Una casita....

After two weeks in Vilcabamba and many attempts to leave, we have decided to stay here. For a little while at least. Shay and I met a young woman named Christina from California who has been living here in Vilcabamba for nearly three years. She started a Community Center here and has dedicated much time, energy and a little of her own money into this community and Cultural Center. The center is located in a house which she rents out and is beginning to transform into a community center for the people of Vilcabamba. She created a newspaper in which the local youth contribute to and write articles for, she´s opening a cafeteria catering to locals (as far as prices and food goes), she hosts english classes and tutoring sessions and in general, she is doing EVERYTHING she can to promote environmental and cultural awareness. Her plate is overflowing with things she needs and wants to do and she has been nothing but grateful for the work we have offered her so far. Of all the extranjeros (foreignors), I have met in Vilcabamba, she has appeared to be the least egotistical and most community-centered. I sympathize greatly with her cause and goals and have decided to stay here and help her.

Entonces, Shay and I found a little house to live in for $120 a month, which breaks down to being about $2.50 a day for each of us. It´s located a short walk outside of the center of town and on the hill above Alonzo and Lacy Carpio´s house. They own a restaurant in town and work with an English program called World Teach. This program accepts English speakers and gives them room and board in exchange for a commitment of teaching English. They do not need any more volunteers at this point, so Christina has us in full. At our house, we have a little front porch with a fabulous view of the surrounding mountains and village, a kitchen!!, a bathroom and two separate bedrooms.

Beginning tommorrow, Shay and I are going to help Christina at the Community Center, building tables and chairs and painting them for the new cafeteria. Next week, we are going to start offering tutoring sessions with school children to help them with their homework and whatever else. I´m really excited to have a purpose here in South America. I think it will feel good to be doing something here a little less self-centered than simply travelling around. It feels really good to have una casita and a place to call our own and of course our own KITCHEN! We are quite tired of eating only at restaurants, especially in a pueblo as small as Vilcabamba.

Shay has about four more weeks until she has to fly back to the U.S., so until then, more or less, the plan is to stay here, IN OUR HOUSE! After she leaves, depending on how this experience turns out, I will either continue staying here or continue travelling. Time will tell. My camera broke in the missing backpack episode, so as of now I have no pictures to show, but I´m hoping to buy a new camera in Loja on Friday, so.....