Drops of rain are falling, life is growing.

Greetings to anybody that might read my blog. I have tried to start up this blog before but I could not find the inspiration to put my thoughts and feelings posted to the world.

 It is now March 2012 it has been a little over a year since I first emabarked on my voyage to join the Peace Corps.  When I first arrived to my community it was a diffrent world. A world of drought where water was conserved down to the drop. Life was dusty, sad, desperate and dead. You could feel the towns emotions crying out in the air. The land and the people thirsted for water and the water would simply not come. This was my experience for the my first 6 months living at site.

Side note: In December I had the chance to go visit the United States in order to visit my family. It was great to see everibody. I loved catching up with my siblings and parents. I learned that some things changed but for the most part everibody is pretty much doing the same. They are conversing about the same things, going to the same places and talking about the same things. It was a good comfort to be able to connect to everybody it can be hard to conect on that level when the people that you most love are a continent away. Facebook, phone calls and email dont conect you in the way that actually beign there can. There is a certain level of guilt that comes with leaving those you love in order to achieve your life goals. Everything is a sacrifice. Some people might understand this but it is hard to explain to a younger brother who cant understand why you are not there. Or be able to help a good father who has fallen on bad times. I wish I was able to at least more interaction with those back home but communication is not easy in this country. Writing an email consist of walking a mile and then hoping on a bus to a terminal ir order to take another bus to the nearest city. Walking in to town to find a cyber and rent out a computer and then write your email. The mail system is many times more time consuming and frustating. The whole ordeal can take half a day. I do value every piece of mail, email and message I have recieved it gives me a sense of home even when I am far away.  Peace Corps has put me through a roller coaster of emotions but I am sure I would have had those emotions regardless of where I was geographically on a map whether it be from jobs, relationships, health, etc. The only thing that has changed is my address but for the most part I am stilll the same person with the same needs, goals and challenges.
end of side note

When I returned to my community in January I was greeted by a diffrent world. The seasonal rains had come and life was springing up from when there once was once only dry dirt. A transformation had taken place, the world was similar but new. The mountains and valleys were still there but they were now covered with a green blanket and upon it flowers, butterflies and snakes had been placed. The people had been expecting this and were now in a race to take advantage of the land in order to cultivate the corn, fruit and vegetables on which they livelihoods and identities depended on. The dry months were all about beign in survival mode getting by with the bare minimum, conserving your energy and efforts for the rains. Now the town is hard at work making sure there crops succeed. It is hard work and at times can be unprofitable mostly from factors outside of their control such as rain, drought, insects, funguses and international market prices.

Living in Florida for a pig part of my life I was not affected by seasonal variations to the extent that I have been here in Ecuador. The more you move away from cubicles, tv, fb, air conditioning, cars, internet the more you are conected to the natural world. Changes here are drastic or at least more noticeable since I have left behind most of the things that distracted me to the physical earth. I now have an appreciation of the seasonal changes and the extremes of the rainy vs. dry season. Perhaps those from more varied northern climates can relate to the trasition from winter to spring.

Other notables in my life
-recently went to a Mana concert. they were so awesome
-i have helped local ecuadorian farmers plant corn, cotton, and watermelon
-somebody challenged me in a 16 km race to the nearest city Bahia and I won. It felt awesome they are such a trash talker and I beat them. I did the last 4 km barefoot cause my shoes were bothering me but I was not going to stop
-i have been working on continuing to work on my soymilk project, teaching english, farming practices and organizing a series of community events and workshops
-still have a muy bonita and amorosa gf, caro
-i have developed an obsession with bolos (frozen aguacato, chocolate or coconut mixed with milk and sugar)
-i have been trying to take lots of pictures of my daily life
-i learned how to cook with peanut sauce, makes food so good
-this sunday i am running a 10k race over ecuadors longest bridge
-i recently had my basement flooded by heavy rains
-experienced carnival in ecuador it is one huge party, everybody is throwing water on each other, lots of fun
-have been reading many books such as 33 strategies of war, catch me if you can, the lord of the flies and the king of torts
-have been going to the beach whenever i get a chance, there are some amazing beaches to go to here

here is a little update on me i hope you enjoyed

Luis