Hola todos:
Another day, another power outage. It has been about 2 hours since the power went out, so I figured I'd use the time to write a blog. Luckily my computer's all charged up! It's actually quite peaceful to be without power for a few hours during the day. Everything gets quiet, children go out in the streets to play, and the rattle and hum of the day stops. I used to complain and get restless, but I've learned to use this time to work on being reflective--reading, writing, and thinking about the next step in
my research.
Ahh yes, that brings us to my research. It has been a bumpy road to research land. I have literally tried everything in the book to carry out household interviews and to gain confidence among farming communities so that the farmers I interview will shell out information about their lives. Man, it's a tough job! However, I think I finally found a decent alternative to my original (and completely unfeasible) plan(s). There is a community of 350 families, about 2 hours outside of Quito approaching the
Amazon
region, that is in the early stages of forming a Fair Trade cacao cooperative (these guys are different from those of La Providencia that I spoke of in my last blog--that plan fell through,as usual). I learned about these guys through a contact I made at the Yanapuma Foundation. For a 'nominal' fee, Yanapuma is going to set me up with a host family from the cooperative. I'll be able to live and work with small farmers, attend their meetings, and figure out what sorts of benefits, if any, a Fair Trade cooperative might bring them. Hopefully this plan will work and I'll find my 
way to collecting some quality data. Fingers crossed!
That's pretty much where I'm at for now. Besides filling out Ph.D. apps, I spend my time hanging out with my Host Family, speaking tons of Spanish, and drinking a boat load of juice. It's nice, but I'm ready to get my hands dirty and get going on this data collection business. It is almost January after all, and I'd like to have something ...anything!..to show for my 10 months spent in Ecuador. I'll say,
tho', that my Spanish has improved exponentially. At times I still don't understand Host Sister or Host Father and his Italian accent, but for the most part, comprehension is alot easier than it used to be.
I'll let you know what happens :-)
I'm including some pictures of me and my Host Family at the local market. These markets are immense with fruit as far as the eye can see. The prices are amazing and the fruit--delicious. For example, I bought 24 succulent oranges for 2 dollars, 4 giant mangoes for 1 dollar, and 18 mandarin oranges for 50 cents. Unbelievable, no? I will really miss the fruit when I return to the U.S. Lately, we've been cutting mangoes from our mango tree in the backyard. The juice we make
from these mangoes is absolutely delightful. No chemicals, no
nothing--just pure,unadulterated mango. It's heaven!
Power's back! And with that note, I think I'll have a nap. Nice talkin' to ya! :-)
Another day, another power outage. It has been about 2 hours since the power went out, so I figured I'd use the time to write a blog. Luckily my computer's all charged up! It's actually quite peaceful to be without power for a few hours during the day. Everything gets quiet, children go out in the streets to play, and the rattle and hum of the day stops. I used to complain and get restless, but I've learned to use this time to work on being reflective--reading, writing, and thinking about the next step in
my research.Ahh yes, that brings us to my research. It has been a bumpy road to research land. I have literally tried everything in the book to carry out household interviews and to gain confidence among farming communities so that the farmers I interview will shell out information about their lives. Man, it's a tough job! However, I think I finally found a decent alternative to my original (and completely unfeasible) plan(s). There is a community of 350 families, about 2 hours outside of Quito approaching the
Amazon
region, that is in the early stages of forming a Fair Trade cacao cooperative (these guys are different from those of La Providencia that I spoke of in my last blog--that plan fell through,as usual). I learned about these guys through a contact I made at the Yanapuma Foundation. For a 'nominal' fee, Yanapuma is going to set me up with a host family from the cooperative. I'll be able to live and work with small farmers, attend their meetings, and figure out what sorts of benefits, if any, a Fair Trade cooperative might bring them. Hopefully this plan will work and I'll find my 
way to collecting some quality data. Fingers crossed!That's pretty much where I'm at for now. Besides filling out Ph.D. apps, I spend my time hanging out with my Host Family, speaking tons of Spanish, and drinking a boat load of juice. It's nice, but I'm ready to get my hands dirty and get going on this data collection business. It is almost January after all, and I'd like to have something ...anything!..to show for my 10 months spent in Ecuador. I'll say,
tho', that my Spanish has improved exponentially. At times I still don't understand Host Sister or Host Father and his Italian accent, but for the most part, comprehension is alot easier than it used to be.Oy, the heat is gettin' to me--it's nearly 98 degrees and the humidity is quite oppressive! The rainy season is soon to start, although I've only seen a few drops here and there. The Guayacos have prepared me for a season of crickets, mosquitoes, and heat. 
Sounds fun, huh?! I'm still in disbelief about some of the cricket
tales I've heard. Supposedly these crickets are giant, they fly, and
they come en masse (you might think, "Oh--Locusts!" But no, they are crickets!) --that is, they cover your windows, your doors, infiltrate your house, your clothes and your shoes. There is no avoiding these crazy crickets. Rich or poor, rural or urban, these crickets are coming for us.
Sounds fun, huh?! I'm still in disbelief about some of the cricket
tales I've heard. Supposedly these crickets are giant, they fly, and
they come en masse (you might think, "Oh--Locusts!" But no, they are crickets!) --that is, they cover your windows, your doors, infiltrate your house, your clothes and your shoes. There is no avoiding these crazy crickets. Rich or poor, rural or urban, these crickets are coming for us.
I'll let you know what happens :-)
I'm including some pictures of me and my Host Family at the local market. These markets are immense with fruit as far as the eye can see. The prices are amazing and the fruit--delicious. For example, I bought 24 succulent oranges for 2 dollars, 4 giant mangoes for 1 dollar, and 18 mandarin oranges for 50 cents. Unbelievable, no? I will really miss the fruit when I return to the U.S. Lately, we've been cutting mangoes from our mango tree in the backyard. The juice we make
from these mangoes is absolutely delightful. No chemicals, no
nothing--just pure,unadulterated mango. It's heaven!
Power's back! And with that note, I think I'll have a nap. Nice talkin' to ya! :-)
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