Hotel Hangover

I had a nice run of work-related travel, which was definitely more like vacation, starting with Quechua training, then a trip to Lima, and finally a nice stay on the beach to cap it all off. After three weeks of hot showers, sunshine, and speaking English, heading back to site was like jumping into a cold lake- I was totally dreading the return to Quechua, mud, rain, bucket baths, and isolation. And the first days back were tough, especially going home to find all my belongings, including my pillows, covered in mold. But just like jumping into that lake, after the initial shock you realize the water isn't so bad after all. It's nice to be back in my own bed, even if it does smell like flea spray. And as slow as life in the campo can feel, it is never boring. There is no shortage of random craziness to keep life interesting. Like Monday, when the adobe wall of our house fell on my sister. She's OK- just a sprained foot and a broken backpack- but a bed-ridden 3-year-old is actually more irritating than one who can follow you around. I try to be patient with her endless stream of wailing demands, though, since I feel a bit responsible for her injury. After all, I was closest to her when the wall collapsed, and I might have been able to grab her if my self-preservation instinct hadn't kicked in before my maternal one. I was already half-way across the patio before I thought to try to save her. Oops. So much for playing the hero.

At Lake Llanganuco, in Ancash, with Tyler and Shannon

Trying to get started with some real work has also provided plenty of opportunity for me to reflect on how absurd my life is these days, although I am making some progress. I have agreed with the new school director (the third one in three months) to work with the Environmental Ed. teacher, and reluctantly agreed to work with the English teacher as well. I was going to start the very next day, but the teacher didn't show up. I played volleyball and football with all the other teachers instead, in the middle of the school day, while the kids were supposed to be "working independently" (which is as ineffective in Peru as in any other country). But it was fun, and I definitely earned my place on the football team. Volleyball is pending. I need to work on a more consistent serve.

A trip to the municipality to talk to the mayor was also more exciting than expected- not only did Erica and I get a lot of good information, which almost never happens, but we also got surprised by a radio show host who wanted to interview us about the Peace Corps. The mayor didn't ever show up, but it was still an above-average day for being productive. So things are looking pretty good in Tzactza right now, and with a little help from my friend Hershey's (thanks dbrad) I am recovering well from my hotel hangover.

Getting ready for a cold jump into Lake Llanganuco, an Ancash PCV tradition

A taste of normality

The other day I went to the US for coffee. Then I walked back out onto the street into Peru again. This magical space warp is commonly known as Starbucks. And I actually went more than once. More like three times in three days during a shocking dip into urban life last week. I made my first trip back to Lima after three months in the mountains, and although I absolutely love the easy-going Andean lifestyle, Lima was a refreshing return to "normal" life.

In the short but busy trip, I started each morning with a grande coffee from Starbucks, which feels exactly like a US Starbucks except that the menu is in Spanish. Then I was off to the Peace Corps office for a 9 to 5 day of meetings. I am working with the Women in Development / Gender and Development (WID/GAD) committee, which is a 5 member team in charge of developing gender-related training programs and resources for Peace Corps staff and volunteers. It is a relatively new committee, and we spent almost two full days working on mission statements and developing a set of objectives to direct future WID/GAD activities in Peru. It was a lot of nitty-gritty work, and by the end of the three days, I was tired, a bit frantic, and totally strung out on coffee. In other words, the most normal I have felt in months. I also got to meet a bunch of new volunteers, eat good food, and get updated on all the Peru gossip. All in all, a very successful first business trip.

Now I am back in Huaraz, but things haven't slowed down much. I catch another night bus tomorrow to go to reconnect in Pacasmayo, where all the Peru 12ers will be together for the first time since November. It's going to be a crazy time on the coast, mixed with official business of course. Sorry to all of you who are still battling the last days of winter, but I'm off to the beach!

A few life observations:

1. I don't understand Carnaval. It is a seemingly endless celebration that starts in January and lasts through the beginning of March, and for the entire stretch you have to watch out for kids with squirt guns, water balloons, and buckets. I've tried several techniques including intimidation (yelling and running directly at the offenders), the classic Peruvian finger shake that means 'no way,' and even pleading (por favor, soy una pobre gringa), all with very little success. And whatever you do, DON'T sit by an open window in a car or bus, because you will get drenched. And then sometimes the woman next to you will decide to change her entire outfit right there in the back seat of the car where you are squeezed in with 5 other people.

Carnaval is also a festival that involves lots of drunk men trying to raise a full tree in the plaza using ropes and ladders. Then more drunk men with axes cut it down. Highly entertaining, but watch from a safe distance.

2. Crayons are God's gift to teachers everywhere. I made it through 6 weeks of English classes which included students aged 5 through 15, a smattering of baby brothers and sisters, several regular dogs, and even a chicken on one occasion. And who would have guessed it, but the 15-year-old boys love coloring just as much as the 3-year-old.


3. I am currently living every 7-year-old child's dream: I get to eat french fries for dinner all the time!! Just french fries, sometimes with white rice. Whenever I am wishing I could have just a little something green on my plate, I remind myself that as a kid I would have been in heaven.

4. I always planned to spend my golden birthday somewhere really cool. As a first-grader, I was thinking something more like Hawaii, but if you had told me that my 23rd birthday would involve an adobe hut and a pot of chocolate pudding, I think I would have liked that.