New Years. Well I wasn't really sure what to expect for this holiday. People in my town told me that people stay up until midnight and then burn dolls made of their old clothing. This did in fact happen. If I remember correctly, people burn their old clothes to signify getting rid of the bad things
of the past year and welcome good things for the new year. After that, my family and I went to the town complejo (kind of a communal area where people can play sports and hold meetings) where they had a DJ and people were drinking and dancing. The way people usually drink is to form a beer cirlce and pass a glass and a bottle of beer (note: not hygienic at all). Typically, I feel a little uneasy during these holiday celebrations because people tend to get very drunk. Even as I entered the complejo...with my family...a drunk man approached me and was asking to dance with me. I said "no thank you" and luckily my family helped to steer the man in another direction. I danced a little bit, but mostly felt awkward since I was getting a lot of looks which I interpreted as, "Oh look at the gringa dance." Around 2AM, I returned to my house and went to bed. It was a fun holiday, but very laid-back as well. The interesting part was that my family told me that Christmas was a holiday more for kids and New Years was for family to be together. So it was nice to just spend New Years Day with some family and relax.
of the past year and welcome good things for the new year. After that, my family and I went to the town complejo (kind of a communal area where people can play sports and hold meetings) where they had a DJ and people were drinking and dancing. The way people usually drink is to form a beer cirlce and pass a glass and a bottle of beer (note: not hygienic at all). Typically, I feel a little uneasy during these holiday celebrations because people tend to get very drunk. Even as I entered the complejo...with my family...a drunk man approached me and was asking to dance with me. I said "no thank you" and luckily my family helped to steer the man in another direction. I danced a little bit, but mostly felt awkward since I was getting a lot of looks which I interpreted as, "Oh look at the gringa dance." Around 2AM, I returned to my house and went to bed. It was a fun holiday, but very laid-back as well. The interesting part was that my family told me that Christmas was a holiday more for kids and New Years was for family to be together. So it was nice to just spend New Years Day with some family and relax.Since New Years, I've been busy doing surveys and continuing to get to know the people and my town better. My mom (biological that is) asked me to write about what a typical day might be for a volunteer. As you might guess, I don't think a "typical" day exists. Furthermore, volunteers in Peru are scattered along the coast, some being in the mountains, and therefore the weather and culture makes their daily life different from mine. That being said, I can tlak about what a "typical" day has been for me lately:
- 6:30 or 7AM: wake up, sometimes go for a run, then have a breakfast of bread, coffee, and either an egg, avacado or on Sundays a tamale
- 9AM: check email, go talk to one of my counterparts (person I work with to get to know the community) read through Peace Corps materials for community projects and/or prepare for English classes
- noon or 1pm: eat lunch that consists of soup, rice, meat (usually chicken) and potatoes
- Between that time and about 3 or 4 PM I usually just hang out since it is too hot outside (the temperture isn't so bad, but the sun is very strong and beats down like you wouldn't believe)
- 4PM: meet up with one of the sector coordinators to do surveys/interviews with community members
- 8PM: finish surveys and head home, eat dinner - bread and tea - and then read before going to bed
- 10PM: asleep
February and March are probably going to be pretty busy for me which I'm actually looking forward to. My town and another volunteer's town near me were chosen (since they are similar populations) to do a behavior change study so I will have to work with the people in my town to get people coordinated for that. Additional there's a US military group down here studying diseases and they want to study the quality of water and number of cases of diarhea in my town. Needless to say, between working on these 2 projects plus continuing to do my surveys and community disgnostic, I will be veyr busy. Then March will be filled with meeting, Reconnect (where all the Peru 12 volunteers get together at the beach for a
few days) and a visit from my friend Katie. Then in April Ben comes to visit! He and I will mostly likely spend most of the week in Lima with a quick visit to my town (since I've practically told everyone that he's going to visit and that yes, they can meet him).
few days) and a visit from my friend Katie. Then in April Ben comes to visit! He and I will mostly likely spend most of the week in Lima with a quick visit to my town (since I've practically told everyone that he's going to visit and that yes, they can meet him). Things having been getting much more comfortable and "normal" feeling. I still miss home and everyone there, but I feel more and more motivated to get to know people in my town, talk about some of the needs and begin conversations about what we can do to meet these needs.
Anyway...I've been at this internet cafe for a while now and I have some shopping I need to do. I hope all is well in the states and that you are all staying warm! Chau for now!
Fotos: 1.) My host-brother Juan and cousin burning dolls on New Years Eve. 2.) Celebration to kick off an environment project in my town
