The Journey of a Friendly Giant

As you can tell from the majority of my blog posts, there are many very positive things about Guayaquil. I do have to be honest though, unfortunately, despite my wishes, it's not always sunshine and lollipops. I contemplated whether or not I should post this blog, but after receiving some good advice, I decided to go ahead with it. It's a good thing to let people know and be prepared for, and it's also a reality, and I am not here to give any false impressions. That being said, excessive attention definitely has its downside. Especially when it comes to the aggressive men here, my GOODNESS. The lessons I have learned for when you get hit on, and you are not interested: 1. Do not let people know you’re from another country: Being from another country instantly associates you with money, and this can be dangerous, especially when they want to borrow some.  2. Do not give them your real name. – This can result in them hollering your name from a distance, thus, exposing it t

During the week, Paúl, from work, told me about his weekend in Puerto Lopez and how amazing it was. He  described it as simply  Magical and I was immediately convinced. I quickly packed my bags, then a few friends and I were off to Puerto Lopez, filled with wonder and excitement about what had yet to come. Puerto Lopez is a small fishing village set in the Pacific coast of the Ecuadorian province of Manabí. It has a population of about 16000 and its main industries include fishing, eco tourism and jewelry making. It is known for its beautiful white sanded beaches, great seafood and the Machalilla national park that offers fantastic whale watching. A small island nearby named Isla de la Plata, also holds the nickname “poor man’s Galapagos” because it shares many unique seabirds with the enchanting Galapagos Islands. As a lover of nature and its many wonders, I personally couldn’t wait to learn more about the interesting biodiversity of the sea life. Puerto Lopez is located about 4 hour

While reading my friend Amber's blog post, I was nodding and smiling the entire time. Like her, I also love kids, and always have. My history consists of working at community centers, children aid camps, sport camps and summer adventure camps. Children inspire me with their shiny eyes full of imagination, dreams and creativity. There are so many things to frown about in this world, and the more we read the news and see how critical some situations are, the easier it is to see the world from a pessimistic viewpoint. A group of children will quickly remind you that there are many beautiful subtle details in this world that you should remember to appreciate. This past weekend I took a break from my weekend travelling trips and stayed in Guayaquil. I had a few meetings planned with a Canadian visitor, and was also asked if I could do a dynamic workshop with the Jardines Del Salado environmental kids club. The age group of the kids was from 7-12 years old. The goal of the activity wa

My new girl status is finally beginning to wear off, and it seems like most of the employees are warming up to my presence at work. YESSSSSSSSSS ! My job here is strongly related to ecotourism development. Keeping that in mind, and also out of pure curiosity, I always ask if they have an opinion of a location in Ecuador that has mastered their tourism sector. My love for travel makes me happy that each employee that I speak with has their own opinion a location that I simply  must visit in Ecuador. This week Andrés, a tour guide, suggested I visit the city of Baños, (pronounced banios ). Baños is a small city with a population if 18000 people. Located about 7 hours away from Guayaquil, a pillow for the travelling bus is a good idea. Baños is very picturesque and located in the middle of  valley surrounded by the Sierra, and next to the Tungarahua volcano that is 5015 meters tall. The active Volcano allows Baños to have several hydrothermo hotsprings ,or naturally heated outdoor pools t

Every country has their share of crazy drivers. But here in Guayaquil, saying "just a few" is the understatement of the century. My ears eventually got used to the constant sound of beeping, and people shouting out their car windows, but that isn’t my main issue. Many of the street lights don’t work, and most the ones that do, don’t have a “walk/don’t walk” sign. When crossing the street, whether you believe it’s rightfully your turn to cross the street, you always have to be alert. Many cars don’t follow the rules, and keep driving even when it’s a red light for them. Sometimes, in the center of Guayaquil, there are more than 20 people crossing on both sides at one time, but that doesn’t seem to faze them. They simply keep driving, and people are forced to suddenly stop before them, or run across past them to not get hit. The people don’t have the right of way, and are not “royalty of the road”, as I was taught in Canada. Here in Guayaquil, the cars are in control. I almost

Patience is definitely something I´ve learned and developed at a young age. In fact I’m pretty sure it´s my mother´s favorite word! Though in the past this annoyed me, I now see the value in learning how to be patient,  patiently . Some people understand the concept of patience, but they simply cannot wait to see the positive outcome of their patience, with patience. I always remind myself to wait, everybody has a pace, and mine may normally be much faster, however, it doesn’t mean it´s better. Learning to wait can only bring positive things, especially when it comes to international development and capacity building. I'm focusing on establishing relationships within the community that I´m working in before jumping into workshops. Slowly but surely I am getting a short debrief of the issues some of the women are facing individually. I have been documenting this and will keep my eyes wide open for any patterns in answers, and that will inspire the topic of my first workshop. I will

  An old tradition for the Pro-Bosque ( Pro-Forest ) foundation employees is an annual camping trip. It is probably the only time where all of the employees from the different departments, as well as the interns are at the same place, at the same time without their serious work faces on. This past weekend, I happily joined the rest of the team at the Cerro Blanco dry tropical forest at 5pm for our camping adventure. When I arrived, they were preparing what I consider a gourmet meal for camping. They had shish kabobs with beef, chicken and sausage, a big pot of rice, avocado, a garden salad and maduro , which translates as: ripe . It’s sweet cooked ripe plantain bananas. Everyone contributed to the cooking, while laughing, singing and taking pictures. Okay.... so we had a kitchen for some of the stuff :) Outdoor bbq Dig in everyone! The "young people" table :) After some great conversations about family, friends, and traveling, the food was all gone, and we we