Hasta Pronto Guaranda!

The last few weeks have been a blurrr (more photos) - finishing with projects, spending time with loved ones, planning for my move, attending despedidas (going away parties), and packing up my house. I've changed communities/ jobs/ host families ...but Guaranda is and always will be a part of my heart.

It really hasn't sunk in yet that I've left Guaranda, staying in Ecuador and having plans to go back to visit every 2ish months (half marathon in October, Christmas in December, and CARNAVAL in February).  I filled the last few weeks with seven despedidas - between schools, the Fundacion, CEMOPLAF, friends and family - I realized the despedidas are really for everyone else. 

My despedidas ranged from elementary school kids dancing Danza Kuduro..

(LEFT: students of Santa Ana, during their Despedida Program)  In the last few months, we've been getting things ready for the new volunteers - finishing up the Literature Program for the year, organizing the Youth Entrepreneurship Group, finalizing requirements for student scholarships, setting up the Ludoteca (Youth Center) and Library at the Foundation.






Sheep (kiillings and) BBQs...

At the beginning of the month, my host mom (Teresa) asked me what food I wanted for my Despedida ... "lasagna? guacamole?", she asked, listing my favorite dishes to make.  She joked about the idea of killing a sheep - "sheep lasagna?!" A week or so after that, she approached me again, timidly proposing the idea of having a sheep killing - they wanted to do it, but weren't sure if I would eat it.  I told Teresa, it was her last chance to castigarme (punish me), so she might as well do it by making me eat yaguarlocro (sheep intestine soup) and bbq'd sheep meat.

 Saturday night the neighbors came over and Thomas was killed.

I better explain something; Thomas is the new PCV who will replace me at the Foundation.  Teresa named the sheep Thomas - she said the sheep is named Thomas because he's sacrificing his life so I can go to Loja and be successful.  For the past two years I've been working and sacrificing my life to live in Guaranda and preparing the people here and the work for Thomas to come.  He needs to sacrifice (his life?) to make sure I have success in Loja.  Ecuadorian Culture or Quick Cover-up?  I'm still debating...

 And good old fashioned dancing and friends...

As I mentioned in a previous blog, Peace Corps Ecuador accepted my proposal for a Professional Development Extension for 10 months.  This past Tuesday I moved to Loja, the Provincial Capital of the Southern most Provence.  It's a larger city - close to 240,000 people.  It is located at the bottom of the glacial Cuxibamba Valley, and lies between the humid Amazon Basin and the Peruvian sechura - making it the perfect geographic location for paramo, cloud-forest, and jungle.  Podocarpus National Park (a massive cloud-fores reserve) is located just minutes outside the city.  To make things even better, Loja is the Music Capital of Ecuador and is knows as the City of the Parks.  It's going to be a great next year!

Tuesday morning at 3am, my host uncle, aunt, and grandma drove me the 9 hours to my new home.  (And, thank goodness, if I had gone by myself on public transportation, it would have been 2 buses, 1 scary Guayaquil terminal, 12+hours, and cutting my number of bags in half!)

I absolutely adore my new host family - a divorced woman and her son.  They are both very smart, charming, caring,  and well connected within the Loja area.  After spending less than 24hs in my new community, I took a 5hr bus ride up north to Cuenca.  My new counter-organization, Soluciones Comunitarias, has their office there, and everyone who work for the organization (2 Italian women) lives there.  We reviewed methods, products, accounting, logistics, history, and goals for 3 days!  The work appears innovative, hands-on, dynamic and is focused in social entrepreneurship, nutrition and woman empowerment.  I'll be working with entrepreneurs in the rural area - focusing on training and development.  Additionally, I'll be helping to set up the Regional Office in Loja - building the professional and social network for Soluciones Comunitarias and social entrepreneurs.

Oh, I'm accepting applications for visitors this coming year :)  Please apply ASAP!