Poco a poco.

It was difficult to come back to Tumbaco after the week I had in Guayaquil. I got a real taste of what my life will look like for the next two years, and I'm eager to start living it! 

First off, my new host family! I'll be living with Grace and her two daughters, Erika (24) and Andrea (19). Erika is a doctor and Andrea is studying to be a translator. All three women are incredibly kind and down to earth, and in just one week I felt so comfortable and welcomed. They live in a northern barrio of Guayaquil with their six Bichon Frise dogs. Yes, I said six. Toby, Charlotte, Max, Honey, Oso, and Fanny. Currently they're not my biggest fans. Every time I stand up, open a door, or breathe too loudly they erupt in a chorus of yapping. While annoying right now, I'm confident I'll be able to  win them over in time. Poco a poco. 

See, Charlotte is looking right at me without barking. It's progress, folks.

 It takes me about 45 minutes by bus to get from my house to the Juconi office in central Guayaquil. When I return I'm going to experiment with taking the bus half way and walking the rest; the less time spent on buses during rush hour the better, in my opinion. Still, it felt good to learn one of the many, many buses in Guayaquil. I can successfully get to and from work, and while that may not sound like much, it was a big achievement for this directionally challenged gringa. And it gave me hope that, with time, navigating my way through Guayaquil won't be so daunting and overwhelming. Poco a poco.

To give you a better sense of what I'll be doing with Juconi, I think I first need to explain how Juconi works. As its main objective is to end child labor, Juconi begins its work on the streets, finding and befriending children where they work. Over a period of three months, they nurture these relationships until they can make their way into the homes. Once a family enters the program, it is assigned to the case load of one of the psychologists who makes biweekly visits to the home. Juconi works with each family for a minimum of four years supporting the children and working to change the patterns of behavior within the family that have resulted in child labor. Apart from the teams of psychologists that enter the homes, there is also a community team that works mainly in the schools of the barrios where Juconi families live. These two teams work together to holistically and sustainably support the marginalized populations of Guayaquil. Poco a poco. 

My super cool vest and baseball cap I wear when making home visits. 

I learned last week that I'll be working with one of the teams of psychologists that enter the homes. Within that case load, I'll be working specifically with the siblings of the children who were found working on the street. As I understand it, these siblings often receive less time and support from the psychologists because of resources. I'll provide that attention, working with them in areas of self-esteem, life skills, and academic support. Additionally, I'll be working with "tarde de chicas," a youth group for the adolescent girls of Juconi families. There are around fifteen of them, and we'll meet once a week on Fridays. While all new jobs are overwhelming at the beginning, I see so much potential in this work, in these yet unformed relationships. And I'm confident that, in time, the terrifying will become beautifully familiar. Poco a poco. 

This is the last full week of training. (Can you feel my excitement?)  It's full of exams and presentations, the last requirements before being sworn in as official volunteers next week. I plan to spend it enjoying my host family here in Tumbaco, my fellow volunteers, the beautiful mountains, and the crisp Sierra weather that I will miss so much in Guayaquil. Who knows though? Maybe I'll learn to love the humidity and absence of mountains. Poco a never. 

There's no getting over this view.