Hey Amig@s
Oh boy oh boy oh boy, pdm and ist are FINALLY over... So for those of you who don't know these particular acronyms, PDM: Project Design Management and IST: In Service Training
So for PDM, I brought a socia of mine from the benificencia social, in the hopes that working together for 2 or 3 days would be able to get some projects I'm interested in underway. Can I just say, success? My socia was kind of really intense the entire time we were there but when we got there, she immediately focused on a project that would serve to educate youth and parents on sex ed- something that is not really talked about in my site or focused on by the health sector of the local government. We get a basic schedule worked out, figure out goals and objectives, walk our way through how to get the project funded, etc etc etc and BOOM- I have another project to work on once I get back into site!
This is just super exciting, simply because my interests lie in health and not having much to do with the health post in my site was starting to bother me. Now I'll be getting the health post, the municipality, the schools, the women's center, and the benificiencia social involved! Super awesome woooooo!!!
PDM ended, my socia got back on the bus to site, aaannndd IST started. I'm not going to spend the rest of this time complaining about the inefficiency of those next 2 days. I'm not going to spend the rest of this time venting about how much I hate being treated like I'm 6 years old. I'm not going to spend the rest of this time shaking my fists in frustration. But we did have a discussion and a lot of issues were fixed the second day, so I'll go ahead and say IST wasn't my favorite and at least it's over.
ANYWHO I said goodbye to Ancash once again (having been there for FBT: Field Based Training) and adios to a lot of my friends who would be staying there during semana santa (holy week) to go hiking/camping around the gorgeous glacier lakes and mountains. I would have loved to join them, but alas- I was set to head to Ayacucho for those glorious days.
So first, I get on a night bus from Ancash to Lima. Lima is wonderful. I had a burrito at the Burrito Bar that tasted like Chipotle, I drank a caramel frappuchino at Starbucks, I had amazing fries and a turkey sandwhich at La Lucha, and I got to hang with a bunch of friends of mine as we meandered through the streets and shopped. Oh, and I got my ears pierced. For the first time ever in my life. It hurt like a mofo.
The guy at the tattoo/piercing place gave me two options: the gun or the needle. After much consideration (cleanliness? pain? general BAMF factor?), I went with the needle. It cost a bit more, but the earring options were way cooler and they told me it'd be a mildly painful but quick pinch.
LIARS. ALL OF THEM.
First of all, the guy cleans all the necessary tools, everything is disinfected and well done (at least, to my untrained eye). Then he cleans my ears, marks where he's going to pierce holes into them, and I give him the ok.
OOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.
It hurts. But it was quick and the pain smarts but I'll live. Except now he's trying to get my earring into place and there's just blood spilling out that he keeps having to wipe up. A few minutes of twisting and tweaking later, he looks at me and apologizes- my ears are too fat, he's going to have to make the piercing larger.
WTF. NO.
But yes, my ears are large, fat, and deliciously Buddha like. I love my ears, but their greatness was now impeding this process. The guy goes back with the needle and that quick pinch? It gets extended into a loooonngggg painful thing and I immediately explode into tears.
Did I mention that I cry pretty easily to begin with? I'm not some delicate flower, mind, but it seems to be my immediate reaction to most forms of sudden, unprepared pain.... that and any movie that's even slightly sad.
Anyway, I explode into tears, this guy is still ripping a hole in my ear and it's like a few minutes of just awful awful pain. Another volunteer calls at this moment and I'm too busy sobbing to answer so I pass it off to another friend who accompanied me. FINALLY the earring gets put in and I steel myself for the hole in the second ear.
Dear Lord, please give me strength.
More tears.
Then it's done! I have earring in place! They are bloody and swollen and - naw, I'm just kidding, they were fine and quite pretty~ My eyes were puffy from bawling, but at least my ears looked nice (although maybe they did look awful and disfigured and gross, but everyone around me told me they looked nice and maybe they were just saying it because I would have died if I went through all of that for nothing, but that's what friends are for!)
I get stuff to clean them with and later that night, get on a bus to Ayacucho!
Ayacucho has been great so far. Churches galore and other volunteers to meet and make friends with :) Yesterday was a chill day and I mostly slept to make up for 2 restless nights on a bus. Today is the big day with the procession and tomorrow is the big party, as well as the running with the bulls I think?
We'll see :D
Anywho, that's all I got for now! Keep sending me updates on your lives, and I shall report later <3
Peace and Love to you all <3 <3 <3
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