Birthday Smash

Am back from a weeklong Tech Trip, where we had the chance to shadow current volunteers and see them at work. We got lots and lots...and lots...of practice giving charlas, informal discussion sessions, to groups of adults and children. This will be a large part of my work over the next two years as I work with youth groups on health, life planning, and self esteem topics. We usually start the session off with an icebreaker, move into an activity/discussion of the topic, and end with some type of reflection.

Corny joke of the week:
Q: What did the Peace Corps Volunteer give to the pirate who needed help in his community?
A: A charrrrrrrrr-la.
(You can all thank my friends Hannah and Melissa for that one.)

Also, thanks to many of you for the birthday wishes yesterday. I turned 23 here in Ecuador and didn´t quite know what to expect. A homemade cake from a fellow volunteer was definitely a surprise - as was having my face smashed into it. There´s always a new tradition to learn about, and hands-on (or in this case, face-first) is always the most exciting way to participate.

This week is our last week of training...another post to come soon!