The Inevitable

Reading: Compass Points: How I Lived by Edward Hoagland

One of the most notable marks of an impoverished country is the elevated rate of crime. Since arriving in Ecuador, Peace Corps has been relentless in briefing us on safety and security measures. Statistically speaking, Ecuador has a rather high crime, albeit petty, rate for Latin America.

Countless volunteers have had their cell phones swiped on a bus or an unwatched bag lifted at a restaurant. I would say the majority of us have resigned ourselves to material detachment. Yes, I enjoy having my iPod, but I am willing to take the risk of listening to it on the bus, knowing that the numbers are not in my favor. However, there is a completely different feeling when the delinquency occurs a little closer to home...

Dia de Campo

Reading: Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

Because I am a Peace Corps Volunteer, which inevitably means I am often very busy doing nothing with even less to show for it, I am going to take this rare moment to relish in an accomplishment.

The community garden

For the past few months,I have been working with a bureaucrat from Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería, Acuacultura y Pesca (MAGAP) and a farmers organization in the neighboring community on a community garden. The garden had been coming along quite nicely when the bureaucrat caught wind of another organization using their garden as a "dia de campo" open house, complete with the local mayor, a token foreigner (he was from Taiwan) and complementary lunch. After said bureaucrat, the organization president and some community members unexpectedly drove me six hours to check out this ordeal, we decided to host our own. Hello legit work.

Our dia de campo went off without a hitch with about 70 people in attendance. The 30x35m garden had a bountiful harvest of tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, onions, beets, squash, string beans and corn, which the Ecuadorians were ever so quick to ravage - I equate such behavior with their contempt for waiting in lines. There was even free beer for the guys to their complement the lunch, courtesy of MAGAP.

Sidenote: there should be more pictures up on facebook... given that the computer that I'm using and facebook are working as they should...

Dia de difuntos

Reading: American Pastoral by Philip Roth

Cemetery in Tumbaco

Holidays down here always make for an interesting cultural experience. Many of them line up as far as timing, since they are often the left overs of Christian traditions, but the manner and extent to which they are celebrated varies greatly between Ecuador and the States. Halloween in the States marks the beginning of our "consumer holidays" - merchandise is cycled from Octobers witches to Novembers turkeys to Decembers santas.

In Ecuador, however, there are no costumes, youthful trick-o-treaters or drunken college parties to celebrate All Hallows Eve. Instead the emphasis falls on el dia del difuntos, the day of the dead. Whereas few Americans would think of visiting the cemetery for Halloween (I mean, whats Memorial Day for?) Ecuadorian tradition involves spending the day visiting the graves of loved ones and saying rosaries for them while attending mass.