tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9714053815230077472024-02-08T02:31:17.280-04:00"You must be the change you want to see in the world."Peace Corps Bolivia volunteer, 2007-2010saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-84527297042676931562011-02-24T16:58:00.000-04:002011-02-24T16:58:39.547-04:00Fire CamouflageHave I ever mentioned that the firefighters here wear red camouflage? Do they think they are going to blend into the flames? And even if they could, wouldn´t that be really dangerous? Wouldn´t you rather people be able to see you if you were surrounded by fire? The municipal police wear blue camouflage. That one remains a complete mystery...saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-6864702101904120432011-02-24T09:53:00.000-04:002011-02-24T09:53:13.724-04:00I really like how cheap/easy it is to get clothes tailored/altered here. Volunteers leave old clothes in the office in Quito when they finish their service, and so I had some clothes from there that were too big plus some other clothes from the last few years that weren´t good for the climate here. I took a pair of jeans that I liked how they fit me and a pair of oversized men´s work khakis that I picked up to a lady in town and said ¨make these (khakis) like these (jeans)¨ and she did! I got a dress, two pairs of pants, two skirts, and three shirts altered for $5 and now I have all new clothes for work! =) =) =) Life is good.saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-76968741286179378132011-02-16T10:47:00.000-04:002011-02-16T10:47:55.175-04:00death bells<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I live next to the church, but the bells can be heard all the way to my work. There is one kind of ring (constant, quick ringing for about 30 seconds) to call the people to mass every day. There is another kind of ring (slow interval ringing for a minute or two) that signals that someone in the town died. I hate that ring, it´s awful. You get all worried because some deaths here are so unexpected...then everyone starts talking about who died, how they died, and get ready for the visitation, funeral, and burial, which is a town event here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, the guy who takes care of the church, Hooper, is kinda an unconventional jokester and sometimes, when he rings the bell to call people to church, he starts of slow like the death bell and then, before the priest can get mad, speeds it up. Gets me every time.</span>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-62219251018056225472010-11-22T16:55:00.001-04:002010-11-22T16:58:24.988-04:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Well, work was slow last week because the municipal dump truck was unavailable to take construction materials out to the communities and there were no classes because the federal government decided to employ high school students to take the national census, thus they needed to take them out of classes for a full week to train them. =( I guess the positive side of all of this is that I can finally update ye olde bloge. At this rate, maybe by the end of the year I’ll be caught up, hootie hoo! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span lang="EN-US">July</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">So, in July I went home on home leave. Home Leave is one of the excellent benefits of being a PC volunteer...they give you up to a month of home leave and tickets home when you decide to extend your service beyond your initial two years. So off to Chicago it was! Dad, Andy, and I took a trip to some really great parks in the UP...lots of hiking, biking, kayaking, swimming, and SUN! Came back to Lombard, visited Jen in Chicago (they were filming Transformers, that was kind of cool) and Jen and Betsy came out to visit me. We did a lot of shopping, seeing as most of my clothes looked about like most peoples´ do after two years in Peace Corps. We also did a lot of eating unhealthy American foods, yum yum yum! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvMRZsGtf9WElDqFy8Nx8loxBcQvf39284ieqWPANK02Gn6eKXrjNalKsMuZ6g0RfPwPhKKgrbgv8o0cEx5h4RwW9iTPVNa69PIgxGEvTyeDHf38z2ooC2_rFnXuK71ny7kTgfA2Z_srV/s1600/july14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvMRZsGtf9WElDqFy8Nx8loxBcQvf39284ieqWPANK02Gn6eKXrjNalKsMuZ6g0RfPwPhKKgrbgv8o0cEx5h4RwW9iTPVNa69PIgxGEvTyeDHf38z2ooC2_rFnXuK71ny7kTgfA2Z_srV/s320/july14.JPG" width="320" /> </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kayaking in the UP </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGy1bksoVd3JXqnFaCTB8AFWR-CvmLJleh6D_r2eMIW4-JZ8HK_oHytXU2usgMq-EgUak9vSRCfLXFoBXLTGs6y96hPxg6ZMUmHLqkVJFCzcxvZ5IQQC81QhTyq2uqWFvKxa8gBNWuF8XK/s1600/july01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGy1bksoVd3JXqnFaCTB8AFWR-CvmLJleh6D_r2eMIW4-JZ8HK_oHytXU2usgMq-EgUak9vSRCfLXFoBXLTGs6y96hPxg6ZMUmHLqkVJFCzcxvZ5IQQC81QhTyq2uqWFvKxa8gBNWuF8XK/s320/july01.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Enjoying eating way too much food with Andy and Papa Nelson</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLiyzaLjk3aCjRTia28JSjvGsyi96Akj_nj72s4X8y1jZk67LIL9IQJVEJxmTrIkRuCbgQrl-pKXUzI1v9IAMr3qr-0B8Aoqjcweihbmoi4oOjZhWzv-WbBBbgpYRkzgpGRaLjsQuXykeK/s1600/july04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLiyzaLjk3aCjRTia28JSjvGsyi96Akj_nj72s4X8y1jZk67LIL9IQJVEJxmTrIkRuCbgQrl-pKXUzI1v9IAMr3qr-0B8Aoqjcweihbmoi4oOjZhWzv-WbBBbgpYRkzgpGRaLjsQuXykeK/s320/july04.JPG" width="320" /> </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dad at Porcupine Mtns </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitb-P8Q2RyLUS-vmqvZhbWDuhaIq-FjvRrejljDy88JN5WJWAWAwFan6ReZ2PLIIgSb74BPohLG0drAUqedeCr-Lp_2c4tEKzJpVERbnmeM5mmAHo5WXQgOP6fcg2M-eALXETmdRJEpHGK/s1600/july05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitb-P8Q2RyLUS-vmqvZhbWDuhaIq-FjvRrejljDy88JN5WJWAWAwFan6ReZ2PLIIgSb74BPohLG0drAUqedeCr-Lp_2c4tEKzJpVERbnmeM5mmAHo5WXQgOP6fcg2M-eALXETmdRJEpHGK/s320/july05.JPG" width="232" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Andy at Muskellonge</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWYwtG3OWqui5SiW_d9ucI7mRX9JGBAyheAcOlJKwP_mQnLMO392z_xlC_GDRpoeJYW_uNc4jSNCn0yVf95mPC_QXZ_7tvV6V5dW-lx7XPc-jO2LKqjXh1W2wP75dzjL3BRhjdNv4uqMh/s1600/july07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWYwtG3OWqui5SiW_d9ucI7mRX9JGBAyheAcOlJKwP_mQnLMO392z_xlC_GDRpoeJYW_uNc4jSNCn0yVf95mPC_QXZ_7tvV6V5dW-lx7XPc-jO2LKqjXh1W2wP75dzjL3BRhjdNv4uqMh/s320/july07.JPG" width="320" /> </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Waterfalls at Porcupine Mtns </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjRbqPc-NS2ElvoFaTL5C9YaA6UT_Y7VuA63PRWi0ON3VYtt_TaCE2Rri1IXsKMlp20RRgvPTK7Ql5oOvwTO2pchzzbx_UORwVi1fRniDW6zcTnB6TsN_9JaOg8AaALC9ibhNporv3KWa/s1600/july09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjRbqPc-NS2ElvoFaTL5C9YaA6UT_Y7VuA63PRWi0ON3VYtt_TaCE2Rri1IXsKMlp20RRgvPTK7Ql5oOvwTO2pchzzbx_UORwVi1fRniDW6zcTnB6TsN_9JaOg8AaALC9ibhNporv3KWa/s320/july09.JPG" width="320" /> </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A tribute to my love at Sleeping Bear Dunes </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_iQInc55S9qw-lg6sxwkjc7Zd-L5h3Wf36mS7MGVv4dx4sb95uQQQ6LodTLOlLND3CkUqTCiakMm957wSsE95JB3cz6VlON-a2X-8eyTbPWHts0dp9QsXqaL6ow_j_om2h_CK1BIe03f/s1600/july10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_iQInc55S9qw-lg6sxwkjc7Zd-L5h3Wf36mS7MGVv4dx4sb95uQQQ6LodTLOlLND3CkUqTCiakMm957wSsE95JB3cz6VlON-a2X-8eyTbPWHts0dp9QsXqaL6ow_j_om2h_CK1BIe03f/s320/july10.JPG" width="320" /> </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Andy and I get lost at Sleeping Bear Dunes....FOLLOW THE TRAIL!!! </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5Z3FODaLhWF1Ni3Sqf1S1IiDVWu2ezANIe0dJVRTBSLySVtpb4UZU-XDEMXqKpNhnATKZpDwHy2giPAhpXGAqNnsGap988Ts9Vt9qLndtfqy7Q89vPILh8X4acBvpZAWE9856rppiHli/s1600/july12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5Z3FODaLhWF1Ni3Sqf1S1IiDVWu2ezANIe0dJVRTBSLySVtpb4UZU-XDEMXqKpNhnATKZpDwHy2giPAhpXGAqNnsGap988Ts9Vt9qLndtfqy7Q89vPILh8X4acBvpZAWE9856rppiHli/s320/july12.JPG" width="320" /> </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dad kayaking just before he got tipped over by karma.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span lang="EN-US">August</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">I got back in site just in time to work...JUST KIDDING! Actually I got back in August which, if you remember from last year’s blog, is basically one big, month-long fiesta. Of course I couldn’t miss that! This year I got to see the town beauty pageant and some other things, but was actually quite busy with events that we had in honor of Bolívar: an educational-center dedication, a bike race in the reserve, a fishing competition, and a ¨cultural night.¨ I’d like to add that August is a really great time for visits to Zapotillo if you want to see the town- it is still warm, but relatively dry, most people are back for vacation, and the festivals mean there are things to do. However, the forest is dry so this is not a good time if you want to see the forest green or hang out in waterfalls, etc. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0cFeyDsCS3twOSj_qjpG65i1oyu3CPUZ6Xu5LRr2XPfQ5P5NX52WVtHrdM8CQeBZNYd1LyYn6T6GKMd6JRwMWx8a0rNQt_It8orhsJESwIz4auWh9HFK2LwnWSadJNjvule6leBVEE3_/s1600/august.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0cFeyDsCS3twOSj_qjpG65i1oyu3CPUZ6Xu5LRr2XPfQ5P5NX52WVtHrdM8CQeBZNYd1LyYn6T6GKMd6JRwMWx8a0rNQt_It8orhsJESwIz4auWh9HFK2LwnWSadJNjvule6leBVEE3_/s320/august.JPG" width="214" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGsnzK1sp-WPwrq2iXsmb23jxXIAiLwXvefyeF9zD6zEOLf_sVIvVYJ0pDsNw-Opi04q5JsBXSzONPCCQT9mUn-xxBYUBOuQBqD70qz_-QlDxk6H2M9LfRBZCJiC2Ex1uD6E2ZezkKa-5/s1600/august02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGsnzK1sp-WPwrq2iXsmb23jxXIAiLwXvefyeF9zD6zEOLf_sVIvVYJ0pDsNw-Opi04q5JsBXSzONPCCQT9mUn-xxBYUBOuQBqD70qz_-QlDxk6H2M9LfRBZCJiC2Ex1uD6E2ZezkKa-5/s320/august02.JPG" width="214" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Reina competition!!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuilr54oaljEkj4L19WNEXPu7GiRKzAlw0Fz1YA3RZ3QKobbZAeCMW1xb1ERgyPMLpVx3PvaVw2i7uact_cHwpjEx8BEZLo3XvtsjFWyD4LeTWqkVdb451ssj2ZAvXgJEgU_X2-12DdLb/s1600/august06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuilr54oaljEkj4L19WNEXPu7GiRKzAlw0Fz1YA3RZ3QKobbZAeCMW1xb1ERgyPMLpVx3PvaVw2i7uact_cHwpjEx8BEZLo3XvtsjFWyD4LeTWqkVdb451ssj2ZAvXgJEgU_X2-12DdLb/s320/august06.JPG" width="213" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl03Q1f-D_v5zR5XdOHVft5Nrp8-cDLN2octrxm2vnuoXDwnj4a3US3FWDQFqWQRwx6cVCLnzzc1V-R2Yoqd7MR9m7qVQi_wexFxTPfM7LXGZ3xQMra01aRLVErmbj7YjNdqcF6mNiSe2c/s1600/august07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl03Q1f-D_v5zR5XdOHVft5Nrp8-cDLN2octrxm2vnuoXDwnj4a3US3FWDQFqWQRwx6cVCLnzzc1V-R2Yoqd7MR9m7qVQi_wexFxTPfM7LXGZ3xQMra01aRLVErmbj7YjNdqcF6mNiSe2c/s320/august07.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QpkDj0D74zIB8Ka4-VMRKV25iRKtV_lxy_GADVCdHgBQOZKlSWDe05iOtcxwpfj21VyHrXWG970i4eboYbR7fUG4nF9vAliHucSOL2kT5exZugoZpPAtMVaj81PrXVzI-9GCnh3Rf1dQ/s1600/august09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QpkDj0D74zIB8Ka4-VMRKV25iRKtV_lxy_GADVCdHgBQOZKlSWDe05iOtcxwpfj21VyHrXWG970i4eboYbR7fUG4nF9vAliHucSOL2kT5exZugoZpPAtMVaj81PrXVzI-9GCnh3Rf1dQ/s320/august09.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfaC1l5BKqisXpjs1PRouzKWbVlww7oqqZEpfsm4y1NYh9TSqiWH0xoPlyb31mY0cGRLiVeD8DvrRMq8Q5LEe4LqkutCZX8ELUBXIl65tVA1IFyPA8sTEp-Fif_zeplNEO3heL4Ro7llt/s1600/august10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfaC1l5BKqisXpjs1PRouzKWbVlww7oqqZEpfsm4y1NYh9TSqiWH0xoPlyb31mY0cGRLiVeD8DvrRMq8Q5LEe4LqkutCZX8ELUBXIl65tVA1IFyPA8sTEp-Fif_zeplNEO3heL4Ro7llt/s320/august10.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> My moto-taxi driving, bmx-ing buddy...btw, the only Zapotillo bmx-er</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSii-mcSJFO6Gbxs2DgB-nB4EBAFKNiPOXl61g-wkFrFDPA204ifKcFEPkjGW8lVkqZrDwtyxIxeeD1L05otZr6iatgWzrl_lhfYUFO3x0hDUkyqvvf9fw3815k3ri6HZ24QGYCh1kM0K/s1600/august11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggSii-mcSJFO6Gbxs2DgB-nB4EBAFKNiPOXl61g-wkFrFDPA204ifKcFEPkjGW8lVkqZrDwtyxIxeeD1L05otZr6iatgWzrl_lhfYUFO3x0hDUkyqvvf9fw3815k3ri6HZ24QGYCh1kM0K/s320/august11.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> This guy fell a lot, much like he did about a half of a second after this photo.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCql2i71J4S3q_EKzDUK8ImUSFL7mZyEekWsv1hpP7Wm3X_srJwBpIhXc12IXsVbSJPeDbApsY3OyzEGakejvMx4N_r_5SYzHQdL2Qz160spQVqd7eoReyU4BoZ_Yn0D9-o0rxmDHznssl/s1600/august12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCql2i71J4S3q_EKzDUK8ImUSFL7mZyEekWsv1hpP7Wm3X_srJwBpIhXc12IXsVbSJPeDbApsY3OyzEGakejvMx4N_r_5SYzHQdL2Qz160spQVqd7eoReyU4BoZ_Yn0D9-o0rxmDHznssl/s320/august12.JPG" width="320" /> </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">So this picture didn´t turn out as I had hoped, but they were launching themselves off of the top of a moving truck, so they used the loader like an elevator to get on top of the truck...here in Zapotillo, safety <strike>always </strike>never comes first. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBiw-vVPGvUPa2YgQDGq_D108vNi9BvxShcsz-Wl8rIHs8jKke_SiEA1rO9J2LS_TuYs8UAWelASM2Y0xCLqM9x8eLyL8AWcuyoIFy2abiGtoObK0VXjynXvo238toWV6yjaARrBrpDnX/s1600/august13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBiw-vVPGvUPa2YgQDGq_D108vNi9BvxShcsz-Wl8rIHs8jKke_SiEA1rO9J2LS_TuYs8UAWelASM2Y0xCLqM9x8eLyL8AWcuyoIFy2abiGtoObK0VXjynXvo238toWV6yjaARrBrpDnX/s320/august13.JPG" width="214" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> This is the only kid who didn´t look grumpy throughout the whole parade. What a badass.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCz10e3pit_oTg_90cKBqq6_s09XzWIR6_00iOKFLwGjFpz-wmcAP-TdTiJTBCGrW_Ya3l-r_031uKKMc3TkEaiYvdJw6oANplT0k-zeoIT-aSDj9uZU2CIBY_ptSi0-ZH6P5OKkisnOTP/s1600/august14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCz10e3pit_oTg_90cKBqq6_s09XzWIR6_00iOKFLwGjFpz-wmcAP-TdTiJTBCGrW_Ya3l-r_031uKKMc3TkEaiYvdJw6oANplT0k-zeoIT-aSDj9uZU2CIBY_ptSi0-ZH6P5OKkisnOTP/s320/august14.JPG" width="214" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> My man, Rommel, looking sharp as always.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9yoCQFxDAng9L-YjyZDWDTxuwXCseOZ54MLywpANZUgEh-ZscpOeYCFLYhplEGNz4p8Ms4g_BOG5HKBDfFgU3O4NVD8nnnZjNY4ZcbIVlz5i_96GG0H81pF2sq7lauhJNWn6XiuWU952/s1600/august15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9yoCQFxDAng9L-YjyZDWDTxuwXCseOZ54MLywpANZUgEh-ZscpOeYCFLYhplEGNz4p8Ms4g_BOG5HKBDfFgU3O4NVD8nnnZjNY4ZcbIVlz5i_96GG0H81pF2sq7lauhJNWn6XiuWU952/s320/august15.JPG" width="214" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_1UagoZVDqauZiutZNw5Kifjrg2ITUJM7D9oehsxjr6F_slHYOjOSwQAHE-UWIAkYeNTsDzOfHGhyphenhyphennwSpyWUXzV_4sGOe8B8CbHtOMEb4b5wxVG9-knpUDCY1rgYYqU7Tx6kYjhyXS59/s1600/august16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_1UagoZVDqauZiutZNw5Kifjrg2ITUJM7D9oehsxjr6F_slHYOjOSwQAHE-UWIAkYeNTsDzOfHGhyphenhyphennwSpyWUXzV_4sGOe8B8CbHtOMEb4b5wxVG9-knpUDCY1rgYYqU7Tx6kYjhyXS59/s320/august16.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"> Bike race track </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span lang="EN-US">September</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">September was, as far as I can remember it, rather uneventful. I was in the process of getting my service extended another year, so that was at least frustrating enough to keep life interesting. I got sent to Quito for that, to basically copy stuff from my physical a few months back to a new form. Yay 40+ hours on a bus for something completely unnecessary! Luckily, our grant for building pig pens and chicken coops ($5000 from USAID) got approved so I took advantage of the trip to accompany the Ranchers Association’s president to sign the grant contract. Ohhh AND there was this ceremony in the high school where they award the valedictorians and everyone in the graduating class has to swear, on bended knee, his or her fidelity to the nation’s flag, and then give it a kiss. I loved every minute of that ceremony just like you all love watching ¨Triumph of the Will,¨ though that may be exaggerating a bit. Oh well, I got invited to free food and beer afterwards so I can’t complain. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUwFdyrtkGf7hAY3LWyq8gHoQ27-6SffMHFKWLeeGg3hfsf37tIcgxxW706ZO4JxS6yHgG2gEX8FYz0elqW250SfNO7Zz-cz4Uf2pyn6bXofWqC9URJqamTwDstgWNy-tAbRfJS8lwkYZ/s1600/september01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUwFdyrtkGf7hAY3LWyq8gHoQ27-6SffMHFKWLeeGg3hfsf37tIcgxxW706ZO4JxS6yHgG2gEX8FYz0elqW250SfNO7Zz-cz4Uf2pyn6bXofWqC9URJqamTwDstgWNy-tAbRfJS8lwkYZ/s320/september01.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Rommel´s baby sister, Solange. So cute!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjcuPYmNvtdge9YU13HBLV3HbgdUBGRClNHAy2MPPDOsgGDDgrFJVstIBYkk592h3dw5hz5cFtMLIW0HzRc0f-CaV_RaU5MRfi76r9oTwt7sbkdqEa_cDDw3TOuu66YhtPudiE9bXEbB8/s1600/september02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjcuPYmNvtdge9YU13HBLV3HbgdUBGRClNHAy2MPPDOsgGDDgrFJVstIBYkk592h3dw5hz5cFtMLIW0HzRc0f-CaV_RaU5MRfi76r9oTwt7sbkdqEa_cDDw3TOuu66YhtPudiE9bXEbB8/s320/september02.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Apparantly the kids wanted to play modeling at some point in September, because that´s all I´ve got pictures of!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7hFKln0eSlejJOl0D9v2CSy0N2dJfkUKsL13vifR8ac573IQzN1rPGUa-SbRtgbzeepNs5P7TMgto_GOJVQvOw_a8eo1A50IOwzySQPaREHHIqAoo4ZnoyfvSX7bo1i-g1dk2_3tbg3R/s1600/september04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7hFKln0eSlejJOl0D9v2CSy0N2dJfkUKsL13vifR8ac573IQzN1rPGUa-SbRtgbzeepNs5P7TMgto_GOJVQvOw_a8eo1A50IOwzySQPaREHHIqAoo4ZnoyfvSX7bo1i-g1dk2_3tbg3R/s320/september04.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSNB5Vh2PdhHZHOipXXOcxY7Rmt8LljwVYSfdtbNLU9wnWSVqbhBihE4EMDWAQdVUtOtXwhA08UM-n6m9lm0S0zrMMbG8scF1-OTCVnN1XstsUoRuwLxG8dECu-a_u_rJCfaLCqIlS7Vd/s1600/september.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSNB5Vh2PdhHZHOipXXOcxY7Rmt8LljwVYSfdtbNLU9wnWSVqbhBihE4EMDWAQdVUtOtXwhA08UM-n6m9lm0S0zrMMbG8scF1-OTCVnN1XstsUoRuwLxG8dECu-a_u_rJCfaLCqIlS7Vd/s320/september.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> My 12th graders at their flag-kissing ceremony</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Next up...Galápagos!</span></span></span></div>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-89370764699020873742010-09-18T10:28:00.001-04:002010-12-06T14:29:44.291-04:00JuneFirst and foremost, I apologize for the lack in updates. The truth of the matter is, I got stuck when it came to updating for June because it means writing about something that I´d rather not accept happened, let alone have to write about it. In June, shortly after returning from a study abroad program in Spain, my boss, Bolívar Tello, suffered a cerebral embolism and passed away due to medical negligence. He leaves behind a wife and three children, ages 15, 12, and 5. As I wrote earlier, his temporary absence while in Spain was tough on the office, both personally and professionally. If you had asked me a few months ago, I would have said that his permanent absence was unimaginable. Bolívar Tello wasn´t from Zapotillo, but was considered absolutely Zapotillano. He agreed to move here to better develop and care for the <i>Ceiba</i> reserve. He was wise, passionate, and gracious. He worked on the project for nearly a decade, seeing it through all sorts of hardships and difficulties. He was undeniably dedicated; normally the last one to go home. He had to set an alarm at lunch because otherwise he would forget to go and his wife would call, annoyed that his lunch had been left to get cold. For Bolívar, the work week wasn´t Monday through Friday, it was 24/7, year-round, whenever something needed to be done. He loved the people of the communities and looked to help them in any way he could, though the majority of them had doubted, denounced, or rejected him and his help at one time or another. He united our office not only as coworkers, but as a family. He was warm, sincere, and open; never judgmental. He didn´t know the meaning of minding his own business, because everyone´s well-being <i>was </i>his business. He was a joker…his laugh was the one most often heard ringing through the office. He taught us to enjoy each other, enjoy the work, and enjoy the forest that we were working so hard to protect. Bolívar wasn´t just my boss, he was a mentor, a friend, an inspiration. There´s no way to replace him or to recover what we´ve lost; our only consolation is to honor him by following in his footsteps.saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-77066109190773279192010-08-20T10:42:00.000-04:002010-08-20T10:42:25.481-04:00Luuuucy<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Cat pictures I promised:</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is from the first few days I had Lucy. He (okay, I thought he was a she) did not want milk.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQapy7Kku9Y5W6yfZipWGaSmBJDfzw_LjY6q9mjYL0NxOyFHRZEmsIEhD2OZHCo21SIfcY1Twwu2Ch6d75j6DUR1FJVD4hBFszxFHdlftE8GF5YGioGNVRv83G_XG1T22E6NlsaYt1Pn4/s1600/lucy0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQapy7Kku9Y5W6yfZipWGaSmBJDfzw_LjY6q9mjYL0NxOyFHRZEmsIEhD2OZHCo21SIfcY1Twwu2Ch6d75j6DUR1FJVD4hBFszxFHdlftE8GF5YGioGNVRv83G_XG1T22E6NlsaYt1Pn4/s320/lucy0.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1pfRHjfOZNfEf8BRdUZ30Kd7b7z5DzCOVTz0Ep6VLrEGMz4KjbtNc930E_OTN9NqrT9wD_8VXbirgCrESuCzkS6TbeFutGQJODC_J5KJRDBFU1w0bJp8MzI4Zq0ZoiPpD9WRgzbI34OT/s1600/lucy01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1pfRHjfOZNfEf8BRdUZ30Kd7b7z5DzCOVTz0Ep6VLrEGMz4KjbtNc930E_OTN9NqrT9wD_8VXbirgCrESuCzkS6TbeFutGQJODC_J5KJRDBFU1w0bJp8MzI4Zq0ZoiPpD9WRgzbI34OT/s320/lucy01.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">He was really malnourished and kinda looked like the crypt keeper...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBI7_5J0yAWWsEPUga8TxATYM0TKEG-3Pwfif0usJVX80ro8ZVi7tZwU6HyIEeJe5q8nZpBglmqYu3b3VXHTJSxSnheaX30zBdxClXB3O-fuDejhGgVHhKJNB14TpRe-nlcJZ_INJwT5BX/s1600/lucy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBI7_5J0yAWWsEPUga8TxATYM0TKEG-3Pwfif0usJVX80ro8ZVi7tZwU6HyIEeJe5q8nZpBglmqYu3b3VXHTJSxSnheaX30zBdxClXB3O-fuDejhGgVHhKJNB14TpRe-nlcJZ_INJwT5BX/s320/lucy1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPw-24FbIfufSr-pkhZG-qd__jLwI4Jrj9QxNBEvME5zsVARaZfQhMHBIONvPd8SfsW5xf4suWXYVu8g9WxOgEHLP68xe-_T_TGTdaqDogDkuihBR4EeGU56StlALwraZN6i_yNtX9P8S/s1600/lucy02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPw-24FbIfufSr-pkhZG-qd__jLwI4Jrj9QxNBEvME5zsVARaZfQhMHBIONvPd8SfsW5xf4suWXYVu8g9WxOgEHLP68xe-_T_TGTdaqDogDkuihBR4EeGU56StlALwraZN6i_yNtX9P8S/s320/lucy02.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0jHcGuLhrspJrjO-9I3usVCuzjLwfdfykNLhLoEzIIgpiGyDiVh-M0DgmQAQBTCcEizhvLdUcb9coP5ZV_jN796A_8RK15cT49neutF4Q47cXeDlsrMKMutyGt-OTIh-63Cm27Ybu774/s1600/luce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0jHcGuLhrspJrjO-9I3usVCuzjLwfdfykNLhLoEzIIgpiGyDiVh-M0DgmQAQBTCcEizhvLdUcb9coP5ZV_jN796A_8RK15cT49neutF4Q47cXeDlsrMKMutyGt-OTIh-63Cm27Ybu774/s320/luce.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In desperation, after having tried all of the foods you are <i>supposed </i>to give tiny, abandoned kittens, I gave him some tuna. Aha! I found out that the <b>only</b> thing this cat wanted was meat. And, thus, he started eating...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsBFHjEF9K0ml8EoawGh2qXPci2rAoxE31Kib6uqynBnHAvjKasZrex6bSvgFPgQPRZAPFTZVxuP6ku0ex8r4tulTGi5OyVGGfQewqjgtZYz60vxEAibGjvfqVfu1JkJEhi7u8o-2cevr/s1600/lucy03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsBFHjEF9K0ml8EoawGh2qXPci2rAoxE31Kib6uqynBnHAvjKasZrex6bSvgFPgQPRZAPFTZVxuP6ku0ex8r4tulTGi5OyVGGfQewqjgtZYz60vxEAibGjvfqVfu1JkJEhi7u8o-2cevr/s320/lucy03.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">and eating...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWNddbZk1MFpWsFA4DmQ7yoxhXpDvwqBE-slk3L_jZG-sG0KrMvvWC7hXu6tmDEexH_fv9Ah5RNEvYF5TYpcajdbcdu6Yi4xv0XZCn_nFK_w5Bljq9Mk5wkh1sHCB0KGKXv-cYzzCFhIx/s1600/lucy04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWNddbZk1MFpWsFA4DmQ7yoxhXpDvwqBE-slk3L_jZG-sG0KrMvvWC7hXu6tmDEexH_fv9Ah5RNEvYF5TYpcajdbcdu6Yi4xv0XZCn_nFK_w5Bljq9Mk5wkh1sHCB0KGKXv-cYzzCFhIx/s320/lucy04.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">...and once he grew a little more even started drinking milk!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuB72pjBW8dXQGcwPDcJBCNHcpHzbcp1VgFlokKCFRYB38Or5hK78-pDJTHPqxSV_vH0HjgsfnP0FekVGKVUk81D81xc38HYQDSFLvnOdWC4Jje-lOaindEsrCaIXtyU6wlraXxzJKxei0/s1600/lucy05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuB72pjBW8dXQGcwPDcJBCNHcpHzbcp1VgFlokKCFRYB38Or5hK78-pDJTHPqxSV_vH0HjgsfnP0FekVGKVUk81D81xc38HYQDSFLvnOdWC4Jje-lOaindEsrCaIXtyU6wlraXxzJKxei0/s320/lucy05.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">He just kept growing and seemed to really like it around the office.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcgCuQrUxw_PgwbM9l27RvzTr1Qwnn6XikMVENOenUWp8hUzgYYS79QZDNza8pydOjZbWE5-Zcde6EjtdcBZqavnVV7yG-6FJHLd8P_g32ktci7CcT8jojbyo4OyLukIJMBjRpCT0YMH1/s1600/lucy06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcgCuQrUxw_PgwbM9l27RvzTr1Qwnn6XikMVENOenUWp8hUzgYYS79QZDNza8pydOjZbWE5-Zcde6EjtdcBZqavnVV7yG-6FJHLd8P_g32ktci7CcT8jojbyo4OyLukIJMBjRpCT0YMH1/s320/lucy06.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAJafM9sId-lfZLMp-PFHuB2XQD-GbiRH6KAOAiRWvBRtKP_-VVegy9Raqxn-op6LusLd0MvjqFnJDle4jb-HOeOxTdxx053dKm7NsPEkcwV_yvAqPCnj3n7i1wZ6PFq5Mr0EVG92QsH_/s1600/lucy07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAJafM9sId-lfZLMp-PFHuB2XQD-GbiRH6KAOAiRWvBRtKP_-VVegy9Raqxn-op6LusLd0MvjqFnJDle4jb-HOeOxTdxx053dKm7NsPEkcwV_yvAqPCnj3n7i1wZ6PFq5Mr0EVG92QsH_/s320/lucy07.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">He got to be bigger than this by the time I left for the states, but I´m not sure where the most recent pictures of him are. This one is from around May. So there you go, months after you all requested photos, here they are. More updates to come...some day. Abrazotes,<br />
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Sarita</div>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-79464309850951031232010-07-16T01:41:00.003-04:002010-07-16T02:10:19.869-04:00april-junei haven't written in my blog for a long time....ooops. i think the last update was march, so i'll go from there.<br />
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april- meow!<br />
in april, darwin found a kitten that had been thrown out. it's common practice here to just throw female kittens out or drown them. nobody wants the females because then they will have more kittens. so they kill them or intentionally let them die. but the general first reaction to neutering or spaying a pet here is laughing at how absurd it is and/or commenting on how you're making the poor cat suffer because you won't let it have a family. aaaanyway, so the kitten was scraggly and TINY, like a skeleton with a big ole' head. i felt so bad for the little gal but after the kauri heartbreak said no, no, no, no, NO CATS. i couldn't bare to spoil another cat just to abandon it once it got older. but darwin said that, since his cat ran away and he really likes cats, he would take it if/when i left. i was already feeding the cat before he could even finish his sentence. i gave the cat milk; it wouldn't drink it. i gave the cat bread; it just kind of licked it sadly. i tried soup, rice, scrambled eggs...nada. it didn't eat for more than a day...the poor thing was soooo skinny so i got a can of tuna hoping i could convince it to eat even just a little of the oil. the cat started growling and hissing like a madcat and ran away with a piece of the meat. from then on the cat lived on tuna, fish, goat, chicken, beef, and pork...it would only eat meat even though it was clearly starving to death. for two months, the cat ate more meat than i did. i cleaned the mites out of her ears, bathed her and dewormed her (btw, super gross when your kitten has big tapeworms and expels them during dinner with your friends). the skin and fur on her face came off in clumps with the skin. a friend put a red collar on her so no one would give her the evil eye. i taught it to stay on my shoulder while i paraded it all around town. on a daily basis, rommel's mom told me the cat was the ugliest thing she'd ever seen, calling her satanas and lucifer and telling me i should go toss her in the river to see if she can swim. little by little the cat got better and i thought, well maybe she won't die. and then the first sunday in may she disappeared. i figured she had died and felt really awful about the collar because, had she lived, it was sewn shut and wouldn't allow her to grow or could get caught on something and choke her.<br />
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may- mystery illness<br />
the first week in may i got really sick, though i didn't end up doing much about it. it all started saturday the 8th. i guess the first thing i noticed was that i didn't really feel like eating all day, but i felt fine. looking back on it, it was probably stupid to go out at night if i hadn't eaten all day. but i felt fine, so i went out. while i was out with friends i noticed that i was not feeling too well and so i went home early. the next day i had what felt like a horrible hangover, but that didn't make much sense considering that i hadn't drank much. all sunday (day 2) i was pretty miserable and just not wanting to do anything but sleep. days 3 and 4 i felt kinda icky, but it came in waves. i'd get really tired, i was freezing (which is weird because it's so hot here), i'd get dizzy and nauseaus, had a bit of diarrhea but nothing serious, and i had kinda like what they called growing pains when i was little, you know like dull aches in the bones and joints. but the thing that bothered me the most was the nausea...i had gone five days at that point eating very little...thinking about food made me sick to my stomach. i'd go to work, do what i most needed to do, sleep for a few hours, work a bit more, and then sleep again. tuesday night i told the teacher i am helping that i couldn't go in the next day. i planned to just stay at home and sleep but i woke up wednesday with such bad nausea and dizziness that i called the pc doctor, who told me to take my temperature. a work partner took me to get checked out, mostly to have my temperature taken. i had a fever and low blood pressure (90/50). while i was talking to the doctor i lost my vision for a little bit...everything went black but i was still conscious. the doc said i was just about to faint and it was just because of the low blood pressure. he gave me some candy and scolded me for not having eaten. they gave me some kind of injection for the fever that hurt like hell and something for nausea and to be quite honest at that point i was really too weak to even say anything. i thought it was weird they didn't take a blood sample but the doctors here are pretty careless. it was kinda like pick your illness...according to doctors i had a bad flu, according to my work partners it was malaria, and according to random people on the street it was dengue. who would you believe? i didn't have energy left to do anything but sleep. i should have called pc, but seriously i couldn't even speak well at moments. day 6 i was going to call pc again but i was back to feeling how i did on monday and tuesday- kinda flu-like. by then my host mom was making me eat and i bought some ensure so i was stronger than the days before. by day 7 i felt okay...just drowsy. but i noticed that my skin was itchy/burning with a rash and red all over...my hands and feet too. since it's humid here during this time of year and i had a towel that hadn't been drying well lately, i figured it was some kind of fungus. so i went to the pharmacy to buy some anti fungus cream just in case and the girl at the counter looked at my skin and said "oh my kid had that, the doctor said it's dengue." i was like no that's ridiculous i've never heard that dengue does anything to your skin just give me the cream and she went and asked the doctor and he, without seeing me, said dengue too. i brushed them both off as i would any other quack in this town and went home. the rash and itch went away in a couple of days (fungus takes longer to cure) and sure enough there's been a dengue outbreak in town. checked the symptoms on the internet, and they all align with dengue. draw your own conclusions on the mystery illness, i'm just glad it's over. i was weak (kinda like with anemia) for nearly a month, still haven't recovered completely, and lost 10 pounds. actually i guess that part wasn't so bad. yay dengue! hah.<br />
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return of the demon-cat<br />
mid may i woke up at 5 am one morning with a craving for bread from my favorite bakery here, which i hadn't been to in months because it moved completely out of the way. i couldn't sleep so i went down super early, at like 6 or something. while i was down there, there was a guy picking up some stuff to take to his store before he opened. he lives near the office but i'd never met him before. he looked at me and said, "hey sarah i've got your cat." and (thinking he was making fun of me) i replied with a request that he be so kind as to not screw with me because in reality i was pretty heartbroken about the cat's disappearance. he said no, seriously, it came with this collar but i took it off...you can come to my house and see. and i was like seriously don't mess with me. he insisted that he had my cat, mentioning that the thing was weird and only ate meat. so i went to see the cat. it was a little bigger and i didn't believe it at first but then i went over to it and picked it up and right away it hopped on my shoulder. the guy said i could take her, i figure he half felt bad for me and half didn't want to have to keep up with her expensive tastes. i took her out to lunch to celebrate and she went absolutely nuts when i gave her the meat. didn't touch the rice. MY CAT WAS BACK!!! she's gorgeous now, a real feisty kitty. she's chubby, just enough to be healthy, and she has the softest black coat. she's sprouted some white hairs on her back and tummy. she wears a hot pink ribbon now. i named her Lucy, short for Lucifer since she still is kinda a little devil. she eats more things now, mostly puppy food and any dairy products. people really like her now, they tell me when she gets out and they think she's so pretty. my host mom still hates her and doesn't want her around, but i sneak her in on friday nights to watch movies with me. she wakes me up at 6am, doing laps around my bed. she's insane and i love it.<br />
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work is a bit sad lately. i really miss my old boss at NCI, who is in Spain for a few months. i like giving classes, but it's a rougher and slower start than i expected. the teachers are jealous that i am teaching classes and the other teacher is getting paid for doing nothing, even though the idea isn't that she does nothing, it's that she learns the new curriculum to be able to teach it in the future. i am having difficulties with her, too...it's a challenge that she's not acclimated to a formal work environment. and then there's the kids...there's just very little discipline and they get away with so much and the academic level they're used to is so low...not to mention that i only have 40 minutes a week with each class (exceptions: 80 mins/wk with the seniors and 20 mins/wk with one of my 10th grade classes) and on top of that, a good 1/3 of my classes have been cancelled due to vacations, holidays, conferences and god knows what else. i would estimate that these kids are getting less than half of the classroom hours annually than kids in the states. they have about 4.5 hours a day, and i don't even want to count the number of hours that have been cancelled this trimester alone. and the kids say there's even more days cut out the last 2 trimesters. ugh. in may, for example, i was sick one week, the next pc sent me to cuenca, had one normal week of classes, and then pc sent me to quito...in june we had a bunch of days off for various things and in july i'll be home in the states all month...overall i feel like i need more time to get somewhere with this program, but i do feel there's potential there and that it's worth it to stick with it.<br />
<br />
one cool thing that we did in my classes was make solar ovens...huge success! more on that to come in a week! phew, that was a long rant. i'm gonna wrap this up then. expect another post soon, particularly abut some of the cool stuff we've been doing in class. love ya all! abrazotes,<br />
<br />
saritasaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-72449846586718026932010-03-09T14:08:00.003-04:002010-03-12T15:22:42.485-04:00January<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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Jen made a worthwhile comment to me after my last blog post that I’ve become accustomed to listing out my activities and posting photos of them instead of reflecting on or going into depth about my time here. So, I’m going to switch things up a bit this month and discuss one project that I’m working in: Eco Amigos. <br />
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I mentioned in November that Darwin and I were giving some workshops on solid waste management, and then in December that the students who went to those workshops started an environmental club and made and presented a Christmas tree out of garbage. Well, in January the high school students started a three-month break and things have died down a little, but we still have good attendance and participation. In total, we have had 29 kids who have participated at one time or another. Of those, there are about 15-20 who regularly participate. <br />
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I’m proud of the kids and their participation, which is complicated, not because they’re particularly busy, but rather because parents here aren’t used to kids being involved in their own activities and families depend on children being much more involved in the household. Also, several of the group members live in communities outside of Zapotillo and it’s more difficult for them to get into town: they have to pay for transportation, it takes longer, etc. For these and other reasons, often times parents won’t let kids leave the house to go to club meetings and activities. <br />
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I have two ideas on how we can improve this. One, I want to invite the parents to a meeting where the kids can present what they’ve been doing, maybe we can get some representatives (professionals) from town to talk about why their work is beneficial, let the parents socialize, etc. I’d like to create more of a sense of community among the families, particularly since there’s been talk about sending the kids to the city for a conference and I can just imagine how a father would react to his 15 year old leaving to go to the city for a week with a gringa he doesn’t know and for a club that he’s not even really sure what they do. Also, I’d like to do is have a set weekly meeting time. Until now we’ve been planning meetings and activities as needed and it’s been difficult to communicate. The kids didn’t want a set meeting time at first, but I think it’s best now to have one. <br />
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Also, the kids have to fight a social resistance which I commend them for; the general attitude here is not one of environmental conscientiousness. There’s been a shift towards consumerism and consequently social stigmatisms towards the rural population, which is seen as contrary to the consumerist ideal. The rural population, whose way of life was not too long ago the social norm, looks to meet its needs as locally and naturally as possible. Consumerism supposedly looks to meet needs with the lowest economic cost through commercial activity. However, with the influence of things like marketing and externalized costs, the market usually ends up serving corporations and itself meaning that consumerism looks to feed and grow the market. The rural populations grows its own fruits and vegetables; raises its own animals; know how to work the land; were brought up using local seeds which don’t require chemicals but whose products can’t compete commercially; reuses its waste; are concerned with survival of themselves and their families; etc. The new generations shop in supermarkets and transport plastic bags of processed foods to their homes in their own cars or taxis; encourage the use of agrochemicals for hybrids and other plants that aren’t naturally suited for the local climate and soil; have become more concerned with fashion, status/image, material wealth, and physical appearance, etc. <br />
<br />
These differences manifest themselves in attitudes and habits that at first glance don’t seem to be connected, but are. Let’s take, for example, the overuse of plastic bags. Tradition in this area is to have reusable baskets woven from local, natural fibers, which were used to carry locally-produced fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, etc. This doesn’t much help any market because nearly everything is part of a closed system where the producer is also the consumer. At best it would enter into a barter-and-trade system within the community. Consumerism tells us that this results in high costs because the scope of what is involved in the definition of costs in the current system of economics is extremely narrow (externalization of costs). So the consumerist mentality is that we should outsource the production of both the foodstuffs and the basket. The market decides that it is best to have fruits and vegetables grown with chemicals; meats, dairy products, eggs, etc. from animals raised with hormones and processed feed; and finally plastic bags in place of the natural-fiber basket. Not that any of these new substitutions actually cost less, but more of these costs can be externalized. I.E. the producer doesn’t have to pay for them and thus the consumer does not pay cash for them…the damages to health caused by working with chemicals with little or no protection or supervision in order to keep producer costs down and yield larger and more crops than natural; the damages to health in consuming residual chemicals; cost of education denied to children workers; cost of water, air, and ground pollution from agrochemicals, factories, transportation, and the fabrication of all the machines involved in the factories and transportation of goods, etc. What I mean to say here is that modern economics does not factor in all the costs of production, but rather a small percentage of the total costs which either the producer or consumer must pay with money or opportunity costs meaning how much productivity potential (also monetary value) you give up for any particular decision you make. And in those terms, buying processed foods in plastic bags comes out a lot less expensive than the traditional model. However, human beings do not just produce, in fact our lives and the factors that decide our quality of life are much more complex and vast than the current economic model. It's crazy to think that just because certain costs don’t figure into the current economic model, they somehow don’t exist or don’t matter. Like it or not, we do depend on this planet, on the environment. So, anyway, in life terms instead of modern economic terms, the traditional way of obtaining foodstuffs is much less expensive. But modern culture here values consumerist tendencies and thus processed foods, supermarkets, and plastic bags become status symbols while locally produced whole-foods and natural-fiber baskets become social stigmas. Perhaps not everyone recognizes it as such, but it is evident in the attitudes and habits of the people. <br />
<br />
Although the highlight of my work thus far has been outings to the reserve, I’m excited to switch to an environmental education focus because the people themselves are the strongest protection that the reserve (and environment in general) could have, but in order for that to happen, the people must value the forest and feel empowered to be able to conserve it. Hopefully I will be able to start working in environmental education in the high school as well, but I haven’t made any concrete plans yet.<br />
<br />
Outside of work, life is still wonderful here in Zapotillo. Time goes by too fast, there are too many things I haven’t gotten around to doing yet. I’m trying to shape up some vacation plans for this year, but don’t know when to fit all the traveling in. And now, for those of you who don’t like words, pictures!</div><div align="left" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446337894037196034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6COwjnnJ7KdtLxDTMaJtRbxWyf7crqOzmrd2_Gm5beFNDhI4vNPZPt8QcU2409QpL_PKHYPWZ2Gf2OkJyfnRf4Iz88AuTPr7aLg90bfvGDUvJ57E41dsaEBlClsRG2rQR6tSBhSbGq0b/s320/DSC05655.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 266px;" /></img><br />
<img 3.bp.blogspot.com="" _lazbgitg_yw="" aaaaaaaabvu="" alt="" border="0" dsc05755.jpg?="" http:="" s1600-h="" s5zdbpvg5ei="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs1sN4IS1Da4G0__z8N3e-Vvs91lNo70wh7OCvuPbb8MeAltolN9pT-b5TvzIsFqATFcbTzrVODXU4pliDMcFPWkMUPCG7Q0e8X5qb4DFm26F9C_K3wtapZPFdeBj4PorltPL8Qf6gUhdK/s320/DSC05720.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" w8w-6tge9ho="" /></img><br />
The current waste management system in Zapotillo:<br />
Public Waste Receptacles (at least this one is in use...not too common here)<br />
<img 1.bp.blogspot.com="" _lazbgitg_yw="" aaaaaaaabvc="" alt="" border="0" dsc07515.jpg?="" http:="" s1600-h="" s5zfwmo8_oi="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZqnwVf9hJR6xPQpXt54VONoSeD7k08AMcrfx3UWKwS_URbUZFPkod7AXDx5W_htAibs7gf6aZDZufQUz76sv-hdthEYLxHUT8BmhuQ4psQq39O2-DM22LTBdQL0iz36EljfNCA_Gw-OU/s320/DSC05755.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" xcjkhjabrem="" /></img><br />
EcoAmigos meets with the mayor to present a project proposal for carnavales (fiestas)<br />
<img 4.bp.blogspot.com="" _lazbgitg_yw="" aaaaaaaabvs="" alt="" border="0" dsc05764.jpg?="" http:="" imageanchor="1" s1600-h="" s5zpuczy0_i="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HLwTXQOE77dEmWRpuN9DV1TvCnwHoluuASrIdPSRLIFsWGYaMRGC8Zg_InK7qoNd6ZjYHZNHomjPM8MELeeXbbdsX_cq9o4YKmEfA-UVeKhRWFIP9L8ApmXiYDPtR-s4Xw3gu5S1h5-h/s320/DSC07515.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" ttbyq9hnl6e="" /></img><br />
<img 4.bp.blogspot.com="" _lazbgitg_yw="" aaaaaaaabv0="" border="0" byvojxh17co="" http:="" imageanchor="1" panorama_sin_t%c3%adtulo1.jpg?="" s1600-h="" s5zyigx7wfi="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYE2XlKGe1_f1rYgEqh3o_1D_BKwhL7OPTxxV8hTQks5meE66DODKwV8KgZXF9ExLyGV97IDOX6Nga6vb6d7q7eoGhteviGAPXYvq-bJpD0mSFsOCxSiFchXdw6ZgqxdDL9fq6TVqxj0Fl/s320/DSC05764.JPG" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; cursor: hand; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></img><br />
Zapotillo's "Sanitary Landfill." Yeah...right<br />
<img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyh4aLC52NCdyU62KjvRHm4-UZxM2vgzvtM8si2tLemsOnQSl3c5W260PXaJ7t77pAtcMw08FVsNuLDI6SgRGeJyy3lApUg7Y6NBIFesQR51QlMc68B7ciC5hg8yrTKQes1vdr69K9T7Y/s640/Panorama_sin_t%C3%ADtulo1.jpg" vt="true" width="640" /></img><br />
Painting reused garbage cans for carnavales<br />
<img 2.bp.blogspot.com="" _lazbgitg_yw="" aaaaaaaabo4="" alt="" border="0" dsc05634.jpg?="" http:="" mt5v2qrjyjs="" s1600-h="" s5vhcmrupsi="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmAI9tXPUFAvXop6RhiD_xVkIfgPOCrQUI1vD6sCr_r6lokIdIJj2tELBVSuvfuhSW-N_dguRBy_LcoD8GKM5MLTiiS5fpYlZeVydcRJnB9SpQCUIX0IrTqd33RYuoQdNIqDrQ-VeA2uq/s320/DSC05705.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></img><br />
More world map project, Cabeza de Toro<br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446337881118647586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwiMHl0jO02TmawhxSCSH2Sr-y6Mbhx6FVDf-YwHPwWD-2R0qwUwnUNLcUXwE2KhQkxuywauBElhZTD3jYxt15ltfx8_txlMkxnA0oXlhYlhRUd1xmRWO5BpbLhkXDjhpG_6KKlSddqaN/s320/DSC05634.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></img><br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446337875460372274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93Sx9770WfwEfmyUcVN3HML3GJ_NVF6RkPGNwCNeEzX76sP62a-rW-y1A2kGbbYntGtcbA1LR5LrpzcdW0LgbzW4mXl9u350Db9arotvJ0peNOo2chuVuTcYmxonrnRC6QdpqTQbdLCNq/s320/DSC05633.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" />,/img><br />
<img 1.bp.blogspot.com="" _lazbgitg_yw="" aaaaaaaabpq="" alt="" border="0" dsc05686.jpg?="" http:="" l55cjryt-8m="" s1600-h="" s5vhdvax4si="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYQcbJWetAR9OlkFlsXtzT6UbJSL60miTnXxk9WZwuaQ8IweXNNbp37zO5dlQ5Gr-LjQ547emHwDbt4SioZCEY3-RB8neBvPONZy3IxbAjlB-1rpd4sDKMAwUYiSfA1ROg-sHn6vZUot7/s320/DSC05704.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></img><br />
Community bank meeting<br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446337900534293186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZfPkTYM2ACAlquSdNFI9QW6L-d_bj4S7NJ922i9oBTJMzHCk2Y82YZp8Wb9ennBd3jfyPR_GjYk4k1EYiZV4rxmYw0wJlpDbqfV2t5Sq3uTxs1eMYDMcKChOYy337XD9WCdzlRSun4Oc/s320/DSC05686.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></img><br />
Haha i got my picture in the paper...again...and they're always really bad pictures...<br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446337890479108226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRaxaqjFuhZzefanIBhv37SaYagk6v2Yyb3RvKr57B0PIO2S576SrwtTLgCQMEkvMvM_6pjCtpFPc7GzADiTFPv93d2RmPpNrKXlH8ZOu9ITaLvstumvaIimvS5RgWItEHFJa4blTnTntr/s320/DSC05653.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 244px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></img><br />
I painted my room :) and got a new comforter with bday $ from dad (thanks!!!)<br />
<img 4.bp.blogspot.com="" _lazbgitg_yw="" aaaaaaaabu0="" alt="" border="0" dsc05700.jpg?="" http:="" s1600-h="" s5zb8aregii="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNaqpmhs5FPubgZMHbijtrkr0B-ZINZygWAO4Gp8ELb2qi7XCR04-FTxqHKW9BhqnBjEjic9k88AnpPwFZccCC_G3LG1liTHw0bDLtCPgTps0l2BgC4kfvfAm_gXuNGGKqSk6Qwi6n76_J/s320/DSC05715.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" zqnl77yepyy="" /></img><br />
Stupid crickets have been eating holes in everything. they got my swimcap (which by the way has lasted me nine years) and i went on a killing spree, getting somewhere between 50-100 of them in my room alone.<br />
Alright, that's it for January. Now that it's March I'll get started on my February update...haha much love!<br />
sarita</div></span>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-52301241786862584022010-01-26T12:31:00.007-04:002010-01-26T13:47:29.019-04:00DECEMBER<p style="text-align: left;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">December was an exciting month (well, for me) so this should be an exciting update! The 2nd I skipped our monthly rancher’s meeting to guide a short tour for a woman studying tourism in Loja and to work on the World Map project we started in Cabeza de Toro.<br /></span><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr align="center"><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4Fc-Mctc5DD_mcFTG08IbA?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuxSf6vdYijY48Q2fuJIPzZiNKGwidpp79bTqf4RODECPnnMROg7ymCdJKviIEUJtgxX4d_Q1PI3ILp9gvMxVsx9U_kgq8_D91-VVckSUrOPgaBLf-n7chpcUVpZD0eliypjAcpV0KAXM/s400/120209%20(D).JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">photo: darwin martínez<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vt3x30nDnZqM9o4jL2UtFA?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cjMZIor5k0e754ucovcFQjkPImOR_cHEtrimP4-yI-NontbGdb8SuyeD6KUgw5xEqPMrbYYJyQiTo2UADykUmTX5vdZThbHlzt7S69lPzh2nDEhBw69ONno6DvzRFfya7aEv3pcYIX_i/s400/120309.JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size:85%;">On the 7th a group came from the University of Loja to learn about the reserve, practice soil studies, and to help out fixing up the trail.<br /></span><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8mew-2QmiiVIuWGMSJBStw?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYg_zNCWef-1_je4a6GA7IRt1B2IfQduv1Zl0ZVs5IJyCytIYQAje3muw3R5NJjMLUitHaJvN74jcrixoVLPeYZ6qPgKEVVWcuw1XKYa1qY5hwWoiSQMIvSl3DudfqV9xbl7nnH3rUmSiY/s400/120709.JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size:85%;">As you may recall, in November we started a series of workshops on solid waste management with a group of high school kids. Those workshops continued into December as well and on the 10th the group decided to form an ecological club, wrote a constitution, and named the club EcoAmigos.<br /><br />That weekend a youth service group that I’ve been helping out (JUVENTUDEZapotillo) put on a cultural program to raise money for a young man here who has Leukemia.<br /></span><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3HNDK0IK6Bmry7DRuARXmw?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02oVTfIo_kTaLH1MBfbdeapxtpakNScELlUmk4-gcSu9iZGQoUGEKALQ2Ea5DOTsETWGkz6nTnNqrTbzkOLU_5gU05T-XWsTkeYPgliDOwS0T0b_q4XJjfN2BiaTd1bRSmoGisrtJ_jbA/s400/121209.JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size:85%;">The following week, the whole team went to Progreso to do a community diagnostic, since NCI is going to start work in the new reserve there. I was assigned to do an activity to chart the townspeople’s’ daily activities from which I could analyze the division of labor and complete a SWOT analysis of allocation of time, etc. Each diagnostic tool is pretty boring in and of itself, but the diagnostic as a whole, particularly the analyses are interesting and necessary for the development and conservation work that we do.<br /></span><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9XQN4iiW4COeDQIbZ8p8EA?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIELja2_JK6k0qm1lAQh6xsvF02rGg8klRoVuKj2NQf3XjRb_tQqzLZUGlhUBX_erQ7xx6dfYHZybtnnMaDZF09phqtJdIuRBkJN1gLDIK-WYG6u03AmvBfJXn4J9t_cvTuy4dN7Mqoa7Y/s400/121609%20(2).JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size:85%;">Progreso<br /></span><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Csd4JxsTbLjuc_U_icCl8Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjz357xf5IbdtjSr_0VGEf5Ku44scNkMVoUxZNAWZ8pXnx4Rjez-zr_l212oo6s_HWEYKFspY7L_CZEUn5lcPrW7Jo8i5IZHMCoBT2IdOuqfVvTVGXXbovG_6oTkkNZlFv1nC7OXqgvxd/s400/121609.JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/swimchica703/YouMustBeTheChangeYouWantToSeeInTheWorld?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size:85%;">a Kasia tree<br /></span><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Si-RbZGE-ztia7OWhvbhNQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHNuU6nyFCYiWt0JYSDG6UUYP5lc4Eah6ckKJsoodQCTSD9swR8lqREvO2mEKowuF9jxLddF6FNAoVTiZ1oZesvdrbEAq5ZR-Y7cmuYMB8ruTM0cPhP58GUrR25UWt4JVSjRoVvZyEAsC/s400/121609%20(3).JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/swimchica703/YouMustBeTheChangeYouWantToSeeInTheWorld?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Fy3cimHvqo3NcVb0sqGPlA?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIOFEHWCGTf2o3hAc3Sr4tgO4jANhkC-cKQ0p84k2JMhQJ_BSbxZga9h8fLVOxvCDp81Tx3aSmQsr34jnX7CvaBkkNMyvtK-ZJ6hpQpnX1Q43PdE1sAPZ-vyOnD-W43folmDn0oymXEbo/s400/121609%20(4).JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size:85%;">Not sure what these are called but it´s some kind of less-domesticated chicken...Guinea or something...<br /></span><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wpkXBUsMEcRhsLebtw7JjA?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMIXF91wZqPO3-IV3NvmcbAXdZ1fF_rD8JnHDfIUolO2lYo3mUchjRP7GIXsZBPA0Tx0mkRvKoSSe8yHd18VOfVM5Tu70I6IqCONk3IK27U3Cdf2jr5SQKDK2aFfq2ZI_tlACJqYWM7o6/s400/121609%20(6).JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size:85%;">Alligators in the Puyango River!<br /></span><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LUOlS1F-bTcJHnCzU08NtQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMSMT5-ELDpZZlIaKvAtT5rSjUg93YH8HswvvyCQr62OA4Xqk5LGIEgbM_CPxFQVZ76d1i7a4_ATqjoHkivyUVUIwN4-vylhuk9HyT3uG8pNa7SUGItUEsgiIgKrsY7nIOReq0_k0B7_2/s400/121609%20(7).JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size:85%;">I don´t know the scientific name for this plant, but the locals call it ¨huevo del burro.¨ If you know spanish, I´ll let you laugh about that for a while. If you don´t, I won´t be vulgar enough to explain it to you ;)<br /></span><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_GjBwR2X7Vakjh7o1PrBRA?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YeB90Fhcg-WXPn7pSIJYYh405o6louXVignJocx_VkGOZLdYfwZZKc4IkMlNmtLqI3KT35YcPntbW0saPPqGrUHo-G2z0EBVcQtOJRAVMVfxhpz8fuSvuFbBzKWyMdE7i_PqAe4AO2S4/s400/121609%20(8).JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jy0crlKhUkEggRKyMRbbmg?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-7V4hOuchXduPBrSbJLEecO0qi5Qh_8rERJQ91H5wwAKHMyJ5rDdHw0amqsOHJ8kqKpwZc-ehHDiSJyUCvT2wptUFKyGVCmDJyJNndcdjWeEUzNtLZgMgGEXEQGQtz4X66Ax1xvtGoOh/s400/121609%20(D).JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">photo: darwin martínez</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size:85%;">This parrot thinks its mother is a chicken. Very amusing.<br /></span><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6YD2B8I4iLCj_ZAYPDjiMA?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBqP4doykoIVa72yFZ8WHZb50WGSbYmex0feOyFl0EZ6wn8f-LCY8i4SelvKa3YiUVcW7_jPnAWC9gJSRilyQ9yvqJ6VYzRiqo5Gr_3Wzj2Lxdg4WHt7tGbz49THVGx8pJFABaX4ORuND/s400/121609%20(D)%20(2).JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">photo: darwin martínez</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/uQDEU3ktlTIfCzTMtoW-TA?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9X88QjCkj8aA2EYPt9h-pbXqVEhjj1vSO1bJXSAf7JRMobQOJwQVUXbxelHWyN7BXRsXepPaNvAd5DYRRWTvl_jgX7OubpYIefRDRnkVklj4IxUwP-iT0ILgIoc4SnrmH24QiS1soaxs/s400/121609%20(D)%20(3).JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">photo: darwin martínez</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size:85%;">The next week I was “a full” (a particularly funny saying here that means very busy) helping out JUVENTUDEZ in a project where they went around town collecting donations to go out to the communities and give cookies, candy, and toys to the kids for Christmas.<br /></span><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NFiausMieHrUxksJdnpT5g?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabBxmCcrd_RDGv08mCR4Fy87Hwa-BQFB68or03dnxalySzOOxdcDeyMxA9zvz_zysKMsaNPtZNF77CeFEruNOuogJQ71vM2Brwb7-ZmGT_cDcQFemeqmAl8hRN68IkB3ynZtXleqqRp1u/s400/122409.JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/swimchica703/YouMustBeTheChangeYouWantToSeeInTheWorld?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zlLAAjNtt5Gwq81MDtG57g?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiil-B9MEsEbuNQCxaLkalpu2Oqk9sJu5q6DNFTi7PxKUPdD4kyTO-uxgv2OTUOj0V2Oa8qBrYfCrJ6OkB8qnavGLxSu7UTHwr4pbsgSszqX5_1i-FdBNTL4qcqA78OmTFT08rv-8911f5M/s400/122409%20(4).JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/swimchica703/YouMustBeTheChangeYouWantToSeeInTheWorld?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size:85%;">Also, Eco Amigos had their first official event on the 22nd, making a Christmas tree they made out of litter found around town and presenting it at a Christmas Carols competition. It was a LOT of work, organizing, finding the bottles, etc., making the tree, preparing the event, getting t-shirts, etc., but it was definitely worth it. The event was great, everything nicely decorated, good attendance, the president of the club spoke very well, the kids were all in uniform and carried themselves well…I only wish I could have gotten a video of the whole thing, but they made me a judge for the competition and I couldn’t leave the judges table to tape it.<br /></span><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/v5gAPJ95UvhSwrimRSS2tg?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5y3uMX2r-OnKl27KB7ZEYtNptJlrq35-jM6WubUxlDUP-Ydz3c1xQ5o08VdYZw9sO0NSKej_3t9VdGExR9G15vbQokjn8jrtsneYiWVPSEfbERBSbPSqrS9gLx42lUvd8aUZj5GvyCMFG/s400/121809.JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right;font-size:11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/swimchica703/YouMustBeTheChangeYouWantToSeeInTheWorld?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xKNG489TBZivBhMFqPoVWw?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsg2_uPMo1oKa6YqHsB20rudiDdh1_jk-Ylzjdf5UzdsJHlgvfIpVWJVS7JPpRH9pQ4Yn9swDXPM263BYPOqFkKcyhyphenhyphenbsiHU4aeZGVwR9DyEzG1YgFfxqq6FBIM2LodCOo3VM52WlQa-V/s400/121809%20(2).JPG" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td size="11px" style="text-align: right;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/A2W77tvzYMyE8rT8ujVD3w?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdjB0yNWZptIqm5U59S_VW5XUQwyk9jpfQxtNc-8uJK4QiMd4rgOUu-vaNaCxp1WROrirFTzScTzrhhztoqeCW1wWg6nQ-Po7yJZyej5Dg-y0bCXYxYCE-I1uEA8nWD8QLmCWRWn8weVr/s400/122209.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width: auto; text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/uE892-_3vQ8Su5eCnnC0UQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZsqUydBZFZxbVmHjLJDxFcBoLRjmlDtMYCGj6pNLPGKvOb6G97kzhH0zAA3kWvSjUJBv7As9s3MhBWzsSqDiIOm4Io3QEHHIUlda553FMFxBhN43FM8zlOt7hevupN2X5Dg-wWqGW7Pa/s400/122209%20(2).jpg" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size:85%;">The 24th I stayed in my host mom’s snack shop so she could go visit her kids in Machala. That evening I closed to go to midnight mass and then to the Martinez’ for a bit…it was really nice. Christmas day I basically just walked around town, wishing everyone I knew merry Christmas and giving them cookies I made. I got to talk with most of the family as well which was nice. The day after Christmas I went with the Martinez’ to picnic on the river, which was nice because Pauli, Ramiro and the girls were in town (they live in Machala).<br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jbYJzVjcbHwAEYaMGaWaqQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7xDYp4exsCef7oY9qHZMx94jvL6vinp9xX1CZj9NaMh3skfU8ou49jV1weoipauzMZSJ9qzrh2ypwhmLTo2tEE3vtwwioaK9U4AVck-XTHEOszeoZunC3ByqVnGp4C-EVByzwRz1vatY/s400/122609.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">photo: darwin martínez</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-size:85%;">I love these girls!!<br /><br />It was the most satisfying holiday season since I left home. Luckily I was busy enough this year to not think too much about being away from home for Christmas. I think what really make a difference this year, though, was that despite not being with my biological family, I still got out and spent the holiday sharing with people I care about and who care about me.<br /><br />The 29th I finally was freed up to be able to go with JUVENTUDEZ to hand out some gifts that were left over. Even though it was after Christmas, it was great to be able to reach out to some communities around here that I hadn’t been to before.<br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/INjo67BQFlg_9WyUcf--0g?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpdeMVnG_v1A8be28y-fgdw3F3YdIT6JgWjvk_ej3bu1octMrDc3LMx6Hy_kX6qImsaWomAnLqmWGJDQ52Z3DoWwkHprlbUaTOZ9BL14HBTGTrjjT1cghM4CdjUVLjr_OHMUVFQT3_s04/s400/122909.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/swimchica703/YouMustBeTheChangeYouWantToSeeInTheWorld?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tfZAjpMJYWp9ybfWdBjfkA?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtr-BpfBPmzSKdFXrqd26ntzXkRpRpMqx90Xuf_UAj-W_AqOkqrZ6lSKQbaWMk2cik89lCV7k0YKYPEDCflq36wVXyCGU9LrTH0wDJIQ0l5DDuLPLWBBDK65nMPtfrr6coevQxuFzngbwy/s400/122909%20(2).JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The 30th, Bolívar, Darwin, and I went to Progreso because we had heard that there was a bunch of baby alligators nearby and we wanted to try to capture some. To be fair, the alligators hatch something like 20 at a time and they are lucky if a few survive, and we wanted to catch them with the intention of raising them and releasing them. Unfortunately, the net that we were using was completely ineffective and the gators got away. I’m disappointed that we didn’t capture any gators to raise, but it was still a really good trip.<br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QhNPa1E_irUNFxD0gagtUQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJi67i262he_XDn0LVSTi3NUB7vF8wE5N8HWW_O5sCNFmuAqxToD6heA3Pk9LxvtlzQ-m4qyoqQze-AvA-h0pih0LAjsk5eHyjRthSVt_111wgWxdz98YMxZs13xMq-ERSFLsGYtubkJW/s400/123009.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/swimchica703/YouMustBeTheChangeYouWantToSeeInTheWorld?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"> </a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/88A7vIFghFCxSX0GNAVT8w?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOvwhTlRzmA7CDZ6i3JI_dH9bmCmLvTgeM1pRnf9ZcjmU6aZUt-SL88VNkMCvd3jIWCt2b_CkhZ0n51YR5NZ3IX-Q9dQSb2UBDIA2-VoY7oe62eqjJc2iM8RKgMeCjW5-DJqQNlH_v2lB/s400/123009(D).JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr align="center"><td style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">photo: darwin martínez</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5ZYzk0q6mUEePMNEmcyqQA?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2DrH-JW-J4FgFx_z-6RhyphenhyphenruPw9QqTdnTVSqqQUJYkYs_HboMdorSVKIu3qh1eQC5KXmBZfkIpvdxAKVYiicd8_fPSI4NYna5-uoLhfdcIwL-bvnzzzTVlcPSLOT8nn_3aYRkYBRa0rUe/s400/123009%20(6).JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/swimchica703/YouMustBeTheChangeYouWantToSeeInTheWorld?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jbeTxD207Y4SNBFN68Mqgw?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHhFU6K86hLb6zmkXYgLVmjbO5z-Mm82sJEPB9VyMWjjxyf-ZBHQE5P6_5koIGlxMbeyNHAmmGdonqJDhj2CF7ij5NU2qgmHmkAhDyQ-eFaKhup1bG_u2n7c4mEDTHq-Zhd7SywIf6MPX/s400/123009%20(5).JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/swimchica703/YouMustBeTheChangeYouWantToSeeInTheWorld?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table>The Chaguano trees opened up their fruits!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The guayacán trees had just started to bloom and the whole area was covered in this sheet of vibrant yellow. It’s impressive; something that you really have to see in person to appreciate. I think the guayacán trees stand out most of all the trees when they bloom for two reasons: 1) they tend to be concentrated in certain areas 2) they bloom right at the start of the rainy season, when the whole forest is still dry and leafless so against the dull brown/gray background of the trees, the yellow flowers really stand out.<br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/x4TOYGoMUWqWQzjB5kntiA?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnthvTLUOrL7F8HJYjBEyDmXCA-8KtA_fqEuD8hQkZdmQe6dVta9ZFYb539PSY4ocUcgJameT_G4BUOjFT0amip5G8rVOeNayvRMsDVGbu-E_djCTRlI370BQHyTZztECSMIFaMYPYP70S/s800/123009%20(3.5).jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/swimchica703/YouMustBeTheChangeYouWantToSeeInTheWorld?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><br /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/K5b4bFiPhBatkNt8goprxw?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjdifTG27nKzwE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQYZefWhdqZ6_SL8gFYhyv5U6MhIKH4reh2Jo70lWRT3ALrstmVHI8bhgoH5ADE4iF-h0qqtJ7vq8epX3e9mq4aUy1oeX4P5bMuSWb9g0qryi-tyjW0RBsKnK9GC-tEmcaVOHKY-tZ43e/s400/123009%20(3.6).jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 11px; text-align: right;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>New Year’s I spent in Zapotillo, mostly with friends. It was cool, nothing too spectacular to tell. Alright, that’s it for December folks.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> Take care! Abrazos a la distancia, les quiero hartíssimo,<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Sarita</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-83398858546483146472009-12-11T22:08:00.003-04:002009-12-12T13:36:30.275-04:00NOVEMBER!!!<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">November was a good month and seemed to pass very quickly. </span><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday the 7th I celebrated a friend, Paulina’s, birthday with her and her family (the Martinez'...the family I always talk about, with whom I’m very close) during the day.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XC1tCZxLUxgIXOc1dqvm9GLtXS_wJezdFkhyH8VeQojyUyaJKirKPXP2_flpOjM_pTPBIr4W2i6QWT5wl8J-dzVaCHN1uFcV6iKIUXUEUJyYoHrx1H9_GhX8ev4Dzhuy_IWv5lY-Ocfx/s1600-h/DSC06108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XC1tCZxLUxgIXOc1dqvm9GLtXS_wJezdFkhyH8VeQojyUyaJKirKPXP2_flpOjM_pTPBIr4W2i6QWT5wl8J-dzVaCHN1uFcV6iKIUXUEUJyYoHrx1H9_GhX8ev4Dzhuy_IWv5lY-Ocfx/s320/DSC06108.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(L to R: Ramiro, me, Chelita, Moshe, Mayra, and Paulina)</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They always joke that her daughter looks like my kid and so we took some photos which were meant to be a (albeit cruel) joke on my parents.</span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduFZj915ca3DX46kfRkvCerdHEoofu6hNrRdE_P_xwDuMdGLSXY0q5jeMOc11cuuniNqpLJhGILI27b1vhJ8bxN0Ai8GLZC4vEffvl4NaB5bF4AESY18nwLdsnaWEevql7jEJ7CfdC9G7/s1600-h/DSC06119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduFZj915ca3DX46kfRkvCerdHEoofu6hNrRdE_P_xwDuMdGLSXY0q5jeMOc11cuuniNqpLJhGILI27b1vhJ8bxN0Ai8GLZC4vEffvl4NaB5bF4AESY18nwLdsnaWEevql7jEJ7CfdC9G7/s320/DSC06119.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(SURPRISE! I had a kid and you didn't know. Isn't that HILARIOUS???)</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At night my host mom and some of my other (shall we say more mature?) friends surprised me with a party in one of the town’s clubs, cake and all! It was touching that they would do this for me considering that I don’t think they’ve ever gone to either one of the clubs and it was clearly outside of the social norm for them. We had a great time though… </span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVNsNHGNUdmmHIH8pc6JnKVuG-VgkBTBv4i21tUhJUZQ8JIy3UCvHWSSO5zhegm7mJgZdH6-Pb0ER-jLjcBTGLSB1jEReFEcuSxSndu6GDZ-3MSeTa7MqMmdr2TVjCEnuNTSak1_3UNXI/s1600-h/DSC04423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVNsNHGNUdmmHIH8pc6JnKVuG-VgkBTBv4i21tUhJUZQ8JIy3UCvHWSSO5zhegm7mJgZdH6-Pb0ER-jLjcBTGLSB1jEReFEcuSxSndu6GDZ-3MSeTa7MqMmdr2TVjCEnuNTSak1_3UNXI/s400/DSC04423.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(This, ladies and gentlemen, is what SCANDAL looks like...)</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZ89UEa45YaQ_fjpO0osn5b_kLxnUm4H63i4gs5bbtT3AN43SbQ0tB0ubSSOazEHZ7h7EEjFlgrZ6o_hYL5fC_RHde2cgJyXQ05gMo7Z1390fVA0EcAgG1zxObH3BIZJ0TFQ2Mk24377D/s1600-h/DSC04425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZ89UEa45YaQ_fjpO0osn5b_kLxnUm4H63i4gs5bbtT3AN43SbQ0tB0ubSSOazEHZ7h7EEjFlgrZ6o_hYL5fC_RHde2cgJyXQ05gMo7Z1390fVA0EcAgG1zxObH3BIZJ0TFQ2Mk24377D/s320/DSC04425.JPG" /></span></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday three of my coworkers invited me to some beer to continue the celebration, and I convinced them that we should hold the celebration at the weekly soccer games, which is where I spend my Sundays anyway. Monday, my actual birthday, the Martinez family invited me to a birthday lunch at their house and in the afternoon all of my coworkers closed the celebration with cake, singing, etc. </span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScOeqpRylBXk_r6FstgiLeE7tDoWl1ZwbdHAre_Q9XGD6LRRTMi-MP3sMfXksGtCvG9Rf7mPFAgksuvtR6VU3vf0Wrl-FQ5K35D6a5_cG8sfdba_3cilJatqfMBZLmZydKwpBeWHe0Koo/s1600-h/DSC06130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScOeqpRylBXk_r6FstgiLeE7tDoWl1ZwbdHAre_Q9XGD6LRRTMi-MP3sMfXksGtCvG9Rf7mPFAgksuvtR6VU3vf0Wrl-FQ5K35D6a5_cG8sfdba_3cilJatqfMBZLmZydKwpBeWHe0Koo/s320/DSC06130.JPG" /></span></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Three days of celebrations all planned by friends here…the people are unbelievably warm and generous, I can’t remember ever feeling so loved, and so unexpectedly so. </span><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mid-month I started a World Map project with the kids in Cabeza de Toro. The project is to paint a world map on a wall or a bball court, etc. and integrate geography education. </span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WnngoySpzvOq2x8rvIjmsCDzWmFjMoatEadSmUa4MuKKCoQKB_ado1HB_ZbFFb-f5BqCeNJVJynTt3ExIhm6aJbTC3kaDTySqO7bKjAT330-6ozZXNXNGv5JGMenJUvpccXfJwgPJaug/s1600-h/DSC04693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WnngoySpzvOq2x8rvIjmsCDzWmFjMoatEadSmUa4MuKKCoQKB_ado1HB_ZbFFb-f5BqCeNJVJynTt3ExIhm6aJbTC3kaDTySqO7bKjAT330-6ozZXNXNGv5JGMenJUvpccXfJwgPJaug/s320/DSC04693.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(So far, we've just traced it.)</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other work projects this month included organizing a group of kids interested in environmental issues and giving them some workshops on solid waste management and, in my spare time, helping out a youth service group (JuventudeZapotillo) that formed here years ago but has recently been inactive. </span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">…and then I went to Quito for Thanksgiving and a little getaway... </span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzr8aprAzyHxQ-cGWwZAL-DrUmsFAIDLYgt9b0V1hMV74L19mGf703gn63JlpngSBO-gaXXWFQyYNQK86UDy8kP9OJVeXxPndLBQ9A74mE1sRINYnQLxZt58loYdh0rZvuPKa22vY6rko7/s1600-h/egas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzr8aprAzyHxQ-cGWwZAL-DrUmsFAIDLYgt9b0V1hMV74L19mGf703gn63JlpngSBO-gaXXWFQyYNQK86UDy8kP9OJVeXxPndLBQ9A74mE1sRINYnQLxZt58loYdh0rZvuPKa22vY6rko7/s320/egas.jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(From the Camilo Egas Museum...he was an Ecuadorian "indigenist"/ expressionist/ surrealist/ cubist/abstract painter.)</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VsvvAVqKWyrgKIwMPI3vEAFbYaVV9iMIEmTkAopqz7JR1eaGnZ95Xrozsv6051PcYFdUMx3z88yjN5WFKNh70fp_EgG_U95Ate6h7rZRqOBPSH_M7a-XBl4gxnihY7ty-0U-INMa868E/s1600-h/DSC04734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VsvvAVqKWyrgKIwMPI3vEAFbYaVV9iMIEmTkAopqz7JR1eaGnZ95Xrozsv6051PcYFdUMx3z88yjN5WFKNh70fp_EgG_U95Ate6h7rZRqOBPSH_M7a-XBl4gxnihY7ty-0U-INMa868E/s320/DSC04734.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(A sculpture by Ecuadorian Manuel Chili at the Franciscan Museum "Fray Pedro Gocial.")</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmtkJ0gZvG_f208_y-MOnck2qd-WKIJrh0qhF-hbl625uA8Sf0Npe5xIipYQyofyi6ByaTGaOVY4Ol3Mx-0WTwVHw8ZOyGEOTt1dTaj3NQ198mmbj6dtnosrHOoTxV5kEcvYFbzOn6AfI/s1600-h/quilombolas02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmtkJ0gZvG_f208_y-MOnck2qd-WKIJrh0qhF-hbl625uA8Sf0Npe5xIipYQyofyi6ByaTGaOVY4Ol3Mx-0WTwVHw8ZOyGEOTt1dTaj3NQ198mmbj6dtnosrHOoTxV5kEcvYFbzOn6AfI/s320/quilombolas02.jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAphrLKJxu_EHYo-2pdbyEmCwtT1AOEYeM9zsNNNpUFVo6k3soCnNOqheYnT28ZynovYleabxmxQWmos53mznt3O9YtijJRrjO1OLVX_CBgU-vb8Jnm97W2pxJWTKY2y1wcuD3pfcDw1KY/s640/quilombolas01.jpg" /><br />
Photos from an exhibit by André Cypriano about the Quilombola culture.</span><br />
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</div><div align="right" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jtPthxQx1IBVfqG06f0a2LFXCopF1deLaburzkxpQ4lzy4SmD0P6Kw0F6a6KQvZfGPO1hQLCBcBUWmzTlNLTqBQbMIp7jqg-AjPFpef1lx8ZtJw10-1FnwoN-wHXkOqFKuprnYpgPtn0/s1600-h/Basilica%20del%20Voto%20Nacional.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jtPthxQx1IBVfqG06f0a2LFXCopF1deLaburzkxpQ4lzy4SmD0P6Kw0F6a6KQvZfGPO1hQLCBcBUWmzTlNLTqBQbMIp7jqg-AjPFpef1lx8ZtJw10-1FnwoN-wHXkOqFKuprnYpgPtn0/s320/Basilica%20del%20Voto%20Nacional.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Basilica del Voto Nacional...I climbed up the tower on the far left. For those who worry about me, it was no real risk but for those who like to hear adventurous stories, I suggest you read the <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ecuador/quito/sights/436150">Lonely Planet description of the ascent.</a></span><br />
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<div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEPRkTzvYLuCPWz8bWrw2qOCvUmlYcVF6iGoaroJvBEQ00aVJ4z01gKu1QAGjuVhW-tLT30IW4cBSaLrCsOgN9b4bZYVH25pjWdod8G351r3oyzNI1zlN6-YoOJ2Yef56KFAdm9vnuk0SK/s1600-h/Quito04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEPRkTzvYLuCPWz8bWrw2qOCvUmlYcVF6iGoaroJvBEQ00aVJ4z01gKu1QAGjuVhW-tLT30IW4cBSaLrCsOgN9b4bZYVH25pjWdod8G351r3oyzNI1zlN6-YoOJ2Yef56KFAdm9vnuk0SK/s400/Quito04.jpg" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Quito from the Paramo...that's the Teleférico on the far right.</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HOTzFapdAFx9Ztg6dRiNUlOj8YtaG6AWeXHHovIv84bhhueYKoKGzOS7F1tiW0V5CW0I6-RA01i_x1vezqbSZFmF-yXXV5ngSxTgzpVrZ3TpNAtzs4XqKL-yQC4cCgKWAgdGjhKprTVd/s1600-h/quito03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HOTzFapdAFx9Ztg6dRiNUlOj8YtaG6AWeXHHovIv84bhhueYKoKGzOS7F1tiW0V5CW0I6-RA01i_x1vezqbSZFmF-yXXV5ngSxTgzpVrZ3TpNAtzs4XqKL-yQC4cCgKWAgdGjhKprTVd/s400/quito03.jpg" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Quito, view from the paramo</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbbR67VdPnRfhesQzCD1wAzPQJVp4O7oayt5aN4rOVJNX7cLHi8UTBX5fMQooqesTGJUSAcJc-cjh0TdZspXuEq2tKvT7GhUBE_yX9rgbsUxpBke2EaAU6fZnFztcDHNGckg4nj4EoEj6/s1600-h/quito2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbbR67VdPnRfhesQzCD1wAzPQJVp4O7oayt5aN4rOVJNX7cLHi8UTBX5fMQooqesTGJUSAcJc-cjh0TdZspXuEq2tKvT7GhUBE_yX9rgbsUxpBke2EaAU6fZnFztcDHNGckg4nj4EoEj6/s400/quito2.jpg" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The city as seen from the Basilica del Voto Nacional</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqY6yV-Z-Hne8wQXCvhhOdf8Q0sVpceiPTampv-TIk80vvV54ZhCNLHpOqXOPLDoC9rIS81BskLQCEXR_KnVHvhXvEofrq1uqZPJoYnqmQxEGoc1CqtiuDtqddYTtvz9rRmupX3n_rGBz/s1600-h/DSC04841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqY6yV-Z-Hne8wQXCvhhOdf8Q0sVpceiPTampv-TIk80vvV54ZhCNLHpOqXOPLDoC9rIS81BskLQCEXR_KnVHvhXvEofrq1uqZPJoYnqmQxEGoc1CqtiuDtqddYTtvz9rRmupX3n_rGBz/s400/DSC04841.JPG" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kasia hangin' out at the paramo in Quito...right before she headed off to Galapagos for a year!!</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQMDLi7FcJw-kly3QLq056EdM1y5UHoVgDBrrkgChLtM6XwmzWSrz4Fr6h4Mi4bkkJFnJL6-Mjt6L8DaVM1IdQYbL5qV-QOgUL5bMx-bgwOD0MJYSlHhPNFuHyWPF9v4SYx6-9TeBMLX2/s1600-h/DSC04859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQMDLi7FcJw-kly3QLq056EdM1y5UHoVgDBrrkgChLtM6XwmzWSrz4Fr6h4Mi4bkkJFnJL6-Mjt6L8DaVM1IdQYbL5qV-QOgUL5bMx-bgwOD0MJYSlHhPNFuHyWPF9v4SYx6-9TeBMLX2/s320/DSC04859.JPG" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Akila is clearly better at fake falling off of fake cliffs.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis09CGU_56qxN__fjBqT-OXZKl7IYDkT4KSlO4YgGjqlLRCKzgAWzpdwBEIcI8VMHV5xq90zbFDdHqi0usmPI0GSAfGMkdp_QgRanXp8XkLoHnDO0ULnwocRIzXci4cJyHSsGYpBb3jdJc/s1600-h/DSC04766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis09CGU_56qxN__fjBqT-OXZKl7IYDkT4KSlO4YgGjqlLRCKzgAWzpdwBEIcI8VMHV5xq90zbFDdHqi0usmPI0GSAfGMkdp_QgRanXp8XkLoHnDO0ULnwocRIzXci4cJyHSsGYpBb3jdJc/s320/DSC04766.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9i3oqNx1WkSGlgdWPvZrOjzXVnd8nVsMJdLUi81Lj59PMQyr9XLEeYQRETHWpqiIpNdEiLEhG9UqddFMdnxYMEUQ_LrKJVJCtNuOTm4wyHafRB_Bu-Oo-Twe1oRh1e-WryT7a3sYs8I2G/s1600-h/DSC04771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9i3oqNx1WkSGlgdWPvZrOjzXVnd8nVsMJdLUi81Lj59PMQyr9XLEeYQRETHWpqiIpNdEiLEhG9UqddFMdnxYMEUQ_LrKJVJCtNuOTm4wyHafRB_Bu-Oo-Twe1oRh1e-WryT7a3sYs8I2G/s320/DSC04771.JPG" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Photos from an interesting exhibit where 10 ordinary Quiteños shot their own unique views of the city in celebration of its anniversary.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_GCGQJD4V0N1EPM9zr-H7Kkf8lzZGxtl3oX36sVxUh7k72D4mMzngofQHKe62pNRBPrakyls6IMwc7Ic-m37lLMSZ4PExKGeKSvZBvWw30SnHtH4AK1q4S5RwiZrB7-mH7UBSgJPug7j/s1600-h/DSC04757%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_GCGQJD4V0N1EPM9zr-H7Kkf8lzZGxtl3oX36sVxUh7k72D4mMzngofQHKe62pNRBPrakyls6IMwc7Ic-m37lLMSZ4PExKGeKSvZBvWw30SnHtH4AK1q4S5RwiZrB7-mH7UBSgJPug7j/s320/DSC04757%20copy.jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Embassy-hosted Thanksgiving. The people, the setting, the food; it was all awesome.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alright, folks, that's all for now. Take care, I love and miss you all a ton! Abrazotes,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sarita</span><br />
</div>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-48479283998860076172009-11-10T14:25:00.003-04:002009-11-10T15:53:34.446-04:00OctoberFirst and foremost, October was the start of<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNhCwVgpiYAKjcGdzbPmGstfwgrLURDeNuvSEsi_-zecRtpP4d4s1DHThRkUrXHyiHxyMtMrlICb0XAsgkau5YfMaOHj-jMOQMUAVyTSAPnq6LpCtVhLaGpBqOW_uRDT93BdddoI7Dt9c/s1600-h/01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNhCwVgpiYAKjcGdzbPmGstfwgrLURDeNuvSEsi_-zecRtpP4d4s1DHThRkUrXHyiHxyMtMrlICb0XAsgkau5YfMaOHj-jMOQMUAVyTSAPnq6LpCtVhLaGpBqOW_uRDT93BdddoI7Dt9c/s400/01.png" /></a><br />
</div>which means lots and lots and lots of all sorts of mangos all over town. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxllAqOZTXu8B6IXAS2wTmKfeWw4LV1sNnRRUkMqZs8lpPOj865ySyjDwnIgCktG5oACG7QLHmweheZYOdZeut1XgxIGmd3iMo0qkB8LR5unlMAn6ylb1xXljnJDpimbw2caFWyyR2Rlk/s1600-h/02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxllAqOZTXu8B6IXAS2wTmKfeWw4LV1sNnRRUkMqZs8lpPOj865ySyjDwnIgCktG5oACG7QLHmweheZYOdZeut1XgxIGmd3iMo0qkB8LR5unlMAn6ylb1xXljnJDpimbw2caFWyyR2Rlk/s320/02.JPG" /></strong></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>I</strong><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVDX-3Kv_sxTPgtFAdpI-EBLLuCEfOTpfdlFSFYnPI-BJ5dYbKN1l2uZqr-7YrVUMHNKbrDZ4H-3DCYMQDQmbLa9KB2v6uwOFMe5QElVkIK8C8IPYcssxZP-ijl0vrShgdnxU_nTdIq-t/s1600-h/03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVDX-3Kv_sxTPgtFAdpI-EBLLuCEfOTpfdlFSFYnPI-BJ5dYbKN1l2uZqr-7YrVUMHNKbrDZ4H-3DCYMQDQmbLa9KB2v6uwOFMe5QElVkIK8C8IPYcssxZP-ijl0vrShgdnxU_nTdIq-t/s320/03.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>LOVE</strong><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqfonhyynRtp4TW3NEwJMvRQlCurGImMEjyiE1xyFwY1XZ8MRH8zmfS8nOj07K0Vkn-s-dNKA5y8KlWbb6AXVgbGVBTQLvURZHzOV71Q9I7Yib4NxjDXONaA5XY63LCYxThLM27emDZKf/s1600-h/04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqfonhyynRtp4TW3NEwJMvRQlCurGImMEjyiE1xyFwY1XZ8MRH8zmfS8nOj07K0Vkn-s-dNKA5y8KlWbb6AXVgbGVBTQLvURZHzOV71Q9I7Yib4NxjDXONaA5XY63LCYxThLM27emDZKf/s320/04.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>MANGOS!!!</strong><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In work news, I was invited to participate in a World Food Day fair in the main plaza. I made a poster about the benefits of various vitamins and minerals and Darwin helped make some carboard cutouts of fruits and vegetables with their benefits listed on the back. I made burritos (minus the tortillas which turned out bad....so basically cups of rice, beans, and pico de gallo) and squash cake to demonstrate how to incorporate more veggies into any meal and how to make a complete protein with beans and rice. We also had a table to promote and give out samples of the goat cheese and dulce de leche from Cabeza de Toro. I couldn't motivate anyone from the community to come out if they weren't going to sell anything, which was disappointing, but at least everyone liked the samples.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKU9HNPDiGwKeOut9djQh3rnVUQ2vHZOwCYctsN0WJDjTee1EECblzJbYQtrKmvQRLJEQL_JiUn8Yb8sz42P8SxG3dyUwH_Y1gYv4Lz-Zo2Mw5dQriOAfQH-9mOTEIDwqSiFQZd9a2AOb/s1600-h/05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKU9HNPDiGwKeOut9djQh3rnVUQ2vHZOwCYctsN0WJDjTee1EECblzJbYQtrKmvQRLJEQL_JiUn8Yb8sz42P8SxG3dyUwH_Y1gYv4Lz-Zo2Mw5dQriOAfQH-9mOTEIDwqSiFQZd9a2AOb/s320/05.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLigDyr4741JFEazFshUWTXZvXTX0OFdLXt7Vve0zzMosXG8AqXwVq0dxTDYbgL8tDl0eTAE07XMewHkmQyyPTb5TbTtLSx8S54I08ohzOPyOrJHeDxHn_3dgBOIiC_MNRcty7cXtBQ7a/s1600-h/DSC05559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLigDyr4741JFEazFshUWTXZvXTX0OFdLXt7Vve0zzMosXG8AqXwVq0dxTDYbgL8tDl0eTAE07XMewHkmQyyPTb5TbTtLSx8S54I08ohzOPyOrJHeDxHn_3dgBOIiC_MNRcty7cXtBQ7a/s320/DSC05559.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, and I got my picture published in a Loja newspaper with a short announcement about the event. The guy on my right is the mayor and the lady on my left is a friend of mine from bball. (Article reads: "TOWN CELEBRATES WORLD FOOD DAY *Zapotillo* The municipality of Zapotillo, along with the support of COSV, NCI, CARE, The Minister of Economic and Social Inclusion, The Children and Family Institute, the Nourish Ecuador program, Zapotillo High School, and other participants, hosted various activities to celebrate World Food Day. Those present included the cantón's mayor, Ramiro Valdivieso, and representatives from the participating institutions. The festivities included expositions about healthy diets followed by traditional dishes, desserts, and exotic drinks prepared with local products.")<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_n2SmWMvNRxwKNfBZXhxUSevYs47UP5Q3jkkXeQ4qqU90oHtwdHp0xPDavttuO1B3mDmoYh2mhAv_7FcUssecd3WyuE4zTjNx_u36FWtuZ4H0tcZ-8yHd4n7UuEG4m-fJIJvQtZlKPQr/s1600-h/06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_n2SmWMvNRxwKNfBZXhxUSevYs47UP5Q3jkkXeQ4qqU90oHtwdHp0xPDavttuO1B3mDmoYh2mhAv_7FcUssecd3WyuE4zTjNx_u36FWtuZ4H0tcZ-8yHd4n7UuEG4m-fJIJvQtZlKPQr/s400/06.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Also, we drove by the "landfill" to check it out because we were thinking about starting some garbage/recycling activities with the high school kids here. What we found was pretty disgusting...it turns out that despite the nice sign at the entrance that declares it at a landfill, it is actually a dump where the garbage is brought weekly in uncovered trucks and left until they burn it. Nothing is sorted and nothing is excluded, even though they have worm beds to put the organic garbage in, a cement tank for hospital waste, and a house for sorting recyclables. We found paint, batteries, tires, poison, needles and other hospital waste, aerosols, shoes, organic waste, plastic, cardboard, paper, glass, tin cans, aluminum, etc...all mixed together waiting to be burned. What doesn't burn (tin cans, etc) is left there to presumably go into the next week's fire. The entire perimeter of the dump has garbage strewn about. I'd hate to see the fire that would result if they weren't careful enough burning the trash...can you imagine how quickly things would catch fire at the end of a 4-month dry season? The worm/composting beds lie empty and the only thing in the hospital waste disposal tanks is the garbage from someone's lunch. The house that is meant for sorting recyclables has some bank records from long enough ago that I doubt they've ever actually done anything with the recyclables. It's absolutely disgusting that they pass this off as responsible waste management...they might as well save themselves a lot of time and money and just let everyone burn their own garbage in their homes. UGH.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVGAQGvvMs2n3A7xaaWLn6_rp4aLBA9niwD8HkD8ZjpNuCAnPach4bzOkfYUvVLOyNxo6MGnst6UKFRSbkYuAkcb2727vl5LB5DVHGnA7LiJgiGBL6ZFeGPz88MvwmF2vUyPtV2GvZSFc/s1600-h/07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVGAQGvvMs2n3A7xaaWLn6_rp4aLBA9niwD8HkD8ZjpNuCAnPach4bzOkfYUvVLOyNxo6MGnst6UKFRSbkYuAkcb2727vl5LB5DVHGnA7LiJgiGBL6ZFeGPz88MvwmF2vUyPtV2GvZSFc/s320/07.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Other than that, work was kinda slow as we experienced a lack of transportation and electricity. So I took advantage of the opportunity to kick Darwin's butt in Scrabble...yet again.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rYjDK2p2XWJ3gNyKMfNZH0u7ZKOHFkU3et_jS9YVd5och-T3nMQi3jeSzrrdb-IjIfdbf4GOobfX9XitzXsWJDvypuW8dMNcZ5r2dUj7VhRYxORYbmaoSYvpYWiSyPRNljMIU8xaZQPS/s1600-h/08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rYjDK2p2XWJ3gNyKMfNZH0u7ZKOHFkU3et_jS9YVd5och-T3nMQi3jeSzrrdb-IjIfdbf4GOobfX9XitzXsWJDvypuW8dMNcZ5r2dUj7VhRYxORYbmaoSYvpYWiSyPRNljMIU8xaZQPS/s320/08.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>That's right, cry little man, cry</em><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5m-PCgcXBaM0G1WAchyphenhyphenf7Ss0JK4Ug5bUh34FWnpmFct8jFZ5A8uOQwO_SpueeZWN3OtRxR53_jNqQ4zP4IDsnzKtMV3VhJ4K55d5E7pUmRtnyzfllN_DvBf8SNKHHwXH65R_r9HFYtVS/s1600-h/09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5m-PCgcXBaM0G1WAchyphenhyphenf7Ss0JK4Ug5bUh34FWnpmFct8jFZ5A8uOQwO_SpueeZWN3OtRxR53_jNqQ4zP4IDsnzKtMV3VhJ4K55d5E7pUmRtnyzfllN_DvBf8SNKHHwXH65R_r9HFYtVS/s320/09.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Hehe, office geckos</em><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In campo news, like I said the Ceibo trees' fruits opened up and gave off these fluffy little cotton-like balls. I should have made a better effort to collect them...it's super soft and people say it makes great pillows. Oh well, maybe next year.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilSu_lJyzuzHTzppcf9yMCJCzcszQonPk4T6WDe4G_qgd0H-rcsJreeOFLZQZvdPFyBDcmCSpNGSSa8rRwgf5WWus11czflnKE6qMMYEkXmgomi74f40RVOqOtjZa8zqtzENJGbtTzI9eF/s1600-h/10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilSu_lJyzuzHTzppcf9yMCJCzcszQonPk4T6WDe4G_qgd0H-rcsJreeOFLZQZvdPFyBDcmCSpNGSSa8rRwgf5WWus11czflnKE6qMMYEkXmgomi74f40RVOqOtjZa8zqtzENJGbtTzI9eF/s320/10.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is another owl we have around here...much smaller than the other one I showed you...about fist-sized. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmdLQJCAeHMzmGX1onbtRObOO1bjZzFjSu_5546jQMIbw1GmIfH7swTS4ddKy1JhD5SyyfZTz_-TGezSP1PoXSKOvD3MZCYob6bPWWy56VTTrHdRLS0rwCR4wadSVgVbwBY4F0BrBhFTR/s1600-h/11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmdLQJCAeHMzmGX1onbtRObOO1bjZzFjSu_5546jQMIbw1GmIfH7swTS4ddKy1JhD5SyyfZTz_-TGezSP1PoXSKOvD3MZCYob6bPWWy56VTTrHdRLS0rwCR4wadSVgVbwBY4F0BrBhFTR/s320/11.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And in personal news...<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The circus came to town! Actually the circus was kinda creepy. The clowns got little boys to come up front and take their shirts off and they had a dance contest to Michael Jackson music and then inevitably made fun of them. Hmm...oh well. At least the fire-eating dude was cool.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggx5Aykz_71bfzg9KwB10Yfzi_iZa6oUm1sEDoQWIuYRAF94LD3uLIwHRZyKPFLY7C-lte0VWMVJAyTX99uepgxAoQ2KGYanLGk9ttov6wcSn1issDHFr6hjNzs8OodSpH7o5bX81OYtal/s1600-h/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggx5Aykz_71bfzg9KwB10Yfzi_iZa6oUm1sEDoQWIuYRAF94LD3uLIwHRZyKPFLY7C-lte0VWMVJAyTX99uepgxAoQ2KGYanLGk9ttov6wcSn1issDHFr6hjNzs8OodSpH7o5bX81OYtal/s320/12.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">And it was my host mom's birthday! In case you didn't catch her in earlier photos, she's the third from your left. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3VeY-DnBOrXNUtzLovXn8TjKL0kAqc4NyWw0mrEzkctydehoLtYkeG8SfZPRv7dbWAIxm3edUBZWOAgArm2DnJ9oYV6C5AgoVzPZBKutzRmdHuPKf1oojKks5xmwwhhjhifW7LrN6Jy3/s1600-h/13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3VeY-DnBOrXNUtzLovXn8TjKL0kAqc4NyWw0mrEzkctydehoLtYkeG8SfZPRv7dbWAIxm3edUBZWOAgArm2DnJ9oYV6C5AgoVzPZBKutzRmdHuPKf1oojKks5xmwwhhjhifW7LrN6Jy3/s320/13.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh and i just liked this photo...it's funny because you really do see kids driving motorcycles here...but parents usually don't let them until they are like 11 so I guess it's not that bad...???<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsbs85muzrOFxHuvbEtkjE0wgRuRaFiVbuuK6k4emCAAI7mora_VCb7myKndaI-SiBrl9gm-iVmG60aA_dlKXZeNJrG9RpBRZVY0mOWaJlf-78WJpO-Uf2lpenk9HYciaR2utKOexDpSe/s1600-h/14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsbs85muzrOFxHuvbEtkjE0wgRuRaFiVbuuK6k4emCAAI7mora_VCb7myKndaI-SiBrl9gm-iVmG60aA_dlKXZeNJrG9RpBRZVY0mOWaJlf-78WJpO-Uf2lpenk9HYciaR2utKOexDpSe/s320/14.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh and it's started getting super hot during the day again. Things get super lazy around noon...notice the dog napping in the middle of the street...<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2LRM-b5ZPwKpp5IMnhEhcRR7XZ4XBB9qfVCXfhqtZdoT1nEQRx17PuftPCEdgqmPsjL4xKBgVJDejv0WmYdMxWlC74ZSVvJ8HZUlbe5BKhJEOtImftpf2aTWpY5usSSFR8cBIuJ6TeyF/s320/15.JPG" /><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQqGfjwfW8rC-qJO6NuJIIT_n9WprFXoYHUdJ8ovKVqkFw5gwgYhax5hS4bP1MzyUkDfcr9YiwW2Mmt8BO4cSk81Sw2Q8iQ7Kp-L2qnDzcAif5Svnr67I4nneJiqIrJunhiWvVbg50oCy/s320/16.JPG" /><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Alright, that's it for now. Abrazos!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sarita<br />
</div>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-69455478663272305672009-10-20T12:13:00.005-04:002009-11-07T14:59:30.196-04:00September<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Phew...I'm having trouble keeping up with these blog updates! Bueno...The most exciting news about September is that I finally got a new propane tank! You may not find this to be such a big deal but I had gone two months without cooking and, due to too many bologna sandwiches, too much beer from the August parties, and an extended break from basketball, my health was declining and I had gained 10 lbs. September started like any other month, with a meeting the 2nd of the reserve's management comittee. They do hikes to monitor the forest and to keep out foreign livestock and such. From there I stayed in Cabeza de Toro a few days...I've been trying to start teaching again regularly, but the distance of the community from Zapotillo is problematic. Anyway, when I can, I am teaching English/Computer/Environmental Education classes and basketball during recess. Since I've been staying there a few days at a time, I've been honing my firewood gathering/fire lighting/cooking over a fire skills.</span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCClFPfn5h7mBFXJc0pofXfQZ0ITEbA_quWpqcWE0W6QcopDZMBMuMeUIdlINDRZpnV8FTOIw7Pb6ukduJd7mVkTREVQK_b7Oi6J3HWZquu9ArUXx6vSzpjXOMySJFnyyjK70xAxJMres8/s1600-h/01.jpg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCClFPfn5h7mBFXJc0pofXfQZ0ITEbA_quWpqcWE0W6QcopDZMBMuMeUIdlINDRZpnV8FTOIw7Pb6ukduJd7mVkTREVQK_b7Oi6J3HWZquu9ArUXx6vSzpjXOMySJFnyyjK70xAxJMres8/s400/01.jpg.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This year's class...just a few new faces.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTSpTPH7h_EZAQB6tqUpeAs_F7A38PuxRiUiES92-FnvnIadbq9PJvts_UVDQSH1TNRS5waH8u12PnNdiQd6M4nArg7B8GXo3i09DnP-X0JmTe53rphLb64JCMdUyPgaPAJUfdMRFYn6K/s1600-h/03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTSpTPH7h_EZAQB6tqUpeAs_F7A38PuxRiUiES92-FnvnIadbq9PJvts_UVDQSH1TNRS5waH8u12PnNdiQd6M4nArg7B8GXo3i09DnP-X0JmTe53rphLb64JCMdUyPgaPAJUfdMRFYn6K/s320/03.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Reviewing how to connect the various parts of the computer. They had it wrong the last time and thought the computer was broken because all of the plugs were just jammed into random ports. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnXz3GOw9ZEV03RUMiaZBGHEew-uJtQ6grIK9ek1rc_SmRwT9dGP3iRbBcKWJTYndagRxicbwoyeTWZs-jL6B_WDIiHJGtMm02ijkBIxK2kaB5jnUqPprjwMw5IJ7sxhAF00WKMnD8LEL/s1600-h/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnXz3GOw9ZEV03RUMiaZBGHEew-uJtQ6grIK9ek1rc_SmRwT9dGP3iRbBcKWJTYndagRxicbwoyeTWZs-jL6B_WDIiHJGtMm02ijkBIxK2kaB5jnUqPprjwMw5IJ7sxhAF00WKMnD8LEL/s320/02.jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Printing out coloring pages</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpSMlefVHoUNu__FEHWziidHzgQdnKNxQSlrbClXJ0WvmTiwuNzeMzBpd7BVyrJsBY44Focv6uwYUwmCqMpX1TPY7Tj4VfG8WOdIZ97zA1qMTpbKXnO7_oPxtfaaom38o-wNJVOlNItXg/s1600-h/DSC03804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpSMlefVHoUNu__FEHWziidHzgQdnKNxQSlrbClXJ0WvmTiwuNzeMzBpd7BVyrJsBY44Focv6uwYUwmCqMpX1TPY7Tj4VfG8WOdIZ97zA1qMTpbKXnO7_oPxtfaaom38o-wNJVOlNItXg/s320/DSC03804.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">MAD SKILLZ</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHiYUTBRIbrpEv1qbwQ7TFmopt7fOaBYABJ6TAT12-PgZMRvcrePO-090QYzoc8DcP4SuCksiB431TLCEyIrnEa8DsoeAIZOu793NSL-eL6vaqXJnGHwbQsCfsUSukw4utbVw0TTLagiE/s1600-h/DSC03708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHiYUTBRIbrpEv1qbwQ7TFmopt7fOaBYABJ6TAT12-PgZMRvcrePO-090QYzoc8DcP4SuCksiB431TLCEyIrnEa8DsoeAIZOu793NSL-eL6vaqXJnGHwbQsCfsUSukw4utbVw0TTLagiE/s320/DSC03708.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It seems there are always kittens at the Sanchez house...so cute!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfY01m8N4yHLEvGKfhw9FPCxdaoD1W5EHFN-4sRr2tKCrbfthKaiKpXMIrFtlWbE5yQriUgfjA2J_CHUCPO7bukKC7INJuzDQuTGxpHg47fp23CxOwxGv7z6hcGEpi_LeJMOApaTkOgrj_/s320/DSC03763.JPG" /></span><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Clowning around in Cabeza de Toro.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzLdjtetw1J5pHqxgYkub1shFCoGaqHrZJ9NsvDfVh2Og2pH1xT2gXWAUZgP2F6Lw5RtRYQKJ4l1nfB9tSnOTHSBMppZDH2RgXSJgvrXRc3IQEEyYrzNOBlgGCmWjpzk5FmrnNpv-_bzx/s320/DSC03785.JPG" /></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipA6-W2aimd_JK8vcRvu-6hsn7ZkEi9tR7G2-_12JW3hV-c9JgDxcWk7igp46YdQGaWkhDyO6Hac6_eX1W0Nec_UDtt2r2jz9jnVmsq8pLSWU42UJSWcjMAS7KLNjA7x3frZzjxSyCaiqj/s1600-h/DSC03955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipA6-W2aimd_JK8vcRvu-6hsn7ZkEi9tR7G2-_12JW3hV-c9JgDxcWk7igp46YdQGaWkhDyO6Hac6_eX1W0Nec_UDtt2r2jz9jnVmsq8pLSWU42UJSWcjMAS7KLNjA7x3frZzjxSyCaiqj/s320/DSC03955.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I found these amusing...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">OH! So, also in September, a photojournalist came to visit me in my site. He's putting together a book for the 50th Anniversary of Peace Corps in 2011. The book will document the lives of PC volunteers around the world to show what it means to be a PCV, how PC has changed over the years, and its continued relevance today. Here are links to </span><a href="http://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/making-peace-with-the-world"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">his project site</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">and to</span><a href="http://www.smalltownphotojournalist.com/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">his blog</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">.So the idea was that he followed me around for a few days to document my life, which was kinda weird and cool at the same time. Unfortunately he missed out on the class! Anyway, here are some photos...he hasn't sent me photos from the last day yet.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRxU6fARr4oEg37oqDSOlvhSevZ94fBRja-SlnLRhDYok5Qs18C3a_jU6QlJbZ9EfZs47-Go6MHKyZIxlOIUb-1Ws_rBWRKHR3H_OMroxLfFOKJyTeb2i35OQe1eX2T0QXkIW30Dw4O-J/s1600-h/r+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRxU6fARr4oEg37oqDSOlvhSevZ94fBRja-SlnLRhDYok5Qs18C3a_jU6QlJbZ9EfZs47-Go6MHKyZIxlOIUb-1Ws_rBWRKHR3H_OMroxLfFOKJyTeb2i35OQe1eX2T0QXkIW30Dw4O-J/s320/r+(2).jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Stupid flu vaccines</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WH36ha8JjvCXtV9dHh_RueNrIJW-Ii9QmsnNIRQ80fI5C8gf7lt5QT00VVtm7nyStismnhkB8G44FSrrPEwNcfu8TU-_QebSsd1t_Q5xCc0Rq18EocU2vfRSrBUN1OhykarHCzsWo5qL/s1600-h/_ECU5227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WH36ha8JjvCXtV9dHh_RueNrIJW-Ii9QmsnNIRQ80fI5C8gf7lt5QT00VVtm7nyStismnhkB8G44FSrrPEwNcfu8TU-_QebSsd1t_Q5xCc0Rq18EocU2vfRSrBUN1OhykarHCzsWo5qL/s320/_ECU5227.jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlRqi-OpuKUuGTGxTcirUjLfwPSYYJLNfwQ17I6CSl0NNvurts_8Q3zuWB-t8bVDsrHyFBrqaqT3nkxLCZZTy20wdWEo4pIcIwOXXqE1qZp4UzCdqYUUCrCbdEWZWVqeio1KI26ZRZQxm/s1600-h/r+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlRqi-OpuKUuGTGxTcirUjLfwPSYYJLNfwQ17I6CSl0NNvurts_8Q3zuWB-t8bVDsrHyFBrqaqT3nkxLCZZTy20wdWEo4pIcIwOXXqE1qZp4UzCdqYUUCrCbdEWZWVqeio1KI26ZRZQxm/s320/r+(3).jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Morning coffee talk with the boss/hanging out at the office</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lKnbh7Xcq-FCAZhu4Epo5SwsELGd5bEcQc_hutqzRE3J6USeaFb29DyU-0itin0d4cTbqSCR__gwvFKu5CShkbIoaBLHh8TUlNWi1L_1JhNhFN6QK9vXtWQ0sbEL9-Sbow60zVnaT7mo/s320/r+(4).jpg" /></span><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I love this photo!!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mhW29AQCARplL67Fhs2MN1qtygkW4c6URrmQcNhLOSDNqqZCXkpTvw8v_kvIN2qgFVOjXp1ni0aMx8GeFsDPTF6nUUT-_qf1kbec8yRL2kFxuB5OcfCNGx8AKjcpjrsGvHFwilqDnYYZ/s1600-h/r+(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5mhW29AQCARplL67Fhs2MN1qtygkW4c6URrmQcNhLOSDNqqZCXkpTvw8v_kvIN2qgFVOjXp1ni0aMx8GeFsDPTF6nUUT-_qf1kbec8yRL2kFxuB5OcfCNGx8AKjcpjrsGvHFwilqDnYYZ/s320/r+(5).jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Checking out a fish pond project </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVotL4eI7hLZz9CFWUQ-GhZXcV30tWeCgXmp4NAERv5SBAC72WbTBEdcawrw_O4GZAtThzOQ7RT9zd9pg6ev_HysD1ntuiM5hgdg2aKEjL3liVWA3fCbk9RqA8-dnlafsB0F5TRGsfx3rf/s1600-h/r+(6).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVotL4eI7hLZz9CFWUQ-GhZXcV30tWeCgXmp4NAERv5SBAC72WbTBEdcawrw_O4GZAtThzOQ7RT9zd9pg6ev_HysD1ntuiM5hgdg2aKEjL3liVWA3fCbk9RqA8-dnlafsB0F5TRGsfx3rf/s320/r+(6).jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Campo life</span><br />
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</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Serving lunch after a meeting</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrl0cE5cFWdL2jtYCzw3cHCXc_4FJPz2LZV9M_Us7-XiKtp6kZRfK3hMYubspjzorkC9jxxVcKX7mANicWCdIX5lXUnzQY6B9LC9NwvTiQ-d3muUNVDZjEhhSPXq0A0V6O_F4y6FJv58x/s1600-h/r+(8).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrl0cE5cFWdL2jtYCzw3cHCXc_4FJPz2LZV9M_Us7-XiKtp6kZRfK3hMYubspjzorkC9jxxVcKX7mANicWCdIX5lXUnzQY6B9LC9NwvTiQ-d3muUNVDZjEhhSPXq0A0V6O_F4y6FJv58x/s320/r+(8).jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Talking about camera lenses, I think</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5bJnBX8MDc5tzIZ_9fn5F5d1QAOWQ0whRzbjHVSFOVgoVrdq7aVrkEspcm6eWA9yT_yaPMqG527LmYP8S9ab7akA7d_cHMYB9uJ9qQ5sBBGnkVLwIUnh-Bci5W9o8GJQyrB3bbO3jMvu/s1600-h/r+(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5bJnBX8MDc5tzIZ_9fn5F5d1QAOWQ0whRzbjHVSFOVgoVrdq7aVrkEspcm6eWA9yT_yaPMqG527LmYP8S9ab7akA7d_cHMYB9uJ9qQ5sBBGnkVLwIUnh-Bci5W9o8GJQyrB3bbO3jMvu/s320/r+(9).jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Love this photo too! Taken from my neighbor's house.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgq99_UK6UxjD1cJK04QnV-q_GEQHdfPloQKyghyphenhyphenycYjd1AItPx38STztCNziNHTzU7obNdbMJGkHeflTRZpYeK2zKogZK8G_59yxRGsSOaUK4uNURbNobTYVVDFBC9KTS-dMbO2mEFwTm/s1600-h/r+(11).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgq99_UK6UxjD1cJK04QnV-q_GEQHdfPloQKyghyphenhyphenycYjd1AItPx38STztCNziNHTzU7obNdbMJGkHeflTRZpYeK2zKogZK8G_59yxRGsSOaUK4uNURbNobTYVVDFBC9KTS-dMbO2mEFwTm/s320/r+(11).jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Zapotillo at sunset</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OXPLjmaKhPp5o2DI7DH_e9pQvIDt8L9RvcMm2cAYQNa94tR-V8Fb0gB2_SYjeCKKtz4McNBlc0nSBSUB3tfU4x9KiQAHxkMbbM3ejyfSuQSoriIhbME5eo-KSy5qoKXZNm06jxujSswB/s1600-h/r+(10).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OXPLjmaKhPp5o2DI7DH_e9pQvIDt8L9RvcMm2cAYQNa94tR-V8Fb0gB2_SYjeCKKtz4McNBlc0nSBSUB3tfU4x9KiQAHxkMbbM3ejyfSuQSoriIhbME5eo-KSy5qoKXZNm06jxujSswB/s320/r+(10).jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hiking in the reserve, training a potential new guide.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyeSOHDQFJadgEmpQHr3773k2G1B0Fr5CIExEr8EaWaTZGZdr4y2ErzRO5JTkUdR6hCMi9mSV_4J8wCB6QauxPzHPbCc2oeQ3tTFSJq2iut0pK5ZWLK86JZ4ubPU7GnCtR71CVqDuPjnW/s1600-h/r+(12).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyeSOHDQFJadgEmpQHr3773k2G1B0Fr5CIExEr8EaWaTZGZdr4y2ErzRO5JTkUdR6hCMi9mSV_4J8wCB6QauxPzHPbCc2oeQ3tTFSJq2iut0pK5ZWLK86JZ4ubPU7GnCtR71CVqDuPjnW/s320/r+(12).jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">ECUAVOLEY!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGBqK7agFWTCeicagDZnYMrf3NQFSfrIFyYMDmuyiyfSnfnHretjSDDuKQSusikBiuZlhGVvXboSewfn30M6VXCTU1-hKd4QnKISlLjUxhEr02Oto0qVMI1cdgf0mNHXdOFyEIo3MeTBY/s1600-h/r+(13).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGBqK7agFWTCeicagDZnYMrf3NQFSfrIFyYMDmuyiyfSnfnHretjSDDuKQSusikBiuZlhGVvXboSewfn30M6VXCTU1-hKd4QnKISlLjUxhEr02Oto0qVMI1cdgf0mNHXdOFyEIo3MeTBY/s320/r+(13).jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The little girl (Sayra) and I were discussing the intricacies of colors in english.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLnXhe2p2XosA37vJEOoaiygE6cRI7dAbmq5qaSKqO61ufY3e_888SJGm5xX5khO6tNmRLALabHOjRbTLCeKpB728f32imtyqxSj7zdDATAAHROe4FxNGJradeJQxrvPtbl-udcZagcub/s1600-h/r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLnXhe2p2XosA37vJEOoaiygE6cRI7dAbmq5qaSKqO61ufY3e_888SJGm5xX5khO6tNmRLALabHOjRbTLCeKpB728f32imtyqxSj7zdDATAAHROe4FxNGJradeJQxrvPtbl-udcZagcub/s320/r.jpg" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Visiting with my favorite family!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Random Photos from September:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My coworkers assisted in confiscating some wood that was illegally cut down to sell. I was so disappointed I couldn't go with...we were on travel restrictions! They confiscated like 600 of over 1000 posts. Luckily a coworker took photos for me.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLof78hTr-jp8DlYxaofLwfznQ9bc5VcLvir_6HjFoa4bgA-qYg4X30w-FmPz7nvOMYt34IqflywBAGJwVcVFD6AmLF_c1qxiQRx0xEBPIQg-qoNWLi-tA3iMWOQbW3aW4nn_e3nwgCULL/s1600-h/DSC03968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLof78hTr-jp8DlYxaofLwfznQ9bc5VcLvir_6HjFoa4bgA-qYg4X30w-FmPz7nvOMYt34IqflywBAGJwVcVFD6AmLF_c1qxiQRx0xEBPIQg-qoNWLi-tA3iMWOQbW3aW4nn_e3nwgCULL/s320/DSC03968.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The town castle is the best place to go stargazing here...on a clear night it's awesome!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDnlpLYBMteABZjeoVwhlSZMuN4lYGRYcwJKMsQo6G128wMqkSCAtaxS2yWyng-axZo9uZKzBRh63tM8obCeG2nKRYFdhOQeagUBSC-ZQXh9ee7huTS7-twYRaS8p6UHFxWslnQuLr6H44/s1600-h/DSC03959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDnlpLYBMteABZjeoVwhlSZMuN4lYGRYcwJKMsQo6G128wMqkSCAtaxS2yWyng-axZo9uZKzBRh63tM8obCeG2nKRYFdhOQeagUBSC-ZQXh9ee7huTS7-twYRaS8p6UHFxWslnQuLr6H44/s320/DSC03959.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Maria with a new puppy...there are actually very nice, friendly dogs here, it's crazy!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0M-5U-GG3MOmI9Oc1amHmw6SSbvrkwvyEL1ZJkldUhXD1hJ4TnU4u-NaWPqur_np08mSjoqGtymx0EHVUmR0WqDJUtfVMFnpPUODLN35_IOrDU_z89djwzomJT741QIUCKaUN4j5U1arb/s1600-h/DSC03903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0M-5U-GG3MOmI9Oc1amHmw6SSbvrkwvyEL1ZJkldUhXD1hJ4TnU4u-NaWPqur_np08mSjoqGtymx0EHVUmR0WqDJUtfVMFnpPUODLN35_IOrDU_z89djwzomJT741QIUCKaUN4j5U1arb/s320/DSC03903.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A bird that got left out of the bird post...can't remember its name.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBnXdJc-A3Et5Hq728i3zjMUMS5LwyT_8oRqZh5xYXcx9aF90qr7MnRFI5jk-NqpgYlrsqT0Ccy_AhUandvvbhfVs3vluV_Bd5XUtqVNlsatDVIZzCQwBhBl9DTTbFRb6v_JnGJN1t6IZ/s1600-h/DSC03849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" sr="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBnXdJc-A3Et5Hq728i3zjMUMS5LwyT_8oRqZh5xYXcx9aF90qr7MnRFI5jk-NqpgYlrsqT0Ccy_AhUandvvbhfVs3vluV_Bd5XUtqVNlsatDVIZzCQwBhBl9DTTbFRb6v_JnGJN1t6IZ/s320/DSC03849.JPG" /></span></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Random picture with the Italians in my site. The girl, Marcella, just left. =(</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Well, I guess that's it for now. As always, I love and miss you all! Abrazotes,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sarita</span><br />
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</div>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-49658911536765170732009-09-15T15:20:00.008-04:002009-09-15T16:15:31.976-04:00August<div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This month, I think the pictures can speak for themselves. There were a lot of fiestas in August, as we celebrated the anniversary of our cantón (kinda like county, I think). oh and i went to guayaquil to go on this pirate-themed party boat with some other volunteers. and, of course, we dressed the part. btw, ecuadorians don't really understand costume parties. heh</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihyphenhyphenrWcc0AikfrU9ULBlb709SpOfqCBYRWNCXEucV8zrT2XGX4FJytRFKDGGQGzFl6ySZdgPTSa5n1M-WPC9kkRpiWn3V7VsUIzCDmw07f2dvJ6PqyVu9-IQki1G_pnowciYEMl3fgod9K/s400/blog%20(4).JPG" /></img><br />rommel likes to pretend he's michael jackson...if only i could upload videos i filmed rommel and another kid in a michael-jackson-imitation-dance-off<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOgWjmJVPwTol0LtPFnZrflWfahVcDg3OmO0xqIUGdUvV670ZeoYJLb65cUn1tV9cbJKekkfUHX1dvUW8b0E-BYzSQ0PomcLYSHJ5gFFfVfp_RBxKwxWP9XAzWmiyMjP4qakeyTig4Lbdr/s400/blog%20(5).JPG" /></img><br />Working on a-minor with rommel...i got a great new guitar teacher too! too bad he is leaving soon to resume his studies...<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvpOtNFuInxxcgUPwOLt1LkZsrhdVQ1VTu8lrPAN3lSCrS7tn1D9Oe0JtUsAjkEEqZ2_my2mT2V5mkA9WEZahAazS57XAOMbfu09fPNFXqTHYMtCwEdnDbMBqLRIETIAeBIeDKBE32bct/s400/blog%20(6).JPG" /></img><br />goofy kids<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3kHmiyHHuSHyoxTlkpBKnAqOX5QwhClT2KKxYRm5_6w37BSf18nf9ucWLLdQQchjKj3drryxDyP4twjAKYVK4maMd4S88kJc9gI4n8nUU0hDnj_BxQeH0TNL2iXTwTohjcYAVByCYRlC/s400/blog%20(9).JPG" /></img><br />swanky wedding i was invited to in Macara<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_K6FDzPXQjVkws4iturKIZMPtxFaPUaWAOopMU0ylwo6iKy_9WNa_6Z9xfz6CWcJdNPraY7PQwz03C_NGy7KEFBIjQ7YqMUw2PLdFcb8ctFSCA79clC1CACpdbT3tKC_4UrELHizluwY/s400/blog%20(10).JPG" /></img><br />we got some new interns for the month<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgocSQzsOhwGmrPCmLhurItsjE5ga4n8CJT2Uq7IzHe4XLvNWTxkM_fepmS4nrTT8ys0j2YQjDOQL3aUW692JDXS_hCT4ZYeDsabHIUFiqQrEbqFtJg8lTk-zcVr3ufSk1oAZ158H3aYG0a/s400/blog%20(12).JPG" /></img><br />guiding some tourists and training new tour guides in Cabeza de Toro<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj334eHnQjPwtceqJ9AJYPQUA5cWr9tVKP-f9Y7gEPK4UPJH5DWp_ksepoy4vpU3EeyciG1_2EDVqN9Pdz1hlijfDHfxa4JUR9VUQ4w7SwXWS_1_sQhms9ESR99-mnQGYLw6RZIi5FBPOhv/s400/blog%20(11).JPG" /></img><br />peacock in Cabeza de Toro (not-native)<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEB78QlYluZUHRRF8nu7H2O2zBD6K_kVpEpWNLVpTyYn0KZyfusxFlit2dpmBjhz5V0dXcqE98RYEBM91CoGdYe3-IPEaieEcXNPDvbz-INY2QIqWLpC4hIqUh1A6T1ktQCfiQuDd9fZL/s400/blog%20(15).JPG" /></img><br />pirate ship, the morgan<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTz77jCL9N6hWpPsj_ecKDxfxQ8Klxcl_SUMw86IVLVrZs4TgDvXbDvF94DWLKzI5O9LkMtvjAmBfOdTSJwfXwK9vmXLj5ov1B60s0QBZXA__U1QjFD_0RZwBGq12cm4Cab5aARGEdOA7l/s400/blog%20(16).JPG" /></img><br />yarrrrgh<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh662pwIi3I9M0MJ9VBuTiOzxdqGIwTtPif8hZBOFHbHBlPy859cLq9vS9VCRFrZ7Rqhoj44IQc4TcCtIdawD_d4D6NTaKhQQqWkbfKMl8zyunJXqdTKSfLlAfWYq4GfamHJPAGWMlTFWcw/s400/blog%20(17).JPG" /></img><br />did i mention that it was an open bar?<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpM80I5tVns87usfS-885V6mGG-DAuVzUzH4S-s8cPWfuZauKCU9NYVupeiJUhRApqHlRBwxSGcpf1REmI6ZDPFeCcG-0yzW7Ph42Jw9xuqLIYMt6ADof1r6Qg871A4ZSw6414A9MyjEB2/s400/blog%20(18).JPG" /></img><br />we went to the communities on the ecuadorian-peruvian border to inspect a fence that appeared to be made of wood cut from the reserve without permission. ecuador has all sorts of natural-resource use laws.<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGUjCfFJG4q0-adT_uiM9F4Ue8ob5jlhYL6aJNR-OpsdlGWDzuIDi-7dMJCL3yrLcJvzCMN5oxRQlmC0A3DQQE-V5MFDz1PVEkPdIGQjbkFzgfm9isNC0LWN14WH3ZAHcpFxK5fEuthQA/s400/blog%20(19).JPG" /></img><br />peruvian side. in this particular area, it's hard to control people cutting down trees for lumber because all they have to do is cut the wood down and put it literally a few meters away, on the peruvian side, where the laws are much more lax.<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3KYX_Serz1G_uvHgTEZ63-I3Ou9LaxaPLmPIyE_y7okkxXqq_FwehMeOAPRXPTLTqEezDxwVjjhZiw3ObLkXabrDrpmqcRRggI-5R-ugnVgTW2daYfNoraRxrdfpgRccE3QVQGuHy4d0/s400/blog%20(20).JPG" /></img><br />the minister of environment inspecting the fence posts. we later tracked down the people building the fence and spoke with them. the fence used about 1,000 posts of a very high-quality wood. our investigation led nowhere as the people swore they bought the lumber and we couldn't find anywhere where lumber had been cut recently.<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhQjq5YCQxga9A3OYm6oAVH-kQiJaR1-0L9eigdmTnCjpVotJTzdawTZg2VMTDQElcZSyHoJkbKQl_KOk3XOaewoCpi4pJB1HwSDf92eyWEPUC49JwKa_2xoMGh6jlNwaGYb0e3De3Ig5/s400/blog%20(21).JPG" /></img><br />rommel's birthday! celebrated with fruit salad (the weirdo didn't want cake), soda, lots of war (card game) and a brand new soccer ball.<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPsd65Vxhf0eLcfccGEZQX0VGraVqBRqUDZ0WYcTiXiXqx5Gf5RixEmbG97uhR_iFO81HXAhpzRFTWL0b8C6Y3f2i8UU-YDXwUqA7T__GSJ4G_L0HwBGCl43xt5qi0MabAR1O35qXqZKA/s400/fiestas.JPG" /></img><br />pre-k kids in the town parade...is that joseph next to spiderman? kids are weird.<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCldxxBpiDv1OFqpHOJkiO3bNwMqjcluWuz0rpE-joaI29XkiphNNgrh0Oo_tEBTkyZ3BEnuPJjqycuRJuv6yVK_ws8oEIUJWcNov4bQSrNhm_9ER2Cxx-_sLCNRv-HPPKCW-g4heWBoe-/s400/fiestas%20(2).JPG" /></img><br />presenting those kids' videos filmed in the reserve last month.<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-r6_iJunGWRVa-W3lxTKba5mLtBW_ga-GDPJgsMhtewsgbB8DMkgeZJz6mJo0Au6xcL7aEdqeW7KdfwO7y_WtUEq9EbaNQDUi6L6b9R1JghlxNyPTZXKc-4UE6U4txwlHEDMoGfTr9ljA/s400/fiestas%20(3).JPG" /></img><br />like i said...lots of parties<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGCBd5mUv5I3i-vp1qCSzaCxLFiIdcfFsxgGYdiU0yndt5FOfVxR6NRFpFAzxCdCMWH5qYLofH3_rlcxT6OzFpMUDas0MKuw9-wMcj2Bjy-zntdvwWaQ5so2hbSMNt9M63ajfSEeruybV/s400/fiestas%20(4).JPG" /></img><br />car races!<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi777JXWyGsv-cqrnarNXNXmSoIiNcjW-sh-5zU5bCG0SHez4bkKG0ciVHaMabCzaghrNWeC7N1Wt2xzGu2_QQTCU6QzU6YA6gjXJnvgp6Q_ih_uDoofzPgk3mp8WRyG_CNBRt-z3rYL2JH/s400/fiestas%20(5).JPG" /></img><br />grilling with friends...oh man the food was so good, chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, sausage...i can't believe we ate so much meat...<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5-6oV44l-Nug-8Gzj1GpNb6LCVQMQjCan-qPPbHaQZlfvF226Hh78wpsAppp9c0KqVGVbqXppFJ4wQQAVYf2gD1-euj2cpqbhheXJi5xDtX62nNf2iqk5HqhScCTWGBFNf4xh5E1sfUc/s400/fiestas%20(7).JPG" /></img><br />horses for rent on the riverbank during the festivals.<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUqbL9-eR_yMi8E5ujAImwS-fvwbzrRLjO5uVWSIEIqCOdX9Rako5Xfe5_cbAZSs023AEeI3UEY46Uo7zweXLT7A4mW_5JyJdeFP04Mpf4p9iTf3nM_gsUCM_UFFnne7nyP6Beyt6Rw2H/s400/fiestas%20(8).JPG" /></img><br />...and more parties<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClwmfRLGd0ECeDC3uLtOHjd4jettiQjXx5fFEhSE8_BCa_fEHuDbk_MlLrsRNnPq4lsRqqY0fvTC2k9itcTSCLQi7M4j52ZxekINbFFDeTmLHO9hKUP3ftUI9Hku_sG19JMhfy10IfnvU/s400/fiestas%20(6).JPG" /></img><br />motocross races!<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5m36TbjT2H0rKHQ7WjWupBJyJhB68DaED4THCZ0wrwSvQgiw6Jlam_veZ2dXwxb129b5VR9sIt9ow-L5qP2xhYdOURu83ywiSQE4RWO02c1lP3ZsLtIdp7Bjvihf5MetaKEHR7yEJSjhC/s400/fiestas%20(9).JPG" /></img><br />...and more parties...<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3AO-3t0fIvGFGfLO5XOobgZP90EWiiZDRrl5XkfMgBHRxlfBMhrVAVDAhnp5q1-dgLoqbeOc7XSHa0u0T6pr3gYoAnKn3vHimaOC6mJU_OWH86TyMy0D3KVL3r4tGfrjX14zxyToqroE/s400/fiestas%20(10).JPG" /></img><br />swimmin' in the river...it was super-clear<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8UiG7sJq1IkhEV5GInl0CDukWcpfEDTXUomf2D3xapDqpQD2muKXmnZRPeyS2Ps8YzeX8QLUdxDo1GY0X5E0mwpmqArFopJPoxVrWIL1-iAdpEho1LrV7inh4i2XsHLPIA0FSW-9pTHX/s400/fiestas%20(11).JPG" /></img><br />the beauty-pageant participants. the one on the far right won<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRA4k3Dv8-QS31PejbkCWDg7PXtjxIplQ_WGJQMAlfb05_cP5xDPHriC1XlDeE5M2ZpQkjGulW4PC8cUskJIKh7E9j-hcD-2S8v4Ps9AWxdmYoj6A7GK0YpNnZHc1Tn-SXjvZkLmFdW2iF/s400/fiestas%20(12).JPG" /></img><br />...and more festivities...the kid on the left is my super-sweet guitar teacher.<br /></span></div>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-67331901411086353122009-08-06T11:44:00.004-04:002009-08-06T12:32:45.107-04:00July<p> July started rather nicely with a trip to a friend’s finca (like farm, but many people here have farms that they only go to on weekends and in the evenings). It was a short trip, but lovely all the same. I saw this really neat butterfly that I’ve never seen around here. Also, they slaughtered a turkey to eat…oh, the food was so good. They made cheese and there was fresh cane syrup and fresh juice… I should have taken pictures of the food.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYZ_-v6akPeMy-Jt2hK3dcuClYUkTBC1_RjqgJCPOs-CTqbMRNoRSdzmqwqMhZBdZ-hbvGasKngzJbZewY_l7XtgvY2Zh54esoHH2WUXotvi3SkiEC954X8doWBasn3LPVILVEw9Pl_xI/s1600-h/01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYZ_-v6akPeMy-Jt2hK3dcuClYUkTBC1_RjqgJCPOs-CTqbMRNoRSdzmqwqMhZBdZ-hbvGasKngzJbZewY_l7XtgvY2Zh54esoHH2WUXotvi3SkiEC954X8doWBasn3LPVILVEw9Pl_xI/s320/01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366880719933802322" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ftbet3AKkzJWKpgE-oFLEgJMJS38L_rSGAqjgKF8g5N20bPZXcAF-aZQoM1E4mKcwuO377MynyotwUxZVPm3p0RV9jJSC9s-8DM8ZZNaqT_uPXk1FevAby36xjcWs1vwAxE6lpMEVM_Y/s1600-h/02.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ftbet3AKkzJWKpgE-oFLEgJMJS38L_rSGAqjgKF8g5N20bPZXcAF-aZQoM1E4mKcwuO377MynyotwUxZVPm3p0RV9jJSC9s-8DM8ZZNaqT_uPXk1FevAby36xjcWs1vwAxE6lpMEVM_Y/s320/02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366880725381052786" /></a> <p> The 2nd we had a school group from the city come to visit the reserve. Unfortunately, all of my work partners were busy that day which left me to guide the group with an ex—coworker who lives in and is from Galapagos, not here. It went really well though. It’s great to get local groups of kids to visit the reserve because they get really excited about it and they usually didn’t even know that dry tropical forest exists, much less that it exists so close to where they live.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-WR3fzaTkIci3XpVAfyP7pweQeBQiEUrptWJWULFePWkn52szHppD79adPoaIEKMbY-ItrIqflHg-C78_Xilce4tq8o-cVwWjQCuvID4KIiirz3b8RcI97GVW7MkOYMwGsjAlTz5RA6O/s1600-h/03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-WR3fzaTkIci3XpVAfyP7pweQeBQiEUrptWJWULFePWkn52szHppD79adPoaIEKMbY-ItrIqflHg-C78_Xilce4tq8o-cVwWjQCuvID4KIiirz3b8RcI97GVW7MkOYMwGsjAlTz5RA6O/s320/03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366880732494788786" /></a><p> We visited El Oro again to progress in the land rights work that I previously mentioned</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8Kl2N_DQ2Q_rGHozWyX6y4nHUD3rDebwbYt4lrByxr5UZPxiCJj5jVHOEXn3YYH7xREMXcCPtM97ujadR10sPgVc65cpZ5Gk2BqoeNzrMW0r2VELo3a-Rds6fBfIrgqOIcXQ9n6AvzEv/s1600-h/04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 284px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8Kl2N_DQ2Q_rGHozWyX6y4nHUD3rDebwbYt4lrByxr5UZPxiCJj5jVHOEXn3YYH7xREMXcCPtM97ujadR10sPgVc65cpZ5Gk2BqoeNzrMW0r2VELo3a-Rds6fBfIrgqOIcXQ9n6AvzEv/s320/04.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366880737443650178" /></a><p> Also, we had a group of tourism students from the University of Loja. A little disappointing that the students seemed more like they just wanted a vacation and no one was too excited about the reserve or mentioned eco-tourism or anything. Oh well.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlfQsADE6lInS8byKHgAsto17B40p0Y2d1BjElzquYuBu1XXcn0sCDh4hUSmS0yQbVsgkCrR5L5x96Y6ONAgI0S3FJ-XLQKLIE1RugG48EhslJ49MvrKft63j5o0nMU-IGFLmamiEhpOi/s1600-h/05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlfQsADE6lInS8byKHgAsto17B40p0Y2d1BjElzquYuBu1XXcn0sCDh4hUSmS0yQbVsgkCrR5L5x96Y6ONAgI0S3FJ-XLQKLIE1RugG48EhslJ49MvrKft63j5o0nMU-IGFLmamiEhpOi/s320/05.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366880741981034258" /></a><p> Got invited to another finca where I was spoiled yet again with fresh-picked food. Coffee beans (really tasty fresh), coconuts, limes, papaya. </p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgmg8q-J3lCMXvhToLQ-71DBpFmB02-b0a2X7ECQjI-PNwqWEvroRLn5po9KX8WiUU8jjDP7K1luZd0BIS4IHd_fS61FI5Hv8jT-aKztXYSjZGpyjIpwAh9tVfCIVViRTY1w7CjdqXpI0/s1600-h/06.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366603131681421090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgmg8q-J3lCMXvhToLQ-71DBpFmB02-b0a2X7ECQjI-PNwqWEvroRLn5po9KX8WiUU8jjDP7K1luZd0BIS4IHd_fS61FI5Hv8jT-aKztXYSjZGpyjIpwAh9tVfCIVViRTY1w7CjdqXpI0/s320/06.JPG" /></a><p> Later in the month, I went camping in a petrified forest in Puyango. Due to volcanic activity, the trees became petrified, absorbing minerals from lava through their roots while still alive but fallen. The petrified trees have slowly been uncovered over the years, while at the same time a live forest has grown on top of them. Due to the volcanic activity, there are also many plant and animal fossils in the area. </p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgazE1sqz5UZT-DYaEqc82c215I8ykwRi08OfgViSqfk2q2dHKee-ULfP5iZgeUhy5A1ypmo1MatOaVPyQ_qI018hgLZP0ysrPT7lnsTjG6sU_x96Tjo08sDKps-tR_2LRPtBTMfRFDoh/s1600-h/07.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366603125879309170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgazE1sqz5UZT-DYaEqc82c215I8ykwRi08OfgViSqfk2q2dHKee-ULfP5iZgeUhy5A1ypmo1MatOaVPyQ_qI018hgLZP0ysrPT7lnsTjG6sU_x96Tjo08sDKps-tR_2LRPtBTMfRFDoh/s320/07.jpg" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_G-u3mTpwR_jyKQ_3zK6JTVeV5PoqkHyMM9vmgUhvDuNIiNr3MaRcCceqJ-e0DBkdSiMBanJ6VBR5b7XK4abohyS9Wywbf0nDvMDBYCKeDG5GShaNl-n7v8K8uVCvh9WP0QqWLwrcnrr/s1600-h/08.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366603124977660722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_G-u3mTpwR_jyKQ_3zK6JTVeV5PoqkHyMM9vmgUhvDuNIiNr3MaRcCceqJ-e0DBkdSiMBanJ6VBR5b7XK4abohyS9Wywbf0nDvMDBYCKeDG5GShaNl-n7v8K8uVCvh9WP0QqWLwrcnrr/s320/08.jpg" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSLkTlbYAOoODT_k3tkfPD8GzRNFKIU0A7b2NuLgqr6WpbnWZKnkrBgFSSSaKShaHBdWHJi_AGQsca5ToUhPXVuuNsn7dyILPyJLIa7ETSoUR81Tph5vqB80d6HVGSPSCLx59kh8nwz40/s1600-h/09.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366603119570305458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSLkTlbYAOoODT_k3tkfPD8GzRNFKIU0A7b2NuLgqr6WpbnWZKnkrBgFSSSaKShaHBdWHJi_AGQsca5ToUhPXVuuNsn7dyILPyJLIa7ETSoUR81Tph5vqB80d6HVGSPSCLx59kh8nwz40/s320/09.jpg" /></a></div><p> The second half of the month marked the start of many long days of work building fences to keep Peruvian cows and goats out of the reserve. (Which is much more reasonable than building a wall to keep Mexican human beings out of the US, if you ask me.) I didn’t get to go along very much, guess the men don’t like women getting all up in their manly work. Whatever.</p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbtOLvTTAgJn5-s5IRksyacH1Hta96vPWhEFSdnm8tKhjh-vUrBPvSnYxyvqULAO-tobye-InlGKuZkLWPBEFdLsAio0A0QQPpq6vIJv75YBLBNb5VXRxzuSJIWvXCEYzlO2WFuKie8Q-/s1600-h/10.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366603110036806434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbtOLvTTAgJn5-s5IRksyacH1Hta96vPWhEFSdnm8tKhjh-vUrBPvSnYxyvqULAO-tobye-InlGKuZkLWPBEFdLsAio0A0QQPpq6vIJv75YBLBNb5VXRxzuSJIWvXCEYzlO2WFuKie8Q-/s320/10.jpg" /></a></div><p> Also, big news in July, a group of acting/production students from the University in Guayaquil came to the reserve to film short children’s stories as sort of a thesis project. Most of the actors are local people, only about six were students. They did some last year too…not too preachy but with positive messages about caring for the forest. It’s nice to take local people out to the reserve so they get to know it and have positive memories of it. Plus, you can imagine the outtakes filming in the reserve, particularly with the animals.</p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqb-ZH6wD-eMHd2EsmAXZYYMBMa1zGQ8sY8rnAW9AUQyV0-PeVgiYtAaVGIP0dLJwZ2D1aN4CWnv0HcDntsQasn_fVXttHiz_64gk1Ycku0m6W56Dy1Pkj31VcZk6T660eJRr8LbRH7l9P/s1600-h/11.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366587251591403474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqb-ZH6wD-eMHd2EsmAXZYYMBMa1zGQ8sY8rnAW9AUQyV0-PeVgiYtAaVGIP0dLJwZ2D1aN4CWnv0HcDntsQasn_fVXttHiz_64gk1Ycku0m6W56Dy1Pkj31VcZk6T660eJRr8LbRH7l9P/s320/11.jpg" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJGhiOGYO1-d30ir-8hujTLY0cM-4I8xjKAzLSM2DDY0L36F99EbmZh8Hk2bVRgqFQ5X60NTJ0fyjSTPjRhR-7Be1x6WkFc5vlZ2bTdU7nPF21PhMma6FJDWS2FUgDB4QWGHAWyzp2_UO/s1600-h/12.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366587248915248562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJGhiOGYO1-d30ir-8hujTLY0cM-4I8xjKAzLSM2DDY0L36F99EbmZh8Hk2bVRgqFQ5X60NTJ0fyjSTPjRhR-7Be1x6WkFc5vlZ2bTdU7nPF21PhMma6FJDWS2FUgDB4QWGHAWyzp2_UO/s320/12.jpg" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1f2m4mNxLDXh1H_xZ7IzooqpWRc3Vh89W12vjGxp8it5WzROJpKPAXvVD15WBCLr3f_mzq2Y5HuHtjddM2UCWThXvF8T4fJOYOgb3lOf1rdR-VvKlkEjvmVaYs0ooG7J6AUQicEuNFO_1/s1600-h/13.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366587246339255202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1f2m4mNxLDXh1H_xZ7IzooqpWRc3Vh89W12vjGxp8it5WzROJpKPAXvVD15WBCLr3f_mzq2Y5HuHtjddM2UCWThXvF8T4fJOYOgb3lOf1rdR-VvKlkEjvmVaYs0ooG7J6AUQicEuNFO_1/s320/13.jpg" /></a></div><p> The last week in July, we went to a site called Progresso, where NCI is just beginning a new reserve. I’m hoping to go back this week to learn about doing a bird inventory. The reserve there is denser, with more animals. The river even has crocodiles :-D</p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsQ4m4q9BpYdCjYXit31a1Hxy4PaQ8iXk5A_otSg6QFJijOwfDAtAtkp1eOwXKMMNlTvglZz4JMKHaMjyeHPyeGRRMRJ_B-OwFiHg9jtJe9gPs9uBdBcNFJb1L6m6cWw03Z96LjFOU4if/s1600-h/14.jpg"> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366587242077955650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsQ4m4q9BpYdCjYXit31a1Hxy4PaQ8iXk5A_otSg6QFJijOwfDAtAtkp1eOwXKMMNlTvglZz4JMKHaMjyeHPyeGRRMRJ_B-OwFiHg9jtJe9gPs9uBdBcNFJb1L6m6cWw03Z96LjFOU4if/s320/14.jpg" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovdKs9cAGCuKzmUQRDg2J8JAbJczJOC-hef5tm0mUsSvCrhABg93jsjQHuNHLeDUuaqqiz5hwyYD9NMz2EqJuHIZb9g3mnaH6K7GpvpiOPH0GbHhijs8FBHMx-M5Gr-FyXrIt2eZclWNL/s1600-h/15.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366587237525539362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovdKs9cAGCuKzmUQRDg2J8JAbJczJOC-hef5tm0mUsSvCrhABg93jsjQHuNHLeDUuaqqiz5hwyYD9NMz2EqJuHIZb9g3mnaH6K7GpvpiOPH0GbHhijs8FBHMx-M5Gr-FyXrIt2eZclWNL/s320/15.jpg" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2KAmrpCWoZuO5a8lp4WNbjLp7wQEWVt_UeaitAxxjU40KglYYmDdGzZDp58jxvdtYrURTAQBdA-Gp0nczmrqboxL3C2RxVoy-EUxOoKfV_23IEbXnikIeJc9NQsKkrWjt6kZmfEhemUL/s1600-h/16.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 236px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366583096717828626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2KAmrpCWoZuO5a8lp4WNbjLp7wQEWVt_UeaitAxxjU40KglYYmDdGzZDp58jxvdtYrURTAQBdA-Gp0nczmrqboxL3C2RxVoy-EUxOoKfV_23IEbXnikIeJc9NQsKkrWjt6kZmfEhemUL/s320/16.jpg" /></a></div><div><p> Well, that’s about it for July. Here are some random photos from the month. Until next month! <3 sarita<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYK5dKn5ykBbzXSXi4hBHGsq1cpP_wB7XHm5nkRUgPmC5c_s7RYWnx9ktr0_z0neMJqDewf1DLPKlymdZn4LqWi2i_CNaeGrxwQLNDDvt8V4BsskMMHo_VsOTA5t2q9-7zYl0kcXRXDVR/s1600-h/17.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366583090497348210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYK5dKn5ykBbzXSXi4hBHGsq1cpP_wB7XHm5nkRUgPmC5c_s7RYWnx9ktr0_z0neMJqDewf1DLPKlymdZn4LqWi2i_CNaeGrxwQLNDDvt8V4BsskMMHo_VsOTA5t2q9-7zYl0kcXRXDVR/s320/17.jpg" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpxjRZT97FRK9jEJNAsHbwi5wBh8M1n2-KxZt1YB5bDWmZJ-k2CXD0CyMkzFbEfgJqkdoSHB95uXdWx5InKq7VXjatLIyo1EQgTosTYbtzPhAkgHHkOH8BmDjNm9hlumziE5JfWHDv7Tw/s1600-h/18.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366583089969563650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpxjRZT97FRK9jEJNAsHbwi5wBh8M1n2-KxZt1YB5bDWmZJ-k2CXD0CyMkzFbEfgJqkdoSHB95uXdWx5InKq7VXjatLIyo1EQgTosTYbtzPhAkgHHkOH8BmDjNm9hlumziE5JfWHDv7Tw/s320/18.jpg" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOLbq0EIuh3Uqp1rY4K1DQTlHvaUs9eYZvYajlZROq_7u5BN2LJ5z8VAUyBTbcSb20IVz45ed3_WGOa-RsPA5rYqnRudCxviQT-HerTp5yqCzXcCMVsYS7H3xOXQcfp5n2-e6PaNBWgKd/s1600-h/19.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366583083700103458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOLbq0EIuh3Uqp1rY4K1DQTlHvaUs9eYZvYajlZROq_7u5BN2LJ5z8VAUyBTbcSb20IVz45ed3_WGOa-RsPA5rYqnRudCxviQT-HerTp5yqCzXcCMVsYS7H3xOXQcfp5n2-e6PaNBWgKd/s320/19.jpg" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOjtynU4mvd2sF98HTx-JndmcH3nwFVZFtc_JvNWgYHEvQ8D7694SmoAXHcDFkJvmk-U0nalFau0EW0kWPmzc2iiz8Dydx97sJtuuEEGwAcwQ0mi_yoeLX7s_nePiv6ZSJX-noS3n8Fo6/s1600-h/20.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366583078267831330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOjtynU4mvd2sF98HTx-JndmcH3nwFVZFtc_JvNWgYHEvQ8D7694SmoAXHcDFkJvmk-U0nalFau0EW0kWPmzc2iiz8Dydx97sJtuuEEGwAcwQ0mi_yoeLX7s_nePiv6ZSJX-noS3n8Fo6/s320/20.jpg" /></a></div>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-21643329084316635862009-08-04T13:39:00.006-04:002009-08-11T09:31:55.022-04:00Birds<div align="center">These are some birds I have recently seen around here. The names that I know are below each photo.</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ikQO3dedQckwHVL5WQsXX0hMzXnpwJlWyfsQXpRbpmvec2i1qJuSs_20h0Bj0pKYIySFZIp5boeV_qmjmIljN0EN7HX8Ll36F9Eda_e6IWQOvBk0tDdYdnCBmSWtD1jmpHA2UKUZNpyT/s1600-h/DSC01395.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 247px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366173686279830850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ikQO3dedQckwHVL5WQsXX0hMzXnpwJlWyfsQXpRbpmvec2i1qJuSs_20h0Bj0pKYIySFZIp5boeV_qmjmIljN0EN7HX8Ll36F9Eda_e6IWQOvBk0tDdYdnCBmSWtD1jmpHA2UKUZNpyT/s320/DSC01395.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzjtYW-JEEQQjVRntI7IipPS2NQCg0JDlAGae8Ls3vLjv4AxTJ9RD3IVl1YO-TJVlVxj_FLAE0hlfrgDVJ64cmWihfCsyxtOoYE1eAYTYv6egzfztAONrb1I41WZ8wxrnFeR4Sws9dHt8/s1600-h/Burrowing+Owl+(2).jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366173682407424962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzjtYW-JEEQQjVRntI7IipPS2NQCg0JDlAGae8Ls3vLjv4AxTJ9RD3IVl1YO-TJVlVxj_FLAE0hlfrgDVJ64cmWihfCsyxtOoYE1eAYTYv6egzfztAONrb1I41WZ8wxrnFeR4Sws9dHt8/s320/Burrowing+Owl+(2).jpg" /></a> Burrowing Owl<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4wPavWQ_l0Hs9toMTlPFelaLxeuMOg8gBp2PHvnUyH6VDRVabGDsORN7B0nh0yhHXZQ7QQAFbS-aOh_2TnHLByG8y8g8fyufqJXtSfbzFVsCkDqjNMylr5BL4OICv3vMXKJtmor6N8cn/s1600-h/Black-necked+Stilt.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 254px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366173679990985218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4wPavWQ_l0Hs9toMTlPFelaLxeuMOg8gBp2PHvnUyH6VDRVabGDsORN7B0nh0yhHXZQ7QQAFbS-aOh_2TnHLByG8y8g8fyufqJXtSfbzFVsCkDqjNMylr5BL4OICv3vMXKJtmor6N8cn/s320/Black-necked+Stilt.jpg" /></a> Black-necked Stilt<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJgqdOZ4VcRd1YwGwb2a4ZLY0QBJ16D6UWw1xiJocDbpAL-9aVZTb-X-Hn803yuX1MHgagpD0YFDc5gKEQ3tptPzu8golQfTefpEFvODmmQwP97S7k85GORNFdrefWMNNZ4aBIKvtCWAP/s1600-h/Black-crowned+Night-heron.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366173678106772258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJgqdOZ4VcRd1YwGwb2a4ZLY0QBJ16D6UWw1xiJocDbpAL-9aVZTb-X-Hn803yuX1MHgagpD0YFDc5gKEQ3tptPzu8golQfTefpEFvODmmQwP97S7k85GORNFdrefWMNNZ4aBIKvtCWAP/s320/Black-crowned+Night-heron.jpg" /></a> Black-crowned Night Heron<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsm71YRX7znfJJGN1eFT5WLA69h8PewnDl14sKPZCYiEfMnPR-hh1e15cIdskEXkJiyT-qvFIKKYDsMPUherbFs6uAuE2GO-YkNoHO2UhMR697tCdJd8rj-pEyHVm8aGP2VohoHJE5S92h/s1600-h/Black+Vulture.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 281px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366173671568586578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsm71YRX7znfJJGN1eFT5WLA69h8PewnDl14sKPZCYiEfMnPR-hh1e15cIdskEXkJiyT-qvFIKKYDsMPUherbFs6uAuE2GO-YkNoHO2UhMR697tCdJd8rj-pEyHVm8aGP2VohoHJE5S92h/s320/Black+Vulture.jpg" /></a> Black Vulture<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-OhwQTBAXs07xhlstGEPlrfW5i5i31IMzVbNHBlqKapiH2yvZ1HvXBfEXPNkvc8K5uRs9Oskvartn4mcIYeOIDZsq9yPwSq671zy_2g1tuKriS9p90WUkEcgJg1yzk0GUcJgnY53cwu9/s1600-h/Yellow-headed+Caracara.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 230px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366171189569834706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-OhwQTBAXs07xhlstGEPlrfW5i5i31IMzVbNHBlqKapiH2yvZ1HvXBfEXPNkvc8K5uRs9Oskvartn4mcIYeOIDZsq9yPwSq671zy_2g1tuKriS9p90WUkEcgJg1yzk0GUcJgnY53cwu9/s320/Yellow-headed+Caracara.jpg" /></a>Yellow-headed Caracara<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsseC1_D4U_iEVYjUU_qE-KvIZema1mJuOR1oGzIjD3Jh7IorNnKTsMTVVqF9Px_KtDgARZXzVRkozIvdCeMMdD-uMjO-xVxjJZYT-qdbkaVjW6UEU6Q9WosW2zJKdgxgpk6PVd569vKS/s1600-h/Tropical+Gnatcatcher.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 255px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366171184474675250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsseC1_D4U_iEVYjUU_qE-KvIZema1mJuOR1oGzIjD3Jh7IorNnKTsMTVVqF9Px_KtDgARZXzVRkozIvdCeMMdD-uMjO-xVxjJZYT-qdbkaVjW6UEU6Q9WosW2zJKdgxgpk6PVd569vKS/s320/Tropical+Gnatcatcher.jpg" /></a> Tropical Gnatcatcher<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXo9yCmGq1HGGi2FbjDPy5F-BDPlAx7CXxK0W0p58o1JMdLDVwPMMEkER2Gsm4MIet_PZ-mr0m5E7X_9jL6D4BtKz2DwLbQwFLybxFMDmJTPyb1xLi5YjFCOT53Hk4QCGhNFZGQjp9DHGF/s1600-h/DSC01756.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 165px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366171176722485666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXo9yCmGq1HGGi2FbjDPy5F-BDPlAx7CXxK0W0p58o1JMdLDVwPMMEkER2Gsm4MIet_PZ-mr0m5E7X_9jL6D4BtKz2DwLbQwFLybxFMDmJTPyb1xLi5YjFCOT53Hk4QCGhNFZGQjp9DHGF/s320/DSC01756.jpg" /></a> <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eZN4NH93V2Q01LCaqRIiLV_O0SGkrgGYlJZVZWfQJ9kzv4-FropgOIsrdsXge0sMAccPx2Qkz6Vh2kuSQE0YvC9b8zTEkr44mOfWHusX20AZdvU0eLYdCKr2_vZICwmjTRO4P0tSZuS3/s1600-h/Burrowing+Owl.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366171174140809170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eZN4NH93V2Q01LCaqRIiLV_O0SGkrgGYlJZVZWfQJ9kzv4-FropgOIsrdsXge0sMAccPx2Qkz6Vh2kuSQE0YvC9b8zTEkr44mOfWHusX20AZdvU0eLYdCKr2_vZICwmjTRO4P0tSZuS3/s320/Burrowing+Owl.jpg" /></a>Burrowing Owl<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElEa_-bVJtZhyJ-1YKRk0UZWTVH56XpynVhdVGTonGyHqxG1dI4zT0SGDAhPqCsUdnQEt2PshmhQnSkGENCf9k5nloPDdB1mKgi6KJxd9m6pmr7gS6npqsDv4YqRVZjH2LWLnlMDsf6ei/s1600-h/Peruvian+Meadowlark.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366169897950490210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElEa_-bVJtZhyJ-1YKRk0UZWTVH56XpynVhdVGTonGyHqxG1dI4zT0SGDAhPqCsUdnQEt2PshmhQnSkGENCf9k5nloPDdB1mKgi6KJxd9m6pmr7gS6npqsDv4YqRVZjH2LWLnlMDsf6ei/s320/Peruvian+Meadowlark.jpg" /></a> Peruvian Meadowlark<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJC4l4eF6bDZ_5FpigS8a8hw40PyBDJnm4n5n3aMmADR96O4F8xGMokqHqeaxyWt0UgXmOvlCHpWYfUk2wqchpSbx17JQrkK4sc48ZYZMXKQY2qlXmAoyfeYiFrSNdx_7DYmjrDEJVQ-w/s1600-h/finch2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 262px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366169896504668738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJC4l4eF6bDZ_5FpigS8a8hw40PyBDJnm4n5n3aMmADR96O4F8xGMokqHqeaxyWt0UgXmOvlCHpWYfUk2wqchpSbx17JQrkK4sc48ZYZMXKQY2qlXmAoyfeYiFrSNdx_7DYmjrDEJVQ-w/s320/finch2.jpg" /></a> <div>Some kind of finches<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDeluf4mhKUcs8V-EElWKCDfzYvP7FFe4Uh2UF-VpMfnKIpEjwKv8kwJXHuJkyC7HtCty2zrE4EpwVp5w5KqEgFJ1dmMdwULl6UgnGEI0hIjiD-pZrLofEmEDWaGj8oDiA3BlQ93SFh1R/s1600-h/finch.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 303px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366169889602517602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDeluf4mhKUcs8V-EElWKCDfzYvP7FFe4Uh2UF-VpMfnKIpEjwKv8kwJXHuJkyC7HtCty2zrE4EpwVp5w5KqEgFJ1dmMdwULl6UgnGEI0hIjiD-pZrLofEmEDWaGj8oDiA3BlQ93SFh1R/s320/finch.jpg" /></a>Another kind of finch<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWNtgUV3-my5Al_KsGOTEXZNbRlfc8xhwjGxycFWlyfQcn6vtS3bobH7kF_tP4619cN92bFnxvuiUjo7KJ8NWch8SZIzMnzr5qC5YhGL_emKx82drC4exqSka53sAHreiLvkLKrQEJl5K/s1600-h/DSC01829.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 305px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366169886709915842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWNtgUV3-my5Al_KsGOTEXZNbRlfc8xhwjGxycFWlyfQcn6vtS3bobH7kF_tP4619cN92bFnxvuiUjo7KJ8NWch8SZIzMnzr5qC5YhGL_emKx82drC4exqSka53sAHreiLvkLKrQEJl5K/s320/DSC01829.jpg" /></a> <div>Baird's Flycatcher</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDetL2nkdCv5wkPTwb4Ez-Pru6-dJ5ecehjlQxya5c1McYmvp4kqaTctkTC9LhZ66LmmcbQwbKZw0zILTOel7Y8ccI5ohWcP5D5TygVtGJBFtKAEFoBme3zqAZFhRZ5ZYsi9DjxfDrW29W/s1600-h/Ecuadorian+Trogon.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 186px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366169882352040802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDetL2nkdCv5wkPTwb4Ez-Pru6-dJ5ecehjlQxya5c1McYmvp4kqaTctkTC9LhZ66LmmcbQwbKZw0zILTOel7Y8ccI5ohWcP5D5TygVtGJBFtKAEFoBme3zqAZFhRZ5ZYsi9DjxfDrW29W/s320/Ecuadorian+Trogon.jpg" /></a>Ecuadorian Trogon<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrA9xdHw0vO-oxijCpJend-npEXhhyHGPykhgvi0j1TSnFt-RjX1mtzgpDx-SZtDOQibYVXJH0GVnR0t-_UfQfz2-Lw0wPOUd-mVyjIh7RgU21vYXDRiig7voyGv87rsi5LPloDyq1EUP/s1600-h/Woodpecker.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 308px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366168012300797394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrA9xdHw0vO-oxijCpJend-npEXhhyHGPykhgvi0j1TSnFt-RjX1mtzgpDx-SZtDOQibYVXJH0GVnR0t-_UfQfz2-Lw0wPOUd-mVyjIh7RgU21vYXDRiig7voyGv87rsi5LPloDyq1EUP/s320/Woodpecker.jpg" /></a>Some kind of woodpecker<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuM8nThl4v98ESmw37kXe-2Xj450K7XsOjlHTHA-4E-s3YGcirzcdDZjHDOK2o0u5KKDB_nbFDsbe2LXwvf8gx-Rtg4q7EuF9RR6k2QouHBNB63dNAnZT4AT5mJMN3RHR0REhtQYF8gG3/s1600-h/Vermilion+Flycatcher.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 297px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366168008588790946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWuM8nThl4v98ESmw37kXe-2Xj450K7XsOjlHTHA-4E-s3YGcirzcdDZjHDOK2o0u5KKDB_nbFDsbe2LXwvf8gx-Rtg4q7EuF9RR6k2QouHBNB63dNAnZT4AT5mJMN3RHR0REhtQYF8gG3/s320/Vermilion+Flycatcher.jpg" /></a>Vermillion Flycatcher<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijg8e2uOIKkpWu9hf_ZokEh-qNa4TIszPsM8UmwZ7X-3kaiHmo5ZKu5f6m8v-kBjRqrXCfZVMHpR6sIxjiup_WJES7llAoL-rfGXdmh_w1gCmgR9-YDZjstds09ED7vbY9ipi74k__6PBi/s1600-h/tumbes+hummingbird.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 287px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366167998946053698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijg8e2uOIKkpWu9hf_ZokEh-qNa4TIszPsM8UmwZ7X-3kaiHmo5ZKu5f6m8v-kBjRqrXCfZVMHpR6sIxjiup_WJES7llAoL-rfGXdmh_w1gCmgR9-YDZjstds09ED7vbY9ipi74k__6PBi/s320/tumbes+hummingbird.jpg" /></a>Tumbes Hummingbird<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsw_8lkO-wBCtIq98UjvMNxp9NxlCzZN152TWuRiq90KdC-k9SZVcHj_LKou7eKE4ihNytzUCOSFr7WAh0PhhRBjJm05sepQGdLwH_YH1cT13k0XBHCgz73L4PApHZeQvoOC0WS4EKBGj/s1600-h/Pacific+Parrotlet.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 259px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366167994626984194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsw_8lkO-wBCtIq98UjvMNxp9NxlCzZN152TWuRiq90KdC-k9SZVcHj_LKou7eKE4ihNytzUCOSFr7WAh0PhhRBjJm05sepQGdLwH_YH1cT13k0XBHCgz73L4PApHZeQvoOC0WS4EKBGj/s320/Pacific+Parrotlet.jpg" /></a>Pacific Parrotlet<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhqO0N42wddgMR7mpZdt07tET9qaqur8b1Uvjwrdm1RKFOwIc_XsVyACbWd9UAZR-FIYnivS6J6ZcdXaZXwUAhcdiyJNTzKTgueeGeBKLbEakpnzmQfrQkib3nvbBwKtOqb-LjjElcCXm/s1600-h/Gray-cheeked+Parakeet.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366167992889443186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhqO0N42wddgMR7mpZdt07tET9qaqur8b1Uvjwrdm1RKFOwIc_XsVyACbWd9UAZR-FIYnivS6J6ZcdXaZXwUAhcdiyJNTzKTgueeGeBKLbEakpnzmQfrQkib3nvbBwKtOqb-LjjElcCXm/s320/Gray-cheeked+Parakeet.jpg" /></a>Gray-cheeked Parakeet<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEgVPtp54QFVhzO9FpaAV-NjeRRr5isjgdmPjxBM4LhwunX7TgfTn0rKvZVLnIR2w76kyJKJGeN4JwwDMTbuSIBS3m80PcX5rgSIsM38xlTERtjZFvbQO1ch-2pG7vXQLx76HGzLuKY6G/s1600-h/Cocoi+Heron.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 278px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366166613908312338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEgVPtp54QFVhzO9FpaAV-NjeRRr5isjgdmPjxBM4LhwunX7TgfTn0rKvZVLnIR2w76kyJKJGeN4JwwDMTbuSIBS3m80PcX5rgSIsM38xlTERtjZFvbQO1ch-2pG7vXQLx76HGzLuKY6G/s320/Cocoi+Heron.jpg" /></a>Cocoi Heron<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorNc-CMldS0buC2F1HFIjOcqKF0MWDtK8sL8r6um0QiKu4ZcqLKD5RMdSJCky1pBBKjkzJ4J8hNwY8JLtPquJGjNxCzuw4ZaXhYpILnjVOALA_SbkVALxbB2Bsbcd50PU4sDt3vhyhh7s/s1600-h/Great+Egret.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 247px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366166612332770674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorNc-CMldS0buC2F1HFIjOcqKF0MWDtK8sL8r6um0QiKu4ZcqLKD5RMdSJCky1pBBKjkzJ4J8hNwY8JLtPquJGjNxCzuw4ZaXhYpILnjVOALA_SbkVALxbB2Bsbcd50PU4sDt3vhyhh7s/s320/Great+Egret.jpg" /></a> Great Egret<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ahgfVXCaNuPp0UU52bOpCqAvDw7fPO_09-EAAFemWFcCvXk7ZkS2Z0uOpdoslk8NsgUVXeMR91yahDhIVeBC5IOLmXww_HNWXtUd3NY7cpgFFw65sfqjhnx2UKc-I2_U-9SPLbH2CiCs/s1600-h/King+Vulture.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 290px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366166608542308882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ahgfVXCaNuPp0UU52bOpCqAvDw7fPO_09-EAAFemWFcCvXk7ZkS2Z0uOpdoslk8NsgUVXeMR91yahDhIVeBC5IOLmXww_HNWXtUd3NY7cpgFFw65sfqjhnx2UKc-I2_U-9SPLbH2CiCs/s320/King+Vulture.jpg" /></a>King Vulture<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BlenM-ewG8jYjT0k495IvmHLchaKMro1xrG2aJLtAg0sFF5b-qyr0h2MkbNqcxvHwv5_oM8UZrwy-gJHrEWOpjnERqxcPfaahL1p5nhdQDnaOYKQ_apMEMiS7KaZBF0cQCxz8OLvxK5I/s1600-h/laughing+falcon.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366166599916486962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BlenM-ewG8jYjT0k495IvmHLchaKMro1xrG2aJLtAg0sFF5b-qyr0h2MkbNqcxvHwv5_oM8UZrwy-gJHrEWOpjnERqxcPfaahL1p5nhdQDnaOYKQ_apMEMiS7KaZBF0cQCxz8OLvxK5I/s320/laughing+falcon.jpg" /></a>Laughing Falcon </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-935172408059431172009-07-25T16:36:00.012-04:002009-07-25T17:37:25.418-04:00June<div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">The start of June meant the start of goat birthing season here. You have to seperate the baby goats from the other goats so they won't get trampled, so everyone around here had a corral full of baby goats, which are super cute. The families I know ended up with about 50-100 new goats between mid-June and mid-July. I got to see one goat birth (I've got video if you're interested but didn't want to gross people out.) which was pretty cool just because it's so quick and the goat doesn't even seem to care that it's happening. Yay new goats!</span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362504227161407586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazJTLUFZoWWIg1QXUY9ss6fg83vpd9AaGdUtAKt2c1tgm3IrIHZ1wNJ-BwaeKRYGBZKUMa_CHFrDN1jFw0YjpCho13SaFLQex6yDhETuZjz2P03RajHYKY6iDk887IvJT9ItRWCqb4PeY/s320/DSC01104.jpg" border="0" /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">On June 11, we went out to the campo to work on the trail I was telling you about last post. On the way back into town, we got into an accident, which you already know about as well. The roads are really bad because of construction projects and trucks and whatnot. We ran off the road into a ditch to avoid hitting a truck. I wish I had taken pictures of my nose, but I was in a bit of shock for a few days after...oops. Anyway here's a picture of the accident. </span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362505827960959586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwpS0bGZxvIWSgpAqavGQ8J88zhFPGNRVjq_AwpqnVAke0gfGS2fuqnQ6uQUQq5SzoZdDWzNALXy4zLAG7WKSctw0pI3LyyeNJNsbfXQ1PWGsbgMUkKNTRtHMu1qKpSBxVnZSWZO2oW18/s320/02.jpg" border="0" /></span></div></div></div><span style="font-family:verdana;">The parrots seem to have come late this year, but i finally got to see some flocks of them in June. For next year I want to learn more about hides so I can get really close and get some good pictures...But i have some videos of flocks of them which are super cool and a few photos that turned out alright.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362514801237110146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 244px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3si01BlzaE5y5PlE6M0p9zWejjqBUjEAW4oDl7wsl4AXB6SmkYGebczRmYFOEMe-HtBFA_JVZOqyp5PM41bItNpg1yCMr2fwy736SgkQ-iTnZM_s3suPI9ai8jWuDvkaAd7RgziwbSVV/s320/05.jpg" border="0" />The next week we had a couple of first aid workshops given by the Red Cross. It was very interesting because we took traditional first aid techniques and procedures and applied them to a <em>campo</em> setting. Our final "test," so to say, was to build a stretcher from materials found in the campo and find and rescue an "injured" person in the forest. There are more photos of this somewhere, but I don't have them. Anyway, it was cool. We learned how to immobilize the head/neck with baseball caps and a belt and how to make a splint out of tree bark, for example. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362508871416529794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdosENTyPA_OoS-dPyr6eDtdW2L1MVnkWMWYy_Nhaj8KFHLTotJVGMpYseacCZOmYdZ7-oO0VQLarFWuwdNj1vcl1ohYjqiBiNDCgsB4-SxWG33cXXm4a_kkwN8Jb20WFcE93Jjt3n8ig/s320/03.jpg" border="0" />Also in June we continued work on some land-rights stuff. When NCI buys property for its reserves in this area they try to straighten out property titles etc. for the people who live nearby and have no titles for their land because of 1) they and their ancestors lived under a feudal system and never had actual titles and 2) the distance to cities and difficulty and cost in filing for the titles. In one of the towns, Bolaspamba, the municipal government is building these tiny, ugly, brick and cement houses for people if they knock down their old, traditional-style houses. Supposedly they are improving quality of life. The town is going to be so ugly, ugh. No one from the municipality took even two minutes to consider the people of the town, what life in the campo is like, the traditional design and its benefits....grr. And for some reason I think they may have already told people to tear down their houses before having finished the new ones...there is a section of town that looks like this<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362512818180319138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfRoHpOO597Y0QZnbCyf08_EG3LQWOhaMY0RmteGG9aJP_ALVqvQtH1kV9No76aE3exN2k6LIss_fZtQUSFGkptAJ9T4YL9LPBh_5zpWS3RVOSkWIkLOWpOBvSJ06_um8BFXSrJDV6yfZ/s320/04.jpg" border="0" />July to come in next post. Love ya! -Sarita</span></div></div>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-39839393063062266282009-05-21T21:29:00.016-04:002009-05-21T22:14:18.059-04:00Back in the swing of things<span style="font-family:verdana;">Geez can you believe it’s nearly June and I still haven’t updated? Sorry ;) Truth is, I started an update a while back but never got around to finishing and posting it. I was supposed to go to a COS conference this week, but whatever-the-politically-correct-acronym-for-that-pig flu has hit Ecuador and thus our travel has been restricted. Good for me because I didn’t really want to travel all that way anyway and good for you because you finally get an update. Not so good, however, for the folks with the flu I guess.<br /><br />So…despite the circumstances, the trip to the US was nice. It was good to spend time with family as time with family and friends is the only thing I really consider a sacrifice in PC. I’ve always loved the time I’ve spent in Fredericksburg, and it was nice to visit San Antonio as well. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzsoDp0m_4kMadIwUlEJu4pedTbMdtSG-5GZmbcDs8perq7eDTwrlpxl1eqAvaRXdYglZx5P-QF848hx8baMfMdplEaLyrYQDGBBM3dwdB4GZG4wkVkgWjuXfWzrpEG-Fk_dYDTmW6B68/s1600-h/01.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338461085648746498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzsoDp0m_4kMadIwUlEJu4pedTbMdtSG-5GZmbcDs8perq7eDTwrlpxl1eqAvaRXdYglZx5P-QF848hx8baMfMdplEaLyrYQDGBBM3dwdB4GZG4wkVkgWjuXfWzrpEG-Fk_dYDTmW6B68/s320/01.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGQyu2GhuKCcfoKhJW6CCjW57bak1rxEPuvAHDdcne0cAdl5LR3YjiYnooGovzb6G9jMYou_MDh84ZU9sOfnSOpj35n0awxzXPUcXIZfN-m4bmHOMYblsuzHOwe6ci5dsjpZ6NnPCDJMn/s1600-h/02.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338461081984328210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGQyu2GhuKCcfoKhJW6CCjW57bak1rxEPuvAHDdcne0cAdl5LR3YjiYnooGovzb6G9jMYou_MDh84ZU9sOfnSOpj35n0awxzXPUcXIZfN-m4bmHOMYblsuzHOwe6ci5dsjpZ6NnPCDJMn/s320/02.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> I arrived in Zapotillo at an obscenely early hour on Good Friday (April 10). Easter was pleasant but rather uneventful. The kids and I painted easter eggs Ecua-style with brown eggs and colored pencils. I had some photos of this but I can’t seem to find them now.<br /><br />Then back to work as usual on Monday. I started back at work in the office with a market study for palo santo essential oil. I made fairly good progress on it, considering that the only resource I had was dialup internet for two hours (on a good day) during lunch. The palo santo is a tree that is native to regions near here and the reserve has about 3000 hectares of land full of the trees, from which they pick up to 52.8 (out of an available 37,500) quintales of fruit during the annual harvest, which takes place in march/april. The locals are paid for their work and the fruit is sent to the city to extract the essential oils. Up to about 50kg of the oil can be produced annually and a portion of what is sold goes to the community bank as a bonus.<br /><br /></span><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgifhJA5Z_OV6PdNgiSLq0qfB14W6tosOWrG17mmBv9RGvR8NQwvKuWYSKGOS5bTKiI4sCrm-zo0Cne0TqxkOPqTEVR2YzkH_x6ENpeLtqzgwf7xlibqKpYWTTqoxTdv4auNrx0dET4zE/s1600-h/03.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338461076041892802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 47px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgifhJA5Z_OV6PdNgiSLq0qfB14W6tosOWrG17mmBv9RGvR8NQwvKuWYSKGOS5bTKiI4sCrm-zo0Cne0TqxkOPqTEVR2YzkH_x6ENpeLtqzgwf7xlibqKpYWTTqoxTdv4auNrx0dET4zE/s320/03.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmScjAu1MIAbKHe89XyjC0Z_WIz-_qj7AqM52bHtWr9LBAEq0r4QxjDeqJyL45UJGcRcJ5a1r0HWSqayJH9UQra9GO8231qBNOuSpKJSn0Z0rK7jfggG_YSZ2CDib29nEbkAr2wxxhG5BC/s1600-h/04.0.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338461071165711282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmScjAu1MIAbKHe89XyjC0Z_WIz-_qj7AqM52bHtWr9LBAEq0r4QxjDeqJyL45UJGcRcJ5a1r0HWSqayJH9UQra9GO8231qBNOuSpKJSn0Z0rK7jfggG_YSZ2CDib29nEbkAr2wxxhG5BC/s320/04.0.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />The next week I tagged along for measuring (with GPS) some land in order to legalize the community member’s property, charging only the processing costs charged by the government. I admire my work partners in the great progress and successes they’ve had over the years in this work because it is extremely tedious, the worst of the struggle being getting the people to understand that you are doing them a huge favor. The dudes wouldn’t let me walk around to measure the land so I mostly got to sit and chat with the locals, which is always a learning experience. Oh well, one day they’ll teach me GPS too.<br />04.5 Work Partners napping after a loooong day of measuring land<br /><br />Other April happenings in-town included a friend’s daughter’s birthday party, elections, a week of protesting alleged election fraud and burning tires, and re-elections.<br /><br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6MkGt8wBkFq1JGkMiqhwqhw5k09yy9IFP7_Td64BSVrqb_ITTqzIzGV1VvzMDIhpOcPgbUeHvgWLkvXzcUop23SDoGdjNHZ2kdxTmrLTKtQfBwoiIgt0dss7tUWCv7jfBRMNGDUL0Kxg/s1600-h/04.5.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338460686116636738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6MkGt8wBkFq1JGkMiqhwqhw5k09yy9IFP7_Td64BSVrqb_ITTqzIzGV1VvzMDIhpOcPgbUeHvgWLkvXzcUop23SDoGdjNHZ2kdxTmrLTKtQfBwoiIgt0dss7tUWCv7jfBRMNGDUL0Kxg/s320/04.5.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDQq_ikJ2HrrFZ_px9lAeeieNlP1VZcQ0MDst3Gt3jZGn45JQKC7qAl5-yGBJzYS6i81s8lxRpdOD0SBSalwrKdGBaNze7C2oIoNlbt5-Q2w4HUIi3ybnMENEDhThgUMsMrHushWsQc8Z/s1600-h/05.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338460684145751410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 275px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDQq_ikJ2HrrFZ_px9lAeeieNlP1VZcQ0MDst3Gt3jZGn45JQKC7qAl5-yGBJzYS6i81s8lxRpdOD0SBSalwrKdGBaNze7C2oIoNlbt5-Q2w4HUIi3ybnMENEDhThgUMsMrHushWsQc8Z/s320/05.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Portrait of me, compliments of Sayra ;)<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38Fh82sk1oXVHKCMTc0LQ2_I4SRNGKSRLR6sXiZdXMNn7J3mhtsLMMSeoIXr88CgdMt3UsGOdqZcFkcQnE4VOtyJe18OMjcKKG1Qayt_Z5GnDR7HtN_pX-YGCSboECflsYTEiZ6SfS8vB/s1600-h/06.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338460684260762738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38Fh82sk1oXVHKCMTc0LQ2_I4SRNGKSRLR6sXiZdXMNn7J3mhtsLMMSeoIXr88CgdMt3UsGOdqZcFkcQnE4VOtyJe18OMjcKKG1Qayt_Z5GnDR7HtN_pX-YGCSboECflsYTEiZ6SfS8vB/s320/06.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54RuAdvTzCSzDNHEYY3i9wNT5d5lOiwAOgsJdggJ2NMUHk7kV0xpdTGrmcwYa4YZolnkxsxv44qJeIdkGWKgH_0zRHOJ3aKjzKwYeDmd6VpTFWCpRNjrBbhb7TAMWqg_PJ3zcKEbqqf0B/s1600-h/07.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338460681772231122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54RuAdvTzCSzDNHEYY3i9wNT5d5lOiwAOgsJdggJ2NMUHk7kV0xpdTGrmcwYa4YZolnkxsxv44qJeIdkGWKgH_0zRHOJ3aKjzKwYeDmd6VpTFWCpRNjrBbhb7TAMWqg_PJ3zcKEbqqf0B/s320/07.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Then we started work on a trail…the guys who are used to me let me help make the stairs, saw, use a machete, etc. Our first stair model was like this:<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetxEkAMAaMTH3CDOOrXFr-GE6sqyNS7a3hRYaObkPqhNdN1Gn9NnK8nPhDCnzJ38QSFwXsf21llLL0h_Gzlh-SDvbDWwgB_1pSyQ0Vpbp1-q4zOwgBAeuCKi0nmdWOOFeFtamfL_h3ldk/s1600-h/08.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338460676516939586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetxEkAMAaMTH3CDOOrXFr-GE6sqyNS7a3hRYaObkPqhNdN1Gn9NnK8nPhDCnzJ38QSFwXsf21llLL0h_Gzlh-SDvbDWwgB_1pSyQ0Vpbp1-q4zOwgBAeuCKi0nmdWOOFeFtamfL_h3ldk/s320/08.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> …to which I said, this is never going to last a rainy season let’s put some boards in and the guys said no, that’s a lot of work. The next week at work the boss (without my mention) said we needed to make the stairs more permanent. HAH. So my model got implemented, though I wouldn’t dream of getting credit for it. All that matters is that the stairs outlast cows, goats, and RAIN.<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDCXY4vMM8GXTU-5vr9e285bR20QM-4bjY82umGDlcB5MZBZNnIToc3cWtsvdM2pbz4Tsr5wYHOl1gckSfPaz2Nz-nFVvwmnSgTlfHwc7XxRE_0u1oKbajuEKyEoyRPX2Fy8rspKApLRl/s1600-h/9.0.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338460165679701874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDCXY4vMM8GXTU-5vr9e285bR20QM-4bjY82umGDlcB5MZBZNnIToc3cWtsvdM2pbz4Tsr5wYHOl1gckSfPaz2Nz-nFVvwmnSgTlfHwc7XxRE_0u1oKbajuEKyEoyRPX2Fy8rspKApLRl/s320/9.0.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrlkQAjkcKKG7kMA0dxHoE1v5CJgiPi3zC8ckgXO851pg6cCQ7JiYSE3oRag6Oek2x8hzW5YgppHyHFsLQCMo4rpMMAclhIBE2yi8jkwa1ZOW4_isgF4l8jBi82L2VW2f329Q8fgtgNO-/s1600-h/9.1.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338460165552742338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrlkQAjkcKKG7kMA0dxHoE1v5CJgiPi3zC8ckgXO851pg6cCQ7JiYSE3oRag6Oek2x8hzW5YgppHyHFsLQCMo4rpMMAclhIBE2yi8jkwa1ZOW4_isgF4l8jBi82L2VW2f329Q8fgtgNO-/s320/9.1.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9iJJ9WPdAkRVF_ymXqqsFwWHh479eEAbLzX9FK1PkiTjrTqsDTOnTYEOVEYT2HQS_M6Wiij1SzgYTKjDOq-gOaM-c0WzpNGY2UUYvLr9cThgaU9-IpFrLiYE7FiJiAKiuOr4AMnp-VOz/s1600-h/9.2.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338460161160357026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9iJJ9WPdAkRVF_ymXqqsFwWHh479eEAbLzX9FK1PkiTjrTqsDTOnTYEOVEYT2HQS_M6Wiij1SzgYTKjDOq-gOaM-c0WzpNGY2UUYvLr9cThgaU9-IpFrLiYE7FiJiAKiuOr4AMnp-VOz/s320/9.2.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> In early May I went out of town with a work partner for a workshop in Rainforest Alliance certification, which is basically a broad, yet flexible, socially-responsible, international certification for agricultural products. All of the other participants worked in coffee or cocoa production and we went on a fieldtrip to a cocoa farm and processing plant, so it was really cool to learn something completely new.<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrv8h8trom719GofD8Bax2ckJSwxq5gmQkVNMEV5NCNACOQ11nVeYew8Rqse448z7bGQerruFoorbzR49QsOM39w7DwDdntlBWBYVBvVbZ7C7rLH-WdiQdCs2fDmT5HLJSJG9JrllK1V_/s1600-h/9.3.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338460158848124162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNrv8h8trom719GofD8Bax2ckJSwxq5gmQkVNMEV5NCNACOQ11nVeYew8Rqse448z7bGQerruFoorbzR49QsOM39w7DwDdntlBWBYVBvVbZ7C7rLH-WdiQdCs2fDmT5HLJSJG9JrllK1V_/s320/9.3.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkQ36NWp4bpidBpL7EuZ-HRhweYLzl-GSROIg65LuxMjX6g-unA7CGKdcS_0v-hfysmbalHN7OuytTKzFOHtOOqPfb8vBDIhNLVpn7OLek2adlaU595AwaYBZWzG9XiGhUVoe4fu6-ISL/s1600-h/10.1.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338460151011731298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkQ36NWp4bpidBpL7EuZ-HRhweYLzl-GSROIg65LuxMjX6g-unA7CGKdcS_0v-hfysmbalHN7OuytTKzFOHtOOqPfb8vBDIhNLVpn7OLek2adlaU595AwaYBZWzG9XiGhUVoe4fu6-ISL/s320/10.1.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWo56Z9fA_f9b0g8q_wLe76jVhDIbv3OBxXQdLDyYaNr1TO-kjGscb30nTK9O71iU7zXkwYYnXGRPNWhxlrD6gv9HdgjgQGdYOJACN_adlevpGusuusD1TuohIcV9F2XH4md4vAGiAV2C/s1600-h/10.2.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338459635043161250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWo56Z9fA_f9b0g8q_wLe76jVhDIbv3OBxXQdLDyYaNr1TO-kjGscb30nTK9O71iU7zXkwYYnXGRPNWhxlrD6gv9HdgjgQGdYOJACN_adlevpGusuusD1TuohIcV9F2XH4md4vAGiAV2C/s320/10.2.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedPsIlBWslcIoCOa2drkg4GzOhmv9nVEjHub_CufGbioQcT2ZQWF_Weg_B-WfDNc_m2jPKUYmL-3uW6gCbgLJJ-11guItopKn48iqJQM1SuR3fdZtZ8itaW8edmOV1H9t5VLcmH-zGWc0/s1600-h/10.3.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338459629994911346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedPsIlBWslcIoCOa2drkg4GzOhmv9nVEjHub_CufGbioQcT2ZQWF_Weg_B-WfDNc_m2jPKUYmL-3uW6gCbgLJJ-11guItopKn48iqJQM1SuR3fdZtZ8itaW8edmOV1H9t5VLcmH-zGWc0/s320/10.3.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2nX4sdR2TQvkU00qYwMmPqSVTiDQGDfozqBfiMsi5Uz98k1YUj-532jk35PYVAyELnShxyksjuf_pH1fn7Cg0jvhBL0CXqe2tdTFo_rOwbm1J5At6_WqO5tTee55jPrgiHP2I1p_5OBx/s1600-h/10.4.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338459626870479346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2nX4sdR2TQvkU00qYwMmPqSVTiDQGDfozqBfiMsi5Uz98k1YUj-532jk35PYVAyELnShxyksjuf_pH1fn7Cg0jvhBL0CXqe2tdTFo_rOwbm1J5At6_WqO5tTee55jPrgiHP2I1p_5OBx/s320/10.4.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizk2K99lJTer9ogisYybLT7F_zkUQqHoEvIfA-MbEj8ULkazSUEguz9U0Itsd26Tdw3VDhZtLa2Dn1Foi0mgHGIdo00pFn7VYUDqHy9fTtiM001rJ_opuuCiz0bh3Xg774LA9nyEHbsYN6/s1600-h/11.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338459624738083858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizk2K99lJTer9ogisYybLT7F_zkUQqHoEvIfA-MbEj8ULkazSUEguz9U0Itsd26Tdw3VDhZtLa2Dn1Foi0mgHGIdo00pFn7VYUDqHy9fTtiM001rJ_opuuCiz0bh3Xg774LA9nyEHbsYN6/s320/11.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />And then my work partner and I took advantage of some free time to explore Guayaquil. I didn’t take many pictures because it is supposedly very dangerous there, but the iguana park was too cool not to photograph.<br /><br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3u_lrSa5OvrpC2B8F1bJ3VJet5nIhLNWSCEH8NxBbUyFtXwhpCY7eaxZ_Svby_fQzI28VyMrv6Pukei2G4H-YEg-RyRZhjSgf1TjOEF7yWw8Tt8vc-UDXbc3Un2sIbxKEWuvTVvybbk8/s1600-h/12.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338459623230688226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3u_lrSa5OvrpC2B8F1bJ3VJet5nIhLNWSCEH8NxBbUyFtXwhpCY7eaxZ_Svby_fQzI28VyMrv6Pukei2G4H-YEg-RyRZhjSgf1TjOEF7yWw8Tt8vc-UDXbc3Un2sIbxKEWuvTVvybbk8/s320/12.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MSqpO5WkXS2IZItGSLPe9wIyw_vRSwlu8CRNfg0kCRagPcID-WAOYcuPAAXx5bwBb5Ki3ZYl11sS3bp3Ew9CQ-ugDEWm7wozCLjQN2RWJ2grk72R_frQGYEqPGVHmFuU5A9-ax4CVLZ6/s1600-h/13.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338458914830366962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MSqpO5WkXS2IZItGSLPe9wIyw_vRSwlu8CRNfg0kCRagPcID-WAOYcuPAAXx5bwBb5Ki3ZYl11sS3bp3Ew9CQ-ugDEWm7wozCLjQN2RWJ2grk72R_frQGYEqPGVHmFuU5A9-ax4CVLZ6/s320/13.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDsSoiHmN-O__-_yKEWVqwU2q4Fugp4r-gCRVQmuoss5BtUfhxKcVy2vrfjJcjkOksKekQQs89QuSHftoTzan-skP5oEZJsKYdU4ZuVL665ZDKp8F-4nhxncVuOBjM4dChTS99LS9AFck/s1600-h/14.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338458912063206850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDsSoiHmN-O__-_yKEWVqwU2q4Fugp4r-gCRVQmuoss5BtUfhxKcVy2vrfjJcjkOksKekQQs89QuSHftoTzan-skP5oEZJsKYdU4ZuVL665ZDKp8F-4nhxncVuOBjM4dChTS99LS9AFck/s320/14.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> On May 13th some visitors came from the US, a representative from the US branch of NCI and a representative from the San Diego Zoo. They wanted to get to know the forests because they are interested in maybe doing species conservation work here. I really hope they follow through on it, it could be a great partnership.<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8TDAzvFcUjO_tnjG83FyjpWABuUJuplBVcvGc6VErIz5PY8NW4rtpg2X-ERs5hNJ1Sg7AD2RpeHmK08og4tq9WSClioqZ0gPNC51cXDnNgk0ZbMCX2n_r5e4sTxo4tlFdREZ1OMzGoNz/s1600-h/15.0.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338458909386006706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8TDAzvFcUjO_tnjG83FyjpWABuUJuplBVcvGc6VErIz5PY8NW4rtpg2X-ERs5hNJ1Sg7AD2RpeHmK08og4tq9WSClioqZ0gPNC51cXDnNgk0ZbMCX2n_r5e4sTxo4tlFdREZ1OMzGoNz/s320/15.0.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-_R3D6C6SQgBzfcAQxa_KFh4QYjsL3LuT7YHHNHzWXBrfu2aqiC4YMGoDz3RZf7SesVTww26boqBoOA2r64GCrT-UIDb-XFIq7KYPV7wsAju1YCYjBOXf_Mw4PIVnuVfZP7Pb4OaKuE1/s1600-h/15.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338458908415402578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-_R3D6C6SQgBzfcAQxa_KFh4QYjsL3LuT7YHHNHzWXBrfu2aqiC4YMGoDz3RZf7SesVTww26boqBoOA2r64GCrT-UIDb-XFIq7KYPV7wsAju1YCYjBOXf_Mw4PIVnuVfZP7Pb4OaKuE1/s320/15.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span> <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJV4zMvzszQjN2TIXG-ita8_TgfXTV6embg82x5DXdVoOZHhjEnEmCaip0ZS0dXucmyvxd9Mt8VAz6ZADS4oRfJyEINyLyBlmKUPbORPugRvRnoZxfn_SabdMZMpyArUxwOh8KOMcx-Mks/s1600-h/16.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338458902996443122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 222px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJV4zMvzszQjN2TIXG-ita8_TgfXTV6embg82x5DXdVoOZHhjEnEmCaip0ZS0dXucmyvxd9Mt8VAz6ZADS4oRfJyEINyLyBlmKUPbORPugRvRnoZxfn_SabdMZMpyArUxwOh8KOMcx-Mks/s320/16.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Sthzg5tZjIA8R5TzjHqGQS3FlrUfLIKtgvDFkYm6WCNqoM11RDQiVQtkl8-1YL2hdNUSiDmAHLICgb-jLsxC6MbLMhlQMON0ClxbFOKkyhZvUmpCroQc68z9iOhFYTY8BM-tlBVOkRPX/s1600-h/17.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338457647394324994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Sthzg5tZjIA8R5TzjHqGQS3FlrUfLIKtgvDFkYm6WCNqoM11RDQiVQtkl8-1YL2hdNUSiDmAHLICgb-jLsxC6MbLMhlQMON0ClxbFOKkyhZvUmpCroQc68z9iOhFYTY8BM-tlBVOkRPX/s320/17.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbG8-hjaXcGks8seMlB_PmZVAMA6uLxo_NAaq0wUHAGdcYlqGOy5-5ke_nmO0Y8ciX7S92GMRea9Yn-vXoSPS_o1DqSDAjwYPiAuMONh5hkKl2bb_MIQhfsOdVHtArPLf8T9yJV7bNI_BB/s1600-h/18.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338457650337250594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbG8-hjaXcGks8seMlB_PmZVAMA6uLxo_NAaq0wUHAGdcYlqGOy5-5ke_nmO0Y8ciX7S92GMRea9Yn-vXoSPS_o1DqSDAjwYPiAuMONh5hkKl2bb_MIQhfsOdVHtArPLf8T9yJV7bNI_BB/s320/18.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> On May 15th we had an in-office workshop about ethics and values. It was cool, but very long. I made cinnamon rolls, so at least I contributed something...<br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnyQVhtBy90GB4YASG8YfKA95_wNcA-Cz0XCqchSetbF-cG3W3eYqhLiGeKfvup6DsyyrLV5z0IovmX9uDl1svnHgEDSsI8TQoSP4eOIaTG1teqBIDFoo0iaSGMxRX6yqIoNNeah6J8Lf/s1600-h/19.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338457643199930274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnyQVhtBy90GB4YASG8YfKA95_wNcA-Cz0XCqchSetbF-cG3W3eYqhLiGeKfvup6DsyyrLV5z0IovmX9uDl1svnHgEDSsI8TQoSP4eOIaTG1teqBIDFoo0iaSGMxRX6yqIoNNeah6J8Lf/s320/19.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wa6-EOv9xt4cQlzR7ffxeAIMTmVd5hRgzogX8xJTZH3C8YEDQlZ5StWj7cI4GCQPVNHMsAMJZC-sd38or3qvqQF9vQAte5WDcITR1A9l9P9PBzB54oM2cP-h7AbyZbi1ucnC49RmGMZu/s1600-h/20.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338457643947201634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wa6-EOv9xt4cQlzR7ffxeAIMTmVd5hRgzogX8xJTZH3C8YEDQlZ5StWj7cI4GCQPVNHMsAMJZC-sd38or3qvqQF9vQAte5WDcITR1A9l9P9PBzB54oM2cP-h7AbyZbi1ucnC49RmGMZu/s320/20.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />Other recent, random news: Ecuavolley tournament in town. Ecuavolley is like volleyball, except not cool. My friend Stefanie got a puppy. Oh and my cool new camera allows me to take cool new pictures of all the cool (not new) stuff around here. Sit back and be amazed…I think they’re self-explanatory.<br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9l7Ur3YyzPhe-QUz1wjJEuV33JwZ_VaPng1dhKRdABQHSd9wODKeEKy8cz9hd3Zogod1Me975Ua4J5BVL-CIJ4ClNrPLafQDpfzg9uhuQY9OnPSTLXva77uS86Mv8kPECY2dUaBxW6Ou/s1600-h/21.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338457639584177650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9l7Ur3YyzPhe-QUz1wjJEuV33JwZ_VaPng1dhKRdABQHSd9wODKeEKy8cz9hd3Zogod1Me975Ua4J5BVL-CIJ4ClNrPLafQDpfzg9uhuQY9OnPSTLXva77uS86Mv8kPECY2dUaBxW6Ou/s320/21.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXseOqvJFqTQtYm321LcIxZL-ZpS7x8JqTP-VBUNbCGLqBBhTjbeN3VD2f70nI1Qwy8GRi5yCzPaU2HQuSJdMs0sE7S7joM5Y0G5hrtdrpwWEFmpmwXhj_iHhO95t0q3vecOF1uVjpa0Zm/s1600-h/22.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338457308193981538" style="DISPLAY: block; 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MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UTeHS29xRX9Q0Tis8YFwCnCDidzgGj_ZswGB4BD8MRD8NFJe6-d6baXSVMqv_sQqvPsDUvMyd5Qba0cSId8IF5AMYsCYPohLePQOOjMQiy79S7aNsBq9W8WyAnW_wix9CKsx-DYdM0AN/s320/zapotillo.JPG" border="0" /></span></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-53754765851807036352009-03-19T12:22:00.002-04:002009-03-19T12:26:30.660-04:00Rest in Peace, G'pa Moeller<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0Sir_kSMWCpmdekuAa2IiPHg-s8zoS-aHNQ_MKMB7ydmSXT354sRYkyD26p-F6Yg07u4IA4OrYe3LLNU55a1n74xEcd3gaGj8sswP1hjUHRq1WFfER97fo2MSHBkjWXQUwQVm2VOml0z/s1600-h/07obit.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314935595822003714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 137px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0Sir_kSMWCpmdekuAa2IiPHg-s8zoS-aHNQ_MKMB7ydmSXT354sRYkyD26p-F6Yg07u4IA4OrYe3LLNU55a1n74xEcd3gaGj8sswP1hjUHRq1WFfER97fo2MSHBkjWXQUwQVm2VOml0z/s200/07obit.jpg" border="0" /></a> Edward C. Moeller, 80, of Fredericksburg, died Monday, March 9, 2009, at Austin Heart Hospital.Graveside services and interment of the ashes are planned for Friday, March 20, at 2:30 p.m. at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio with the Rev. Joe Waltz officiating.Arrangements are under the direction of Beckmann Funeral Home.Moeller was born March 19, 1928, in Peoria, IL, the son of Carl J. Moeller and Genevieve M. Julien Moeller. He married Colleen F. Dierdorf on June 26, 1954, in Wilton, IA, and she survives.After joining the U.S. Navy when he was 17, Moeller was deployed to the Pacific region.Afterwards, he was employed by Precision Aircraft Assembly and upon retirement, moved to Fredericksburg.In addition to his wife, Moeller is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Jeffery W. and Susan Moeller of Austin, and a daughter, Sally A. Nelson, of Illinois, and six grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his parents as well as a brother, Robert J. Moeller.Memorials may be made to the charity of choice.saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-89229023974506957922009-01-22T20:00:00.012-04:002009-02-08T16:50:59.161-04:00<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">S</span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">eeing as another month has gone by, I figured I ought to update my blog. Life is still excellent here in <u>site</u>. The rainy season has begun in paradise, which means LOTS of bugs, humidity, heat, and all of the lovely things that accompany those. However, I’m happy as ever, if only slightly itchier and less well-rested. I really like the rain, though, and it’s transforming everything, which is so cool to see. Below is a Guyacan tree, which flowers at the start of the rainy season.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300529986294331666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqgBF7nzfDPS7_QBLAAiZ8KlcEK1vHOwT-WdC6ZZQpRNM_nJjqS58JzOYriIxP2ag36xA_E-tnm0re_sQPL9TmAzLdGblBGaaHD2Wis_HGVetZfyIiRqcYsiNipjpcC_ylCwlWlV_e0aY/s200/01.JPG" border="0" />So pretty! I have yet to see the waterfalls that everyone keeps talking about, but I’m very excited for them. The river got pretty high and turbulent with the last rain. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but it’s a decent size river.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300530408865654594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmrGFC7AF0IS11gDsdlC3IqssxfuavYhYKZD8EfBg5C_utx_33sUdL4mH1U-jweMe55TEfbHeBTR6nEPVhDt2NUvbcXB8I4XVQ1PkG5G-TkkdMSr4RloA5xXtQ7ITw8IMOljqKU_ZqsyR/s200/02.JPG" border="0" />River in dry season<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300530413565799906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-NtEwa8VuJ2gpkPdi9o8GH9FrHR1BXFPyLw_pwUf7SsCsoswzrBtLQ07HQnV5xNkpnRG7FpfLslTGiF0Icawx1FtVnlFmhMNW07U9fWUVaeC0lWukoprOWlpVmyya_WsSPx56ruXM-70_/s200/03.JPG" border="0" />River after rain<br /><br />Since my last entry, I’ve moved away from just accompanying other people in their projects and into starting my own projects. So far my work has been restricted to one community, which I prefer because working with few people allows me to get to know them better, which is not only enjoyable for me, but also helps us be able to get more work done. Besides, I LOVE the community…it’s so beautiful! I usually get a ride out to the community, stay for 2-3 days, and then get a ride back.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300530412927027906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 112px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltg3kvMKyBo33gFQKGn2jYSb6a26pn1mlYKfFcDB_pTJnOBpaGd-XpboFKUsyUPDxqPsWx023AsH0PuZnr65soGonYrwYhyphenhyphenm3QYPXTfMNNqICLfU1PNYUbwaZ-2tN2CatBX85UvzOwAD0/s200/04.jpg" border="0" />The community where I work<br /><br />The first project I started was computer classes in the elementary school. The school is a one-room, 1st-6th school with 12 students. Class runs from 8am-10am, recess is 10-11, and then class resumes from 11am-1pm. Imagine for a moment being in a class with 12 students in six different grades for four hours a day with one teacher. It’s a challenging environment, to say the least. Well, the school has had one computer for three years with no one who knows how to use it. Computer classes went really well and we covered how to assemble/turn on/turn off a computer, mouse use, painting, and typing. The structure of the class actually worked to my advantage, as the teacher could only work with one grade level at a time, leaving most of the other kids to work on worksheets, etc., and 1-2 kids to practice on the computer. Since typing is something that requires more practice than instruction, I continued to give the kids time to practice typing, but we moved onto environmental education classes as a group.<br /></span><div><div><div><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bbE7dk-Twwf_p6Q6ZM2cIw4vzOafz0MAJJC-P_uFCnmuAn8DqYxpb_vBDm3YR-6rZZdOQEjV-ifkuI2GNPM79UyIozuP00EB1xfvO0Sp7Td4nBPEqtG5YgHFhUXq691Q0PRhQtaY265b/s1600-h/10.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294276866615081298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bbE7dk-Twwf_p6Q6ZM2cIw4vzOafz0MAJJC-P_uFCnmuAn8DqYxpb_vBDm3YR-6rZZdOQEjV-ifkuI2GNPM79UyIozuP00EB1xfvO0Sp7Td4nBPEqtG5YgHFhUXq691Q0PRhQtaY265b/s200/10.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> Oh and I taught PE one day and we played kickball. Kickball, indeed!<br /><br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKebfAYh3wob2hNag49Y91e1Ij5SQ7l7PW7E6bdxeDWkpKVLShS8uEpiCst1NKYDKMgGS4IgMUFmDcTAkd51wObqkWf3rQ9TSqFf0WhRzME-Sm5jU6K9tSjV6VpR6EWKF1_6smfS75j0WL/s1600-h/09.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294276866199922194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKebfAYh3wob2hNag49Y91e1Ij5SQ7l7PW7E6bdxeDWkpKVLShS8uEpiCst1NKYDKMgGS4IgMUFmDcTAkd51wObqkWf3rQ9TSqFf0WhRzME-Sm5jU6K9tSjV6VpR6EWKF1_6smfS75j0WL/s200/09.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> hangin´out at recess<br /><br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAWwTd7hmdanVnup9le1Zo7_Ba5k2U1LZPrIlAd5oBu25BF0es8o2DJG-2yptDIaTymrKBpTH073X7TvFqDBh5bHdYSOdHKTQ5OeZGahHwlnxp8vS_YBgAOqH8pzPrh4ASPr68TSNDBWn/s1600-h/08.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294276862129074242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAWwTd7hmdanVnup9le1Zo7_Ba5k2U1LZPrIlAd5oBu25BF0es8o2DJG-2yptDIaTymrKBpTH073X7TvFqDBh5bHdYSOdHKTQ5OeZGahHwlnxp8vS_YBgAOqH8pzPrh4ASPr68TSNDBWn/s200/08.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> Dancin' at the Christmas Party<br /><br /></span><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijr5RtR2dJIvjtMs5t8gl9Quju0Yo42Cr6_F5P2bsvtdcDYQYCG9LuOM5y-czWCwVtxuiSVijB2Wuo9ggU86F4fdRllJ3A0Oo6z85B9chsPKgtkve_aL_V7BTzVr81XCQ2q6TaGp8fiFfi/s1600-h/07.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294276853490150098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijr5RtR2dJIvjtMs5t8gl9Quju0Yo42Cr6_F5P2bsvtdcDYQYCG9LuOM5y-czWCwVtxuiSVijB2Wuo9ggU86F4fdRllJ3A0Oo6z85B9chsPKgtkve_aL_V7BTzVr81XCQ2q6TaGp8fiFfi/s200/07.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> computer class- alejandra with all her <em>deditos </em>nice and comfy in their <em>casitas</em><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294275082390780050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpzIU6Ib2oqF7SjGotTbipuB_R-f5wo8ktum0JzSJEJ7ORamkOTr12gk7vKqFLmeUewYs-PP-0TPyfGDAhuTt0hMTkyMiqGCjLtWh0tezJQFHHmrYV09cO7PLgz3716X5dgekVOBYgHnA/s200/13.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294276869772834018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidODxOJMi93_38SpXEIwujtwd5relWIqUMGUS6ed8llBBFz8h-fZIynz48zfqBYhRMl5eA0ELeRQAGMwOcOvf_GW4dmNuJcZ2-DszxpJZroYxd8uVjCGJO9tIDmPl-0GWm79qH5w3upZp0/s200/11.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294275080991145266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpAUIF2bA5x6vuZNqrE8PhuOLAAMZh8qkDDZN8G3iyupAe7JKafPzNMHEavX39mBNWYtxGBMylPkc1v2wkO8JjKw7f6K4if_kb_CjaRonXDpEhxygyrp3ux7UeX97agEP-wMHAdsdvyn5p/s200/12.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">EE Class fieldtrips to the forest</span></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Having said that, school lets out this week and I am looking forward to the opportunity to work more in-depth on other projects. I have two other main projects that I’m working on. First is a nutrition/nutritional security program that consists of three main components: 1) family gardens 2) theoretical nutritional education 3) practical nutritional workshops…that is, we are planting gardens, learning why what we are growing is good, and learning what to do with what we are growing (cooking classes). I am starting with a group of three families and the garden we are planting is going to be a little bigger than a family garden, and will serve as a model from which other families can learn. This garden is my first official financed project in Ecuador, hooray! (Granted the financing was less than $50, but whatever) Since there is not much excess water in the community, the idea is that families will plant small, individual gardens for family consumption only. So far, so good, but we’ve only just begun. </span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2a1mdP6ZZZ1Go3o4K5KpkHaZHQ8d56D06hZwc_LsPmnoUGNJ7LJZuPGgIVbmzwPyO9PWOgd50_bDU52Rt9egDZ8pX_rf8UUvOHPnb9UIZbJ-FYxDXzHJ0VqfrNCTffUkzD_M01reT8fR/s1600-h/14.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294275089711960274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2a1mdP6ZZZ1Go3o4K5KpkHaZHQ8d56D06hZwc_LsPmnoUGNJ7LJZuPGgIVbmzwPyO9PWOgd50_bDU52Rt9egDZ8pX_rf8UUvOHPnb9UIZbJ-FYxDXzHJ0VqfrNCTffUkzD_M01reT8fR/s200/14.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> mmm roasted squash seeds<br /></span></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7UHKP2gUcVL0OpSzxfN6gQGkikG7IExmCOJEzCaOvmPQTjpyYdRo4ozezb_sMnvPO5Ra2sbHpufgf2XH41pTjM8Ea4G06t0YWEPyU2s9dcB_bu35mvS5-Z8qkLcatDW-DrgdBylVlEwU/s1600-h/15.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294275131122790402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7UHKP2gUcVL0OpSzxfN6gQGkikG7IExmCOJEzCaOvmPQTjpyYdRo4ozezb_sMnvPO5Ra2sbHpufgf2XH41pTjM8Ea4G06t0YWEPyU2s9dcB_bu35mvS5-Z8qkLcatDW-DrgdBylVlEwU/s200/15.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> clearing the land for the garden<br /><br /></span><div align="center"><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9Y-cIANBWkQIcCDlNsKXGGTR2AD68TFXZ-V_KramCIv6yT4d-3SxediOjQi5m6yG8hG8eV7MGjBJteO6mudMU9RVnkN5NvXqmLZWEO1-lBMD9zDEyYOepDKKNg7LXaJc1QLqhym5w-Ix/s1600-h/17.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294274769443568578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9Y-cIANBWkQIcCDlNsKXGGTR2AD68TFXZ-V_KramCIv6yT4d-3SxediOjQi5m6yG8hG8eV7MGjBJteO6mudMU9RVnkN5NvXqmLZWEO1-lBMD9zDEyYOepDKKNg7LXaJc1QLqhym5w-Ix/s200/17.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Seed bed</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294275138676632706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbB2ktwfBeC_WyAedMTrAUFgEniOc-dUCiER_8HjDCIA8b1eR4DCjS6Gek-W3atX71LEza4zW7Rf5ry9rJDmOmivyb7ayqfo682q1Usc9OmKvkA-TrShWMS1x8UQ66dJzGkxJqJaFwJLU/s200/16.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Main plot- 5m x 10m</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The other project is small business development with the goat herders. I want to work first simultaneously with organization and controlling the quality and availability of input materials. Like I said before, the goats really only produce enough milk for the business in the rainy season, about three months a year. The rest of the year, if the women want to sell their products they have to buy milk. In the rainy season, that would be no problem as milk costs as low as .30/liter. However, in the dry season, when they need milk, it can cost up to .80/liter. What’s worse is the market price for the products they make is higher in the dry season and lower in wet season as well. Therefore, in the dry season they lose money because their costs go up and in the wet season, they lose money because of market flooding. Also, the women only sell to people who seek them out and sometimes in fairs, which generally require a lot of time and transportation and generate few sales. So what we want to do is find a way that the women can have sufficient, consistent milk output year-round and organization so that sales, too, stay consistent year-round. The work, then, has various parts. One being business consulting, how to organize a business, how to set up a client list and take orders, how to keep records, how to analyze if a business opportunity will be profitable, how to calculate costs and prices, how to do a market study, etc. Another part is setting up pastures and stables for the dairy goats as well as better controlling the health and well-being of said goats. Hopefully this will have many effects as the goats will become healthier, produce more and better-quality milk, and increase incomes. This should motivate people to want to move towards a more controlled approach to raising goats, decreasing the amount of time that the goats spend in the forest, thereby aiding NCI’s forest-conservation efforts. We’ll see…we’ll see. I’m working on helping to write up a proposal for the pasture part of the project with an Ag. student who is doing an internship at NCI. </span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Hope you all are doing well. Thanks to those who have been sending emails, they always brighten my day. </span></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Oh, and I wanted to share these pictures too:<br /></span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLG7ydMB_Kivmr3hIZAdLVOBThmlCU1YRVsl2lzsacBTOkJ_NT8xlbhyphenhyphen98etuXkuciM3e7Rc6t9eseoX7rjChNZ59g_o1iuxMQmGcI-gFSlJvF2AayZckxTrwERFgiyAEHRol1FsUW-BXm/s1600-h/18.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294274547398023410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLG7ydMB_Kivmr3hIZAdLVOBThmlCU1YRVsl2lzsacBTOkJ_NT8xlbhyphenhyphen98etuXkuciM3e7Rc6t9eseoX7rjChNZ59g_o1iuxMQmGcI-gFSlJvF2AayZckxTrwERFgiyAEHRol1FsUW-BXm/s200/18.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> The chicken decided to relax in the hammock for a bit...<br /><br /><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKx47a-liyY6waz9_jEGMNELauudezYrMW6N8F6jYXuNK71bi6tJxETZYsPHvSfkbKwDHkt_7nZMXp2_ut_EACkA_VwvQThl5CRqUbrrMQwCLp-XWL9xUhz7gVrNZ_xaPlj14PGrsFfVuX/s1600-h/19.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294274546546444242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKx47a-liyY6waz9_jEGMNELauudezYrMW6N8F6jYXuNK71bi6tJxETZYsPHvSfkbKwDHkt_7nZMXp2_ut_EACkA_VwvQThl5CRqUbrrMQwCLp-XWL9xUhz7gVrNZ_xaPlj14PGrsFfVuX/s200/19.JPG" border="0" /></span></a></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">This is what the kids do when there's no school...heh</span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300530416252039234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLJyCEh3yF_ASswuTaYdJ7JXbCUKnTGamWU6gmpu7k61ZPM93m2f26ZNdqZB4fnOQOYt7U_yJFmKyQlXnAWEDhZW9slgIT4epIedKIYs3R5TuivDeNdlzVD6zSu7LuPNuuIryQ-BaG-pj/s200/05.jpg" border="0" />Found this in my room in Cabeza de Toro...the kids thought it was hilarious that I put it in the forest instead of killing it.</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Abrazos,<br />Sarita</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-74767996363974164582008-12-03T15:20:00.009-04:002008-12-03T16:01:05.304-04:00ECUADOR!<div align="left"><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">(Captions below pictures) Oh man, so I’m sorry, I know that you have all been waiting patiently for me to say something about Ecuador. This was mostly brought to my attention by my parents asking if I am in fact alive. Well, I am alive and I can’t believe it is December already! I’ve been in site for five weeks now, though it feels like I just got here. I love my site and I love my work, so much that I just plain forget to go online sometimes. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">My site is in southern Ecuador, on the Peruvian border. It is hot and dry (though I hear that it is hot and humid for part of the year, too) and under 200m above sea level! What a change, there is a wide variety of plants and animals (no llamas though) here and sometimes I don’t even sleep with a blanket. </span><br /></div></span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646312642130370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 170px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8ZYUplTjhnpqQVDSdgF-L1aArfYQBPhSi_UWfrNofkCDg9I1jvjKpml0Enji2P4BzM8sh8lutYApOrDZnH3tL9brtbxO1Ds2cnH-ySFzNjROtqA7aoDfoznYrFwZpZa5hWQujQqtcNbW/s200/bat.JPG" border="0" /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><strong>OMG THERE ARE BATS! :-) :-)</strong><br /></span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I like going to the communities here because of the dry tropical forest preserve. There are these cool trees called Ceibas which undergo photosynthesis in the trunk and branches, too, making the tree green all over. I love love LOVE the campo. </span><br /></div></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646329768889954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1LpCRyYrqf4Dk7wWorER3teHHjd4TohbLkiyh5BGuw_erXsbwm-DrHGtJjaU20loj4oNU-_XAldi1XoBGICxoPkDoka3xi2iBnkMhBjHblGa6dQz9a1Xj1rLQfNVWNoNWxGGzvTnXu6i/s200/ceiba.jpg" border="0" /></span> <p align="center"></span><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>Lindsay and I with a Ceiba</strong></span></span></p><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"></div><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275648103930064370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXB4VkdIrRJKgDvCNGdpAQzA4V2i7Pk8wme6y8pHfd1IeETVolYr69scDqTztGLtaMNY0pue-RgjxZS3ECky0Lco3gtnIlLXycE35dRhtj5j-WW4lyDQZCOgZwPzlqLwo7xNt74Hpj7yOe/s200/sunset.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"></span></span><span style="color:#ffffcc;"> </span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><strong>It´s freakin´ BEAUTIFUL here!</strong></span></p><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"></span></div><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Town is super lujo (luxurious). I have a hot (electric) shower and a modern mattress. My “host family” consists of a 50-something divorced woman (Jhonny) who owns a snack shop and her 24-year-old helper (Ursula). We’re more just like roommates and so far things have been great.</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646873589084626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiK1Nop1O4R3aw9qGzQ1cKF_n58gZ4unu9MQT5COKzmMMdJPdC_SKK3lX1bYzK1dzi7_wv7lMNCCyeXxio_-jCNQ_N6ZFTTxxPjvCXNiUECG759fsXVYl4k-jlshvBm6astedXHxYWDPfe/s200/hostfamfriends.JPG" border="0" /></span> <p align="center"></span><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>Ursula is the furthest left and Jhonny is the one in the middle next to Romulus.</strong></span></span></p><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;">I have my space when I need it, company when I want it and all the modern comforts a girl could ask for. The town is about the same size as Mach but more modern. We have small grocery stores which carry about everything I could want and this really great market on Friday mornings where I buy produce for the week. The food here is fantastic. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646859713477714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-IAw3R1OSYFQUVWWOYdVKZlGyKGLBNPWdiZ_5IQfpevBwsXU68VmOK8iDbMullCCCIUSKOqyEwLvUrDCqPtVP-j8g5RnNFa6lCWbgmrwSPNdxQi8BSXC-uKc9GRVmpkwNgN_zGyXiXED/s200/food1.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646866406635650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVWV5CIwghyphenhyphenzXA6Pg8sGle_fsRfL4MzazJ7oQIl4xBCYOH9M7RMrp1bLStZ1HzTByZfjqhPvAAWq2J95mnIJ3xvh2Gwv22-zRolYTbb_uu1563GluitQls6YIALu10et2vEXdLRu30eDd/s200/food2.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646878837996402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Q-5LOVYZp9zQyrKc3_rKnL_BODuiRC9aCxQvKz01jCR8Z1bnOldg6wgtV-wlr50K_2aqFXNVnzVq5EMztZxGaQ0W_qJaOUxP4iYhXtFs8dj4GqgJ4jhnktafWQNGi48iqqHoMFkYIwWx/s200/lindsayvisit1.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><strong>Market spoils</strong></span></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"></span></strong></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;">People here are really open and the only thing I’ve really had to adjust to is the men being so…geez, I don’t even know how to explain it. We would probably call it Machista but they say that it is just that Latino’s blood runs hotter than gringo blood. I am trying my best to understand why things are like they are and sort out for myself where to draw the lines and when to assert myself. I think I’ve found a good balance so far…we’ll see. </span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">My social life here is great…that is, my friends are a gang of kids, my BFF being an eight year old named Rommel (I call him Romulus). Rommel is a hell of a kid, though. He’s soft-spoken but very intelligent and a quick learner. At first we just played war (lots and lots of war) together, but now we are working on a simplified version of Scrabble. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275648093494701090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLaB8b7kKhN395FF4Uukbea22nrYff9BCEDDMZDu0ZKeNxEYd1eR3hrrAGwyxPCvNxotCbkkR4wSSaZWXjZj7MW0S17VSSIFcCKSJ1XlAklFtZnxacxYsyVw2u2Q4oTvBd0ATt3q9tENSL/s200/romulus.JPG" border="0" /></span><br /></span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><strong>Romulus!</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275647904701706210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguGEY4gPFOQrkQ0MC0q5m1NkgTWztm5ZX2LPwF9KArRctcMKA0kYHFSnXkL0gPCLRb8aw_U1J-gVwX_Wrr89xsGYKj4uUkyi1dKHvY1-D_SbXa_ZsyjTSwAbgIBGCkiOsNMdEUdC8eVgY/s200/mariacristina.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><strong>Maria and Cristina at the river</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"></span></div><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The weather is a welcomed change from Oruro, though I think people think I’m a little weird for sweating so much. The malaria meds haven’t given me any serious side effects yet (gracias a Dios) so that’s good. I recently went to Loja and to visit Lindsay in her site for Thanksgiving/Thanksgiving weekend. That week was the same week as the workshop and I’ve kind of been on a high since then, it was so nice. We even got in some hiking and some bathing in the river. Oh and this crazy beauty pageant/town dance/ridiculous cumbia concert in Lindsay’s site. </span><br /></span><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275648107269460146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXIiX_iS2aPfstXwu1iOp62RLBJpWdYWkgU7olUQnl_ZJIDOInpnxiYlZM7T5nfk97ovuxnc8EtFr2HYsEFFOCnNkwWLGYFFkRE-teBbrHpYXvdXr0UKS8qLrvctnQfXp5rS1ilMAnysJ/s200/thanksgiving.JPG" border="0" /><strong>Thanksgiving</strong></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275647913391627586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-0XMKony-wGtw2Cv1wkWjJP_WnZ17GzzKxgb8S-XF7MlOhzIx1c5cLDeDgKPtbydjaXFn9Qf2YwlFNDLeQ5ZsAP8XkBM9a3M9h3op-m9DPPxG9eaTVL9qXvkYCBn1SbaiQywbERfIfQ7/s200/paper.JPG" border="0" /><strong>Paper project in Lindsay´s site</strong></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275647893582746274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvX_wDNQIy-JqKlDQpDTctHLMqWwCRWDpqy4hCb-uwGQuJ8CNSWew39y2fYISPd5jfy1PtWNRX6kea6EQ0lrmIaUh1WvQAQ-VmMNCg-wdTa8Jchaogli51dJwT4GqmLqkILSyho6i28mDe/s200/mandango.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275647900608774194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKeKO8-ojPKJ_S_6AQ5bxQsedZofWA6EObuy5R-RCOtigSRuKOtKqfsp6FouHddpp60XXLI6sMrV4BWpJKr-OKz7E7Z5ZAahNwEB-vjjiM5WDcC5ELZe4grK5HljJZn4pgdxHT5uZB9QM/s200/mandango2.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Hiking in Lindsay´s site</strong></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;">There´s this cool practice here called a ¨minga¨where the community gets together to volunteer to do some public works project. The mingas we do in the reserve are mostly building fences to keep the goats out. Check it out:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275649592533808514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRQqSbOcSZsRno5Biv1Sn8OJRocyrVOzAbBtdR8IOUSPfhGxH0jW-GFCSv7wlP6cetrEyIpab1gKkpTrDzecrkewmw7gvadKq8ufOgIRJgorNvJ6_B05JU3EDhcKf5W0Aeh_ohXYiRV_h/s200/minga.JPG" border="0" /></span></p><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">As far as work, I am replacing a couple that was here (sounds like PC didn’t suit them) so I am busy, busy, busy! I can’t believe how much work there is to do here and how different the attitude is. It’s sad, though, because I am starting to see how difficult life is in Bolivia. I am amazed at how progressive and enthusiastic the people in the campo here are. Although I love Oruro, it was so hard to work there. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">So…what have I been working on since I got here? Well, like in Mach, we work in the surrounding communities, though this time those communities are around and within a forest preserve owned mostly by my counterpart organization. We have various programs to help community development and, simultaneously, forest preservation. My first month here I tried to take advantage as much as possible to tag along with people, get to know as much of the communities and other projects as I possibly could. There is a project working with women to make and sell goat dairy products and I’m really excited to take that on as my main project. Luckily, we have many agricultural and other natural sciences experts working with the organization, but what’s lacking is someone with more business knowledge and experience. Which is very convenient for me! There’s a lot for me to learn and a lot for me to teach. My favorite part about the work is that the main objectives are not profits or production, but rather preservation of the forest and sustainable community development. </span><br /></span><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646865985227458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nI_AcyNtzQrioGkR_reRVsg3qYCHA04fCPBEt3pdFP5XLZzz-d0spgXsC1VPtYgRHm50oym7dF-omSLV56Qvo5JDoZDuJcJC2gexzVpedvDgK9LeRvpJa1nVaOqql2BY4Njs9dp1E10O/s200/goats.JPG" border="0" /></span><br /></span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><strong>Goat love</strong></span></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646671677056498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7JorD6AxPnNM_NsfFFsM6vAB6cqudX48KPDywupBJ2a0gcOesfLSpnhTQV2MPNo_PtjypPnxGjASYmjwpxfDBj6a_fS3enQaGbtjW2AuISS2Azqsrm7MV7Acab0H2uTNZ5VR4iuJrpr4/s200/cheese+factory.JPG" border="0" /></span></strong></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><strong>Cheese factory</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"></span></div><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">My first official workshop was last Tuesday, when I taught the women to make cheeses with local herbs and vegetables added in. The idea was to talk a little about what business is, what the women want to accomplish with their business, and then to talk about creativity and entrepreneurship. The workshop did not go at all as I had planned. It was supposed to be two days, like a total of 8 hours, and ended up getting compacted into 3 hours and lunch. Nearly all of the activities I planned had to be scrapped. BUT, it was phenomenal! The women picked up so quickly on the idea of inventing new products and just ran with it. Cilantro is a very popular flavor here and so I am hoping that the women will sell their cilantro infused fresh-goat cheese at the next fair, to test out how it sells. It turned out really well, as fresh cheese really compliments herbal flavors. I liked the one they made with hot peppers, but it might be a little tougher sell here. The women totally got it, though, and it opened their minds to so many other possibilities. I hope they continue to experiment and I can’t wait to see what else they can come up with! </span><br /></span><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646660113606994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmu4b2Sl15J7NXJzGF9YinFvqH9S0gbd7fk7-o_M2BrlrKl8aJJnLGOmmFDncm8TGK9jpnix_BwhBLgFR6euD_RyFL6PxPhEzRJHwWxDYHJop7zflwqcoF_dPiEG2OzorUxJonsiVVayrl/s200/cheese1.JPG" border="0" /></span><br /></span><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646663904000306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpLP-eSpVCbipOv7Vz1-s1drtSKcOinaFezoTB9gcl4aXcM_NpqCmK3hF7egPNULwgOcF1fhubB0DLdncPY1zDvsggashWnGhnZ3TzwJ8CmKS1W5USbCa8mUU8hqMKAeGV6dmyDU2p3zQ/s200/cheese2.JPG" border="0" /></span><br /></span><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646667462506578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbGPobtsrJHKnwXRBIH_U5RLzeGD2pAiOIAb3Gc7YATeRAE61I0CftO_KkJ5pibZwAnqCESUASOTdJmtV3oh_ieQATqkfdWbuxneD-tmYRA5-jjb9T7DUZ2tl-RMQD1QmWVyfXLpr8cel/s200/cheese3.JPG" border="0" /></span><br /></span><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646668957320738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOe5NyvFTuICkBfLcao_4n1W8JudfHjZc1zPYIjED_Ly9Ky73CTjhT0-pSFaTHt9t_A9CWZcwTBG3HYcrw1m1AbgoaNnL_lAm7rsU0wb86NqBDnRpQiXexTmE0H78Fv_UY6xm6yFs7IoR/s200/cheese4.JPG" border="0" /></span><br /></span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><strong>Making Cheese</strong></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ffffcc;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">We have a fair to go to on Sunday and then we’re going to talk about planning for th</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">e rainy season. The problem is that there is hardly any milk production in the dry season (like 8-9 months of the year) and then there is overproduction in the wet season (3-4 months). During the wet season, due to market flooding, the price of cheese drops drastically, not to mention that transportation is difficult which means that their products can spoil before they are sold, since they are all-natural without any preservatives. I’m really going to try to push the women to try to come up with their own solution to this problem. They know that if they just make fresh cheese they will lose money because they sell it below cost. They know that neither I nor they can fix the road. We’ll see what they come up with and hopefully we will have an attack plan by January. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /></span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="color:#ffffcc;"></span></span></div></span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;">Other projects in my work are improved bee farming, community organizational development, and forest preservation.<br /></span></div></span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><div><br /></div></span><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwDCuH5Z1vVtTxe2Xzo_rwezn-vtEHRsPWUayO5AI1g70RWdibvOTINMOOrWaJY3I9uaHQdl6iXYUdUKBJAqia_BKnKNEUCvgVmW3Hyvuq6RskoSTDwKE2GFxF7xaYANpoKBE2KwB9Mjh/s1600-h/bees3.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646317733076034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwDCuH5Z1vVtTxe2Xzo_rwezn-vtEHRsPWUayO5AI1g70RWdibvOTINMOOrWaJY3I9uaHQdl6iXYUdUKBJAqia_BKnKNEUCvgVmW3Hyvuq6RskoSTDwKE2GFxF7xaYANpoKBE2KwB9Mjh/s200/bees3.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"> <strong>BEES!</strong><br /><br /></span><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbDZcY0zZnEDBzY4WyeBpUsEinpJmlUR5WUpRdk3o0D9xCV68tivq1Pn6jsCPIwzkP1O3TfU-KxDUBB_nr-J54DUECRQz6y1a2HKSqEoosdEPxPQCCknU41SLdpimvEExtR1PSiCLHMtZ/s1600-h/bees2.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646315729924034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbDZcY0zZnEDBzY4WyeBpUsEinpJmlUR5WUpRdk3o0D9xCV68tivq1Pn6jsCPIwzkP1O3TfU-KxDUBB_nr-J54DUECRQz6y1a2HKSqEoosdEPxPQCCknU41SLdpimvEExtR1PSiCLHMtZ/s200/bees2.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHEQodz5YGJmNFgKSlAfhFS243HJhWnfYy4urZ1msbkL18Rylt06mHHv-Ct9G0xT3ENcp-xJWPPWj2a2q5-6ir1xugKlgenMUlNqYtuScsO6vje_ikS8zLgcBBb3ATYG9BGDz2NOCES8w/s1600-h/bees1.JPG"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275646310761606946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHEQodz5YGJmNFgKSlAfhFS243HJhWnfYy4urZ1msbkL18Rylt06mHHv-Ct9G0xT3ENcp-xJWPPWj2a2q5-6ir1xugKlgenMUlNqYtuScsO6vje_ikS8zLgcBBb3ATYG9BGDz2NOCES8w/s200/bees1.JPG" border="0" /></span></a></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><br /><br /></div><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;">Amusing ways of cutting wood for bee boxes. iloveit.</span></strong></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;">I guess that’s it for now. I don’t want to test my luck here or anything, but I’ve been in Peace Corps for 15 ½ months and I’ve got less than a year to go…at this point I’m so enthusiastic about my project that I’m just hoping I can do everything I want to in that short amount of time! I’m going to try to update this at least once, if not twice a month. If you want to email me, I will respond. If you want to call, my cell phone gets incoming calls, as well as being able to receive and send texts from/to the states. I think you all already have my mailing address (GMA, I received your Birthday card, THANK YOU! And sorry for being so rude and not having written to you yet, I’ll get on it!). Alright, I’ve got so much to do (starting a computer class tomorrow morning!) but I swear I will try to stay on top of these blogs! Love you all,</span></p><p align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;color:#ffffcc;">Sarita (con cariñito)</span></p>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-38898653112312877842008-10-20T05:13:00.000-04:002008-10-20T05:20:05.337-04:00This is my new mailing address:<br /><br />Sarah Nelson, PCV<br />Cuerpo de Paz<br />Casilla 17-08-8624<br />Quito, Ecuador<br />South America<br /><br />Quito, here I come!saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-87533817541093631942008-09-24T02:00:00.009-04:002008-09-24T09:46:59.632-04:00Me voy. Que lastima, pero adios...<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Things have been so hectic lately. I wanted to wait until I knew what was really going on to inform you all. I’m going to start from way back, though, with right before my mom’s vacation.<br />Mom’s vacation in August was delayed by a consolidation we had in Santa Cruz because of the national vote for whether or not to keep Evo in office. I didn’t like being out of my site for so long, but everything turned out fine and I got to go back just in time to pick mom up from La Paz.<br /></span><div><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Mom’s vacation (10 days) was great. We started out in La Paz and took a bus (mom’s first flota!) to Oruro city. Then we spent a couple days in Oruro, checking out markets and some yummy food. Then it was home, sweet home to Machacamarca. The highlights there were visits with all of my friends and the annual bullfight. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">me and mom in mach</span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249464752492819570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BEGObC2yU0vULnYAQ90D7Bjcl5Dzvfu90ItBZ8rKF90t8Hb0-LCIfFJ8jJno1leW8zi5L85SLO8jzoHOUDYTMNFBbiO9kOkeY16I16yfT6FwkZPV50__5Xqyp36A_WxsMQqZ4iCw4XgX/s200/DSCF0975.JPG" border="0" /></span> </span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">kerry posing for the camera</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249470894953452786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3tED4KTCmyb9xoEts17txuOJhJCjwbZxkffQGcS7aoGuNEECDpTY0eWUUo_-9Z0ighdbVeAJ-cWPQ56eOkqju4j1LjZpBMYXno2OzxHAadZUrPlbJEYajxjvzfymlm3-HTVyjw_SH5fG/s200/DSCF0976.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">mom enjoying a nutritious, delicious gourd full of chicha</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249464758888235362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyLPJVeeWCr7AD_2OtDambZd4sHl6cfvsQM06ayP0GlbY2J2yvVvV-3ZONadV-Un4LVCpjyTbvWz1-FnXKBn7QMcn2z8qlP9xPfVoTqKwoQrYCZtweKonVVrrPYThena308KlT6GvzA5L/s200/DSCF0992.JPG" border="0" />After Mach, we left for Cochabamba, where mom met Joy and we ate more yummy food. Also we visited my host family from training, who had some very cute new dogs. </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249472852285522866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88lWRXhjKj9QYwxyp0vweQkLpBTjKLdRozB-mOBTMqjOKBB5YyOhl07SDqE5zjWyR9nKnEjX_4DawUizAIyVZ_9duDqdT1DvhiL-1rJF1Oa9LGCUn7w7zztFcHv-BMYbXsmQhRZoBkZre/s200/DSCF1012.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Then, all three of us moved on to Copacabana, to see Lake Titicaca. It is SO beautiful! </span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">joy eating trout</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249472857351775138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEa5ZrxPd5uyBaRyA6xgTz-ZtMR6jAB0TJX0cbC1QX04Zhk_vzGItIKL4hTQ-g2SHrHfKWhTIGUQY2jejNsTMsM2NcxEh7DdOafDIk8tPV6aOA_sg4hNBCzvi-P4ICAcflTSbDayWZU_Cy/s200/DSCF1017.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">mom and the lake</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249464756955754850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaESyl-eV3MU7YYSia4HyU0QqSnPpShJ-G0di0lsZN46uLTZZjQK9hN1mAFUg8WbOJFx5hPcSUmRcusvljUZV8rVeMiv7goCTcRYLMDelLsy3cy_wqb5kPqeKvoXFtS38pUNGa7bRVguRm/s200/DSCF1013.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">joy found cheetos!!!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249466233904841282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtwr8aJdiYD8g_5uwdbSQhlovV28LYzI9HJu9sVyot_3cwwzWGIhnXfi8e4myDUz24uMWDyZF-5ewI6evoGtzV3Lq9-0w9FrrsQ6rvpJp8aB9sJItNmOtk5rM4y1rZAUnDjqZjsULiMIc/s200/DSCF1079.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">fish heads, mmmmm<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249464767422543218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NHg4bbvigK-WLI4P0iaxKHRp8zIsTHp0Z_IkxZ4JwTX88RtRIPAT2GwuGbeYagI_bNqvefYhArS3Fd3yXR37FZIu1-6rhtkGTWGc3_Bcdr9tbDzq-8DQtruykVzrvFwjHa6cAohIIvOB/s200/DSCF1019.JPG" border="0" />Mom wanted a little rest one day, so Joy and I went to Isla del Sol to see some ruins. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">totora boat, made out of reeds. so cool!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249466230679739890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74ddnxSygtphBd6vYJYzT0L0dYQf_qJJqAoJGcudOfd7JFfe0LvTPG9MdYtY93DSI3DbCBRvd5AmjcUi-Nmf1s4l5Ll88AphRhCtb7yS97zy_zOmUbw1GZgaZgY5DxsWGfbEvi5_k0n8P/s200/DSCF1068.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">ruins</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249470914813809666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4_6vINTANJF9ARoU9Oev3dR-FFKwOgWL9AKB-5dInh9NtHDJT8Od9-BIkmxKHf34hhJpG3RM9DtgAkr-fq0126OR-WqJxIMV_fB7yTExOTZe0ZtD2wMSLhZudWReuzDzJ87cmWXeBV39/s200/DSCF1043.JPG" border="0" />the "1000 stairs". i counted. there are 200. i love bolivia.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249472869259164882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQU7-k8LxrX34aaNW4v76woIQPddDKNdtLlP0N4Ntx-I4I75jQwqbtG4K0K3j7tCN33ITZ_8_6ewXZ4Av6yxOrxctYMp53TrDnarRn0yFnxCyp62bgS_65t21vvKvywK_Xj7qNyGxubpsG/s200/DSCF1066.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">llama love</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249464769388356226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5SAqtghrGfl-adlGe-M5PSzSj_UsVIWQyt2LpQUPZKTAyOVNE_EbFZDtqKqwnaqAS1_72VIsfcS5ugzt5C6ed1W65RoFxHpZFCIzK-ARnTyGZx0-frA7tCYndUSp03xQGKw3nabW7ROl/s200/DSCF1063.JPG" border="0" />Then back to La Paz where we stayed in a really swanky hotel. The trip was so luxurious I almost forgot I was in Peace Corps! Thanks again for the visit, mom, it was really fun! </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">However, when mom left, my very bad luck began. I don’t normally believe in luck, but a black cloud formed over me the second we said goodbye. I got to the bus station and started having back problems. There was no one to put my bag under the bus, so I put it in the overhead bin and took some pills for my back pain. Long story short, the pills made me pass out and when I woke up in Oruro, my entire hiking pack with most of my clothes and some other personal belongings, was gone. I can’t say it enough; I really don’t like being robbed. It’s so dehumanizing. This was Aug 25th.</span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Somewhere between Aug and Sept I heard rumors that PC was thinking about not sending future volunteers to the Altiplano to serve. When I started in Oruro in November, we had something like 15 volunteers. By August it was down to 5 in Oruro and 2 in Potosi, I think. My project (micro enterprise development) had just been cancelled in July. I was a little upset, I admit, because the Altiplano has the most poverty in Bolivia and I grew so attached to the region that I took it personally that we might not be able to continue to try to help the people of the Altiplano in the future.<br />However…my time in site was really good socially and work wise. Things were progressing well. My women’s group started a new set of classes. We had another K’OA/ walleyball tournament for work in La Paz. I was invited to participate in a nueve días ceremony for an unfortunate young man who had passed away while I was on vacation. Nueve días is a ceremony that takes place nine days after you bury someone because it is believed that after nine days of being buried, the body’s eyes burst and the soul goes to heaven. So you have a ceremony to bless the soul on its journey to heaven. I met a nice guy at the ceremony and got to know him a little better at another mass/celebration the next week. We ended up being pretty good friends for a couple of weeks. It was nice to have someone my age to talk to and hang out with…play bball and go hiking. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The 3rd after hiking, I got some kind of stomach bug, but waited until the 5th to go into the city to do something about it. When I went into the city, I found out that another Oruro volunteer was being relocated to another site because he was “too fair skinned” to serve in the Altiplano. Admittedly I was upset since he had already served over a year in Oruro, was doing good work, and was attached to his community. And, he was white the whole time! Did they not notice for that whole year? Aaaaanyway…we said goodbye to our friend and I got antibiotics from the doctor, so my stomach ailments cleared up. </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">I was invited to go swimming a few days later at a nearby pool/hot springs on Sept 8 when… I had an accident and got burned in a big gas fire in my house the morning of September 9th. I had wanted to make a cake for my friend’s birthday, but the regular oven was off-limits and my host family wasn’t home so I used the industrial oven. Bolivian ovens don’t have pilot lights, so you have to turn on the gas tank and then light the oven with a match. I think there was a gas leak because as soon as I lit the match (I didn’t even come near where you light the oven) there was a big explosion. It was pretty upsetting when it happened, but it’s all good now. I lost some hair and my eyebrows and lashes and stuff. The doctor said it was only 2nd degree burns though, so no big deal. Oh and now I’ve got acne from the ointment I had to use for the burns, but I have great medical coverage here and the dermatologist says it will clear up soon. The great thing was that I realized what awesome friends I had, as they took me to the clinic (to get my entire face covered by burn cream and gauze- what a weirdo!) and then when I was stuck in the house for days came by frequently, applying traditional remedies to my burns (don’t worry, I also followed the doctor’s regimen), calming me down, keeping me company, and assuring me that I didn’t look like a complete freak, even though I really did. One of my friends even walked around with me at night (since I couldn’t go out during the day) and watched Olympic swimming inside with me. It makes me a little emotional, thinking back on it now, but I’m so glad I had the opportunity to grow close to those great people. The physical damage will fade, but I will always remember those friendships. </span></div><div align="center"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">It's okay to laugh at this picture. It's from right after the burns, when I went to the clinic. In fact, the photo cracks me up now which is why I am posting it.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249468436382645714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tvGJXlpNQjbl3Wbd77KSFdPjFudVwlBS8GSpBB8nxYhbrPdEf2A_VCS5T9-ncCUndx8IW7xWf5A12dUWRVb1obGMgvqn39Xmz9AvnBZnFIpcP04xG_4WTv895gUPRoT252UsnriDMFOt/s200/DSCF1193.JPG" border="0" /></span> </span><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Oh, yes, and <em>then</em> I got this giant splinter in my foot:</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249466243856440706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-i_9m8ojhmMg0ZRWvToJd11l1SrCvL0QPVKLDX0ZTMCBcalXs-dBqbTOX3YaN9aRDH75ktsWZQwPzq92YoeLTzLE39cV3QphxtrgAbijREvIok8Q9b2Rrg_zHtVc9RmVk-J5NQGh-NsH/s200/DSCF1182.JPG" border="0" /><br />While I was sick and burned, I took several photos of Kauri documenting his fascinating lifestyle. I couldn't capture the full magic of the little monster on film, however. Joy was convinced he could be a model cat one day (saw it in Vogue) but alas I will never see Kauri again and his fate is in the hands of my friends. Ojalá que le vaya bien. I know he's just a cat, but "just a cat" can really help you through some tough times and I grew very attached to him, since we'd been together since his birth! Here is a short tribute to Kauri Mimijalalelacola (last name given by my host sister from Cochabamba):<br /><br /><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249466240165872578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxy47ylA2UnmAaZ1udLv7p-9_X-JwipLtsao8ejX5R4eD7F9xoyVXa2dNHbY60Zpqn82a0z-VnGGKCMwL7MVTYj9CDM4Y9sxb-z6GLNupuqrneGFsAKvPyPLkJLucNtTws_W7LnPC6O49/s200/DSCF1096.JPG" border="0" />kauri loves skittles<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249466240907343506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7UZM4lnYkC9ezjltcl-hc_NZl-PByd47AfkoiYjBCRtFubMcyjzNHnVL8vp84yCnmaBn6EYj2NWTLr5Dr7CdqDKCnAslOWVYT1QnrKyDcZwkehkZNLsmyaDF0NUg4qGJ1suIaFnq5622R/s200/DSCF1166.JPG" border="0" /> OMG...SHOES!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249472872449655474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ThtWvhT4nQe3ro3dw36NOLXZtE0D5-a2qBpUGDj4mZ5sWvy7fzt7VtzfDb_g_ofSF1sd_xA8S3Tcccxhuwm0sxneahg1nVIaHMPHNJy-aoolMRrJWPP_omvlCZLdo5fyFz4W2K-uLq8D/s200/DSCF1208.JPG" border="0" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">kauri was <em>not</em> keen on me packing</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249472874031001234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4iYwJ1Xo2pku2nwhWg9EicwtlBhVC1FOWdiv-mDtWBJBvA0WYp7dRhk3zB6vdiiCUN5SV1FPrYWTjKZlRT6RUGoZp-zH8cLJm_sfTmLiJ-1PAjdBxOQu7fu0aMOKhNAojKuXbg4HzwN_D/s200/DSCF1247.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249475482468687954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV20CsMQ5l3axiv0s4hH7j08KdZuNdFqAPNlcBpXGSjzJlqkGFX__WemaXR9w9HtPlgdQuq1im1guIFScu3V1HBmi0-bI7O2AijtoYP1hWdsqwNii36uotIbRpFgI0DD6WLQ9vWIvqKqCO/s200/DSCF1249.JPG" border="0" /><br />So, as you read in my last post, we were evacuated from Bolivia. It was kind of crazy; we got a call the night of the 12th saying that we were on consolidation again and that we had to go to our regional cities the next morning. Since we had just come back from a consolidation that turned out to be nothing, I didn’t take it too seriously, but was nervous. I packed somewhat, wrote a few very quick goodbye notes in case, and left Kauri with a friend. I told a couple of people what was going on, but promised that I would be back. The mood was somber but, appropriately, we stuck with the Bolivian “This isn’t goodbye, just see you later. I’ll be back.” I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t have the heart to say goodbye to my friends, to my women’s group. I think I needed to believe that I was coming back, despite the sinking feeling in my stomach. I’m very bad at good-byes and the more emotional I feel about leaving someone or something, the more quickly I try to leave and the less I try to say. I feel a great deal of guilt about this because I allowed my anxiety to let me pull away from the community very quickly. What I wouldn’t give for one more day just to tell people how much I loved them. Anyway… </span></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">So we went to Cochabamba and didn’t hear much over the weekend except that things weren’t good. But we get that a lot in Bolivia, so I wasn’t stressing too much about it. Then they told us that Sunday morning we would be moving to a new hotel so we packed our things and loaded them on buses. Then we had a meeting and they said we were leaving immediately to get on a plane to Peru. Some volunteers came from the other side of the country and didn’t even know we were leaving the country until they were already on the plane to Cochabamba. We evacuated over the course of two days, on two military C130 planes. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">At this point, we were all very sad to be leaving Bolivia, but hopeful that we might return. From there on out, the chronology of everything is very hard for me to distinguish. A day or so later, we heard that the PC Bolivia program was being closed. I heard there was to be more news on aid given to Bolivia, but I still haven’t been able to find anything about this. We have been stationed outside of Lima for over a week now, trying to figure out what’s going on. About ¾ of the volunteers decided to end their service and ¼ decided to transfer to a new country. </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">At first I really wanted to go to Honduras, but it seems like the program might not be the best fit for me. I’ve been assigned to Ecuador and I am really excited because it sounds like the APCD found something that fits well with my experience and interests. It will be tough being so close to Bolivia, but I am determined to throw myself into my work and community every bit as much as I did in Machaca. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Thus, I close the Bolivia chapter of my life with nothing but love, fond memories, and many lessons learned and hope to have the courage to open the next chapter on the same note. Though I carry on, I will never leave the Altiplano in my heart, as it will forever be a part of me. Viva Bolivia! Viva Oruro! Viva Machacamarca! Jallalla! </span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249470904731425058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNn5ge3P0RoqgyHmPgMAWUfE-OdzumEnJSytJIOCQZ9K1RsqihCe7Mk8CKZaxqvh_pmFypedKTNZsYlQrp_rHL_6-I3LlBCogKzpTEbWxHJRbGrSz-7sUrJEUdUQRpmEarwVizuduc0dYk/s200/DSCF1028.JPG" border="0" /></span></div></div></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Sarita</span>saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-47079136168894940232008-09-17T12:07:00.001-04:002008-09-17T12:23:12.202-04:00Unexpected separationPeace Corps/Bolivia Program Suspended<br /><br />Volunteers have been safely moved to Peru WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 15, 2008 - Peace Corps operations in Bolivia have been temporarily suspended to ensure the safety of the Peace Corps Volunteers serving there. With growing instability in Bolivia, 113 Volunteers were consolidated on Sunday, September 14, and have now been moved to Peru where they will be transitioning out of service or to another post. “Our first priority is the safety and security of our Volunteers,” said Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter. “Thousands of Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Bolivia since 1962, building deep friendships with the people there. We hope the situation will improve soon so future Volunteers can continue the Peace Corps’ fine tradition of valuable service to the Bolivian people.” The Volunteers serving in Bolivia will be granted close of service in good standing, or offered an opportunity to transfer to another Peace Corps country. Since 1962, more than 2,500 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Bolivia. The current group of Volunteers worked in the following sectors: agriculture, business development, environment, health, and youth development.Peace Corps/Washington is in constant communication with staff in Bolivia as well as the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy. The Peace Corps will continue to evaluate and monitor the situation. Each Peace Corps program has an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) specific to that country and developed in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy and Peace Corps/ Washington. The plans are tested frequently and information is updated constantly. Volunteers are thoroughly trained in their role and responsibilities in the EAP. Posts are prepared for all emergencies.The Peace Corps is celebrating a 47-year legacy of service at home and abroad. Currently there are more than 8,000 Volunteers abroad, a 37-year high for Volunteers in the field. Since 1961, more than 190,000 Volunteers have helped promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of the 139 countries where Volunteers have served, including Bolivia. Peace Corps Volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment. To learn more about the Peace Corps, please visit our website: <a href="http://www.peacecorps.gov/">http://www.peacecorps.gov/</a>.saritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-35872681366679760642008-08-14T10:06:00.003-04:002008-08-14T10:32:14.212-04:00KOA, not just for camping...Sorry for the lack of updates, everything has been a little crazy.<br /><br />A while back, we performed a koa ceremony to bless the NGO I´m working with. I found <a href="http://esteliamontealegre.blogspot.com/2006/09/el-rito-de-la-koa.html">this blog</a> which has some good pictures. Basically, a koa is a ceremony in which you give back to the mother earth (Pachamama) so that she will bless and protect you and your business. You place cloths on a table and they are filled with sugar tiles that represent certain things like education, wealth, etc. and various other offerings (ours had some kind of animal, I think it was a llama but I´m not sure). Everyone sits around the table, shares food, chats, drinks beer, etc. I´m sure this varies with the group. You dip coca leaves in special alcohol to ¨challar¨, i.e. sprinkle the alcohol on the corners and in the center of the offering. We chose the best coca leaves out of piles to give to Pachamama and then placed them with the tiles, three at a time, making a wish each time we put three leaves on. Then you start a fire and place the offerings on the fire. With the rest of the alcohol, you challar the four corners of the fire. That´s a very compressed version of what went on, so you´ll have to use your imaginations, but it was very interesting and very nice to have time to reflect on the past and bond with my work partners.<br /><br />Then I had to leave my site for some time due to PC security measures. Everything went well, thank god, and I´m very glad to be back in my site. My mom is going to be here soon for a visit and I´m really excited to show her my site and a few other cool places.<br /><br />Not much else new, I feel like I´m all over the place lately and look forward to buckling down at work in September. I love and miss you all!<br /><br />Saritasaritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07555315119693195887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971405381523007747.post-88594893185160174542008-05-26T12:56:00.007-04:002008-12-11T23:45:04.781-04:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Howdy folks! It’s been a long time, I know. I thought I should preface this entry with the ever-encouraging statistic that something like 90 percent of development projects fail. If my entries are sparse, it’s only because I don’t want to waste your time with all of my failures. So just think, when I haven’t updated in a while, I’m probably just getting that much closer to success. Well, at least I like to think that every time a project fails my odds get better that the next one will work. Aaanyway…</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />I have started work with an organization called SARTAWI. I am very hopeful about this work. The people in the office are well-organized and motivated. I am working with a woman (Sonia) from SARTAWI on a project for the product transformation of milk into cheese and yogurt. We are working with sixty-something families in the municipality. We are starting with the basics and will work step-by-step to help the families improve their businesses and therefore their incomes. Our first workshop (taller) was this past Saturday, and it was incredibly encouraging. We are starting with production standards and quality control. This includes basic hygiene, hygiene of the work areas, proper milking, using a recipe and measuring, care of milk products, etc. We were able to cover the ideas of what is a production standard, what is quality control, why it is important, and personal hygiene. The families that attended each made a handwashing station out of a recycled 2 liter bottle and they liked them so much that several people asked for extra string to make more at home. The participants were very active in the discussions and activities and I felt like the whole thing was a great success. I can’t wait to go back again, which will hopefully be next weekend, so we can talk about proper milking techniques and hygiene, and using a recipe. I want to do follow-up on the production standards and then move on to other business skills, depending on their needs. I’m also working with a man (Abel) from SARTAWI on financial reports for the families’ businesses. This endeavor is much more tedious and dry, but necessary. We’re a bit rushed but after we get this report finished, I want to work with Abel to set up an Access program that people from SARTAWI can use on a regular bases to track and analyze the finances. Eventually I’d like to get the families themselves to have some sort of accounting and financial records and knowledge, but that is pretty far down the road. To say that I am hopeful about this project is an understatement.<br /><br />Here are some books I’ve read recently:<br />· Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy<br />· Getting Stoned with Savages,<br />· Beloved, Toni Morrison<br />· Naked, David Sedaris<br />· Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer<br />· Confessions of an Economic Hitman, John Perkins<br />I’m currently reading “The Places in Between” by Rory Stewart.<br /><br />Everything else is going just fine. My health is fine and I am truly happy and lucky to be here. Getting to know this area from the inside and getting to know the people who live here is a work benefit that far outweighs any salary or company stock I could have gotten with a job back in the states. I’ve always thought Peace Corps was the right thing for me to do next, and now I see that I belong just exactly where I am right now. I’d like to thank everyone who has sent me mail or packages or any other signs of encouragement since I’ve been here. You’ll probably never know what they mean to me, so a simple thank-you will have to suffice. You’re all welcome and encouraged to come visit if you have the chance! Love,<br /><br />Sarita<br /><br />PS here are some pictures, out of order. and unlabeled. blogger.com is pissing me off. sorry.<br /><br /><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204738500479310482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcO42_xhxVHzwdny__ptEdiKLxBnbQuu-rao__EHB8a1-D19zQFWjayyjPYvE52zIh4AmyBiaiG3LfQKZASwTM7RqA68GqfWqzimI-fftXzbTtvEwzDu6CQK6bZYihPFvFbET9NIaWv8Au/s200/blog+(12).JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204738496184343170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBNss2vjq6GzLzMhg1fpSo1vwKORNCRnHwCl3ke_RbZTA5avh0ORBWAsRjtRhnpgZM_UsbB84mJsiPn_fgRfpNI9Z1_u5wc7kRlwC5OgZMCcoI2WR1k8VmXESP20g2ZYEDBlj-hoQnI4r/s200/blog+(11).JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204738491889375858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXk1SafMAHfXjtmRZVVH0pHUf1ypYCEt8tdLVoNIake0VXGHN9_5K4_9sBIEfJ5DeX2tnN7aYXqwOXh5rrWA2JgzQgxS9VGajHfyG5kJEoouAwEYN_l6ghtIEmc9qGmjSo0X69Mk7SVlU/s200/blog+(10).JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204738487594408546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5Kaofl0Jo_Cjk_Dgu2f9q5_UpyDh1vtkVDC_b4oPcsNuQEvyhne8wgHDP-qadQUi5_ysWpILHBzzxLgoysIMVMONfjhCtq_pDUm9qG7H4xak5gXkT38ivzX9RTOeB4h5gRdNZp6Q9vQS/s200/blog+(9).JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204738839781726898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGhayeV_cqy0JE1SBCOuNei66MtnNCN1XAQNDA90DdaVsUtp-DgErc-yYeDiDIy-PdN-QnztJec-MpWdmPo-_4HdCR9IFe76HNmDpG1EjLWWs1u3CYnmLyGJLFWfqcPS9Hkb1m2zGT5JT/s200/blog+(14).JPG" border="0" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2o1EkmKtQGPMWNQ9nU-H-OI5AT-pJyBcn6mdtdKNL3bq2ONAdVf-igIoNETMQyUkjwoq-9LidUWKRsn4Z5xPO9GpLnBcGPBkguADksvOa30GdmZv1NJPZUYWicpqIiiNOvBXqO8PKSFl2/s1600-h/blog+(13).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204738500479310498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2o1EkmKtQGPMWNQ9nU-H-OI5AT-pJyBcn6mdtdKNL3bq2ONAdVf-igIoNETMQyUkjwoq-9LidUWKRsn4Z5xPO9GpLnBcGPBkguADksvOa30GdmZv1NJPZUYWicpqIiiNOvBXqO8PKSFl2/s200/blog+(13).JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a 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