Today I woke up just like any other Monday—6:30 am start, got dressed, had breakfast, read my book over a cup of coffee and headed out of the house with my host family. I was dropped off at the bus stop on the main drag outside the enclosed community where my host family lives. My bus “Padre Solano” stopped at the corner and I jumped on. As the bus is pulling away from the curb, I hear my cell phone begin to ring. I reach down underneath my shirt and pull out my “invisible fanny pack” where I hide all my valuables including my money and my phone. I look down at my phone and my caller ID says “Rebecca Carofils” — my Peace Corps HIV program manager. I answer the phone, “Buenos Dias Rebecca!” —“Hola Leana, Buenos dias!” I can barely hear her over the roar of the bus engine and the traffic around me. —“Leana, are you on your way to work?” I’m sure she could hear the traffic sounds muffling my voice. “Yes Rebecca, I just got on the bus” —“Leana, I am calling to let you know that we are not going to work today and all volunteers must stay home. There are transportation strikes this morning which can bring violence by the end of the day and last night prisoners broke out of Guayaquil´s maximum security prison…..so as of now you are on Stead Fast Alert.” At that point, I was only two blocks away from when I jumped on the bus since the early morning traffic was at a slow roll. As I said thank you and goodbye to Rebecca, I jumped off the bus just before the bus headed for the freeway exit.
So now I am at a panadería down the street from my house in Entre Rios drinking a coffee and watching the rest of my neighborhood head out to work.
So I guess my plans for today are…
1) go for a long run this morning before it gets too hot, 2) find/ go searching for a public pool (since its going to be a hot one today), 3) research public health graduate schools and sign up for the GRE test, 4) relax and do some reading
Signing off for now…..I will update soon on the state of Guayaquil and whether or not I have work tomorrow or the rest of the week.
Sending love home!
Leana
