PCV Rebecca Brown
Casilla 17-08-8624
Quito, Ecuador
South America
But what of El Cambio, the land of bananas?
Next time you go to the grocery store and you go to the fruit section, take a moment to stare at the bananas. Within a week bananas have become a portal for me that will forever bring me back to the community of El Cambio in the south of Ecuador. A town of 7,000 people 25 minutes from Machala, you arrive to El Cambio after a 12-hour bus ride south from Quito. For at least six of those hours you are surrounded by gently rolling hills lined with row after row of banana trees. Gradually, the rolling hills stretch out into flat plains rooted together with more rows of bananas. I had the feeling as if I was on a treadmill after awhile. It seemed as if we were going forward, but the view out my window stayed the same. Eventually our bus came across a few little towns and then El Cambio popped into the grid of the land.
Stepping off the bus in the center of El Cambio you will find a little plaza (characteristic of every Ecuadorian town) and in the middle a fountain shoots water into the air that seems a little too blue. Little shops and stands selling huge wedges of fresh watermelon and sections of pineapple on sticks occupy corners of the streets. Walking past the park, both sides of the streets are lined with small homes made from cement with rebar sticking out the top or sugar cane and bamboo. After walking for about 10 minutes gravel roads turn to dirt and then the roads seem to disappear into the flat land of bananas.Throughout the day the streets exist for the trucks; huge trucks appearing and disappearing into the wall of bananas. I spent a long time wondering where they were going, was there actually someone inside driving? Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was growing feelings of claustrophobia, maybe it was a reaction to the malaria medication I was taking but I started to view the trucks like characters in the movie cars. They all seemed to have personalities and all of them were evil. I know it sounds ridiculous, but that is really how I felt. Even know thinking about the prospect of going back to El Cambio I start to feel hot and anxious and terrified that I could be trapped in El Cambio by walls of banana trees with those trucks and heat that seamed to melt all control I had over my emotions. Needless to say, this was a difficult week. I am still trying to understand my reaction to the environment.
But what of the people?
Coming back to Tumbaco after my site visit I realized just how much I have taken for granted grass, hills, and a simple variety in what I look at. Also, it was in leaving that environment that I was able to better look back and appreciate how kind and open the people of El Cambio had been. While the trucks demand the streets during the day, the youth of the community rule the streets at night. Games of soccer, dance parties to a salsa beat, couples out for a stroll, individuals taking a casual loop on their bicycle… the streets were busy at night. My prospective host family was unbelievably kind. They helped me tuck my bug net around my bed and were patient when I asked them to repeat what they were saying 3 times as all their words seemed to run together, coastal Spanish is much harder to understand. I could go on and on with kindnesses.
So, what do you think of Bananas now? I wish there was a way to transmit feelings. If I could you would never have the same experience eating a banana again. But enough with bananas! Lloa is where I am aiming my thoughts.
Lloa, less then two hours from Tumbaco and 45 minutes from the Peace Corps office in Quito. A rural community separated from Quito by the mountains of Pichincha. When I arrive to Lloa on Wednesday it will be will all of my luggage for the next two years. Having gone through some pretty tough moments and seeking support from family and friends in the past weeks I have been able to look deep within myself and really analyze various thoughts and goals. As a result, I am heading to Lloa with a strengthened determination and what I believe now is a realistic gauge on my expectations.
As we prepare to swear in as Peace Corps volunteers on Tuesday afternoon I am realizing that it has been a month since I last posted. This is largely because I have been busy processing thoughts of a new site in Lloa and have been spending a lot of time with other Peace Corps Trainees who I will be saying goodbye to until a reconnect event in November. I have included some photos to update you on some highlights of the last month.
Bizcochos!!!
About 40 minutes from Tumbaco, an hour and a half from Quito, is the town of Cayambe known for making this delicious buttery, crispy treat, bizcochos. With my host family I have passed through Cayambe a few times and every time we stop to buy some bizcochos, which I have pronounced to Rocio and Pedro is my favorite snack in Ecuador. As you drive into Cayambe the streets are lined with little stores selling bizcochos along with hot chocolate, dulce de leche (caramel sauce), and a cheese similar to mozzarella. I don’t know how any of the stores are able to stay in business as all of them sell exactly the same thing. Here is a picture of some scrumptious bizcochos along with the biggest pot of hot chocolate I have ever seen.
Last weekend I joined a group of friends for a trip to Otovalo and neighboring towns for some shopping and site seeing. Otovalo is an amazing indigenous craft market (the biggest in all of Latin America I think…) that I have visited in past travels to Ecuador and was excited to return to. We had an amazing day getting lost in the maze of colorful crafts, hiking to a nearby waterfall, and then enjoying a lunch of baked fish by a lake in Ibarra.
Swear in is Tuesday, Wednesday I am in Lloa, and my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer will officially begin.
