After almost four months of living in Ecuador, and over a month of getting down to business and living on my own in the community of Santa Clara, I am finally getting a bit more settled. I hope this blog acts a platform to share some of the amazing experiences that I have had over the past few months. So far, life in the Peace Corps has gone by faster than a midnight express bus; I feel like it has been equally bumpy, at times uncomfortable, but always exciting.
Life, work, and stories:
Life:
For the next 23-ish months, my official hometown futbol team plays games in the beautiful town of Santa Clara. Located in Pastaza, the largest province in Ecuador, Santa Clara sits delicately next to the Rio Ungsu in the Amazon rainforest – or the Oriente. There are about 800 people in the town itself and an additional 400 people in the surrounding communities. With five and two-half restaurants (not six), three school systems, three soccer fields, and zero stop lights, Santa Clara has it all.
Santa Clara occasionally reminds me of my hometown of Windsor, Connecticut; friendly and family focused, small town feel, and big town accommodations. Just like the first town in CT, SC sits between two big cities. Instead of Boston and New York to my north and south, Tena and Puyo are about an hour away – depending on the drivers’ nerves and the mudslides. There is no North West Park, town green, or Shad derby, but I am falling in love with my new home and look forward to sharing a post dedicated exclusively to Santa Clara.
Work:
Landing an assignment in Santa Clara proves that I had some luck packed away somewhere in one of my three bags, but I feel like my Peace Corps assignment was as lucky as hitting the jackpot at both Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods.
My overall title for the Peace Corps is a sustainable agriculture volunteer, and I have a lot of freedom to assist and advise the community of Santa Clara with projects they would like to accomplish. Part of the Peace Corps – PC mission is promoting cross-cultural connections, and simply machete-ing through the jungle with local farmers is an important part of my daily work. However, I have been extremely fortunate to get paired with an outstanding organization for my primary work project.
The majority of my time is spent working with indigenous farmers planting, harvesting, and promoting guyusa tea. Guyusa is a tree native to the Amazon, and a big part of the local culture. Many indigenous families drink guyusa early each morning as part of their path to a healthy life. Our foundation is called Fundation Runa based on the Quechua (language and indigenous group in the area) word for people. Runa is currently working exporting details to the states, and should be on shelves shortly. Runa.org is our website and details the project.
Runa will be celebrating its one-year anniversary next month, and I am very pleased and fortunate to be joining the team at such an exciting time. We are opening a new factory on the property of an old and dilapidated zoo, and I have many exciting project planned, including figuring out a way to eat snacks without letting the monkeys steal anything.
Stories:
I have countless stories, journal entries, observations, and one-liners to share. Ecuador is an amazing place; living at the local level, and in the front seat of a new company provides the perfect view for a unique, and often hilarious perspective.
Please stay in touch, pass on my blog and my regards, and send me your thoughts.
All of the best of life and luck - Climb on
