¿EN SERIO? ¡CON LECHE!

Yeah so that´s one of the new phrases that we´ve bastardized here in poor little gringo-overrun Ecuador.  I may never be able to fully explain to you what it means or why it´s funny or anything, but just know that it´s a large portion of my vocabulary right now.

 

Also, certain mishaps can opccur when one is learning a  language more in-depth.  For instance, the other day I was talking with the other two volunteers in my training community and realized after a few seconds that I had just made the following statement:  I´m getting confused about my gender.   WTF.  I did not mean for that to come out of my mouth but when your head is a delirious mixture of English and Spanish, some things just don´t translate well in the spur of the moment.

 

Enough of the boring stuff.

 

Ecuador is in a period of turmoil these days because soon the government will be negotiating some trade agremnt with the USA and a lot of people her think that the US is just trying to screw them out of their money and resources.  So of course they have started doing the most productive thing ever, they have formed roadclocks on the major transportation routes with whatever they have available....tree trunks,. giant rocks, burning tires, all that jazz.  On and off it is impossible to get anywhere from anywhere else.  If you do get through a roadblock it is because you paid off the people organizing or manning it.  Basically, the people of the country, worried about the developed world robbing them through a trade agreement, are robbing their own kind as they try to conduct their daily business and ned to get past these roadblocks.  This isn´t the whole story and I don´t know the whole story, but that´s what´s going on down here for the time being.  The trainees have been urged to AIO.  Adapt. Improvise.  Overcome.  Such a governmental thing to be urged to do.  Cest la vie.

 

In other news, I´m really really really happy to be here.  After settling into the rhythym of life in the Andes and getting more of an idea of what things will be like for the next few years, I am extremely content with my choice to come experience this part of the world and work alongside the people of such an interesting and beautiful nation in finding solutions to some of their problems.  The quality of the other volunteers is a real treat, as everyone has such an intriguing life story full of various wild experiences.  We are all a great resource for one another, and I look forward to solidifying friendships for life with the gang here, as well as the curently serving volunters that I´ll met in the field.

 

Ciao for now.  We actually get a full two day weekend to spend how we want so I am going to go home now and read some more of my borrowed copy of A Million Little Pieces. 

 

Life is calling.  Get out and get some for yourself.