We are finally back and settled into our normal schedule at the library, and our regulars are starting to trickle back in. Us PDs are all fully refreshed after our weekend retreat to Cojimies, on the coast of Ecuador. We spent the weekend in a cabin on the beach that was recommended to us by a friend. It was nice to spend time together again after our separate vacations. We discussed our successes and shortcomings from the last two quarters and reassessed our goals for the upcoming semester. We have a lot of big plans we want to see carried out before the next group of PDs comes in July, and we have the renewed energy and motivation to make it happen.

We have a big week coming up so we are all busy preparing, making phone calls, and advertising, advertising, advertising! Next Saturday we are hosting our annual community celebration, Fiestas de Rumiloma (which we lovingly refer to as FDR). This celebration is a great chance for us to meet new people and really expand our reach in the community. We are inviting all of our partner organizations and other local foundations to come, give demonstrations, and hand out information. Local food vendors will be selling snacks, and the president of Rumiloma is set to give a speech.

Preparations for the celebration have included traveling all around the valley and into Quito to deliver invitations, hunting down a bounce-house, DJ and sound equipment, and talking up the event to everyone we meet. We are hoping to bring in a record number of community members and boost interest for our classes, which start on January 24th. This will be our first major community event, and we are all really excited to see how it turns out. There are lots of exciting things happening here in the next few weeks so stay tuned for more updates and pictures!

Rainbow over our cabaña in Cojimies (sadly we didn't find the pot of gold)

Sunset on the beach

(Nicole Hamilton's photos)