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