Hi

I am sitting in the kitchen of my new apartment writing this blog! Just by moving up the street I have changed my living conditions 100 percent! I now have tile floors in my kitchen and bathroom. (Tile is saying A LOT in a PCV’s standard of living). The floor of my room is cement- an upgrade from dirt floors. The bathroom and sink is inside the house, so I don’t have to leave into the cold in the middle of the night (or pee in my pee-bucket). The room is sealed so less bugs. I’m closer to everything and on the main street, so less muddy shoes walking down to my room that was in the boonies. I loved where I lived and wouldn’t have changed that experience. Living with a host family was a challenge but taught me a lot in patience. I think it’s an important and crucial part of integration for a PCV. I know why they make it mandatory in Peru to live with a host family for the first year. Safety, language learning, socialization, the list goes on. But for me, moving out after the first year was important for my sanity and to make it through the second year without losing it. 

So now I am on my own living with my friend, Bianca, who is a teacher here. The best part is being independent again and coming and going as I please. Plus having the company of a like-minded friend who is the same age as me! I have lots of friends in Chocta, and we get along great! But talking with someone who has a university education, was raised in a more “modern family” who are all educated and successful, is so nice. When I talk about travel, I don’t get the response of “Oh I’ve never left Chocta because we don’t have money,” but instead I get to hear Bianca’s stories of traveling and family vacations. It’s a nice change. 

Since school is back in session (their equivalent to summer break is January and February here), time has started to move fast again! I don’t know where March went. These next months are going to be busy and go by fast as well, I hope. The Health Post is more willing to support me in my project goals than last year, and it’s looking like we are going to have a successful year. It definitely took a while to gain their trust and for them to understand my role as a Community Health Volunteer. That is a struggle for those of us who are the first volunteer placed in a community. We have the task of explaining what Peace Corps is and establishing what are our roles here.  I think the health workers thought I would be here doing their jobs. Monthly check ups, writing informes, seeing patients. So when they noticed my work was more health promotion and I was in people’s homes doing house visits more than in the health post, they were a little confused. But now that that is all cleared up, our relationship is much better! And for the next volunteer that comes, it should be a quicker and easier initiation. In each community, ideally three volunteers will cycle through, giving the community a period of six years of Peace Corps support, fyi.

So that’s where I am! Sitting in my fancy apartment trudging along on this journey with its ups and downs. So heres to having more ups than downs this month!