July 2, 2004
This morning I walked with a couple of the kids to get a pump for the soccer balls. On the way, we practiced a little bit of English. The kids are always asking me what everything means in English. I was a bit nervous about starting my English classes today, but for no reason because the kids were so enthusiastic! They really made it easy. I can tell that many may have some learning disabilities. We started with “My name is, Hello, and Bye”. I also taught them, “Howdy”. I gotta keep that Southern pride alive! We also played a name game, which took some coaxing to get all the shy girls to participate. I realized a little later is was because they needed a bit more personalized attention. After I practiced the pronunciation with them, they had more confidence about playing. In pairs, the kids had to see who could say “Your name is…” the fastest. They seemed to enjoy it. For my first class, I felt like it went great.
At lunch, I made a country music CD for my brother in exchange for copies of his CDs of salsa and Latina music. He had told me that he liked Kenny Rogers. What a hoot, right? So, I brought my laptop downstairs and let him pick out songs to burn for a CD. I have been hesitant to let anyone know that I have a laptop, one because I don’t want to cause too much unwanted attention, don’t want to seem like a rich American, and lastly, I don’t want it stolen. However, my family has a computer too and even a DVD player, so it wasn’t that much of a shock. We have been trading DVDs too.
I went back to El Milagro in the afternoon, continued my English class, and took photos. Boy, was that exciting for the kids. They are hams for the camera. They wanted a photo of everything, including the guinea pigs. The guinea pig project is sponsored by YMCA and is to encourage the mothers of the community to start small animal-raising businesses in their homes to sale in town. Those cute little guinea pigs are going to be somebody’s lunch sometime soon.
At dark, I returned home, had tea and bread with my family for supper, then headed to the internet cafe for some messaging.
July 1, 2004
Not much going on at work today. I helped some of the kids with their homework and just hung out mostly. I came home for lunch around 2:00. After we ate, I showed my family all my pictures from home and even some of the photos I had taken here. They enjoyed getting to know my family a little more by the pictures. My brother and I headed to Trujillo for a little while, I needed to go by the post office and the bank, and he needed to buy his ticket to Lima. Then we had a sandwich for supper at the “BEST” sandwich joint in Trujillo. Supposedly, all the college students hang and eat there; I have to say it was good. I bought the DVD, Spiderman 2, and then we came home. I watched my new DVD, then went off to sleep.
June 30, 2004
Back to work! I was actually excited to get to El Milagro today. I began my preparations for my English class on Friday. I have a couple of other people’s resources and I am trying to get a lesson plan going for the classes. I really have no clue about teaching! I was a psychology major. The beauty of the Peace Corps, you can try on all kinds of hats to see if they are for you. I guess I will know soon enough if teaching is for me.
Lunch was good, beef tips, broccoli and rice. We always have fresh juice and today it was papaya. My brother asked me if I was feeling better. He had seen me come in the house yesterday, my fresh butchered hair cut and my blood shot eyes. He told me that when I get homesick again, to let him know and we will go for a walk, chat, or take a trip to the beach. He was really sweet.
Returned to El Milagro in the afternoon for a meeting with the community council, where they discussed the importance of having organizations in a community. It was pretty boring; I just sat there and listened. However, it is interesting to watch the body language of the community leaders. Everyone stands when speaking, even in a small group/informal setting. And they always begin by acknowledging all the important people in the room (mayors, presidents, etc.) and saying very formally, “Good day to everyone here”.
I was home by 8:00. I made myself pasta and fresh tomato sauce.
My physical exercise is non existent again. There are several gyms in Trujillo. I just need to make room in my schedule to take a couple of hours to get back into shape. I know that would help me with dealing with stress/homesickness too.
June 29, 2004
Today started out ok and ended ok, but boy the middle of it was a tough one. It is a holiday today and the center in El Milagro was closed, so no work for me. I decided I would do some shopping, which I love. I thought at first I would find a gym and try to work out, but I quickly lost the urge. So, after my shopping, on my walk to where I normally catch the bus to my home, I decided I would get my hair cut. Mistake # 593,487 – never get your hair cut when you can’t explain exactly what you want done; never get your hair cut at a place that charges 3 soles a cut; absolutely never ask for layers. Oh yeah, and just take off a little, means take off a lot. I made it out of there without bursting into tears, but the people on the combi weren’t as lucky. I cried the whole way to my room, just wishing I was at HOME. I think I may be experiencing the end of the honeymoon period that they tell you about as a trainee. For a short time period, things are great when you get to your site, then you realize that what was new, quaint, and interesting is now backward, boring, infuriating, and frustrating. So, I wallowed in self pity for a couple of hours in my room, examining my hair, and wondering if I should even venture to style it myself. After a shower and a blow dry, I felt better. I visited my site mate and we decided to go see a movie. Just what I needed!
June 27, 2004
I got up early this morning to go shopping for a bookcase with my brother. We found a big one for $50 soles, pretty good. For lunch, the whole family went to eat at a seafood restaurant. It was fantastic. I had a seafood platter that had all kinds of meat: octopus, crab, oyster, fish, shrimp, scallops, and other indefinables all mixed in an Alf redo sauce. It was so great. I also tried Ceviche, the dish of Peru. Ceviche is raw fish (like sushi) ‘cooked’ with lime juice and ahi. It was superb. I really regret not trying it before now. After we got back from lunch, I visited Winchanzao for a little while. Tonight I went with my neighbors and my brother to downtown Trujillo, just to walk around. We had stuffed potatoes on the street, watched the street artists work their magic with only spray paint and a white piece of paper, stopped by a mass service in the Cathedral, and then we sat on benches in the plaza to chat. It was a good evening. We got home around 9:00 and everyone hung out in my room for tea and a look at pictures of home. There are always so surprised to see where I live, that it’s in the mountains, not the city, that all the houses are made of wood, and that everyone has cars. At times, I miss not having more volunteers in my area like the volunteers in Piura, Cajamarca, and Huaraz who have group 1 and 2 to hang out with. It would be nice to just chill with some other Americans for a little while. However, I realize that I am making Peruvian friends and improving my Spanish more everyday I DON’T hang with Americans.
