Where Are the Hardships?

Where Are The Hardships? Is a heading out of the book "A Few Minor Adjustments" that the Peace Corps requires us to read before PST to better prepare us for the instruction we will be given during PST. 

  The Hardships chapter made me laugh because I do think a lot of people joining the Peace Corps have the same notion of living in a tree house, reading by candle light, no hot water and no flushing toilet. Not only do we expect that we kinda want that to feel as though we are making a REAL contribution. I was thinking there was a positive correlation between physical/personal suffering and impact of the contribution being made to my assigned country.  

  I enjoyed the chapter for a few reasons...

a) because I SO thought that and I didn't even realize it

b) it's a common misconception (the book refers to it as the mythology of the Peace Corps) 

c) I'm SO over that idea!

  I was on that awhile back, but now if I have a choice (and I hear that sometimes you do) give me hot water a flushing toilet and working electricity. Being away from family and friends and not speaking the language is enough. If I can wash my hair with ease and comfort my life may be that much more facil ;o)

¿Cuando?

¿CUANDO? (Thoughts Before Bed)
When will I get a parasite?
When is the break down that is sure to happen gonna happen?
When will I dream in Spanish?
When will I know where I´m stationed for two years?
When & what will I do with this hair?
When will I hear the voices of the people I love? (eeek, I think I know when that break down is coming...)
When will Ecuador feel like home?

Otra Cosas

Some random things...

I´m totally rocking the Peace Corps Chic styles. I miss my silver flats, jeans everyday and of course daskikis (although they DID make the trip!) I´m wearing tennis shoes everyday, khaki´s or black pants, some times I break down and wear jeans and layed polos over long sleeved shirts or even better button down shirts (which no longer fit over my potatoe and arroz body!). Porque I am en the mountains hace frio! So we have to layer, but we have to wear our semi professional clothes. I think I look frumpy..but es beuno.

Who and this HAIR! What am I gonig to do. My twists are hanging on by a thread...aaand that thread happens to be my hair. Sigh. No time for hair. Must.learn.Spanish.

Safety. I didn´t know this but since Ecuador (like everywhere) is havinga financial crisis and the crime is at a all time high! Everyday we get a presentation about how stay safe. So I usually carry a huuuuge bag, but now we have to tuck stuff in our pants, bras whatever to keep it under wraps. We are told how to act look. Everything. I hope this helps me get some street smarts. You´ll never know I grew up in a safe little neighbor hood in the Lou by the time this is all over.

Oh and I hear there is salsa here!! Since we can´t go anywhere by ourselves...how and where I´ll find it, no se, pero I WILL.

Mas later!

Cosas I´ve Eaten

Habas - A kind of nut mi madre likes to snack on
Pepinas - the type of fruit I bought for my family.
Chicha - Pork...when I had it was an actual pig (head and all) on a long platter and you just get your meat from it. I was hesitant but after a few "Come, Come!"s I was in...
Mote - Maiz Cocinado/Cooked Corn
Espinaca Con Carne De Res- Un Sopa/Soup with Meat I think from a cow...
Papas Con Salsa- which was potatoes with some white sauce
Ornado Cancho - potatoes that are yellow and in a little round patty and...no se son delicioso

I have eaten way more, but most of the things I have NO clue what I´m consuming. Some things are better left unknown....

Customs

Some customs I´ve picked up on in a short time.
Greetings son mas importante!
Anytime you enter a room, you great everyone. In most situations, no matter how many people are in the room. Then new person who enters comes in and shakes the hand and greets cada persona. I like it. Even the children. I learned today actually that it also shows you have an education because they teach you that in school. Basically translates into havin some ¨"home traniing" lol.

I love the clothing of the Doñas, which are the hats and ribbons wrapped around their braids, a ruffled embroidered shirt and skirts. I even love their shoes. Mi madre where´s the same clothes as me, but she said that the indigenous women where that. I think it´s beauitful. Pictures to come. Ojala!

Like cuando was in Cebu muchas personas comen con una cuchara (spoon) solomente. To even to cut meat almost everyone eats only with a spoon. Speaking of eating. Whooo Wee. Every meal I have had starts with a soup. Usually with noodles, rice or papas (potatoes) followed by mucha arroz, some kind of meat and a side. I don´t want to offend my fam, but I can´t ever eat the whole thing. They always say, "Come, Come!" "Eat, Eat!" I´m like ummmm I just did...so much... it´s cool though. Mi madre is a great cook.

Those are just some things that are different, but easy to adjust to...now me and this language.....

Communicacion

What was I thinking bring my computer? That I´d have wireless? Okay I won´t be so hard on myself. I do have music pero I don´t want to be loud. I still feel like a guest in my house (even though I love them) So I´m still in the tip-toe, don´t wanna cause too much of a splash phase. So I don´t even pull it out much. We are getting memory cards con informacion so I will use my computer soon and I will need it a lot for work later one. Pero por correros electricos? No.

Mi numero nuevo
011 593 9 397 1590 Dial it just like that...
I can recieve calls and texts for free... I just don´t know how much it will cost you to call. So check your international plans our get one and llamame! Same with text. Find out if your cell phone provider lets you text anywhere for free. It costs me 25 cents to text so no text convos, but ever now and again it would be great to have an exchange with loved ones!

Also, email me! I didn´t figure out how to create lists and it takes a while to do each time on the computer. If you email me I will continue the dialog. I will also update this as much as possible. But Comment too I lvoe to hear from you! When you are far away and don´t speak the language I just wanna know a) I´m not forgotten b) that I don´t talk like a 3 year old caveman in English like I do in Spanish c) How everyone´s life is progressing d) when you´re coming to visit y mas mas more!

I know on that last one I need to let YOU know about visiting. I don´t know yet. We are on lock down (and I mean LOCK down) for the next few months with technical and language training so....when I get my site I´ll know.

So as a recap...STAY IN TOUCH PLEASE And I will do the same.
Besos y abrazos !

Mi Familia

I had so many more things to say and report, but so many new things come up everday, I just need to keep it moving on my blog. I found an internet place by my house and it is quite a seedy establishment, but if I can come one day and just post some blogs, you all will be informed for the next two weeks. It´s only been one week, but I have months of stories and information.

I´m using this post to talk about mi nuevo familia. I love them so much. We had a soul connection right fromt he start. I get sad thinknig that I´m going to have to leave them in a couple of months when I get assigned to my actual site (right now I´m in training).

Mi familia has a mother, Anita who is soooo sweat, we stay up all night talking (even though my Spanish is limited) we have so much fun. There is an older sister Janny who is 21 and goes to school in a cuidad diferente and comes home on the weekend. I sleep in her room. Then Dario is the middle son who is 18 and is always on the go because basically he´s a senior in high school. I jus went to a celebration his school had for seniors where they have there equivalent to a thesis project that they have to present. It was a two day event. Lot´s of fun and I was happy to be able to support him. Then my new BFF is Shona. She is the youngest child at 9 years old and we have a blast together. She is so sweet and funny and reminds me of a little me. I have to send pics when I figure out how to send them on these public computers. The father Wilson works a lot and is nice too, at the beginning I was sitting in HIS seat at the dinner table. They didn´t even say anything. I just asked and they were like. No, no one has assigned seats...weelll no one but Wilson... I was like ooooh don´t tell me he sits.....ooooohhh...great. Lol.

It was a fluke that I even got this family. I was going to a different site that was an hour away...this is how I know everything happens for a reason.

Mi madre keeps my SO busy. I´m actually sneaking to the internet cafe before coming home. Cause when I´m with her we are out in the streets our at the dinner table talking about muchas cosas.
I´ve been here a week...and I´ve gone to the 1st communion "lunch" of a cousin...a lunch taht went from noon to midnight...I met a lot of the family then, I some how volunteered to wash the dishes at the party to help...ummmm yeah half the town came and I was washing dishes for about 3.5 hours. But I got in good with the fam and mi tia. I also somehow got roped into folding a bed FULL of clothes..that took at least an hour and a half. I was with Janny and Mi Madre and I think that´s a good way to bond with my fam. Doing the tasks that I see are designed for women. Mi madre is determined to make a good esposa out of me. I also help mi madre with dinner a veces. Other things we´ve done, el celebracion de Dario, Shone and I rode horses at the park (!!), went to a big parade celebrating San Pedro. Mi madre says that if I think that event was big wait till the 29th when the whole month of celebration comes to a close.
We´ve gone to the park, watched Dari play futbol (and win!). Things are so different here, but so much is the same when it comes to family. They are very protective of me so I feel safe with them. They have un perro that is looks muy furocious pero I gave him some bread to day to bring us closer together lol. He is an outside dog, and I think he just wants attention when he barks like he´s going to murder you...let´s hope. They have a cat too but I only see her outside of my window in the mornings trying to get in.
I have so many stories... I need to write them down and keep track so I have things to say upon my return. It´s fun we all have our classes and we all have stories. There are the smallest things. Like you would´nt believe how much food can fit on a plate but that´s ever day we eat mucho arroz y mucho carne. Sometimes two different kinds. I already can´t button two of my button down shirts!! (did you know there was a Peace Corps 20lbs? here I come!) One of my friends and I are going to run tomorrow morning. It´s going to be dificil in this high altitude , but somethings gotta give! WE wanted to check out our neighborhoods before just running all around, but It hink we´ll be fine. I´m going to to talk to mi madre tonight abuot it...just to be sure.
I have soooo much work to do but that´s not family related so that´s the end of this post!! Que te vaya bien!!!

In The Beginning

I know I said I would blog, so I am going to try my best to stay on top of things. Hopefully this can be my main way to communicate and keep everyone involved. I know I would be wondering what I was doing so updates to come. So far it has been very labor instensive and instructional...not as exotic as my loved ones at home may be thinking. But don´t get me wrong Ecuador is BEAUTIFUL. Snowy mountains everywhere, the bluest skies in the world and the weather is great. I am in the Sierras and it gets pretty cold. Okay let me try to jump into what I´ve been doing...
The first days were crazy. I can´t believe it´s been less than a week!
There are 45 poeple in my group. 2 married couples, a few career leaves (late 20´s mid 30´s I´m in this group) the majority are recent graduates and there are three ladies who are in there 50´s (and super fine! lol) I like my group a lot.
So if you´ve read the blog you saw my bags, well we all had that many bags if not more. When we left Miami we had to carry our bags alllll over the airport... then flew into Quito and spent a night, had to pack up again and took a roller coasteresque ride up the windy mountains to Cayambe, lugging all of our bags with us. There we spent two nights. The majority of what we do is sit in a classroom, speak Espanol solomente, and learn rules, regulations, policies, saftey procedures etc...things we need to know primarily before even getting our host families. Which we were all so anxious and excited about.

We stayed in hostels and the bathrooms were an adventure within it´s self. I think it was great though. A good way to build a way for us to bond. Survival situations. Our tranining staff is THE BEST they take such great care of us and you can tell they reaaaallly have our best interests in mind.

Some challenges have been...the high altitude, new food, ugh I had a snafoo with having to sign my passport the same as I did before to open up my bank account (still pending I hope it goes through)

Ugh I have so many thigns to report and I´m running out of time...Ok some great things are I Meeting everyone, the amazing staff, me not speaking the language but making my way anyway...I´m proud of myself (well I was until I realized I haven´t even been here a week!)

I´m trying to read notes I took...other fun thigns we did. Created an work out group that would wake up early and do 15 min of circuits. It´s all we could handle in the high altitude! Our rooms were cold, our showers were cold...but my sleeping bag was mmm mmm warm.
Arlight so out of time...I hope this is the worst blog I do and my thoughts will be more together.
Miss everyone!
Mas mensajes to come!

Training Emergency Contacts

Emergency Contact Info

PC/Ecuador Office: 593-2-227-6300

Emergency Training Duty Cellular Phone: 593-9-474-8550

Medical Office Duty Cellular Phone: 593-9-949-4018, 593-9-939-1612

Training Manager Cellular Phone:  593-9-416-4549   

Details of where I'll be

Snippet from one of our Staging Letters:

Orientation

Accommodations

We have a very full and intense schedule planned during the first few days of the “Arrival Event”. Activities include administrative matters, safety and security, specific program information, an orientation to Community Based Training (CBT) and the area of Cayambe where CBT will take place, a medical orientation (including vaccinations!), information on aspects of culture, and “Survival Spanish” classes.  PLEASE PACK A SEPARATE BAG FOR THESE FIRST FEW DAYS.  Trainees will spend the first four nights in the Hostal San Javier, with the first day’s activities taking place in the Peace Corps Office in Quito.  Accommodations in this hostel, located 15 minutes from the PC Office, include shared rooms to which there will be assigned 2–5 Trainees, private bathrooms in each room, hot water, and breakfast served in the morning during the Arrival Event.  Couples will have private rooms.  Trainees will be provided with bottled drinking water as it is not recommended to drink the tap water.  

There will be phones available at the hour of Trainee arrival, with international access.  All phone calls must be paid for individually by Trainees, in cash, before leaving the hostel.  Sunday morning, after the programmed activities for the Arrival Event, Trainees will travel by public bus to Cayambe, a town north of Quito (1 ½ hours), accompanied by their Language Facilitators, to their host family sites. These sites are within 30 minutes of Cayambe.  Trainees will meet and have lunch with their host families with whom they will live throughout approximately eight of the 9 weeks of Pre-Service Training.

Pretty exciting stuff!

What I'll Be Doing!

One of the main questions I am asked is "What will you be doing!? " I received a CD in the mail that describes my actual assignment. When I read about my assignment in my invitation packet it was succinct but I was excited about every aspect of each task. When I describe it to people, however, I feel like I don't do the assignment justice. So here are some print screen shot of the slide show that was sent to me. I probably won't start "work" until 4 months after my arrival to Ecuador...at least that's the impression I get. I will know more once I start training. The countdown is on! 

From The Lou To LA

The Missouri Tour ended up being quite the success. It was a gamble coming home to the Lou and testing my fate and maneuvering through all the uncertainty...but I couldn't have asked for a better visit. I'll get too sad if I start reminiscing on all of the great special bonding moments I have had with my family and friends. So I'm signing off and I'm LA bound. So, it's so long for now....Say Good Night Molly!!! Good.Night!

The Journey and the Final Product

There are two pictures included in this post. The three final bags, and the mess the basement was while I was in the process. I hope this is the final packing, my 3 month bag is popping at the seams and I still have tennis shoes, laptop, chargers, books, spirals, make up bag...etc little things that I'm still using that I haven't put in a bag. Not one more Q-tip will fit in my 3 month bag. I have a wee bit of room in my 4 day (really 7 day) bag, but it's going to fit all of the items I need! Hopefully I can bring oooone more bag that I pass as a reeeeallly large purse or something. We shall see!

2 Year Bag

My 3 Month bag is embarrassing. It's clearly everything I will need for two years.  I just didn't know how to discern between what I'll need for that short period of time versus the rest of the time I will be in Ecuador. So what's left over?

Clothing wise, I tried to put some items aside that I could live without for three months. I thought I did a good job. I see now that I'm looking at 5 articles of clothing.

1 pair of jeans

1 sundress

1 long skirt/strapless dress

1 t-shirt

1 polo shirt

I'm going to pick a bag, pack it and post pictures of the final product! 

The rest of the items I will be brining mimic my very own Target. I honest could go without a third bag. But I'm going to take the maximum amount of bags I can take! 

Other items in my 2 year bag (that I have decided if I'm taking a bag, roller duffle, or a piece of luggage)

Facial Cleansing Wipes Pack

Flushable Wipes Pack (I hope these aren't dried out by the time I get them!)

Several mini hand sanitizer bottles 

Several Bigelow Lip Balm/Carmex/ChapStick

2 Boxes of Toothpaste

10 or so Boxes of Dove Soap Bars (too much?)

2 Sticks of Deo

40 Tampons 

1  Bottle Conditioner

1 Huge bag of Halls...(I should divide that up and put some in each bag)

2 Tubs (4 oz & 8 oz of various hair balms

1 Skin So Soft

1 Tub of Coco Butter 

1 Bottle of Jergens

2 Rolls of Cotton Rounds

1 Bottle of Ain't Miss Behavin Zip Zapper (what is my skin gonna do out there!!??)

3 Month Packing List

*I had to downgrade my other packing list so some items may appear twice.  

Roughly my 3 month packing list-

Outerwear:

1 Fleece

1 Light Jacket

1 Short Sleeve Hoodie

1 Quarter Length pull over Hoodie (thick)

Shirts:

3 Button Down Long Sleeve Light Weight Shirts (good for layering

6 T-shirts 

2 Long Sleeve

4 Tank Tops

3 Cami's

Dresses:

1 More Formal Length

1 Short Sleeved Formal

1 Long Summer Dress

1 Short Summer Dress (suit cover up)

1 Housedress

1 Strapless Dress (I had to do it!!)

Skirts:

1 Quarter length Jean Skirt

(my "strapless dress" dress actually is a long skirt)

Pants:

1 Cargo

1 Khaki Work Pant

Casual Pants:

3 Sweat Capris

2 Full Length Sweats (thin)

1 Pair of Leggings

Shoes

2 Pair of Flip Flops

1 Pair "sturdy" Sandals

2 Pairs of Tennis Shoes

Other:

1 Swimsuit

9 Pairs of Socks

1 Scarves 

1 Sheet 

1 Sun Hat

That's a rough list...oooh and I should have included my toiletries....hopefully this list will be helpful to someone...

Donde Estas?

Everyone is asking where will I be.

Well it's complicated...at least as I write this it is. Everyday I get more and more clear on how this is all going to pan out. We received some packing guidelines with our staging information and we need to pack 3 separate bags for 3 separate stages. The 4 day arrival in Ecuador, 3 month training and the remaining 2 years (if I under stand that correctly) I have already sent out an email to the Country Desk for clarification.

So first stop...the Sierra highlands for four days. I'm guessing that's the Andes region, but I could be wrong. This area is approx 45-70 degrees, chilly at night and can get some rainy days even in the dry season (which is now). The best way to dress is layers. So that means two shirts on one days which equals, more things in the bag to pack. However, I can count these clothes towards the clothes I have during training....

Training, three months in Cayambe (finally city!) Our staging packet states that we need all kinds of clothing, t-shirts, long-sleeved, short sleeved, boots, different pants etc. This is where I need to pack smart. The letter puts a strong emphasis on not packing excessively. So that is the goal.

Our third bag is everything else we will need for our 2 years of service but can live without for 3 months. So right now I'm thinking that is mainly supplies and other various items. We are told to label this luggage "Quito" because that is where the are storing it. As of right now, where I'll be for the next 2 years is still a mystery..... 

Four Day Pack

My tentative four day pack. I wish I could take Molly Ann also, but she's not going to be coming with me. I think she knows I'm packing and is sad about it because she is all up in my mix! :)

In our staging information we are told that we will be in the "sierras" mountain area and that we should bring layering clothes and be prepared for rain even though this is the dry season. 

What's pictured is:

Outerwear-

Poncho

Fleece

Pants-

Cargo

Khaki Work Pants

Jeans 

Short Sleeves-

T Shirt

Hot Pink Polo

Light Pink Polo

Long Sleeves-

Blk Cardigan (layering)

Striped Button down (for layering)

Grey T

Black T

Lounge Wear

Stretch Pants 

(more will be added to this list I'm sure)

Shoes

Black Flip Flops

Choacos

(more will be added)

Toiletries- 

Toothpaste

Toothbrushes (3)

Sunscreen

Soap Dish

Off Skintastic

Skin So Soft

Face Wipes

Baby Wipes

Imodium

Dove Bar

Deo

Pack o Razors

Aquaphor

Initial Packing

I have started my packing event. Yes, it is indeed an event as there are so many specifics. A few weeks ago we received new information about how to pack. Originally I had been searching the web for Peace Corps packing lists and I have a HUGE LL Bean roller duffle that is made for a 2 year jouney! So mentally I had my packing all planned out.

With this new information however I had to revamp a few things...well a lot of things. We actually need three bags. The three bags will be going to three different locations therefore each bag needs to have all the essentials to live. Don't forget there are weight and size limits also. We can't exceed 107 inches for checked bags and the limit for our carry on is 40 inches total.

The three bags we are allowed are our four day bag which needs to be the bag we carry on the plane. We will be spending four days in Ecuador (the 17th-20th) but actually I need a pack a bag that will take me to Miami on the 15th and last me through the 20th. There are specific items we need for this bag that are listed in our staging materials. 

The second bag is our three month bag. This is what we will have while living with our host family's and what we will be living out of during PST (Pre Service Training). We are sending this bag to Cayambe.

The third and final bag is our two year bag which would have everything else we need. This bag is being sent to Quito.

At first I was thinking the 2 year bag would be the biggest, but really the bag with the most essentials will be the 3 month bag. Whatever I need to live for 3 months I can use for the next 2 years. So really I think my 2 year bag will just have bulk supplies that are hard to come by in Ecuador. 

Also, since I'm traveling to Los Angeles I am going to pick out clothes to wear for the next 10 days so that what I wear in STL and LA won't be items that I also need to have packed. That way I don't have to unpack any items for my Peace Corps trip. 

My bags are all scrambled. The backpack I bought that I was going to use for my 4 day really is actually quite large so I think it will be my three month. I will use my small roller duffle for the four day (that's really seven days) and maybe this suitcase I have for the 2 year..not sure. But Big Red my favorite huge roller duffle I don't think makes the cut! 

I'm going to try to practice attaching pictures with the digital camera my dad gave me...maybe next post.

Small Recap

I never look back at my old posts so I may not have outlined my experience from going from nominee to invitee (that reminds me I should update my timeline...)

While I'm not going to go through the whole story, I will say that I was continuously being told that no matter where I went I would Have to know 6 weeks before, because that's how long it takes to get a new passport. Well I was given the minimum amount of time. 6.Weeks. One of those weeks I was out of town. I officially accepted on May 11th  (which mind you was the day I had marked in my calendar to completely start stalking the lovely people in D.C. about my assigment) crazy right? 

   So that gave me about 5 weeks to completely rap up my life. I had trips planned, people to see, jobs to apply for even all out of the window. Plus I hadn't wrapped my mind around all that needs to be in order for one to just up and leave for two years and not come home to a complete mess upon ones return! 

  I have been so swamped with so much to do. I think though this experience is likened to the old proverbial band-aid rippage... It's all going soooo super fast, but at any slower of a speed and the pain/saddness of leaving would have way more time to sink and stunt my progress. I have episodes of being really sad when I let the feeling of me actually leaving really sink in... but then I realize there is no time for that because I have to write and aspiration statement, contact the DMV, make sure my finances are in order etc... 

   This whole having to learn Spanish is more than just a notion. The Peace Corps ask would I be dedicated to learning the language, and I said yes. They asked if they sent me Rosetta Stone would I dedicate my time before leaving (what time?) to leaning as much of the language as possible. I agreed. So on May 15th (four weeks before I leave) I was sent the Rosetta Stone program along with a charge to dedicate a minimum of 40 hours to the program! Yikes. So that's 10 hours a week. While last month dedicating 10 hours to anything would have been a piece of cake, that is no longer that case! Plus I knew I was still in weddings, still had social obligations, still had sleep to get, shopping to do yikes! Did I mention that they track how long you are on the program? Now I fully intended on using Rosetta Stone. I was/am SO excited, that the Peace Corps has enough faith in me to learn the language I just get nervous with the thought of a meter running. 

    I am going to email the nice folks at the Country Desk and see how many hours I have done. I hope I am half way to my goal. I have also been reading my Spanish books, having conversations with native speakers and watching Univision (which I have since given up until I get my skills up!).  Some days I feel confident. Other days I just hope I don't get played at the end of training lol. 

   I hope I am able to be as diligent in LA as I have been in the Lou. I also found out I leave yet another day earlier. I am leaving on the 15th to  go to Miami, stay over night, have training on the 16th and then we leave on the 17th! I can't believe I'll be in Ecuador for good in a few weeks!

Communications

MAIL

Until I have my own address, I can receive mail at Peace Corps/Ecuador’s post office box: 

Jennifer Covington PCT 

Cuerpo de Paz 

Casilla 17-08-8624

Quito, Ecuador 

South America 

It takes a week to 10 days for a letter from the United States to reach the Peace Corps office by international mail. 

Packages have to go through customs and can be opened and searched therefore, it's recommend that families and friends send only small items and try to keep the weight of any packages under two kilos (4.4 pounds), clearly marking the contents. They should not send anything via couriers such as DHL and Federal Express, which are more expensive than the U.S. Postal Service. 

Packages over 4.4 lbs are expensive to retrieve from customs, and it is a long process that can involve visiting several different cities. They charge just for notifying you, in addition to a daily storage fee. Letters and packages under this weight usually arrive in less than two weeks, but it is not uncommon to receive them opened and sifted through. Using packing envelopes that would be difficult to rip open is highly recommended. 

Telephones 

Peace Corps/Ecuador’s office is located at the following address: 

Av. Granda Centeno # OE 4-250, y Baron de Carondelet, Quito, Ecuador. 

The telephone numbers of the office are 227.6300, 227.2824, 245.5007, or 800.723.282 (toll-free only within Ecuador); the fax number is 227.3763. 

To use these numbers from the United States, you must first dial 011 for access to the international network, 593 for Ecuador (country code), and 2 for Quito. Note that after regular business hours and on weekends and holidays, the person answering the phone is not likely to speak English. 

To reach you in an emergency, your family should call the Office of Special Services at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., at 800.424.8580, extension 1470 (or 202.638.2574 during non-business hours). The Office of Special Services will then contact Peace Corps/Ecuador.