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Return from hiking on Mount Chimborazo. I am the tallest guy.
I did not reach the top of the volcano.

I was an American Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) in Ecuador for two years, starting in early 1966. The primary responsibility of my volunteer group was to assure the success of Credit Cooperatives which prior Volunteers had helped establish. This blog is dedicated to the Ecuadorians and American Volunteers who more than 50 years ago worked to make Credit Cooperatives a success in Ecuador.

 

Regarding the blog title, the "two years" refers to the normal length of Peace Corps Volunteer service. "Chimborazo" is the tallest point and volcano in Ecuador.

 

During my service, about once a month, I wrote a letter to my family living in upstate New York. Through these letters I tried to convey a view of my life in the Peace Corps, the country, and Ecuadorian society. I wanted the reader to acquire a clearer sense of life in a place unfamiliar to them.

 

The idea of incorporating parts of these letters into a blog came to me in 2020, more than 50 years after the end of my service as a PCV in Ecuador. Without the family letters (initially saved by my mother), my sometime faulty memory would have made creation of an authentic blog a near impossible task.  

 

The letter excerpts contained in the blog are in boxes with a green background. Each excerpt begins with the date the letter was written. The normal wording is as the letter was originally written, except for minor text changes or rearrangement to enhance readability. The accompanying text and images located outside the boxes provide additional information, clarity or context to the included excerpts.

 

The model for this Ecuador blogging effort was a prior blog of mine. That previous blog was based on letters written by my great grandfather William Graham while serving in the American Civil War. His three year volunteer service was with the Union Army. I incorporated William's letters into a Civil War blog that followed his pathway through the battle grounds of the early 1860s. Hopefully William is some place aware and pleased with the results. 

As for the current blog, I hope it successfully communicates life experienced by 1960s Americans giving service in another country. May recipients of that effort and their descendants see our service as a positive influence on their future.

 

As for my fellow PCVs, this blog aims to (1) refresh their memories, (2) tell others about our Ecuador experience and (3) help us to renew and maintain the acquaintance of our former colleagues.