I can’t believe that I have been in my site for over 3 weeks already! Things here are getting more familiar each day. I’m learning how and when to ride the busses around Santa Ana as well where to get to a camioneta (taxi truck) when I miss those busses. The people of Santa Ana have really made me optimistic about the experience I’m going to have living here for the next two years. They are very friendly and generous people. I have already been invited to the houses of complete strangers for lunch and to “pass time” because their child told them that I am working at their school. Although I have a great family here, I’m really looking forward to having a place of my own. Along with the luxury of an equipped and furnished house comes an obligation to eat what and when they eat, hang out in the evenings, and keep them informed of where I am all the time. Two more months and I will be free to find my own living arrangements! Last Friday I was actually given a tour of an available house. It is absolutely perfect despite the fact that it is a little far from the center of town. It is a two bedroom, one bathroom home with a tiny kitchen and a living room. The view from the bedrooms is amazing, looking over the city of Cuenca from high in the mountains. I am also allowed to have dogs and there is space behind the house for a HORSE! We’ll see what happens, but I’m definitely going to keep that one in mind…
As far as work goes, I have been keeping very busy. Right now, my days are spent hanging out at 7 of the local schools getting to know the kids, parents, and teachers, and anyone else who hangs out in or around the schools. Classes here only last from 7:30 am until 12:30 pm and students are served government issued breakfast and lunch and, of course, a bit of time to work on your soccer skills. Each school has their own idea for how to utilize my presence for the next two years. One would like to build a greenhouse and experiment in planting new and different crops (i.e. peppers, broccoli, and asparagus) and then learn how to prepare dishes with those foods. Another would like to introduce their students to computers. Another wants to utilize my special education background and improve their methods of teaching and evaluation. Other schools would like me to teach English classes to give their students an advantage when they begin high school. The schools are all very different, as you can probably tell just by what they are asking of me as a volunteer. Some are very small and rural, where there are three grade levels learning from the same teacher in the same room and not so much as a telephone in the office. Others are somewhat more advanced and looking to improve by offering computers or English to their curriculum. And only one is at the level where special education is even acknowledged.
As if that was not enough to handle… I am also working with a small group of women who are interested in starting a small business. We had our first meeting the other night and for some reason everyone thinks that I am an expert at business starting… here is how the meeting went,
Woman 1: “Half of us want the business to be chicken production and the other half want to make soap and shampoo… is it possible to do both?”
Me: “I think it is better to start with one project.”
Woman 1: “But is it possible?”
Me: “physically or financially?”
Woman 1: “How much money will Peace Corps give us?”
Me: “Peace Corps doesn’t give money.”
Woman 1: “How are we going to start a project?”
Me: “That’s why I think it’s better to start with just one.”
Woman 2: “How many people make a good group?”
Me: “I don’t understand…”
Woman 2: “There are others who want to join, how many people should we have to make a good group?”
Me: “I can’t really answer that, 5 people that agree and have the same goals is better than 20 people who don’t.”
Woman 1: “So chickens or soap?”
Half the women: “chickens”
Half the women: “soap”
Woman 3: “What other projects can we do?”
Me: “I don’t know, candies, spices, dried meats, recycled paper, honeybees, crafts… “
Woman 3: “What do you know about incubating chicken eggs?”
Me: “Nothing! But I’ll do some research on it if you guys are interested.”
Woman 1: “Ok, next week Kelly will bring us a list of possible projects and we will pick one”
I have since done some research on chicken egg incubation and it looks really cool and surprisingly not too difficult! I will let you know how our meeting next week goes and what we decide on, but I think that even if the group chooses soaps, I am going to give incubation a try on my own for the fun of it!
Well, I think I’m all caught up with you guys for now… miss you tons!
PS. I have a new mailing address here in Cuenca so put something in the mail for me, but try to keep packages under 5 pounds and DO NOT declare a value J
Kelly Balmert, PCV
Cuerpo De Paz
Casilla 01-01-1942
Cuenca-Azuay, Ecuador
