Well, I have a new home in a tiny rural town carved out of the side of a very dry mountain and a new family. We moved in with our families today after instructions from the PC staff. My family is made up of Walter (padre), Marta (madre), 4 children ages 2 to 12, grandmother (in her 70´s with multiple illnesses including dementia), a dog named Rambo and 3 ducks. They are incredibly warm and helpful. If I don´t learn Spanish here, I am hopeless. The youngest child, Jorge is a really independent 2 year old much like Alex at 2!
I have a great room at the end of a hallway. My room is big, airy with windows looking out at a small mountain. There´s a water delivery twice a week to a tank on the roof over the shower. I wish I could come home for 1 day and leave behind half my stuff. I have so much more than I need.
This family has had volunteers from 4 PC groups so they know how to help me settle in and will take me to the training center tomorrow until I find my way and can take the bus. Their house is at the top of a VERY steep hill so I´ll walk down to the bus in the morning and take a mototaxi uphill at the end of the day.
I´m writing this with the help of 4 year old Jennifer who can´t understand why Í don´t have the music and headphones on.
My house mother, Marta is in school 3 days a week to learn become a hairdresser. She ran a resturant but inflation drove her to close it. My housefather drives a cab in Lima long hours every day.
I have to say the PC staff here have been so helpful. They´ve really thought through how to get us started and provided a lot of support including instructions on how to take a bucket bath and how to tell people to get out of the way you have an urgent need to get to the bathroom. The bathroom talk is pretty funny as was a slide presentation by one of our two physicians on how to manage the inevitable. So far, so good.
Tomorrow we start formal language training which will include classes (yours truly will be in the most basic)lots of field trips, time in the markets, etc with the language staff. Walking to the internet cafe, I met a neighbor who is a nursing assistant in the local clinic. She´s going to talk to her boss about letting me observe a vaccine clinic in a couple of weeks. Yippee!
I´m tired but slept 9 hours last night. I am glad to get over the initial shyness about meeting my family. I feel quite comfortable with them. We´re organizing a yoga class at the training center for the end of the day. The diet of rice and potatoes in large quantities served together will be offset by the walk up the hill to my home.
Did I say I brought way too much stuff and am really glad to be here?
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2 comments:
So much fun to read your posts...and I'm writing while I can, because I think there will be a big dry spell coming up...while I move.
Ann and John and I scattered Cokey's ashes today; some in my yard, some in their yard, and lots down on the boulevard. It's a breezy, Indian summer day here and a perfect day to do a chore I've been putting off for a long time. We did it without tears...lots of fun memories of her life in Magnolia.
I had a total meltdown when I said goodbye to my long-time Cambodian gardener yesterday. He's helped in my the yard for 12 years and we are both very fond of one another. Oeuye had tears as well. Hopefully, he will be able to work for the new owner of the garden...he loves this yard as much as I do.
A bucket shower, eh? Little things like a long soak in the bathtub will mean so much when She-who-loves-a-bath returns to Lima or to the US.
I can feel your appreciation for this family growing by the minute. I'm glad you landed in a warm and loving spot. XXOO Susie
Hi Sarah. susan from sherman Middle school and Main Street yoga here....your tiny rural town has an internet cafe? the global community really is happening electronically. When my daughter, Leah, was in Montevideo it wasn't surprising, but somewhere in Peru looking at a small mountain?
Are the other 46 volunteers clustered in this same spot for now, just in different host families?
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