Christmas letter

So we're still here...in Bucay, Ecuador...in southern Ecuador, 100 kilometers east of Guayaquil at the base of the Andes mountains. Guayaquil is actually Ecuador's biggest city...almost 3 million people. It's a port town on the Guayas River. Bucay is about 10,000 people when you total up the whole canton (think county). We've been in Bucay for 8 and a half months now. We've been in Ecuador for a total of 11 months. So we've got a year and 3 months to go complete our 2 years (at site).

Our success story so far is that we just completed 16 weeks of teaching English to people who work in tourism...or anything related to tourism. This was our first substantial project and it ended up being fairly successful. We started with 44 students and finished with 26. By Peace Corps standards that's successful. We are planning on following this up by trying to help some of our students with marketing, advertising, etc.
Now let me be very clear, this experience is very challenging. We each get paid $292 per month plus and additional $100 that covers our rent and electric. This is just enough for food, necessities and maybe one trip out of site per month. These trips involve traveling on one of the regional buses for 2-6 hours to visit other volunteers and/or visit the coast. But riding on the buses gets really old, really fast.
Why else is our experience challenging? It's kind of like we're put here and we have to create a job for ourselves. And most of the people here, including those we are trying to help, don't understand why we are here or what we are trying to do. We've explained it many times to many people but it still doesn't seem to be well understood. “We work for the US government...but we're called volunteers and no, we don't have any money to buy you a truck, a tractor or build you house.”
We were told we'd be working with the local government, a foundation and the provincial government. The guy at the local government is totally useless to work with. And the guy at the foundation that we were supposed to work with repeatedly, repeatedly would tell us he's coming to town to meet with us and then wouldn't show up, wouldn't call, wouldn't answer calls, etc. But the bright, shining hope for us has been working with the provincial government. They've been great to work with, they helped us organize the English classes and they seem to understand the Peace Corps mission better than anyone else so far.
We also have to deal with ants and insects of all kinds that make for very ichy welts when they bite you. And it seems the insects here love gringos. We also have to deal with power outages, water problems in our building and for a small town Bucay is really noisy. They will “share” really loud music and all times of the day or night.
Now, we've also had many really cool experiences too. The challenging thing is that it is really hard plan things and know exactly how things are going to come out. We spend so much time trying to figure out stuff like which bus goes to where or when is the big parade for the virgin? Our Spanish is good enough to be able to ask the right questions it's just that the answers people give you aren't always completely clear, we don't understand their Spanish completely or they just tell us something rather than tell you they don't know. So we try to ask several people then take an average.
Bucay sits at the base of a cloud forest and there are guides that will take you hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, etc. There's also rivers that they do rafting and kayaking on. But Bucay is really well known for is“canyoning”. This means rappelling down waterfalls. And the cloud forest has dozens of waterfalls. So just hiking to see the waterfalls is really cool. And I have twice done canyoning. It is really exciting and cool (to put it mildly). And the guides are really professional with all the proper harnesses, helmets, safety ropes, etc. Cherith was going to do it right after me the first time I went but the guide wouldn't let her go because it had started to rain and the water flow became to heavy (which pushes rocks over the falls). I know because I felt small ones hitting my helmet and shoulders.

So wealthier tourists drive from Guayaquil to see the waterfalls and go canyoning. But sadly, a lot of the local people have never even been to see the waterfalls. So we organized two trips with our students to go to waterfalls and see some of the other tourists services that are offered along the way (Cabins, food and sugar mills). This way they can be better representatives of their area.
The sugar mills (trapiches) are small scale sugar presses that they use to extract the sugar cane juice. They are human powered and/or mule powered, and sit under open-air thatched roof huts. Sugar is a big part of the culture here. They process it into several grades of raw sugar, brown sugar, molasses and of course they distill into moonshine they call “puro” or“aguardiente”. The sugar cane juice with a squeeze of lime or orange is quite tasty and refreshing. And it's very unique because you watch them press it and then you drink it. You can also have it with puro for a cocktail, of sorts.
If you interested in reading more about our adventures/misadventures down here you can check out our blog that we infrequently post on. (cherithandrich.blogspot.com) Or just check out our facebook pages...those have lots of good pictures of our experiences.

So enough for now. And please. please send us updates on your lives. It feels good to keep in touch with people back in the USA.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Rich and Cherith

Will Anyone Even Read This....

Hello All....Well, we have NOT been very good at keeping up with blogging. So, that means that most likely we have lost the attention of our readers and it is very likely that no one will even read this (thus the title). But, hey, one can hope. One thing frustrating about this blog is that it is so public....Peace Corp checks in on our blogs....the Ecuadorian government searches for Peace Corp blogs (we know this is true because a fellow volunteer posted something on her blog and our boss got a call about it from someone in the Ecuadorian government....they didn't like what she had said). So, anyhow, what does that leave us to say? Only the good and uncontroversial. But, hey, pictures are always fun and hopefully somehow along the way we empart part of this amazing cross cultural experience to you.

We went to the beach for our 3 year anniversary. The town had a skatepark so Rich got to skate for the first time
in 9 months and I got a new sun hat : )

So, the most excitement lately is that we have been upgrading! Yes, upgrading. Our stack of cardboard boxes that have served us well as shelves for 6 months finally lost their job and have been replaced by a gorgeous bamboo shelf that Rich built for us with one of our neighbors. He and our neighbor bought the bamboo and built it in the neighbor's wood shop. It doesn't have a single nail or screw in it. They made pegs out of bamboo that are driven in to serve as nails/screws. It is big so we can finally have a place to put our TV, books, and lesson planning materials. So exciting! (As a side note, before the bookcase was done the kittens knocked the TV off of the stool it was on and shattered the case. The tube didn't break and it actually still works. The destructive force of cats should never be underestimated.)

The beautiful bamboo shelf Rich built (with a neighbor friend).

But, it doesn't end here. Finally, last night, we got a bed frame! We have been sleeping on a mattress on the floor for 6 months and finally saved up enough (we are trying to live only on the money Peace Corp gives us) to buy a bed frame. And, actually, as things often go here....we ended up getting a frame different than what we thought we ordered (language barriers have a way of bringing about such experiences). But, it is amazingly nicer than we expected and the story behind the guy who got it for us is something I will save for another day (I will always remember).

The new bed frame (nicer than what we thought

we were buying).

Also, Rich built a table to put our 1/2 fridge on so that we no longer have to kneel down to get something out of the fridge. All these things are so exciting!!

The fridge table.

Rich building.

Let's see....we've had a few fellow volunteers come and visit. We got to show them some of the awesomely cool tourism activities that we have here in Bucay. For example, we all went "canyoning". This is the word they use for rappeling down waterfalls. Not just rappeling down a dry rock face, but rappelling down a wet, flowing rock face of a waterfall. Here is a video of a friend rapelling down one.

Let's see, otherwise, we are really enjoying teaching English classes to local people who work in tourism - restaraunt, hotels, as tour guides, or selling local art (people who might have contact with English speaking visitors). I have 20 students and Rich has about 20. Mine are here in town, but Rich's class is outside of town near the waterfalls. It takes about 20 minutes to get to his class in a car on a bumpy road, back into the mountains. Every time he comes home he has more to say about the ride than about the English class. There are no buses that go there, and most of the people who live up there ride motorcycles (which we are not allowed to ride - per Peace Corp). Taxis go up there, and people driving up to their land in their trucks, or cattle trucks, etc. Supposedly he has a ride with someone pre-arranged but it doesn't always come through and then they end up hitching rides....which doesn't always happen quickly. The other night he called (from the one spot that has cell reception) and said "I'm not sure when I'll be back. Our car fell through. We're waiting along the side of the road for something to come by that will pick us up. It's pitch black. See you when I get there." He was only about an hour or hour and half later than usual getting home that night. Anyhow, of his 20 students, only two have past a 6th grade education. One cannot read or write and he is the primary tour guide. They are so happy to have this opportunity to learn. They are delightful and eager students (and friends of ours) and he is having quite a time trying help them learn some basic English. I think he is also just a fascination for them sometimes (ha!) as he is probably the first American many of them have ever seen in person or talked to.

Where Rich teaches English classes (under the thatched roof).

Cherith's classroom.

Cherith with a couple students.

Registration sign directing people to where to register for English classes.

Registration counter.

A student registering for English classes.

Lorena Bobbit is from Bucay!

     So here's the punch line you've all been waiting for. Yes, that's right...Lorena Bobbit was born and raised in Bucay, Ecuador! You remember Lorena. She cut off her abusive husband's penis when he was asleep then went for a drive and through it (the penis) out the window not too far from their house. The penis was recovered and surgically reattached...and apparently regained it's functionality. This all happened in 1993.

     We learned about this a long time ago. It was so random and bizarre I didn't even know what to do with the information. So I finally decided, with Cherith's blessing, to post it.

          So a couple of weeks ago the President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, came to town to do some politicking. I could almost say that he came to our street. This stage was set up at the end of our street about 100 meters from our apartment door. He came to the area to give away parcels of land. Apparently some absentee landowner hadn't paid his taxes in years so it was being divided up and redistributed.
          Correa is leading what he calls a "citizen's revolution".  From what I've learned, he's popular, he's been re-elected twice, and he's doing some good things for his country (like improving the infrasture). It was quite unique to have the President of Ecuador come to our town. And keep in mind our town is only about 10, 000 people.
          Now, click on the picture to blow it up, and yes, that's Cherith and I in the top right of the photo. We know the owners of the house and were allowed to view the speech from up there. Again, quite a unique experience. A person would never be allowed to watch a speech of a US President from a position like that.

Check out Bucay's website at www.destinobucay.com

What have we been up to lately??? Let's see....

• Rich has been translating the tourism web pages into English (updates are NOT on the site yet)
• Rich has been exploring international marketing ideas (for example, how to get your town into the Foder's or Lonely Planet, etc books)
• Cherith has been helping a local with a business plan for her idea to have a tour operator business
• We have been creating a PowerPoint presentation with photos of all the attractions in the area that we are going to use to go to the schools (with our co-worker) and help teach the kids what there is to do in their own community (they don't really know). I didn't understand the need for this at first, but now I do...I can explain it if you are curious
• We got our three counterpart organizations together for two meetings (they don't communicate much so this is a step in that direction)
• We have just about finished visiting all the tourist attractions, or potential tourist attractions, in the area
• We have done over 50 interviews with community members
• We went to the town beauty pagent (It is one of the biggest activities of the year and it went from 10 PM to 4:30 in the morning! Seriously! The contestants are ages 14 - 18.)
• We have been attending as many local activities as possible...parades, festivals, etc.
• Cherith has started going to "Baila Therapia" (Dance Therapy) classes with some of the local women; Rich tried basketball...the guys keep wanting him to play
• We just spent our first weekend away in three months on the beach in Puerto Engabao...this is a beach 4 hours away where one of our fellow volunteers is working.

Here are some random photos that we have:

Some of the many different colorful traditional dance dresses.

The Virgin Mary is paraded around all the time....

More traditional dess and dancing.

And another group of traditional dancers.

Some of the outfits in one of the many stages of the annual beauty pageant. These outfits were Vegas quality - over the top! This contest (contestants are ages 14 - 18) went from 10 PM to 4:30 AM!

Visiting Keshia in Puerto Engabao, Ecuador. She is another volunteer in our group. This is about 4 1/2 hours from where we live.

The Puerto Engabao lighthouse. Keshia goes here to get cell reception and internet to upload books onto her Kindle....otherwise there is no internet in town.

The community has 16 places, in people's homes, but private entrances, where visitors can stay for $7 per person per night. They are very nice and clean, and this project is helping increase the income of the locals.

This is a town of about 200...you can see almost the whole town in this picture. The building that is being built in the middle will be a hotel. Tourists come for surfing, or just for the beauty and tranquility of the place.

Beautiful sailboats in a town nearby.

Rescued babies!

 This is Pedro at 3 weeks.

(We read on the internet on how to tell how old they were.)

 This is Mimi at 3 weeks.

This is them trying to get out of their box because they want to eat.

THERE ARE OTHER PICS WHEN THEY ARE OLDER, AT THE END OF THE POST

So, if you know us at all you know that Rich and I are suckers for cats. We have two in the States and they are currently living with people who are kindly taking care of them for us. Weeeell, we are learning that the treatment of animals in Ecuador is not the same as in the states. About our 4th week here in Bucay we came across 5 three week old kittens abandoned in a drain pipe close to a major road. We were beside ourselves with wonder about where was the mom, why were they here, how long had they been there, etc. We came back later in the day because we just couldn't bare the thought of them still being there and we knew it was going to rain that night and they would all die. Well, to make a long story short, several other people took three of the kittens before we got back...the strongest, healthiest ones, and left the two runts. It was almost dark and although we were living with a host family (we didn't know if they liked cats or not), we just couldn't leave these two little kittens there to die. So, we didn't ask permission, we got a cardboard box and brought them home....I seriously thought they died the first night because I didn't hear a peep out of them all night, and I was scared to check them in the morning. But, nope, when I peeked in they started going full force with their little kitten meows, desperate for some food and love. So, we found a vet, got some kitten food (we were very lucky that there even was a vet; there is one vet in the area of 20,000 people), and started feeding them with an eye dropper. Over time we graduated to a baby bottle, and now, 9 weeks later, our babies are eating hard food on their own and are very independent and have crazy amounts of energy! They were a TON of work, they had parasites twice that we had to get rid of (not fun and I'll save you the details), and one almost died on us one night. But, they survived and are our little darlings....of course, we don't need four cats (two in the states and two here), so if you'd like to have your own rescued Ecuadorian kitten, let us know! But, I don't really know if I could give them up....maybe : )

 Caught! On top of the b-room trash can.

 Helping Rich study Spanish.

 (With dried kitten food on her nose.)

 Nap time, about 8 weeks.

 Awwww.

Feeding time was sooooo cute.

There's always lots of napping.

And lots of playing.

 11 weeks.

 Passed out in our luggage.

 This week (week 12) they learned how to climb

the sawhorse on the patio. Very exciting for them.

 Mimi actually picked it up before Pedro.

No water, too much water and our new apartment.

So we’ve been hearing a lot about the extremely dry spring that Colorado has been experiencing. And well, we don’t have that problem here in Bucay. We’ve been here for a month and half and it’s pretty much rained every night and sometimes in the day.  A week ago we moved into our new apartment just down the street from where we were living. We are very excited about our new apartment. It’s quite clean and nice. The little old lady who owns the building recently had it built. Basically all the houses or buildings here are set up with rebar and/or columns sticking out the roof so that when you want to add another floor you just add it on. So our apartment was built on half of the roof of our building so we are able to walk out onto a big terrace that’s bigger than our apartment. We share this space with the other apartments. People use it to dry their clothes. We’re on the fourth floor so we have nice views of the mountains when they’re not covered by clouds(which seems to be most of the time). And yes, we have to walk up three flights of stairs to get to our place.

                We found this place when we were here for our site visit back in early March. We were walking down the street and a little old lady asked us where we were living and if we needed a place to live. So we got to see it then and she basically held it for us while she continued to have work done on it. She had rented to a Peace Corps volunteer in the past so I think that helped us out.

                Now here’s where the fun begins… We’d visited the apartment several times before we moved in and we noticed that sometimes there was water and sometimes there wasn’t. We’d ask her about it and she’d say that she’d get it fixed or something like that. So we moved in a week ago knowing that there still was some problems with the water. For a few days we still showered back at our host families’ place.  We kept leaving our landlord notes asking her to do something about it. We’d fill buckets and tubs when we had water so we’d have it for washing dishes, bucket bathing and laundry.

                The first night we slept there it rained in the night (which is normal) but I also heard additional water hitting the roof. I get up to discover water in our main room which is leaking thru the ceiling just inside the door. We had been warned about water coming into the apartment but we thought it came from under the front door when it rained really hard. Well, come to find out it does that too. So I mopped up everything, put buckets down to catch the water and went back to sleep.  In the morning I began to investigate the problem. Right outside our door on the roof is a big blue cistern. We were told this would be our water or we shared this with another apartment. I conclude that this thing must be leaking which is causing our problem. I stack up two saw horses so I can climb up to check it out. I pull the lid off the tank and it’s empty.

To make a long story short, days go by of talking to neighbors, leaving notes with the landlord and trying to figure out the system. Then the neighbor below us tells us that there’s something very important regarding the functioning of the pump for our cistern in his apartment. We ask if we can see it. We go into his bedroom and coming in through his window is the electrical plug for the pump. (?) So he saysjust go buy some electrical cord so we can splice it in and run the cord up to our apartment. My response is, “Si, si, si!” So I buy the cord, he splices it in, I run it into our kitchen window, plug it in and just like that I’m filling the tank. I’m so pleased with myself that I send Cherith a text telling her that I think I solved our problem.  After it filled I was able to take a shower for the first time in our apartment! I send Cherith another text with the news of my shower.

Now if you’re paying attention this story started with water coming into the apartment (probably from the cistern).But I took great care to replace the hose clamp on the hose going into the cistern and I inspected the whole thing when it was full and it wasn’t leaking. So why then when Cherith returns several hours later was the tank empty? I was stumped.

The next day our host family sends over a guy who was doing work on one of their toiles to take a look at our problem…a plumber…of sorts. He looks things over and starts working on the water lines coming into the house down by the street. I was very skeptical of this approach but I didn’t interfere. He ended up installing  a one-way valve so that water won’t drain out of tank back into the water coming from the city. I’m very confused. It’s like we have water coming from the street and we have water from our cistern feeding into the same system.Whatever the situation,the water stops draining out of the tank.

That night we hear water hitting the roof again and it’s not raining. So we’re up in the middle of the night, standing  on a saw horse and shining a flashlight on the cistern. Water is overtopping the tank and running onto the roof (and the pump isn’t plugged in). In hopes of preventing the water from saturating the roof again and coming through the ceiling we turn on the kitchen sink and the shower. We’ve did that for like three nights. It’s such a waste. I conclude that at night, when no one is using water, the system is pressurized enough to fill our tank through the water outlet. So we get the plumber guy to come back and install another one-way valve on the water coming out of the tank so that water can’t back up into it.  And Viola! We now have the ability to fill our water tank, maintain the water in it and it doesn´t overflow at night. We are finally able to sleep through the night without have to deal with this issue in some way.

I´m sure we´ll find more problems with our apartment but for now we´re happy.

These pics are just to give you an idea of what our place looks like.

Obviously this is before we moved in...