The following diary has been republished with the consent of Stephen Krasner. In the interest of preserving the work in its original form we have limited our formatting and editing to essential areas. All other errors were not corrected.

10/26/00

So here I am a little less then 4 months before I depart for my Peace Corps service in Ecuador. This is my first entry in what I hope will be an extensive online journal of my accounts in the remaining time leading up to my departure as well as my time during my service.

I must admit the application process has been quite long and the waiting time definitely makes a person extremely anxious, excited and the whole sha bang. Recently, and with the more I start preparing myself through reading other peoples accounts, and educating myself on the country of Ecuador, I find myself getting more and more excited to go!!!

To be honest though, and I'm sure it is similar with others in my shoes right now, many questions and concerns enter your mind the closer you get to your departure. Things such as, what will the other volunteers I'm with be like? How will training proceed once we are there? What will contact with friends and family at home be like? What will happen to my current dating situation once I leave? In what region of the country will I be assigned after training? Am I doing the right kind of things to prepare for this endeavor? So many questions and uncertainties that it is overwhelming to think about all of them....but at the same time I gather its the normal thought of someone who will be leaving for the Peace Corps.

Anyway stay tuned as I'm sure I'll be putting a few more entries down here every now and then before I leave. Once I'm in Ecuador I will try to update this online journal as much as I possibly can and have access to do so........

SLK

11/6/00

Time is definitely flying by as my departure for Ecuador hangs out there on the horizon!!! Being that the elections are tomorrow their is good news either way with which candidate wins!!!! If Gore wins , well, that would be fantastic and I will leave with the Peace Corps knowing the country is in safe, good and responsible hands. If Bush wins the election - well thank G-d I'm leaving the country for more than half of what would be his term in office!!!

My preparation for the Corps are getting underway. I got my backpack for the trip last week - the thing is almost as big as ME!!!! Good thing I have a very strong back. I seem to be getting a lot more excited for the endeavor as time gets closer and closer. Any feelings of being nervous, a little scared, etc.... have taken a back seat to the feelings of excitement and anxiousness!!! I just wish I had a way to find out several of the other people going on this assignment so I could start corresponding with some of them!!!!

SLK

11/29/00

December is almost closing in and my departure date seems to be approaching rapidly!!! I received all my in depth country information packet and packing list a little over a week ago. Needless to say the arrival of that has gotten me more and more anxious to get underway. The good thing so far is I've been in contact with a few other people who are also going on my assignment as well as one volunteer who is currently serving in Ecuador. Puts the mind and all the questions and concerns at ease when you can at least contact people going through or experiencing what you are!!

Two and a half more months and I'm off!!!! Wow time is sure flying by here.........

SLK

12/21/00

Just under two months from today I will be underway and on my way to my Peace Corps Assignment in Ecuador. Its almost mind boggling how fast the weeks are flying by and how nerve wracked one gets making sure that all preparations are being made in time for the departure. Several of my friends and family will be coming in for a sort of Bon Voyage type party February 10th, which is nice it'll give me a chance to say goodbye to everyone one last time!!!!

Surprisingly though I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be......... In fact it really hasn't hit me that much that I'm leaving. I think it'll really start to hit me sometime in mid-January when I realize how close the departure date is!!! My main focus now is tying up lose ends with my life here and coming to grips with leaving my friends, the girl I'm seeing, and my family. Who knows how living so far away and being gone for so long will effect all those types or relationships......so it has me trying to enjoy the last couple months with my good friends, and enjoy what may be the last couple close months of seeing the girl I'm with, and also a time to enjoy (well some of the time) the last bit of time I'll see my family for a while!!!

Seems like theirs a lot to do and time is starting to sneak up on me........ But all the while I am getting a lot more excited and anxious to get started with things!!!!

SLK

1/23/01

I received my staging packet in the mail yesterday!!! The packet consist of details about the orientation period in Miami right before we leave!!! Its a brief one night in Miami then off on our 4 hour flight to Quito. We'll be arriving there around 9:30pm or so on the 21st of February. Wow time sure is flying by. To think I started applying and preparing almost a little less then a year ago......

My parents are sponsoring a going away party type deal on February 10th which should be a nice send off from my friends and family. Funny how all this hasn't really hit me that hard yet!!!! It reminds me of the time leading up to when I left for Israel and the Middle East over a year ago...none of it hit me until I was on the actual plane leaving. I'm guessing this will all hit me that its all for real within the couple days before I leave!!!

Anyhow I'm done at work one week from tomorrow which his very exciting!!!! I'll have no problems leaving the work I do in the law firm!!! The only positive to working here was the money situation worked out well!!! But besides that their really isn't to much to look forward to being a Legal Assistant and having to answer to Attorney's day in and day out!!! Not saying any of them were bad people, but lets face it working as a Legal Assistant limits ones self to doing a lot of tedious, meaningless, and unsatisfying work!!! Whereas the Peace Corps looks to be something much much more...........

Well the wait is almost over, and soon I'll be posting entries on this from down in Ecuador!!!

SLK

2/13/01

One week from today and I'm on my way to one heck of a journey here!! Funny how the same question seems to be repeating itself in my mind...."What the heck have I gotten myself into....?" In actuality though that’s the same thought that has me extremely excited for what lies ahead.

To be honest I think my departure has really hit home with all those around me and well hasn't really hit me at all yet!! I've been so busy with preparations to leave, that the actual "leaving" part has been far from my mind!! However it has been getting rough to see people close to me get upset and sad at my leaving.

In any event it all is seaming surreal now, and the time has just flown by so quickly. The next entry I write in here will undoubtly be from within Ecuador.........

SLK

3-10-01

I made it, I’m here in Ecuador!! Wow its been almost three weeks now and its all been moving so fast!!! The first few days we were here the whole trainee group stayed in Cumbaya, Ecuador just outside of Quito. After those few days we all were then divided up into two smaller groups, some going to a towns outside a bigger town called MIRA, while my group is centered around a town called GUAUPE. To break it down more 3-4 volunteers live in smaller towns that are kind of clustered around those two bigger areas. My town is called LITA and its in Northern Ecuador!! Its a very nice town and I absolutely love my host family they are so very nice!!!! My Spanish level is improving daily, and I’m learning and doing all sorts of Agricultural training which is interesting!!! All in all everything is going well, sometimes especially at nights when your alone is when you miss people, but its not so bad that one cant cope with it!!! My whole group of trainees I{m with our cool and I{ve made several friends among the group!!! In any event Ecuador is a remarkable country with some of the most breathtaking views one can see anywhere in the world!!! I use email and phones on weekends during this three month training period in a city called Ibarra, about 2 hours from Lita!!!! I don’t know where my permanent site will be yet, but we will find out in a few weeks!!!! Well Ill try to update this journal when I can and when there is time....mostly on Saturdays when I can make it to the city!!!! Hasta Lluego

SLK

3-31-01

Hola!! Como esta todos? Yo estoy muy bien!! Un poco cansado, no malo! Ok well we’re halfway through training now and wow has it been all over the place so far!!!!! I just thought I’d do a bit of a recap of the different little adventures thus far!!!!

Week 1 - Upon Day 4 of arriving in Ecuador I managed to slice my finger open and go to the emergency room in Quito to get 3 stitches!! Looking back on it one has to laugh!! Next time someone asks me to assist in opening a jammed rum bottle I think I’ll use a plastic knife!!!

Week 2 - Made my home in Lita, Ecuador for training with my way cool host family!!!! I also managed to have a misunderstanding with a community dog while walking back to my room from the shower.....I’m sure the dog enjoyed stealing my towel and using it as a chew toy!!!

Week 3 - Decided to scale a bridge across a ravenous river, the bridge was one log...or rather really big stick wide (photos have been sent to the states) - Of course I had to stand in the middle of this rope and stick bridge with my MACHETE to pose for a Kodak moment!! Also had my encounter with my first big snake.....good thing was it wasn’t poisonous!

Week 4 - Had to hike around a HUGE MUDSLIDE that made the road to my training site impassable..(photos were sent home of that too) There was like a small mountain in the road!! Not to mention the week before the indigenous people had a strike in the roads and wouldn’t let busses pass!!

Week 5 (this week) - This past Wednesday we all went to Quito and watched Ecuador vs. Brazil in soccer!! It was way cool as Ecuador upset Brazil and won 1-0!!!!!! Anyway that kind of raps up some of the more exciting recent news!!! We turned in our three choices, yesterday, of which sites in Ecuador we want to be in for our 2 years!! Turns out everyone in my Agriculture program picked like the same 5 spots between all of us!!! So basically none of us have a clue now as to where we will end up, but we all find out this Friday so I’ll have plenty of news to share in my e-mail next Saturday!!

Things are all in all going well, training remains to be quite challenging and can get frustrating and stressful at times!! However the positives from all this far outweigh the negatives!!!! Happy Passover - Easter to everyone!!! I’ll be in touch again soon!!!

Hasta Lluego!!!! El Señor Krasner

4-7-01

Hola, Como estan? Hi all well its definitely been an up and down weak of training!! I gave my first presentation in Spanish in front of my trainers and some townspeople, and in any case I was being graded on it by the Peace Corps Staff. Everything was going great I had several diagrams on Poster Board, and Hands on Demonstration as well as all the Spanish for the most part memorized!!! Anyhow I got nailed on it and have to redo it again next Thursday because I didn’t have enough audience participation and didn’t ask them if they had any questions for me!!! Needless to say I had the most frustrating, upsetting and disappointing day I’ve had thus far in Peace Corps last Thursday. But the bright side of it is in the long run repeating it again can only help in improving my skills and experience in what I’m doing in the future....it just sucks I have another weak of stress to worry about doing it again!! Now onto the cool news I got my site where I’ll be living for 2 years yesterday. Here are all my details about where I’ll be, what I’m doing etc................ Site Name (Town): Luz De America Province: Pichincha JOB DESCRIPTION: The PCV would work with the community in the promotion and marketing of products. He/she would need to teach administrative themes for small businesses and work in the industrialization of coffee and cacao. The community would like someone to help improve the traditional and non traditional crops and to work with women groups in small agriculture projects. COUNTERPART AGENCY: The counterpart agency is the Asociacion Cacateros y mas Productos Tropicales - 7 de Abril. it is an agency that gives technical assistance to the local farmers in the area. VOLUNTEER CHARACTERISTICS: The community needs a PCV who is very motivated and willing to work with men and women’s groups. The PCV needs to have some knowledge in agriculture and business, or business with a preference to what applies to agriculture. SITE CHARACTERISTICS: The community is a middle size site in the coastal region. The people work mainly in Agriculture, business, and marketing. It is located about a 1/2 hour from Santo Domingo de los Colorado’s on the road to Quevedo, it is also 3 hours outside of Quito. It has a hot climate and tropical plants. It has electricity, water and telephone. There has never been a PCV working in the community although we did have a training group there last year.

So that’s it sounds to me like a perfect location and site!! Santo Domingo which is a half hour away is a beautiful city with restaurants, stores, internet, banks, telephones hotels etc.. Not to mention Quito is 3 hours away. Anyhow I’ll write more when I can but just wanted to get the info out to everyone!!! Hasta Lluego!!!!!

Ciao, Stephen

4-13-01

Hola mi amigos y familia!! Como estan? Voy a viajar para sitio visitar en lunes!!! Es muy importante por miro mi nueva casa y comunidad. Things are going well this week!! Actually its been an up and down week but heck that’s been every week in training. Well were all set to go on our site visits on Monday. It’ll be nice to get out and see some more of the country on our own for a bit, especially since this will be our first times seeing where our new homes will be!! Nothing to exciting this past week, same old Spanish classes etc... I had a meeting yesterday with my two trainers where I was evaluated on all aspects of training. Some things were positive and then some things they said were not so positive. OF course being me I challenged every non positive thing they had to say....all in all it was a good meeting as I felt cleared up any misperceptions and we exchanged constructive criticism on both sides!!! So hopefully we set a new more positive pace for the rest of training. A lot of people in our group didn’t agree with their evaluations from the trainers...I’m starting to think its all kind of a test to see if your cut out to be a volunteer down here !!! In any regards I’m just looking forward to getting training out of the way so I can get down to business at my site!!! Oh I did hike up a mountain last Wednesday near my village and came in contact with another snake friend!!! The guy I was with (12 year old kid) explained the snake was not poisonous so he caught it and I have a great photo of me holding it!! (: Oh the tech demo I had to repeat , well I haven’t done it yet!! I’m scheduled to do it again after my site visit on Monday April 30th, and then I have to give another one the very next day. So Ill be super stressed at that time but I’m not going to worry about until after my site visit!!!! In any regards thanks so much for everyone who has been sending email out here!!! Even though I don’t have enough time to reply personally all the time its real nice to be able to read all the e-mails when I ever get to use a computer. So thanks again!!!! Well I'm off to run some errands, I will be online again later this afternoon so feel free to email or catch me on Instant Messenger!!!! Hasta Luego!!! Ciao, Stephen

4-26-01

Hola MI AMIGOS Y FAMILIA, I just got into Ibarra after an 8 hour trek in the bus systems of Ecuador!!! Anyway my site of Luz De America is way cool!!! I spent the past few days visiting several different groups and organizations. It was rather challenging to be totally alone for the first time for a week having to solely rely on my Spanish skills to communicate. Anyhow here is the scoop!! I met with two women’s groups, one of whom had a TV crew from Guayaquil visiting (CNN) filming a story on projects they were working on....and I just happened to be there and the crew was intrigued at my presence and interviewed me with a few simple questions.... So if your watching CNN look for a piece on Ecuador and you might possibly see me!!!! Anyway Ill be working with these women’s groups on different projects such as assisting in marketing their products, helping them with organic farming methods and Ill be working to coordinate health classes in the community. Ill also be working with a couple agricultural groups...one of them needs assistance in finding new markets around South America and possibly the United States for Cacao (chocolate) so they are relying heavily on me to make that happen.....God only knows how I’m going to pull that off!!! I also met with the directors of both the grammar school and high school and I’ve agrees to teach two weekly ENGLISH classes in the evenings for adults and kids...needless to say that should be a whole different kind of challenge. The town itself is rather nice...it is centered around a main road that goes from Santo Domingo to Guayaquil. Due to this there are a bunch of stores and restaurants open 24 hours 7 days a week right on the main road!!! There are about 3-4 thousand people living at the site...which is big by most site standards. Its a short 25-30 minute ride by bus up the road to Santo Domingo (busses pass by all the time). Santo Domingo is a nice large city with tons of restaurants, stores, banks, hotels, internet cafes.....etc.... Its got one of the LARGEST open air markets in Ecuador open all week!!! Its similar in a sense to the market area in the Old City of Jerusalem for those of you who are familiar with it!!!! The weather there is HOT - HUMID - and has quite a few mosquitoes as ive discovered the hard way!!! It tends to rain heavily almost every night , which is good as it cools things off!!! All in all its a great site where I’m very excited to live for 2 years and get working!!! Oh I found the house where Ill be living for 2 years.....I looked at like 4 or 5 different ones before I found the one I liked the best!!! Its got a pretty large kitchen, tiled bathroom, 2 bedrooms, and a big family room. The backyard opens out to a beautiful river!!! Its got running water, electricity. and I think maybe even a phone line!!!! So all in all its a great place to live!!!! The whole town knows my name and news traveled fast!!!! Its funny walking down the street this week and having people I never met come up and introduce themselves....it took me 2 hours to walk 2 blocks because I was stopped and talked to by so many people!!!! That’s about it for my site visit...I’m sure Ill have more to tell after I start living there. Tomorrow (Ill be checking email again tomorrow...HINT) I head back to my host family in Lita where we will finish up training and then ALL head to Quito on May 12th. After 5-6 days in Quito we will go through the graduation process on May 17th and be sworn in as Volunteers...that’s if I don’t get kicked out of Peace Corps first...(kidding)!! Ill then be returning to my permanent site in Luz De America for my 2 year service. OH and for all those wondering my mailing address here stays the same for now!!! Ill send out an email if it changes but I’m close enough to Quito that I can pick up mail at the current address (found on my webpage) Also in case anyone would like Ill be in a hotel room for tonight with a phone.... to call its 011-593-6-644-918 (room number 6) Remember they don’t speak English at the front desk so you would say... Yo hablo con dormitorio seis...or yo hablo con Stephen Krasner en dormitorio seis por favor. Anyway I hope everyone is well...and Ill be in touch when I can. We have a stressful next few days of getting a lot of work done etc.....so Ill be nice and stressed out for the next couple weeks...I cant wait till training is over.......!!!! Hope to hear from everyone soon!!!!! Hasta otra dia!!!!! Ciao El Señor Krasner

5-2-01

Hello again to those of you who got my last email from an hour ago!! As you can see I was able to get back on internet for a bit!! Any things have gone well this week since my site visit last week!!! Right now I’m sitting in an internet cafe in OTAVALO. Just in case any of you were wondering (and I know of a couple people who have asked) there are tons of internet cafes all over Ecuador and its never really to hard to find one within range!!! We just had an awesome dinner at a restaurant here...I went for the shrimp pizza!!!! Anyhow after we got back from our site visit last Thursday we all found out we had a five day trip lasting from today until Sunday!! They divided us up into regions for the different trip....meaning all the people who will be living on the coast our going on a coastal site....and people living in the sierra and oriente will be going on similar trips!!! So tomorrow morning we’re leaving from here and actually stopping at my site (so part of the group will see where I’ll be living) for lunch then continuing on to QUEVEDO. After a day there we’ll be heading back to a rural town near my site and spending a night there...after that we’re in SANTO DOMINGO for a night and then it’s back to our training sites on Sunday!!! Then it’s only 6 more days with our host families after which we are all in Quito for 6 nights leading up to graduation at the US Embassy on the 17th. Then around the 18th or 19th we all head to our sites for our 2 year duration!! I’m so psyched to almost be done with training !! I did my two technical demonstrations on Monday and Tuesday which is a major requirement to pass training....and it was 5 straight days of stressing out but I NAILED both my tech demos with flying colors and passed!! The only other hurdle left is the final Spanish competency test...which is Monday after we get back from this trip!!!! That’s about it for now!!! Everything is going well ...oh some exciting news...in my host site of Lita on Monday there were about 6 different helicopters coming in and out of there...I took photos!! Apparently north of where we were they were and still are having some trouble with the Columbian Guerillas crossing...it was pretty exciting to watch everything go on!!!! I hope everyone is well and just sent more mail out today!!! Take care and when I have time in the next week or two I’ll write back to all of you who’ve been emailing personal letters and stuff!! We are just so crunched for time the next two weeks before we are done with training!!!!

"Peace Corps Training is kind of like pledging a fraternity....it’s one of those things in life you only want to do once!" -This was me describing Peace Corps to a friend in a letter last week...I thought it was a good quote to share!! Hope all is well with everyone,

Regards, EL SEÑOR KRASNER

5-11-01

Hola mi amigos, Como estan? You estoy muy bien! Voy a viajor por Quito a las Domingo, despues para mi nuevo sitio en Luz de America. Vamos a visitar Quito por seis dias, por que es un reunion oficial por nuevo voluntarios con Cuerpo de Paz. Yo es mas o menos triste por que vivo con familia en Lita por un dia mas. Me gusta mi familia en Lita mucho, voy a visitar familia en futuro es muy simpatico. Todos personas entiendan mi espanol? Ok I’ll switch to English now!!! Just trying to practice my Spanish a bit as its been getting a little better with each day! Anyway ..wow where to begin!!! Well after three long months I cleared the last hurdle this week and passed the final oral Spanish test and have cleared ALL three months worth of technical, cultural, language, and other various competencies and am all set to be sworn in as a official Peace Corps volunteer on Thursday afternoon. We’ll be leaving on Sunday for Quito where we have a lot of administrative meetings and logistical stuff to go over before the swearing in at the US Ambassadors house on Thursday. Needless to say a lot of us are happy to be done with training and get started with the real Peace Corps experience. At times the training period has been stressful, difficult, frustrating with many challenges both mental and physical, but after having gone through it I feel like a better person for succeeding. Not everyone in our group got to the end of training. we started with 51 and are down to 45. Peace Corps just isn’t for everyone!!! But those of us whom made it are psyched and ready to go!!! We’ll all be in Quito from Sunday (May 13) to the following Saturday before we all split off to go start life at our sites. I will confess it is going to be difficult to have to say good-bye to my host family in Lita. The whole experience of living with them has been nothing but positive and I’ll definitely be going back for visits over the years as I’ve grown quite fond of them. At the same time I’m excited and ready to get started on work at my own site and make my impact felt for the better there. There is a bit of nervousness and anxiety that I’m having along with most others....as this will be our first time OUT THERE on our own with nothing but our own vices to guide us!! Actually I find it all more or less exciting more then any other feeling!! Well to update everyone on some more interesting news and stories, we had quite the interesting week in Lita. So here we are Monday evening, Jennifer (the other trainee at my host site in Lita) and myself walking to the phone office so she could call her family in the U.S. for her birthday. Anyway when we got to the phone office there were about six Ecuadorian military people waiting to use the phone as well. Keep in mind their is a small military base on the road above Lita. In any event the military guys started talking to Jenn and I, and not before long we discovered a few of them had really good English. A few of them had trained in different parts of the states with the U.S. military, some in Fort Knox, and even one in Washington DC for 6 months. Anyway we hit it off and they all sang to Jennifer upon discovering it was her birthday. So later that night around 10pm its poring rain with a little lightening and I peer out my window to see about 70-80 Ecuadorian soldiers in full fatigue, guns and all marching into the town plaza of Lita. Being the curious person I am I grabbed my camera and cautiously approached the scene to check out what was going on! As I followed the soldiers they marched in front of the house where Jennifer was living, lined up in rows and all of them proceeded to sing Happy Birthday to her followed by the sending up of a flair. Needless to say it was one heck of a site and way cool! I took plenty of photos of the scene and even got some with me and the soldiers. I tried to convince them to let me pose with a machine gun...but they weren’t to keen on that idea. Earlier the same day that the military thing happened I had a unique opportunity to play with some snakes. I used a protective glove and got to handle two of the worlds most deadliest snakes (they were baby snakes so not too big) anyway it was a Equiz and Coral snake....I have plenty of photos that will soon be on the way to the states!! In any event it was all very cool and made for an exciting week. I’m going to wrap this letter up before it starts getting to long here!! All in all things are going great now and I’m just very excited to have made it through training and will be more excited to swear in on Thursday. I’ve come to another milestone in my life with doing the Peace Corps, and now being here going through training and preparing to serve my forthcoming two years...I have no regrets and no doubts about the decision I’ve made. As for what the future holds down the road...well time will tell but I’m bent more then ever now on getting myself through law school after Peace Corps then off to achieving a name in the political arena perhaps, Governor, Senator, Congressman or even President. Through all the emotion and challenges one can go through with an experience like this...I think Peace Corps does a fantastic job of offering its volunteers a discovery of confidence to do anything with ones self and future. As I wrote in my diary a while back....."Don’t Dream it, Do it". Hasta Lluego, I’ll be in touch again soon...Hope all is well

-Stephen-

5-16-01

Hola Everyone - Well we got through our last meetings today as Peace Corps TRAINEES. Tomorrow at 830am we will arrive at the US Ambassadors residence for our swearing in ceremony!! In any event thanks for all the emails this week to those of you who wrote and those who sent letters via postal mail. I will have time to respond to everyone personally on Thursday and Friday, so I just wanted you all to know I’m not blowing you off just hadn’t had a few hours to respond personally yet......hold on for a day or two more!!! I just sent out a letter or rather e-mail to President Bush and thought I’d share with you all what I wrote him. You’ll find it written below!!! I’ll be in touch again soon in the next day or two to let you all know how the swearing in went!!!! Hope all is well, STEPHEN LETTER TO BUSH Dear Mr. President, My name is Stephen Louis Krasner, I’m 24 years old and tomorrow morning I will be swearing in at the U.S. Ambassadors house in Ecuador to become an official Peace Corps Volunteer. We’ve spent the past three months in community based training learning Spanish and technical skills for our service. It is with great pride that I will take on this service for the next two years. I’m writing to you in concern with many different things I’ve been reading and hearing down here in regards to your administrations Environmental stance. Too be honest I’m a little discouraged with the news that you have pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol, are planning to expand oil drilling pursuits and our examining the former administrations actions to protect certain lands. I feel this approach towards the environment is a step in the wrong direction. What discourages me the most here, is here we are a group of Peace Corps Volunteers spread throughout the world trying to help the lives of people and in many aspects improve the worlds environment. In the agricultural program that I will be swearing into tomorrow, part of our job will be to assist in the reduction of chemical use on the lands, deforestation, and the improvement of waste management. These are not all of our different goals and assignments, but they are a big part of them. I feel as though what were doing under the flag of our nation to embetter these challenges and problems is being countered at home by actions of your administration. I would hope that you and your administration would make better efforts to participate in our worlds responsibility and effort to look out for and assist in embettering our fragile environment. Thank you for your time and attention on this matter. With Regards, Stephen Louis Krasner

5-17-01

Some people talk about things, some people dream about a grand future.....and some people make it happen. Walking up to the podium this morning, after having stood with my group taking the oath of allegiance to Peace Corps, and receiving my official certificate and shaking the U.S. Ambassadors hand was an experience I will not soon forget.

The swearing in was held at the Ambassador house (in Quito)-----more like a beautiful resort compound overlooking the snow capped Andes in the backyard!!! We all were excited to cross the line and become official volunteers today. Tonight we have put together an huge party here in one of the hotels!!! Its going to be a long night of celebrating needless to say! Anyhow I was able to corner the Ambassador after the ceremony and got a good photo of her and I with the mountains as a backdrop. I then got in a great one on one discussion with her on Plan Columbia, and the drug problem and how it relates to Ecuador. Being an aspiring politician of course I offered my own insight and views on the situation. We then discussed the new U.S. intelligence airbase and Manta......with a little talk on the current Bush Administration. She also gave a speech during our swearing in shedding some light on what is going on with all these situations as well as U.S. policy.

On Saturday morning I will be on route to my site to begin a two year post, not knowing where the results in two years will lie. This country from all Ive seen in my three months has so much going for it and so much potential. Its got great natural resources, rich lands, and a cultural and strong people. Unfortunately the government and corruption here as well as debts to the IMF and World Bank hold it down and people have little faith in the government and democratic system here. It is hopefully through the work we will do here and the cross cultural exchanges to be shared in the next years will help this nation improve its short term needs and hopes for livelihood and at the same time spread some foundations of ideas and beliefs which made our country what it is today! Only time will tell, but in my site of Luz de America...I will commit myself to these foundations and beliefs for the couple years ahead.

I hope all is well and I look forward to future correspondence as my service to Peace Corps gets underway.

Regards,

Stephen Louis Krasner

5-22-01

Hola mi amigos y familia. He vivido en mi nuevo sitio por tres dias ahora. Todas es mas o menos bien. El primero dias en mi sitio por trabajar es no muy rapida porque es nesecito para mi aprenda diferente systemas de negocio en mi comunidad despues mas trabajar. Solo problema para mi es un languaje, es dificil para mi entiendo todas personas.

Ok I’ll conclude the Spanish lesson for now!!! These first few days are going kind of slow as was to be expected. Hence I find myself keeping busy by doing research here in the internet cafes in Santo Domingo. I’ve already made some initial contacts with different exporters in the states. Peace Corps philosophy is that the first three months at our sites should more or less be for observation and getting to know the people. As for the project, well one of the ones, Ive undertaken with this exporting business...on the scale Ill be doing it, is unlike anything any other Peace Corps volunteer has successfully attempted. Granted that’s kind of how I like it!!! I always seem to like situations that are more challenging and difficult than others. But boy am I going to have my hands full in the future with this project!!!

It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve been out here for over 3 months already. Sometimes it seems like its been an eternity, when other times it seems hardly any time at all. Out here living in a third world country a person starts seeing things differently and definitely becomes more humbled by the experiences. People in this environment don’t take for granted all that we do in the United States. A luxury here is simply to have functional electricity, plumbing (toilet and shower), and for those lucky ones access to a telephone. Amazing observation is it seems those who have less are some of the more generous people I’ve ever encountered, totally willing to share whatever they have with the passing by stranger.

As for me, well I definitely feel myself changing as I become more and more absorbed into the culture and language of this place. With each passing day my skills in leadership, problem solving, and communication are tested and enhanced. Sure I miss everyone at home.....but then again the word home is shaping up to have a different meaning for me these days. I’m not quite sure sometimes where to call home anymore......Ecuador or the States. Its amazing though, a persons knowledge of life increases dramatically when not surrounded by all the distractions that we’re all accustomed too in the U.S. I’ve definitely learned to view the world a lot differently then in the past!! Hence, I think if a person has a desire to be a world leader one day, its only in their best interest to get out their and know the world a bit.

This Sunday I’ll be working with my counterpart to locate and secure a house for my two years of service!!!! This Friday I’ll be leaving early in the morning for Quito so I can pick up the rest of my stuff in the office that I couldn’t manage to get here, as well as use some resources in the Peace Corps office to help me get started on some projects. I’ll then be returning back to Luz de America sometime Saturday afternoon. In any event things are going well, and as some of you have realized I have more regular access to e-mail now that I’m at my site. Well put simply anytime I want to check e-mail I just have to get on a bus (their are tons that pass by my site all day) for the 20 minute ride or so to Santo Domingo and go into a internet cafe!!!

I hope all is well and feel free to e-mail whenever now as its a lot easier these days and more convenient for me to get online!!! I wrote kind of a poem in my journal a month ago that I submitted (at the advice of some peers) to be published in the Ecuador Peace Corps Newsletter which comes out every three months. In any regards I thought I’d share it with you all and will send it out in a separate e-mail following this one!!

Take care, and be in touch!! Hasta Lluego,

Regards,

El Señor Krasner

6-2-01

Dear All-

Well its been a real busy couple days and will only get busier this coming week!!! Where to start...ok Thursday I went shopping for all the big line items I needed for my new apartment here!!! Lets see it consisted of a bed frame, mattress (a nice one....about queen-size), sheets, pillows, blanket, Refrigerator (you wouldn’t believe what they cost out here), gas stove with 4 burners, gas tank, big wood table for stove and kitchen utensils, plastic table and two chairs, window shades, door locks, some pots and pans (more like one pot and one pan) etc.... Still need to get silverware, plates and all that jazz!! Anyway I will say this about Peace Corps, the money they give you for moving in allowance is kind of a joke as I spent double that to get the basics. The tough thing about being a Peace Corps volunteer in a site that’s never had one or there is no one about to leave...is you have to buy everything from scratch. A lot of people just buy stuff for their places directly from the leaving volunteer and pay them the move in allowance for everything. So the volunteer in 2 years when I’m leaving is going to make out quite well!!! Anyway the first night in my place was nice!!!! I forgot what it was like to sleep on a bed and mattress where you didn’t feel the wooden planks jabbing into your back!!! It was also an amazing experience to be able to go to my fridge and pull out a COLD bottle of water.....wow!! Oh and I took a shower for the first time in 5 days (basically the shower where I was staying before was.....well scary by most standards) It’ll be weird to cook for my first time..probibly tomorrow since I’m spending a night in Santo Domingo. A old University of Hartford Alumnus who graduated 2 years before me has been working in Quito the past couple months. Hence she is coming to visit for the weekend!!! So its easier to get a hotel room or a couple rooms rather for tonight. Wow to speak English this weekend!!!!

OK so here’s what my work recently has been like aside all the hassles of moving in !!! Yesterday I spent about 6 hours visiting different Cacao farms who are a part of the Cacao Association in my town. There were three representatives from Quito that met us (the farmers and I) to look at and get information from the area. There is a non functioning processing plant for Cacao in our town and these guys from Quito have access to financing to help with agricultural projects. Anyhow they came out and things went all right!!! I’m determined to press these guys for this financing to go through. So I ask permission from the farmers in the Association after the Quito reps left, if I could arrange a meeting at their offices in Quito. I got the blessing and I have an email address for one of the reps who I got along with very well and will be trying to arrange a meeting with them at their offices in the next couple weeks. If we got the processing plant functioning then that would put us in a very advantageous position to export a final product direct to the United States and Europe. The machinery is used to separate the different classes of cacao bean and then I think the other is to further process it!!! Anyhow, I’m going to try and meet these guys with my counterpart and another Peace Corps person who has better Spanish then I do, so I can use them as a translator where needed!!!

Ok that’s the cacao project for the time being!!! Next on Tuesday I will be meeting with the director of the school to coordinate my teaching schedule. YES I WILL BE TEACHING ENGLISH to students a couple times a week!!!! Then on Wednesday I have the Peace Corps Volunteer stationed in Lita vesting with two of her towns leaders (Lita was where I lived for my 3 months of training) to view a Quayle Egg project that a women’s group is doing in my town. This project is going so successful for this women’s group and pulling in quite a bit that during my site visit the TV crews were here doing a story on it!!! In any event what were doing is called a inter-technical exchange program. Whereas the town leaders from Lita will come to learn about HOW to successfully pull off this project and then take that idea back to Lita!!!!!

Ok well I’m pretty much tapped out of things to say at the moment but this should give you an idea of where everything is at with me!!!!!

Take care and talk to you all later!!!!

STEVE

6-5-01

Hi all - ok just a brief update as things are now starting to get quite busy!!! I met with the director of the school this morning and well yours truly is a new professor at the school starting one week from today. My teaching schedule is Tuesdays and Thursdays 2 classes per day one from 8:15am - 9am and one from 9am - 9:45am. So all in all Ill be teaching four classes a week to different grades. In case you have not guessed I’ll be teaching English. Last night I met with the director of the women’s group and starting a week from Friday Ill be spending all my Fridays working with the women’s groups on an assortment of projects from Health, Home Gardens, teaching their kids English, etc..... On top of this I have set up a meeting with some potential financers in Quito to upgrade the Cacao production facilities in my site. This should give us a bit of an edge when we are ready to obtain markets in Europe and the States to develop exporting practices.

So while most Peace Corps volunteers are spending their first 3 months just getting accustomed to new surroundings and adapting to the lifestyles Ive chosen the path of diving right into the grand scheme of things!!!! the teaching thing definitely has me a little nervous...thank G-d I have a bit of a sense of humor about it!!! Friday I’m off to Quito early in the morning to take care of some business at the Peace Corps office and perhaps go see a movie etc and obtain some finances out of the safe.

Ive been getting a lot of emails asking if I want anything sent here....well since I’m going to have a TV and VCR very soon...heck some movies for it would be cool....besides that I’m pretty set, unless anybody has teaching materials or instructions for creating lesson plans!!!! Hope all is well and I’m off to read up on some current happenings!!!

Ciao,

STEVE

6-23-2001

Dear all, I hope this letter finds everyone doing well.It´s now been just over 4 months here in service with the Peace Corps. Things are progressing well on almost all fronts!! Every project I’ve begun this past month has been producing positive results in their initial stages.Thus unlike previous e-mails, in this one Ill discuss some things out here which are both puzzling and not of the most happy, cheery nature.

Ecuador is probably one of the more safe countries in Latin America, however as of stories I’ve heard and a close call I had its not without its dangers.

Something happened to me about a month ago which I have not told many because I guess I was a little shocked and felt kind of stupid about it! In the early evening just a few hours after I had been sworn in as a volunteer and was on my way to the graduation party I experienced a dose of the real life effects of poverty and how that’s transformed to crime. I was walking a little off the beaten path on a side street in Quito on my way to the hotel where the party was taking place when I got to a little lost. Before I knew it one guy walking towards me bumped into me lifting 60 bucks from my pocket. Immediately I knew something was wrong and turned around to see two others and the guy who walked into me approaching from a half block behind, one of them reaching into his jacket. The main road was ahead of me with a few taxis on the side...not even thinking I grabbed a handful of rocks and gravel from the side of the road jerked around threw it and darted for a taxi. With my wallet safely in my fleece vest pocket. and only minus 60 bucks!!! I never reported this to Peace Corps which was probably stupid but I was in such shock that it happened!! To this point in time makes me a little nervous to think about what the guy was reaching in his jacket for.... My words of advice taxis, gravel and rocks are great allies. no seriously....sometimes crime and the dangers of a foreign country cant be avoided, your best defense is common sense. I learned this lesson very well. This is a good story for a practical downside experience.

Que mas.....now for a look at a more emotional challenge that Peace Corps volunteers can face out here, at least from my perspective!! Its been a month since the business of training involvement has passed, and now sitting in my place at nights alone...well one can be haunted; at times by thoughts and emotions. As I sit in my apartment staring at the numerous photos of friends, family and others I care about...well it can be hard. You look at the faces of everyone wondering what they are doing, thinking and saying at that point in time from a world that is somewhat fading from your own thoughts. So I sit here, as I’m writing this, Tuesday night on paper first.....listening to my Gladiator soundtrack and looking at countless photos of times, places and memories. The thoughts which haunt you is whether those who you have left behind; still know your gone, do those whom you are close with ...well are they slowly drifting away from your own life. You walk through streets, markets, cities, pueblos with pairs of eyes staring at you sending a chill of loneliness surging through you. Out here with limited communication skills, all eyes watching you, and not to many chances to talk to family and friends.... a feeling of isolation attacks your nerves and causes you to sometimes fight the occasional tear from falling. Then you pause...maybe sip your coffee and remind yourself why you are here, what your goals are, and think of all the potential good you have the opportunity to work towards....then you realize the sacrifice you made to be here was well worth it. Every now and then you take a look in the mirror and you see a bit of a difference in the person standing before you!!! They are a bit more worldly, wise and mature, it is then you realize the sacrifice made wasn’t only for the good of those you serve and help, but indeed it was for the good of yourself as well...... This experience is kind of like sailing through and ocean. You encounter excitement, storms, calm, and then arrive at a port of destination at the end, where that port is...only time will tell. Regards,

Stephen Louis Krasner

7-2-01

Hola mi amigos y familia tambien,

Como estan? Que hacen? Estoy muy bien! Aqui todos es tranquilo y suficiente ahora. He trabajado much esto semana con la escuela, mujeras grupa y cacao asociacion. Yo tengo mucho reunions proximo semana, asi no vacacion para mi en poco la futura. Voy a Quito proximo fin de semana....depende en mi negocio en Luz de America!! No voy a visitar Quito por 4 de Julio fiesta en la embajadoras casa, por que yo quiero visitar otra fiesta con mucho cuerpo de paz voluntarios. Manana aqui (martes) es un grande fiesta porque es dia de canton en Santo Domingo. Que mas....esta bien yo cambio por ingles....mas fascil por ustedes no? My Spanish isn’t perfect in every sense but its coming along to a good point where I can communicate and comprehend quite a bit. In any event things are on the up and up! I’ve been quite busy this past week with several meetings with the Cacao Asociation and potential financial backers from Quito. I don’t want to jinx anything but I will say things are shaping up rather nicely, and a lot faster then I would have imagined. Ive got the women’s group working successfully doing a big home gardening project. They think I’m some agricultural guru....so I’m going to let them think that, wouldn’t want to burst their bubble by telling them Ive just been learning the subject since arriving in Ecuador. The English classes at the school are actually a lot of fun and I must be doing something right as my students are retaining a lot of what I’m teaching them. Two days ago (Saturday) I hiked out in the bosque...jungle... a little ways to visit some farmers out there. It was a nice hike, although left me a little dehydrated for a

The following diary has been republished with the consent of Stephen Krasner. If you wish the view the original weblog, click here. In the interest of preserving the work in its original form we have limited our formatting and editing to essential areas. All other errors were not corrected.

12-5-01

Hey all - Well as the subject heading (A Murderer among us) of this e-mail indicates this is not one of the most cheery uplifting group emails I am accustomed to write about however I felt it important to update everyone on!!! Things have been going up and down since my return here to Ecuador, by that I mean the overall readjustment to being back here as well as dealing with a few personal issues and what not. However yesterday evening I was informed of some rather disturbing news that happened in my site of Luz de America. Apparently what was told to me is that while I was back in the U.S. during my trip a person was robbed and killed in front of the high school on the main road. In any event she was a 28 year old women who was just passing through on her way to Quito. Keep in mind I live on the main road which goes from the south of the country to the north hence the is never a cessation of activities on the road. The incident happened around 3am in the morning two weeks ago. The real sketchy thing is, that the police in town and some people are saying the person who committed the act is believed to be someone who lives in town, hence I will not be walking the street in my site anytime real late at night. On the same line of information there was a murder which took place this past Sunday in the town of El Esphuerso, which is the town over from me where one of my Peace Corps friends lives as well as a former trainer of mine and his family. In any event I’m not worried about my personal security however this is definitely a bit of an eye opener of things going on here!!!

In other news Ill be in Quito from Sunday to Tuesday getting my mid service medical and dental exam...oh joy!!! I then have a 2 day regional conference taking place Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of next week, so for the most part I will be out of my site running around doing things all next week.

All in all things around here are becoming very holiday like with all the stores putting up their decorations and what not.....its a far cry from the commercialization of the holiday spirit in the United States, however it is very evident the kind of impact American culture has had on the most remote of places.

I hope all is well with everyone, enjoy the holiday season,

Regards,

Steve

12-15-01

Hey all - Ok so I just returned from a conference out in the Jungle yesterday, and discovered a new meaning to the word "HOT". After spending 2 hours walking through the jungle seeing all sorts of interesting things....the humidity and heat made you feel like you had been in a sauna for hours. It was neat to see the wildlife up close though!! We saw a couple sloth’s, a huge venomous snake hanging in a tree and several other different reptiles. One of the more interesting things was a 400 year old tree...older then the U.S.. Overall it was a nice little excursion and good conference.

So here’s where it gets humorous!!! A volunteer friend of mine who had training a year and a half ago in my site of Luz de America, decided to come back and visit all her friends there this weekend. In any event we bought some crabs and lobster (live) that we made for dinner last night. Now we put the crabs and all inside a bucket of water and left them in my apartment while we went to see people in town to say hello. After a couple hours we walked back to my apartment to find several of the crabs escaped. So here we are chasing crabs that had managed to escape and scatter all over my apartment, under my bed, table, furniture etc... So we caught all of them except one which we couldn’t find. Anyway we ate the crabs and lobster (best I have ever had) and then while we were sitting there the crab we were missing runs out the front door of my apartment...it then proceeds to attack the dogs and puppy.....which are now terrified of crabs!!!

All in all its been a interesting few days but things are going well and on the up and up. I’m off on Sunday to the capital (Quito) to hang out with some people for the Christmas break!! Hope all is well, ill be in touch!!

Regards,

KRASNER

12-24-01

Hey all ok so yesterday a group of us went to our normal internet cafe as we usually do and well....we definitely did not meet just any ordinary person. A few of us got talking to this guy who had the most amazing story to tell about just recently getting out of a situation in Colombia where he was held hostage by guerillas for 5 weeks. I cant do his story justice but below is some links to stories on CNN etc... that can. Truly a very interesting guy with what must have been a horrifying experience.

STEVE

Here our links to read about what happened to him

http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/americas/12/13/colombia.kidnapping/index.html

and his personal site which he gave us is.....

www.strikingviking.net

12-31-01

Hey all - I just wanted to wish everyone a happy new year and get off one last group email before the next year. In any event this group mail is quite different from anything Ive really sent out or gone on about in great length in previous emails. However it comes after I received a email from, well, my mom after she had heard through the grapevine about some doubts, and difficulties Ive been having with my service out here. So in responding to her, well I figured since Ive been open and honest about most of what’s been going one here over the past 10 or 11 months now with everyone I email to...that I would include this email as well to update everyone on the status of where I am with service and Peace Corps. The response kind of speaks for itself, but more importantly describes a stage in my service here that Ive reached, that I’m sure other volunteers have come to before...well similar anyway. Again, have a great new years, Ive attached the response below.

Mom - I don’t know where this email you wrote came from, but Ill comment on it by saying a few words. Number one, first and foremost I will get into Law School or a Masters of Law program, regardless of anything I do out here. That means that Ive never not been able to accomplish something that I wanted to....remember that real good! I’m not leaning one way or the other on this issue of deciding to maybe leave early or stay the duration...at this point in time I’m simply not thinking about MAKING a decision. And this decision wouldn’t be made until the summer after ive served a full year in my site. On both sides of the issues, for staying or going, their are arguments, and I think I should probably broaden your horizons a little on a few areas. Let me tell you first every volunteers experience out here is different and everyone here has their own unique challenges they face. My challenges are different in that respect from my other peers here. A common problem volunteers have is getting adjusted and comfortable in their sites. I have not had that problem, I’m comfortable in my site and have a few successful projects going on! I also have several successful groups more or less that are doing things, on top of which I have already succeeded in creating sustainable projects. So my concerns and doubts have very little to do with my site, the people there etc... On that same note though you...nor any admissions director could put yourselves in the exact position I am in!! The difficulties lie in not having the things you and everyone takes for granted, and no I am not talking about electricity or running water etc...those are sub sequential. What I’m talking about is the general everyday interaction and support of friends, family and those you care about at arms reach. Those things are taken for granted when they are right there, but then they are gone and you aren’t able to just talk to someone freely when you want to about little stresses and big ones. Sure you have friends in the community, but the culture and most especially language difference don’t allow you to ever really fit into the community in a way that it becomes home or people you can openly share with. Other difficulties are dealing with the DOWNTIME.....this plain and simple sucks. You end up going more then a week sometimes with very little going on and that’s when you get frustrated, you feel like you could be doing better things with your life etc... The frustrating thing for me, yet good thing for my community is that without my direction, assistance or anything many of them have not only sought the help of peace corps but have taken initiative to seek out professionals from elsewhere to assist them in things such as organic agriculture, grant writing, health etc.... Like I said its great my community has taken this on for themselves so successfully, but the downside on me is that I feel like I’m ineffective and useless in some areas a lot, hence the frustration. Some nights especially after a bit of time has passed you get these sort of loneliness attacks, granted I have found constructive ways to deal with that stuff....but every now and then that can leave a chill. Its not so much any kind of loneliness from isolation. I have no problems being isolated, the tough thing is to hear about everyone, girlfriend, friends and family going out and having fun and just doing little things together, things you want to be included in as well but cannot. Its those kinds of things you miss, the interaction with all of those people, and from that interaction the security and relations with everyone. Its also the thoughts of other areas in your life that you feel could be moving along a little quicker, things like marriage, post graduate education, career and your life back home in general To be quite honest all these challenges and things that give me doubts didn’t really effect me to a great degree for most of the time I have been here. I just relied on my sense of immortality and invincibility that so many people my age have. I thought these are all things that can get me depressed, a little down but nevertheless things that were all second to the sense of mission I feel. None of these doubts ever effected me in a way that I would even consider the option of leaving Peace Corps early until I encountered my own mortality and thoughts in the incident which took place in October. After having a gun held up to me, well for the brief seconds that lasted it was more then enough for me to really start looking at and reasoning with my doubts and issues with service here and what it is I’m trying to get out of Peace Corps and my future. . Of course the benefits of being here which make some of the challenges and frustrations worth it are many. Every once in a while Ill be teaching a class and well Ill write a few sentences in English on the black board and call on a volunteer to write the translation...and that’s when something amazing happens, they get up to the board and they do it successfully and for me I feel like...wow I got through to some of them. Other examples are when you are just sitting around talking about issues and things you have been educated upon and share them with people around you and there eyes open as if they were hearing revolutionary ideas and concepts that they have never even heard or given thought to before. Other ups are the effects that being here has on me as an individual, your communication abilities increase greatly, your understanding of how the majority of people in the world live gives you a greater respect for human beings in all walks of life. In other words its given me a new way of looking at people and the world that I could not have obtained elsewhere, not this extent anyway. On another note its also nice to know that people back in the states follow what your doing with curiosity and pride, which in a way is a motivational tool to keep things moving. So right now I’m caught in what seems to be a tug-a-war of which direction I want to go in, and how to proceed about doing so. I have no doubts in my abilities to succeed and make it through a law or masters program, or even getting into one. On that note I have no doubts I wont accomplish the big goals ive set for my life simply because I’m determined to do them and will not let anything prevent that!! Needless to say this tug of war I seem to be having is difficult to figure out, especially with the many tangents that come from any decision I make. Its difficult having to do service while having created a life for yourself in the U.S. and now a life for yourself here as well. When the two worlds and their issues seems to collide, well then it makes knowing what to do and which direction to proceed a difficult one. In any event what Ive written serves as a broad basis for some of the issues of what I’m grappling with in my service here, and then knowing what is right and what to do next is even tougher. There are several tangent issues that stem of what I touched on here, but those are more personal and deep that I would need to write a book to cover them all. As for now though my stubbornness and determination to commitment is guiding my actions, I just hope im not being blinded by them.

1-17-02

Hey all - Just thought Id write a quick update on things going on down here!!! I just read over my last email I sent out to you all and it was kind of a downer one. To let you all know things are going very well out here and Ive been out and about in the country a bit in these past couple weeks!!!! About a week ago I went with some friend to this really nice beach for a few days called CANOA its kind of in the upper middle part of the countries coast line. Anyhow there is this real laid back resort place volunteers go to right on the beach called the Bamboo!! It was a real good and relaxing time and those of us that went had some fun!! Not to mention the seafood there was great.....imagine an enormous seafood platter for around $3. In any event it was a weird feeling to be diving through waves and lying out in the sun in the middle of January!!! We also spent some time in the coastal city of BAHIA (which looks similar to Miami or something....kind of a ritzy place!!! Anyhow it was about 30 minutes from Canoa. Oh I didn’t mention on the way to CANOA you go through BAHIA and have to pay a quarter to get ferried across part of the bay in this little speed boat!!! Anyhow on the ay back from this trip I stopped along with a couple others at one of the volunteers sites for a night on the way back to my site which was kind of cool. In any event CANOA is probably my favorite beach they Ive been to so far here!! If any of you are in town Ill take you out there!!!! Anyhow the school year with my classes is coming to a close in a couple weeks for their summer break. Next week they have there English final exam, which im sure they are all excited about. Anyhow as kind of a treat today, I brought in some movies to class for them to watch. Granted I bought the films in the states so they were all in English (had to make it educational). Anyhow they had the choices of either watching the Grinch or Shrek. As it turned out my first class watched part of the grinch and the second class Shrek.......even though it was in English every student was quiet and entranced in watching the movies. Next week are finals and then after that they have a couple more classes, where I’m working at getting a couple volunteers from the Health program here in Ecuador to come and do a sex ed presentation for the students. In other news the new training group gets here in February...wow that will be a year in country for my group!!! Anyhow they are going to be situated like 15 minutes up the road from my site..literally on the same main road. So there will be 50 or so new trainees running around my area. The good part of that is that their will be other new people to see and talk to, the bad part is that for three months Peace Corps staff will be in my area and passing through my site a lot. Basically that means as far as spending nights away from my site and what not Ive got to play by the rules for 3 months!!! In any event that’s about all the news Ive got for now!!! Hope all of you are doing well, take it easy!!! KRASNER

1-31-02

Hey All-

Well its good to hear some good news for Peace Corps and well other countries coming from our President these days. I have a link to an article in the Washington Post describing Bush´s initiative for Peace Corps which I think you all might be interested in reading.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64678-2002Jan30.html

So anyway getting back to Peace Corps, things have developed in a few of my projects that will keep me pretty occupied in the next few months.

WOMEN’S GROUP: My work with the women’s group on different project died down for a while but things with that group are picking up. The community bank project with them is now almost 5 months old and has become quite the valuable asset to them all. In any event the director of the community bank program for Peace Corps (a volunteer coordinator) is coming to visit the bank and observe it the end of February. I also have introduced a new project...what’s known here as paper recycling...however its a little different then you might think. What it entails is recycling paper and transforming it, after its been soaked and pressed, into several artistic products such as cards, stationary, invitations, business cards, etc.. In any event this project is widespread throughout the country and these types of products are sold in many tourist shops as well as overseas. In any event it seems to be very lucrative and have done well with tourist markets. So the volunteer the town over from mine has set up a successful project on this and is coming to my site in a few weeks to teach my group how its done. After which we will be going to the other volunteers site one day to see first hand the women’s group in her town doing the whole process. So I see quite a bit of potential with this one as a means of bringing in a chunk of cash at very little capital expense.

SCHOOL - My students had their English final exam last week and I think it all went ok!!! The school year though is at an end as they start summer break in about a week from Friday. Which means my work with the school will have a three month break in it. However I have planned one more educational activity for my students (the older ones) right before they take their summer break. I have two volunteers from the Health Program coming to my site a week from today to give an extensive presentation on Sexual Education and AID as well as other STD´s to my students. I think this will serve as a valuable asset for them right before being released for the summer.

TEACHING ENGLISH - Since I will be having extra time now that the school year here is out, Ive increased the time I will spend teaching adult English classes. Right now I teach these two ladies from the next town over and Ive been working with them for a few months now. Seems people in my town have heard about the job I was doing and Ive picked up a couple more students. Starting this Wednesday I will be teaching English to this group for 2 hours a day on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for the next 3 months or so!!! I’m confident that with this much time and repetition that I can get them speaking and understanding enough of the language to use it in the practical sense by the end of those three months.

ONE YEAR MARK - Well in a couple weeks from now I hit the one year mark....kind of hard to believe its been that long!!! In any event the experience thus far has had its positives and negatives....but I believe the positives have far outweighed the negatives in everything. If any of you have plans to make the trip to Ecuador for a little vacation while I’m still here.......then don’t wait to long as time is flying by. The last 3 months of service im here (meaning next Feb-May) I’m not permitted to use vacation or have any visitors. So that means you all have 12 months from tomorrow to swing by if you’d like!!!

That’s about all for now I hope everyone’s doing well on the home front!! Take care and be in touch!!!!!

Regards,

KRASNER

2-9-02

Hey all, I know it hasn’t been to long since my last update but a few things have gone on that I thought were worth writing about. Peace Corps has been busy in my area recently setting up the new training program which is being centered around a town not to far from mine on the same road. This means for three months starting in early March there will be many training programs and about 50 trainees right in my area. Also it turns out Peace Corps is having 3 or 4 of these trainees live in my town of Luz de America. Which I’m sure will be interesting for the town and myself to have other Americans living there for a few months. On another note I was involved in a freak accident here in Santo Domingo yesterday...don’t worry I’m ok and all. Anyhow here I was crossing the street and waiting at an intersection. There was a nice 4x4 pick up truck waiting for the light to turn green. As the truck pulled out to turn the side of it when right into me and made some nice cuts and bruises on my hand, knee and chest...... All in all I got pretty lucking and walked away from the whole thing with minor injuries. Granted now Ill be a little more observant as to where I’m standing on the street!!!!

Hope all is well with everyone, Regards, Steve

2/20/02

Hey all - Sometimes things in this country just don’t really make a lot of sense compared to the place we all live being the USA. Now granted one comes to expect certain dangers and accidents to happen in a country such as this, but when they hit close to home its rather disturbing. Last Saturday night....as with many Saturday nights....men and women in their late teens and in their 20's head out from my town to the larger city of Santo Domingo for the Disco Techs, parties, dances etc.... So last weekend was the same as most weekends as young people from my site (when I say young I mean my age) went into town. One of them was a 24 year old guy who I was no more then acquaintances with...occasionally I would say hello to him and his brother often plays basketball with a bunch of us every weekend. Well turns out that last Saturday night he was in a car with a bunch of other people the driver being drunk. As they left the party scene a police car came flying down the road (the driver of the police car also being drunk) in an instant the two cars slammed into each other sending about 7 or 8 people to the hospital. The 24 year old guy from my site was in the worst shape, unconscious and not having any brain activity. Yesterday morning at 9am he passed away. The drunk drivers paid the bribes and walked out of the situation with a few cuts and bruises. The funeral ceremony is today at 4pm. This is the second car related accident in three months now claiming the life of someone in their 20's from my site. The whole situation is extremely sad and the town and many are in a state of mourning these days. As for me I’m just upset with not only the death but the bigger problem of the policeman and the drivers of the other car being drunk behind the wheel, the fact that the guilty paid $10 or so to be excused from facing any justice, once more there are just so many things that could have been done to prevent this kind of tragedy and all the tangents from it. Anyhow these kinds of situations happen everyday here and much closer to home than you can imagine. WEll in other news....since the above is a bit of a downer...things with Peace Corps and the new set of trainees arriving next week are starting to come into play. Their are going to be 3 trainees living in my site starting on March 3rd which should be interesting. Peace Corps stopped by yesterday and will be around tomorrow as well as Friday to do some preparation things in my site. All in all things in this area are going well..... March is shaping up to be a busy month with the trainees coming here, some new projects Ill be getting underway and the girlfriend Lisa visiting for a couple weeks. Needless to say it’ll be a busy month ahead but im looking forward to it!!! Hope all is well with everyone, Ill be in touch,

Regards, Steve

Hey all - Just a quick update since its been a few weeks!!! The new trainees got to my site Sunday evening and Ive had the opportunity to hang out with them a bit. There are three of them in my site for the next three months Matt, Jessica and Colleen...wow I remembered their names!!! All in all as first impressions go they seem pretty cool!! Its funny listening to some of their questions and concerns they have come up I the past couple days as its so similar to the ones I had when I had just gotten here over a year ago, its interesting to be on the other side now and see that take place. It does feel a little weird having three other American now living in my site....but I think in the big picture it can only serve as a good experience for the families hosting them as well as the people in the community they come in contact with....

So aside from the influx of new Americans in my site things are going at a pretty good pace. The three classes I teach a week on Mons, Weds, and Fridays are going well and since its summer break and the students who I teach are there cuz they WANT to learn makes a big difference, and their skills are increasing with each class much more so then the students I taught during the school year. I also receive a formal letter from the Director of the School saying how pleased they were with the classes I taught this past school year and they would like me to teach two additional classes coming up this school year, so six classes a week in all!!! They also liked the results of my classes so much that they are putting money in their budget to order English Text Books for the students to aid with my classes!!!! So come this May things will be hopping along over at the school. I plan on introducing some new subjects to go along with English lessons....such as some environmental and organic agricultural education......as well as a sex education session.

This week is a bit busy as I’m off to a meeting with all the new trainees tomorrow. I was selected to be in a panel with a few other volunteers to talk about are safety and security experiences with the new trainees and answer questions they might have... Basically I’m pretty sure I got selected due to my incident having the gun held to my head in Quito...which always a fun experience to share with new people to the country!! I think it will be kind of cool to be able to meet the new group of trainees so I’m looking forward to it!!!

Friday Ive got that inter exchange program going on which ive mentioned before with the paper recycling project which should be real nice for the women’s group I work with!! And today at 3pm is my weekly community banking meeting....which Ill add is going real successful the women have over $1000 saved in it already which they can borrow from and use, I’m just glad to see it working so smoothly!!! Next month I’m off to build a greenhouse....but that’ll be an experience in itself so Ill write about that at a future date.

Lisa gets in next week which will be nice!! Most of the trip we will be around my site but I’m using what they call our weekend away privilege to go with her to a place called Papallacta...which is like a hour and half from Quito and its a resort with several of these natural hot springs surrounded by incredible scenery way up in the mountains.... It’ll be nice to take a little 2 day resort vacation so I’m definitely looking forward to that!!!!

Well that’s about it for now on this end!!! Hope all is well with you all back home!!!

Regards, Steve

3-11-02 Hey kids,

Just thought Id spend a little time doing a quick update while I have some time here to kill at an internet cafe. The past week has brought a few activities with it over in Luz de America (my site). We had a very successful program last Friday morning with the paper recycling project. Another volunteer from the next town over came and did a fantastic hands on experience presentation which all the women in my women’s group really got a lot out of. We also had several additional Peace Corps trainees in the audience to get a little intake of peace corps type projects.

So speaking of trainees...ill say this much!!! It is kind of weird both in good and bad ways having three trainees living in town!!! The negatives I find are the constant Peace Corps activity running through my site on a daily basis. Not that Ive been one to really break any rules or leave my site when im not suppose to a lot....but more or less it feels like the big brother is watching you so to speak. That and its always unnerving to hear things about yourself mentioned to other people trying to pry into your life....meaning certain staff asking questions about me to other trainees and volunteers about my daily routines etc etc.... So that’s kind of an example that gets me a little uncomfortable. However to be fair I think all in all that its a good experience for those families hosting the trainees as its something they will never forget and is a good opportunity for cross cultural exchanges. The other positives is that all three trainees living there have personality and from what I know are nice people.....I have yet to corrupt any of them!! Kidding!!! All in all though its definitely more exciting in my site then usual having other Americans around and I think it can only prove to be a positive aspect of things here!!

So in other news I watch the big Futbol (Soccer) game last night in Santo Domingo!!! It was a rare match between the U.S. and Ecuador and the USA beat them 1-0, which was kind of cool although I’m glad no mobs attacked us after the game!!! Another random note I had a interesting snake experience in my site last week. An Equis as I think they are called (yes they are poisonous) moved across the road like 2 feet in front of me mid day as I walked to my place last week. Its was actually great having one of my dogs with me as they saw the thing before I got there and starting barking!!!!! Granted now I’m like paranoid and looking everywhere I walk!!!! That’s about all going on for right now!!! Hope all of you are well and Ill be in touch soon,

Regards, Stephen

3-24-02

Hey all - Just a quick little update on all that’s gone on the past couple weeks!!! So after being here in Ecuador for over a year I finally got to go to one of the biggest tourist attractions here in country.....the Euator. They have this cool monument marking the spot as well as the line where the actual Equator is.... I took tons of photos of myself standing on both sides of the equator as well as some other photos. All in all it was real cool to get a chance to go there!! And yes I experimented with flushing toilets on both sides of the equator and on it!!!! As for what happens when you do that, Ill keep it a guarded secret!!!!

In any event the last two weeks have been a whirlwind and a absolute fantastic time. As many of you know within 24 hours of Lisa arriving we went and visited a real nice mountain resort in a place called Papallacta with several nice hot springs and amazing mountainous scenery!!!! We then went back to my site after a few days and I dragged Lisa out into the jungle to meet some of the people out there and to get some first hand observations of the mosquito population in the area. All in all we spent a nice relaxing 8 days in my site hanging out and visiting people in my area. IT took us a while to explain to the Ecuadorians in my site that we were engaged simply because in Ecua-culture they do not go through anything like engagement as we know it in the states. However after a few attempts they all caught onto the idea of it all!!

We have spent this past weekend in Quito doing seeing and doing sites like the Equator and the Otavalian Markets here and have just been relaxing and enjoying ourselves. Tonight is a real treat for me as we are staying in the Marriott hotel in Quito for Lisa’s last night here. Its the most posh , and beautiful place in the city....not to mention you can flush toilet paper in the actual toilet (I know Ive been out here a while because that kind of thing excited me and all my peace corps buddies who knew about it)

Anyway things continue to go well in my site as well with all my work!! We have some new projects getting underway that look to be quite successful. I also have a increased teaching load in the school come this May which will keep me busy with them right through to the end of my service!!

I hope all is well with all of you back home, Ill be in touch again soon. I wish all of you a Happy Passover or Happy Easter (Whichever applies) Take care....

Regards,

STEVE

PS GO MARYLAND TERPS!!!!!!! (Ill be watching them kick UConn this evening)

4-5-02

Hey all - Thought Id send out a quick update of what’s been developing out here in Luz de America, Ecuador. I am amused at the name of my town Luz de America. which translates to Light of America, reason I’m amused is we have had several power outages recently....hence no hay luz (no light) In any event Ive made some progress on moving a few steps forward in efforts to export Cacao to foreign markets. I recently sent out a contact letter to over a dozen companies that import cacao to the states. I took a bit of a different approach this time to contacting companies then I did previously, so hopefully Ill see some results. I have big meeting with the Cacao Association on April 26th that will hopefully produce some positive results. In case any are interested I attached my initial proposal letter below for your reading enjoyment. Tomorrow I have the first meeting with my paper recycling project with the women’s group I assembled. They are all extremely excited and motivated about getting started as its a big money maker with tourists here. In any event their first big customers are going to be Lisa and I, as we are ordering 400 cards, envelopes to be used as future thank you cards and what not with the engagement and wedding on the horizon. Hence the women’s group is thrilled and motivated to get moving along with the production of things as soon as possible. In other news I start teaching my classes in the school on April 15th (First day of school in the coastal region of Ecuador). I will be teaching in all 6 classes a week (2 on mons, 2 on weds, 2 on Fridays) with student ages ranging for 8-12. The primary focus of the classes is of course English but I’m developing a plan to incorporate sex education, cultural studies, and a unit on organic agriculture into my classes for this year. I also am beginning an adult class at the request of a few older people in my site who want English course. I start this class this coming Tuesday. Its will run Tuesdays and Thursday from 7:30pm - 9:00pm. So its looking like Ill be teaching now 5 days a week!! Lastly things with the community bank continue to be an anchored success, so much so I will be starting another one with an interested group of men and women within the next month....Ill keep you all posted. The last bit of news is that I’m tentatively planning a trip back to the U.S. from around August 31st - September 20th. IF everything works well with these dates it puts me around for my Birthday, Lisa’s Birthday, my buds birthdays and most importantly the Jewish Holidays Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. That’s about all the news from under the Equator. Hope all is well on your ends....chao!!! Steve

CACAO PROPOSAL Dear Sir or Madam,

I contact you in the midst of serving in my second year as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador.

I am writing you in hopes of establishing future business relations for the exportation of cacao. I believe that we are in a unique position to achieve mutual benefit by establishing relations between your company and the farmers that I represent.

Currently, the practice of exporting cacao to foreign markets from Ecuador has a four tier system with prices being increased with each change of hand. Simply, a farmer sells their bulk cacao by quintal to a middle man at market price. This middle man in turn sells the cacao at a higher price to a Fabrica, who in turn sells the cacao at an even higher price to a Exportadiva. Finally, the Exportadiva makes the final sale and price change to overseas markets. FARMER($) > MIDDLEMAN($+) > FABRICA($++) > EXPORTADIVA($+++)

> FOREIGN MARKETS

Due to the many increases in price, it is obvious that the farmer loses out on a substantial amount of profit from their product. According to the laws and regulations that exist here in Ecuador, the only way a farmer can avoid going through this four tier system, is to have a direct buyer overseas (e.g. U.S., Europe, Asia).

The opportunity that exists here is of benefit to both the farmer and the company whom is importing the cacao. Through a direct exporting/importing system, each would enjoy greater overall profits. By eliminating the tiered system, the farmers here and the buyer abroad would have eliminated the costly middle points to the venture.

FARMER($) > EXPORTADIVA($) > FOREIGN MARKET($)

The farmers I represent are quite organized and prepared to do business in the proposed system. Currently, they produce upwards of 6 shipping containers worth of Cacao a year. (1 Container = 80,000 kilo) with access and the ability to obtain upwards of 5-10 times that amount if the demand exists.

I would very much like the opportunity to discuss this proposal with you in the hopes of establishing a financially beneficial arrangement for the future. Thank you for your time and consideration. You will find all my contact information listed below. Very truly yours,

Stephen Louis Krasner

4-16-02

Hola todos, Como estan? Ahorita toda bien aqui en mi pueblo. Hoy dia es mi primero dia en la escuala. No tenia clases hoy dia, solo visitar mi nuevo estudiantes. Yo tengo mi clase actual manana. Entonces, este semana es muy loco para mi, tengo mucho projectos con la escuela, las grupo de mujeres y asocacion de cacao. Tambien hemos recibido much lluvia semana pasada y este semana.....todos los noches y dias. Esta bien, voy a cambiar por ingles ahora. Well I hope you got all that, as I’m sure I made a few gramatical errors....but the good things is I put my money on the fact that many of you cant spot my gramatical errors in Spanish as easily as I make them in English. Anyhow as I mentioned above things are rolling right along and today is my last day with much of any free time for the next few months as things are going to be getting a little more hectic down here. I met my students this morning real briefly and learned my teaching schedule. I start teaching my classes tomorrow. I’m teaching 3 classes a day on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30am-10am. I also will be continuing with teaching night classes on both tuesdays and thursdays, which gives me 4 days of teaching, which is good and bad...but I figure what the heck!!!!! The women’s group had their first production meeting for all the cards, gift bags, boxes etc.... of the recycled paper project a few days ago and it went extremely well. They have another session with it this afternoon right after their weekly banking meeting. So things have been moving right along with them!!! *Just a little sales pitch when I visit in September Ill be bringing some stuff from the women’s group to try and sell in the states to family and friends..its for a good cause!!!!* On to my work with the Cacao Association, I made some headway with the cacao presentation I sent out as I received a few responses and ideas from different processing companies in the U.S.. I am going to be putting together a photo presentation of the process to scan and put on the internet as well as send electronically to various companies, this was an idea suggested by one of the responses I received. So ok that’s about it for my work.... In other news.... the weather here has become quite hot and humid recently and the rain will go for days and nights sometimes without letting up. We are moving into dry season come June, so by then things will be a bit more comfortable as far as weather is concerned. OH I forgot to mention one of my adoptive dogs has been pregnant and will be having puppies soon, hopefully these puppies will live, her other ones 6 months ago didn’t make it!!! Well that’s all I have to say for now, hope all is well for everyone back home!! Regards, Stephen

5-7-02

Hey all- Just thought Id update you on the latest excitement and goings on down here where the toilet flushes the other way. Ok so here I am last Sunday night....just finished a little evening workout and had my towel, change of clothes etc in hand to go take a shower in my bathroom which is outside the front door to my apartment. YES you have to leave my apartment and walk 5 feet to where the bathroom is.... In any event one of my dogs starting barking and growling the second I went to open my door!! Well the dog was barking for a good reason as in front of me about 2 feet a way was a nice sized snake which my dog had pretty much put the fear of god into as it was lying very still on the cement. Well after a few moments the dog went for the snake and the snake fled under the door and into the bathroom. Hence at this point the neighbors in my complex and the house across the street came over to assist in the snake craziness. Well eventually we trapped the snake under the garbage can that’s in the bathroom. And with a few guys on hand, I assisted in getting the snake from the bathroom outside to the cement where another guy was waiting to do brain surgery on the serpent. So after we killed the snake, the drama came in the identification of the type of snake we had hunted down....it was indeed a Coral Snake...very dangerous and very lethal. However all us men walked away from the scene unscathed with our manliness uplifted and testosterone in check!!! I took it upon myself to take a few (LOTS) of photos of the whole scenerio which at some point Ill put up on my website!!! So how was all your Sunday evenings?

The rest of this week looks to be like a good time... Off to a meeting at 6am tomorrow in some town called La Mana, about an hour from the city of Quevedo and 2 hours more or less from my town!! Its a meeting or more like mini conference on the progress of the community bank projects that a few of us volunteers started in the region. Then this weekend I’m off for a short weekend getaway trip to the beach....surfs up!!! That all for the goings on, on this end!!!

Hope all is well with you, Regards,

KRASNER

5-13-02

Hey Kids - Ok well its kind of like sometimes days and weeks go by with nothing interesting to report or update all of you my loyal readers here....in the goings on of Peace Corps Ecuador with the exception of my regular descriptions of the jobs and projects I do!!! However grab seat and drink as what transpired over this past weekend was one crazy slue of events that I definitely thought I would share. So here I was visiting the beach for just a short weekend trip to get some mental sanity back. Beach was great, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect....granted I got a bit sunburn!!! Anyhow I ended up just going to the beach alone with none of my peers...as sometimes its nice to go off alone and escape things. Anyhow I visited the beach of Canoa and this one particular beach resort right on the beach that’s popular with volunteers, and MANY European backpackers. In any event I met up with a volunteer who lives nearby and we hung out for a bit, but then I ended up having met several travelers from all over the place and we all had a good time....and might I add some interesting conversations. I met a group from Belfast and we ended up talking about and drawing parallels between the Israelis and the Palistinians with their troubles with the IRA. Very interesting conversation and this one young lady overheard our talks on mideast and world affairs and ventured to join the conversation. She was indeed Lebanese (from Lebanon) and the two of us with VERY different views on the Israeli - Palestinian situation ended up discussing all the issues going on for something like 3 hours or so. The most interesting thing we both seemed to fine is the misunderstanding on all sides, in the Arab and Israel worlds. We also acknowledged the point that although she and I strongly disagreed with some issues of the current situation and land disputes, other issues we saw eye to eye, for example in terms of Arafat we both agreed he needed to go!!! When all is said and done here we were a Jew and Arab talking about all the heated issues, having agreements and disagreements...but we were TALKING about them in a intelligent and civil, friendly way.....which we both agreed was the thing that is pressing and most important right now in the Israeli - Arab conflict......is that they need to do what we did and sit down and talk the issues not literally ATTACK about the issues!!!! Ok so the beach was very interesting and a very nice escape, now for the events which transpired in my site this past weekend (I’m glad I was at the beach) At 5am Sunday morning a car drove by a restaurant on the main road in my site where a man pulled out a gun shooting and killing another man who lives in my town and hitting at least three other individuals with bullets. Apparently it was a Mafioso, Mobster from Santo Domingo out to get this one guy in my site for whatever reason. Granted the police did nothing to find the killer who lives in Santo Domingo. And from what I am hearing the police in Santo Domingo wont go after this guy because he’s part of a maufia there and the police are afraid. One of the Peace Corps trainees awoke to the several gun shots right near where he is living at 5am that morning!!! Ok that was incident number one!!! The other big incident was the same night yet earlier a normal NICE bus traveling to Guayaquil was boarded in my site , by robbers in masks and the passengers were held up and robbed at gun point!!! Anyhow the less serious thing compared to all this....was the same weekend there was a knife/machete fight in the park with a bunch of drunk guys but from what I hear no one was seriously injured!!!! On the same sling of craziness a little girl was riding her bike in my site and was accidentally hit Saturday evening by a car, she is in a hospital and expected to make a full recovery!!!!! All in all it was a crazy weekend, full of ups and downs!!!! That’s about all Ive got to report on things for now, on my way to plan a conference right now!! I’m a coordinator with another volunteer to plan a peace corps conference in June hence we are doing all the planning of the logistics’ today and tomorrow!!!! Hope all is well with you!! Chao KRASNER

5-30-02

Hey all greetings from down south!!! Things are all going smooth and what not down here. Not to much going on that’s really out there or exciting. However this month coming up is shaping to be a little busy. The conference I helped to coordinate is coming up from June 12-15. We planned some cool activities and put together and "different" kind of itinerary then those conferences Ive attended in the past, so hopefully all the participants will have a good time and do some good work!!! In other news I think Peace Corps is going to have a delegation of other Peace Corps staff from various countries in South America visit my site at the end of June to observe the community bank that the women’s group I am working with has established successfully. Classes are going as well as can be expected. The students I teach simply do not learn that cheating doesn’t pay and that is one of t he hardest lessons I am trying to teach in my class whether they actually learn English or not. You need to understand that EVERY student in the schools and colegios copy and cheat their way through the system, what’s worse is all the teachers seem to turn a blind eye to it and do nothing to prevent it, its almost ingrained in their culture that cheating in school is acceptable. Hecne this may be the reason they don’t always like me as I go in their the days I give test with 4 different types of test so they cant look at the person on either side of the mto ge the answer. I have also had them leave backpacks, and books at the entrance to the classroom, on top of which I make them turn around their desks so they cannot hide anything in the cubby of the desk. However you would thing all these preventative measures would be a strong deterrent in teaching....its not they still try!! I caught an average of 5 or 6 students per class with cheat notes they were using, and so to make a point I rip up their test in front of the class. I am now going to try and use a peer pressure technique to eliminate copying on the next test by implementing the rule that if one student cheats EVERY student will receive a -0- for that day....we will see how that goes!! This weekend IM off to build a green house with some farmers and experiment with growing different types of tomatoes which fetch a good price in the market here. The Cacao exporting project seems to the most frustrating thing I am working on, as no matter how many proposals I have sent out and no matter how many angles I go about things I cant seem to generate interest among companies to do business with the group here, mostly because of the groups little or no experience in direct exporting on top of which the bigger companies have steady suppliers and contracts with them and are just not willing to take a risk with the group here!!! On a different note the puppies at my place are now 6 weeks old and are getting into everything the past few days!!! I took some great photos of them this morning which ill have to share with all of you warm and fuzzy animal lovers at some point. Nothing to much else to write about so Ill leave it at this for now!! Hope you all are doing well, and hope to hear from some of you soon!!

Regards, KRASNER

6-17-02

Hola ALL - Well the conference came and went this past week and everything went without a hitch!!!!! We built a garden with the school in town near where the conference was, and had all the volunteers, counterparts, and several classes from the school. Sure enough with everyone working in 4 hours or so we all cranked out a hands on demonstrative organic garden~!! The other big activities was a huge health fair the incorporated all the volunteers and counterparts as well as town residents participating actively in, main subjects their were sex education, family planning, and the food pyramid etc... We also had a ECO TOUR into the jungle for all the guest of the conference to learn about medicinal plant, how to live in balance with the environment (something the Bush administration and republicans refuse to learn....). And lastly as more of a fun activity we had a intertube excursion down the nearby river, which I got completely beat up doing... In other words I fell a few times in the rapids and tumbled around a bit!!! So all in all things went well and we got really good reviews and positive comments about the outcome of the conference we coordinated, when I say WE I am referring to myself and another volunteer Estela whom coordinated the conference with me!!! Anyway hope everyone is having a nice weekend and enjoying Fathers Day!!! Stephen PS I’m drafting another letter to our President and a few members of congress which Ill share when they are complete!!!!

7-2-02

Hola mi amigos, Que Hace!!! Well its been quite the week of activity so I figured Id do what I normally do to kill some time and what not on the internet, write a mass email and update to all my loyal readers so to speak!!! So anyway last Thursday a slue of Peace Corps officials came to visit my site!! There was a conference for Peace Corps staff from various other countries in South America a

The following diary has been republished with the consent of Stephen Krasner. If you wish the view the original weblog, click here. In the interest of preserving the work in its original form we have limited our formatting and editing to essential areas. All other errors were not corrected.

12-14-02

Hey all, I thought I’d share a small segmant of something that will be appearing in this journal or publication that I submitted some 5 or 6 months ago. Its the third time I have had a portion of something I have written published.... Granted I have yet to see any of these words on page since I cant get a hold of the journal or rather bulletin that’s been publishing different writings of volunteers, however I just emailed them to send me the print copy after which I will scan them online for all to see. Anyhow here is the segmant.....

"Whether a persons destiny is written before they come into this world or if it’s ones self made legacy upon leaving it, no one can truly know. The Fragilness of life is so very delicate and can hang on the balance of a thin piece of thread. It is not so much important in how long we have in life, but rather what we do in the time we are given. Our lives are a story written by each of us, and the plot being as great or modest as we so choose to author it." In other goings on things here are going well. Kind of been a bit slow lately but so as the pattern of the 2 year time span we are given. I have been more and more stepping away from projects I have been closely involved with to let the other people involved take over completely. Granted their are still many things for the next volunteer taking my place to continue with and start anew. My Fiance Lisa and her parents are visiting soon for the Holidays which is looking to be a very nice time. I also will be off to my final conference the first week of February, called the COS (Closure of Service Conference). This is where we do a bit of administrative and evaluation type stuff and is the final time our whole group that started their 2 year tour will be together...those of us whom are left anyway. Our group started with 51 people when we began and at this stage we have about 32-33 who are looking to complete their service. Hard to believe its all coming to a close quite soon, time flies...... As it looks now I will most likely be returning home from Peace Corps around mid April sometime. I will not know my exact date until February but I am trying to get home on the 15th of April to make it to Passover. We will see what happens. Hope all is well and for those I don’t contact personally, have a happy and healthy holiday season. Regards, Stephen

12-18-02

Hey all - A quick little update on a few happenings this week, some good and some sad. Last night I got back from my community banking meeting with the women’s group and had two of the leaders come to visit. They have insisted upon honoring both Lisa and I and our future wedding when she visits my town next week. Being that its Christmas when we will be visiting I told them it wasn’t necessary to make a fuss and I didn’t want to be a bother on Christmas....but they were rather insistant so a program of some significance is being planned for both Lisa and I a week from tomorrow. All in all I am quite flattered that they are going to be doing this. I am also a judge this afternoon in some sort of Christmas pagent for all the kids in town.....this should be interesting to say the least no doubt. On a sad note this elderly women whom I always see and talk to, as I use her families store to buy most all my food, drinks and othr items, passed away yesturday from cancer. She had been going down hill for sometime and when I saw her last week she had lost all her vision. Any of you (my mother, Aunt Beth, Lisa and Jack) who have visited definitely met this woman and her daughter who runs the store. I play ball with the womans grandson....he’s the Michael Jordan of town and a damn good ballplayer. Hence my closeness to this family has made the death very upsetting and I was stunned yesturday afternoon to learn of it and sitting at the wake last night was not an easy task. I think I have seen and endured more death and suffering in this country in 2 years then I have in my entire life...its rather depressing at times. Well its been an up and down week but I’m looking forward to spending the upcoming holidays with Lisa and her parents, a much needed break for me anyway!!! Hope all is well with you all. Regards, Stephen

1-1-03

Hey all - I just wanted to wish everyone a healthy and happy new year. The past 10 days for me have been full of fun and good times with the visit of my fiance and her parents. We all had a great time and did a lot of cool things. After they arrived we spent the first night in Quito followed by 2 days in this rainforest resort and spa. It was nice to just relax by the pool or in the Jacuzzi there as well as pamper ourselves to body massages and aromatherapy. Some of the highlights from the spa were not only the relaxing acivities but this fantastic fishing experience at a lake in the resort. We all stood in the poring rain with bamboo poles and tried to fish for what were apparently goldfish whose mouth were smaller then the hooks we used. I must say I think this activity was oen of Lisa’s favorite. After our two days in this plush oasis we took a private car from there to Santo Domingo. My future father-in-law was speechless, as were we all, on the ride from the resort to the city of Santo Domingo. I would like to think it was due to the beautiful landscape, but the ride itself through the twisty hills was done in record time. The driver at some point apprached the speed of light on our commute. Normal time for the distance in a bus was 2 hours, we did it in an hour!!! The day we spent at my site was full of interesting surprises for us all. My women’s group emmersed both Lisaand I into a mock wedding ceremony, which was quite interesting. Nevertheless it was very nice of them and quite flattering. The Korenmans (Lisa’s family) had a good experience in seeing where I live and meeting the people in my town. The next part of the trip was spent in the city of Cuenca for 4 days. We toured the city and visited the Inca ruins called Ingapirca. Let me tell you Llamas are really cool animals and I was able to get some real nice photos of them. It was nice to be in Cuenca and seeing all the festavities go on there around the holiday season. We stayed in this beautifil old mansion converted to a hotel overlooking the river and had a lovely time there. The last part of our trip as well as New Years was spent in the Quito area. We visted Otavallo, where they do all the artesian work and also the town of Cotacachi which is known for their leather goods. During the ride to these places I almost took off my future-father-in-laws hand as I accidently shut the door with his hand caught in it.... So please be careful this holiday season when you all shut car doors. Yesturday we spent the the day shopping and basking by the pool under the sunny sky. Lisa and her parents found some good stuff in the markets here as well as some nice artwork. Then last night we had a pleasant dinner to ring in the new year and watched the firworks being shot off throughout quito from a nice view in the hotel. All in all we had many laughs, good times and adventures here in Ecuador. The only sad part was seeing them all leave this morning as it was one of those good times you didn’t want to end. Hope all is well with all of you reading this, again have a happy new year and as always Ill be in touch. Stephen

1-13-03

Hey all - Well it has been an interesting couple of weeks and I’m now looking forward to some hopefully uneventful weeks to finish off the month. I just returned from a weekend getaway to the beach and am suffering from one heck of a sunburn, but cant really complain as I see its pretty cold on the east coast of the US right now. Anyhow it was great to go to the beach. Unfortunately while there I had a little slip and fall accident and ended up with 5 stitches on my lower leg which is not to much fun. However at this particualr part of the beach in Ecuador its known for many pre.inca relics to wash up on shore. So I actually spent a bit of time combing the beach pulling different relics up out of the sand amongst the rocks. I actually amassed quite a bit of things the highlights being some parts of pots in which you can clearly see the designs and patters put there. I found one ancient coin, and a part of a stature carved in stone. Anyhow its some real neat stuff and apparently around 3000 years old. Its amazing how its just lying on the beach wit hthe rocks for anyone to pick up who has the patience to search. In another bit of knew I got robbed a little over a week ago while in Quito. IT was broad daylight and apparently these guys must have watch me go to the ATM get out cash and then confronted me showing a nice knife beneath their jackets. I gave up the money no questions asked and they went on their way. It wasn’t to dramatic but I was annoyed getting the money taken. Our final conference is approaching in about 3 weeks from now. This will be the last time our group who started service together will have to see each other all in once place before we go our separate ways and leave peace corps. We are actually having the conference on the same beach where I was just at, so it looks to be a real nice time. Well that’s about all that’s going on for now, hope all is well with all of you. Regards, Steve

2-9-03

Hey all - Many milestones pass by on the road of completing two years of service as a peace corps volunteer. My group which started together almost exactly two years ago has come to another juncture and closure of our service in Ecuador. This past week we had what is called our COS conference or rather Closure Of Service conference. This took place on what I feel is one of the nicest and most relaxed beaches in Ecuador. The group for the most part had a good time and it was enjoyable to have everyone together again under the same roof for the first time in 2 years. A lot of the conference in many ways dealt with the realization of returning home to the U.S.. I am sure that everyone experiences REVERSE culture shock in different ways upon readjusting to life back in the states. In many ways re-adjusting to that world looks to be more of a challenge then initially adjusting to this one. The sentiment invoked by our country director in a brief speech he gave to us this past week seems to hit the nail on the head in terms of our self worth and representation to our country when returning. This was echoed by the message that in a time where many around the world look unfavorably upon the US and our actions that the Peace Corps refelcts that sensative and understanding face of our country to the world and the mission of peace and diplomacy that accompanys our goals as volunteers. I left home one day in February 2 years ago with the biggest issues being the post presidential election aftermath and various political scandals in the news etc etc... I will come home now to a world much changed by tragic events and a country inching closure to or quite possibly at war. In this shadow my thoughts have come full circle that the real and only solution in the long run is that of tolerence and peace. War and force might be a necessary evil but never a solution or way to resolve problems in the world....in fact it seems many times to create more problems. As for myself and where I find my direction pointing after this time here....well I hope to carry this light and experience further and give more service to my country and the greater good of humanity. When the light of service has been lit one can rarely go back from giving service that’s needed. As many volunteers here experience, the return home for many is a turning of tides in their life and one which I would say is for a positive flow in the right direction. More then 2 years now I have documented my accounts and tried to relay the experiences both good and bad to many that read these emails. In doing so the message I hope to pass on by that action is one of service, one of showing the positive side of ourselves as Americans and human beings. To that end I will plug that I cannot stress enough that community service and volunteer work at any age to help those in need is the highest honor and good that you can carry with you through life. More so a person needs no recognition, medals or awards to have the most profound and successfuls achievements in doing service. The heart and how it feels at the end of the day is the only recognition a person needs. So my service now comes to a close in a couple months and a mix of emotions range in dealing with it. I know my time here is such that I will always cherish and never forget. The people have been amazing, the work...toughest I have ever done but in turn the most fullfilling. "I was taught that the world had a lot of problems; that I could struggle and change them; that intellectual and material gifts brought the privilege and responsibility of sharing with others less fortunate; and that service is the rent each of us pays for living -- the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time or after you have reached your personal goals." --Marian Wright Edelman Sincerely, Stephen

2-28-03

Hey all - I wanted to share the speech I am giving to my town next week with all of you. The town is organizing a special ceremony Sunday, March 9th where they will be many town leaders showering praise upon my work here and thanking me etc etc.....my modesty might get the better of me listening to all their words. I am also being presented a plaque by the community. After all the leaders have spoken (Their are like 10 speakers) then I am being asked to go last to speak to the town. After the ceremopny is a social going away party. Many Volunteers and and others from outside the town have been invited. Anyway below is the ENGLISH version of my speech, as the one I will be delivering is indeed in Spanish. Hope all is well. STEVE SPEECH Two years ago, one day in April, I arrived in Luz de America. I remember getting off the bus with David and being brought to a meeting with community leaders from the Women’s Group, Cacao Association, School and high school. I sat down and watched as David, my counterpart, talked to the group about Peace Corps and what my function would be in the community for 2 years. During this meeting, that lasted for two hours, I listened to everything everyone had to say……..listened but did not understand one word of Spanish. So I often nodded my head, smiled and said “si” or “claro” every time someone talked to me. WOW we have all come a long way since that first meeting here in Luz de America. I want to take this moment to let everyone here know how very special and nice it has been for me to live and work in the community these past years. I could list countless experiences, successes and good times spent here, but if I had to do that it would take me at least a month. My experience has been incredible and one which I will treasure always. The people I have come in contact with and worked with here in Luz de America have made me feel very welcomed here and part of the community, to this I want to say thank you so much to everyone here in Luz de America. In working here with the women’s group, cacao association, teaching in the school and with various others, I have had the honor and the privilege of working with some of the most enthusiastic and finest people in my life. Through working with people and getting to know this community we have shared in something more valuable and precious then all the money in the world…..and that is friendship. The bonds and friends I have made here will be those I have for all my life. I may be leaving Ecuador soon to return to my home country, but a part of me will always live and view this town and its people as my home and more so extended members of my family. I have discovered with all of you that this town and all of you here are truly the light of the Americas. Thank you so very much.

3-5-03

Hey all - Just a little update from the wilds of Ecuador. The past few days have been a real good time and amazing experience. As many of you know in South America they celebrate CARNIVAL which is kind of similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. In event this year I went with some fellow volunteers to the festivities taking place in the city of Ambato. They have a huge nightime parade with floats, dancers, people on stilts etc etc... I was an all out parade in the middle of the city with some of the most amazing things Ive seen in this country thus far. I took a ton of photos and hope to post them on my webpage next month. Anyway Ambato is known for their festival of fruits and flowers, hence many of the floats in the parade were made of fruits and flowers. It was a real good time and the city was mobbed with people from all over Ecuador. So anyway this all took place Monday evening, then after the parade we all had tickets to the Colombian Rock-pop singer who is a big star in South America and has won grammy awards, his name is JUANES, its was a pretty cool concert. While out there I hiked down with another volunteer friend to the area known as Rio Verde which is like an hour bus ride from Ambato. There we saw some of the most powerful and amazing waterfalls (up-close) that I have ever seen in this country...it was way cool. So all and all the past few days have been a fun little adventure and a heck of an experience. This coming week things are in full gear as my women’s group is throwing me a private going away party Saturday followed by the town throwing one on Sunday....many other peace corps volunteers, peace corps staff and other friends will be guests at my going away party. So I’m really looking forward to this weekend in my site, it looks to be a good time and very memorable moment in my service. Hope all is well on all your ends. Take care and be in touch. Steve

3-12-03

Shadow and chaos cover many peoples and parts of the world at this moment in history. As we see in our news reports and hear in conversations our country faces the threats posed by Al Qaeda, Iraq, North Korea and various extremist and terrorists groups across the globe. The burning concern and question of how to proceed in confronting this problem lies within the wisdom, or lack their of, of our world leaders. It is in their guidence that we must rest our faith for the direction of the overall best outcome in the actions that must be taken. The global threat looming in the world is nothing new. Throughout history our nation has stood its ground in the face of tyranny, terrorism and evil that has threatened the peace in our time and times of the past. Now we seem to be at a virtual crossroads in our decision making about how to confront the current horrors and lethal threats that plague the world today. The United States for the first time in recent history debates launching an attack over the assumption of what a country may or may not do in the future. Iraq has not launched an attack, they have not declared war on the U.S., and as things stand the United Nations has resumed work within Iraq. On the other hand Iraq has exchanged similar dialogue and open door actions with the UN and U.S. before only to lie and deceit them. Iraq has proven time and time again that they cannot be trusted. Given all this ideology the question still remains as to what should be done and what actions taken? The people of Iraq are living under a tyrant and are deprived of many basic human rights. Saddam Hussein has a track record of producing and using biological and chemical weapons. He has displayed on many occasions his reckless disregard for human life. He has acted as a salesman to deliver lethal weapons and deadly ingredients into the hands of many terrorists groups such as Hamas, PLO, and Al Qaeda just to name a few. Saddam and his regime have shown a willingness to attach the West and its allies, such as he did in the Gulf War when he sent skud missiles into Tel Aviv, Israel. The evidence against Iraq and in support of disarming him by military force is very much there. Since September 11th we have debated the issue of our country going on the offensive and taking action first rather then being always on the defensive and retaliating against action aimed at us. It is a debate argued both ways that reaches into our core fundamentals of our values as a nation. On this issue of offensive or defensive strategy one should only judge the situation on a case by case analysis. So what happens when we wait in a situation like this until we find ourselves in the position, of perhaps, playing more to the defensive side? The answer here is not entirely clear, but maybe we can look at past history to learn some lessons. In World War II the United States did not take action until late in that war and only after we were attacked at Pearl Harbor. By that point in Europe the Nazis had already murdered 11 million innocent people in their labor, concentration and death camps. They had also conquered much of Europe with their relentless aggression. Just think how many innocent lives and American lives could have been saved if the U.S. had taken offensive action and initiated an attack against the Nazis long before they got a strong foothold. Similar arguments can be made this past decade in our response to the Bosnia situation. Currently now as the debates linger on in the United Nations we watch as countries like France and Germany tuck tail and lead a crusade to prevent an attack against Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of people across the world have expressed their right to protest a possible war by staging rallies and demonstrations. All this is fine and good that people express their opinions for the world to hear. It seems clear on the other hand that the INACTION of doing something could very well lead to the greater loss of life in the long run and more atrocities committed rather then taken strong action now. Nobody likes war, most people truly do not want war, but sometimes war is a necessary evil to secure a peaceful future. As our world leaders debate, and tyrants and terrorists remain free, we must ask ourselves what we should do and how we should proceed in the face of this threat. Whether that puts your voice in league with the hawks or the doves......that voice should be heard. Steve Krasner

3-16-03

Hey all - I’m not sure if any words I type at this moment can do justice and describe the events that took place at my official going away ceremony and party yesturday. Their is really only one way I can describe how I felt as the leaders and people in town honored and thanked me for my service........I was indeed "overwhelmed". The ceremony started around 10am yesturday morning and about 7 leaders from the community stood in front of the audience and told the history of how I came to Luz de America, how I started working with the various groups and then the accomplishments we succeeded in performing. After the speeches I was presented with this nice formal plaque, from the town, in recognition of my service. After that I stepped up an delivered my final words to the community........needless to say the majority of people were VERY emotional with tears streaming down from their eyes. To have been here for two years and to have had that kind of closure to my service means more to me than I can ever truly say, more then it was for them it has been my very own honor and privilege to have served Peace Corps as a Volunteer and work with the people in Luz de America. In many ways the plaque they gave me will be one of the most cherrished items that adorns my walls in years to come, more for its significance then anything. I am ready and excited to return to the US and start my life with Lisa and persue my goals and dreams, but leaving Luz de America and the place I have called home for the past two years is as difficult as it was for me to leave to come here. I only hope in time to come I can formulate the words and justify the experience of what all this has meant to me and how its changed my life.

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Others stay a while and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never ever the same."

Stephen

3-27-03

Hey all - The below article is about the women’s group I work with and mentions Peace Corps and my assistance with them...although my name doesn’t appear directly...Cuerpo de Paz is peace corps. Anyhow a nationwide newspaper ran the below story in Spanish today. So take a look and if you have someone that can translate it..siga no mas.... For those in my family please print this out and save it.....

>38 mujeres del área rural levantan cuatro negocios > > >Santo Domingo > >Isabel Ibarra, una mujer alta y robusta, aprendió a hacer ventas rápidas y >rentables. Con su motoneta, cada semana sale de los linderos de Luz de >América, una parroquia de Santo Domingo de los Colorados, para proveer >chuletas de cerdo, carne fileteada y molida y chorizos en las haciendas de >Patricia Pilar y Los Ángeles, en la provincia de Los Ríos. > >Esta mujer de rostro alegre se convirtió en negociante de cárnicos y >representante de una microempresa de 38 mujeres de esa parroquia, llamada >Asociación Nueva Esperanza. > >Pero el grupo no solo se dedica a la carne. También cría codornices para la >venta de huevos, cultiva huertos y elabora objetos de papel reciclado. Todas >ellas, amas de casa en su mayoría y alguna que otra soltera, incursionaron >en los negocios hace tres años. > >"La situación económica era crítica y nosotras no sabíamos qué hacer más que >lamentarnos por nuestros maridos, que ganaban tan poco para sobrevivir", >cuenta Martha Sangoluisa, una de las fundadoras. > >Arrancaron con un capital semilla para las codornices. Ahora tienen 120 >aves. Cada uno de sus huevos se vende a 0,04 dólares o en paquetes de 20. > >Además crían 400 gallinas camperas, que colocan entre cuatro y cinco >dólares, dependiendo del peso, pero la carne es lo más demandado. Ibarra >cuenta que cada semana matan hasta dos chanchos de 100 libras. "Todo se >vende y me queda utilidad", expresa con orgullo. Su socia, Esperanza Guamán >agrega que ya cuentan con herramientas para sacar mejor provecho a la carne. > > >Hace pocas semanas, la Agencia de Cooperación para el Desarrollo de EE.UU. >(Usaid), les donó cortadora, un molino, una refrigeradora, un congelador y >una licuadora. > >Un técnico, especializado en Madrid, instruye a las mujeres en el manejo de >la cortadora, que es la más útil y difícil de manipular. > >Ibarra fue la más arriesgada y ya perdió el miedo. Esta actividad es >controlada por un médico del Municipio colorado para que la carne se venda >higiénicamente. > >En los huertos siembran pepinillo, cuya primera cosecha fue enviada a los >mercados de Quito; pimiento y cilantro para consumo local. Asimismo hay >viveros de cacao mejorado, que es comercializado a los finqueros de la zona. > > >Los objetos de reciclado de papel son un éxito. Por quinta ocasión enviaron >1 000 unidades de tarjetas, sobres y bolsos a Estados Unidos. > >Las 38 mujeres no trabajan solas. Ellas están asesoradas por el Cuerpo de >Paz, el Consejo Provincial de Pichincha, el Municipio, la fundación de la >Diócesis, y la Fundación de Eco Desarrollo Integral (Fudi). > >Las tácticas de un negocio organizado > >Las mujeres de Santo Domingo aún no tienen utilidades pero tienen su >inversión en las codornices y en las carnes. > > La cría de codornices . Las aves permanecen en jaulas especiales de dos >compartimentos, que sobresalen a los costados de la estructura. > > Las carnes . Las mujeres muelen la carne en un molino para hacer los >chorizos. El secreto para que el producto tenga buen sabor es poner un ajo. > > La rentabilidad . El grupo de mujeres organizadas aún no saca mucha >ganancia, porque se está capitalizando. > > La constitución . La asociación tiene personería jurídica desde noviembre >pasado. Mañana inaugurarán el local de ventas con la presencia de >autoridades provinciales. > > > >Miércoles, 26 de Marzo del 2003

3-31-03

Hey all, Over two years ago I vividly remember waiting at the gate in Miami on February 21st, 2001 with the rest of my peers in my group to board the plane leaving for Quito, Ecuador. The reoccuring thought and rather question which spun like a broken record in my mind boarding the plane and during the flight was indeed "What the heck have I gotten myself into". In looking back I now can counter that thought with an answer...."the overwhelming experience of a lifetime". Two weeks from today I will board a plane in Quito heading back to Washington D.C.. That trip home is something that has not yet caught up to me or even become a realization in a lot of ways at this point in time. Much like leaving to come here, leaving to go home most likely will not hit me until I board the plane. The past few weeks have seen the icing and cherry on top of the cake come to fruiton with my service. As I wrote a week or two ago my farewell ceremony and party could not have been more memorable or complete. This past week my women’s group opened their store in a big way in town where they will be selling produce which they grow themselves, paper recycled goods to local customers, processed meats, as well as prepared food for people passing by. The innaugeration of the store took place last Thursday in town complete with the equivilant to a governor of a state on hand, as well as the full press corps covering the event. It was truly a unique experience to be here and see them turn such a big corner after all the work, time and energy we spent building successful projects and micro businesses over the past couple years. It has also been a real privilege for me to have spent some real in depth and quality time with the new volunteer that will be taking over my site for 2 years. Being that he is doing training in the area and living with a host family roughly 5-10 minutes from my site it has made it real easy to get to know one another and discuss many things about the overall aspects of living, working and being part of the community here. Furthermore I have full confidence in this new volunteer that he will have as equal if not more of an all around great experience working and living with the people in Luz de America. So in this respect the passing of the torch has and continues to be underway. My last real official project will be taking place this wednsday and thursday as I have a good friend whom is another volunteer in my group coming to give a hands on type demonstration and teach new things to the women’s group in respect to their meat processing business. With the conclusion of coordinating that program, thus will be the conclusion of my last official work program here in Luz. As for my remaing 10 days in my site, well aside from the program mid week, and doing a bit more transition work with the new volunteer I will be cleaning out my place and starting to pack next weekend to go home. A week from this Thursday I am off to Quito where I will remain for my final 4 days in Ecuador with Peace Corps tying up adminstrative stuff and other loose ends. No doubt Thurday, April 10th will be the hardest day spent in my site as I walk around town with the new volunteer introducing him to people and having them welcome him at the same time saying my final good-byes. So time continues to tick away, as truly looking back it has all flown by so fast...from entering like a lamb and now leaving like a lion. Stephen

4-3-03

Hey all Just thought Id share this with you.... My women’s group and I from Luz de America were in this mornings newspaper. This paper is different from the previous one and like the last time is a National Paper. So its pretty cool. Its in Spanish and Ill translate it for you all some other time or just have someone you know do it... Anyhow it mentions CUERPO DE PAZ in the story which is Spanish for Peace Corps. The link and story are below.

http://www.lahora.com.ec/noticiacompleta.asp?noid=163317 LA HORA Santo Domingo - Jueves, Abril 3, 2003 Local En Luz de América Una micro empresa que da ejemplo En la parroquia Luz de América, ante la presencia de autoridades parroquiales, cantonales y provinciales, se dio el acto de inauguración de una micro empresa, perteneciente a la Asociación Agro Artesanal "Nueva Esperanza". La asociación, a cargo de Eugenia Merino, se encarga de la producción y comercialización de varios productos de la zona, informó en un boletín el GPP. La micro empresa cuenta con el apoyo austríaco, que financia un galpón para albergar a codornices, y donde también se dará la crianza y engorde de pollos, para posteriormente, proceder al faenamiento y venta sin intermediarios. Producción La entidad provincial indica que con el Cuerpo de Paz, las socias de la Asociación recibieron capacitación para reciclar papel, produciendo hasta la fecha 2.000 tarjetas, mil fundas y cien carpetas, trabajos exportados a Estados Unidos, que dejan un monto de 2.000 dólares. Inicialmente, las cuatro mujeres que trabajaban no se alcanzaban frente a la demanda, por ello ahora son 33 alas socias, entre madres de familia y jóvenes con deseos de superación que laborarán en la micro empresa de Luz América. Ramiro González, en nombre del Gobierno de Pichincha, señaló que continuará entregando más obras para el sector rural del cantón, así como la asistencia y capacitación brindada por el Departamento de Apoyo a la Producción de la Regional de Santo Domingo. Hey all - At the request of a few emails and IMs Ive taken the liberty to roughly translate the article I sent out earlier into English. So this should give you a general idea of what was said. LA HORA (THE HOUR) In Luz de America AN EXAMPLE MICRO BUSINESS In the district of Luz de America, before the presence of the district, county and province authorities, a micro business (store) was innaugerated pertaining to the Association of Agro-Artesinal "Nueva Esperanza" (name of the women’s group) The Association, under the direction of Eugenia Merino, works with the production and commercialization of various regional products. The small business received assistance in finances from a Austrian foundation in respect to the Quayle egg project as well as things for the chicken project, all done without the use of middle-men. PRODUCTION This Provincial entity with the assistance of PEACE CORPS formed the capacity to establish a successful paper recycling business. Up to this date the women have produced 2,000 cards, 1,000 gift bags, and 100 folders. They have exported to the United States and have made roughly $2,000 to date. Initially this women’s group started with only 4 members and now has 33 members. The group is made up of mothers of families asd well as youths whom participate in working in the small business for Luz de America. Ramiro González, in the name of the Government of Pichinicha, signaled that he will continue with the assistance in this sector, under the auspices of Department of Aid and Production for the region of Santo Domingo.

4-8-03

Hey all - Well that one day that seemed so far away for so long is finally arriving here. Tomorrow will be my last full day in Luz de America, hard to believe that its right there on the doorstep so to speak. These past couple days walking around town, trying to take it all in one last time, have been difficult for me......much more so than I would have imagined them being. It was a weird feeling this past weekend to hang out and talk with many people whom I may not ever see again, well not under this same capacity anyhow. Their were times during the past couple years where I looked at the calander and counted the days eagerly that I had left until it was time to go back home, other times where I looked at the calander and counted the days with a sense of emotion and sadness to see when it was time to go. But either way I counted their was always still plenty of time here, that has so rapidly changed. It is a interesting thing to live in a place that is much different and in a lot of ways very unlike the US and have gotten accustomed to it so much so that it feels like home only to have to pick up and leave it after you have finally hit the peak of that comfort level. Not for a very long while will I ever find myself in a job or position in which I am my own boss and the diversity of work is more challenging and responsible and even more to the point effective then anything Ill do in the near future in the U.S.. This point amongst many is a frustrating one... Here as a volunteer in my town I have been one of the most prominent and listened to people for two years. I have also been the center of attention in lot of ways (which sometimes is really annoying), and many of the projects and work Ive done had a direct impact on lives.......what I’m trying to say is that it is a far cry from any job, position or title, as a more or less bean counter, that I will have in the near future. The other aspect that I have had to deal with is in hanging out with the people here and wondering what it will be like to talk and hang out with people back in the US at this point. I guess little things that people complain about and take for granted in the states will be something I am cynical in observing. But the real dilemna I am having is I don’t think I will every be able to really explain all that has happened these past years to anyone and really get them to understand what its like in many ways both in the positives and negative..... But perhaps that’s not a bad thing anyway and something I walk away out of here with that is my own understanding to carry with me in the future. Tomorrow I will be passing the torch on to the new volunteer as he will be arriving for his official site visit. I think for me that is the best way to conclude and wrap up my service here in Luz de America....where one of us will be saying HELLO and the other GOOD-BYE....

Stephen

4-11-03

Hey all -

Life and living it are made up a lot by the journeys, experiences and choices we make.

Walking around Luz de America yesturday morning for my final time was much like the feeling in many ways of stepping off the bus there my first time.............hard to explain. But pulling outa Luz yesturday the whole experience of 2 years here seemed to rush through my head and overwhelm any control I had over my emotions. Looking into the eyes of people whom I will never know when I will see again and the same people who have meant so much to me was the most challenging and hard thing I have EVER gone through in Ecuador and my Peace Corps experience.

Its hard for me to think of the right words to say at this point and truly express what I want to in this final email home as a volunteer. But nothing can really express better how I feel and what I want to say better then my 2 years worth of emails but more so I think in so many ways Peace Corps has already thoughts of the right words in describing my thoughts and feelings.........PEACE CORPS: THE TOUGHEST JOB YOU'LL EVER LOVE.

It had been a pleasure to have been able to share my experiences with you all over these past couple years. All of the emails and support that many of you have given me were appreciated far more then I can ever tell you. So thank you...all of you for your encouraging words, support and friendship these couple years, it was very much appreciated even if not always expressed in a timely fashion.

For the past two years I have had two quotes that I have carried with me always that I will close this e-mail by sharing with you all.

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." -Helen Keller

"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do something I can do." -Helen Keller

I don’t know why but when I read these two quotes by her before I left they stuck to me and I carried them in my wallet all this time.

Thank you all again, and goodbye from Peace Corps Ecuador.

Humbly,

Stephen Peace Corps Volunteer 2001-2003

Hi All - My official service may have indeed ended a little less then 5 months ago, but the complete circle of what I set out to do in my time away is now coming to a completion. It is about 2 weeks now since my counterpart, David, whom helped me get through my two years experience has been here in the states. In many ways watching him see and experience all that he has so far, here in the USA, has been a trip back in time almost watching what undoubtedly was myself back in February 2001 first arriving in Ecuador. Many of his reactions to our country and what we call "normal" in both physical and cultural aspects are shocking, new and exciting for him to see and do. Listening to how he see's things here and what he thinks about how things operate is in many ways similar to the thoughts I expressed in my early e-mails and diary entries home from Ecuador. So it is indeed a unique thing for me to be seeing the circle complete itself in this aspe ct of inter-cultural exchange.

One of my main goals when I started my service was to make an impact on at least one person whom I worked with over there. I would like to think what I did made impacts on several people in Luz de America. But their were always a handful for whom I saw a lot of potential for when I was working. Their was Nubia whom I helped get a job working as a Spanish Professor for Peace Corps, which worked out fantastic and opened up some big doors for her in the future with that experience being there. Their was the leaders in my women’s group whom I worked to get grants and start businessses with... And then their was David, more my friend and all around assistant in many things....and with him I feel his time here in the United States will no doubt leave an impression on him of how big the world really is and how it is possible to advance ones self and their future upward in life. It has been my intention to start that domino effect in him that when he goes back to Ecuador it will be with a new found respect and understanding of our culture and world we live in as well as the possibilities that exist. Along these lines coming here and seeing all the US has to offer, for him, has been a dream come true to reality....and in realizing that fruition one can only hope that he is now inspired to see through other dreams into reality and in turn pass that energy to those people close to him in his life a world away from here. Having the resources and ambition to help a person, and others to then follow, realize that lesson is one of the most important things we can do for other people.

The Peace Corps has 3 main goals that Volunteers are to accomplish in their time that they serve.

(1) To help the people of interested countries meet their needs for trained workers; (2) To help promote a better understanding of Americans in countries where Volunteers serve; and (3) To help promote a better understanding of people of other nations on the part of Americans. So it is with him coming here and visiting our country that my work to really and truly meet these goals, in my heart anyway, has been finally accomplished and has indeed come full circle. "I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do. " These are the words I carried with me through my service and what guided me in my actions and still do, I have shared them before and will do so again now....... In essence this quote became my own added personal goal that carried me through 27 months and still guides my actions in this area of what it is I do. Regards, Stephen Louis Krasner Returned Peace Corps Volunteer http://groups.msn.com/KrasnersOnlinePhotoAlbum/_homepage.msnw?pgmarket=en-us