I'm sitting here in our Peace Corps office in Luya. I haven't been able to get to internet in a few weeks, so sorry about the lack of posts! I'll let you all know that I'm doing great and poco a poco (bit by bit) I've been adjusting to life in Chocta.
My first weeks have been a lot of meeting people, hanging out with my family, spending time in schools and the health post. I sat in on a music class and sang with the 5 year olds. I helped my host cousin plow her field across the street from my house. I shadowed our obstetriz as he assessed a 17 months along pregnant woman. Yesterday a baby was born (they took the mom to Luya to give birth). They call giving birth "dar la luz" which translates to "giving the light." Very poetic! I've learned how to chop up lettuce without a chopping board, peel potatoes with a knife, and cook over a fire like a pro! We actually just got a new cookstove that we'll be able to start using in a few days. It's still with firewood but traps the smoke through a chimney so it doesn't fill the room. There have of course been ups and downs, but overall, I've adjusted very well so far and have been kept very busy!
Two Saturdays ago I went to Karajia, a tourist attraction very close to my house. I went with my host mom and brother, a few primas, and some random kids. We walked up to the next town, Cruzpata, where the entrance to the hike was. After walking down a fairly steep path, we come across an opening to an incredible beautiful canyon where the path continues off the side of the mountain. As we walked, we looked up the side of the mountain to see the famous sculptures. I fount the hike to be more interesting than the actual sculptures. As we finished the walk and started to head back, it began to rain pretty hard! We scurried up the path, passing tourists (from Spain we guessed) on foot and a few on horseback. By the time we were back in Chocta, the sun had come out again and we basically dried. I really liked the hike, and recommend it to whoever's planning on visiting!
Turns out my family is very Catholic. Which is great! Being involved in the church is a great way for me to be seen in the community and meet people. My host dad is the pastor who holds mass on Sundays. The priest only comes up to Chocta once in a while. The first Sunday I was there, he asked me to read one of the readings. I didn't want to say no, so I agreed. It was pretty rocky trying to read Spanish bible verses in front of a a room full of Peruvians. But I got through it. Who knows if anyone could actually understand any word I said. When I told my host mom I am baptized and confirmed Catholic, she was so excited! We talked about how beautiful the Catholic religion is for three days after that.
Last weekend, I spent a nice Saturday playing with my host brother's 18 month old daughter Marllely and cleaning the Church in preparation for the 1st Communion/Baptism the next day. The pastor was coming to town so they were going to hold both during the same mass. That night, while hanging out with my host brother and sister in law and their kids, my host dad asked to speak with me. Very sweetly and officially he asked me to do the honor and be Marllely's god-mother. There's no way I could say no to that! Plus I've grown to love that little girl after just a few weeks and she finally warmed up to me after days of just staring at me when I talked to her. So I agreed and held my god-daughter as she was baptized last Sunday! And guess what? She didn't even shed a tear. She loves me. The only awkward part was when the priest told me to hold her with her head down I didn't understand and it took a while for everyone to get the message across to me. It was a very proud moment and I feel very honored and special to have had that honor. And now I have a god-daughter!
Almost every afternoon I play volleyball (voli) for an hour or so with some kids. It's been good to do a bit of exercising and just let off steam. Jessica is the jefa de voli in her class and loves it. She's a super sweet 12 year old who's very patient with me and helps me with my Spanish as she wants to learn English. I've also gotten to know her mom pretty well who has a house next to the plaza where I enjoying sitting and chatting sometimes. Everyone is seriously so nice and invites me to everything!
Everything including promotions! There have been tons of promotions (kindergarden to primary, primary to secondary, completion of secondary). They consist of the kids dressing up really nice, a "Madrina" paying for a party with cake and balloons, everyone dancing, kids drinking soda, adults drinking whiskey... It's been really fun! I love to see they kids all dressed up and it's been fun bonding with the community.
It's nearing Christmas, and I really can't believe it. It doesn't feel like the holiday season right now and I'm sure it's because I'm away from friends and family back home. I'm very lucky to have a community hear in Peru that is warm, welcoming, and caring. Half of the town is related to my host mom so a bunch of kids call me tia or prima. It's amazing to feel so much a part of the community even after a couple weeks. They tell me already how much they'll miss me when I leave in two years! The spirit of Christmas is very much alive here as well. Yesterday I sat in the garden singing Christmas songs in English as some neighborhood girls sang Christmas songs back to me in Spanish. We all joined in to sing Feliz Navidad, apparently they have that song here as well!
I miss all my friends and family back home but I hope you have a Merry Navidad and a Happy Ano Nuevo. Love you guys and I'll be thinking about you all over here!
Happy Birthday, Dad :)
PS. sorry there's no photos, when I get better internet I'll upload them here and/or onto facebook:)
