So I made it through the first couple weeks in site, I am even starting to feel comfortable there. My routine is slowly coming together, and I am beginning to get going on some work. Maybe not the Community Diagnostic as of yet, but hey, I dont need your judging eyes looking this way. So far I have started to work with the Municipality and the Health Post on a recycling project and spoken on the radio to all of Faique. I got home after this surprise radio show, to my host mom congratulating me. I am just shocked anyone could understand my spanish well enough to comprehend anything I said. The recycling project is getting under way and really important because trash disposal here is not the safest, or the healthiest. But the people here seem to really want to make a change. I have given a few presentations on recycling to three different areas of Faique, and last Friday we had a Clean Faique Campaign. I gave a presentation in the morning, then we all went off in teams and picked up the trash along the streets. A few hours of pushing a wheelbarrow around, followed by a solid hour of digging grass and mud out of a long untouched canal, and I was pretty well exhausted and ready to hide in my house for a bit. The rain began about 2 in the afternoon, and saved me.
The rain in Faique is starting to increase. Each day around 2 or 3 in the afternoon the rain starts to come sporadically until about 7 or 8, then its pretty steady most of the night. We have a sheet metal, tin roof, and the sound can be quite soothing. It has that relaxing consistency that always seems to put me down for a nap after lunch. Not to mention by that time I will have filled up on a soup, a plate of rice, fried platano, and some meat, and a delicious fresh made juice. The fruits here are amazing. I have tried tons of new fruits; guanabana, grenadilla, naranjilla, not to mention some old favorites like mangos, which are amazing here, and tons of oranges.
I finally met my host sister, Katy. She finished up the semester and is back for Christmas. Christmas here is really similar in some ways, and others its a lot different. It doesnt quite feel like Christmas for a lot of reasons, but the main one is not being with my family. But there are a lot of new things that make it feel like Christmas. We have a Christmas tree, I think its an orange tree, very small, but nonetheless has the lights and ornaments of any arbol de Navidad. We have lights up on the windows, and a lot of houses have the same. Also each house and institution has a Nativity scene. The police station, churches, and municipality all have large ones that are really cool. In my house it is right under the tree, and each year there is a big ceremony on Christmas Eve, right before Christmas, where they put Jesus into the scene. Its different, but pretty cool. I have also watched Home Alone 2 and It's A Wonderful Life to get me in the Christmas mood.
This past weekend, I came into Piura city. It was my birthday, and as everyone here has told me, I am now in my mid-20s. So that was an enjoyable revelation to think on. We went out to a club, which happened to be having a lingerie show. I told my friends it was too much for my birthday and that they shouldn't have. Thinking back on it now, the show may have not been a birthday present to me, but a guy can dream, cant he?
Overall, things are good. Coming up on my first month in site, and each day seems to go a little better than the day before. I have a long way to go, but its starting to feel like home and a place I can hang my hat for some time to come.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Saying goodbye, and moving again.
So its been a long time since my last post and a lot has happened. Training went as training usually does, busy days getting through dense materials and four hours of language. My language has come along, but still has a long way to go. We had a big Thanksgiving lunch at the training center, complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and a lot of other things but I really only had those four foods filling my plate, not too shabby.
Training came to an end with the swearing in of our group. The ambassador was there, and we all took the oath. It was a pretty cool day, but sad at the same time. We had all gotten to know Peru together, as a group, and now we were getting ready to head out and be volunteers. New sites, new families, but the biggest change is that we are all going out alone. Some of us will have other volunteers near us, but its still much different. Going from seeing everyone every day, to maybe once a week and in most cases, once a month with the people in your department. The people outside of your department, maybe after 3 months when we can start taking vacations. It was also very hard leaving behind the families in Santa Eulalia. My first Peruvian family, Mamita, was all I had known, and Santa Eulalia had become my home. A place I could relax and feel comfortable. Leaving, knowing that I wont be back for a long time was tough, but I was lucky to have the family I did, and this is all part of the process of being a volunteer. This is also a really exciting time because the job and the real challenge finally begins.
My first week in site was relatively unspectacular. To be honest, a lot of it was sitting around reading or watching movies, doing my best to make this place my home as quickly as possible. Settling in is always a tough part of the process. My family is great, my mother, Lucha, is a teacher but also makes her own Cafe Liquor, which is delicious. She has a daughter who studies in the capitol city, and Esthela who works in the house. Esthela has a 1 year old, Margot, who gives me a big smile and wave most days when I walk in. Its a nice greeting to come into.
My town San Miguel de El Faique is small, about 2000 people, with 10,000 in the surrounding district. All the people seem really nice and give me a hello and a wave when I'm walking around. Of course this is after staring at me from the shock of seeing a 2 meter tall, white guy walking around their town. I think I will have a lot of work opportunities here, and I am excited to get started and see the possibilities. The language in site is a bit harder to deal with, because I am the only English speaker in my town. Sink or swim seems to be the general rule, so hopefully my language level will increase quickly, at least to where I have a good idea of what's being said to me.
I have had some interesting moments in site already. A few mornings ago I was awoken to the sound of a chicken. This is really no surprise because most people have chickens roaming around, our neighbors have 4 roosters which they tie up in front of the house on the sidewalk each day. But this morning the chicken's clucks seemed to be coming from the wrong direction. I hear some scrambling so I walk out to see a chicken running around the house, and my host mother chasing it, trying to get it out. The chicken left after minimal damage; a broken bottle, the peace of the house, and my sleep, but those are all minor inconveniences. The price of fresh food, one might say. A few days later, I was outside on the phone with Teddy, chatting it up like a lonely volunteer is prone to do, when out of the corner of my eye I see something crawling on the sidewalk. I take a closer look and its a tarantula, about the size of my hand, give or take. I go inside to take a picture, since I've decided to tag all pictures of tarantulas I take as Thomas. My host mom sees me and comes out to look at it, laughs and says "I hope it doesnt try to get in the house." I laugh at this too, pretty unlikely I would say. So I head into my room to read, I am reading Infinite Jest at the moment, when I hear a scream from the living room. I run out and the tarantula is cruising about the living room. Lucha calmly looks at the hand sized spider making a visit, walks to the back and picks up a board, comes in a squashes it. Squashes it as if this is nothing out of the usual, and to be honest, I dont think it is.
Overall though, site has been good. At times I feel very out of place and as if I will never get used to living there alone, but other times I already feel at home. The feelings are very similar to the first week in Peru, except this time I am alone. But it was time to move out and get started. I felt antsy in Santa Eulalia, and ready to get going on the job. The rainy season is approaching, and I am a bit nervous about it, but I like reading and will be able to expand my library significantly. Piura has one of the best Peace Corps libraries in Peru, so I shouldnt be at a loss for things to keep me occupied. Its all about getting accustomed to your site and your family, which never happens overnight, but builds up over while. I'm confident though, even if I spend a few days hiding in my room, reading, and watching documentaries about the best video arcade players in the world. The interesting life of a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Training came to an end with the swearing in of our group. The ambassador was there, and we all took the oath. It was a pretty cool day, but sad at the same time. We had all gotten to know Peru together, as a group, and now we were getting ready to head out and be volunteers. New sites, new families, but the biggest change is that we are all going out alone. Some of us will have other volunteers near us, but its still much different. Going from seeing everyone every day, to maybe once a week and in most cases, once a month with the people in your department. The people outside of your department, maybe after 3 months when we can start taking vacations. It was also very hard leaving behind the families in Santa Eulalia. My first Peruvian family, Mamita, was all I had known, and Santa Eulalia had become my home. A place I could relax and feel comfortable. Leaving, knowing that I wont be back for a long time was tough, but I was lucky to have the family I did, and this is all part of the process of being a volunteer. This is also a really exciting time because the job and the real challenge finally begins.
My first week in site was relatively unspectacular. To be honest, a lot of it was sitting around reading or watching movies, doing my best to make this place my home as quickly as possible. Settling in is always a tough part of the process. My family is great, my mother, Lucha, is a teacher but also makes her own Cafe Liquor, which is delicious. She has a daughter who studies in the capitol city, and Esthela who works in the house. Esthela has a 1 year old, Margot, who gives me a big smile and wave most days when I walk in. Its a nice greeting to come into.
My town San Miguel de El Faique is small, about 2000 people, with 10,000 in the surrounding district. All the people seem really nice and give me a hello and a wave when I'm walking around. Of course this is after staring at me from the shock of seeing a 2 meter tall, white guy walking around their town. I think I will have a lot of work opportunities here, and I am excited to get started and see the possibilities. The language in site is a bit harder to deal with, because I am the only English speaker in my town. Sink or swim seems to be the general rule, so hopefully my language level will increase quickly, at least to where I have a good idea of what's being said to me.
I have had some interesting moments in site already. A few mornings ago I was awoken to the sound of a chicken. This is really no surprise because most people have chickens roaming around, our neighbors have 4 roosters which they tie up in front of the house on the sidewalk each day. But this morning the chicken's clucks seemed to be coming from the wrong direction. I hear some scrambling so I walk out to see a chicken running around the house, and my host mother chasing it, trying to get it out. The chicken left after minimal damage; a broken bottle, the peace of the house, and my sleep, but those are all minor inconveniences. The price of fresh food, one might say. A few days later, I was outside on the phone with Teddy, chatting it up like a lonely volunteer is prone to do, when out of the corner of my eye I see something crawling on the sidewalk. I take a closer look and its a tarantula, about the size of my hand, give or take. I go inside to take a picture, since I've decided to tag all pictures of tarantulas I take as Thomas. My host mom sees me and comes out to look at it, laughs and says "I hope it doesnt try to get in the house." I laugh at this too, pretty unlikely I would say. So I head into my room to read, I am reading Infinite Jest at the moment, when I hear a scream from the living room. I run out and the tarantula is cruising about the living room. Lucha calmly looks at the hand sized spider making a visit, walks to the back and picks up a board, comes in a squashes it. Squashes it as if this is nothing out of the usual, and to be honest, I dont think it is. 
Monday, September 26, 2011
La primera semana
So far I am really enjoying Peru. Of course I miss you guys, but I have a great family here. I live with a lady named Olinda. She has three kids, but they are all grown. We have a dog named Princessa, she has an underbite just like booboo, it makes me miss the little guy, but she seems to like me. Her husband drives two hours to Lima each Monday and works until Saturday so I haven’t really seen much of him. The first night I was here he asked me what I thought about suicide, if I read Karl Marx, what I thought about the wars our country was in, and if I believed in reincarnation. Needless to say it was a trial by fire, but I did ok. My Spanish, or Castellano as it’s called here, is coming along slowly, but each day I understand a little more and am able to say a little more. Each night at 8 Olinda and I watch a soap opera called “Al Fondo Hay Sitio”, it’s pretty funy and is a good way to spend some time with Olinda.
The training has been pretty exhausting to this point. We spend 4 hours a day doing language training, and its difficult to think and speak in a different language, but I guess it’s not supposed to be easy. The food here is pretty good. For the most part I have really enjoyed it. I eat a lot of potatoes, but cooked in new ways. Also I have had the best and freshest fruit of my life here. Each day for lunch Olinda makes me fresh juice, sometimes limon, sometimes passionfruit, but it’s always delicious. The oranges here are so juicy, each time I peel one there is a huge puddle under me. I’ve eaten more avocados here than ever before. We have a limon tree and an avocado tree in our courtyard. Olinda also loves roses, so some of the ones in the courtyard have just bloomed. The house is pretty nice, we have running water, but no hot water. I don’t think I will ever get used to cold showers, but it’s a good wake up in the morning. We only have water here from about 6 am to 7 pm, and you throw the toilet paper away instead of flushing it. Also my toilet doesn’t have a seat, so that makes for some interesting mornings. I don’t think I will ever take for granted the fact that when we turn on the water it always comes out, it’s so different in that regard here. My room is pretty big, and I have a double bed. I go to bed around 9 each night and read for a while, write in my journal, then get some sleep. I get up about 6:30 each morning and have breakfast with Olinda. I swear she thinks I’m a bottomless pit, so sometimes I have to politely refuse.
The town I’m in is called Santa Eulalia. Its right next to the foothills of the Andes, but they are still much larger than any mountain in the Blue Ridge. I think we are somewhere around 1800 meters up. It’s pretty warm here, and the winter is just ending. The group I’m in is great; each person is interesting and completely unique. The staff here is also very helpful. Our training center is the most beautiful place you have ever seen. It’s a closed in area, about half a block, and has exotic trees and flowers, wonderful white and red buildings, and plenty of areas to lie around outside during lunch or the small breaks we get. Last night a bunch of us went to a town close by called Chosica. We had some dinner and some beers; it felt like a pretty normal evening. Surprisingly this place doesn’t feel so different. Little things are different, but overall it just feels like I’m away from you guys. I can’t believe it’s been a week already, but I have heard training flies by.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Let's Begin
Here we are two days before it's time for me to leave, so I guess this is as good a time as any to begin this thing. First of all, a little about what I will be doing. I am joining the Peace Corps, leaving for Peru to do Water and Sanitation. My job will consist of identifying the water needs of the town I will be stationed in, working with community leaders to address those needs, and teaching health outreach about the importance of clean water and sanitary conditions. I am very excited about the job I will be doing, it is something I am very interested in and is obviously a basic, important need.
I will be heading to D.C. in two days to begin staging and meet everyone in my training group. I will be training with 67 other volunteers who will be working in various fields such as Water and Sanitation, Community Health, and Environmental Management. Friday we will fly down to Peru and this adventure will finally begin.
I've spent the past few weeks preparing myself as best I can, but mostly seeing the people and the places that I will miss the most while I'm away. I believe the hardest part of this is saying goodbye to all those people you care about, but I'm thankful to have the opportunity. I will do my best to keep this blog up and keep it mildly entertaining, and on that note I will end my first post with this
http://llamafont.com/
This is exactly what you would think, a llama font. A friend of mine's sister created this site out of her love of llamas, and I would have to agree with the idea, llamas make everything better.
I will be heading to D.C. in two days to begin staging and meet everyone in my training group. I will be training with 67 other volunteers who will be working in various fields such as Water and Sanitation, Community Health, and Environmental Management. Friday we will fly down to Peru and this adventure will finally begin.
I've spent the past few weeks preparing myself as best I can, but mostly seeing the people and the places that I will miss the most while I'm away. I believe the hardest part of this is saying goodbye to all those people you care about, but I'm thankful to have the opportunity. I will do my best to keep this blog up and keep it mildly entertaining, and on that note I will end my first post with this
http://llamafont.com/
This is exactly what you would think, a llama font. A friend of mine's sister created this site out of her love of llamas, and I would have to agree with the idea, llamas make everything better.
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