So I just got back from my site visit in Wale. Spent my birthday yesterday in Managua during the site week processing charla we had. Thank you everyone for your birthday wishes and e-mails! My home-stay mom and sister gave me a pair of earrings and made me a really yummy chinese food meal (well, everything she makes is really yummy).
So, Wale. Let's just say it's amazingly beautiful. I've posted pics on my shutterfly page so check 'em out! Wale's located in the valley of Santa Maria de Pantasma, and my house is located directly on the main road winding down the valley towards the main town of Praderas on the valley floor. There's a ton of communities in the valley, too many to memorize. Since Wale's a little higher up than the valley floor, it's cooler than Praderas and the other communities, which is nice, because Praderas can get as got and humid as Managua. The other two volunteers in my group closest to me are Daryl and Paul, about 8 km and 10 km away from Wale.
My new family consists of Esmeralda and her husband and their 6 sons, ranging in age from 13 to 23. The oldest goes to college in Managua, and is studying English and French. It's weird because he speaks English with some what of a French accent, and is sometimes hard to understand in English because of it. Since Managua is about 5-6 hours away he lives there during the school year. Esmeralda has a pulperia in her house, which is a little store, and it's mostly the youngest sons who are tending to it. The week that I was there was a school vacation, so everyone was home. So the kids were there all day to help with the pulperia. It'll be interesting to see the change in routine once I'm back in August since the kids will be in school during the day, or at least the morning.
During my stay I met with my community counterpart, Pedro. He's an older gentleman who speaks insanely fast which makes it really hard to understand him. But he does tend to repeat himself multiple times in the same sentence, so I can at least catch on to the important words. He took me around to meet about 7 families in the community, which was nice but sometimes awkward. Everyone always pulls up a chair and has you sit down with them, and sometimes offers you something to drink, like coffee or a fresco, which is fresh fruit juice. I would introduce myself as the new volunteer coming to live in Wale and try to get some ideas from them what they know about the community or what there experience was with the previous volunteer who left last year. Of course they all know about him and probably spent some time with him since everyone knows everyone else in the community. I probably won't hear the end of the stories about him, as most 2nd and 3rd generation volunteers deal with when following a previous volunteer. Communities always like to compare.
Another younger community member, who's the vice president of the local Empresa, which is like a community support group for farmers, took me on a tour of the town of Praderas, about 5km down the road. He took me to the police station, mayor's office, health center, court house, and introduced me to the people that worked there. It was also a little awkward at times, and I had a hard time understanding a lot of what was being said, but that's just how this whole thing goes. It's gonna be weird and uncomfortable pleanty of times in the beginning. Plus I felt like he was obligated to show me around and spend his whole day carting around the new gringa. But he did work with the last volunteer so he should be used to it.
The room I have is within the main house. It has only a bed, which is all they have to provide, so I'll be buying more furnature when I move in. All I really need is a table and a chair, and something to put my clothes in/on. The latrine is out back, and is nicer than I thought, considering the door closes all the way, there's actually room for your legs when the door is closed, and the seat is plastic. Other latrine experiences I've had the seat is cement and hurts cause it's sometimes cracked, and the door is too close to the hole so you can't sit down without hitting your knees on the door. Every morning the family gets up at 5am. The light never changes here like daylight savings back home, so every single day of the year the sun rises at 5am and sets around 6:30. So every morning the roosters start crowing at around 4am, and the buses start running at 4:30, which are very loud on the road right in front of my house. My new routine will be interesting.
This week we have our final youth group meetings to prepare for the competition this Friday. We also have our final lanuage interviews on Wed. It's going to be a busy week. But it's the final stretch before swearing in on the 29th! Then I'm moving back to Wale for good on Sunday, July 31st, to start the next chapter of my Peace Corps journey.
Spanish lesson for this blog: Chavalo/Chavala. The word for kid or student (male/female). Also: Chinelas. The word they use for flip-flops or sandals, the kind we use in the shower and to hang around in the house in.
Until next time. . .
~Sarita~ (that's what my new family always calls me)
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