Field Trip, Field Day

Peace Corps keeps us on our toes with various activities to spice up the rigorous training schedule. One day, we were split into groups and went on cultural field trips. My group went to a town in the north called Salinas (the name comes from the salt mines – minas de sal – there). It was originally a haven for escaped slaves, and today the natural resources are waning, but a tourism project is on the rise. We learned how salt is extracted from the soil and then climbed up the tolas, huge mounds of spent soil that look like natural hills but are actually man-made.







Some residents performed traditional music and dance for us, and we also got the chance to try out our own moves…needless to say, we have a lot to learn…

My favorite part of the trip was the ride home, because the climb back up into the higher altitudes afforded some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. I kept thinking, Where am I? trying to compare it with places I had been before, but I couldn’t. Everything is different, from the vegetation to the land itself. You wouldn’t realize how big the mountains are unless the clouds were there to tell you: the clouds start gathering at the base of the mountains, which lead your eye up and up until it feels like you are looking directly overhead. They’re stunning, even more so when you’re winding your way up in the afternoon sun.

On Friday, Peace Corps hosted a “Día Deportiva,” where each training community became a soccer team, and we all convened for a day of soccer in tribute to the World Cup. We also go the chance to meet current PC Volunteers. And according to Ecuadorian tradition, before the tournament, each community’s elected madrina entered a competition to be “queen” of the event.



We started at 9am, and my team only played 3 games…but by the end of the finals it was after 5pm, our lungs were burning, and we were glad to go out for some Chinese food. More on food next time...chao!