No, I Don't Live In a Hut

When I went home over Christmas, my friends told me they thought I lived in a hut.  My parents said their friends made the same faulty assumption.  No, I do not live in a hut.  As a result of this Peace Corps stereotype, I took a day to take pictures while walking around town.  I actually felt kind of awkward doing this because I looked really touristy even though I'd been living there for about 7 months.  Anyway, some volunteers live in big cities, some live in towns of 200.  I live in a town between the two.  There is cell phone service, we have plenty of internet cafes, the majority of the roads are paved, and most days I can find a cold bottle of coca-cola light (Diet Coke).  However, there are chickens walking around everywhere, a lot of the buildings are not finished, I take cold showers, and I live next to a livestock market.  All together, Pedro Vicente Maldonado has a population of about 12,000 people.  That includes all of the small rural communities surrounding the town (communities up to an hour away).  In the cabecera cantonal (basically the concentrated part of the town where I live), only has about 4,000 people.  I work in the small rural communities.  Most of these communities do not have paved roads nor cell-phone service.  Most of the houses are made out of wood.  One of the schools I teach at has ~15 students.

I recently moved into my own apartment (actually it is just an open room with a kitchen area).  These pictures are were taken when I was living with my host family.  Soon (which has turned into "ya mismo" for me and thus really gives no real time reference) I will post pictures of my new place.  I just got back from traveling around with Brendan, David, and Laura.  We ended our trip in Otavalo where I was able to get a bunch of stuff to decorate my room, so I won't be adding pictures until all that stuff is up.

P.S. that is a new background picture (even though it looks very similar to the last, however, I actually took this one)

Host Family's Apartment Building

We live on the left haf of the second floor, my room was the first window on the left

Walking up to the center of town

 Subcentro

 A side street

 The back of the market -- during the week it is ecuavolley courts, on the weekends it has more stands extending the market (the big building in the background was built years ago to be the market, but the government ran out of money to finish it)

Weekend market usually made up of clothes

...and some food stands

Almuerzos

New building of classrooms just built for the biggest lower/middle school in town

 Mototaxi (about 50 cents to go almost anywhere in town)

Truck line (sort of like taxis but with trucks)

Don Camilo's truck (he takes us to the communities where we can't take a bus)

 Center of Town

Biggest store to do food shopping

A clothes market of sorts open everyday

This is what ice cream trucks look like here

Restaurant/Shops/Hotel

View of a side street from the center of town

hey pooch

A huge hardware/home goods store (I find this store completely out of place in town)

More of center of town

Another side street

The Office

Our office is at the end

The office is off the park, this is the park

 View of park from the office

Bus Stop

Coliseo

Some of the artwork on the coliseo

Soccer Stadium to the right of the Coliseo

Behind that wall is the soccer field

 No longer on the main street, looking back on the Coliseo

...further down the street

The Hospital (donated by a doctor from University of Notre Dame)

A view from the street on the walk home

Another side street

Host Family's Home

 Yard to the right of the apartment

Trucks store wood here

View from the stairs of the apartment