End of a chapter

This is almost certainly our last posting, at least from Ecuador. We have decided to end our Peace Corps service so that we can return home and care for our new grandson. We are nearly as surprised as the Peace Corps staff we will be seeing soon in Quito.

We knew Renee and Travis were expecting before we reported for duty. We thought long and hard about whether we would be able to leave a grandchild and return to Ecuador to finish our remaining twenty or so months of service after visiting him. We decided we would be able to, and we were probably correct about that. What we did not anticipate was the difficulty Renee and Travis would have finding quality infant day care that made any economic sense. It was during our visit that we could see how poor their choices were, and the stress and concern it was causing them. It was then that we decided that the best choice, and probably the only realistic choice, was for us to provide the care in our home. We will be dividing the duties, and each of us plans to work approximately half time.

We will be staying in some space some church friends have available while our niece and her family make arrangements to move, probably to Pennsylvania.

It was very difficult for me (Marguerite) to say adios to the fifty or so children and adolescents with whom I was working as well as the local volunteers in the communities. They were so receptive of me even with my terrible Spanish. I will definately miss them and am left with a feeling of sadness because I think I could have made a little bit of a difference. Hopefully, someone will soon take my place. On a brighter note, I am looking forward to spending a lot of time with our grandson.

So, we travel to Quito on Monday, the 13th, and fly home either Thursday or Friday.