World AIDs Day and Baking Bread

So this past Saturday was December First which is World AIDs Day-- being that HIV/AIDS is a a growing concern particularly here on the coast we made sure paint the town red ( well, with bright red balloons and red ribbons anyway). A group of about 30 kids from our youth group showed up for our parade and carried signs and helped pass out information about what AIDS is, how we can protect ourselves and how we can reach out to people who are dealing with this devestating disease. The compassion and motivation shown by the youth in Palmar is amazing!

Here in Palmar there are still many people who don´t know what AIDS is or how to protect themselves and the youth is committed to getting the information out there and saving lives. It´s exciting for me to be able to be a part of their efforts.

There past two weeks I have also been participating in a baking class with the youth in my community in order to expand and improve our bakery sales. We are learning how to bake all kinds of breads, cakes and cookies and are going to have a big exposition of our work this weekend. YUM!

Well, I would love to write more but i gotta catch a bus back to palmar if I´m gonna make it to baking class on time! ( Thank goodness for the "hora ecuatoriana" because it´s okay to be late here!!)

thanksgiving day

Happy Day of Thanks!
My thanksgiving started early- I met my friend at 5:30am to run the length of the beach which takes about 40 minutes. We ended up at the end near barrio esteros where we walked around the inlet where the mangrave begins and watched the boats begin to come in to shore with the catch of the day. We walked further and climbed the huge moss-covered rocks---we looked for treasures--little sponges, shells, crabs, starfish and I held one creature in my hand that closes itself up with tiny tentacles. About this time with sun was nearly risen and the light had changed. Sun on skin. We climbed the highest rock and sat there beside three pelicans, humming bob marley songs and waving at the fisherman as they continued to arrive in rickety wooden boats with pealing paint and names like Santa Rita, Santa Carmen ( the patron saint of fishing), margarita etc....Climbing down the rock is always the tough part but i made it.

We walked back to the beach and got caught up in the chaos of every morning in palmar: the fishermen climbing out of their boats balancing red plastic boxes full of shinning, silver fish and the sea gulls and pelicans come in mass swooping down claws stretched to steal what they can. They dogs run wild torn fish dangle from their jaws as they pick fights with eachother for their breakfast. We drink morocho from plastic cups sold by a man and his bicycle wooden cart-- the warm milk with raisons, cinnamon and morocho warms my body and tastes like heaven. Alex goes out to the boats and returns with a plastic bag full of trumpet fish-- Meanwhile I have waded into the sea and realized that I was surrounded by hundreds of bright orange starfish- as though for a moment the sea had claimed the evening sky and I was walking through a strange galaxy.

We returned to my house to clean the fish and then I had a game of beach soccer. The whole town was out on the beach with big speakers blasting the sounds of don omar, aventura and of course, daddy yankee. We played hard in the blazing mid-morning sun and I SCORED THE ONLY GOAL! It was a huge moment for me. I was playing defense and kicked it as hard as i could from mid-field and it went right in the goal. I´m pretty proud of this... a thanksgiving milagro. And the other girls invited me to play with them again next sunday...Now here i am running a few errands in Libertad and soon to return to palmar where I am going to cook up some trumpet fish to celebrate my thankgiving.

It´s been a beautiful day and I am grateful for a great many things: my family, my friends and my home... and I am grateful for my new town, friends and my strange new life here. Everyday is full of newness and beauty. I wish I could be with my family on thanksgiving but since I cannot, I am very thankful to be here in ecuador living life the best that i can. Much love from ecua-land!

Malchinqui--a poem

Malchinqui

Merciless the wind whips sheets
of dust, stings my eyes.
The sun narrows it´s heat, bares
down upon my pale shoulders.

Low, among the withered cornstalks, she
crouches, peering out from her hiding place
she waits. Quiet as the absence of rain.

Three gringas, standing
a half moon around her front door.
We are speaking with her mother.

Nearby her baby sister gnaws on an apple,
barefeet crusted in dry earth, the dust
sticks to the tiny corners of her mouth, sucking
at the sweet meat of fruit.
Her brother surveys the scene, he keeps a close
distance.
Old man draped in a worn, wool poncho
hovers in the doorway, his eyes
nearly hidden below folds of wrinkled skin.

She shyly observes our movements,
our jeans, fleece coats, sunglasses and
artisan hand-bags, our shiny hair
How we shift our backs to break the force of wind.

When she rises
from the cornstalks, she moves slowly.
Her legs are no more
than bones and skin.

Her eyes, set deep, send
dark shadows down her face,
She does not meet my eyes. She knows
we´ve been talking about her, how her body
is crumbling. Disapearing--like the cornstalks
in the heat and wind and dust.

When I look at her again, her eyes
She wears the sun like diamonds.

Here are some random photos!
First we have the Jesus graffiti-- vota pensanda-- which translates more or less-- vote thinking. Love it.


The next one is of some volunteers and i enjoying Cuenca the best city ever. Next is of a woman selling flowers.

To the left we have me with my fist in the air, "¡viva la revolucion!"

Here is just a random picture of Cuenca...did i mention it´s the greatest city every.

This is the lovely ocean where i am lucky enough to live. Palmar is a beautiful town (so come on and visit me!!!)

Hanging out in Palmar with pedro and miguel. We work a lot here but we still manage to have a fiesta or two.

And here is Palmar. I know i have written before that it is small... so this is the main square.



Okay----so that is it for this entry. Just some photos from Ecuador!

Viva La Provincia Santa Elena

So--Last Monday I was living in the Province of Guayas but this monday I am in the Province of Santa Elena. Did I move? Naw. There was a week of stikes, blocked highways and burning tires but it worked and last week Tuesday the congress voted and we became the newest province of Ecuador! One thing that I really dig about Ecuadorians is how they take it to the street until they see change. Not saying this always works but it inspires me, they know what they want and they go for it. Not sure if becoming the 24th province is the best choice or not but time will tell...who knows? I´m feeling hopeful. On the first day of the strike I got caught trying to get to the city of Libertad (about 40 km from Palmar) and it was a wild scene: flaming tires and buses, cars, trucks all backed up at each blocade. What I loved was how it wasn´t a bunch of angry people yelling but rather one big party- I mean, there were even vendors selling cokes and snacks. I heard later on there were a couple little run-ins with the police, but I think tension was inevitable.
As far as life in Palmar: I believe The Dude ( The Big Lebowski) says it best when he says, "strikes and gutters, ups and downs". Yesterday about 10 youth and I piled in the back of one girl´s uncles truck and tumbled down the Ruta Del Sol to a small village where from we hiked a good five hours through the jungle. At one point while eating some tuna a tarantula landed on Dayse´s shoulder ( who was sitting right next to me), thanks to Maestro our faithful guide and friend no one was bitten. He knocked it off her shoulder ( so it landing about an inch from me) and then killed it. It was a pretty intense hike, at the end we had to wade through a muddy river in our sneakers....dark water surrounded by jungle makes me nervous. In training we learned about a snake called Matacaballo which translates to HorseKiller because it can leap like 15 feet in order to kill it´s prey. There are no documented cases in years but I couldn´t help but wonder... But aside from tarantulas, snakes and dark water... the scenary was spectacular and Maestro, our guide was a really cool guy and his son Denis ( 10) came along too. He lives in a very humble house with his wife and kids- so we brought food and clothes. It was a pretty cool day--by the time I got home I was so cold and tired that I went to bed before 8pm.
Otherwise my days are always suprising. I help lead kids youth groups (make playdough and play rowdy games of duck, duck, goose) and plant gardens, clean storage sheds, plan upcoming interviews, talk to young mothers etc. I love being here but I do constantly worry that I could be doing more or doing things better or why can´t i speak spanish like a native (it would be so great). Instead I massacre verb forms on a daily basis and tell people that I am "poca casada" which means I am a "little married" when I mean "cansada", tired, I am a little tired. sigh. One day. One day I will speak correct Spanish!
And sometimes I just don´t have the words. Like today-- I met a young 13 year old mother who on top of all that has the chicken pox. She is standing there with her week old baby and I have no idea what to say to her in english, much less in spanish. Her face is tired and pale and she is wearing glittery lipstick and a pink t-shirt and while the woman I am with is telling her about the importance of vaccinations, I can tell the girl isn´t really listening and I feel completely helpless. What can I offer her...? So i smile and admire her baby and wonder... what can I do? Start a young mothers group--would she even come? Probably not. Do i know the first thing about being a young mother? Probably not. Do i feel like a very small gringa in a very big world? Yes. (which is funny because I am the tallest person here).

A little bit more about my Job and Life

Palmar is a small town in which there are about 7 thousand people living, 2 tiny comedors ( which are like restaurants), an outdoor market and a few "stores" which are really people selling coke, instant coffee and eggs out of their living rooms. There are quite a few bars and two churches ( one is catholic and the other is evangelical something or other). While I may not be catholic, I am learning. I like to think of myself as a "Latina Catholic". I might not know Our Father in english but I can rattle off Padre Nuestro in spanish with the best.( My official counterpart is a korean nun).
Otherwise I really work directly with the youth in an organization called Neo- Juventud- Young people of Palmar with a vision for the future. There are about 50 or so kids directly involved with the group that currently operates several small buisnesses; a bakery, a buisness raising quails in order to sell the eggs ( soon we´ll be raising chickens too), and we are developing plans for a small-scale theater/cafe. Another one of our current projects is a community garden which we have just begun ( I got the honor of hauling bags of cow poop....ahhhh the life of peace corps!). Neo Juventud is active in keeping their community clean and giving weekly workshops on HIV/AIDS in order to get much need information out into their community and the surrounding campo. The province of Guayas has the highest HIV/AIDs infection rate in Ecuador. Many people just do not have access to important information on how to keep themselves safe. Also discrimination is rampant against those who are HIV positive-- hopefully with more knowledge= less discrimination and healthier choices.

The other big project in my community is reforestation/ conservation of the local Mangroves. I didn´t even know what the heck a Mangrove was until I arrived here in Palmar but trust me, they are awesome. They are one of the most interesting and important eco-systems in the world. The Mangrove forests grow in tropical climates and can live in the presence of saltwater. These trees live with their roots above the ground! (Crazy, right?) Mangroves or el Manglar (en Español) are home to a diverse array of species: fish, crustacions,birds, reptiles, microscopic animals and vegetation, insects, monkeys and even armadillos. There are several types of Mangroves-- which I´ll stick to the Latin cuz my translation into english is not gonna cut it: Rhuzophora mangle, Avicenia germinans, Leguncularia racemosa and Conocarpus erectus. So, Mangroves= pretty much amazing.
Another part of my job is working with the Dispensario de Nuestro Señora Fatima ( the town clinic). I go out into the community, barrio to barrio, visiting women in their homes. I work with another woman and we discuss the importance of getting an annual pap smear, HIV test and recieving constant medical care (especially for pregnant/ new mothers.) Ecuadorian law mandates that all mothers and children can recieve free health care until the child turns 5 years old yet many women aren´t aware of this law and due to lack of resources don´t recieve proper medical care. So, three times a week I hit the sandy streets and knock on doors, tap on windows and call---" A ver...", Just your friendly neighborhood gringa, here to talk about pap smears.
So that is a pretty rough outline of my life here in Palmar. A couple things that catch me as strange are
- Being the only American. I live in my community and speak only Spanish. I was worried about feeling isolated but it´s actually pretty cool. Plus my spanish is way better for it. Not speaking english is the key to language learning as far as i can tell.

- It´s 2 hours and 2 buses to get to the nearest post-office where I get my mail.
- I work everyday. They told us P.Corps was a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year deal--- I remember thinking a distinct, "whatever". But it´s true.
- Wild packs of dogs. There are dog gangs here. The cushy american notion of the cuddly, tail-wagging canine is officially cultural.
- It´s a small town. Did I mention that? I thought I signed up for URBAN youth development. I am the unofficial town gringa. Which has its ups and downs. Like the cute elderly couple that sell bananas at the market who call me their niña and give me kisses whenever I pass by, or the tienda lady who gives me extra peppers when I buy eggs or the groups of school girls who run up and give me hugs. But I am the target of every stumbling, borracho man in the street. That sucks. But overall people have recieved me with open arms into their lives and community and I feel safe and welcome.
- But it gets better--- At night without a computer, internet, t.v. (not that i had one before cuz t.vs are lame), movies, a social life---- I cook from scratch, paint, write poems and stories and read lots of books. I run and do my own attempt at yoga... I do all the things I love doing without distraction. ( although thanks to the fam i have a portable dvd player and can watch MOVIES!!) THANKS FAMILY!!!!
Well---this is a HUGE rambling letter. This first few months have been saturated with newness, discoveries and change. Like any job/ life I know soon enough I will settle in and routine with find me and my life will become normalish. But for now--- I wake up and drink my coffee with joy. Each morning is exciting and I am grateful for this opportunity and am eager to soak it all in, work hard, get stuff done and GROW!

First week in Palmar

I have now been in site for over a week. So many new things. Each day I am amazed by all the small things that people do that make me feel really welcome and help to not feel so alone. There are two small tiendas by my house---one has lights and more things to sell while the other is shall we say...not as visually pleasing. So i like to go to the not so nice store and the woman is so kind and always gives me some "yappa" which in Ecuador is "a little something extra". Sometimes a green pepper or some plaintains and she gets this cute little smile each time and slips a small something in the plastic bag. There is also "Papi" and "Mami" who sell bananas at the market: they call me their "niña" and give me toothless kisses everytime I pass by. I started visiting women with the Señora Andrea-- we talk about nutrition, pap smears, AIDS etc. We visit everyone--which is really nice as far as getting to know my new community. I still struggle with missing my fellow volunteers--it was really hard to leave them after surviving our two and a half month training. Hmmm....the beach is beautiful and I love walking outside in the mornings, coffee in hand and finding seashells and watching the red crabs scurry sideways into their holes. Well---my internet time is nearly up.
My address is

Hannah P Cook
Correo General
Salinas, Guayas
Ecuador
South America