The Final Countdown

Birthday countdown: 3 days!

Plans: going to Teigan’s site in La Venta where we’re to bike around with Kate (the Three Muskateers reunite!), frolic in asparagus fields, climb mounds of dirt, make oatmeal pancakes, eat watermelon, drink wine, listen to music blasting from Teigan’s phone (soooo ghetto), and laugh lots!

Today: I found a pool in Palpa. Yep. A legit pool, quite green since they don’t chlorinate nor treat their water, but none-the-less, it’s a friggin’ pool in a posh lookin’ hotel! Gunna check out my 5th water system since being here in Palpa in the caserio (village) of San Ignacio. Quite excited about this because it’s a sweet looking little place and has a pretty view of the mountains.

This past week: Rollercoaster. It started out so down in the dumps. I was sad about missing my family and friends, that I’m going to miss Jen’s graduation, our birthday (this will be my first time celebrating it alone!!!), Christmas, New Years, Secret Santa’s with the family, sledding, hot cocoa (I did buy some, but it’s not the same to drink it in the desert), stockings, Christmas breakfast…along with that, I was just not feeling at home here and couldn’t figure out why I was feeling so down about it. So, after fishing into the depths of myself and shedding many tears I realized that I need to change my host family. It’s just not working out with me... Rather than feeling like I have to put up with it, I am going to change, so I am currently in the real-estate market.  I have several prospective families I am going to talk with and quite excited for the change. After figuring all that out, it’s been so so so great! I been making headway with the people here. Instead of feeling like I have no idea what I’m doing here in Palpa and talking with anyone to try and figure out to get people to do what I want, I am now more demanding. It’s the difference between tip-toeing around the community trying to be polite because I am not sure what the custom is here, and walking boldly knowing what I want, who I need to talk to and what I’m doing. It feels good.

DNT: Beto and I are starting Do Nothing Tuesdays which happened accidently. Last Tuesday happened to be a Saint’s day so work was canceled for everyone. Instead it was a big day for the First Communion and we ended up celebrating with some friends here. After the communion in the morning we drank beers, rode horses, and went swimming in the Rio Grande River. Yea, it was totally paradise -mountains in the background, fields of beans, animals, good company. Then, this past week we ended up skippin’ town and checkin’ out Nasca which apparently is just another tourist town. It’s good for Christmas shopping, seeing the Nasca Lines and drinking Sherly Temples in tourist bars, but otherwise it’s just another town.

Things I need to do: wash my clothes (hm….it’s been 3 weeks and I just haven’t had 4 hours of time to wash them at Beto’s yet), make peanut-butter, finish my Christmas presents to mail home.

Christmas countdown: 8 days!

Exciting things coming up: Christmas! Not sure how I’m going to spend it yet. I think I am going to celebrate with some people in my community. But, not my current family because my grandmother is going to Tibillo and my grandfather doesn’t enjoy celebrating it. So, several other families have invited me over which I am excited about. Then, New Years and I’m also not sure how I’m going to celebrate that.

Birthday gifts for myself: a fan, a guitar, and a bike.