Our three month anniversary in-country just passed so I thought it was time for some reflection. This will be our third week in site and curiously it feels like we have been here for a lot longer. Maybe that is because Paul and I have been ill or maybe it is because life with limited access to internet and television seems to pass a lot slower. I would like to think it´s because the people here are already treating us like part of the community. It is a wonderful feeling to hear your name called out to you while walking down the street and to recognize a smiling face in the crowd.
It is also nice to hear that you are missed and worried about when you have to miss activities because of illness. That happened to me this past week when I was too sick to get out of bed and I could barely hold down food. Our host family was kind enough to bring food to our apartment and when I finally returned to their dinner table the other night my 11-year-old host sister ran up to me and gave me a huge hug and told me how much she had missed me.
Despite the minor set-back of being under the weather for a few days, we have actually been quite active already. We are told during Peace Corps Training to do a lot of listening and researching before we even think about starting any projects. Even the TEFL volunteers are supposed to be observing classes for a while before they jump in and co-teach. I imagine that like me and Paul, many newly minted volunteers are already doing their fare share of work. I have been teaching swimming classes, attending meetings of the women’s group Mujeres Cambia, gathering up business planning resources, cleaning oysters in the open sea, participating in a minga to clean up the beach, teaching origami, attending community bank meetings, and playing a lot of card games with our host family.
A few of the things I’m looking forward to doing soon are: teaching a youth leadership day, creating a brochure for Mujeres Cambia, designing a poster to commemorate the 9th anniversary of Neo Juventud, learning the names of the majority of students, and participating in the kite-making contest this weekend.
Our apartment is starting to feel like home. Paul and I haven’t had a permanent home in a while now so it has been nice to finally have a chance to nest. We have been painting the walls blue, green, and yellow in addition to adding some painted details like waves, grass, and this painted clock. I have finished the curtains for the guest room and I am almost done with the curtains in our bedroom. Paul has diligently done all of the electrical work at our place including making his own extension cords. I am truly impressed! I will post a video tour of a place soon so stay tuned.
Otherwise, life is good. We watch the sun go down over the horizon out of our bedroom picture window and we fall asleep to the sounds of the waves hitting the beach each night. What could be better?