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| Cooking class in La Merced with Lucita (right) |
It's half-way through November! How did that happen? Time is flying by, just like everyone said it would. Our Reconnect conference starts on Monday, which signals the end of our first three months at site. This conference felt so far away a few weeks ago, and now... it's here!
Also on Monday I'll turn 27 years old. I've been trying not to reflect on this fact too much because quite frankly it freaks me out. TWENTY-SEVEN. It's the magic age at which Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix met their demise. And more recently Amy Winehouse! One of the host brothers has a hat that says "American Legend" on the front and then on the side lists the names of Kurt, Janis and Jimi. Once I explained what the names had in common, which essentially is a cautionary tale about the perils of fame and drugs. I also tried to throw in the mysterious detail of the white Bic lighter found in each of their pockets, but it's unclear if that actually translated or was just me babbling for a few minutes about conspiracy theories.
Anyway, 27. Old, right? Three years to 30. Which is the age at which you die. Just kidding. Theres really nothing to do about aging and the passage of time except accept it. So... ok I just did. Let's move on.
These first three months have been a roller coaster. So much has happened! From paralyzing fear to profound boredom, life here is not easy. You know, they told us that it wouldn't be easy (I believe the slogan goes "The hardest job you'll ever love.") but I could never have prepared for the depth and breadth of the difficulties. It's hard to describe the experience succinctly because life is hard in so many myriad ways, many of which I've never even considered before. Something as simple as peeing is often a much more complicated endeavor. At home, I share a bathroom with 5 people, 3 of them men, so when the bathroom is available, its usually disgusting. Additionally, more often then not there is no toilet paper, and occasionally theres no water. Admittedly, a lack of cleanliness, TP and running water doesn't affect my ability to use the toilet, but it does make the experience somewhat traumatic.
At work, (yes I'm still talking about peeing) theres some problem with the water and so you can only flush the toilets after filling up a bucket in the sink and dumping it into the tank. How many buckets are there? One. How many toilets are there? Three. How many sinks are big enough to put a huge bucket it? One. And that sink takes approximately 58 minutes to fill up the bucket because theres no water pressure. Ok, I'm lying, it's not 58 minutes, but its still a good 5-8 minutes. Which is a really long time if you're watching it fill up. Also, you better not have to go #2 because there is no toilet paper or bathroom garbage in which to dispose of that toilet paper. It's a wonder I haven't developed a UTI yet. *KNOCK ON WOOD*
Anyway, thats maybe gross to talk about, but peeing is on my mind a lot. Or at least, it used to be before I stopped drinking water. Seriously! Whats the point of drinking water if I just pee all the time? I'll have a swig once in a while if I'm parched, but its not worth the ordeal. Trust me. Guys have it a lot easier here because men literally just pee wherever whenever. It's disgusting and it makes me jealous.
In other ways, life has gotten much easier. My Spanish and confidence speaking Spanish has increased a lot, so I'm able to communicate more and with less distress. I can tell stories now! Simple stories, but still. They make sense. I'm getting to know my coworkers at the hospital and the clinic better, which makes navigating the workplace much, much easier. Few people are very friendly or outgoing, so getting to know people is more difficult than it should be. I think most people know who I am, but beyond the blue eyes and blonde hair, there are lots of misconceptions. I've had some good conversations recently which is exciting.
Work is also getting more interesting. The nutrition counseling I'm doing is getting easier and more productive. This week I talked to lots of pregnant moms and there were many nice conversations. Life in the campo is idyllic but incredibly hard and for most women, no one acknowledges the struggle to take care of the kids and the cows and the sheep and the cooking and the cleaning and the husband. I've started talking more about how difficult pregnancy is on the body and how eating well can really help out with the work, which seems to be logic they like and can follow. I'm also starting to recognize women and their kids who come every month for the "controls" so we're able to have more of an ongoing dialogue, which is good. A few moms have even mentioned what they're doing to eat better! It's really encouraging.
This week, I also found a really good apartment prospect. It's a little place in a sort of complex owned by some friends of the other volunteer at my site, Krista. It's a bit out of my budget, but my budget is pitiful and life here is pretty inexpensive, so I think it'll be ok. Fingers crossed it works out!
Well thats about it for now. What a rambling post, huh? My apologies. Thematic posts are overrated :)
