Aloha from Loja!

¡Hola Everyone!

As usual, things have been hectic so it’s taken me awhile to get this written! We’re on our last week of training and if everything goes well I will be an official Peace Corps volunteer on August 1^st so keep your fingers crossed!

There is A LOT that has happened since the last time I’ve written (I feel like this is a common trend) but in order to keep it short this entry will mostly be dedicated to my SITE VISIT!!!

7 word summary of this entire blog…. My site is like a DISNEY MOVIE!!!

How you ask!?

LET ME TELL YOU!!!

#1 It’s in the mountains!

 

 

#2 Because it’s in the mountains, there are virtually no bugs! (Which is AWESOME!)

 

 

#3 The streets are REALLY clean!

 

 

#4 Everyone is SUPER NICE!!!

 

 

#5 Even the street dogs are SUPER NICE!!!

 

 

#6 There is virtually no crime!

 

 

#7 There is free Wi-Fi in their central park!!

 

 

#8 They have free jazzercise classes EVERY NIGHT!!!

 

 

#9 My host family is AMAZING! My host mom calls me “mi reina” (translation- my queen)(other translation- ADORABLE!)

 

 

#10 I have an entire floor of my house to myself! (and a flushable toilet AND a “hot” shower)

 

 

#11 My counterpart/coworkers/youth group are dedicated and organized!

 

 

#12 I don’t have to take the malaria meds and have crazy dreams and/or possibly go crazy myself!

 

 

#13 Throughout the day and night clouds just come and roll around the city (it’s what heaven is probably like)

 

 

In other words it’s GREAT! I’m very lucky that I am pleased with my site, it definitely hasn’t been the case for every volunteer after site visit some of my fellow trainees were like:

 

And of course there are downsides to every site, but overall I couldn’t be happier.

So now I know you’re wondering,… What in the world are you going to do there!?

Wellllll since I’m in the Youth and Families program and my counterpart agency is the Red Cross in Celica I am going to be working with the Red Cross youth volunteers!

I will also be able to branch out and start some of my own projects during my two years there.

Some of the ideas that I have been considering include:

• Substance abuse prevention
• Forming an after school youth group
• Forming a tutoring program
• Parenting classes
• Suicide prevention
• Teenage pregnancy prevention
• Yoga classes
• English classes

Things like this…. But of course I won’t be able to know exactly what I’ll be doing until I get to my site and use my Community Assessment Tools to really figure out what the community wants.

Sooooooooo I  leave for my site on August 1^st which is super exciting and stressful!

Also my address will be different than the one I had during training. So once I get my P.O. Box set up, I’ll make sure to post it so I can receive your letters and AWESOME packages!

I will also not have as much access to the internet once I’m in my site so everyone mentally prepare yourselves for that! 🙂

I must admit that I’m excited to almost be done with training so I can move on to working in my site, but it is going to be challenging moving away from all of my new friends and family in Tumbaco…

But of course I’ll be fine… you know me…

I hope all is well in your world, until next time…

Peace out!