I have settled into the lifestyle of volunteering in Salasaca. The days have taken on the calm, steady rhythm of life that I miss from waking up in the same bed for more than 5 days in a row. My daily schedule begins at an earlier time in the day than I have seen in a while -- 6.30 in the morning. When I arise there is oatmeal waiting for me (and the other volunteers, too) in the kitchen, where all the volunteers get a chance to debrief each other and prepare for the day together. Afterward I get prepared for my 9:15 Spanish literacy class for 3 young children do not yet read, and in fact whose Spanish skills are relatively lacking; Kitchwa is the first language which they speak at home and they usually learn Spanish later on. That class is a bit trying because of the behavior problems that come with these kids, but they all are enchanted when being read to. After that I have time to plan my next lesson and write to you (which is my time to write to you now). After that is lunch with the children, usually consisting of a huge bowl of white rice and a few vegetables. I then have the whole afternoon to take the half an hour walk up to the other school where the garden is located. I usually go up with another volunteer to do some weeding and chicken chores (we have 11 chickens and 1 duck). I usually quickly need to run down the long hill in order to make it back to the library to teach an English class to adults. By 6 in the evening I´m usually exhausted, ready for a nap, dinner, and bed.
Another joy of living in Salasaca is the opportunity I have to live with a hogde-podge clan of other volunteers, from all over the world and from so many different lifestyles. The first volunteer I must mention is Robert, an American in his 70´s who moved here 6 years ago when he retired. He has since worked almost every day to improve this school in every way he can, from teaching English classes to repairing the plumbing, to assisting the volunteers with every problem they may have. His dedication to this project is inspiring; he is happy living in rural Ecuador doing something he believes in with his time and money. In addition to Robert, the foreign volunteers usually stay here from 2 weeks to a couple of months, and I have enjoyed sharing traveling stories and learning from what they are up to in their journeys. And, of course, I can´t forget the community of Salasacans I have met through the school and around the neighborhood. On my walk to school everyday I pass a number of Salasacans who offer me their daily greetings and short conversations. I do feel like I again have a comfortable and friendly community to live it, which is something I miss so much from home.
On very special mornings when the fog and thick clouds that usually coat the sky line have found another town to pester, I have the pleasure of socializing with the 6 volcano's of this region. Tunguraurua (I think I´ve spelled this correctly) is the only active volcano, however it won´t let anyone forget that it´s here and lets off little roars on a regular basis. I have never spent so much time around something so imposing and strong as a volcano, but it is a pretty cool experience.
In other news, Monday morning I was walking across the kitchen to get some food and all of a sudden I felt something funny going on on my foot and realized that my Chaco sandal (my favorite kind of footwear) had broken. So now I´m down to one pair of shoes!
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