and then proceeded to not bother to turn back on. Normal human beings would regularly back-up their files on a regular basis, especially those who have had similar experiences earlier in the year when their laptops crashed and burned. Seeing as how I am not a normal person, I chose the route of not backing up my data. So….I cursed a lot at the computer and then attempted to fix
Walking Stick
This was an insect I took a picture of when I went into the jungle to check on a reforestation project. the situation on my own by cannibalizing other broken computers at the office - it didn’t work. I then talked to my brothers and got some instructions for getting data off the hard drive - that didn’t work either. By Friday I was so stressed that I had lost a lot of important work that I begged my counterpart to get some professional help - he did, and I am happy to report that Saturday afternoon saw the return of my computer and my data. Since I do not wish to tempt fate again, I immediately backed up all of my files and will continue to do so, until I forget and the next crash happens.
The biggest news of the week was that Andrea (one of my counterparts) just took a job in Quito and will be leaving next week. I am in a state of shock. She is one of my best friends here and my mentor at work - not to mention that she speaks English and helps me immensely with all of my projects. She’ll be working for a new environmental organization and I wish her all the luck in the world - though secretly,
True Bug - Hemiptera
This is another bug from the same hike. I wish she would stay. Bolivar has decided that I can just take over all of her projects. Hmmmmm….I was busy before, now I add the full-time work of someone else - something doesn’t compute here. I am going to fight him on this issue so wish me luck. My role as PCV is not to coordinate or direct projects, it is to serve as a technical liaison or to provide services that are currently unavailable to the people here (like my expertise in Environmental Ed.). I am worried that this is all going to mean even more office work and that won´t be fun at all.
I did get a chance to get out into the campo during the week though. Jason came down from Tena and we headed back out to the dam project. This time we were armed with some legitimate plans to build an earth bag damn that would do everything the people needed. Damn if we were damned from the beginning on this dam project. When we got there, the men told us that are plans were all nice and everything, but that the local government was going to loan them a backhoe so
Cute Frog
This one I stumbled across on the hike - I wanted to lick him, but he wasn´t colorful enough. that they can rebuild the damned dam by pushing around some earth. All they needed was 90 gallons of diesel and then they could start. Jason and I expressed our concerns about their plan saying that by just building an earth wall to block a river was not going to hold up - that during the next heavy rain, their dam would be washed away. They just smiled at us and said it was the easiest solution - easy, yes - solution, hardly. We said that we would come back out to supervise the new construction and to help in whichever ways we could, but I fear that this is going to turn into a Groundhog Day operation. Every few weeks we will be rebuilding the dam because nobody listened to the dam engineers (Jason and I) and the dam plan for the earth dam is filled with damn mistakes.
After seeing the dam we returned to one of the people´s houses to chat some more while we waited for the bus to return. At that point, they asked us for the money to buy 90 gallons of diesel. I somehow knew this was coming. I immediately explained that we
Cotopaxi Snow
This was taken with Andrea´s cell phone. The quality does it no justice. It was so majestic and utterly stunning. were volunteers and had to money to give them, that we would be happy to get our hands dirty with work, but that we could not help financially. They looked at us knowingly and then asked if we could meet them half-way. I changed the subject and we started chatting about life and had a little cultural exchange going on. One of the wives, a beautiful 26 year old Kichwa woman offered us some Chicha de Yucca. This is the drink made by chewing up yucca and then spitting it out allowing it to ferment. It was my first go at chicha. I graciously accepted the drink and took my first sip. It was not what I expected. It tasted yeasty and was chunky - the aftertaste was something like old smelly socks. I did my best to keep a smile on my face and told them that it was good. Somehow, no matter how slow I drank it, the woman kept refilling my bowl and I probably drank a good half gallon, if not more, of chicha. Secretly I was praying for the bus to return so that I would have a chance to stop drinking and leave. Jason is dating a Kichwa girl in Tena and he has some experience with chichi. He did tell me that this particular batch was STRONG. I was predicting a long miserable future for my digestive system.
As we were chatting with the community members, a young child 2 years old came out of the house with a box of matches. I immediately when on the alert and said be careful. The rest of the people showed no immediate concern - maybe because they knew what would happen next. The girl pulled out a match and proceeded to use it to clean her ears. Is earwax flammable? Everyone had a good laugh.
Jason and I proceeded back to my apartment. I pulled out a bottle of vodka in the freezer and we both chugged a little bit to try to stave off the microorganisms that were surely swimming in our guts. I gave Jason a few DVDs and books to take with him and he returned to Tena to spend Valentines Day with his girlfriend.
Sue and I had a quite Valentines Day dinner at home. Sue made some pasta and I brought the chocolate for dessert. It was nice spending this holiday away from all the glitz and marketing you see in the States.
Friday and Saturday I attended an International workshop on the Pastaza River watershed. NGOs and indigenous groups from Peru and Ecuador attended the workshop and presented projects that they are doing and talked about what level of success they are having. The workshop itself seemed to lack a pulse and the whole time I was seeking for a unifying theme that would bring us all together. The concept was a great one, but in reality I think the majority of presenters were not prepared. I did get to meet some new an interesting people though and I made some important contacts that could help in future projects at CODEAMA.
Saturday night, Sue and I attended a dinner meeting of all the owners of the finca (farm/piece of rainforest) that the group at my office purchased a few months ago. I am so glad that Susan and I chose to just make a donation and not be co-owners. The meeting was 5 hours long and was all about book keeping and financing. I kept trying to tell them how my family manages the property we have in Maryland, but nobody seemed to be listening. Instead of following the meeting, Sue and I spent the time talking to two Americans who were visiting Ecuador and their friend who are co-owners of the finca. We kept each other entertained and had a nice evening.
The next morning, I headed to Quito with Andrea and a bus full of Peruvians heading home from the Conference. Andrea and I were going to another workshop in Quito and figured we would take the free ride that Fundación Natura (the workshop sponsor) was providing us.
This gave Andrea and I time to talk about her new job, life, and projects in Puyo that I will be taking over. When we arrived in Quito, I went to the Peace Corps office to gather up Shelly´s stuff and to await her phone call. She finally called and I agreed to meet her at her hotel. I ran into my friend Kris at the office and he came with me. It was a horrible day in Quito (rainy and cold). We got to Shelly’s hotel and gave her the stuff. She in turn, returned the clothing and backpack she borrowed from Susan and I. We agreed to get settled in to our hotels before discussing her trip to Peru.
My hotel was a couple blocks from hers in the Mariscal area of Quito. Fundación Natura was paying for my room so I stayed there for free. Kris and I checked in and then returned to find Shelly. The three of us decided to catch an early dinner at a nice restaurant in the Mariscal. We ordered drinks and appetizers and then had steak dinners. It was very nice and we chatted about all sorts of interesting topics. Shelly’s trip was a success by the way. She had a great time and recommended Machu Pichu to all. After dinner we headed to a café to get some coffee and dessert. Shelly, of course, felt it her duty to pay for all of us, I tried to pay, but she refused me. Thank you Shelly for your kindness - I owe you a lot for your generosity during this trip.
After coffee, we decided to call it an early night - seeing as how it would be an early morning getting her to the airport. We walked Shelly back to the hotel and then returned to our hotel. Kris and I played two games of chess. I managed to lose both even though I took far more pieces than he did. I just played myself into a corner in both games. Oh well, I am not much for chess - you really have to be able to mind f--- people to be good at it.
The next morning I got up at 4:30am and walked to Shelly´s hotel. She had already got a cab and packed her bags in it. I asked if she inquired about the price of the cab - she had not, so I knew that we were in for a battle when we got to the airport (normally $4-$5). The cab driver wanted $8 for the 5 minute ride. I argued with him and told him that he was taking advantage of us and that he was cheating us. He explained that it was early and he had to get out of bed to take us. Hmmmmm….like its your job dude - you got outta bed just like the other 100 cab drivers at the airport at 5:00am. Shelly just wanted to get going so she paid him and we grabbed her stuff and headed into the airport.
Because of security I was not able to help her get checked in, so I said goodbye and waited around for 20 minutes in case something crazy happened. I then returned to the hotel (I paid $4 for the return trip) and slept for another hour.
I got up, showered, and had breakfast. The workshop started at 9:00am and Andrea was going to pick me up around 8:45. We kept exchanging calls and texts and eventually she picked me up at 9:40. Douglas, one of the masters students who does water monitoring with me and is a presenter at the workshop, was waiting with me. We walked into the room and the workshop was just starting - perfect timing Andrea!!! In Ecuador fashion, no meeting ever starts remotely on time.
The workshop was essentially a symposium of Masters projects relating to the Pastaza River watershed. It was very interesting and I enjoyed the day. In the afternoon, I had to leave a little early to get to the Peace Corps office to stock up on medical supplies. I arrived at 5:00pm and the office was dead. So, no medical supplies for me. I did however get the opportunity to speak with Kerry and Pablo, my Peace Corps bosses. We had a good chat about all the changes in Puyo and my concerns about the new volunteer that is going to be placed with Fundación Natura in Puyo. This volunteer and I would be both working on the Water Fund Project and this could potentially be a problem. Before, Andrea was CODEAMA´s point person on the project, now I am. I will be working with the people from Fundación Natura (namely Carolina Mancheno and Pablo Landivar - my officemate). They are the counterparts for the new volunteer. I think we will be able to work something out to maximize both of us volunteers. CODEAMA was going to get an Agriculture volunteer in this round, but found at last week that Peace Corps reneged. This disappointed my counterpart for a variety of reasons and I was upset about it as well for reasons that I can not put on my blog. Anyhow, I spoke with Kerry and Pablo about having the volunteer shy away from the Water Fund work and maybe have them collaborate on some of the sustainable agriculture projects that CODEAMA and Fundación Natura work on together. We will wait and see how it all plays out.
Monday night, I spent the evening by myself. Again, it was a cold crappy night in Quito. I walked around the Mariscal looking for bookstores. Susan wanted me to try and find the book Savages in Spanish and my friend Pablo Landivar (F. Natura) wanted me to look for Confessions of an Economic Hitman in Spanish. I tried four stores and failed at all four. I did find a nice Mexican restaurant and had an awesome cheese quesadilla with guacamole y sour cream (a rarity here). I then wandered back out into the rain to find a DVD/Music store. Andrea heard Arrested Development the other day and I wanted to get her a copy as a farewell gift. Unfortunately, I did not find it - but that is what itunes is for I suppose. On my way back to the hotel I stopped at a tienda to buy a candy bar and we greeted by a huge selection of American candy bars. I chose a Three Musketeers bar and a Snickers to give to Andrea. Andrea will be driving me back to Puyo tomorrow and I have a running deal with her that I always give her a candy bar of some type when she gives me a ride.
I got back to the hotel hoping for a hot shower, but there was no hot water to be had, apparently the rest of the patrons had the same idea about 15 minutes before me. So, I called Sue, ate my candy bar, read National Geographic in Spanish and went to bed.
The next morning Andrea picked me up right on time at 6:45am and we headed to Puyo. The ride was excellent and we got a wonderful view of Cotopaxi - it had snowed the night before and the whole mountain was covered. Andrea said it was the most snow she had ever seen on the mountain.
We stopped in Latacunga to have breakfast - which we opted to eat sandwiches instead of breakfast. The sandwiches were awesome!!! I also bought a hunk of cheese at the restaurant. Latacunga is the milk and cheese producing capital of Ecuador. The cheese cost $1.50 and was an oregano y hot pepper cheese. In the states it would have cost about $5-$6.
Andrea and I spent the remainder of our trip talking about our lives, relationships, failed marriages (Andrea spoke of this, not me), work, travel, and a little about politics. It was a nice trip and in some ways it felt like a fitting end to our time together in Puyo (though we have another week left). It was closure that I felt we both probably needed - the two of us work very well together and perhaps the future will allow some type of continued collaboration.
When we got back to Puyo, Bolivar and I discussed my ¨new¨ role and I will be taking over two projects from Andrea - the Global Paediatric Alliance project (a health project in the communities of FRATES) and the Water Fund. I know I can do it, however, I am feeling overwhelmed - I am a deer stuck in headlights right now. I just want to make sure that my new responsibilities do not hinder the projects I really want to do like the Env. Ed. Guide and the water monitoring.
Tuesday afternoon we had a meeting with Mary Fifield, the director of Global Paediatric Alliance. We went over the project and discussed the next phase. Guillermo’s daughter is a nurse and she has been contracted to do the project, I am her supervisor.
Today, I found out that I have to go back to Quito for another workshop. This time it will be with Karina and three representatives from the FRATES communities. CODEAMA just received a $50,000 grant from the U.N. to do ecotourism, reforestation, community development, and fish ponds in these communities. The workshop is for all the grant recipients to share their plans and their goals. This was another of Andrea’s projects - I don’t think I’ll be responsible for it, but we will have to wait and see.
I was supposed to go with Katie and her father who is visiting from the States, to her old community to do a weekend hike into an ecotourism site in Shuar territory. As it stands, I will be unable to go, because I don’t have the time. But, the upside is that I am going to leave work a little early today to go have some beers with her and her pops - I do have time for that.
There is so much more I want to write, but at this time, I am having trouble putting all my thoughts together.
Susan is adentro and you all are the only people I can share my depression, frustration, and apprehension with at this time. Thanks for reading, thanks for being supportive, and thanks for giving a shit.
Jeremy
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Hannah
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Hang in there Jer
I feel your stress. Like everything, this too will pass. Just like the pain from my knee surgery. Feeling pretty good so far, maybe I am just immune to pain now :) Anyway, vent on, and I def give a shit :)