so, i am 3 days away from leaving my site. FREEAKING OUT! in a ´i have to give a speach in front of the class´ kinda freak out. and not the ´schools out for the summer in one minute´ freak out. so, it´s gunna be a litttttle rough for me. guess i´ve grown to really like this place. even on those hot-ass days with ass sweat going through the pants (which is currently happening).
well, a great, funny series of events happened this past weekend at the regional meeting. (which occurs once a month. time to learning how to make projects better, talk about what´s coming up, and restabilize your sanity by being around other volunteers.) so, at this regional meeting we had some quality chicharrones (cooked pig) especially from 2 hours away in changuillo because that´s where you´ll find it the best. i proceeded to put som aji on my cancha (cooked corn bits). however, the aji was in a little bag, so i first bit the corner to make a little hole. it was coming out all smoothly and such, and then a little bit of onion got stuck in the hole and clogged it. so, i did what anyone would do (right?) and squeezed harder. to try and force the little bugger out. instead of breaking free and getting it going again, the bag exploded! jaj! and nothing like an explosion all over my hand. no, instead, my hands were perfectly clean and instead, it projectile launched across the table and landed allll over the WHITE outfit of this lady i had met 10 minutes earlier (and the only lady there who wasn´t a volunteer). omg. hoooorrified. not only did it land all over her outfit, it landed in her EYE! that is hoooot stuff that aji. so, now i ruined her outfit and she can´t see and her eye is like on fire. shit! what do i do? well, i stand in disbelief as i listen to matt and franny say ´omg, only jess could do that´. then, i lead her to the bathroom and help try to dab the red stains off her outfit as she washes out her eye. in general i´d say my spanish is quite good now, but at times like that nothing comes out right - spanish or english - and i just sound retarded as i try to give out appologies. the lady was a great sport tho and told me about a story when she accidently flung a chunck of meat on a women across the table from her and didn´t know what to do. she ended up just say, ´ooops, sorry´ and picked it off her chest with the fork! jaj! we laughed, i guess made ammends, and proceeded the rest of the event. i continued with crazy little accidents - like walking into the trashbag and dragging it with my sandle (aaaaccidently), breaking some cups and bowls, broosing my toe on a table, and etc. it was quite a night of jess highlights!
well, appart from those classy moments, life on the work end of things is quite good. my cocinas mejoradas project is done, paperwork is all done apart from one thing, my sitemate Beto has returned with visit which is aaaawesome (he left in september for his mothers surgery and his kneed surgery and didn´t get to finish up). the volunteer who has come to live in palpa and continue my work is awesome - Raquel. i am soooo excited for her adventures to begin here, and excited to see how palpa will change during her time here. sigh....that´s all for now!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Another Day
Went on my run today and found that the loop I normally do has gotten easier. The loop consists of running on the PanAm until getting to a village called Sacramento. From there, I go inland through the fields for about twenty minutes. I normally pass people who are working in the fields planting and spraying pesticides, and I try to sneak past them so they don´t whistle at me, which they used to do all the time. It´s quite, quite degrading I find. But, many people have stopped whistling at me and simply yell my name, which is way better. Today was a lucky day and people just yelled my name and their attempt at ´good morning!´ Then, I ran through the practically dried up river, through more fields and little villages (amongst them was one I am doing the cocinas mejoradas project in) and out onto the PanAm. Total time: 35 minutes.
Then, off to the radio station to talk about jobs for kids finishing secondary school. Unfortunately they were busy. I think we might look for another radio station that can serve as a ´back up´ station for when Radio Hispana is too busy during the week to give us time.
Then, as I was walking through the streets of Palpa I saw a woman holding a land line phone in her hand, with the ear piece up to her head and she was talking! Hah! Not sure WHO she was talking to…or how, since she had the plugin in her hand. But, there she was. She looked quite campo, which means I don´t doubt that she really didn’t understand how a phone works. It made me laugh and was quite accurate to a Peruvian comedy I had seen on television the day before. It had a campesino woman being taught how to use a cell phone and she would go off on her own with the new phone and mess up every part of how to use it – first trying to recharge it (by paying a man to run around with it strapped to his push dolley), then trying to get a battery (a car battery), then trying to turn it on by pushing the green button (buttons on her shirt), etc. So funny! And I just had to laugh. Here I am in Palpa, Peru with people who walk around trying to use landlines like cell phones. I don´t know WHAT kind of work I should be doing, and for WHOM?!
p.s. the I got about 300 pieces of rebar cut today - yay! poco-a-poco gunna get this cocinas thing done!
Then, off to the radio station to talk about jobs for kids finishing secondary school. Unfortunately they were busy. I think we might look for another radio station that can serve as a ´back up´ station for when Radio Hispana is too busy during the week to give us time.
Then, as I was walking through the streets of Palpa I saw a woman holding a land line phone in her hand, with the ear piece up to her head and she was talking! Hah! Not sure WHO she was talking to…or how, since she had the plugin in her hand. But, there she was. She looked quite campo, which means I don´t doubt that she really didn’t understand how a phone works. It made me laugh and was quite accurate to a Peruvian comedy I had seen on television the day before. It had a campesino woman being taught how to use a cell phone and she would go off on her own with the new phone and mess up every part of how to use it – first trying to recharge it (by paying a man to run around with it strapped to his push dolley), then trying to get a battery (a car battery), then trying to turn it on by pushing the green button (buttons on her shirt), etc. So funny! And I just had to laugh. Here I am in Palpa, Peru with people who walk around trying to use landlines like cell phones. I don´t know WHAT kind of work I should be doing, and for WHOM?!
p.s. the I got about 300 pieces of rebar cut today - yay! poco-a-poco gunna get this cocinas thing done!
Monday, September 12, 2011
when the clock is ticking and the agenda is empty
Happy two years in Peru as of September 11th. Two years later, and I didn´t think I´d be able to say this, but I AM BORED! Even after two years of perfecting how NOT to be bored (and I have come to totally enjoy and look forward to my Person Fun Time), here I am, today, totally, incredibly, miserably bored. This is due to the fact that my Municipality is totally failing me on their end of the project bargon and they haven´t gotten any of the materials we need to build the kitchens. I would liiiike to start building, because we have two done, and seventy-three more to go. I have....about ten weeks left. Jeez. Thats all I have to say.
So, I am just waaaaiting for the Municipality to buy there materials. But, while I am waiting, I´d rather not be bored. But, I feel I have exhausted all my free-time fun stuff and need something new. What I´d LIKE to do is jump into some group sporting event (Frisbee!) or something, where it´s not weird that I´m playing, and I don´t feel like all eyes are on me. To participate in a group event thing here, I feel I always have to be the one organizing it! Sigh. Hm...so, my plan to counter boredom for the rest of the day is the following: yoga for the next hour (since I´m too jazzed up for a nap), paint a plate for this dude in site, write my Kids to Kids Follow Up Grant thing, read in the plaza with my grandmother friend lady who knits, cook dinner, and watch a movie. Great plans, huh?!
How I fill my Personal Fun Time (today, what I would call incredible boredom, and not many of these things currently sound fun to me…I´m ready for a new activity):
1. Read a book – I still have 9 I want to read before leaving
2. Study Healing Touch
3. Meditate
4. Paint plates or watercolors
5. Make wallets
6. Run/walk/yoga
7. Cook
8. Hang out in the Plaza
9. Use the Internet
10. Write notes
11. Journal
12. Clean my room
13. Do my laundry
14. Hang out with the host family
15. Hang out with the ´hole in the wall´ ladies
16. Hang out with the juice stand ladies
17. Hang out with the mailbox lady
18. Do paperwork
19. Go to the Municipality to talk with someone and end up waiting/reading/twiddling my thumbs for hours.
20. Think
21. Notice how hot it is
22. Swim in the natural swimming hole
23. Hang out with the people in the Potable Water Office
24. Call other Volunteers and talk…for hours…
25. Sleep/nap
26. Walk around my town
27. Go visit other Volunteer´s sites
*****several hours later, at the end of the day..... I finished my day with painting a plate, taking a 1.5 hour nap, eating dinner with my site-mate Beto, and talking with my family on Skype. Awesome day, and totally fun. :)
So, I am just waaaaiting for the Municipality to buy there materials. But, while I am waiting, I´d rather not be bored. But, I feel I have exhausted all my free-time fun stuff and need something new. What I´d LIKE to do is jump into some group sporting event (Frisbee!) or something, where it´s not weird that I´m playing, and I don´t feel like all eyes are on me. To participate in a group event thing here, I feel I always have to be the one organizing it! Sigh. Hm...so, my plan to counter boredom for the rest of the day is the following: yoga for the next hour (since I´m too jazzed up for a nap), paint a plate for this dude in site, write my Kids to Kids Follow Up Grant thing, read in the plaza with my grandmother friend lady who knits, cook dinner, and watch a movie. Great plans, huh?!
How I fill my Personal Fun Time (today, what I would call incredible boredom, and not many of these things currently sound fun to me…I´m ready for a new activity):
1. Read a book – I still have 9 I want to read before leaving
2. Study Healing Touch
3. Meditate
4. Paint plates or watercolors
5. Make wallets
6. Run/walk/yoga
7. Cook
8. Hang out in the Plaza
9. Use the Internet
10. Write notes
11. Journal
12. Clean my room
13. Do my laundry
14. Hang out with the host family
15. Hang out with the ´hole in the wall´ ladies
16. Hang out with the juice stand ladies
17. Hang out with the mailbox lady
18. Do paperwork
19. Go to the Municipality to talk with someone and end up waiting/reading/twiddling my thumbs for hours.
20. Think
21. Notice how hot it is
22. Swim in the natural swimming hole
23. Hang out with the people in the Potable Water Office
24. Call other Volunteers and talk…for hours…
25. Sleep/nap
26. Walk around my town
27. Go visit other Volunteer´s sites
*****several hours later, at the end of the day..... I finished my day with painting a plate, taking a 1.5 hour nap, eating dinner with my site-mate Beto, and talking with my family on Skype. Awesome day, and totally fun. :)
Friday, June 3, 2011
orange trees
I’ve got this tree in my house. Well, it’s in the courtyard area of my house, but the entire house is a courtyard apart from my room. My room links directly to the outside courtyard that is the central area between my family’s house and my house. So, this tree. It’s a beautiful orange tree with the bottom half of the trunk painted blue and the top white to match the color of paint used on the house. I have always loved this tree because I am a tree person (yes, tree hugger) and it’s huge, so it brings a lot of green into my life. I also have always thought it was pretty cool to have an orange tree because one, it’s the fruit of Palpa (duuuulce narangas!) and two, because it seemed like such a novelty to wake up, pick some oranges, and make fresh squeezed orange juice. Currently, we are in the season of oranges, and this tree has finally produced fruit. (My family here was surprised because apparently this is the first time – awesome!). Well, I was pretty excited too, because I could finally make my fresh squeezed orange juice. So, I start picking down the oranges with my little host brother two nights ago. He’s got a broom, trying to shake the tree and nothing falls. I have my blue teacher-like scissors and my gray cardboard padded chair. He starts shaking the tree and all this white and gray stuff starts falling on me, which I guess is the junk from the tree and the birds that live in it. Not a single orange falls. I climb up on my chair and proceed to reach for an orange. I can hardly reach them and get stabbed by the zillion little prickles on the branches. I get one down. I get two down. I get three down, and by now I have tons of pricks on my arms and more on fingers. Done. No more orange searching for that day. That night ended with my little brother building a little wall around all my plants in the garden so when they get watered the water will stay concentrated under the plant – intelligent.
A few days later (today). I am still determined to get down some oranges. There are about thirty still up there, and if you don’t cut them down before they fall on their own the impact breaks them open and normally bugs get to them first. So, I am back with my chair and scissors. I got down a whole EIGHT this morning! Whoooopy! However, about three weeks ago I started the Natalie Rose Detox (which I am loving, btw) and it says that you can’t eat fruit (eliminating all sugars). So, guess there won’t be too much orange juice made today (but a little can’t hurt!), and they will be regalar-ed, or gifted off to other people. That’s always a nice gift I think, except that everyone here has a field and is growing oranges, and trying to gift them off to you. Who can gift them first is the challenge! And now I’m in the race.
A few days later (today). I am still determined to get down some oranges. There are about thirty still up there, and if you don’t cut them down before they fall on their own the impact breaks them open and normally bugs get to them first. So, I am back with my chair and scissors. I got down a whole EIGHT this morning! Whoooopy! However, about three weeks ago I started the Natalie Rose Detox (which I am loving, btw) and it says that you can’t eat fruit (eliminating all sugars). So, guess there won’t be too much orange juice made today (but a little can’t hurt!), and they will be regalar-ed, or gifted off to other people. That’s always a nice gift I think, except that everyone here has a field and is growing oranges, and trying to gift them off to you. Who can gift them first is the challenge! And now I’m in the race.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
may 11, 2011 (OMG!)
today is day three of my detox. eating veggies, drinking water, getting the occasional banana and oats when i feel it's too much. but, overall, it's going much better than the first round of detox last year. that was a crazy one though! maple syrup, pepper, lime and tea. yea, i lasted one day for that one.
yesterday i recieved some GREAT news! i got FUNDING for my cocinas mejoradas project! yay! awesome! so, now i don't only have a list of families to participate and giving the preliminary presentations, but i can actually buy materials and go through with the project. it's now time to make sure the municipality will help with their part, and the hospital. cross your fingers!
also! the primary schools have SUCCESSFULLY had contact between the lady picking up recycling and what they have saved. AMAZING! i tried 3 times last year and it never worked, so this year i got another woman and its' going great. they schools raised about S/.45 each (mas o menos $15). we're going to keep it up this entire year, and the plan is that at the end they are going ot have a celebration with the money that is raised, or buy some balls for sports.
what else...well, last week i was running and tripped and scratched up my leg. i felt like a 10 year old, but i guess that still happens. my legs are getting better and my hands, but they were really banged up. i had to use two huge bandaids to cove up one, and another big one for the other. for my hands, i had to cover tehm up and not to laundry for a week or they would get irriated. now i have looots of laundry backed up...i should look into paying someone to wash for me.
oh, and it's getting chilly here in palpa. winter time has come. (YES!) so, it gets to profound lows in temperatures, and at times you can actually see your breat! omg! hah. yesterday there was a rainbow in palpa because it rained - both things that hardly ever happen. and the rainbow part has never ever happened...the entire town was talking about it and what it means.
today i'm off to plan out some recycling project for the secondary schools and working out details for teh cocinas project. tonight i have to give a presentation to one of the 4 villages participating.
cheeeeerio!
yesterday i recieved some GREAT news! i got FUNDING for my cocinas mejoradas project! yay! awesome! so, now i don't only have a list of families to participate and giving the preliminary presentations, but i can actually buy materials and go through with the project. it's now time to make sure the municipality will help with their part, and the hospital. cross your fingers!
also! the primary schools have SUCCESSFULLY had contact between the lady picking up recycling and what they have saved. AMAZING! i tried 3 times last year and it never worked, so this year i got another woman and its' going great. they schools raised about S/.45 each (mas o menos $15). we're going to keep it up this entire year, and the plan is that at the end they are going ot have a celebration with the money that is raised, or buy some balls for sports.
what else...well, last week i was running and tripped and scratched up my leg. i felt like a 10 year old, but i guess that still happens. my legs are getting better and my hands, but they were really banged up. i had to use two huge bandaids to cove up one, and another big one for the other. for my hands, i had to cover tehm up and not to laundry for a week or they would get irriated. now i have looots of laundry backed up...i should look into paying someone to wash for me.
oh, and it's getting chilly here in palpa. winter time has come. (YES!) so, it gets to profound lows in temperatures, and at times you can actually see your breat! omg! hah. yesterday there was a rainbow in palpa because it rained - both things that hardly ever happen. and the rainbow part has never ever happened...the entire town was talking about it and what it means.
today i'm off to plan out some recycling project for the secondary schools and working out details for teh cocinas project. tonight i have to give a presentation to one of the 4 villages participating.
cheeeeerio!
Monday, March 28, 2011
to chelsea
i am impressed, it{s still march and i have a second blog post. incredible! i think the last time i was updating at such fequency were the first few months in site.
okay, current events -
yesterday was a PLAYASO. playaso = chillin down by the rio grande + the rest of the town + beer + music from teh band. amazing. super fun. i could only be there for a bit, but it was great! was sittin in the river drinkin some chelas and trying to keep beto{s host brother{s dog off of me by splashing water at his face. he{s a laberador and obsessed with water. i just realized how dumb those dogs are! haha, but cute.
then, we grabbed a pollo a la brasa and ended the night with beto yelling from his paradero, peruvian style, to get other people to get in the car. [sube, sube, rio, rio, rio, suuuube!] in the deep, mechancical sounding tone. very peruvian. then, pat joined in trying to get people to get in the car so they could go. it realy ended up with loads of laughter from me and the confused peruvians walking by who never expected to see gringos yelling as peruvians! proved to work because it only took a few minutes for them to fill the car and get going.
aside from the festivities, i have started teaching english in the schools and, surprisingly, love it! teaching to the kids is suuuch a reward! when i got to site 1.5 years ago and went to the schools i was totally turned off by the idea of teachign english because i felt overwhelmed with kids and how much they wanted to talk with me, play games with me, and stare at me. i wasn{t ready to be the center of attention. but now, wow! they are a captive audiance that will listen to you (for the most part) and you can do little projects almost immediately! animating kids is also a great way to ensure your name has a good reputation around town which then makes the parents (some who work in the hospital or health posts or other institutions) want to work with you...great for projects! it{s quite interesting to observe how my perspective has changed.
currently my stomache is grumbling, so i think it{s time to head home and eat whatever my host dad has cooked up!
okay, current events -
yesterday was a PLAYASO. playaso = chillin down by the rio grande + the rest of the town + beer + music from teh band. amazing. super fun. i could only be there for a bit, but it was great! was sittin in the river drinkin some chelas and trying to keep beto{s host brother{s dog off of me by splashing water at his face. he{s a laberador and obsessed with water. i just realized how dumb those dogs are! haha, but cute.
then, we grabbed a pollo a la brasa and ended the night with beto yelling from his paradero, peruvian style, to get other people to get in the car. [sube, sube, rio, rio, rio, suuuube!] in the deep, mechancical sounding tone. very peruvian. then, pat joined in trying to get people to get in the car so they could go. it realy ended up with loads of laughter from me and the confused peruvians walking by who never expected to see gringos yelling as peruvians! proved to work because it only took a few minutes for them to fill the car and get going.
aside from the festivities, i have started teaching english in the schools and, surprisingly, love it! teaching to the kids is suuuch a reward! when i got to site 1.5 years ago and went to the schools i was totally turned off by the idea of teachign english because i felt overwhelmed with kids and how much they wanted to talk with me, play games with me, and stare at me. i wasn{t ready to be the center of attention. but now, wow! they are a captive audiance that will listen to you (for the most part) and you can do little projects almost immediately! animating kids is also a great way to ensure your name has a good reputation around town which then makes the parents (some who work in the hospital or health posts or other institutions) want to work with you...great for projects! it{s quite interesting to observe how my perspective has changed.
currently my stomache is grumbling, so i think it{s time to head home and eat whatever my host dad has cooked up!
Friday, March 11, 2011
the hot hot sun
it´s hot. i am reminded of this when i turn off the fan in my room. when i feel the sweat drenching my shirt. when i stand up from sitting down and my pants are stuck to my legs/butt. when my water bottle just so happens to be empty because i just finished drinking it all. when i am too hot to eat, which would make my temperature go up ever so slightly that i feel on fire. when i stand in the shade and still feel hot.
but, what´s new!
there is still some water in the rivier - awesome! nikki (my santa cruz site mate) and i went in the river last week and played carnevales against eachother. we had a mud bath and did mud faces and mud legs. i think that is when one of the funniest things happened to me. i turned around and a lady who had been washing her clothes was standing up and just blatently looking at us! haha! i hadn´t ever seen her before, so i think she was new. and we probably looked like the oooooddest thing to her. two white girls, playing in the stream and putting mud on themselves. i would be staring too! hah! so funny.
school is starting up next week, which means the house will be empty most of the day. i will start help with teaching english, and continue the tooth brushing/hand washing/recycling charlas that i was doing last year. only this year i am going to team up with the health posts.
sigh. life is going well. i can´t believe hoooow quickly the past few months have flown by. i feel like i am hardly in my site, and when i am here i also feel there is hardly enough time to do all i want to. such is it.
excited for my parents to come visit!
but, what´s new!
there is still some water in the rivier - awesome! nikki (my santa cruz site mate) and i went in the river last week and played carnevales against eachother. we had a mud bath and did mud faces and mud legs. i think that is when one of the funniest things happened to me. i turned around and a lady who had been washing her clothes was standing up and just blatently looking at us! haha! i hadn´t ever seen her before, so i think she was new. and we probably looked like the oooooddest thing to her. two white girls, playing in the stream and putting mud on themselves. i would be staring too! hah! so funny.
school is starting up next week, which means the house will be empty most of the day. i will start help with teaching english, and continue the tooth brushing/hand washing/recycling charlas that i was doing last year. only this year i am going to team up with the health posts.
sigh. life is going well. i can´t believe hoooow quickly the past few months have flown by. i feel like i am hardly in my site, and when i am here i also feel there is hardly enough time to do all i want to. such is it.
excited for my parents to come visit!
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