Sup amigitos!
Wow, it's been kind of forever since I last updated. My bad. There really hasn't been much, though, to talk about. My daily life is starting to get mad busy with projects I'm working on, and some projects are starting to get modified as the days go on and I realize the resources I actual have available to me.
Still, what with things getting kind of hectic, I'm starting to realize that the little things that happen in my day really make a difference to how I will feel before going to bed that night. I've decided to give you a small list of things that make me feel instantly happier, even if it's just for a few seconds in my day:
- letting down my hair once I'm done with work. I get back to my room, usually mildly sore form having to stand/pace/sit for hours during a meeting or teaching or whatever, and the first thing I do is change into my inside clothes (running or basketball shorts and a tanktop) and let down my hair. I keep my hair up in a tight, out of the way, bun all day. Undoing that band and letting my hair loose is immediate tension release of all the roots and it gives you that immediate satisfaction of feeling yourself unwind. Love it.
- eating a snack before lunch. I don't know what it is, but there's this time period right between breakfast and lunch when I'm craving something kind of sweet. I'll take a quick walk outside to my neighbor's place and by myself some animal crackers or wafer cookies or maybe ice cream. Walking back into my room and sitting myself down to munch on a snack, right before I eat a full meal, makes me happy. It might be because I know I shouldn't (I'm just about to eat!) but no one can stop me...
- finding amazing youtube videos. Whenever I get internet, I know I get youtube crazy. I'm subscribed to a gajillion people and I watch all of the videos. Every once in a while, I stumble across something that I'm not subscribed to but can't help but immediately love it. Most of the time, they're just weird things that I can't help but enjoy, like http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wjsZbnTNB8c#!.... wtf is that??? hahahahhahahahhahha
- hearing stupid jokes. I love jokes. How did the hipster burn his tongue? He ate his pizza before it was cool. If you say "beer can" with a British accent, you are saying "bacon" with a Jamaican accent. Hey, are you heading out for yoga class? Namaste here. These jokes make my life.
- hugs from very small children. I work with kids of all ages, but the majority are high school aged. When I go to teach a class at the comedor popular, however, there are a few very tiny kids running around sometimes and all of them love me. When I get mobbed by a few of them and they run up and scramble to give my kneecaps a hug, I just melt into a puddle of awwwwww...
- finishing a workout. So many endorphins swimming in my head, you just can't help but feel like a boss.
- getting a random phone call or text from someone I haven't talked to in a while. It's a sad fact, but I do lose touch with a lot of people whom I love. When I get a random phone call or a text message from them, however, I get this giddy feeling. Yea, sometimes the messages and stuff are just for some info, but it's just always nice to hear from people, no matter what!
- mail. This is more of a Trujillo thing than a daily, random, happy thing, but I thought I should mention it because I want to encourage everyone to send me mail. You know how it feels like to get mail. Snail mail isn't very common anymore, so when you reach into your mailbox and discover that someone has taken the time out of their life to send you something that they put thought and time into, that someone has been thinking of you at some point in the past... well, that feeling is glorious. Now imagine you are in another part of the world, you can't just call up someone and go meet them for lunch or whatever, you're disconnected from things that are happening back home and you're living as a stranger in a random town. Getting mail makes me feel like everything is going to be okay. Getting care packages? I've won the fricken lottery. So this is just more of a thank you to those of you who have written me letters and sent me little things to remind me of home. p.s. JAMIE! I'm like half dying, knowing that there's a box of girl scout cookies in the mail for me. DYING from the excitement. LOVE YOU GIRL!
LOVE YOU ALL and that's all for now~ I'll be writing more after I go to Ancash next week for training, and Ayacucho for Semana Santa/Holidays! Pictures too, if I can get them to load : )
Peace and love, y'all <3
Friday, March 23, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
day 263: i think this is what you'd call "busy"...
Hey Amigos
Oh boy, are things starting to pick up... So here's a quick update on things that I've been doing in site now that school is BACK IN SESSION! woo!
1. I'm going to be doing a lot of work in the comedor popular (which works with a lot of single moms and those who live in more impoverished areas in my site) with the youth who meet there weekly. On Mondays and Thursday, I'm going to be teaching English (mondays with the smaller children, thursdays with adolescents). On Tuesdays, I'll be teaching health and nutrition to a group of women there. I'm hoping more that this is going to give me a chance to cook : D God knows I miss cooking and baking, plus I get to hang out with moms who are willing to listen to a random kid on how they can improve their health. How awesome is that? In late April, I'll be teaching environmental awareness on Wednesdays which is going to culminate in a project that my socio at the comedor is hoping to set up- on International Environmental Awareness Day (June 5th, I think?), we're gonna get a whoooole crap load of trees donated and distributed to each district in the province (larger provinces will get more trees than smaller ones, but everyone gets some!) My job is that the youth in my site are going to be taking care of these trees, marking their growth and making sure the trees are thriving as well as spreading awareness about the trees, doing projects to promote their care so that people are aware and not being stupid about them or tearing them down or something like that. Once that gets under way, I'm going to be drawing out the environmental group into an arts and crafts club where we take plastic and cardboard and other recyclable goods and make things out of them.
All of this is actually stuff I have no idea how to do. Well, not all of it but a lot of it. I'm going to be learning, basically, right along side all these kids but pretending for the most part that I totally know what I'm doing/talking about. It's grade A lying at it's finest and I will excel.
2. I'm currently working with a lawyer at the CEM (that stands for centro emergencia mujer, which is a service where people can report family/sexual abuse and get help) to form two committees in the two big schools here on awareness and prevention of family and sexual violence. The idea is that we're going to form these two committees, give workshops about awareness and prevention, do projects like a fair or a show or movie nights, etc. The committees are going to be formed from the students, parents, teachers, administration, and so forth and my job in all of this is to get the youth involved. Actually, I just had a meeting with the lawyer and it turns out my job is much more intense. He's made a basic outline of everything he wants to get done. Let me just tell you, it's really basic and kind of boring and all it really says are things like, "do a workshop on this day. do a workshop on this day with these people. have a meeting with the alcalde. have a meeting with the UGEL" and none of it goes into wtf the workshop's gonna be about, what he's gonna talk about during these meetings, etc. So I asked him about it, and he looks at me like it's so obvious- that's my job. And we can't start anything until I have a very thorough, like day by day plan for the year with every financial need so that we can then go present it to the municipality.
BS.
But ok, that is actually something that's gonna be a hell of a lot of work, but probably worth it in the end- even as something that I could probably make a manual or something out of so that they can do something similar to it every year to draw awareness. This is probably going to be the least fun of all my things, but it'll be worth it. I have a meeting this Saturday with youth from the two schools to discuss their thoughts on this as well as possible project plans. I need to prepare what I'm going to do during this meeting. I actually went to one school and visited 20 classrooms with the subdirector (like vice principal) and gave a little speech about what we're doing and why it's important. I really hope some of these kids show up.
3. SEX. Haha, no but seriously. I'm starting a Pasos Adelante club, which is a sex ed group aimed at teaching a group of kids for a few months on various sex ed things (how to use a condom, STIs, HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, etc.). I'll be working at the local health post on this, and predominately by myself but with the support of 2 nurses and an obstetrics nurse. At the moment, I'm trying to get the use of a school auditorium as well as getting my hands on a projector and sound system so that next Friday, I'm going to show Juno and the kids will come and we shall watch and have a discussion and then they shall all come to the pasos adelante group and be informed. Then there will never be teen pregnancy again. Lies, but knowledge is power so hopefully this will give the girls and boys a better chance to make smart decisions. We'll see how that goes.
4. Running group to start in April. This has nothing to do with sustainable projects or teaching or anything. I'm gonna be training for the Pacasmayo half marathon in June and running by myself is going to get difficult. I actually don't enjoy running with other people, since I've always used workout time as sort of "me" time, but I know that there are kids who are interested in working out so I guess I'm willing to sacrifice my "me" time for "hang out" time. At least I'll get them moving, and that's never a bad thing.
5. Forming a youth committee in the municipality. There is an interest, especially since I went to this workshop that some people in the municipality held. A few kids showed up and this idea was passed around, and I am all aboard. So far, the people who were in charge of the workshop haven't actually done anything since then. I'm hoping to get to the municipality and hunt them down some point probably in a week or two if they don't do anything until then, and light a fire. This is definitely something I want to exist in my site. There are so many youth here who aren't given an opportunity to shine in leadership positions. Sure, they have like the school government and things but that limits them to just their schools. It'd be amazing if they were given the opportunity to do stuff in the community, even if it's something as simple as organizing a fun soccer tournament, or getting their voices heard by the alcalde and the local government on problems that they believe need to be addressed in their community. I'm actually gonna see if I can get my host mom to help me with this project, although she's been rather busy lately with trying to balance work, kids, and a husband who's been ill and in/out of the hospital the last few weeks :c He's in Trujillo right now, after having traveled to Lima to go see a specialist, and she tells me that he's much more stable now but the way she says it... I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he's actually not getting better. Send prayers to my host dad if you can, please. He's a really great guy and I really wish he could get better and be healthy again.
*edit: 6. I forgot to mention that I'm also hoping to start my club for english teachers sometime next week. I need to talk to the teachers in the schools to gauge their interest, but hopefully some of them are interested in getting together to practice their pronunciation and communication with me, as well as maybe pick up some fun dinamicas and other game things to get their kids learning in another style. We'll see about this one.
*edit: 6. I forgot to mention that I'm also hoping to start my club for english teachers sometime next week. I need to talk to the teachers in the schools to gauge their interest, but hopefully some of them are interested in getting together to practice their pronunciation and communication with me, as well as maybe pick up some fun dinamicas and other game things to get their kids learning in another style. We'll see about this one.
In other news, I'm in the final phase of p90x. I just did plyometrics today and damn... I'm never gonna get used to that. I have PDM/IST coming up at the end of the month in Ancash. Basically, it's more training, but this time I get to bring my socio so we can more work done! woo! Finally, Semana Santa is in the beginning of April, which means I get a few days of vacation. I'm going to be travelling to Ayacucho to check that place out, so it should be really interesting.
Nothing much else going on. I know a few of you have been interested in my personal life as of late, especially since the last few facebook statues I've posted have been rather depressing... but no worries, ladies and gents. It's just the roller coaster that is Peace Corps. On the plus side, I'm getting better and better at taking all those frustration and negative emotions that keep surfacing, and squishing them into the little imaginary bottle I keep inside of me, to be vented at a more appropriate time and location. On the negative side, I've started to get better at bottling up my emotions in a pretty unhealthy way... but whaddyagonnado, ya know?
No worries, I have a regional meeting coming up next weekend so I'll be able to get to the big city and purchase a few things that'll make my life better- like a fan. I really want a fan. I might just break down and go to Pacasmayo to buy a fan, even if it's a bit pricier and bulkier that I want it to be, but it'd be wonderfully cool in my room.
Anywho, that's it for work and such for now. I'll report back if anything happens!
Until then,
Peace and Love
<3
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
day 256: it's march tomorrow!
HEY FRIENDS!
LEAP YEAR!
WOO!
Alright, got that out of my system. So tomorrow is March, which is super exciting for a number of reasons, the most super duper bit is that SCHOOL'S STARTING AGAIN!
What does that mean for me? WORK! FINALLY. Not having any kids around is great and all for me-time. Everything's super chill, I get my workouts done, I go to Trujillo for personal time/fun more so than running around trying to get things done, and I spend a lot of time reading and watching movies (friend me on Goodreads if you like!).
It gets kind of boring after a while.
Mind, I'm really great at doing nothing. But after a while you start realizing that doing nothing, leads to nothing. That- I'm not a fan of that. So, I gotta start pushing the people around in my site a bit harder; gotta start accessing the inner bully and making people move.
Actually, what I find kind of funny is that there are people in my site who have presented me really legit documents and plans and whatnots about projects and activities that have been planned- none of which they have actually DONE. The lawyer I'm working with has had 2 meetings written in his work plans that were supposed to happen this month. They did not happen. I called him to ask him about it. He had no idea what I was talking about.
Facepalm.
Ah well, we'll just see how far that one goes.
In entirely other news, my little brother has come to visit me! He had to leave Brazil to get his volunteer visa set up, so instead of the states he came to Perú to travel and see meeeeee <3 He was in my site for a day or two before he realized exactly how boring it can get around here, so now he's in Huanchaco- surfing and enjoying faster internet service... He leaves for Brazil again this Saturday D:
Uhm. That's all for now. Oh, wait- LENT! I'm not doing anything for lent this year. Never mind.
Yup, nothing.
Sorry. Boring post. I'll write again when something actually happens!
Love and Peace, always.
LEAP YEAR!
WOO!
Alright, got that out of my system. So tomorrow is March, which is super exciting for a number of reasons, the most super duper bit is that SCHOOL'S STARTING AGAIN!
What does that mean for me? WORK! FINALLY. Not having any kids around is great and all for me-time. Everything's super chill, I get my workouts done, I go to Trujillo for personal time/fun more so than running around trying to get things done, and I spend a lot of time reading and watching movies (friend me on Goodreads if you like!).
It gets kind of boring after a while.
Mind, I'm really great at doing nothing. But after a while you start realizing that doing nothing, leads to nothing. That- I'm not a fan of that. So, I gotta start pushing the people around in my site a bit harder; gotta start accessing the inner bully and making people move.
Actually, what I find kind of funny is that there are people in my site who have presented me really legit documents and plans and whatnots about projects and activities that have been planned- none of which they have actually DONE. The lawyer I'm working with has had 2 meetings written in his work plans that were supposed to happen this month. They did not happen. I called him to ask him about it. He had no idea what I was talking about.
Facepalm.
Ah well, we'll just see how far that one goes.
In entirely other news, my little brother has come to visit me! He had to leave Brazil to get his volunteer visa set up, so instead of the states he came to Perú to travel and see meeeeee <3 He was in my site for a day or two before he realized exactly how boring it can get around here, so now he's in Huanchaco- surfing and enjoying faster internet service... He leaves for Brazil again this Saturday D:
Uhm. That's all for now. Oh, wait- LENT! I'm not doing anything for lent this year. Never mind.
Yup, nothing.
Sorry. Boring post. I'll write again when something actually happens!
Love and Peace, always.
Monday, February 20, 2012
day 247: CARNAVAAAALLL
Amigitos.
I have to tell you something. It's very important that all of you pay attention. Please take out your calendars and mark the following days in 2013 as "MUST TRAVEL TO PERU" because you will NOT regret it.
What days? you ask... well, CARNAVAL OBVIOUSLY.
So for those of you who don't know, I was in Cajamarca the past few days, vacationing in this gorgeous department in celebration of Carnaval. Let me just tell you a few of the things I did in Cajamarca.
My first day there was spent simply relaxing, getting used to the climate (COLD, especially in comparison to my hot as hellfire site. I did not pack adequately for this weather, but managed to make do with what I brought). A few of the volunteers mentioned Cumbe Mayo to see the aqueducts and the bosque de piedras (rock forest). I figured, I'm not doing much else- of course I'll go!
Turned out to be the greatest decision ever.
This is one of the most beautiful places I've seen in Peru. The rolling fog that would come and go added this hint of eerie splendor, and the absolute quiet (minus our laughing and chatting and exclamations of delight) was just awesome, in the truest sense of the word.
After much more hiking and fun, looking at a few rock carvings and aqueducts and more gorgeous (and very wonderfully cold) scenery, we left to head back to the capital city (for more pics, check out my fb page!)
That night was spent at a bar with other volunteers, wishing some of them happy birthdays, and then later at the plaza del armas, joining drinking circles and enjoying the general merriment.
The next day was PAINT DAY. I have no pictures to describe the insanity and absolute fun of this day, because my camera would have been destroyed by the gallons of paint and water that was being constantly flung throughout the day.
Later that night, we went to celebrate one of our own's birthday! After not being able to find where anyone was, however, we went instead to an outdoor rave party and danced until morning. Literally. It was some of the greatest dancing I've ever done. Macarena a billion times? Enough times to convince a number of people on the ground (yes, we were on a fountain) that it was a legit dance they should be attempting throughout the night. Rodeo, elevator, cat walk, sprinkler, shopping cart, you name it- we danced it.
Next morning, I woke up with a voice that was just GONE from laughing and shouting from the night before. Thankfully, it was just parade day. There was a lot of water fights still going on, but we were out on the grass and just enjoying the sun and the atmosphere- until the dark, ominous clouds rolled in and the torrential rains came pouring down. Then it just got waaaaay cold.
Still, we continued to enjoy ourselves, eating and drinking and walking about for some elusive pizza.
Finally, I left to head back to site- but not without a lot of wishing that I could stay for just another day.
I'm now better prepared for Carnaval 2013 (what to wear, what to bring, how to get the right consistency of paint, etc.) and I really hope you just don't take my word for it. It really was a super fantastic awesome couple of days and definitely some that I am going to remember for the rest of my life.
Now I'm back in site, working again. My lil brosef will be visiting me for a few days (once the paro/bus strike ends down in Lima) and classes are going to start soon in March, so all my papers and plans need to be approved and put into some sort of order.
Until next time, dearest readers.
Peace and Love.
I have to tell you something. It's very important that all of you pay attention. Please take out your calendars and mark the following days in 2013 as "MUST TRAVEL TO PERU" because you will NOT regret it.
What days? you ask... well, CARNAVAL OBVIOUSLY.
So for those of you who don't know, I was in Cajamarca the past few days, vacationing in this gorgeous department in celebration of Carnaval. Let me just tell you a few of the things I did in Cajamarca.
My first day there was spent simply relaxing, getting used to the climate (COLD, especially in comparison to my hot as hellfire site. I did not pack adequately for this weather, but managed to make do with what I brought). A few of the volunteers mentioned Cumbe Mayo to see the aqueducts and the bosque de piedras (rock forest). I figured, I'm not doing much else- of course I'll go!
Turned out to be the greatest decision ever.
 |
| The view as we get off the van to being our hike through Cumbe Mayo |
 |
| like Jurassic Park, yo. |
 |
| Rocks! So gorgeous.. |
This is one of the most beautiful places I've seen in Peru. The rolling fog that would come and go added this hint of eerie splendor, and the absolute quiet (minus our laughing and chatting and exclamations of delight) was just awesome, in the truest sense of the word.
After much more hiking and fun, looking at a few rock carvings and aqueducts and more gorgeous (and very wonderfully cold) scenery, we left to head back to the capital city (for more pics, check out my fb page!)
That night was spent at a bar with other volunteers, wishing some of them happy birthdays, and then later at the plaza del armas, joining drinking circles and enjoying the general merriment.
The next day was PAINT DAY. I have no pictures to describe the insanity and absolute fun of this day, because my camera would have been destroyed by the gallons of paint and water that was being constantly flung throughout the day.
 |
| Here's the end of the paint parade though: hundreds mobbing the plaza del armas and swarming the historical landmark fountain. This was probably a bad idea, but gives you a hint of what the cray cray fray was like! |
Later that night, we went to celebrate one of our own's birthday! After not being able to find where anyone was, however, we went instead to an outdoor rave party and danced until morning. Literally. It was some of the greatest dancing I've ever done. Macarena a billion times? Enough times to convince a number of people on the ground (yes, we were on a fountain) that it was a legit dance they should be attempting throughout the night. Rodeo, elevator, cat walk, sprinkler, shopping cart, you name it- we danced it.
Next morning, I woke up with a voice that was just GONE from laughing and shouting from the night before. Thankfully, it was just parade day. There was a lot of water fights still going on, but we were out on the grass and just enjoying the sun and the atmosphere- until the dark, ominous clouds rolled in and the torrential rains came pouring down. Then it just got waaaaay cold.
Still, we continued to enjoy ourselves, eating and drinking and walking about for some elusive pizza.
Finally, I left to head back to site- but not without a lot of wishing that I could stay for just another day.
I'm now better prepared for Carnaval 2013 (what to wear, what to bring, how to get the right consistency of paint, etc.) and I really hope you just don't take my word for it. It really was a super fantastic awesome couple of days and definitely some that I am going to remember for the rest of my life.
Now I'm back in site, working again. My lil brosef will be visiting me for a few days (once the paro/bus strike ends down in Lima) and classes are going to start soon in March, so all my papers and plans need to be approved and put into some sort of order.
Until next time, dearest readers.
Peace and Love.
Friday, February 3, 2012
day 238: list of things i miss from the states
Sup friends,
So, I've been in Peru for what...8 months now? Wow. It feels like I just got here.
But in any case, there have been a few things that I do miss from the states that have been starting to become noticeable absences in my life here.
First and foremost, my family and friends. Obvy. Thankfully, I have good enough internet access that it's not too much of an issue. Also, my lil bro is in Peru right now! Plus, I love my 17ers like no other. For serious.
Now, in no particular order, here are some objects that I miss from the states. You will notice, it is predominately food related:
1. Asian food. Not just chifa, chifa, chifa (chinese food). I want pho, shrimp and basil spring rolls, thai iced tea, pad thai, red curry, kimchi jjigae, kalbi, bulgogi, sashimi, sushi rolls, good japanese ramen, and all the delicious sweets as well.
2. Speaking of sweets, I miss american snacks like big time. I was never a big snacker, but now that I'm constantly surrounded by snacks here, I do miss them. Like kettle corn, doritos cool ranch, marshmallow fluff, good chocolate (hershey's cookies and cream? ghiradelli caramel squares? lindt orange dark chocolate? omg, bacon chocolate...), almonds (so expensive here!), red vines, jerky (all forms. i love jerky.), swedish fish, hot fries, sun chips garden, pocky!, etc... if I were to ever go back to the states between now and the end of my service, my first stop (after eating, of course) would probably be costco and my suitcase on the return trip would be 50 lbs of snackage.
3. Gym. I've completed phase 1 of p90x, but in the words of my lil bro: I miss picking up heavy things and then putting them down. Plus, the gym has a pool, row machines, ellipticals, free weights, bench presses, and yoga mats. I don't have these things in my room. I should really invest in a yoga mat. I probably will once I save up enough? We'll see. I'd rather go travel with any cash I save up, but I do enjoy yoga...
4. Good coffee and tea. Coffee is predominately instant, or not even coffee (there's some brand called 'echo' or 'ecco' or something like that, and it's like fake coffee. Whatever it is, I don't like it.) and the tea is limited to just a few types (I did buy some green tea at the market, but it's not very good... I'm mostly drinking it now just because I bought it.) so I'm now at this point in my life where I consider Starbucks coffee, good. Yea. It's not instant. There is a coffee shop next door to a hostal we stay at that does have some wickedly delicious coffee, and I do make it a point to go there whenever I'm in, but nothing makes me feel more pampered and guilty as being able to get my favorite starbucks (soy iced grande sugar free caramel macchiato) to go. Whatevs.
5. Driving and organized streets. Getting into a colectivo is putting my life in the hands of a man who very likely paid a nominal fee and nothing more to get his license and drives a stick shift (although shifting gears may or may not be something he understands) of a car that should not be allowed on the road (exposed wires, all gauges not functioning, smell of gasoline very prominent, etc.). Then they cram 5 or more people into the car and hope to not run into any policemen (we usually never do).
6. Privacy and personal space. They don't exist. I'm pretty good about shutting my door and not talking to my family for hours at a time, and my family is very good at respecting my need for solitude. Anyone outside of my family thinks of this as very strange, and no one knows what a personal bubble is (made obvious by the number of times random people have sat on me or leaned against me or played with my clothes or hair while waiting to get off a bus. Like, seriously? Don't touch me). I have a very large personal bubble, or so I thought. That idea was destroyed pretty quickly and replaced with the idea that I have a very high tolerance for things I used to not tolerate before. I'm learning patience. It isn't really fun.
7. Having someplace to go when I get bored. There was always something to entertain me back in the states. Sometimes it was the park, the library, Six Flags, Disneyland, the mall, movie theaters, observatory, friends' places, or just walking around. Nowadays, if I'm bored (and I do get bored fairly often), I sit in my room and tumblr/facebook/youtube, read, watch tv on my laptop, and not much else. I suppose I could go to the library (so boring cause there aren't much in terms of books! I'm working on that, though), or just sit around outside somewhere (it's summer and hot and the air is full of buzzing insects. This is not my favorite idea), and sometimes I go to the market and just walk around (although people find me strange since I'm clearly just perusing, not intent on buying much).
8. Air conditioning. IT'S SO DAMN HOT. I visit the ATM in my site, because the small room it is in is usually air conditioned. I actually make it a point to pull out only a few bills because then I will have to return. So worth it.
Anywho, those are just some thoughts I had on the subject right now. It mostly came up because I can't fall asleep, since I'm going to make a quick trip to Trujillo tomorrow to buy somethings I am in desperate need of (toiletries, food things, etc.) and am super pumped cause I'll be making a stop at Starbucks... heh.
It's the small things in life that get you through it all, really.
Love and Peace, my friends.
Love and Peace.
So, I've been in Peru for what...8 months now? Wow. It feels like I just got here.
But in any case, there have been a few things that I do miss from the states that have been starting to become noticeable absences in my life here.
First and foremost, my family and friends. Obvy. Thankfully, I have good enough internet access that it's not too much of an issue. Also, my lil bro is in Peru right now! Plus, I love my 17ers like no other. For serious.
Now, in no particular order, here are some objects that I miss from the states. You will notice, it is predominately food related:
1. Asian food. Not just chifa, chifa, chifa (chinese food). I want pho, shrimp and basil spring rolls, thai iced tea, pad thai, red curry, kimchi jjigae, kalbi, bulgogi, sashimi, sushi rolls, good japanese ramen, and all the delicious sweets as well.
2. Speaking of sweets, I miss american snacks like big time. I was never a big snacker, but now that I'm constantly surrounded by snacks here, I do miss them. Like kettle corn, doritos cool ranch, marshmallow fluff, good chocolate (hershey's cookies and cream? ghiradelli caramel squares? lindt orange dark chocolate? omg, bacon chocolate...), almonds (so expensive here!), red vines, jerky (all forms. i love jerky.), swedish fish, hot fries, sun chips garden, pocky!, etc... if I were to ever go back to the states between now and the end of my service, my first stop (after eating, of course) would probably be costco and my suitcase on the return trip would be 50 lbs of snackage.
3. Gym. I've completed phase 1 of p90x, but in the words of my lil bro: I miss picking up heavy things and then putting them down. Plus, the gym has a pool, row machines, ellipticals, free weights, bench presses, and yoga mats. I don't have these things in my room. I should really invest in a yoga mat. I probably will once I save up enough? We'll see. I'd rather go travel with any cash I save up, but I do enjoy yoga...
4. Good coffee and tea. Coffee is predominately instant, or not even coffee (there's some brand called 'echo' or 'ecco' or something like that, and it's like fake coffee. Whatever it is, I don't like it.) and the tea is limited to just a few types (I did buy some green tea at the market, but it's not very good... I'm mostly drinking it now just because I bought it.) so I'm now at this point in my life where I consider Starbucks coffee, good. Yea. It's not instant. There is a coffee shop next door to a hostal we stay at that does have some wickedly delicious coffee, and I do make it a point to go there whenever I'm in, but nothing makes me feel more pampered and guilty as being able to get my favorite starbucks (soy iced grande sugar free caramel macchiato) to go. Whatevs.
5. Driving and organized streets. Getting into a colectivo is putting my life in the hands of a man who very likely paid a nominal fee and nothing more to get his license and drives a stick shift (although shifting gears may or may not be something he understands) of a car that should not be allowed on the road (exposed wires, all gauges not functioning, smell of gasoline very prominent, etc.). Then they cram 5 or more people into the car and hope to not run into any policemen (we usually never do).
6. Privacy and personal space. They don't exist. I'm pretty good about shutting my door and not talking to my family for hours at a time, and my family is very good at respecting my need for solitude. Anyone outside of my family thinks of this as very strange, and no one knows what a personal bubble is (made obvious by the number of times random people have sat on me or leaned against me or played with my clothes or hair while waiting to get off a bus. Like, seriously? Don't touch me). I have a very large personal bubble, or so I thought. That idea was destroyed pretty quickly and replaced with the idea that I have a very high tolerance for things I used to not tolerate before. I'm learning patience. It isn't really fun.
7. Having someplace to go when I get bored. There was always something to entertain me back in the states. Sometimes it was the park, the library, Six Flags, Disneyland, the mall, movie theaters, observatory, friends' places, or just walking around. Nowadays, if I'm bored (and I do get bored fairly often), I sit in my room and tumblr/facebook/youtube, read, watch tv on my laptop, and not much else. I suppose I could go to the library (so boring cause there aren't much in terms of books! I'm working on that, though), or just sit around outside somewhere (it's summer and hot and the air is full of buzzing insects. This is not my favorite idea), and sometimes I go to the market and just walk around (although people find me strange since I'm clearly just perusing, not intent on buying much).
8. Air conditioning. IT'S SO DAMN HOT. I visit the ATM in my site, because the small room it is in is usually air conditioned. I actually make it a point to pull out only a few bills because then I will have to return. So worth it.
Anywho, those are just some thoughts I had on the subject right now. It mostly came up because I can't fall asleep, since I'm going to make a quick trip to Trujillo tomorrow to buy somethings I am in desperate need of (toiletries, food things, etc.) and am super pumped cause I'll be making a stop at Starbucks... heh.
It's the small things in life that get you through it all, really.
Love and Peace, my friends.
Love and Peace.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
day 231: i know what a burning eye smells like, but besides that, I LOVE PERU!
Hello Friends!!
I am bubbling and brimming with JOY and EXUBERANCE! Today was such an amazing day, I can't help but feel absolutely gleeful!
Yesterday, I went to my health post to chat with a nurse there who mentioned that there would be a campaign today against cataracts. I wasn't quite sure what she was talking about, and she seemed confused since my host mom was going to be an integral part of all this. I assumed, as I do for most things here, that my host mom would inform me about all of this just moments before the actual event.
I was right.
So this morning, I roll out of bed later than usual, since I had nothing planned for today except working on my work plan for my Monday class. I walk outside to see if breakfast is ready and lo and behold! There's my host mom, scrambling to finish washing laundry, put on her shoes, apply makeup, and get her kids up- all at the same time, of course.
"Suzi!" she calls, "Hoy, ¿qué haces? (What're you doing today?)"
"Yo? pues, no tengo nada, ¿por qué? (Me? nothing, why?)"
"¿Puedes apoyarme en el centro de salud? (Can you help me at the health post?)"
"Por supuesto! ¿Cuando me necesitas? (Of course! when do you need me?)"
"Ahorita! (Now!)"
So with that bit of exchange, I grab an apple and devour it as I get ready.
The health post is roughly 5 minutes away from my house, and I get there not really knowing what to expect. The first thing I run into is a mob of old people and their family members. All of them are there to get a consultation for their eye problems (determining whether or not they have cataracts or something else). I dance through them, ducking and dodging, and walk into the clinic where my host mom is running back in forth in her usual business like manner. She sees me, beckons me over, and then tell me to basically just stand there until she figures out what to do with me.
It's kind of boring, but I do as I'm told.
Finally, a doctor's assistant (actually named Suzi... It got kind of confusing because of course the doctors are calling her, not me, but I kept answering them anyway) puts me in charge of dolling out medicine to patients who needed it, as well as acting as an escort for patients to take them to the waiting room after the consult. At first, I'm not sure what to do but eventually, I get into the rhythm of it all. An hour and a half later, all the patients have been seen. I'm down to one pill remaining and there's no one around... what to do, what to do?
There are some nurses sitting at a desk that I've been making eye contact with the entire time, wondering if there's anything I can do to help them. So, I just saunter over and have a seat. The two ladies are cutting up gauze and folding them into thirds. Rather than ask if I can help or join, I just grab some gauze, watch what they're doing and follow suite. Eventually, one lady asks me if I work there. I tell her no, that I'm a volunteer and we get into discussing what I'm doing, who I am, etc. (the usual). I start asking them about the health post, what they do, etc. (striking conversation) and we soon become quick friends.
How do I know we're friends?
Because one of the nurses has a bad leg and she had to get a shot for it. She told me she didn't need any help getting to the room and such, but I went in with her anyway and stayed with her as she took off her pants, got the shot, talked to her about the pain and such, and then helped her walk back to the desk.
Yea, so we're buddies. I don't really remember her name. Whatever.
Anyway, I'm now wrapping the gauze pads into packages, still helping the two nurses, when one of the doctors at the hospital starts chatting with me and tells me of americans he's known- one of whom stayed at his place just a few years ago while she was studying (she was from New York). I tell him a bit more about myself (I feel like I talk about myself a lot. I've gotten pretty good at it), and then he looks at me and goes...
"¿Quieres ver? (You want to see?)"
UHHHH HELLZ YEA.
He gives me a smile, walks over to where they have been operating on the patients with cataracts, and calls one of the nurses. Then he beckons me over and points to some scrubs in a room and tells me to change. I put on some orange scrubs, don covers for my hair and feet, and grab a mask for my face before I enter the room.
It is blazing hot in here. The humidity from people and the heat from both people and the environment are stifling. I don't care, however, because there are two people lying down with their eyes being forced open by a metal prong. The doctor is super amazing. He watches me come in and immediately starts chatting, joking around, asking me questions, and just being awesome. The entire time he's doing this, I'm standing behind him, watching him poke and prod and cut and inject and scrape this elderly woman's eye.
It's freakin epic.
In the beginning, he uses this hot wire thing. I don't know what it's for, but I can smell it burning the eye. It's not a bad smell, just fairly unpleasant because I know where it's coming from. Next thing I know, he's got needles and things in both (super steady) hands and POP out comes a lens! It looks like a flattened, round crystal rock thing and I really want to touch it, just because, but I don't because even I'm well aware how weird that would be. He puts in an artificial one of these things (clear and smaller, as opposed to the big, orangish rough thing he pulled out), squirts in some antibiotics, cleans it all out and tapes some gauze over the eye.
Each operation takes maybe 30 minutes or so, although it felt like less time. He's super efficient, his assistants are super efficient, and overall, I'm super happy and elated to be there. The doctor has a camera and asks me to shoot a bunch of photos, which I do. Patient confidentiality is sort of nonexistent here, and no one cares that I'm taking pictures of everyone and everything. The local newspaper photographers had been there before me, as well as a guy with a video camera for the local news. Again, no one asks if it's okay or signs any papers, they just start filming and questioning and it's all totally fine.
Eventually, the room gets way too damn hot and I have to leave. I change out of my scrubs, put on my street clothes, and wait outside where a lady is pacing anxiously. I give her a smile and she asks me how her father is doing. He had arrived in a wheelchair and I had spent a few minutes trying to comfort him (just talking to him, holding his arm and such). She explains that he had suffered from a stroke and she was worried because she knew he would be afraid. I spend a few minutes chatting with her, assuring her that the man inside really was a wonderful doctor and that he would be out soon. Soon enough, she's called inside to help him back into his wheelchair and he comes out with a big smile on his face.
This actually happens a few times while I'm waiting for my host mom to finish walking with the teniente alcalde (like, the vice-mayor?) around the health post, giving their speeches to waiting family members and patients. When we're just about to leave, I can see another lady is freaking out by the door. Her mother (grandmother?) suffers from Alzheimer's and has a difficult time when she's in another room, let alone outside the room where her grand/mother is now isolated, staring into a white light, and getting surgery done on her eye. Again, I listen to her talk and do my best to help calm her down.
Sometimes I think families freak out more than patients, even though it's the patient going through the ordeal. It's really interesting.
After a bit, the lady is called inside and walks out with an older lady. The lady is in tears- it seems the older lady was quite confused through the entire ordeal and didn't quite understand what was going on. However, the operation was a success. I imagine how difficult these next few days are going to be for the lady, not only taking care of her grand/mother, but adding this task of making sure she doesn't mess with her eye. Surprisingly, the older lady sees me and I give her a big, congratulatory smile. She walks over and gives me a hug, thanking me for being with her grand/daughter through it all. I'm surprised that she knew this but I return the hug.
I finally leave to get lunch and afterwards, return to the hospital to see if there's anything else I can do to help. The surgeries are still going on and people who have been there since 8 that morning are still waiting (it's now around 4pm). Peruvian patience is definitely something I hope to learn. I have nothing to do since all the patients know my face by now and don't really care what I'm doing, so I start chatting with this older gentleman who had been asking me questions that only a doctor would know. When I explain to him that I'm not a doctor, he is genuinely shocked and says it's because I look like someone who knows what I'm talking about.
Self Esteem BOOST.
We get to talking about my site, where he's from, and various things that I just must see while I'm in Peru. It was a lovely chat, but I'm eventually whisked away to help a lady put on her surgery gown, then I get side tracked on how to keep this door open, etc. Eventually, I lose sight of this man and I get bored. I walk over to my host mom, let her know I'm leaving, and I go home to watch some Wall-E.
My host mom comes home and asks me about that man I had been chatting with. I tell her that yes, we had been talking and she looks at me and goes, "he was searching for you! He went to go buy you some ice cream and when he came back, I had to tell him that you left!" Apparently, I lost track of him because he wanted to go get me a treat and when he returned, he ran around the hospital with a half melted popsicle to give to the "nice little chinita, the one with japanese eyes"
I don't really care about the asian remarks anymore (7 months here, you get used to it), but I thought it was so sweet of this man to not only get me a treat, but also try so hard to find me to give it to! I felt like such a jerk, having left without saying goodbye, especially because I know he lives in another region of my province and I'll probably never see him again :c
But today was such a glorious day! I just felt so pumped and happy afterwards, that I was giddy. Not giddy enough to do more work, mind, but giddy enough to draw up some plans for a secondary activity that I might try to do here with my health post (to eradicate cataracts in my site. It's going to be hard work and I'll need a lot of support, but the doctor I was chatting with seems to believe that a year or 2 of house checks and such might make this totally possible. I'm not going to say no until I try it! It's too bad the doc is from Piura, so I'll have to check around La Libertad for another doc to offer me some advice on this)
I also, as I mentioned, watched Wall- E. I'm hoping to get a projector, sound system, and the auditorium so I can show it to some kids as an intro to my health/nutrition/environment charlas. We'll see about those.
Anyway, that's a really long post. I wish I had taken some pictures to intersperse the words in it, but ah well. I shall repost again when the next awesome/awful thing happens!
Until next time,
Love and Peace
<3
I am bubbling and brimming with JOY and EXUBERANCE! Today was such an amazing day, I can't help but feel absolutely gleeful!
Yesterday, I went to my health post to chat with a nurse there who mentioned that there would be a campaign today against cataracts. I wasn't quite sure what she was talking about, and she seemed confused since my host mom was going to be an integral part of all this. I assumed, as I do for most things here, that my host mom would inform me about all of this just moments before the actual event.
I was right.
So this morning, I roll out of bed later than usual, since I had nothing planned for today except working on my work plan for my Monday class. I walk outside to see if breakfast is ready and lo and behold! There's my host mom, scrambling to finish washing laundry, put on her shoes, apply makeup, and get her kids up- all at the same time, of course.
"Suzi!" she calls, "Hoy, ¿qué haces? (What're you doing today?)"
"Yo? pues, no tengo nada, ¿por qué? (Me? nothing, why?)"
"¿Puedes apoyarme en el centro de salud? (Can you help me at the health post?)"
"Por supuesto! ¿Cuando me necesitas? (Of course! when do you need me?)"
"Ahorita! (Now!)"
So with that bit of exchange, I grab an apple and devour it as I get ready.
The health post is roughly 5 minutes away from my house, and I get there not really knowing what to expect. The first thing I run into is a mob of old people and their family members. All of them are there to get a consultation for their eye problems (determining whether or not they have cataracts or something else). I dance through them, ducking and dodging, and walk into the clinic where my host mom is running back in forth in her usual business like manner. She sees me, beckons me over, and then tell me to basically just stand there until she figures out what to do with me.
It's kind of boring, but I do as I'm told.
Finally, a doctor's assistant (actually named Suzi... It got kind of confusing because of course the doctors are calling her, not me, but I kept answering them anyway) puts me in charge of dolling out medicine to patients who needed it, as well as acting as an escort for patients to take them to the waiting room after the consult. At first, I'm not sure what to do but eventually, I get into the rhythm of it all. An hour and a half later, all the patients have been seen. I'm down to one pill remaining and there's no one around... what to do, what to do?
There are some nurses sitting at a desk that I've been making eye contact with the entire time, wondering if there's anything I can do to help them. So, I just saunter over and have a seat. The two ladies are cutting up gauze and folding them into thirds. Rather than ask if I can help or join, I just grab some gauze, watch what they're doing and follow suite. Eventually, one lady asks me if I work there. I tell her no, that I'm a volunteer and we get into discussing what I'm doing, who I am, etc. (the usual). I start asking them about the health post, what they do, etc. (striking conversation) and we soon become quick friends.
How do I know we're friends?
Because one of the nurses has a bad leg and she had to get a shot for it. She told me she didn't need any help getting to the room and such, but I went in with her anyway and stayed with her as she took off her pants, got the shot, talked to her about the pain and such, and then helped her walk back to the desk.
Yea, so we're buddies. I don't really remember her name. Whatever.
Anyway, I'm now wrapping the gauze pads into packages, still helping the two nurses, when one of the doctors at the hospital starts chatting with me and tells me of americans he's known- one of whom stayed at his place just a few years ago while she was studying (she was from New York). I tell him a bit more about myself (I feel like I talk about myself a lot. I've gotten pretty good at it), and then he looks at me and goes...
"¿Quieres ver? (You want to see?)"
UHHHH HELLZ YEA.
He gives me a smile, walks over to where they have been operating on the patients with cataracts, and calls one of the nurses. Then he beckons me over and points to some scrubs in a room and tells me to change. I put on some orange scrubs, don covers for my hair and feet, and grab a mask for my face before I enter the room.
It is blazing hot in here. The humidity from people and the heat from both people and the environment are stifling. I don't care, however, because there are two people lying down with their eyes being forced open by a metal prong. The doctor is super amazing. He watches me come in and immediately starts chatting, joking around, asking me questions, and just being awesome. The entire time he's doing this, I'm standing behind him, watching him poke and prod and cut and inject and scrape this elderly woman's eye.
It's freakin epic.
In the beginning, he uses this hot wire thing. I don't know what it's for, but I can smell it burning the eye. It's not a bad smell, just fairly unpleasant because I know where it's coming from. Next thing I know, he's got needles and things in both (super steady) hands and POP out comes a lens! It looks like a flattened, round crystal rock thing and I really want to touch it, just because, but I don't because even I'm well aware how weird that would be. He puts in an artificial one of these things (clear and smaller, as opposed to the big, orangish rough thing he pulled out), squirts in some antibiotics, cleans it all out and tapes some gauze over the eye.
Each operation takes maybe 30 minutes or so, although it felt like less time. He's super efficient, his assistants are super efficient, and overall, I'm super happy and elated to be there. The doctor has a camera and asks me to shoot a bunch of photos, which I do. Patient confidentiality is sort of nonexistent here, and no one cares that I'm taking pictures of everyone and everything. The local newspaper photographers had been there before me, as well as a guy with a video camera for the local news. Again, no one asks if it's okay or signs any papers, they just start filming and questioning and it's all totally fine.
Eventually, the room gets way too damn hot and I have to leave. I change out of my scrubs, put on my street clothes, and wait outside where a lady is pacing anxiously. I give her a smile and she asks me how her father is doing. He had arrived in a wheelchair and I had spent a few minutes trying to comfort him (just talking to him, holding his arm and such). She explains that he had suffered from a stroke and she was worried because she knew he would be afraid. I spend a few minutes chatting with her, assuring her that the man inside really was a wonderful doctor and that he would be out soon. Soon enough, she's called inside to help him back into his wheelchair and he comes out with a big smile on his face.
This actually happens a few times while I'm waiting for my host mom to finish walking with the teniente alcalde (like, the vice-mayor?) around the health post, giving their speeches to waiting family members and patients. When we're just about to leave, I can see another lady is freaking out by the door. Her mother (grandmother?) suffers from Alzheimer's and has a difficult time when she's in another room, let alone outside the room where her grand/mother is now isolated, staring into a white light, and getting surgery done on her eye. Again, I listen to her talk and do my best to help calm her down.
Sometimes I think families freak out more than patients, even though it's the patient going through the ordeal. It's really interesting.
After a bit, the lady is called inside and walks out with an older lady. The lady is in tears- it seems the older lady was quite confused through the entire ordeal and didn't quite understand what was going on. However, the operation was a success. I imagine how difficult these next few days are going to be for the lady, not only taking care of her grand/mother, but adding this task of making sure she doesn't mess with her eye. Surprisingly, the older lady sees me and I give her a big, congratulatory smile. She walks over and gives me a hug, thanking me for being with her grand/daughter through it all. I'm surprised that she knew this but I return the hug.
I finally leave to get lunch and afterwards, return to the hospital to see if there's anything else I can do to help. The surgeries are still going on and people who have been there since 8 that morning are still waiting (it's now around 4pm). Peruvian patience is definitely something I hope to learn. I have nothing to do since all the patients know my face by now and don't really care what I'm doing, so I start chatting with this older gentleman who had been asking me questions that only a doctor would know. When I explain to him that I'm not a doctor, he is genuinely shocked and says it's because I look like someone who knows what I'm talking about.
Self Esteem BOOST.
We get to talking about my site, where he's from, and various things that I just must see while I'm in Peru. It was a lovely chat, but I'm eventually whisked away to help a lady put on her surgery gown, then I get side tracked on how to keep this door open, etc. Eventually, I lose sight of this man and I get bored. I walk over to my host mom, let her know I'm leaving, and I go home to watch some Wall-E.
My host mom comes home and asks me about that man I had been chatting with. I tell her that yes, we had been talking and she looks at me and goes, "he was searching for you! He went to go buy you some ice cream and when he came back, I had to tell him that you left!" Apparently, I lost track of him because he wanted to go get me a treat and when he returned, he ran around the hospital with a half melted popsicle to give to the "nice little chinita, the one with japanese eyes"
I don't really care about the asian remarks anymore (7 months here, you get used to it), but I thought it was so sweet of this man to not only get me a treat, but also try so hard to find me to give it to! I felt like such a jerk, having left without saying goodbye, especially because I know he lives in another region of my province and I'll probably never see him again :c
But today was such a glorious day! I just felt so pumped and happy afterwards, that I was giddy. Not giddy enough to do more work, mind, but giddy enough to draw up some plans for a secondary activity that I might try to do here with my health post (to eradicate cataracts in my site. It's going to be hard work and I'll need a lot of support, but the doctor I was chatting with seems to believe that a year or 2 of house checks and such might make this totally possible. I'm not going to say no until I try it! It's too bad the doc is from Piura, so I'll have to check around La Libertad for another doc to offer me some advice on this)
I also, as I mentioned, watched Wall- E. I'm hoping to get a projector, sound system, and the auditorium so I can show it to some kids as an intro to my health/nutrition/environment charlas. We'll see about those.
Anyway, that's a really long post. I wish I had taken some pictures to intersperse the words in it, but ah well. I shall repost again when the next awesome/awful thing happens!
Until next time,
Love and Peace
<3
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
day 227: i grabbed a cactus today. no, i didn't mean to.
'Sup friends.
So do I have a story to share with you!
Last Friday was my department's regional meeting, wherein all members of the department are encouraged to show up to the regional capital (i.e. Trujillo) to partake in a meeting that covers the basics of things that concern all volunteers (the big camp projects, committees, etc.)
Since a few volunteers live rather far from the capital (they live in the mountains and it takes about 6 or so hours, I believe, to travel for a few of them), we decided that it might be a nice idea to set up a hike for all those who are interested to partake in. The day of the hike was set for the day after the regional meeting- we would be heading out at 6:30am to the bus terminal to Viru, where a combi had been hired to take us on an hour long ride to a small village before we hiked up to see a waterfall that had been estimated to be somewhere between 40min to 1.5hours away...
The mornings starts off rather well. Although we were running a few minutes late (because honestly, when do we not?) our late departure had been calculated into the plans. We arrived in Viru without a hitch and stopped at a lovely bakery for some noms. I wish I had taken a picture of this absolutely heavenly ball of fluffy, buttery dough that enclosed a soft, sweet, warm apple inside. Instead, I devoured the most delicious apple turnover I've ever had, EVER, in a few bites and with a tummy full of yummy, we waited for the combi and taxi to arrive.
During this time, I slathered myself with sunblock and copious amounts of bugspray.
I did this three times while waiting for the bus to show. The sun here is FIERCE and the bugs/mosquitoes that were now swarming at us made me want to scream. I don't deal well with bugs that fly and bite, and for most of my life, I have been what I refer to as a "lightning rod" for these very bugs. While friends around me are ignored, mosquitoes and other bitey things seem to zoom into the deliciousness of my exposed skin, as if I were the apple turnover to them :c
HOWEVER having now applied what would be 1/2 of the bottle of bug spray (literally) that I had been given, I walked away with only a handful of bites here and there. Other volunteers were not so lucky...
Anyway, the combi shows up and we're still waiting for the car when finally the taxi rolls up and the driver steps out...
The driver has no left arm, and his right arm ends at his elbow.
Interestingly enough, I'm not worried about his ability to drive. I mean, this is his car and his route- he must've been doing this for some time, so whatevs. I was, however, intrigued by how he drove the car. Sadly, I was in the combi and not the taxi so I couldn't observe but the other volunteers mentioned that he'd modified it to meet his needs.
Legit.
So we're on this combi/car ride for a bit when the combi's going up this dirt hill aaannndddd boom. Apparently, something is broken and they need to take the car back to Viru to get the part. What did that mean? It meant, the hike started earlier than planned.
All of us get out of the combi and car, and get to walking. It's an easy walk up some dirt roads so I decide that a good idea would be to run the uphills, just because. The hike reminded me of the ones I used to do in cali with my mom, up Rocky Peak.
About an hour or so later, my mouth coated in dust, we show up to the village where the hike was originally going to start and TA DAAAH! The taxi shows up right then and there. I go buy some water, only to find that the only store there only has carbonated water, and start snacking on some trail mix I had brought with me before heading back out to actually start the hike.
The trail is pretty simple and easy, meandering in a generally upward incline, until we start to hit some tougher patches- scrambling over rocks and more dirt. I take the time to reapply more and more sunscreen and bug spray throughout this time, while trying to race after the "guide" who is booking it like he wants to lose all of us behind him. In the end, he actually does- except for a few of us who managed to trail him (more or less). We're now climbing up a lot of greenery- a lot of plants with super sharp spikes hidden in leaves, prickly things that are grabbing onto my clothes and embedding me with their splinter like appendages, longs blades of plants whipping at my legs and face, etc. We don't seem to be following a trail anymore, having scaled up this slippery, dangerous bit of mountain, and I am finding myself walking on less than an inch wide rocks, running water on one end and a cliff drop on the other. I feel pretty BAMF, hopping around and managing to catch myself a number of times when I step on what appears to be grass, only for it to turn out to be a hidden soft hole, and narrowly escaping a fall off the edge of a cliff to what may be my death.
Sadly, this is starting to build up a rather cocky attitude and at this point, I am exhausted. Running up the hills was probably not a good idea. I'm rather dehydrated, but doggedly chasing after this horrible "guide" or ours, who is walking through this entire thing without a glance back at anyone and booking it like he's in a race against the world. In any case, I hop off a rock to land on another rock, but my ankle rolls when I land and I slip. Rather than fall to my untimely death, I grab for something to stop myself, anything to keep me from rolling down all that I had climbed up.
I grab at and manage to hold on to a cactus.
A. Cactus.
Needless to say, once I find that I am not falling anymore, I let go of the cactus and bolt up to take a look at my hands.
It ain't pretty.
There are tons of thorny things sticking out of all the fingers of my left hand. The giant ones (about 3 inches long) are the most BAMF looking things ever, but also the easiest ones to immediately remove. They leave a bloody mess, but nothing compares to the teeny tiny ones that I can feel but cannot get out. Thankfully, one of the other volunteers had a mutlitool and with some quick thinking from another volunteer, I am handed a small pair of pliers to remove as many of these awful things as possible.
The good news was that we were pretty close to the waterfall by then. The bad news is that it's the height of rainy season and this waterfall is a torrent of immense power. There is no way we can swim in that (it was less pretty than the gorges in Ithaca, but reminded me of them during rainy days), but the sun is nice so we sunbathe, snack, nap, and just chill out. I manage to pull out most, if not all, of the things in my hand. An hour goes by and we all decide to head back.
At one point, I got lost and separated from the group on the way back. That was kind of scary, but I used my super sleuthing sherlock skillz and managed to find my way out of the desert mountains of Peru so go me! If you want the whole story on that, you can chat with me. We got back to Viru and headed back to site a bit later than planned, whereupon I took a shower (a layer of dust on me that felt an inch thick) and immediately passed out in my bed. I was exhausted.
I got back to site the next day and have resumed my daily life here.
What a crazy awesome weekend! I have now added 2 things to my list of "things that I've never done before Peru" (grab a cactus, get legit lost and figure my way out of it) and even though I slipped on a chunk of my resolutions this weekend (didn't get my p90x workout in, had some beers, etc.) I will definitely get back on track.
Well, that's all I wanted to share with you for now! I just did my p90x workout and am now officially on week 3 of phase 1. I have a meeting set up with a nurse at the health post (see? told you I'd do it!), a socio at the benificencia, and the lawyer at the CEM. All I need to do now is make an appointment with the alcalde and someone at the police station, and my month of January will be satisfactory to me.
Hope things work out.
And I hope there are more new experiences! So far, all of them have been very interesting, so here's to hoping for more~ Happy Lunar New Year everyone! Year of the RABBIT (aka, best year ever) is coming to an end, but the year of the dragon will hopefully offer much excitement!
Until next time,
Love and Peace <3
So do I have a story to share with you!
Last Friday was my department's regional meeting, wherein all members of the department are encouraged to show up to the regional capital (i.e. Trujillo) to partake in a meeting that covers the basics of things that concern all volunteers (the big camp projects, committees, etc.)
Since a few volunteers live rather far from the capital (they live in the mountains and it takes about 6 or so hours, I believe, to travel for a few of them), we decided that it might be a nice idea to set up a hike for all those who are interested to partake in. The day of the hike was set for the day after the regional meeting- we would be heading out at 6:30am to the bus terminal to Viru, where a combi had been hired to take us on an hour long ride to a small village before we hiked up to see a waterfall that had been estimated to be somewhere between 40min to 1.5hours away...
The mornings starts off rather well. Although we were running a few minutes late (because honestly, when do we not?) our late departure had been calculated into the plans. We arrived in Viru without a hitch and stopped at a lovely bakery for some noms. I wish I had taken a picture of this absolutely heavenly ball of fluffy, buttery dough that enclosed a soft, sweet, warm apple inside. Instead, I devoured the most delicious apple turnover I've ever had, EVER, in a few bites and with a tummy full of yummy, we waited for the combi and taxi to arrive.
During this time, I slathered myself with sunblock and copious amounts of bugspray.
I did this three times while waiting for the bus to show. The sun here is FIERCE and the bugs/mosquitoes that were now swarming at us made me want to scream. I don't deal well with bugs that fly and bite, and for most of my life, I have been what I refer to as a "lightning rod" for these very bugs. While friends around me are ignored, mosquitoes and other bitey things seem to zoom into the deliciousness of my exposed skin, as if I were the apple turnover to them :c
HOWEVER having now applied what would be 1/2 of the bottle of bug spray (literally) that I had been given, I walked away with only a handful of bites here and there. Other volunteers were not so lucky...
Anyway, the combi shows up and we're still waiting for the car when finally the taxi rolls up and the driver steps out...
The driver has no left arm, and his right arm ends at his elbow.
Interestingly enough, I'm not worried about his ability to drive. I mean, this is his car and his route- he must've been doing this for some time, so whatevs. I was, however, intrigued by how he drove the car. Sadly, I was in the combi and not the taxi so I couldn't observe but the other volunteers mentioned that he'd modified it to meet his needs.
Legit.
So we're on this combi/car ride for a bit when the combi's going up this dirt hill aaannndddd boom. Apparently, something is broken and they need to take the car back to Viru to get the part. What did that mean? It meant, the hike started earlier than planned.
All of us get out of the combi and car, and get to walking. It's an easy walk up some dirt roads so I decide that a good idea would be to run the uphills, just because. The hike reminded me of the ones I used to do in cali with my mom, up Rocky Peak.
About an hour or so later, my mouth coated in dust, we show up to the village where the hike was originally going to start and TA DAAAH! The taxi shows up right then and there. I go buy some water, only to find that the only store there only has carbonated water, and start snacking on some trail mix I had brought with me before heading back out to actually start the hike.
The trail is pretty simple and easy, meandering in a generally upward incline, until we start to hit some tougher patches- scrambling over rocks and more dirt. I take the time to reapply more and more sunscreen and bug spray throughout this time, while trying to race after the "guide" who is booking it like he wants to lose all of us behind him. In the end, he actually does- except for a few of us who managed to trail him (more or less). We're now climbing up a lot of greenery- a lot of plants with super sharp spikes hidden in leaves, prickly things that are grabbing onto my clothes and embedding me with their splinter like appendages, longs blades of plants whipping at my legs and face, etc. We don't seem to be following a trail anymore, having scaled up this slippery, dangerous bit of mountain, and I am finding myself walking on less than an inch wide rocks, running water on one end and a cliff drop on the other. I feel pretty BAMF, hopping around and managing to catch myself a number of times when I step on what appears to be grass, only for it to turn out to be a hidden soft hole, and narrowly escaping a fall off the edge of a cliff to what may be my death.
Sadly, this is starting to build up a rather cocky attitude and at this point, I am exhausted. Running up the hills was probably not a good idea. I'm rather dehydrated, but doggedly chasing after this horrible "guide" or ours, who is walking through this entire thing without a glance back at anyone and booking it like he's in a race against the world. In any case, I hop off a rock to land on another rock, but my ankle rolls when I land and I slip. Rather than fall to my untimely death, I grab for something to stop myself, anything to keep me from rolling down all that I had climbed up.
I grab at and manage to hold on to a cactus.
A. Cactus.
Needless to say, once I find that I am not falling anymore, I let go of the cactus and bolt up to take a look at my hands.
It ain't pretty.
There are tons of thorny things sticking out of all the fingers of my left hand. The giant ones (about 3 inches long) are the most BAMF looking things ever, but also the easiest ones to immediately remove. They leave a bloody mess, but nothing compares to the teeny tiny ones that I can feel but cannot get out. Thankfully, one of the other volunteers had a mutlitool and with some quick thinking from another volunteer, I am handed a small pair of pliers to remove as many of these awful things as possible.
The good news was that we were pretty close to the waterfall by then. The bad news is that it's the height of rainy season and this waterfall is a torrent of immense power. There is no way we can swim in that (it was less pretty than the gorges in Ithaca, but reminded me of them during rainy days), but the sun is nice so we sunbathe, snack, nap, and just chill out. I manage to pull out most, if not all, of the things in my hand. An hour goes by and we all decide to head back.
At one point, I got lost and separated from the group on the way back. That was kind of scary, but I used my super sleuthing sherlock skillz and managed to find my way out of the desert mountains of Peru so go me! If you want the whole story on that, you can chat with me. We got back to Viru and headed back to site a bit later than planned, whereupon I took a shower (a layer of dust on me that felt an inch thick) and immediately passed out in my bed. I was exhausted.
I got back to site the next day and have resumed my daily life here.
What a crazy awesome weekend! I have now added 2 things to my list of "things that I've never done before Peru" (grab a cactus, get legit lost and figure my way out of it) and even though I slipped on a chunk of my resolutions this weekend (didn't get my p90x workout in, had some beers, etc.) I will definitely get back on track.
Well, that's all I wanted to share with you for now! I just did my p90x workout and am now officially on week 3 of phase 1. I have a meeting set up with a nurse at the health post (see? told you I'd do it!), a socio at the benificencia, and the lawyer at the CEM. All I need to do now is make an appointment with the alcalde and someone at the police station, and my month of January will be satisfactory to me.
Hope things work out.
And I hope there are more new experiences! So far, all of them have been very interesting, so here's to hoping for more~ Happy Lunar New Year everyone! Year of the RABBIT (aka, best year ever) is coming to an end, but the year of the dragon will hopefully offer much excitement!
Until next time,
Love and Peace <3
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