Ghetto But Good
Thats my new motto for PC! Ghetto but good.
So I`ve finished my first 2 weeks as a PCV in Jocos and it hasn`t been the easiest thing I`ve ever done. Jocos has a weight to it - not a crushing, painful weight, but the smothering weight of heavy blankets. The weight of isolation. The realization that the next 2 years are going to be very a important part of my life but the people that I love the most will never fully understand them was a difficult one. I`m glad I have this blog so I can share as much as I can this way with everyone. The emotional rollercoaster is definitely interesting, to say the least. One minute, I`m depressed and want to go home, the next I`m so excited to be living here and can`t wait to see what the next couple of years are going to hold. Luckily, the exicted days, moments, seconds, are far more frequent than the depressed, what-the-hell-have-I-done? days. If that ever switches I`ll know its time to change something.
But what about my experiences these last few days? Well, first off, I have become very intimate with fleas. They are everywhere and are impossible to avoid. Ironically, it was harder for me to deal with them until I saw my first one. Now that I know my enemy, I can handle it! It is still a bit strange to feel them crawling around on me at night though - at least when the flea powder is loosing its strength!
Along the flea lines - I now have a flea-bag of my very own. I got puppy the first day in site. He just sort of fell into my lap. His name is Kìon (key-Oh-n) and his is chocolate brown with tan feet and cheeks (though I think the brown will go to black). The name Kìon means ginger - for the tan feet and cheeks. He is super smart - learned his name the first day I got him - and is, of course, super cute. We`ve been dealing with belly worms (he was full of them) and house training (not coming along as well as I had hoped, but we`re getting there). He will be a welcome project for the next few months as school is out for the summer and there is even less going on in Jocos than usual. I am also getting a kitten to deal with the rats & `cause I`m a cat person. Her name is Oregeno (thanks for that name, Natalie!).
My room will be getting set up in the next couple of days - the room I`m in now is a temporary room. The new one will have a cement (or is it concrete, Kallie?) floor, new paint, and a nice window. I`m excited to get settled in there as I think that has been part of my discombobulation - I really need my own space. To not be living out of bags will be nice. And to have a space with my little personal touches (pics and plants everywhere, etc.). In short, to have a home.
I have actually done a little work since arriving in Jocos. I helped Natalie give a dental health talk at the elementry school and have introduced myself to several groups in Jocos (parents groups, etc). And we have been painting cartoon characters on the wall of the children`s room in the health post. The kids love it and spend hours watching us paint. Creativity is nearly non-existant here so any sort of creative project is fascinating. Not to mention that watching the Gringas (white chics) is a great source of entertainment in and of itself. Apparently we do some pretty strange things, like painting and training our pets and taking pics of everything.
My other notable experience in Jocos was the comsumption of "Agua Caliente" (Hot Water). This is a mixture of about a liter of water, sugar, a little lime juice and about a shots worth of rubbing alcohol. Yes rubbing alcohol. Its a pretty common drink around here and to turn it down the first time is very rude. The taste actually wasn`t that bad - kinda like spiked lemonade. The headache is produced was another story. Instant and nasty! I`ll be avoiding that next time. I also drank some chicha which is a homemade, fermented liquor of some kind. The stuff I had tasted a bit like La Folie (you Fort Collins folk know what I mean), or carbonated vinager (for the rest of you). I actually liked it, though not many volunteers seem to.
More stories soon!
So I`ve finished my first 2 weeks as a PCV in Jocos and it hasn`t been the easiest thing I`ve ever done. Jocos has a weight to it - not a crushing, painful weight, but the smothering weight of heavy blankets. The weight of isolation. The realization that the next 2 years are going to be very a important part of my life but the people that I love the most will never fully understand them was a difficult one. I`m glad I have this blog so I can share as much as I can this way with everyone. The emotional rollercoaster is definitely interesting, to say the least. One minute, I`m depressed and want to go home, the next I`m so excited to be living here and can`t wait to see what the next couple of years are going to hold. Luckily, the exicted days, moments, seconds, are far more frequent than the depressed, what-the-hell-have-I-done? days. If that ever switches I`ll know its time to change something.
But what about my experiences these last few days? Well, first off, I have become very intimate with fleas. They are everywhere and are impossible to avoid. Ironically, it was harder for me to deal with them until I saw my first one. Now that I know my enemy, I can handle it! It is still a bit strange to feel them crawling around on me at night though - at least when the flea powder is loosing its strength!
Along the flea lines - I now have a flea-bag of my very own. I got puppy the first day in site. He just sort of fell into my lap. His name is Kìon (key-Oh-n) and his is chocolate brown with tan feet and cheeks (though I think the brown will go to black). The name Kìon means ginger - for the tan feet and cheeks. He is super smart - learned his name the first day I got him - and is, of course, super cute. We`ve been dealing with belly worms (he was full of them) and house training (not coming along as well as I had hoped, but we`re getting there). He will be a welcome project for the next few months as school is out for the summer and there is even less going on in Jocos than usual. I am also getting a kitten to deal with the rats & `cause I`m a cat person. Her name is Oregeno (thanks for that name, Natalie!).
My room will be getting set up in the next couple of days - the room I`m in now is a temporary room. The new one will have a cement (or is it concrete, Kallie?) floor, new paint, and a nice window. I`m excited to get settled in there as I think that has been part of my discombobulation - I really need my own space. To not be living out of bags will be nice. And to have a space with my little personal touches (pics and plants everywhere, etc.). In short, to have a home.
I have actually done a little work since arriving in Jocos. I helped Natalie give a dental health talk at the elementry school and have introduced myself to several groups in Jocos (parents groups, etc). And we have been painting cartoon characters on the wall of the children`s room in the health post. The kids love it and spend hours watching us paint. Creativity is nearly non-existant here so any sort of creative project is fascinating. Not to mention that watching the Gringas (white chics) is a great source of entertainment in and of itself. Apparently we do some pretty strange things, like painting and training our pets and taking pics of everything.
My other notable experience in Jocos was the comsumption of "Agua Caliente" (Hot Water). This is a mixture of about a liter of water, sugar, a little lime juice and about a shots worth of rubbing alcohol. Yes rubbing alcohol. Its a pretty common drink around here and to turn it down the first time is very rude. The taste actually wasn`t that bad - kinda like spiked lemonade. The headache is produced was another story. Instant and nasty! I`ll be avoiding that next time. I also drank some chicha which is a homemade, fermented liquor of some kind. The stuff I had tasted a bit like La Folie (you Fort Collins folk know what I mean), or carbonated vinager (for the rest of you). I actually liked it, though not many volunteers seem to.
More stories soon!
posted by Kellie | 10:45 AM
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