Yeah the title says it all...i´ll find one of those litle SOBs every now and then. I blame it on the damn cat that is roving around the house all the time. But i think once i start thinking about it it gets worse than it actually is, and i start to get all hypocondriac-like, thinking that and little itch is a bug!!
So i got up today and wasn´t really sure where my spanish class was to take place. Last week my group thought it was in our community, but were mistaken. This week we were pretty sure that it was again in our community...but not %100 sure. So we all show up at Chris´s house for class...and our teacher doesn´t show. So we start to thing: ¨great, a scond time we´ve screwed up!¨ But another person from anothe group was around, and thought the same as us. So we get a call, which indeed tells us that we need to get to the Center, but not because we were wrong, but in fact because other people we so confused that half the people had arrived at the Center, and the other half in ther communities. So thise jeep comes flying into our community to pick us up. I don´t know if the driver just is happy that he gets to get out of the Center and drive fast, or if the PC says that it is practically life threatening that we have missed a mear 20 minutes of a spanish lesson, but this guy was driving like a bat outta hell. I mean it was like operation-get-the-gringos-to-the-center-so-fast-it-makes-them-sh$t-there-pants. We all thought it might be over doing it a bit, but hey maybe the guy jsut needs to go fast every once and awhile.
Class was pretty normal. Although we got to play to dodgeball, which was nice. Yeah i know, dodgeball? Aren´t we soooo grown up? Well it pretty much fits wit how we are treated, but if that means a little dodgeball (mata-gente) then i guess i can put up with it.
After getting my second round of a couple injections, we had a lovely talk about STD´s! Oh and if a regular picture is worth a thousand words, these are worth a million thoughs of wanting to gouge my eye out so i never see such things again. Today was the first birhtday for a trainee, and right in the middle of a talke about HIV, a mariachi band comes stroming into the little training room. They play for nearly a half hour and dress the volunteer up. The mariachi leading the show gets all of the girls to dance with the birthday boy, and i beleive the girl who set up the who thing sang a couple songs with them (yes, she has training in singing with mariachis). It was great, and a lot of fun...but then i started to think that my birthday was only 3 days away, and that the bar had just been set pretty high for birthday celebrations. So i started to think it was going to be sad when i get just a regulate ¨hey happy birthday¨greeting on thursday. But a couple of my friends joked with me that now they have to raise the bar.
Because i ran out of the house quickly, as the speed-driven driver wailed away on the horn, i was able to grab all of my running gear...except my shorts. So instead i grabbed a beer with the bday boy and several other people in my group. I ate just a few minutes ago, and now here i am. There is a popular boy band, Grupo Cinco, playing in Chosica tonight. I´m not sure if i am going to go, because it would mean a very late night, but a think a few people are going. I think i might as well expeience it, but i´m not sure if i´ll follow through. ALso, although i was ready to keep up our boycott of the soccer facilty, it appears that we will be playing another game there tomorrow. Hopefully we don´t wait another 2 hours to just play 30 minutes. Alright, well that´s about it for me...oh... her is my address at the training center, should anyone like to keep in touch by the ol´fashion way:
(My Name)/Cuerpo de Paz
Calle Los Cedros 647
Chaclacayo, Lima 8, Peru
That is good until i get into my actual site...i think.
Patrick
Recap of the week
This past week, since my last entry, has been one of ups and downs. I woke up wednesday feeling horrible. The dust still plagues my throat. I recovered fairly quickly, and had a decent morning, starting with my spanish class. I learned later that afternoon that we were to get into groups (those of our current communities) and do different types of surveys and research among the people we are living among. My self and two other volunteers, Raija and Dani, decided to get a an early start on it, so we started after school. We asked random groups of people that we cam into contact with to draw us a picture of their community, and/or what they thought were the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in there community. We got a lot of positive feedback from those that we asked.
Thursday came quickly, and in all honesty all i could think about was the soccer game that was lined up for that night at 6. But 4 hours of spanish class, and 4 hours of finishing the previously described group project was between me and what i desired. The day passed quickly. We didn't have to do much for our project because we had gathered so much info already. Soon enough it was 5:30 and i was off to the field!
However, it didn't go quite as planned. Once again, the host father of another volunteer had reserved the field for 6, which we all waited patiently for, however, we didnt' get to play until 7:30. This is because they had a "conflict" of scheduling and they were currently having a round-robin for an adult league. That basically means that they just don't give a flying f**k because we are gringos and not very important. To so of you this might be a bit offensive or quick judgement. You may be right, however, i have already dealt with the blatant discrimination against gringos on several occasions: see Combi fares. I'm not saying they aren't entitled to try to take advantage of those that are willingly fooled, but i've pretty much had it with the "taking advantage" of gringos look at life. So we didnt' get out on the field until 7:30 and were only able to play until 8, yet we had to pay for a whole hours worth of play. So we all decided that this was not a place that we wanted to return to anymore.
Friday morning brought a new day, and we were to present our projects to the rest of our fellow volunteers. I had draw several comics about some of the funny things that we in Yanacoto put up with on our poster: the crazy dogs chasing us, the mototaxis almost running us over, etc. I got a lot of recognition for these drawings. I kinda get embarrassed when people talk to me about my art, but it was also nice of them to tell me that they really liked it.
Soon after our presentations we left for a mass exodus to Lima. I slept most of the way. We arrived and waited around in the main plaza for a few minutes while we got organized into our spanish groups. We then had lunch in our respective groups, and did a couple of group activities, which like always, meant that we had to go up to random people and ask them questions about the local buildings, etc.
Both Intermediate High spanish classes (8 students in total) walked to a local market place. We were given 20 minutes to just walk around. The upper floor, where we went first, unfortunately is right about the oh-so sanitary meat market, so many of us almost vomited in our mouths several times. after that fun experiences we got in taxis and headed to Miras Flores, an area right on the coast. We got some coffee and churros, and then headed to see the view of the beach. The sky was very much like oregon, gray and cloudy. I felt right at home, while others complained about it being to cold. he place that we ended up at, overlooking the ocean from a high vista, reminded me very much of a trendy outside mall that you might find in So Cal. After a little bit we were set loose to get back home on our own. Chris, Pete, and I planned on getting a beer with basically the rest of the whole group, but after an hour of the "who's going were" game, we decided it would be better to get back in time for dinner with our families. Big mistake.
If it is one thing i can recommend to anyone wishing to travel in Lima, it would be to not use public transportation during rush hour. We got on a combi (the one to take us to the actual on that would take us back home), which was really crowded. This wasn't unusual, but that fact that it took 45 minutes in stop and go traffic wasn't great. Oh but we knew so little of what awaited us. After getting off the combi, and taking directions from several different people, we finally got onto the combi that was in route to Chosica ( and thus Yanacoto). About 10 minutes into the ride the combi basically stops moving at any real speed (meaning that i could get out and walk faster than it). The driver puts on the emergency lights and slowly putts along the right side of the road. All the while the cabin is being filled with the black smoke that is flowing from the exhaust pipe. This goes on for about 20 minutes, and people started to demand their money back and to get off. Some do, but most stay, and the bus finally kicks back into gear.
An hour later, still standing, cramped next to the smelly guys and the guy that kinda looks like he could shank me at any moment, the bus decides that it was a lot of fun putting along at 5 miles per hour, so it does it again. This time it goes for about another 30 minutes. Fun times on a combi! After we've been on the combi for about an hour and a half, it starts to thin out with people. However, because my mother always insisted on me being a gentleman, i always gave any open seat to children, women, and anyone older than me (which when you are only 23 means the majority of people). So by hour two of standing on the moving stink-box, i would basically scream internally everytime a new batch of women would get on the bus. About the time we arrived to Chaclacayo ( 15 miuntes before my stop), i finally got to sit down! Oh how great it was! Like i had never sat before! As always, the giant hill awaited our arrival patiently :) In all our trip from Lima to home took around 3:30. Some people that didn't leave for several hours after us took similar means of transportation and arrived in 1 hour... I've learned my lesson.
Saturday the water group met up at the center to construct hanging worm composting bins, and we also poured the first slab of concrete for our permanent worm-composting bin. This was a lot of nice, hands on work, that most of us had been longing for. The only complaint from people was that this work come on a saturday morning. That afternoon, after eating a nice lunch, i napped for several hours.
That night, many of us (most of our group) eventually met up at a dance club, where we proceeded to amaze the peruvians with our gringo-ness. It was a really great time, and i think our saturday nights are really necessary to blow off much of the steam that is built up over the week.
Today i got up and did laundry with my hostbro Carlos. Then we went into Chosica, were we took his ex and her children to what is basically the peruvian long-john-silvers. well maybe not that bad, but it really did resemble an american eatery that has way too much nautical stuff on the walls. The kids are really great, and are calling me uncle already. After that Carlos and i met with one of his brothers and shared a couple of beers.
NOW i'm back, and writing this. Sorry that this is so jumbled and lacking in detail, but i am tired! Hope all of you are well!
Love,
Patrick
The first weekend: mission impossible, big night out, etc.
Alright, so a whole weekend has passed since my last post. It´s been a pretty full couple of days. Friday was business as usual, starting with spanish in the morning, eating lunch in mi casa, and then heading over to the center for the second half of my day. I believe that was the day that we presented out Tippy Taps. I don´t know if i explained what they are in my last blog, but basically they are a used plastic bottle that you use for washing your hands. You cut the bottom off, hand it upside down, and then unscrew the top just a little so you can use the water to wash your hands. Basically it is suppose to function as handwashing unit in places where there is no sink...like in a latrine. Mine was the Tip Top Tappy, brought to you by Tip Top Industries. It has a no slip grip, and it´s ribbed for your pleasure. SO when you want a Tippy Tappy, look no further than the Tip Top Tappy (warning the Tip Top Tappy may cause severe retinal damage, loss of bowl control, loss of hair, increased toenail fungus, as well as immediate death). Anyways, that was the little thing we did in class that day.
After classes a couple of different groups grabbed a beer then headed home. After dinner a few people came over and we watched Zoolander. Everyone had an activity that had been given by our repective project groups, and was called Mission Impossible. My mission, along with my co-agent Teagan, was to ask someone about the water in Chaclacayo; have someone draw us a map of the city, and lastly, find a mason and ask him several questions about his job. The water was easy to learn about, while the other two were not so easy. I asked a random teenager if he could help us draw a map, but with much support and offering ideas of where things actually were, all that the map contained was three odd-shapped squares. So that didn´t go great, but oh well. Finding and Albañil or mason, proved to be a difficult mission. After asking several people, going to the wrong house, getting a random phone number that didn´t work, i found a group of guys working on a cement driveway. I asked one of the workers several questions, which he was happy to answer until the second that he saw his boss, which was about the time he just picked up his wheelbarrow and took off back to work.
There was a fair going on at the highschool which is right across the street from my home. It had been going on all day, and later on i and some of my fellow Yanacotan volunteers played a couple rounds of soccer. That night the group of volunteers living in Yanacoto and I went out to Chosica where we went to a coupld of clubs/bars. My older host brother Carlos met up with us and took us to a second club which was really quite big. After a while the group of volunteers headed home in a taxi, but Carlos and I stayed to hang out with his friends more. We got back at the early hour of 4 am.
I didn´t get up until 1pm that next day, and pretty much wish i hadn´t gotten up at all. I don´t know if it is the new surroundings or what, but i had one of the worst hangovers in my life! And that is saying something! I felt absolutely horrible, and thought that i might literally be ill with something else. I also didn´t feel like i had been prarticularly wreckless with my drinking, which was why it surprised me so. But i got through it. Lunch helped. Nothing quite like rice, potatos, and more of the two to really soak up what ails you.
My host borther and i went back into Chosica to find some soccer shoes for me. He has an ex-girlfriend, who has two children, which he has basically helped raise since they were young. I met them and we took them to the little fair that is in the Chosica park. The little boy said the blond hair on my arms made me look like a white gorilla, and then proceeded to compare the arm hair of myself (white gorilla) and Carlos (black gorilla). Very nice kids all in all.
Monday morning was back to school. There was a slight hick-up however. I, along with the other people in my spanish group, believed that we were to meet in at my house at 8:30 am. However, my mom got a call while i was eating breakfast at 8, saying that i was late for class at the center. So i rushed out, and got to school a little later. Luckily i wasn´t the only one who had misinterpreted the schedule. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I went for a run after classes finished. I have been doing pretty well with keeping up on excercising, which makes me feel great. I had a beer with a group of volunteers, then headed home to eat, do homework and hangout.
Today we actually did have class in my house, which was nice because i don´t have to leave! I can get up later, and i don´t have to leave to eat lunch. I really wish that i could just know all the spanish that i possible could right now! It would save me from some frustration. But i´m sure it will be fine soon enough. After classes finished this afternoon, a bunch of of went to the same soccer complex to play. The other Pat in the group had had his host father set up a game for us. His host dad played goalie, while we played a team of his friends. A lot of extra people wanted to come and play, which wasn´t that great of an idea for those of use that had been planing on playing, but it wasn´t so bad. I think that we either tied, or won the game, but regardless it was great to play. I got two pretty good goals, and played a lot, so i was really happy. I returned home just a couple hours ago, around 7:30. Ate dinner with my host mom, and here i am now! Actually i did finally talk with my parents through Skype tonight. That was very nice. I also got a surprise skype call from Dan Northcraft. It´s crazy to be talking with someone in China, while you yourself are in another country as well. Ok, well it is 10:30 and i still need to do my home work, maybe watch some tv, and hopefully get rid of this constant throat pain (it must be the dust in the air...or the occasional trash burning). Hope all is wel with everyone. Thanks for reading.
Pat
After classes a couple of different groups grabbed a beer then headed home. After dinner a few people came over and we watched Zoolander. Everyone had an activity that had been given by our repective project groups, and was called Mission Impossible. My mission, along with my co-agent Teagan, was to ask someone about the water in Chaclacayo; have someone draw us a map of the city, and lastly, find a mason and ask him several questions about his job. The water was easy to learn about, while the other two were not so easy. I asked a random teenager if he could help us draw a map, but with much support and offering ideas of where things actually were, all that the map contained was three odd-shapped squares. So that didn´t go great, but oh well. Finding and Albañil or mason, proved to be a difficult mission. After asking several people, going to the wrong house, getting a random phone number that didn´t work, i found a group of guys working on a cement driveway. I asked one of the workers several questions, which he was happy to answer until the second that he saw his boss, which was about the time he just picked up his wheelbarrow and took off back to work.
There was a fair going on at the highschool which is right across the street from my home. It had been going on all day, and later on i and some of my fellow Yanacotan volunteers played a couple rounds of soccer. That night the group of volunteers living in Yanacoto and I went out to Chosica where we went to a coupld of clubs/bars. My older host brother Carlos met up with us and took us to a second club which was really quite big. After a while the group of volunteers headed home in a taxi, but Carlos and I stayed to hang out with his friends more. We got back at the early hour of 4 am.
I didn´t get up until 1pm that next day, and pretty much wish i hadn´t gotten up at all. I don´t know if it is the new surroundings or what, but i had one of the worst hangovers in my life! And that is saying something! I felt absolutely horrible, and thought that i might literally be ill with something else. I also didn´t feel like i had been prarticularly wreckless with my drinking, which was why it surprised me so. But i got through it. Lunch helped. Nothing quite like rice, potatos, and more of the two to really soak up what ails you.
My host borther and i went back into Chosica to find some soccer shoes for me. He has an ex-girlfriend, who has two children, which he has basically helped raise since they were young. I met them and we took them to the little fair that is in the Chosica park. The little boy said the blond hair on my arms made me look like a white gorilla, and then proceeded to compare the arm hair of myself (white gorilla) and Carlos (black gorilla). Very nice kids all in all.
Monday morning was back to school. There was a slight hick-up however. I, along with the other people in my spanish group, believed that we were to meet in at my house at 8:30 am. However, my mom got a call while i was eating breakfast at 8, saying that i was late for class at the center. So i rushed out, and got to school a little later. Luckily i wasn´t the only one who had misinterpreted the schedule. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I went for a run after classes finished. I have been doing pretty well with keeping up on excercising, which makes me feel great. I had a beer with a group of volunteers, then headed home to eat, do homework and hangout.
Today we actually did have class in my house, which was nice because i don´t have to leave! I can get up later, and i don´t have to leave to eat lunch. I really wish that i could just know all the spanish that i possible could right now! It would save me from some frustration. But i´m sure it will be fine soon enough. After classes finished this afternoon, a bunch of of went to the same soccer complex to play. The other Pat in the group had had his host father set up a game for us. His host dad played goalie, while we played a team of his friends. A lot of extra people wanted to come and play, which wasn´t that great of an idea for those of use that had been planing on playing, but it wasn´t so bad. I think that we either tied, or won the game, but regardless it was great to play. I got two pretty good goals, and played a lot, so i was really happy. I returned home just a couple hours ago, around 7:30. Ate dinner with my host mom, and here i am now! Actually i did finally talk with my parents through Skype tonight. That was very nice. I also got a surprise skype call from Dan Northcraft. It´s crazy to be talking with someone in China, while you yourself are in another country as well. Ok, well it is 10:30 and i still need to do my home work, maybe watch some tv, and hopefully get rid of this constant throat pain (it must be the dust in the air...or the occasional trash burning). Hope all is wel with everyone. Thanks for reading.
Pat
More from the first week
Hello all,
The past two days have been busy, like every other day! My spanish class started having our lessons in our community yesterday (wed.) We are starting out in Melissa´s home. Then mine next week. My mom says she has to do a bunch of cleaning in our living room before next week...which to me seems spotless, but i suppose it is a mom thing. After class i walked back down to my house and ate lunch. Then around 12:30 proceeded to preactically repel down the steep road down to the highway. Going up and down that thing two or three time a day, usually filled to the brim witn potatos and rice is relly going to get my ass toned. And yes if anyone would like to learn more about my diet i would recommend diving head first into the potato pile at Fred Meyers, but only after eating a pound of rice. No i´m just joking...well kind of. It really is good food though, and my mom is really really happy that i eat everything. I guess they had a volunteer that didn´t really care for much, so they are always surprised that i will eat what´s in from on me.
My training in my WatSan (water and sanitation) group was really frustrating that day, but it is great because i am really able to talk with my trainers, who really care and understand what is going on. So that makes it a bit better. I also have friends to help me laugh it off. After training, we had a yoga lesson taught by one of the volunteers. It was nice, and there were tons of people. Even tons of people that hadn´t ever before. EVeryone thought i must really be into yoga seeing that i had my own mat...but i´ve only been 4, no 5 times. Last night i did some homework, and then watched a movie with my host bro. During it i thought i felt something rumbling a little, like a big truck outside. Bu there was no truck. I came to learn today that it was a small earthquake. One of many that i guess plague this country.
This morning for my spanish class we went into Chosica, where i had to walk into the local municiple building to ask the about the local water. It was a little strange, but i have this strange sense of courage, which i am taking as my knowing that it really doesn´t matter if the people don´t like me. However it was awkward walking into te crowded building, and then finding a woman to talk to, but did so while she was trying to make a call. This afternoon in my WatSan class we talked a little about site locations and how they are chosen (but no, i don´t and won´t know mine for several weeks). Then we made Tippy-taps, which are water dispensers made from plastic bottles. YOu leave them in the sun, on the roof, for several hours, and by doing so you allow the uv rays to disinfect the water, then you have clean water t wash your hands with! The use of uv rays in this manner is known and SODIS, which i´m sure i´ll know a lot about at the end of 10 weeks.
The bad thing about living here with the internet right next door is that i here the shitties MTV pop songs played over and over and over again. And then somehow they will even find the same song, but with like a chipmunk voice over. oh how wonderful!!!! Another great thing here in Yanacoto is the plethora of crazy dogs that try to nip at you! :) I think i´m going to start a page on our volunteer website called PPP (los perros mas peligrosos en Peru). I think it would be great for volunteers to put up pictures of the crazy dogs in their site. Also, every morning i wake up and think that it is foggy, but have realized it is just the dust and burning trash in the air! Chris has joked that he is from LA and that he understands poor air quality..but that this is ridiculous. YOu can really see how a lifetime of conditions like this would have serious ramifications later in life.
I went with a group of my fellow voluntarios to play soccer today. We found this place in the town just about 5 minutes up the highway. It is this little turf field that you have o pay to get into, but it was nice because we just played 5 on 5 with the people that we came with. Well 4 on 4, but two locals who work at the place joined in. I did pretty well actaully. but unfortunretly i got some pretty bad blisters on my feet, so mi hermano told me we´ll go find me some soccer shoes this weekend. It was also a bit hard to to the previously mentioned air quality. I think we were all feeling the burn pretty quick.
I´m really excited to get out and see more o peru....whenever that might be. It seems like it is going to be an amazing place to be.
Well that is all for now. I think i´ll go pass out now!
Patrick
The past two days have been busy, like every other day! My spanish class started having our lessons in our community yesterday (wed.) We are starting out in Melissa´s home. Then mine next week. My mom says she has to do a bunch of cleaning in our living room before next week...which to me seems spotless, but i suppose it is a mom thing. After class i walked back down to my house and ate lunch. Then around 12:30 proceeded to preactically repel down the steep road down to the highway. Going up and down that thing two or three time a day, usually filled to the brim witn potatos and rice is relly going to get my ass toned. And yes if anyone would like to learn more about my diet i would recommend diving head first into the potato pile at Fred Meyers, but only after eating a pound of rice. No i´m just joking...well kind of. It really is good food though, and my mom is really really happy that i eat everything. I guess they had a volunteer that didn´t really care for much, so they are always surprised that i will eat what´s in from on me.
My training in my WatSan (water and sanitation) group was really frustrating that day, but it is great because i am really able to talk with my trainers, who really care and understand what is going on. So that makes it a bit better. I also have friends to help me laugh it off. After training, we had a yoga lesson taught by one of the volunteers. It was nice, and there were tons of people. Even tons of people that hadn´t ever before. EVeryone thought i must really be into yoga seeing that i had my own mat...but i´ve only been 4, no 5 times. Last night i did some homework, and then watched a movie with my host bro. During it i thought i felt something rumbling a little, like a big truck outside. Bu there was no truck. I came to learn today that it was a small earthquake. One of many that i guess plague this country.
This morning for my spanish class we went into Chosica, where i had to walk into the local municiple building to ask the about the local water. It was a little strange, but i have this strange sense of courage, which i am taking as my knowing that it really doesn´t matter if the people don´t like me. However it was awkward walking into te crowded building, and then finding a woman to talk to, but did so while she was trying to make a call. This afternoon in my WatSan class we talked a little about site locations and how they are chosen (but no, i don´t and won´t know mine for several weeks). Then we made Tippy-taps, which are water dispensers made from plastic bottles. YOu leave them in the sun, on the roof, for several hours, and by doing so you allow the uv rays to disinfect the water, then you have clean water t wash your hands with! The use of uv rays in this manner is known and SODIS, which i´m sure i´ll know a lot about at the end of 10 weeks.
The bad thing about living here with the internet right next door is that i here the shitties MTV pop songs played over and over and over again. And then somehow they will even find the same song, but with like a chipmunk voice over. oh how wonderful!!!! Another great thing here in Yanacoto is the plethora of crazy dogs that try to nip at you! :) I think i´m going to start a page on our volunteer website called PPP (los perros mas peligrosos en Peru). I think it would be great for volunteers to put up pictures of the crazy dogs in their site. Also, every morning i wake up and think that it is foggy, but have realized it is just the dust and burning trash in the air! Chris has joked that he is from LA and that he understands poor air quality..but that this is ridiculous. YOu can really see how a lifetime of conditions like this would have serious ramifications later in life.
I went with a group of my fellow voluntarios to play soccer today. We found this place in the town just about 5 minutes up the highway. It is this little turf field that you have o pay to get into, but it was nice because we just played 5 on 5 with the people that we came with. Well 4 on 4, but two locals who work at the place joined in. I did pretty well actaully. but unfortunretly i got some pretty bad blisters on my feet, so mi hermano told me we´ll go find me some soccer shoes this weekend. It was also a bit hard to to the previously mentioned air quality. I think we were all feeling the burn pretty quick.
I´m really excited to get out and see more o peru....whenever that might be. It seems like it is going to be an amazing place to be.
Well that is all for now. I think i´ll go pass out now!
Patrick
Living in Yanacoto.
Hello to anyone reading this...which might just be you mom. Since my last entry i have arrived safely in Peru. The flight here was fine, without any complications. In fact, i was drawing in my sketch book, and a flight attendant asked me to draw something for the flight crew. They really enjoyed it, wich i could tell because the paraded up and down the aisles holding it up for everyone to see. On my way off the plan they also handed me a stack of free drink/food coupons for another flight on American Airlines. But lets be honest, if i even ever use them, it will be for the drinks. We were immediately greeted by the Peace Corp team. They tood us through customs and put us on a couple of rented busses. We drove for about an hour to a conference/retreat area in Chaclacayo (were our training center is located). We didn´t get there until around 12:30 AM. So we were pretty tired, and still cou´ldn´t go to bed until we were assigned our rooms.
The next day was filled with a lot of the usual orientation activities, like policies and procedures, and in the afternoon we had different interviews. The interviews were for our home-stay, language level, and a one-on-one with our project coordinators. I was pretty worried about the language test, but it went well, and was told by my interviewer that i had exceeded the minimum requirements for to be placed in site. I don´t know why she told me...maybe because she knew i was nervous, but it was really nice of her. So all i have to do is not become worse at Spanish in the next ten weeks to pass my spanish level test. I´m not too worried about that, because i´m already having thinking, and even dreaming a little, in Spanish. Anyways, that evening i went walking around and found a little place to have some beer with some other PC people. Others joined and made our party about 11 strong. We had to get back for dinner at 7, but after most people went to the little dance club at the center. I had a lot of fun that night. It started out with only a few people dancing, and a lot of Peruvians watcing...and even taking pictures ( i know because they tood one of me). Well i was just goofing around most of the time, but it seemed to work out great cause everyone was enjoying me being there. I was wearing my hiking boots, which i think REI should label as hiking/dance´n boots. My friend Chris and i were having a realyl great time and getting the other guys out on the floor with the other female volunteers.
The next morning came a little too soon, and much was said about mine and Chris´s dancing abilities. We packed up our stuff and headed out to the training center. It is a really beautiful home, in a well manicured compound. It was originally owned by some Italian business owner. We did more orientation activities, met with our language professors, and to my delight i found out Melissa (who i went to UP and Sain with) and my friend Chris are the only other people in our group. Chris and i usually are just making each other laugh, and Melissa is very sweet. After that our host families arrived. I believe there are 17 people in my town ( Yanacoto). I was greated by my oldest host-brother Juan Carlos, and my host-mother Lucia. Carlos is a prety tall guy, and luckily a very clear accent. He is always amped to talk with me and is really positive. My mama is a little bit harder to understand, but i´m getting better at understanding her. Most of the volunteers in my area and our families crammed into a little combi (bus) and drove to our town.
I am surrounded by other volunteers, and infact can watch many of the from the top of our roof is i choose to be creepy. My house is a lot nicer than i expected. I have my own room which is probably larger than any room i have ever had with a host family. It also so happes to be right next to a room which my family uses for an internet cafe. So for any of you with skype i could set up a time to use it if you would like. It is also kinda cool because my friends come over and i get to see them while they are here using the internet.
I began to unpack my stuff while Carlos and i talked. We had some great conversations about many different things. I learned that he has worked for several beer companies, and now is a part of a new (and hopefully upcoming) beer company named Franca. I walked around a little, and while doing so saw many other volunteers. I thought that they were playing soccer up on the cement court, but were actually playing Bingo. Apparently a Swiss woman donates various things to the comminty ever month and they have a Bingo game to win them. I walked back down to my house and chatted with my Carlos again. It was then time for dinner, which i ate with my host mother, and when they arrived, my host brother Raul and my father Agipito. By the way Carlos is 36 and Raul 32. I had a little bit of a sad moment when my host mother told my host father that i speak very little Spanish. I mean, i know i´m not a native speaker, but it´s not my fault i can´t understand her. But i thought it was funny. I sat up with my Carlos and Raul on the second floor balcony where i live. I started to watch some tv, but by 9 i was read for bed.
Morning came, and i had my first cold shower. Quite...invigorating to say in the least :) I had breakfast, and then was ready to head out for the center. The father of a volunteer that is my neighbor accompanied all of use to the center to help us know the stops. I seriously live within a block of 4 other volunteers, and only a few more blocks to many others. When we leave in the morning it pretty much looks like a Gringo exodus.
Wel the day was pretty boring to be honest. A lot of orientation activites, like a class on security. I am really happy with my Water and Sanitation team. Both co-volunteers and trainers are really cool. It also seems to be more laid back than the Health and Environmental teams have to be. I learned that there are only around 11 other water volunteers already working in Peru. Also, that we will most likely be working in only three different states (Departamentos): Lima, Ica, Piura. If i could choose now i would pick Piura, on the northern border. I have been told many times the north is the best, and my host brothers said they would pick the same.
I came home and walked around with a couple of volunteers. That night Chris came to use the internet and ended up hanign around with me and my host brothers. We listened to music and drank beer on the veranda for several hours. I tried to translate a lot of songs for my brothers. Chris went home around 9.30, but we kept talking until around 11.
Finally i am almost up to date!!! This morning i had another wonderful shower, ate breakfast, and met the with my traveling buddies outside my house. Carlos walked down the really steep road that we have to go down to get to the highway. You have to watch out for the Mototaxis that go flying by you all the time. They are basically a covered motorcycle with two back wheels. Just a side not, my family rents a room to a young mother who has two really young children: Josef, and Leslie. They are probably only 2 and 3 respectively. They are right next to me playing, and they are incredibly cute. They really like hanging out with me. Anyways, this morning started out with some actual Spanish classes!!! Yay. We mixed in with another small group and played a couple games. The first game was called Titanic. We all chose cards with various famous people on the opposite side, and then had to make an argument for why that perso should not be thrown out of the only remaining lifeboat that is already too full. Well by luck of the draw, i was Ronald McDonald...and you can pretty much deduece that i didn´t last long against the likes of Princess Diana, the Oprah, Shakira, and Daniel Craig. But it was fun. Next we went out into a little park and played dodge-ball. If you got hit you had to answer a question in Spanish. It was a lot of fun. We separated into our normal groups and continued with a normal Spanish class. Then we had lunch, and proceeded to have several hours of what i would say was very boring classes on how to better collect information when in our sites.
Many people have said that they want to start doing a lot of excersise activites after training each day. We went running today. Although i didn´t really want to mob out in a group of aroudn 13 people, so i ran by myself for some time, but met up with Melissa and Nate. We went through the streets and up a pretty steep hill. I hadn´t ran for quite some time, so it was good to get in almost an hour´s worth of excersise. Melissa and another volunteer are also going to lead Yoga classes (thanks Kim for telling my to bring a mat), and i think Nate is going to teach us som Brasilian Ju-Jitsu (?). We all made it back to our bus stop without any guidance, and then proceeded to hike up the massive hill. Tomorrow our professor Ivan, will be coming to our community for spanish class. This week we are having it in Melissa´s house. So i walked with her and Chris, and another volunteer named Steve, to her house. We stopped off to meet Chris´s family. He has several kids running through his house at all times. We were almost attacked by several dogs, but made it to Melissa´s. I got home, tired, and hungry, and ate a lot. This made my mother very happy. She made me a dish that is very similar to chile relleno. So i was really happy too. My host brother is showing me that he just put a Journey music video on his Facebook page. I´m eating meat once again, and so far it really hasn´t been too bad. It makes me feel a little strange at times, but i think it´s ok (again, thanks kim for the probiotics!). Carlos just got home, and Chris is here using the internet, so maybe we´ll hang around a bit and talk. But after that i need to get to bed!!!!! Ok, well i love you all. Thanks for reading. I´ll try to be better about getting on here !
Patrick
The next day was filled with a lot of the usual orientation activities, like policies and procedures, and in the afternoon we had different interviews. The interviews were for our home-stay, language level, and a one-on-one with our project coordinators. I was pretty worried about the language test, but it went well, and was told by my interviewer that i had exceeded the minimum requirements for to be placed in site. I don´t know why she told me...maybe because she knew i was nervous, but it was really nice of her. So all i have to do is not become worse at Spanish in the next ten weeks to pass my spanish level test. I´m not too worried about that, because i´m already having thinking, and even dreaming a little, in Spanish. Anyways, that evening i went walking around and found a little place to have some beer with some other PC people. Others joined and made our party about 11 strong. We had to get back for dinner at 7, but after most people went to the little dance club at the center. I had a lot of fun that night. It started out with only a few people dancing, and a lot of Peruvians watcing...and even taking pictures ( i know because they tood one of me). Well i was just goofing around most of the time, but it seemed to work out great cause everyone was enjoying me being there. I was wearing my hiking boots, which i think REI should label as hiking/dance´n boots. My friend Chris and i were having a realyl great time and getting the other guys out on the floor with the other female volunteers.
The next morning came a little too soon, and much was said about mine and Chris´s dancing abilities. We packed up our stuff and headed out to the training center. It is a really beautiful home, in a well manicured compound. It was originally owned by some Italian business owner. We did more orientation activities, met with our language professors, and to my delight i found out Melissa (who i went to UP and Sain with) and my friend Chris are the only other people in our group. Chris and i usually are just making each other laugh, and Melissa is very sweet. After that our host families arrived. I believe there are 17 people in my town ( Yanacoto). I was greated by my oldest host-brother Juan Carlos, and my host-mother Lucia. Carlos is a prety tall guy, and luckily a very clear accent. He is always amped to talk with me and is really positive. My mama is a little bit harder to understand, but i´m getting better at understanding her. Most of the volunteers in my area and our families crammed into a little combi (bus) and drove to our town.
I am surrounded by other volunteers, and infact can watch many of the from the top of our roof is i choose to be creepy. My house is a lot nicer than i expected. I have my own room which is probably larger than any room i have ever had with a host family. It also so happes to be right next to a room which my family uses for an internet cafe. So for any of you with skype i could set up a time to use it if you would like. It is also kinda cool because my friends come over and i get to see them while they are here using the internet.
I began to unpack my stuff while Carlos and i talked. We had some great conversations about many different things. I learned that he has worked for several beer companies, and now is a part of a new (and hopefully upcoming) beer company named Franca. I walked around a little, and while doing so saw many other volunteers. I thought that they were playing soccer up on the cement court, but were actually playing Bingo. Apparently a Swiss woman donates various things to the comminty ever month and they have a Bingo game to win them. I walked back down to my house and chatted with my Carlos again. It was then time for dinner, which i ate with my host mother, and when they arrived, my host brother Raul and my father Agipito. By the way Carlos is 36 and Raul 32. I had a little bit of a sad moment when my host mother told my host father that i speak very little Spanish. I mean, i know i´m not a native speaker, but it´s not my fault i can´t understand her. But i thought it was funny. I sat up with my Carlos and Raul on the second floor balcony where i live. I started to watch some tv, but by 9 i was read for bed.
Morning came, and i had my first cold shower. Quite...invigorating to say in the least :) I had breakfast, and then was ready to head out for the center. The father of a volunteer that is my neighbor accompanied all of use to the center to help us know the stops. I seriously live within a block of 4 other volunteers, and only a few more blocks to many others. When we leave in the morning it pretty much looks like a Gringo exodus.
Wel the day was pretty boring to be honest. A lot of orientation activites, like a class on security. I am really happy with my Water and Sanitation team. Both co-volunteers and trainers are really cool. It also seems to be more laid back than the Health and Environmental teams have to be. I learned that there are only around 11 other water volunteers already working in Peru. Also, that we will most likely be working in only three different states (Departamentos): Lima, Ica, Piura. If i could choose now i would pick Piura, on the northern border. I have been told many times the north is the best, and my host brothers said they would pick the same.
I came home and walked around with a couple of volunteers. That night Chris came to use the internet and ended up hanign around with me and my host brothers. We listened to music and drank beer on the veranda for several hours. I tried to translate a lot of songs for my brothers. Chris went home around 9.30, but we kept talking until around 11.
Finally i am almost up to date!!! This morning i had another wonderful shower, ate breakfast, and met the with my traveling buddies outside my house. Carlos walked down the really steep road that we have to go down to get to the highway. You have to watch out for the Mototaxis that go flying by you all the time. They are basically a covered motorcycle with two back wheels. Just a side not, my family rents a room to a young mother who has two really young children: Josef, and Leslie. They are probably only 2 and 3 respectively. They are right next to me playing, and they are incredibly cute. They really like hanging out with me. Anyways, this morning started out with some actual Spanish classes!!! Yay. We mixed in with another small group and played a couple games. The first game was called Titanic. We all chose cards with various famous people on the opposite side, and then had to make an argument for why that perso should not be thrown out of the only remaining lifeboat that is already too full. Well by luck of the draw, i was Ronald McDonald...and you can pretty much deduece that i didn´t last long against the likes of Princess Diana, the Oprah, Shakira, and Daniel Craig. But it was fun. Next we went out into a little park and played dodge-ball. If you got hit you had to answer a question in Spanish. It was a lot of fun. We separated into our normal groups and continued with a normal Spanish class. Then we had lunch, and proceeded to have several hours of what i would say was very boring classes on how to better collect information when in our sites.
Many people have said that they want to start doing a lot of excersise activites after training each day. We went running today. Although i didn´t really want to mob out in a group of aroudn 13 people, so i ran by myself for some time, but met up with Melissa and Nate. We went through the streets and up a pretty steep hill. I hadn´t ran for quite some time, so it was good to get in almost an hour´s worth of excersise. Melissa and another volunteer are also going to lead Yoga classes (thanks Kim for telling my to bring a mat), and i think Nate is going to teach us som Brasilian Ju-Jitsu (?). We all made it back to our bus stop without any guidance, and then proceeded to hike up the massive hill. Tomorrow our professor Ivan, will be coming to our community for spanish class. This week we are having it in Melissa´s house. So i walked with her and Chris, and another volunteer named Steve, to her house. We stopped off to meet Chris´s family. He has several kids running through his house at all times. We were almost attacked by several dogs, but made it to Melissa´s. I got home, tired, and hungry, and ate a lot. This made my mother very happy. She made me a dish that is very similar to chile relleno. So i was really happy too. My host brother is showing me that he just put a Journey music video on his Facebook page. I´m eating meat once again, and so far it really hasn´t been too bad. It makes me feel a little strange at times, but i think it´s ok (again, thanks kim for the probiotics!). Carlos just got home, and Chris is here using the internet, so maybe we´ll hang around a bit and talk. But after that i need to get to bed!!!!! Ok, well i love you all. Thanks for reading. I´ll try to be better about getting on here !
Patrick
Leave'n Time
So i write you from Gate 28, while awaiting my flight to Miami...so that i can then fly to Peru. I'm with 57 other volunteers, to it was a bit of a cluster @!*& getting checked in and through security and whatnot. We left the hotel at 8am for our 1:15pm flight.
Yesterday i got up and visited some of the monuments along the mall. You know, all the basics: Washington, Lincoln, Vietnam, Korean, etc. We also checked out the Smithsonian, but only for a few minutes. We headed back pretty much in time to make it to our 1 o'clock registration. The rest of the day was pretty much orientation. It involved a lot of talking to group members about how we were feeling, what are certain policies and why, and info for tomorrow (which is now today). A strange thing is that a girl that i went to Spain with and graduated in my class from UP will also be going on this trip. Last night some of us walked around and had dinner, a few beers, but basically called it an early night due to our early departure from the hotel.
It was pouring this morning as we all scrambled to get the luggage under the busses that were taking us to the airport. Seeing that i am from the great (rainy) state of Oregon, i figured i could take the rain and help others...which i did, but cause me to be drenched for an hour. Speaking of Oregon, there are at least 4 volunteers from the state.
I've been going in and out of feeling good and scared/lonely. I know it seems like it would be hard to feel lonely when surrounded by 56 other people, but it just isnt the same as having your best friends around. But i am hopeful. Also, feel free to give me as much encouragement and support as you would like, for i am worried that ill be the roughly 10% of people that decide to go home before they get to their assignment. On top of that, i think a larger percentage...maybe 30% don't complete the 2 years for various reasons. I'm pretty worried about that.
I guess the plan for the weekend, once we arrive in Peru, is to go on a group retreat. I'm sure it will be more information and exercises similar to our staging, but hopefully it'll be fun. Then we meet our families on Sunday...i believe. Then i think we start our 10 weeks of training. I've heard that the Water and Sanitation crew is always a fun rowdy bunch (says one of the trainers), so im hoping it'll be fun. Ok, well that's all for today. Wish me luck.
Patrick
Departure and Arrival
So I am officially in Washington D.C. It has been a long day. It started out with waking up at 5:00 am, and then heading to PDX. Got through baggage and check in ok. Stood around with my mom, Kim, and her mother. Then as time past, we new we needed to get through security, so that Kim could catch her flight for Guatemala. It was hard saying good-bye to my mom, but i'm sure it won't be too long into the future when she and my dad come visit. But another hard time was soon to happen: saying good-bye (see-you-soon) to Kim. It is really hard to leave someone you care so much about, but i think that both of us are pursuing great things, and no matter what we want the best for each other and will try to keep in touch as much as possible and see each other whenever feasible. Either way she is one of the greatest parts of my life, and i am so thankful that she cares for me so.
The flight was nothing special. Watched some 30 Rock and an Eddie Murphy movie (which i dozed off to several times). I thought i had more time in Chicago between flights, but it turns out i only had around 30 minutes. So that was a brief stop in Chi-town. I talked with Kim briefly, and got on the plan. Luckily i had an empty seat next to me, so that was nice. I noticed a girl on the other side of the aisle from me that looked like she might be in Peace Corp (had a lot of travel/heavy clothes on that not many people wear in summer), but i didn't want to ask her if she was going to Peru with the PC.
Landed, talked with Kim right before she lifted off out of Dallas. Headed to the baggage claim, and met up with a guy named Greg (from Albany, NY, but has lived in San Diego the past few years). I noticed he had a PC sticker on his baggage. Then the girl that i thought might be going to Peru asked us if we were in the PC, and it turns out i was right. Her name is Alyse (probably not spelled right) and she is from Portland. We waited for the shuttle to the Holiday Inn, and when we got on we met Nate from the O.C. We all got to the hotel, and it turned out Gregg and I were roommates. We got some beers down in the bar, watched some tv, and then met two other guys that showed up. Mark is from Wyoming, and Todd is from Colorado. All three (Greg, Todd, Mark) are all involved with environmental programs. We had dinner in the bar, and now i'm back in the room. I think we are going to meet up with those guys in the morning to do some sight-seeing for a little bit before we have to check in at 1:00-3:00 pm.
I've been pretty freaked-out, sad, nervous, stressed, excited all day. I won't lie, this has been a really hard day emotionally, but i am pretty excited for what is ahead of me. No better way to see how it will be than to just go on and do it! Miss all of you (thanks Pete, Sam, Holly, tricia, Em, Martin, Andy, Heath, Alison, and Dani for for coming out to dinner with me last night).
Love you and miss you all,
Patrick
Bags are Packed
Alright, so this is hopefully the first of many entries that i will make on this blog. I am pretty much packed up, and getting ready to leave for Portland today. I fly out Wed. morning at 8:30 and will arrive that evening in Washington D.C. for my staging event. Basically it will be an orientation as well as a time to wrap up loose ends. Then i fly out on Friday around 1:15, stop off in Miami, and then i make the long part of my voyage to Lima, Peru.
I'm really nervous, and sad to say good-bye to all of those that i love so dearly. But i am also very excited. I promise to keep all of you in my heart and mind, as long as you do the same! Wish me luck, pray, cross you fingers, or anything you think works, cause i'll take it all.
Patrick
I'm really nervous, and sad to say good-bye to all of those that i love so dearly. But i am also very excited. I promise to keep all of you in my heart and mind, as long as you do the same! Wish me luck, pray, cross you fingers, or anything you think works, cause i'll take it all.
Patrick
