So we’ve made it to May. It’s hard to believe it’s May already, seems like not too long ago that I was looking forward to March. I haven’t done a good job of updating everyone on the day to day life I lead here, so I will do my best to shed some light on that here.
I’ll begin with March. March was a big month; it marked the end of the first three months in site, the ability to start taking vacations, and the first big training and opportunity to see everyone from WatSan. The training took place in La Libertad, a department on the coast, two departments south of Piura. The training took place over a week, at which time we presented our diagnostics, went over technical and organizational stuff, and got to get out and practice building latrines and cocina mejoradas. The training went as trainings go; long, at times less than exciting, and full of powerpoints. The best part of training was getting to see everyone. In many ways it was like we never left one another, but the stories everyone had of site, the differences and similarities that everyone shared, was really interesting to hear.
I will say that after being in site for three months, setting my own schedule, and seeing no powerpoints, days full of them were pretty difficult to sit through. Each night, however, we got to sit around and talk. We had been apart longer than we were together in training, but it’s difficult not to be close in a situation like this, and everyone picked up right where they left off. Eben was still beautiful Eben, Goyo exhausted and amazed us with his stories and works, Raquel made sure everyone knew we are not as smart as we think, and Booby, well Booby did what Booby does, he’s an odd guy with many eccentricities but the dirt phobia tops the list. At the end of the week we got to enjoy the beach for a bit before heading off to our respective sites.
I made my way back to site for a week or two before heading off again. This time, the beginning of April, was the first real vacation. The days here are Semana Santa, Holy Week, which coincide with Easter in the states. Jonah, Booby, Hot Karl, and I made our way to Mancora, a tourist beach in the north of Piura. The break was great; the company left something to be desired though. We stayed at a hostel where English was the default language, and that was a bit of a shock. I’ve become so used to speaking Spanish, or trying, that to assume someone speaks English has become a bit of a foreign concept. It was also refreshing to speak the old native tongue, not to mention they had eggs and bacon, which I partook in a few times. I also took my first dip in the Pacific, the Mexicans say it has no memory (guess which movie that quote comes from, Jonah?) and I hope it doesn’t, because an attempt at body surfing left Karl, Jonah, and I a little beaten and searching for the shore and a beer.
A few days in Mancora were enough and getting back to site was a relief. Surprisingly Faique has become my home and I’m comfortable here. The work started picking up, meetings and trips to caserios, which makes the days go by a little quicker, but also lifts the mood. Took a trip to Piura with two community partners for a few days to learn about AIDS/HIV and how to put a condom on correctly, safe to say I have become a pro.
That’s basically it for March and April. The two months really flew by, but the rains were gracious enough to stick around. I have come to accept them though, rain just means it’s probably time for a nap, and I have never been one to complain about taking a nap. In the middle of this month I leave again for training and will be seeing all of the WatSan folks. After I will have a few months in site to really get going on some projects. The end of this month marks half a year in site, a quarter of my service. My friend’s favorite quote says something along the lines of “days move slowly, but time passes quickly”, and that has never seemed truer than now.
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