Peace Corps Host Family – David Hernandez, Ecuador 2013-15

Photos from David’s Service

David Hernandez’s Peace Corps Story

Where and when did you serve? What did you do?

I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador from 2013-2015. I worked as an Environmental Education/Business volunteer. This sector had me doing many different activities such: recycled art workshops, teaching environmental awareness classes, and best business practices on-site training to name a few. The highlight being that my counterpart and I applied for a grant to fund a museum at the local nature park, received the funding, and created the space.

What is one of your favorite Peace Corps memories?

One of my favorite Peace Corps memories is a series of home videos my host brothers and I created doing different activities to keep us entertained from the summer boredom. We did a monsters series including recreating Bigfoot, a UFO landing, we were supposed to do a Lochness Monster reenactment at the local natural springs, but ran out of time and creative energy. We also did a family, or brothers, Olympics.

What is one of your least favorite Peace Corps memories?

My least favorite Peace Corps memory is the time during tech week, when we visited potential sites and learned about the current jobs at those sites, that my fellow aspiring PCVs and I were robbed. It was around a couple of weeks prior to swearing in as PCVs, so being that it was so early it was a little frightening.

What do you miss about Peace Corps?

I miss my host families. I thoroughly enjoyed working with my counterpart (who also happened to be part of the family) and enjoyed the projects I worked on, but nothing comes close to the friends and family I had then and that I have now. I have been fortunate enough to go back and visit three times since my C.O.S. They cannot get rid of me!

What is something you learned in the Peace Corps?

Always make the best with what you have and spend your time with those you care about.

Do you have a favorite quote or local saying that you’d like to share?

My favorite local saying is, “¡qué iras!” which means, what anger or what fury. It is used mostly when something is frustrating, annoying, or that makes you angry. I still catch myself using it here in the U.S. It’s so easy to say and very applicable in your everyday life.

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