I've landed ...

... training's done - we've passed our language tests, our technical competencies, we've followed bazillions of rules, we've proven we can adapt to a new culture and have what it takes ... deep inside each of us ... to be a Peace Corps Volunteer.

... we've sworn in - after a beautiful morning at the Ambassador's home in Quito, 42 Americans were shipped off to various places all over Ecuador. For some it took merely a matter of hours to arrive at their new homes, others spent several (10+ hours) on the bus(es).

... my bags are unpacked - I've landed in a house filled with love and have been received with open arms. It's a short walk to work as well as to the center of town. There is another Peace Corps Volunteer in my site - a wonderful older volunteer who is from Minnesota! Her host family wasn't working out, among other discomforts, they wanted to double her rent to $100 because she was taking hot showers everyday; so my host family has adopted her, and she's looking at moving up the street from me into my host grandmother's house. My mother loves to cook and I have a big bed -- so come visit me!!

... I've started work - my first assignments are to complete a business assessment of the pizzeria and chocolate/cheese stores downstairs, and tomorrow I am giving a charla to the 30+ people at my office. "What's a charla?" you wonder; it's a term (in Ecuador) for workshops or lectures that (with a Peace Corps twist) usually consist of food, games and pre/post tests. Wish me luck!

My work is going to be busy – Promocion Humana has over a hundred and fifty groups through the province of Bolivar. The people at my office are dedicated and hard working. It's been quite a learning process to sit in long technical meetings in Spanish. Most of the time I find myself lost, but slowly and surely I'll make enough mistakes to start understanding the process of work here.

We're supposed to take it easy for the first three months and integrate into our communities. According to the casa blanca, we're all just those crazy gringos who look ridiculous doing whatever it is we do all day long. No matter how much we try and blend in, we will stick out. Picture this – someone dressed up in a chicken suit, running around and shouting “I'm here to help you! I'm here to help you!” in the middle of Times Square – this is what we look like in Ecuador. So, to minimize that however amusing visual, for the first three months PC asks us not to leave our sites; and to take the time to say “hola” to every person on the street, attend every community activity and get to know the local norms/ slang/ and dangerous places.

My first weekend here was my first chance to integrate with my family and community. Thursday, my first day here, I took off work to unpack my bags and spend the day with my mom and sister. My sister curiously sat in my room while I unpacked, asking what everything was. We talked about our families and school and hobbies. She knitted me a scarf and hat, because it gets cold in Guaranda. For lunch, the other Peace Corps Volunteer here in Guaranda joined us, and after we all headed to the weekly 3pm Thursday market trip. The entire trip took 2.5 hours and we came home with what I remember felt like 150lbs of fruit and veggies in three potato bags. At the market we joined up with 3-6 other women (I couldn't keep track of them sometimes) to purchase fruits and veggies in large amounts. The women bartered and hurried from seller to seller, quickly filling their bags and dividing their finds. The actual time we spent purchasing goods in the market was short, the meeting people and socializing between levels of the market is what we spent most of our time doing (yes, it is a two and a half story building filled with chicken, fish, eggs, pigs and more!).

The next day I went to work for my first official day. The day was unexpectedly filled with excited familiar faces (from my site visit) as well as several new faces to meet. That night we made guacamole and tortillas (thanks for the recipe mom!) and my host family loved them!! I had been running by myself the previous two days, and my little sister told me Friday night she wanted to join me, so, sure enough at 7am sharp she was waiting in the living room for me. We walked up a short hill to the Federacion de Deportes where there is an outdoor track to run around. I was so proud of her, and hope we can keep up the early morning workouts! Saturday is actually a work day for me here (until 2pm), so after running with my little sister, I headed to work. Saturday night was spent playing cuarenta (an Ecudorian card game) with the cousins. Sunday morning for breakfast I made french toast, although it really is just not the same without maple syrup … and then we set off for the family finca (ranch/ farm). We decided to walk the hour to the small, peaceful haven outside of the city. My host aunt and her family own the land and are building a new house on it. During my complete tour of the house-to-be, I fond my father's prized possession is a grill where they can cook pigs. :) We cooked corn over a fire, ate it with mayonnaise while making corn-husk dolls decorated with flowers and petals of every sort. That night the whole family returned to our house where we made chocolate chip cookie and played Frisbee.

These first few days showed me a glimpse into my new life, but there are still many many unknowns. It appears to be a very new experience filled with unexpected challenges everyday. The next few months will be spent making sense out of everything. I think PC has it right – spend the time now to integrate and learn what the people want; you'll spend less time redoing the projects you wanted to have and more time empowering the projects they want.

Talking to the other volunteers in Omnibus 102, its amazing to see how different each of our experiences have already been. We all are placed in very different places, and we all come from very different places. Someone recently asked me, “Where does your motivation to be here come from? How do you know you want to be here for the next two years?”. To this, I think the following begins to capture some of the internal/ unconscious motivation:

"Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment." - Toole