Upgrades and Updates

I now have a bathroom complete with flushing toilet and shower! I have yet to use the shower but I have officially broken in the toilet and, surprisingly my favorite part, the sink! My make-shift sink, or “Tippy-Tap”, in my room has gotten old and it’s just so nice to wash my hands in a real life sink. So luxurious;) I can’t wait to buy little accessories for the bathroom like a mirror (they sell these nifty mirrors with a tray and slots to put toothbrushes) and a toilet paper holder. Another strange thing about Peru and toilets is that 80% of them, public and private, don’t have a seat. It’s weird. I guess they just don’t sit when they poop or don’t want to clean those extra layers? But yeah when they installed our toilet they just left the seat off. I asked them why they don’t put on the seat and cover that came with the toilet. It’s still sitting in my host parents room, I’ll get it on eventually! That and a few other details are still missing but I pooped on a toilet today in my own home and I couldn’t be happier!

I also got a puppy! His name is Lobo (means wolf) and he's the bomb. My host family fell in love with him so he's the family dog more than just mine but he still loves me the best;). This week I stopped letting him sleep in my bed to get him used to sleeping outside. It's so hard, I miss Toby and Bella keeping me company in bed, and Lobo was a nice replacement! I'm (most likely) leaving him here when I go home but for the next 18 months he'll be good company.

I know some people (my mom!) really want to know, “So it’s been 6 months, what the heck work have you done?!” Honestly, I also ask myself that question all the time. “Work” is such a general word. Peace Corps is “the hardest job you’ll ever love” not because we’re swamped with work 24/7 but rather the opposite: Our work is slow to start, hard to keep going, and will produce results that are often difficult if not impossible to see. We’re promoting behavior change, which, according to research, takes over 5 years to accomplish; therefore, in our 2 years here, we probably won’t see much. So when I say “I’m working” you have to keep in mind that this work is unlike any other “job” you’re probably thinking of.

And honestly it’s been tough. I have no one telling me what to do or where I’m needed, so I have to basically create work for myself. Often volunteers have a lot more institutions and authorities to work with who have ideas and tasks for them. For example, my closest colleagues have around 20 employees in their health center, with a department especially for public health outreach. On the other hand, I’m up here with 3 health employees who are swamped with work and have very little time to spend helping me with my ideas for projects. I’m realizing I’m not great at this kind of informal, independent, development work and it’s been a real challenge for me. Sometimes on my off days, like they warned us, I find myself wondering why I’m here, because the community seems to be doing just fine and I feel like I’m creating more work for people or just annoying people with my ideas. But on my good days I know that what I’m doing here will leave lasting imprints on lives and help Chocta to grow into a more thriving, healthy community that I know it has the potential to be. No one signs up for this job cause they think it’ll be easy. I welcome the struggles because getting through them is how I’ll be able to leave this experience with skills, knowledge and confidence I didn’t have before…

nutrition session

how can we make more balanced meals?

pretty rainbow with my host niece

LOBO!

We love learning English!!