All this in just one week

Depends on how you look at it:

As we all know there can be many different sides to an argument or look at an object. Well here is one I’ve been pondering: what is good parenting? In the states a child without a parent nearby is considered abused or is lacking in parental control, here in Peru children learn to be self sufficient at a very young age. There is this little boy Jorge, I think he is 3 years old and when I see him most often he is by himself playing in the road. This morning on the way to teach he is about 300 yards away from his house around the curve, hiding in a tree. Now does this just not blow your mind that a 3 yr old who is still developing in every way shape and form, is alone or when not alone he is with other children under 10? Here in the campo there is no such thing as a daycare or babysitter but the fields aren’t going to work themselves either, so what do you do with the youngsters? If they are still little enough they carry them on their backs, but in Jorge’s case he has a baby sister who gets that coveted spot. Are we to protective or are they to careless? All I know is I’m way to crazy and obsessive to ever let my kids that far away from me at that age. Sorry future kiddo’s your life is going to be on a much shorter leash.

Did someone put my hand in cold water while sleeping?

So today is Tuesday, January 24, 2012 it is official. A 22 year old gringa went to Chota after teaching her English classes. The day passed pleasantly, didn’t get hit by any water balloons although one was thrown at her. Finally hit up Serpost while the ladies were there because they can’t be bothered to be there every day at set hours. Received not one but 2 packages from home and my medicine from Peace Corps so needless to say she was ecstatic! Here in Peru bathrooms a hard to come by. It is like looking for a needle in a haystack. So the poor gringa held it in and went to find a ride home. The day was still treating her well…found not only a car but a combi with nice comfy seats that was willing to go without being full (another oddity). The driver wasn’t very familiar with the road so hit every big pot hot possible and drove at a normal sedate pace= to crawling along for most here. Yet finally arrived home and the rain was coming but still hadn’t started and one of the powerful men in the community walked part of the way to her house with her. Here is where God gave a blessing and got a fully belly laugh at the same time: she continues on thinking I’m almost home, I can hold it as long as no one stops me and starts talking. I can hold it three more houses to go. I can hold it two more houses to go…………I can’t hold it……….I can’t hold it. Of course she is in one of the few places with no trees and two houses kinda close together but this is where the luck literally runs out because these are two of the houses she is thinking of doing latrine projects with cause they don’t have one!!!!!!! And there in between the two houses she has to decide wet your pants or pullem down and hope nobody walks by or sees you. Yet it took her to long to get her belt undo and this 22 year old started to pee her pants like a 3 year old until she finally got her pants down. So God got a belly work out right then but only by His grace did no one pass by and as far as she could tell nobody saw. This was rather fortunate because when she passed the last house on the way to hers with her pee pants the family was working in their garden just a little down the hill from the road but she waved and just continued on. Yet the day continued to be good to her because her family wasn’t in front of the house where her room is either. Then she got to open her packages which completely wiped away an embarrassment by happiness. PS Thank you Amanda, Aziz and Jenna!!!!! Love my beef jerkey, new shirt, and positivity passed through love. Ha ha.

Which since I’m obviously going to air everything…my bladder hates Peru. I’ve always got to go at the most inconvenient times, meaning I’m a old lady and have to get up and go at night. Which is really really bad luck because the latrine is so far away and you’ve got to hold it long enough to get TP, flashlight and boots on then walk there without peeing yourself when a dog or other animal in the dark starts making noises. Ha ha. Oh how comical is my life right now.  

Learning the meaning of back breaking work:

Today, Wednesday, my family cut their oat field. So since we are in the dark ages still after then cut it the oats still have to be beaten off their stems. This turned out to actually be a lot of fun. I beat the straw with this huge stick while my family stood back slightly afraid haha. They all the stocks were inspected to see if they still had their heads and if so pull or rub them off. I did the easy parts meaning not the actual cutting and I was still tired after. Haha. So sad that I’m that out of shape, although running in these hills that they don’t consider mountains---haha---are really kicking me into better shape. PS Jenna that jump rope is kicking my butt, forgot how much work they are. Haha. But fun!!!

Oh to be dead

So there are many differences in culture from the Southern States versus the Northern States. You can’t begin to imagine the differences in cultures when you go to another country. This past week my eyes have been opened to a new custom that I do not like. The way we treat our dead in the US is with respect (or more often than not), meaning a funeral is a solemn affair that is there to give the family and friends comfort and show support in their time of need. Also, although not a big fan of cookie cutter lives I do like that we have a plan or a sort of guide to what to do in the event of a death. So why all the death thinking…this week my families Tia Julia died. She and her mother lived alone a little up the hill from us. When she did the family asked if we would have her “wake” here at our house. Of course they said yes. What you ask does that entail, well first it is having the dead in their casket on display in the room next to where I sleep for 3 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope to one day become a medical examiner so I have no problem with the dead but sleeping with just a thin piece of wood between me and her. CREEPY! Then there is the tradition of staying up all night for the 2 nights she was here drinking and smoking. Somehow this is a celebration for the dead. Then the telling of her life (which was pretty cool). Today was the funeral and we went up to the cemetery and this is a true testament that I have literally gone back in time. They dug a hole made a wooden cross and wrote on it with marker and that’s it. When we were in the cemetery you couldn’t tell where people were buried because some us rocks and others us wooden items so of course they don’t last. It was so unnerving to know that I was walking on somebody’s grave and that no one was upset at the possibility. My host father even went so far to ask why I was walking funny….well trying to look for imperfections in the ground that will signify a grave. The more recent ones you could tell b/c the ground was still raised. Blows my mind. I mean I don’t want a huge to do when I do kick the bucket but I hope that my grave or whatever will still have the respect that it deserves. Oh and then I thought that was the end of the festivities but I was wrong we had one day of reprieve and then the next day everyone came again for breakfast and the washing of every clothing items of the dead. Why I’m still confused or what they are going to do with the clothes have no clue. And of course after the wash party we ate some CUY! which if you don’t know is guinnipig and is very VERY popular here. The favorite plate of almost everyone here.

On another personal note, I have never been the most patient person. Whether you see that as a flaw or a strength depends on how you look at it. For instance, I’m motivated to get my shit done and done to the best of my ability in the time allotted. I mean I think that is pretty standard in the US to some degree. Well here I have been tested….A LOT!!!! I mean wow can these people move like turtles. I’m currently teaching at the local high school. Which yes this is totally optional but if you are going to come and participate then participate! I ask them to do something and it is perfectly clear to them what I want and they sit until I come by them directly and most don’t do anything out of class. So super frustrating—mom don’t know how you have been a teacher for so long. Believe me when I say I would already be locked up for child abuse or in the crazy house. It is not only the students but the way of life here as well is at a speed 5X slower than even Ponca City, OK. The only time something is done in a timely manner is when they want something. Like my surveys I have to do---I have told them that I can’t even consider them for any future projects without one (which is not technically true) but I have done more surveys in the last week than half a months’ worth of work. I’m not trying to say that we are better in the states. The things that motivate aren’t always for good reasons either but it doesn’t take pulling teeth to get the majority of us to get our asses in gear! One of the traits I most miss in other people. And since I’m bitching I hate hate hate that one event or funny story is retold until the horse is not only dead but half decayed! The one in particular I’m thinking about happened on New Years. Here the tradition is to burn a doll made of old clothes to burn away the bad of the old year to make way for the new possibilities. As a joke I started dancing with our doll and we called him my boyfriend. I pretend cried when they burned him and I think every person that my host mom talks to knows this story. Which at first was a nice opening to talking to people especially the shyer ones, but now I just want to pull out my hair because of how many times it has been told. Also, I’m expected to have the same enthusiasm every time but I have run out of new things to say about it and I HATE REPEATING MYSELF OVER AND OVER! Ah what I wouldn’t give for a really nice bottle of wine and a good book and my reading chair with my KD blanket wrapped around me. A simple dream but God can hardly wait til I have those moments again. Haha. So melodramatic…someone needs to slap me and say just enjoy the fact that you’re in another country in a once and a life time opportunity! PS God does love me because the coffee I have been sent is seriously so good every morning!!!!! Don’t think I would be quite as nice without it….

Speaking of nice, I have now been told twice that I look like I’m getting fatter. I mean are they trying to drive me to an eating disorder? I think that they are. Culture or no culture I don’t find it appropriate or a funny joke to tell me I’m getting fat like it is no big deal. My friend Hayden the other day said “with all the weight talk here in Peru it could drive even the most confident of women to an eating disorder” and damn but she is right. Although I wish my eating disorder was the kind that leads to me eating less not more, haha, can’t seem to fill my belly up now. Now ain’t that just shitty. Ha ha. But there is hope at the end of this hellish tunnel and its called running mountains::::my new favorite thing to do!

The Adventures of living in the Campo

I’ve learned the literally meaning of don’t mess with the bull or you will get the horns. So my host mom and I were going to Chota for the weekly Sunday Market. She is in the trunk I’m by the window squashed in the back seat with 3 women and a 4-5 year old, and don’t forget the two women in front with the driver. We have barely started going when we see this old man fighting with his cows…aka 2 bulls! So one of the ladies from my row gets out to help the old man. By helping it means throwing rocks at the bulls head!!!!! First think that is plain stupid to throw anything at an animal that can easily gut you. Haha. Anyways the bulls finally start walking in the direction they are suppose to, the same way we are going. When the lady gets back in and were all settled we caught up to the old man. Well he has control of one bull but the other is way ahead. We pass him and the one bull but when we try to pass the second it had finally had enough of people bothering it. SO it puts its head down into charge position towards us. Not only towards us but towards the window where I’m sittin’!!!!!!!!!!!!!It got close enough to us that I could see its nose streaks the entire way to Chota. Life flashing before my eyes and all I can think of is Jurassic Park when the T-REX flips the car and it eventually falls over the cliff. Which my cliff is not that steep but still could have been an extremely bad day. Ha ha.

Anyways the new stuff with me is that I’m cold! We are really gettin rainy season started the right way. But it sure drops the temperature! Right now my nose is a constant little drip…get mental imagery!  At least I’m finally starting to earn my keep here. Have begun my encuestas/ surveys of the community. All I can say if I do to many my body is going to be rockin. Why? Because I gotta hike all over kingdom come to find people and there is mud everywhere that prevents you from going up and makes you go down faster than you want. Yesterday I taught my first class ever. It was for 7 kids that showed up and mainly English but it was not as bad as I thought it would be. However still not great! Have little to no idea what I’m doing. After an hour and a half I gave up and said lets end early since it is the first day. Now how am I suppose to keep saying that throughout the next two months? Also, the people hear can talk and talk and talk. When I am walking to and from the school or health post to my house they all want you to sit down talk and eat something. All please leave me alone I’m on my way home for a reason and other times it is I don’t want to sit here forever with you. I just want to make some small chit chat for a few minutes and then be on my merry way.

I have learned that the things out of your reach are what you crave the most. For instance, they don’t really eat chips here in Chota. You can only find personal size bags. I find myself craving a huge bag of any kind of chip would be so incredibly good right now. Which I’ve always been more of a salty person than a sweet and here the bread is sweet, the coffee is sweet, the milk is sweet, the yogurt is sweet (sweeter than normal), etc. I need SALT!!!!!

Oh another great story from the last few weeks. I had a close meeting with the Shit Your Pants Club, my application was yet again just barely turned down. So it was the first time I have really been sick since I’ve been here. I’m pretty sure that I had food poisoning, but here is the scoop: went to Chota with my cousin we had as close to a steak as we are gonna get for the next two years for lunch and continued on my merry way doing the shit I needed to do. But on the ride home my stomach really really started to feel weird and sharp pains shooting through me. Yeah for being on the slow combi for once!  Anyways get to site and ask the nearest house if I could use their bathroom. Got in just in time for the explosion to start and then proceeded to vomit…yeah me! Anyways got my stomach under control long enough to walk up the hill to my house. Didn’t tell my family I was home but I was running to the letrina and then laying on my bed as still as can be. They saw my light at dinner time and got super concerned when I didn’t want to eat. So they ate and then the nights entertainment was ME!!!!!!!!!! Meaning the whole family decided the only way I would feel better is if they come into my room and watch me get up and run to the bathroom every few minutes. Guess I needed moral support for that Shit to come out of me…ahhhhhhhhh! So all the pressure and strain made me truly cry for the first time hear in front of my entire family. Not something that I particularly enjoy! Anyways after about 5-6 straight hours of pooping and occasionally vomiting finally had nothing left inside of me and feel asleep. Felt awful the next day but I’m thankful that I didn’t wake up to a bed full of shit. Gotta look on the bright side of life, right? haha

Well if I think of any more great stories I will post them soon because I'm in my capital city for a meeting so guess what that means....internet for the day! Couldn't be more excited! Love from Peru