day 132: wherein i talk about my future goals and then proceed to try and lower my standards...

This is causa.

These are causitas.

Sup causitas (this is slang, or jerga, for friend. Causa is actually a peruvian dish... imagine making a cake, except with mashed potatoes instead of cake bits... and mayo mixed with random veggies instead of frosting. I like it, minus the mayo with the addition of ají, or spicy sauce stuff)

SO here we go. I've been in site now for nearly 2 months, my community diagnostic (CD) is still not at all taking any sort of form and it is due in just a few more weeks. I do, however, have a gazillion and one ideas of things that I want implemented in my community.

Well, I should probably focus on the community diagnostic...

woops

Bah, I think I've got better things to do than work on the one thing that I'm actually supposed to do my first three months on site. Like eat every snack food that exists in Perú... I've almost completed this mission.

haahahahhahahahahahahaahhahahah
no, I haven't tried it yet.
hahahhahahahhahahhahahahahhahahahah

My favorite, so far, is Nik- fresa- basically strawberry wafers. I don't know what it is about these things, but I can't seem to just have one. I have to eat 6 packages. It's getting to be kind of ridiculous, and I'm considering getting myself addicted to something else, just so I'll stop spending so much Nuevo Soles (official currency of Perú) on junk food. 

It tastes so deliciously artificial...
ommmm nom nom nom nom nooommmm

But then I remind myself that spending about a US $1 on some snacks is better than spending more on something super addictive and way worse for me... like cigarettes or meth. 

Speaking of meth, I'm on season four of Breaking Bad. If you haven't watched it, go do that now. Seriously. It's crazy good. 

Where was I... oh, right. My future goals. 

1. Get a hoverboard. When is this thing going to get going?
We have the technology for it! People need to get their priorities straight
and apply science the way it should be: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws6AAhTw7RA 

Let's see what's up in my head:
1. I still want to form a youth committee in my municipality. I'm currently on a committee that offers support in all things related to education, ranging from health to library to sports. We have a meeting every monday and I think I'm going to bring up this idea to see where they stand on it. 
2. I want to talk to my school officials and see how they would react to possible having alcohol suspended from the schools. It's a culture thing, though, and I don't want to step on any toes on this subject so I'll see where this goes. I might just hold off on it for a few more months, until the schools are more comfortable with me being around, before I make this a part of my projects.
3. I want youth groups. So far, I'm teaching english a lot and this is great because I'm getting to meet a lot of kids. Unfortunately, I don't want to do this forever. I would rather move into things I'm interested in, like health and art but teaching english does get me acquainted with a number of youthies. The problem is that right now, all those who are interested in hanging out with me are in their final year of colegio. If I start any projects with them, I only have until December to get them implemented and completed. It's nearly the end of October. That just seems silly, so I'm gonna go ahead and wait for 2012.
4. World Map! Word is going around that this is required for youth development peeps, but I really don't think so. Still, I wanna do it just cause it feels like something I can get done... or at least I hope I can get it done. I feel weird asking for things from my municipality. Don't ask me why, I just do! But I'll get over it. 
5. I gotta get that CD done. For serious. I don't have that much time yet. If you took at look at my agenda, the next 2 weeks just have "HARD CORE CD" written on every date. I'm gonna write up some interview questions and start taking walks around, interviewing as many ppl who'll stop and chat with the crazy asian girl who can't speak but does it anyway.
6. This is totally unrelated to all things work, but I'm super excited for Thanksgiving. Early IST is coming up (where we present our community diagnostic and get some more training stuff, I think?) but before then, we get a few days off for Thanksgiving. A bunch of 17ers are coming up to La Libertad to chill during this time and I'm trying to get that whole thing coordinated. I'm so freakin excited to see all of them, it's kind of ridiculous. Still, I can't help smiling when I think of the end of November! Plus my birthday's coming up in December (fun fact, my birthday's on a sunday! And it's during Spring/Summer in Peru! WEIRD but awesome.) and I'm thinking of joining a paseo (a walk) from Trujillo to someplace.. apparently it takes a day or two but I like walking so it's all good. Then it's Christmas and I'm thinking of visiting my host family in Lima during this time. Finally, NEW YEAR! Which I may be spending in Mancora with some more PCVs. I don't know how many vacay days I'll have by this time, but as long as I'm spending them with people I love, in a place that I enjoy, I really don't mind. 

That's just the surface of stuff going through my brain at the moment- a mixture of work and pleasure. I'm worried, though, that I'm overdoing some of it. Like, I want to be sustainable and even though a number of PCVs who have been hardened with time and experience here have told me to lower my standards... well, that's not really how I work. I have high standards, yes, and I might die of a blood vessel exploding in my brain because my expectations aren't being met even though I work at them.

lack of enthusiasm? no participation?
getting the run around? vague answers?
KAAABOOOOM!!

Still, it's what I do. Plus, reach for the stars and all that, right? And even if I miss... well, screw that, I'm not going to miss. I'll just keep working at it until my accuracy and distance improve and then? AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHO'S REACHING cause I'm gonna go all little prince and go live among the stars on my own little planet with a talking rose. That rose was a total betch, btw.... anyway, STARS! I be one of those.

Well, I gotta go teach an English class today! We're gonna be reinforcing the verb "to be" by learning the phrase "how are you?" and the response, "I am...."


I'm totally gonna make the kids play charades. For candy. Candy is like crack cocaine to children. They will do anything for it, even participate and enjoy themselves while being educated.

That's all for now. Hopefully my insanity doesn't leach through the intertubes and affects your brain. Or maybe, hopefully it does!

Love and Peace, y'all.
Love and Peace.