#17 Mas Futbol

Well I had this in my notes, not sure why… but it was probably when Ecuador was in the Seleccion, with the potential to go to the world cup, which we know did NOT happen. All the volunteers bought their Ecuador camisetas and I still sport my proudly today. I will say that I DO enjoy watching futbol and I DO like that camaraderie that builds around it. Everyone in the world loves futbol (soccer) except for us (north) American’s thinking oh so much about futbol Americana. I liked going to watch soccer games at sports bars and when the world cup was on and I was pretty into it. I would have never done that in the states. Aaaand just in case we forgot what else I love about futbol here……

The Things We Do... Finale Journey Through Pics...

Things we Do....Just to Name A Few (We = PCVs)

Hike in Bamboo Forests


Non-Stop Charlas at the Crib



Make friends for life...(just an example don't be mad everyone)


Work with the Youth of today for a Better Tomorrow (they have all the answers...)

Join the Winners Circle


Sleep 5 To Bed...in rooms with no water, toilet, sink, windows...etc...


Play Ball!!!


Get Judged...


Smile through the Discomfort...(well most of us...)


Find Paradise Where ever We Go



Integrate...then become part of a Family


Learn that We Never Know What Tomorrow Will Bring....



Laugh at it All...


Good Luck to Omnibus 102! The Skys The Limit!



Stay tuned for a Journey Through Pictures the Guayaquil Edition....(don´t hold your breath I have two years to complete that one...)

Independence Day? (?)

Happy Independence Day. Of course there is a definite delay in my posts but hey it is what is. No worries. My independence day had little to do with Independence. My day was filled with washing clothes by hand. WHOO WEE what task. Yep mi madre finally cornered me and got me to do it. She also made me sweep and dust my room...under supervision. She even "you missed a spot"ted me lol. I learned how to make a bed like they do at a hotel and as I type this all of my personal intimate apparel is hanging up outside in the front yard over the dog house for everyone person who comes over to see. Sweet. Also, this weekend it was QUITE the task getting out of the house Friday and Saturday. All of our new padres are really protective of us trainees. They feel we are their responsibility and they are not messing around. They want to make sure we don't get jacked in the park, that we have enough money to get a taxi if we need it, but not too much in case we get robbed/pick pocketed, oh and we always are sent out of the door with something to eat...if we don't sit and eat something which is preferred. I was starting to feel a bit claustrophobic as I'm approaching 30 and yet can't be out past 7:30. In reality I appreciate someone taking me into their home and loving me as if I were their own. It's just me and my attitude trying to get out of line. Tonight I (4th of July) I really didn't want to go out and party like a lot of people wanted to do. My super protective family served as the perfect excuse to stay home and test our my new blogging technique with my thumb drive. I sure hope this works. I was able to go out and meet up with friends.... I just had to be home before dinner :)

Friday our Co Trainers, Current Peace Corps Volunteers, Facilitators and Staff had a Futbol Tournament and BBQ for us. It was SO MUCH fun. After my week I needed to just be outside and running around. In Ecuadorian Tradition we had an Madrina/Reina competition. The Reina represents the futbol team and it's basically a pageant before the tournament. There are maybe 9 language groups so we each had to elect a Madrina. For my group..that we call the short bus since we are the lowest Spanish class lol...picked me. Well it was more I agreed to do it cause NO one wanted to. No one wants to parade in front of people AND have to answer a competition question IN Spanish! Our group is the one group that doesn't even speak Spanish so you know we can't even wing it if we wanted to!! Man we at first were like, no man, no way...but then our competitive spirit took over and the Short Bus banded together for real! We came up with a chant in Spanish, we got T-shirts made (pictures coming hopefully) and my whole team had my back helping me come up with my speech. I had one night to memorize it....I thought I could never do it. I could barely READ it correctly let alone memorize it! We were being judged on team spirit, team outfits, chant and the madrina. I was soooo nervous the next day for the competition. Mi Madre was so on top of it, she ironed the one dress I brought with me, and made me wear some make up lol and she even came to the event even though it was just for Peace Corps people. She's so supportive. My lil sis came too and took pictures. My team looked great in our outfits, we had great team spirit, I actually made it through my speech and while the competition was steep guess won !? Yep ME! lol. I am the Reaina of Omnibus 102 2009 and have the sash to prove it. For real it means so much because my group REALLY came together as a team. The Director said the reason Cayambe (my group) won was because our team spirit was so obvious. We were all up late at night writing my speech and while I was saying my speech my girls were mouthing the words in case I forgot lol. It was fun. It's a good memory for when I think I can't do something, I can remember that a) si se puede b) I have a support system.

Despues we got to playing some futbol. My team didn't have any apparent great players like some teams, but we really held our own out there on the field. I think we were pumped from our victory. We won our first game (I made our one and only winning goal, maybe I'll be a futbol player for real!) and we lost our next game in a kick off...and that team was the Facilitators and they were really good, so I feel like we one that one too...lol. Then we met volunteers who have been serving for about a year and had the best food I've had in weeks. It's always great talking to people IN service cause they tell you how it is. We all hung out after the even too...and it was hard getting out of the house lol....but I did and all and all it was a great day.

I got out of going to a parade today early in the AM but tomorrow there is one that I gotta be ready to leave that house at 9 AM sharp. I have written about 5 posts on this thumb drive tonight, I hope that it works. I will have much more fun detailed blog posts if it does! Happy Fourth even though I"ll probably post this on the 14th lol :)

Otavalo

I was in Mascarilla Friday and Saturday. Sunday I was looking to just put on some anti itch gel from my med kit and lay low on the day of rest. Ha, think again. If I hadn't mentioned it, my family likes to keep me on the go. So Of course when I saw mi madre Saturday night she already had some plans. First thing in the morning 8 AM my brother Dario was playing futbol. She actually asked like do you wanna go that early. I love soccer and had fun the last time we went so I of course agreed...we decided to go around 8:30 and just figure out the score when we got there :) The original plan was to then return and wash clothes (mi madre is SO sincere about me washing clothes..by hand..but I don't wanna!!) and clean my room and essentially the whole house.... Well as always we did nothing according to plan... I tried to write out what we did in spanish with mi madre. I'm not sure if it's correcto, but it's an attempt...

A las ocho a futbol a ver mi hermano Dario. This time they didn't win but it was still an exciting game. Despues fuemos a Otavalo tha's right we took a road trip to a semi near by city! Who knew, we drove home after Dario's game they turn around a say wanna go to Otavalo... I didn't know if I needed to pack an overnight bag or what... I was just like...okay....mi madre said I needed more ropa, but I think she just meant a coat. She always thinks I don't dress right for the weather :). Otavalo es trenta minutos de Cayambe. A concer el mercado de Ponchos, which is apparently a popular market for gringos in Ecuador to go to. I couldn't get a lot of things a)cause I didn't have a lot of money b) I don't know what region I will be in I could be on the caliente coast or the frio sierra. No se. Yo compro una blousa however y mi madre compro una chompa. Luego fuemos a Ibarra y almenzar. Segimos despues compramos helada y nos sentramos in al parque. Que Bonita. Segimos a la leguna de Yahuarcocha. Mi hermana cogio un pescado muy pequenos en una botella. El la tarde regesamos a Cayambe. Needless to say no laundry was done...Yeah mi madre got me back this weekend though...but that's another story....

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!!!