UUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
A lot of volunteers have told me that time spent in the PC is much like a roller coaster- extreme ups and downs that happen within moments of each other, a success followed by a disaster followed quickly by another success and then BOOM disaster.
I definitely bought a ticket and this ride is more than advertised.
So far, I haven't found myself crying in a corner anywhere, although I have said (out loud) "voy a llorar en una esquina..." to my host sister, who responded with laughter. She mocks my pain. But yes, it was in jest.
Well, let me try to take you on this roller coaster of events that have been happening to me recently.
The last time I blogged was about my regional meeting. That was a definite up. I had a great time, got to meet the amazing volunteers of La Libertad, and learned a bit more about what we've been up to in our respective sites (which, by the way, is mind blowingly amazing. I can only hope that I can pull off something half as good as these volunteers. Seriously.)
Then Monday, I went to the municipality to get money for this camp that the other volunteer wanted to do for the weekend. I got there, only to find out that they wouldn't have the money for me until Thursday, the day before the event. Still, no big deal, I'm just super excited that the municipality is actually supporting me for an event, even if it's not mine.
Tuesday, I'm running around with the other volunteer, visiting schools around Pacasmayo and getting to meet other directors. I'm actually having a great time and I have plans to include Pacasmayo as part of my work, simply because there isn't a volunteer there and the people there are interested in receiving my help. So huzzah for that!
Wednesday, I'm supposed to meet up with the kids from San Pedro who are planning on going to this camping trip. They're all friends of my sister and here's where things start heading south. The night before, I make plans to meet everyone at 1pm. I inform my host sister, who I should have known was not paying attention because she was really really busy taking MySpace-esque photos of herself to post on facebook.
I should mention, that I really hate it when teenagers act like teenagers. Teenagers are really annoying.
Anyway, I inform her to please let her friends know. "Yea yea yea, ok ok ok." No one shows up at 1pm because that wonderful, responsible sister of mine has informed NO ONE. I show up, and she runs around and grabs as many of the kids who happen to still be around. Then my host sister informs me that one of the kids who wants to go does not have any family living with him. They are all in Lima for some reason (health related) and he doesn't have anyone who can sign his permission slip. I, however, let them know that as long as I can speak with the person who is acting as his guardian, it should be fine. We make plans for their parents to meet me in a designated place at 4pm later that afternoon.
NO ONE SHOWS UP.
My host sister is at a meeting. One boy that I know shows up to get permission, and that's because this kid is awesome and he's in one of my youth groups. I wait for AN HOUR for someone else to show, and nothing.
*&^%$#$%^&^FTF%$%#$%^RFCXE%^ fricken hell.
I go home, find my host sis and ask her WTF to which she responds, "yea, they all have work. But they'll come tomorrow so don't invite anyone else! They'll be here tomorrow!" So, with doubt written all over my face, I agree to wait.
No need.
I get a phone call about an hour later, telling me that the camp is cancelled. We couldn't get tents. After all of that, no camp. uuuuuuuuuuuuuuurggghhhhhhhhh. I walk upstairs and let my sister know, who just looks at me with a face that says, "WHAT?? NOOOOOOOOOOO!" and she's disappointed. I call, facebook, text the one other kid who showed up with his mom to inform him about the situation, who I'm most apologetic to because he actually DID everything I asked them to do... definite down.
Today, I went to the municipality to inform them of the no-camp situation and asked them to pleaasseeee hold on to the cash until we get this camp actually going. Thankfully, the man at the desk said alright but I should write up another solicitude to give to them. I thanked them and left to go to my meeting at a school. I met my socio to talk to him about getting students to do my survey and huzzah! He was super supportive! We hashed out how many copies of each I would need and I'll be going tomorrow morning to talk to the classes, pass out the surveys, and hopefully get some results from this school! Then some professors invited me to return that afternoon to celebrate the school anniversary, to which I gladly agreed.
Then I got home for lunch and uuuggghhhh... sometimes it sucks living with a socio. My host sister and host mom are ragging on me about teaching at their school. First of all, I don't want to teach English for the next 2 years of my life. Secondly, I'm worried about forming ties with only one school. I want to work for this community, not for just one specific school, and teaching in one will do that. Third, I'm not a teacher. I don't have any degree or anything for it. I refuse to teach in a classroom as a teacher. I will help a teacher, but do not wish to become one. Fourth, I already have plans to teach english two days a week in another place, for ALL students who wish to learn it. I try to explain this, and I KNOW I'm being clear about this, because I repeat myself at least 20 times and my host dad rephrases it and repeats it and STILL neither of them are listening.
There are days when I just want to flip a table over.
Now, I can't decide if the host mom is upset at me because I don't want to teach at this damn school, or if she still doesn't get it (which I really can't understand. What part of "NO" doesn't translate over into spanish?! It's the same word!!!)
I think the next time PC has a volunteer living with a host family, they should REALLY not put them with a socio. It's like I'm working 24 hours a day without break. I have this vague feeling that something's going to snap. What's worse? I can't move out. If I do, I don't just lose a host family- I lose one of the biggest connections I have to the municipality, to the schools, to basically all of my work. Damn it.
I need this gym to be freakin open someday. Or else my next work out will be entitled, "breaking down doors" and will include a cardio portion where I sprint and fling my body at the gym door, and then proceed to kick at it repeatedly.
So yea, that was a down.
And then I went to the anniversary of the school I was at. It was interesting, watching them form a parade and march around the area, return to the school, and then have a party where various students performed random things. I don't really know many of them just yet, so I just sort of sat around and observed. I left earlier, just because it got way too cold, and walked back home.
Now I'm holed up in my room and I just don't want to go out. My nerves are shot this week, but there's still a crap ton of things that I need to do. Bleh.
So here's to hoping tomorrow will be better. I'll be going back to the school to do my surveys, and I'll be helping teach at another school (the one my host mom and sis were annoying me about). Maybe I will just end up helping in both of these schools, plus my workshops outside of these classes. I just need to make sure that they understand that I won't be doing this for the next 2 years of my life. Maybe a month. We'll see how that goes.
Seriously though. I need some time away from work, which doesn't happen unless I'm in Trujillo and that only comes once a month.
I just might explode.
Boom.
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