Getting into the swing of things

anddd I'm back! Getting to the cyber is tough because I work until 1:00 or so, and then school is out and so all the kids are here playing games, doing HW, or on facebook, so all the computers fill up pretty quick.

Here's what's been going on the past week or so:

-Work is really getting under way! I work with Gabriel, Alexis, and Olinda (2 hombres y 1 mujer), and they are AMAZING! The call Gabriel the comandante, because he's the point person for Proyecto Misión, Alexis is wonderful, and Olinda is the new addition to the team. Right now, the first year of the project just ended so we are writing the plan for the second year (they call it the POA, Plan Objetivos Anual). I've been in the office in the mornings working on it a lot with Alexis, and he is really looking for my input which I really appreciate. It's hard when people think that because you don't speak fluently, you're not any of use or just can't handle something. If I have a question about what something means, he will explain it in a different way, and then I usually understand. But it also feels really great when I can read something in spanish analytically, and question WHY something is said, instead of what it means.

-I've been able to spend more time in the neighborhood, which is really exciting. There are a couple neighbors that I've spent more significant time with--- Monica and Luisana. Monica lives a 3 minute walk away, and she has three kids: Maricio, Angie and Samuel, and is married to David. She is such an amazing woman, so welcoming and loving. The other day I stopped by to drop off a card (Amy, consider your note delivered!) and I ended up staying for over 2 hours. She invited me in to eat, then taught me how to cook a few dishes which was really cool. I stopped by Luisana the other day, and ended up staying for three hours! I met all of her kids, and then we headed over to her mom's house! Her mom has a younger daughter who just turned 5, and she invited all of the Rostro Volunteers to her birthday party this Saturday night!

- Belén, a community mate of mine, is singing in a concert this weekend!!! She also works at Hogar, and through a language barrier miscommunication, she committed to singing a song by the Cranberries, Zombie, at this big concert on Saturday to celebrate Hogar's 40th birthday! The concert is at the big touristy boardwalk, called the Malecón, in downtown Guayaquil, and this HUGE ecua reggaeton star Au-D. Mateo, another community mate, also got roped into playing the drums, and so he will be performing too! We are all making the trek out for the concert, I can't wait!

-The parish here, Bautismo de Jesus, is SUPER active in the community, which I am really excited for. There are three churches (San Felipe, Santa Teresa, and Corpus Cristi), and all are very connected to each other. The priest, Father John, is from Ireland and has been out of the country since may up until YESTERDAY!!! Patrick (another community mate) and I were waiting outside the house because we didn't have keys, and up drives a man in a grey truck. As soon as he said hello with a thick Irish accent, I knew it was him! It was really great to finally meet him, since we've heard so much from the community and the old volunteers about how great he is.

-On Sunday, I was able to talk to the fam.. It was really great to hear their voices! We spoke for the whole hour, and I was so happy to begin to share my experience with them :)

-Quick shoutout to Chris Darcy, congrats on finally tying the knot!!!! woooo!!! Wish I could have been there!

As Father Tony says (BC reference), that's the best I've got.

love, katty (my spanish name, pronounced CAT-E)

Officially 2 Weeks in Ecuador!!!!

Wow time has flown by. Its officially been two weeks in ecuador, and we are officially volunteers!!! also, the punctuation on this keyboard is not really functioning, so excuse the lack of apostrophes and such.

So here is what I have been up to:

The last two weeks have been in country orientation, and that officially just ended, so now we are OFFICIALLY Rostro volunteers!! so exciting.

We start our work placement on Wednesday... I am working at Hogar de Cristo, a Jesuit non profit that started as a housing project but has since grown. The organization is huge, and does so much good in the community. I am working in Proyecto Mision, which is equivalent to community organizing. It is a three year project, just starting its second year, and I will be working in a team with 2 or 3 other Ecuadorians. It is working directly in the Mt Sinai community, where I am living, so it will be a wonderful way to get to know neighbors and become more familiar with the community in general. Ill post when I know more about what I will specifically be doing, but for now all I know is that this is going to be a very exciting year for the project. It has set up different committees throughout the community, and this year the committees will start working with Hogar to address issues such as water access, trash, and environmental concerns.

We have started to become more familiar with neighbors, and so walking down the street I sometimes run into people I know which is so exciting! Everyone says buenas dias to everyone, and so there is a bunch of that flying around. Plus everyone loves to say hello to the new gringos in town.

The other night we got back from Duran, where the other volunteers live, and there was a HUGE street party that the government was throwing... there was a stage with dancing and singing, and so we decided to treat ourselves to a milkshake (thanks Beth!), and check it out. We got there close to the end, but after it ended a few people we knew wanted to take a picture with us, and as soon as the camera came out, 30 people wanted to be in it, and soon the governement officials came over to capture the moment. Maybe we are somewhere on the government webpage! But it was a fun night to be out in the community and maybe start to become more familiar to the neighbors (vecinos in spanish).

The sunsets are absolutely beautiful, and it really hasnt been too hot yet!

In terms of what we are eating, its usually a piece or two of bread in the morning with a banana, at lunch we have a roll with some veggies and tuna, and dinner varies between rice, spaghetti, lentils, veggies, eggs, plantains (which can be a pain to prepare but so delicious), and fruit. Meat and chicken is rare because its so expensive. We did the math, and we are each living on around a dollar and sixty seven cents a day of food, which seems shockingly small but is really enough. Bread is ten cents a piece, and is kind of in the form of a croissant, bananas are 3 for 10 cents, eggs are 10 cents each, a pineapple is 80 cents, etc. So breakfast is 23 cents each, which wouldnt pay for a tenth of my starbucks coffee. (also, there is only instant coffee here, which at first was a huge bummer but something I have gotten used to).

We are no longer sleeping in the retreat house, and have officially moved into our volunteer house for the year! it is a perfect amount of space, smaller rooms which will be easier to keep tidy, but a great common space for us to hang out together.

We had our first community night last night and played fishbowl, which was a blast... I got really into it and yelling a little too loud...oops!

Also, a shoutout to my bro, his birthday is on the 22nd!!!!!! HAPPY 21st BDAY MADDOG!!!! Feliz Cumpleaños, as they would say here.

Thats it for now, I have to go get my laundry to hang on the line!

Also, dont forget that you can send me mail!!! It is really exciting to get letters, and I promise to write back! my address is:

Katie Madson o Megan Radek
Rostro de Cristo
Casilla 09-01-1024

Guayaquil, Ecuador

Lots of Love, or as Dad says, LOL,

Katie