Week one done…
…and only 117 to go.
It’s been a lot.
Meeting 26 fellow volunteers. Dozens of Peace Corps staff members. Our Ecuadorian family for the next nine weeks. Sessions on safety and security, health care, frameworks for sustainable change, international development — SPANISH! SPANISH! SPANISH!
It’s been a lot, but we’re feeling well and excited for each new day.
Unfortunately, like many places in the world, crime is a serious issue in Ecuador, and gringos are especially vulnerable to pickpocketing and robbery. We learned how to behave in public and on buses, where much of the crime occurs.
In 1990, our Peace Corps office in Saint Lucia was above a hardware store. You walked up a flight of stairs and found three or four small offices and an open meeting area. In 2026 Ecuador, the Peace Corps office feels more like a fortress — armed guards in bulletproof vests, 10-foot walls, and bomb checks on every vehicle entering the compound. Thanks, 9/11, you bastard you.
It’s horrible to see these two despicable faces in the PC offices, but I have to respect the staff’s choice of placement.
Finally came the day we met our host family!
It was a lovely ceremony, after which the volunteers moved into their communities and began learning Ecuadorian culture firsthand. I’m pretty sure Jenny and I hit the family lottery with the Peraltas: German and Marcia, their three twenty-something kids — Pamala, Dyana, and Andre — and their cute dogs, Toby, a 13-year-old poodle mix, and Appolo, a three-month-old puppy. Did you catch that? I said they are cute dogs…that’s saying something.
The biggest green onions you’ll ever see.
We thought we were heading out for a little stroll and instead ended up on a 2½-hour hike with Marcia! She carried a stick to fend off the dogs we encountered once we left the urban center. The city dogs totally ignore you, but the country dogs are much more territorial.
Welcome to South America! The cables are insane! And notice the sign on the restaurant in the background. See the happy guinea pig? They’re not pets here…you get the picture.
We live on the outskirts of Quito in a town called Nayón. It’s known for its nurseries and garden centers. They are beautiful little mom & pop operations all over town.
Welcome to South America part two. Your water is electrically heated right at the spout and the wires are exposed, right near the water flow. It has always freaked me out a little.
And finally, meet Apollo! So cute!
Thanks for reading our blog and mucho gusto!
