SLIPPERY ROCK - Working in a stressful sales job and handling a large Canadian territory made Christiane Bell long for a simpler life.

When she watched the third person in her workplace die of a heart attack, she knew the time had come to make that change.

That's when Christiane convinced her husband, Jason, to join the Peace Corps with her and travel to Ecuador. The Slippery Rock couple left in July 2003 and returned in March 2005.

The Bells had been discussing the concept for months, with Jason eager to travel but not sure if he wanted to commit to the two-year term the corps required.

Jason had taken shorter trips in high school and college to various Spanish-speaking countries and later became a Spanish teacher. Finally, the couple decided they would travel while they were still young and didn't have children or a house payment to answer to.

One of those deadlines came sooner than they thought, however, cutting their term of service by a few months. Christiane became pregnant and returned home at the end of her first trimester.

During a recent interview, Christiane admitted the last few weeks of service were pretty rough. Morning sickness, or all-day sickness as she described it, caused her to lose eight pounds - and the high altitude of Ecuador seemed to make all the symptoms worse, she said.

The couple worked in Principal, a small village about three hours from the nearest major city, Cuenca, where you could find a grocery store, see a movie and e-mail family members at home, said Christiane.

In the village, most families had about 12 members who lived in two-or three-room huts, according to the Bells.

"The poverty was a shock to me," said Christiane

, who spent most of her time as a health volunteer

working with a group of 50 women on basic hygiene and nutritional needs.

She also taught the women defenses against domestic violence, which is prevalent in third world countries. Boosting self-esteem and teaching about alcoholism were other lessons she tried to instill in the group members.

Jason's main job was teaching middle school children in the village. The Bells had a separate goal, however, which included attracting tourists to the village.

Located at the foot of an inactive volcano, Principal has hiking trails, scenic views and the freshest water in the area.

"It was a paradise that was slowly deteriorating because of logging," said Jason.

One way to preserve the natural beauty was to enhance the tourism industry, according to the Bells. They worked to make it a hiking destination, helped one family set up a hostel with guides, and another to start a restaurant.

The hostel was started by the Peace Corps couple that preceded the Bells, but the restaurant was their main project. The Bells really just needed to teach villagers about customer service, according to Christiane. Teaching them to treat tourists well and promote their restaurant became the challenge.

The couple also helped to market the items that villages were making, from hats to placemats, and trained guides to walk groups of tourists through the area to see an inactive volcano and numerous waterfalls.

"Tourism spreads the wealth evenly: a restaurant owner may make money but then may buy broccoli from a neighbor," Christiane said. "The guides were all from the poorest families and they would make enough to feed their family."

Jason said he watched the price of handmade hats go from $2 to $10 while he was there. Other local artisans were also able to raise prices and make money on tourists, he added.

While their main mission was helping the adults with health and economic issues, most spare moments were spent helping the children of the community.

"We were surrounded by kids," said Christiane. "I took kids into the house and washed hands and faces at least once a day."

The average family had eight children and most were left to fend for themselves while parents made a living, she said. Girls are usually 15 or 16 years old when they get married and 17 when they start having children, she added.

The Bells lived in a simple home with concrete floors and four bedrooms, not a typical residence for the village, they said. They used a large pot with bricks under it to cook much of the time and were lucky enough to have indoor plumbing.

Most days, the couple ate rice, beans, vegetables and fruits, which were "so fresh and so amazing," according to Christiane. The climate, with stable year-round temperatures in the mid-70s, allows for an unending growing season.

The only meat available was guinea pig, which both Jason and Christiane learned to kill and eat. Jason likened the meat to Maryland crab, while Christiane said it was just salty and greasy.

Both were surprised by the sense of community among villagers.

"Getting people together for common cause was not as difficult as you'd think," Jason said.

The village would often hold a Minga, or community work day, where all 800 villagers would come out and perform work that was needed. The Bells were often roused in the middle of the night because a nearby stream would flood, for example.

"Everyone would grab their shovels and help," said Jason.

The Peace Corps, founded in 1960 by John F. Kennedy, who was then a senator, is an agency of the federal government devoted to world peace and friendship.Peace Corps volunteers live and work in developing countries on issues ranging from AIDS education to information technology, and environmental preservation.To join the Peace Corps, volunteers must be at least 18 years old and U.S. citizens. The volunteers fill out an application, which assesses their skills and aptitudes to determine acceptance and placement.If accepted, volunteers serve in two-year rotations. They are provided with shelter and food typical of their service communities.At the end of service, the volunteers receive a sum of money to aid them in their return home.For more information on the Peace Corps, log on to www.peacecorps.gov.