The month of Jay - Part 4: Isla de la Plata

Sitting 25 miles off the coast of Ecuador, Isla de la Plata is known as "The poor man's Galapagos" because it has a lot of the wildlife that can be found in the Galapagos, but is a lot less expensive to visit. We caught a small boat in the coastal town of Puerto Lopez and spent a day walking around the island and then did a little snorkeling before heading back. We didn't get to see as many animals as we would have in the Galapagos, but for $35 you can't expect too much.

Plata in Spanish means silver. It also is used as a slang for any type of money. Therefore, Isla de la Plata means Silver Island or The Island of Money. There are several stories why the island is called that. Some say that Francis Drake buried treasure there and that's why they call it Isla de la Plata, but I believe the other story...that all the bird droppings on the island give its cliffs the appearance of silver from afar.

The biggest attraction of the island is its Blue Footed Boobies. These birds are endemic to the Galapagos and a few other Pacific islands. Humpback Whales also mate near the islands, but the peak season is in July and August, so we didn't get to see them.

This short trip to the coast was the final event in the Month of Jay. It was a fantastic way to end my time in Ecuador.

I really can't describe how cool it was to see all the different types of birds up close, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.

A pair of Boobies

You can see here how close you can get to the birds

A Nazca Boobie and its chick

This is not a Sea Lion

The fish we snorkeled with

Th Month of Jay - Part 3: Adentro

Almost a third of Ecuador lies in the Amazonian Basin. This area called the Oriente or Adentro, Inside, is populated by several indigenous nationalities. The Shuar, Achuar, Waorani, Andoa, Shiwiar, and Zaparo peoples consider themselves members of their nationality and only recognize Ecuador as the country that has political control over their lands...they are NOT Ecuadorian in their minds.

They have their own languages, cultures, traditions, and only recently have been in contact with the Western World. Missionaries have Christianized the population to a certain extent and the Ecuadorian government assists them with medical issues. I was lucky enough to be invited on one of the government's trips adentro to help with a medical survey.

Like Peace Corps Volunteers, the Ecuadorian Department of Health needs to figure out where problems are and what are the needs of the community before they can begin working. To this aim, the Department of Health sends doctors and sociologists to jungle communities to talk with the residents about what their health problems are, when these problems are worst and what they think could be done to alleviate these problems. I was there doing some research for another PCV who will be working with community gardening in these communities. I wanted to find out what the farming practices were for the Achuar people, what plants they cultivated, and anything else that would be helpful for the PCV.

We flew about an hour in a small 5-seater plane from Puyo to the small Achuar community of Charapacocha or Turtle Lake. The view from the plane was amazing as we flew deeper into the Amazonian Rain Forest. We could see small and large rivers snaking down from the mountains and tiny communities consisting of a few houses surrounding a small landing strip.

When we arrived at Charapacocha we set up tables in a large open building that was recently constructed by the community for the Achuar Nationality Congress. The doctors with us were gong to have people from 8 surrounding communities draw community maps, make calendars of typical diseases and the months when they are most prevalent, and had them draw pictures of they way life used to be and the way they would want it to be. The sociologist with us was then going to compile everything and present the data to the heads of the provincial health department so that future programing could be planned and communities with the most problems could receive the most help.

It was interesting to see how the Achuar communities saw themselves and their future. I didn't really help too much with the diagnostic, but it was worth the trip. I told the PCV who will be working with the Achuar that she will have to focus on very small family plots that will hopefully fortify their typical diet of plantains, yuca, and taro root. Fertilizer will be a big problem, so dry toilets that can be designed to use human urine as a fertilizer may be an option. I'm sure the PCV will have a lot of problems getting the communities to change their ways, but it will surely be an adventure.

The plane we flew in on...God help us

Creating a community needs assessment

Looking at the finished product

The house where we stayed...nicest room in town (you can see the building where we worked in the background)

Eating lunch

More drawings

This is a fish they caught in the river. It is called bagre and we had it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days.

A small indigenous community from the air

Notice the airstrip to the pilot's left

Puyo as seen from the air

The Month of Jay - Part 2: Jumandy Caves

During the war in the 1500's between the invading Spanish Conquistadors and the many indigenous tribes of Ecuador, several leaders emerged. One of the most famous was a man called Jumandy. Jumandy led the indigenous Quichwa of the Amazonian Basin against the Spanish who were slowly moving down from the highlands into Quichwa territory. Jumandy burned the towns of Baeza and Archidona (now these two towns are Peace Corps volunteer sites) and moved the local populations into hiding. This was done to prevent the Spanish from stealing supplies and manpower. Jumandy was able to unite the tribes of the Oriente for a common defense...basically he was the William Wallace of Ecuador.

Jumandy attempted to get the indigenous tribes of the Sierra to help him, but when he went to their lands, they double crossed him and told the Spanish where he was. Jumandy retreated to his strong point, the caves now named after him. Unfortunately for Jumandy, the Spanish captured him at the caves, transported him to Quito, and executed him there.

Today the caves are a major tourist attraction and you can take a guided tour for $4. I had taken the Trainees who went on the Oriente Technical Trip to the caves, but it was worth going back. The coolest thing about the caves is that you can go anywhere. its not like the US where you have to stay on the path. We climbed in with our guide, Ramon, and hiked around for about an hour. We took a swim in a hole carved out by the stream that flows through the caves, bathed in a small waterfall, rubbed "medicinal" mud on ourselves, watched the bats flying all around, and generally had a good time.

The Month of Jay - Part 1: Quilotoa

Between my COS on the 4th of May and flying home on the 28th, I had some time to visit parts of Ecuador that I haven't been to yet and to say my final goodbyes to my friends. It was a great month and so busy that I didn't have time to publish posts as I traveled. To keep from boring you with a giant post on the whole month, here's the first in the series...

The month started with a visit to the Quilotoa Loop south of Quito. I'd hiked the Loop and visited Quilotoa Crater last year (see post "Happy Old Year!"), but some friends wanted to check it out, so I figured I'd act as a guide. The weather was about the same as the last time I went, but we didn't get nearly as lost on the hike because we ran into a local. He was walking home and I talked to him for a couple minutes. He said that we could walk with him to his town which was near where we were going. It worked out well and we got to the hotel right before it started to pour down rain. Here are some pictures.

Another good thing about going to Quilotoa is that it is nearish to La Libertad. After the hike I went to visit my old neighbors and friends in La Libertad. I had dinner with one family and spent the night at my neighbor's house. It was good to see them one more time. I don't know if I'll ever see them again, but I hope I do. (My plan is to visit them in 6 years when their oldest daughter turns 15. A girl's 15th birthday, or Quinceanera (the n should have a ~ over it, but my keyboard doesn't have Spanish letters...sorry) is very important in Latin culture, so they want me to come.

Jay Verhoff - RPCV

As of May 4th, 2009, I am officially and forever a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV). It took two years and three months to get that “R”, but it was worth it.

The Close of Service (COS) procedure was relatively painless for me seeing as I hadn´t had any health problems during my service. I had to go to the dentist and doctor for exams (all went well…no cavities, no HIV), close my bank account, turn in my cell phone, get almost everyone in the office to sign a sheet saying that I had concluded all work with them, talked to the nurses about post-Peace Corps health care, and finally had an interview with the Country Director to go over my Description of Service (DOS) document and give her any feedback I had about my service.

Here is my DOS if you´d like to see what I did (or at least said that I did during my two years in Ecuador)…

(OMNIBUS 97)
DESCRIPTION OF PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER SERVICE
Jay L. Verhoff
PROGRAM No. 518-07-01 - ECUADOR

After a competitive application process stressing applicant skills, adaptability and cross-cultural understanding, Jay Verhoff was invited into Peace Corps service in Ecuador. Jay Verhoff entered training on February 5, 2007, participating in an intensive 12-week program of community based training in Cayambe, Ecuador which included intensive instruction and field work in Spanish, cross-cultural studies, personal health and safety, and the technical skills required in the Sustainable Agriculture Program.

Jay Verhoff successfully completed training and was sworn in as a Volunteer on April 20, 2007. During his service in Ecuador, he was assigned to the Asociación de Mujeres (Women’s Association) - La Libertad, Cotopaxi, where he served as a technical consultant.

During his two year service, Jay Verhoff acted in a wide variety of work roles and responsibilities. The first and often hardest of these tasks, was to integrate himself into a small mestizo community high in the Andes Mountains. Faced with such difficulties as adapting to the cultural norms, building trust and confidence with an entire community, and perfecting a new language, Jay not only survived, but in fact thrived. By the end of his two year service, Jay had fully integrated himself into the fabric of La Libertad and was considered not as an outsider, but as a community member. He even was asked by his neighbors to be a co-Godfather to two of their daughters, a great honor in Ecuadorian society.

Working with his counterpart agency, the Asociación de Mujeres, Jay was able to participate in the daily operations of a local community bank. The bank was started in 2004 with US Government funds in the form of a PL-480 loan and with the help of a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV). Jay’s tasks included helping with computer problems and maintenance of their accounting system. Jay spent several days a month helping the women manage client payments and report the bank’s financial status to PL-480 officials. With over $130,000 in capital from the original loan and accrued interest, the bank stands as a great example of a successful Peace Corps project and demonstrates the sustainability and inter-volunteer cooperation that Peace Corps stresses.

Jay also assisted the teachers at La Libertad’s grade school and high school. Although Jay never received any formal training in the teaching of English as a second language, he successfully completed two years as an English professor at the local grade school. During his first year in La Libertad, Jay worked with the school’s oldest two levels. During his second year, he was asked by the principal to expand his curriculum to be able to work with four grade levels. Jay also taught nutrition, health, and agriculture classes at the local high school. Outside of a classroom setting, Jay taught computer and cooking classes to members of the Women’s Association and to any adults who asked for these courses.

One of the biggest problems facing rural Ecuadorians is the rising price of food. According to recent studies, up to 80% of Ecuadorian children already suffer from slow growth rates and an inability to concentrate at school due to Anemia. The problem of under-nourished children will only worsen with Ecuadorian inflation at close to 9% in 2008. In order to help alleviate in a very small way some of the pressures placed on Ecuadorian families by rising food prices and to improve childhood nutrition, Jay started school and community gardening projects at 15 locations near la Libertad.

Most of the communities that Jay worked in did not have a strong agricultural tradition and did not maintain any small gardens for household consumption. Jay consulted and planned with teachers and parents to determine the best method for implementing the school gardens. With the input of local communities, Jay and another PCV were able to work with students, teachers, and parents to clear land, plant, manage, and harvest their crops. In many ways, the actual gardening was the easiest facet of this project for Jay. What proved more difficult was that, because he was working in communities where he did not live, Jay had to build new relationships and show the community members that he was there to help and not to exploit them. After over a year of working, several of the communities took the initiative to plant gardens on their own at the schools or at individual’s homes. Now that the communities have confidence in Peace Corps’ commitment, Jay has passed this project on to his successor to begin expanding the program to include composting, soil erosion prevention, and pest management.

While in La Libertad, Jay also started a small scale yogurt project whose aim was to increase family incomes. Most families in La Libertad own cows and have a small amount of milk production that is sold for a very low price. Jay constructed a fermentor and researched the process involved in converting milk into yogurt, which would be much more profitable for the members of his community. Jay produced many sample batches and taught several of his neighbors how to produce yogurt. Although, the project did not reach the point where product was being sold, he did arouse interest in many women from his community and his successor will be able to build on that success, insuring that Jay’s efforts will continue to have an effect after he leaves.

Not all Peace Corps projects are successful, and Jay worked hard on one project that was finally deemed unfeasible. Many of the women that Jay worked with showed interest in starting egg production in their homes. Jay visited similar projects, researched costs and procedures, and performed market and feasibility studies. After analyzing the proposed project, Jay realized that it would not work as designed. Jay and the women made many changes to the proposal and their concept of what the project would entail. Finally, Jay wrote and presented a detailed study of their proposed project to Peace Corps officials. Unfortunately, the project was rejected because of the inability of the women involved to dedicate the sufficient amount of time to the management of the project due to their numerous domestic and work commitments.

The last four months of Jay’s service were quite different from his first 20. Jay applied for and was offered the position of Peace Corps Volunteer Technical Co-Trainer for the group of Trainees that arrived in Ecuador in 2009 to replace Jay’s Omnibus. The Co-Trainers provide a first-hand view for Trainees of Volunteer life and role of the Volunteer in development work, and assist in cross-cultural adaptation, the community entry process, safety and security aspects, and other job and Volunteer life-related issues. They also assist Technical Trainers in the design and execution of technical training, in collaboration with the other training components.

Prior to the arrival of the newest group of Trainees, Jay and the other Co-Trainers prepared and planned technical sessions, technical trips, reviewed technical materials, and advised other staff members on ways to improve the training plan. During training they assisted in the implementation of the training sessions, and after training, assisted in the final reporting and evaluation of the training program. Participating in training allowed Jay to pass on much of his knowledge, insights, and experiences to future PCVs. This was a rewarding and enjoyable way to end his 27 months in the beautiful country of Ecuador.

Pursuant to Section 5(f) of the Peace Corps Act 22 U.S.C. 2504(f), as amended, any former Volunteer employed by the United States Government following his/her Peace Corps Volunteer Service is entitled to have any period of satisfactory Peace Corps service credited for purposes of retirement, seniority, reduction in force, leave and other privileges based on length of Government service. That service shall not be credited toward completion of the probationary or trial period of any service requirement for career appointment.

This is to certify in accordance with Executive Order 11103 of April 10, 1963, that Jay Verhoff served successfully as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His service ended on May 4, 2009. He is therefore eligible to be appointed as a career-conditional employee in the competitive civil service on a non-competitive basis. This benefit under the Executive Order extends for a period of one year after termination of Volunteer service, except that the employing agency may extend the period for up to three years for former Volunteer who enters military service, pursues studies at a recognized institution of higher learning, or engages in other activities which, in the view of the appointing agency, warrants extension of the period.

Everything went well that day, but it took forever. It was a strange feeling to walk out of the office and know that I completed what I had set out to do so long ago. It was late in 2005 when I resigned from my job in Chicago with the intention of doing the Peace Corps. Now, all that is behind me and I´m ready for the rest of my life to begin.