Learning day by day

I constantly feel like I'm learning something new here and a lot of what I learn is about my assumptions. When the outside water tap turned on yesterday, I hurried with my host mom to fill containers. Then I asked why we didn't fill 3 barrels at a time, if there was enough water to do so. And learned that yes there is but the family can't afford a 3rd barrel, she has wanted a small covered barrel in the kitchen for water for a long time. But money is scarce. And before you think I should go out and buy another barrel, I'm learning to be cautious about my relationship with people and money.

Today I stumbled through the process of going house to house with a health promoter learning how to ask questions. Often I asked a question and was met with a blank look only to have the health promoter ask the same question in the same words and be understood. Then I realized I needed paper clips and went to a tienda but didn't know what the damn things are called here. After a pantomime, a man in the tienda said, "Cliks, ella necesita cliks" and I have paper clips.

I'm getting started with projects here, including the house to house questions and work with another NGO on a garbage project. There is garbage everywhere without barrels, without systems of clean up. In the town is a dry river bed where people throw their trash. It all goes out to the ocean in the rainy season. And in the river bed are enormous pigs rooting and running with their baby pigs. I'll throw my shoulder to the wheel of this garbage and recycling project in a heartbeat.

And after a hot, hot day, a fine breeze of the ocean. My host brother who is a fisherman made me cerviche with something in it from a giant squid like creature that weighs about 70 kilograms and can pulverize your arm like a blender. That's as much as I understood but the cerviche was delicious.

Good grief, I have no clue what I'm doing, I just stumble day to day learning as fast as I can.

Cheers
Sarita