Moment of the Week
Trip Start
Jun 12, 2005
1
25
40
Trip End
Ongoing
Bahia de Caraquez,
Ecuador
Friday, January 6, 2006
And it was worth it! I watched the game at a sports bar across the bay called the Surf Shak right on the beach in a surfing town of Canoa. This time last year cuddled up in a blanket on my mothers couch, I never would have thought I would be in shorts over hearing the waves crashing on the surf with about 2 dozen surfers riding them behind me at one point of the game as I watched a thriller of a National Championship on satellite television. Pretty fun experience I think.
And no worries to the haters that believe Peace Corps should be all about sacrificing enjoyment and hating all aspects of American society for the cause of development; I still have time to form those ideas. AND, I still have a busy week lined up with one presentation to 35 students on leadership already out of the way after Wednesday morning, it went great and we had fun; I had a really tough growth day yesterday however as I had a presentation on forming business ideas to 13 mothers in the furthest Bahia community of Fanca - after 75 minutes of low participation we narrowed down there interests... they really just want help forming a community bank... again, a growth day. I will get more efficient no doubt. I also have a two more meetings lined up (for those haters) about community banks before the end of this shortening week... so I need to go lay on the beach and think about what we will be talking about. ;-)
My moment of the week is actually from last night. I live with a great family who feeds me. If my camera didn´t break, those of you worried about seeing my ribs through my shirt would be seeing pictures of me putting on weight from my dire days in the Amazon. Anyways, last night was nice.
--Patricio (my landlord upstairs) and his family taught me how to make a popular meal here called ¨colviche¨. You shred nonriped green bananas, mix it with a peanut butter paste and chicken broth, mix in some sliced onions, and form patties out of the mix. Next, put a slice of fish in the middle, wrap it up, then throw it in some oil and let it golden. It is quite fattening and delicious and is custom to have with coffee late in the evening. ¿Sounds delicous right? It is actually pretty good, especially over conversation about how the American Dollar (that Ecuador starting using about four years ago) made the livelihood of just about all Ecuadorians much harder and is making many more families suffer than they did with the Sucre; all of this in the view of my landlord. So there is my moment of the week which is starting to become common place during my evenings... dinner, coffee, and Ecuadorian insight during my 5th month as a volunteer.
Until Next Time...
