“Wait, you have a refrigerator?”

Often when you here the word Developing Country, you get all sorts of ideas in your head, which of course was no different from myself. I was determined to bring only the essentials, I would have no cell phone and strongly considered not bringing my laptop. Well here I am, writing this blog entry…on said laptop. 

Just the other day, I was talking on my cell phone (the one I said I wouldn’t have), washing my clothes in my washing machine, and waiting for water to boil so I could make myself some coffee…in my french press. (I know that everyone must think how rough my life is.) There are almost 300 volunteers in Perú, and although it may not be as big as the United States, it is equally as diverse in its terrains. Anything from desert to jungle, mountains to beaches, and a whole lot of Americans scattered like pimples on a college freshman. All of us are in different episodes of the Twilight Zone, so it is always interesting to chat and find out what is going on in there neck of the woods.

So as I am talking with a fellow volunteer I mention what projects I am working on, what volunteer duties I am trying to avoid, and how much I love my local market. We laugh about how my washing machine has come straight out of 1950, maybe even before that since I fill it with water myself. Yet when I mention that I put my leftovers from lunch in the refrigerator, the conversation stops. “Wait, you have a refrigerator?” was her reply. One would think that a refrigerator would come before a washing machine, but we all have our priorities. Needless to say, it is a clear reminder of how different our experiences here all unfold. People call me from a stump next to their school because that is where they have service, or they have family members that enjoy stories of life without hot water. I may be tanning at the beach or eating at a local restaurant while other struggle to learn Quechua and get ready for rainy season.

Daily Dinámica: call your auntie that lives in New York and your cousin that lives in Montana, and your grandma that lives in Florida, and do a little cross comparison what life is like on each and every corner.

"What did I get myself into?"

Most likely the question I will be asking for the next two years. Arriving in June, each month has been flutter of new and exciting events, many of which end in a state of confusion or an overall feeling of “I have no idea what is going on.” I wish I could say this was a lack of Spanish language that leaves me with so many quarries at the end of a day, but my Peace Corps test says I’m Advanced Mid.  

I guess the best way to explain is through examples:

Town meeting

            While living in Yanacoto, my host mother proposed that we go to a town meeting together, where they were to plan the events that would be going on for the next big town festival. I decided to invite a friend a long, just in case things got strange. When we arrived, there were chairs all set up around a big empty room, people seated, with loud music being blasted from speakers…a good start to a meeting right?

            We sat down, were served food and joined the rest of the people drinking beer, and patiently waited. After a while, I asked when the meeting would start, and my host mother politely said that this was the meeting. I nodded my head in an “of course” fashion and continued to try and cut a potatoe with a plastic fork.

I’m on the news…at least once a week

            Standing out in you community can be a nuisance, but it can also be a great opportunity to become a local celebrity. I was merely taking a tour of the local Municipality when before I knew it reporters were interviewing me in front of the Plaza. Now it has become a regular occurance to see the camera man around town, I give him nod and a hand shake and ask myself how I ended up in the one stop this week that just so happens to be being filmed.

Wait, what’s on Facebook?

            OH teenage girls, how they don’t really change, no matter where you seem to end up in the world. I am not sure the amount of times that I have had someone say, that there is a photo of me on Facebook, or caught a girl snapping a photo of me while pretending to send a text. I have had more than one offer to go to a Quinciñera (Sweet 15), and it was a little odd when I actually attended one…it is not exactly easy to say no to a persistant teen who wants to dance with you.

Not dressed for the weather

            Despite my best efforts to live a simple life in an isolated village during PeaceCorps, I instead wear a tie almost everyday and find myself trying to find excuses to wear my ratty t-shirts and holed up jeans. Unfortunately, I seem to pick the wrong days for either occasion. Whether I am wearing a button up and khakis while lifting 50 kilo bags of rice and pouring oil into various 10 gallon buckets, or waiting on stage to be presented for an important school board meeting in sandals and half my chest tattoo showing…I just can’t get it right.

Daily Dinámica: No reason to get yourself in a fit, just go with the flow and enjoy the ride. Apparently can come out of pants if you use enough soap and scrubbing.