1st Day of Spring in Peru

Hola! It´s spring in Peru and the sun has been out for 2 days in a row without the nasty fog that holds dust in the air.

Here´s a day in the life of this volunteer. I´m up early, learning how to meditate with pigeons walking on my roof and the chorus of dogs in the neighborhood. Then a quick COLD shower, breakfast of bread with some kind of boiled condensed milk made into a sweet butter and tea. Then I say goodbye to my family and meet two other volunteers to complete an assignment on learning about my community. While I was waiting, one of the community dogs peed on my foot. Marking territory. We started at the tienda next to my house at my host mom´s suggestion. I walked in and asked if he had a map of Yanacoto without any preliminary greetings, bad form in a Latino community. He was helpful and warmed up to give us a lot of information. I´m going back tomorrow to apologize for my blunt American ways.

Then on to find the family that runs the community PA system that starts giving announcements at 630 AM. What a great garden they have. I got a tour and lesson in the plant names here as well as an invitation to visit on Sunday. I had remembered my saludos!

Then 4 hours class in Spanish at a fast clip. After 2 weeks, I actually understand what my teacher says almost all the time. Lunch was a dense paste of split peas with rice and a scrambled egg followed by a coke and chocolate marshmello cookie. I´m improving my eating habits quickly!

Then a group discussion about what we learned in the morning followed by an hour tutorial. The other volunteers were out partying last night and a little ragged in class today. Grandma went to be early even though I would have liked to join them but now am over my cold and cellulitis!

Then home by combi, uphill by mototaxi with conversation along the way. I asked my host mom if I could go to the internet before dinner so thus the post. We´re hoping to watch the presidential debate tomorrow if it happens. My host dad caught me up on the US news after watching CNN in Lima today. He drives a cab often 15 hours a day and is home early tonight. Now dinner, a mountain of homework and to bed with ear plugs to block out the Holy Ghost chorus of dogs that sings in the night.

Did I mention that I´m glad to be here??? And that at this point I´d rather have a dog pee on my shoe than listen to the grim news in the US every day?