Buenas!
We took two busses to our host family community and boy did we need it with all the luggage I brought! Though we were each dropped off at our new homes, I still had help carrying my bags from the roadside my house. Packing was pretty easy, as I don’t have any drawers or a dresser, so all my clothes are pretty much in a mess on the ground. I do have a table, but I basically just keep my hairbrush and a backpack that I don’t even open on there. I should probably change that…
My host family is great! I’ve got a mom, dad, 12 yr old brother (Mario, aka Piro), and 2 month old baby sister. (She doesn’t cry at all though!!!) I also have a 10 yr old brother (Juan) but he doesn’t live with us. (I still haven’t figured it all out.) And I’ve seen the 15 yr old brother only once. I have no clue where he lives, as I don’t think he lives with all of our neighboring uncles, aunts, cousins, or grandparents. So basically everyone who lives nearby is related to our family. That means that I hang out a lot with the other volunteers in those families which is nice.
I’ve got my own room with a light (yep, I’ve got electricity!!!), a FAN!, and a DOUBLE bed. I still haven’t set my mosquito net up but don’t tell anyone! My house has an indoor bathroom complete with a flushing toilet! We’ve got a shower with a showerhead and everything, but we only have water for a few hours everyday. I can never seem to figure out when, so I usually end up taking a shower by pouring a cup of water over my head from the bucket, lathering up, and pouring another cup over. I definitely invested in a bottle of Pert Plus to cut half the time out of washing my hair. We also have a minifridge which is great because I get ice in my drink for lunch and dinner. (Breakfast is of course coffee.)
Speaking of meals, did you know that you can fry baloney? That and fried hot dogs are perfectly acceptable for breakfast along with fried cornmeal, or fried dough, or fried (you fill in the blank). Some of it is quite good, and I especially liked the lunch of fried platanos (think French fries) and fried egg with ketchup!
Training is going well. I´ve learned how to properly sharpen my machete, limpiar el monte (cut down everything in sight to plant crops), and start a fast compost. And it´s only been the first week! Today we met in the bigger city for our weekly training on culture and general PC matters. Tropical diseases was probably the highlight of this one. Yes, a lot of us will be getting Dengue, so we have that to look forward to!
Last night I played soccer with my extended family (brothers and cousins). Man, I seriously never gave enough credit to those who play on the dirt with sharp rocks BAREFOOT! I could barely run as it hurts so much. By the end of these two years I´ll be an expert though! Then again, most of the kids only come up to my waist, so perhaps it´s not too high of a goal to reach. Hehe
That´s about it for now. I should be getting on the internet each week after class in the city. I still need to figure out a way to charge my computer as the pealing electrical extension cord hanging from my ceiling for power does not like my charger. (Popping sounds and melting plastic smells are NOT a good sign when dealing with expensive electronics!) Once I figure it out, I´ll try getting some pics up.
Also, the address is game to send me things. Mail is really slow coming through Panama City, so nothing big is needed at this point. (Letters may even take multiple months to get here.) Once I move outside of Panama (as the province is called), mail should be better.
We took two busses to our host family community and boy did we need it with all the luggage I brought! Though we were each dropped off at our new homes, I still had help carrying my bags from the roadside my house. Packing was pretty easy, as I don’t have any drawers or a dresser, so all my clothes are pretty much in a mess on the ground. I do have a table, but I basically just keep my hairbrush and a backpack that I don’t even open on there. I should probably change that…
My host family is great! I’ve got a mom, dad, 12 yr old brother (Mario, aka Piro), and 2 month old baby sister. (She doesn’t cry at all though!!!) I also have a 10 yr old brother (Juan) but he doesn’t live with us. (I still haven’t figured it all out.) And I’ve seen the 15 yr old brother only once. I have no clue where he lives, as I don’t think he lives with all of our neighboring uncles, aunts, cousins, or grandparents. So basically everyone who lives nearby is related to our family. That means that I hang out a lot with the other volunteers in those families which is nice.
I’ve got my own room with a light (yep, I’ve got electricity!!!), a FAN!, and a DOUBLE bed. I still haven’t set my mosquito net up but don’t tell anyone! My house has an indoor bathroom complete with a flushing toilet! We’ve got a shower with a showerhead and everything, but we only have water for a few hours everyday. I can never seem to figure out when, so I usually end up taking a shower by pouring a cup of water over my head from the bucket, lathering up, and pouring another cup over. I definitely invested in a bottle of Pert Plus to cut half the time out of washing my hair. We also have a minifridge which is great because I get ice in my drink for lunch and dinner. (Breakfast is of course coffee.)
Speaking of meals, did you know that you can fry baloney? That and fried hot dogs are perfectly acceptable for breakfast along with fried cornmeal, or fried dough, or fried (you fill in the blank). Some of it is quite good, and I especially liked the lunch of fried platanos (think French fries) and fried egg with ketchup!
Training is going well. I´ve learned how to properly sharpen my machete, limpiar el monte (cut down everything in sight to plant crops), and start a fast compost. And it´s only been the first week! Today we met in the bigger city for our weekly training on culture and general PC matters. Tropical diseases was probably the highlight of this one. Yes, a lot of us will be getting Dengue, so we have that to look forward to!
Last night I played soccer with my extended family (brothers and cousins). Man, I seriously never gave enough credit to those who play on the dirt with sharp rocks BAREFOOT! I could barely run as it hurts so much. By the end of these two years I´ll be an expert though! Then again, most of the kids only come up to my waist, so perhaps it´s not too high of a goal to reach. Hehe
That´s about it for now. I should be getting on the internet each week after class in the city. I still need to figure out a way to charge my computer as the pealing electrical extension cord hanging from my ceiling for power does not like my charger. (Popping sounds and melting plastic smells are NOT a good sign when dealing with expensive electronics!) Once I figure it out, I´ll try getting some pics up.
Also, the address is game to send me things. Mail is really slow coming through Panama City, so nothing big is needed at this point. (Letters may even take multiple months to get here.) Once I move outside of Panama (as the province is called), mail should be better.
No comments:
Post a Comment