Emilie Pryor is leaving for Ecuador as a Peace Corps volunteer
Salamanca woman leaves Monday on mission to Ecuador with Peace Corps
By DAWN KARL , The Times Herald 07/03/2004
Emilie Pryor of Salamanca is leaving for Ecuador on Monday as a Peace Corps volunteer.
Ms. Pryor, 21, a graduate of Fredonia State College with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and philosophy, decided to volunteer after attending a presentation by a Peace Corps recruiter over a year ago.
"I think a lot of it had to do with being able to live in a foreign country for a long enough period of time to be immersed in its culture and language," she said.
Before committing to the program, Ms. Pryor did some research. She looked at a CD-Rom that was handed out at the presentation. Then she requested more information from the organization and read stories from other people who had volunteered.
She had a hard time deciding where to go as a volunteer.
"I could choose a general area; I chose Central or South America," she said, noting the Peace Corps chose the particular country.
Ms. Pryor will be in Ecuador for about two years. She’ll actually be gone for 27 months, but she will be training during the first three months before her actual service begins.
"I’m going to be a rural health extension volunteer," she said. "Basically, I’ll be working as an educator."
She’ll work with mothers to teach them how to give their children better care, including the benefits of boiling drinking water.
"About 9,000 children under the age of 5 die from preventable diseases (each year in Ecuador)," she said.
Ms. Pryor added she will also work with younger people on issues such as birth control and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV, which is a big problem in the area.
She’s not sure what area of the country she will be working in and won’t find out her permanent location until she is in Ecuador. She’ll train outside of Quito, the capital city.
To help her prepare for the trip, Ms. Pryor received a list of items to take with her, based on suggestions of Peace Corps volunteers who served in Ecuador. She was surprised to find peanut butter on the list.
"I guess it’s not very easily accessible down there," she said.
Ms. Pryor has also done her own research to prepare for the trip including talking to people who have been to Ecuador.
"I’ve read as much as I could about the country and the culture," she said.
Since she received a degree in Spanish, she is not worried about a language barrier. Also, part of her training will focus on language. She said she’s sure there are expressions and slang terms native to Ecuador that she will have to learn.
Despite her preparations, she is nervous about the trip.
"I kind of wake up every morning with a pit in my stomach," she said. "It’s daunting leaving everything you’ve known for a new culture."
Ms. Pryor said she’s not sure what she will do after her Peace Corps stint. She said she’d like to work in New York City or attend graduate school.
"I’m kind of keeping my options open at this point," she said. "If I get down there and really love it, I could stay another couple of years."
She also said if she has a good experience in Ecuador and has an opportunity to volunteer for the Peace Corps again later in her life, she will.
©The Times Herald, Olean, N.Y. 2004
