I learned so much about the foods and traditions, and I even experienced my first big earthquake!
After that experience, I knew I wanted to learn more Spanish and continue travelling. However, I had to start college, and I majored in nursing. Although my nursing classes were very difficult, I was able to squeeze in a couple of Spanish classes. I also had the opportunity to study aboard for a semester in Granada, Spain, which is a small city in the south of Spain known for its history and tapas. Here I stayed with an amazing host family and learned more Spanish.
While finishing my last year in college, I applied for Peace Corps in Ecuador. I chose to go to Ecuador because I wanted to learn Spanish and experience what it is like to live in another country.I also applied to work in the Health & Well-Being sector because I felt that was the most appropriate position for me, given that I am a nurse. Now, I live in the Amazon region of Ecuador in a small town called Ahuano, which is located about one hour away from a city called Tena. I work in the Centro de Salud, which is a small health clinic. I am actually not allowed to work as a nurse in Ecuador even though I am one in the U.S. My job consists of health promotion, such as giving charlas, which are like small speeches. I usually cover topics about healthy habits such as hand hygiene and healthy diet. I currently have a project in Ahuano as well, because Peace Corps gives all of their volunteers an opportunity to create a project. Malnutrition is a big problem in Ecuador, so the Centro de Salud and I developed the project of building a greenhouse to help grow vitamin-rich foods such as lettuce, tomatoes and beans to distribute to people in the community.
