Life goes on...then screeches to a halt...

I said goodbye to Steve on a Thursday and had our "reconnect" conference the next week. The weekend in between I spent some time with some friends and traveled to Quito. My counterpart came for the first 2 ½ days of the conference and the last half was just for volunteers. We all had to give presentations on our sites and about potential projects that we could start to work on. It was very interesting because everyone has very different sites/jobs/counterparts. And it was great to see everyone in my Omnibus again, we had a great time hanging out and talking about our very different experiences in our first 5 months living alone in Ecuador.



When I got back to my site, it was a very big change. I had had visitors for over a month and then was in Quito for the conference. I felt like a stranger in my community. However, teaching at the school started the week I got back and that helps me feel apart of the community.

I also adopted a kitten. She was staying at a friend’s host families’ house. A former renter had left her there and they were taking care of her for the time being, but didn’t really want a cat. So I took her. They called her Mishee Rico (not sure about the spelling, but Mishee means cat in Quichua). My host sister and host mom also helped me come up with another name, and we all liked Nena. Which is a common Ecuadorian word for “little girl”. So we will see what sticks.



I also started at a High School nearby that specializes in Agriculture. They want some help with their irrigation system and talking to their English teachers…in English. I am not yet sure how involved I will be with the students, especially since I will only be there once a week. But I truly enjoyed my first day there. I always thought working at a High School would be a nightmare, but compared to elementary aged kids, they are angels :)

And for the late breaking news (as of September 30th)…The national police in Ecuador are on strike. And not your typical American sit-on-the-side-of-the-road-with-signs strike. No no. Here in Ecuador when they strike they burn tires in the middle of the roads…closing down everything. And with the police starting riots, the people are reacting as well. Banks and businesses won’t open for fear of being robbed and petty crime is abundant.

What this means for me: not too much as long as it doesn’t last very long. Asuncion is the same peaceful town, no noticeable differences besides people huddled around radios and TVs. Not sure if our 3 local policemen are participating or enjoying their day off. I have heard that there are roadblocks in Guaranda (my closest large city). So I may not be visiting town for a few days. Again this is not common but also not unheard of here, so people don’t react strongly…more of a shaking-of-the-head or mumbles about the government.

Today (October 1st) everything is shut down...no school, so I am updating a much needed blog :) Good thing I can use my host family's internet...in Asuncion.