see the world as yourself: A Cultural Difference (Roasted with Spices)

Okay, I'm starting this post with a forewarning. If you don't want to see a cooked guinea pig, then do not go to the bottom of this post. Have you scrolled down already?!? The third goal of the Peace Corps is for volunteers (and trainees!) to share about host country culture. Guinea pig, cuy, is a very traditional Ecuadorian dish, so I'm just trying to share a little piece of Ecuador with you. More on this in a bit!

So, I've been in Ecuador three weeks. No time at all really, but the days of training seem to pass at a snails pace. Oddly, the weeks have been going by quickly though. It has certainly been another seven days full of enlightening experiences. As I'm typing this, I already feel as though my English skills are failing me. I catch myself mixing Spanish and English more and more; unfortunately, my Spanish doesn't seem to be getting any better. Compared to three weeks ago, I understand much more, but I still am a bit mute when it comes to speaking. Poco a poco.

This week began with my first presentation in Spanish. My group and I went to a colegio, high school, and an escuela, elementary school, to teach students about water conservation. I've done a lot of environmental education about fresh water in the U.S., and, now, that seems extremely easy compared to getting up in front of a room full of 17-year-old students while trying to speak a language I'm not even close to being fluent in. Oh well, so goes training. Overall, the presentations were actually quite fun. The students definitely laughed at our gringo Spanish, but they seemed to learn at least a couple of facts from our activities. At the elementary school, the students were already quite knowledgeable about environmental issues; they had a huge vegetable garden on the property and all of the students in the class I taught had bunches of freshly picked cilantro on their desks. Hopefully, I'll be able to start some school gardens when I get to my site! Speaking of gardens, on Thursday I had a gardening training facilitated by some current volunteers. We created raised beds in the backyard of the training center and planted lettuce, broccoli, radishes, carrots, and cilantro. It was really nice to get out of the classroom for a little bit, as we have been having a slew of sessions (as always) about security, health, culture, technical info, and Spanish.

Teaching about fresh water availability, while wondering if the
children understand a word of my Spanish.

Teaching sixth graders about water conservation...in Spanish.

Besides teaching on Monday, the week was relatively uneventful. The weather has been beautiful. Rain comes and goes, but there has been a lot of sun this past week. Some days, I walk home with other volunteers. The walk takes about an hour on the beautiful bike path that runs between the training center and Tumbaco. Dodging mountain bikers, dogs, cows, motorcycles, and whatever else comes our way always makes the walk more entertaining, as if the spectacular views weren't entertainment enough. I'm heading to el oriente, the jungle, next week for a week-long technical trip to do presentations and to speak with representatives from NGOs, national parks, and other protected areas. I'm so excited to see another part of the country. However, since I'm heading to a part of the country with malaria-infested mosquitoes, I had to start taking anti-malaria medication last week. Side effect: crazy dreams. As if my life wasn't odd enough right now, I get to add ridiculously vivid, slightly twisted dreams to the mix.

One of the many views on the walk home from the training center.

Here's the part you've been waiting for. It's difficult for me to even begin to describe the surreal experience of eating lunch while being surrounded by five people munching on guinea pig legs. Actually, I still feel a bit queasy when I think about it. Cuyes are reserved for special occasions, as they are expensive to raise (they eat a lot of alfalfa). Today was my host brother's birthday, meaning special occasion, meaning time to eat cuy. During training, we've been learning about cultural perspectives and how people see other cultures based on their own preconceived notions. As much as I would have liked to see this experience from an unbiased perspective, I could only grasp my United States upbringing in seeing fried pets. And, it's not as though people eat a piece of guinea pig on their plate; they are served an entire guinea pig--from buck teeth to head to claws. Of course, I was sitting at the table eating potatoes and broccoli, while they all poked fun at me (jokingly, I think!). Rosa thought it was very funny to face her guinea pig at me to pretend that it was watching me. Hysterical. That is, until she chopped the head off with a knife and started eating it. Oh Ecuador, you are a continual source of amazement. I promise--no more photos of fried guinea pigs; I just had to share this experience with a photo because words couldn't do it justice! Next week: pictures of the Amazon! And, no fried or roasted animals, hopefully.