Fíjese...

I figured what with internet and all I’d be keeping up with my blog better, but my life really hasn’t been slowing down lately!

So about the visit from my family, which I said I’d expand on. Basically, it was WONDERFUL! Getting to hug your mom for a week after not seeing her for seven months is a pretty good birthday present! We spent most of the week in my site, so Mom and Uncle Gus really got an idea of what my life is like here. One day we went to a meeting with my women’s group, another day we took an hour long hike to where my host dad’s family lives. There we helped shell corn, and ate way more food than any of us wanted to! People are just too generous here sometimes, right Mom? The next day we went to another aldea where we made bread- including two of Mom’s favorite recipes, including potato rolls- mmmm! They were a success and people are asking for them again already. The last day in site we helped one of my neighbors build a box for her worms (for composting), and then headed to the eco-park, where we met up with my PC friends that live in the area. Despite it being VERY cold that night, we had a good time, including a bonfire and s’mores! The weekend we spent in Antigua, just relaxing and enjoying the good weather. All in all a great week!

Since then I’ve been keeping busy, as usual. I’ve had a couple of successes, too, I think. One, I started working at the middle school in my town. It’s a bigger group of kids- about 40! I think it’s going to be interesting working in two schools. A difference I noticed right away is discipline- the teachers in Pino Dulce are very relaxed, let the kids do pretty much whatever they want, and then scold them later for bad behavior. Also, despite me very pointedly telling them that I want them in the classroom when I’m teaching, they left for home during at the beginning of my first class! I had some words with them the next week, and they’ve more or less paid attention since then. Well, they haven’t left the school again, but they’re not always in the room. In contrast, at the beginning of my first class in Soledad Grande, the teacher gave a huge lecture to the kids about how I’m always to be treated with respect; they’re to take what I teach them seriously and to always pay attention, etc. etc. In general it just seems much more formal. But that was only the first class, so we’ll see how things go from here on out. Both groups of kids seem really great- I think the teachers may end up being the bigger challenge.

Another possible success is that I had a very positive meeting with a group of women in Miramundo, the aldea where 0/150 women showed up for my meeting. But I think I mentioned that one woman invited me to come to their microcredit group meeting? I went a few weeks ago, and we agreed that I’d go again this past week. So I did, I timed it just perfect to get there at 3, the time they told me to come at. However, as I was nearing the meeting house, I noticed that a lot of women were walking away from it. One woman said “fíjese seño, but we’ve all left, since you didn’t show up”. Wonderful. Why did you tell me to come at 3 then? It was even before 3! They had a meeting that started at 2, which apparently ended pretty quickly, and they didn’t feel like waiting around for the punctual gringa. Huh. I was able to convince 10 or so women to go back, where I did a demonstration on how to make a treatment for a cough that chickens get, “soco”. You mix a chopped up onion, a head of garlic, a lemon and some salt with a pound of raw tortilla dough (cooked, ground, corn). And we had a good discussion- they seem very interested in anything to do with keeping their chickens alive. So next week I’m going back again, hopefully to meet with the whole group. Poco a poco!

This week I’m heading to the Peace Corps Office with two community members for a workshop on community project design and management. Should be interesting!

Hope you New Yorkers are getting a good taste of spring- looks like things warmed up quite a bit last week!