(Welcome home, Nicolas!)
This was the week of our site visit, an opportunity to scope out our town, and meet people: our counterparts, teachers, principal, students, community members, etc.
And what can I say? My site is what it is. Before I got here, all the Peace Corps affiliates in the know described the place as campo, its people humilde. Yes, they're very nice. They also don't have very much. The visit, as I imagine it's supposed to be, has served as an image of what's to come, a week-long microcosm for a certainly rewarding but potentially difficult two years of service.
Here are some of the struggles I've already encountered:
1. Water. It seems to be sparse during the hot summer months. My host family's house has no shower, so I have to take bucket baths, which isn't out of the ordinary. And on a few occasions, I've had to search for a place to take a shower. A few times I found a place behind the school in a shower stall. Not too bad. However, one time I was taking a shower in the early afternoon. I was rinsing without any problem, although the water pressure was weak. I was all full of suds when suddenly, the water cut off. Ugh. That wasn't fun. I couldn't even finish my shower that afternoon. And then there's the drinking water situation. My counterpart said I'd need to bring purified bottled water from from the provincial capital during my visit and then use the Peace Corps issued water filter. Thus far, I've only had a chance to boil and filter my water once, and there are still remnants of an unpleasant taste. I think I'll eventually get used to it. For a while, though, it wasn't fun. The first few days, the little I used to brush my teeth gave me the runs (and I don't mean the burning desire to go jogging).
2. Animals.
A. The other day I found out I share my room with a mouse. He's a sloppy roommate who leaves droppings everywhere. Rude.
B. I was sleeping one night and began hearing the sound of a cat meowing restlessly, like it was begging for something. It seemed to get closer and closer, louder and louder, until...a kitten fell on my face. It must have been in the space between the top of the wall and the tin roof. And let me tell you: it was NOT one of those moments when I wanted a kitten to fall on my face.
3. Dust. The small town has but one main street, which is unpaved. So whenever a car rushes by, the wheels kick up a full-blown dust storm. Plus, most of the surfaces here are either cement or just dirt. So my shoes and sandals and feet are always covered in a thin layer of dust/dirt. But you should see my host parents. Their feet give new meaning to the word ashy. No lotion + dust + 80 years of living a certain way=???
4. School struggles:
5. Summer heat. Afternoons with nothing to do but hide in the shade.
(They got popsicles. Good, cuz I'm gonna need some on those long afternoons in the oppressive heat.)
But it's not all bad. There are definitely good things as well. The town is surrounded by foothills and valleys are visible in all directions as far as the eye can see. The landscape is beautiful. The second day I was there, I went exploring on my own. I headed south, downhill toward the valley that supposed ends in a river. I walked for an hour and saw magnificent views of the valleys at sunset.
So if I ever need to clear my head, I can definitely take an early morning or late afternoon hike down El camino trail. But next time, I shouldn't wear sandals. That was a bad choice.
Oh, yeah. And a beautiful woman lives in my house.
Her name is Negra and she's the guardian of my host family's house. She reminds me of Duke, or rather, the way I always imagined Duke should look.
So things will take some getting used to, but I'm ready to take the plunge. After all, it's Peace Corps.
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