Peace(ing) Together My First Two Weeks in Ecuador

Hello!!  I have now been in Ecuador for almost two weeks and completed my first full week as a PCT (Peace Corps Trainee.) Surreal is the first word that comes to mind when I reflect on my experience thus far. I have dreamed of serving in the Peace Corps since before I went to college, and finally being here is an incredible feeling. For those of you who don't know what I'm doing here (which is probably everyone because I also didn't have much information before leaving the States), I will be working as a TEFL volunteer. After three months of training in Quito, I will be placed in a school and community in another part of the country for two years. In my school I will be working and collaborating with Ecuadorian English teachers in hopes of improving the quality of English education in a sustainable manner. During the seventh week of training I will find out where I'll be placed for the next two years and will have the opportunity to visit my new site!!

The view on my walk to the Peace Corps training center 

Although I studied abroad here in Quito two years ago and have experienced the culture and norms, I am still learning new things every day. While many things like the incredibly crowded buses, $2 almuerzos, and exotic fruits feel familiar, I am now living in a new town with a new host family and am going through the Peace Corps training process. Getting to training by bus every day is an adventure in itself. In order to get to the training center by 8 each morning, I get on the bus at 7 which happens to be peak time. The buses are so crowded that you can't imagine how one more person could possibly fit, but don't worry it's always possible!! ...and today I was that person. The buses also don't always come to a complete stop and this morning as I put one foot on the first step, the bus started moving. The bus was so crowded that the stairs on the bus were also completely full. As I scrambled to get both feet on the bus, the doors started closing and I launched myself forward into the crowd to avoid getting stuck between the doors. Luckily I survived but I may have fallen and sustained a few injuries in the process... My favorite phrase to describe the buses in Quito: "como una caja de sardines"/like a can of sardines. 

A little bit about my host family:

Me and fellow PCT's Martha and Elias in our town of Tumbaco

I am living with a family in a valley outside of Quito called Tumbaco. I live in an apartment with my host parents, Ketty and Hernon. Although it's just the three of us, we live in an area with all of Hernon's family and my host brother Alex lives next door with his wife Veronica and son Ramiro (Ramirito). They have been so kind and welcoming and I already feel like part of the family. Last weekend I went to mass and then a huge party with my host parents in a town called Latacunga. Since arriving in Ecuador I've been to mass with my family twice... two more times than I've ever been to mass in the U.S.!! While I am not a religious person, or even Catholic for that matter, I see it as a cultural experience and a way to learn more about my community. On a different cultural note, my first family party was wild! We went to a family friend's house outside of Latacunga in a rural area. They had a huge tent set up with tables, a dance floor, and a DJ. Each table had a bottle of whiskey on it and the hosts would go around making everyone drink. They served everyone HUGE plates of food and the dancing continued all night. Someone even told me that my dancing wasn't that bad!! When we finally left at 2:30 AM to drive back to Quito the party was still in full swing. My host dad was in the Ecuadorian Air Force and we went to another party this weekend at the "Fuerza Aérea" club that he belongs to. We got there at 10AM and didn't leave until 7PM and even though nine hours is a reallyyy long time for a party, I had a lot of fun. It also seemed like all of my parents' friends were determined to teach me how to salsa, or to set me up with one of their relatives (updates to follow).

The view from the roof of my house in Tumbaco

My adorable host nephew Ramirito 

Homemade chifles! (plantain chips)

Overall, I've had a great first two weeks in Ecuador! I feel like my Spanish is improving little by little, but combined with long days of training, constantly thinking and speaking in another language is exhausting. I've also found that the more my Spanish improves, the harder it is to find the words I'm looking for in English and as a result I've been speaking a lot of spanglish...

To sum up my first two weeks as a PCT in Ecuador:

-I finally understand what my role in Peace Corps will be for the next two years 

-Ecuadorians won't take no for an answer when it comes to dancing and drinking

-Nothing beats $2 almuerzos (soup, main dish, and a homemade juice!!) 

-Public transportation is an adventure in itself every day