It's a miracle, I got another job!
What a week it's been! My new job is going well, even though I had 0 training. Conversation class. The students can sort of speak. hehe. Yea, and then....i got another one! It's a huge plus being a native english speaker. Es obvio que Ricke tenia razon cuando dijo que, si quieres ir a suda america, ¡ve! Puedes encontrar un trabajo/la plata para tu viaje cuando llegues. I can get a job in an instant. I feel a little guilty because not only am I from a priveledged country, but I'm priveledged wherever I go. I look at those around me who are struggling to make ends meet and it makes me realize how very very lucky i am. I spoke wiht a combi driver the other morning. He told me he works from 530 in the morning ot 830 at night, driving the whole time...and i'll bet he doesn't make very much. Remember, a 1 hr. bus ride is about 40 cents per passanger. THe janitor at my work is there from 730 in the morning to 930 at night. BUt anyway, the new class is with one girl only. In the morning 1.5 hrs.from my house. So now, I get out of the house at 830 in the morning, arrive there at 10. Stay with her until 1. Go to the boys home. Arrive 245, 3. Leave for my other class at 630. Arrive 730. Stay until 930. Get home at 10, 1015. Long day. I think that0s what made me sick.
That'sright, got the flu this weekend. Fever and everything. I'm getting better. DOn't think my various hours in transport tomorrow willhlep, but what can i do?
In other news, there was an earthquake! Acutally, two. Just little ones. The first was a couple days agoand i really didn'tknow what was goingon. I though the girlwho sleeps above me was moving a lot in her bed. hehe The whole famiy jumped out of bed and got into the 'safe zone'. THe mom said there hadn't been a temblor that strong for 10 yrs.! THe other was today and was smaller. hehe.
Also, I went toone of the biggest religious processions in the world onwed. There is an image in teh center of lima that's about 300 yr. old. A slave painted it. There was (ahem) an earthquake and the entire church fell down excep the wall where the painting was. FOr this reason, it's totally sacared. Every year, there's this huge procession (apparently people form all over the world come) in the streetsof lima. the image is called 'señor de los milagros' =sir ofthe miracles=jesus of the miracles. the streets are filled with a sea of people walking in the procession with a copy of the image. it's a huge deal. i went with the boys on wed. morining (they were excused form school). we went to the main squre. the center of lima is a totally different world. it's not well maintained, but the architeqture is just like in europe...except fallin apart. the plaza mayor is in tip-top condition, however. so, on one side is the palace of teh mayor, another, the president's palace, and hte other, the archbishop's palace, a.k.a the official cathedral. all three appeared for a bit. very exciting. wow, so many people. very impressive.
yea, so i didn'tgoout wiht weekend and the majoiryt of my days are spent in transport, but that's only for 8 days more. thank goodness!
paz
Happy Birthday Shawn Dean
2 weeks more. Who could have guessed?
Two weeks ago, on Saturday the 7th, I went to the house of one of the women who works at Posada de Belen for lucnh. She lives in La Punta, which is a very nice, historic, tranquil area of Callao that is surrounded on three sides by the sea. There was a small parade (the district is only 10x4 blocks) because La Punta was celebrating its 91st anniversary. There was a marching band (only boys on the lead drums, girls on the xylophone and 2nd drums...grr). Also, the majority of the clubs and schools from La Punta participated. Because the parade was only 2 blocks long (hehe), each group did a little performance. The majority presented dances, one presented a traditional dance from Cusco. Wow, that ws really cool. I really like La Punta. A person can go outside and relax with clean air and little noise pollution. ah.
The next day I went with a friend who works in a theater NGO to a festival against sexual violence in Villa Elsalvador. Villa Elsalvador is a part of Lima that is comprised mostly of shanty towns. It's very dusty in there because there isn't any grass nor any paved streets. Villa Elsalvador has developed recently, since the 70's more or less, because people from other parts of Peru have moved to there to find work in LIma. It's huge and a very poor area. Very poor. But, I liked it. It was more tranquil there. A person could go outside, run, play soccer, breathe a bit. I realized how, at least for me, a bit of room to maneauver is necessary to feel comfortable. It's poor but not desperate. I think generally the level of crime is lower there, too. It seems that inner city poverty is the worst. It just traps a person.
In other news, I got a job! I'm an English teacher. Very cool. I had an interview in Sept. and was told I'd be contacted in a week and never was. I called the company about two weeks ago and spoke with the boss and he said he'd call me soon. He didn.t SO I called again...turns out they didn't have my phone number. Haha. I called on Wednesdsay, went to another invertiew on Wed., and then...started my class Wednesday night. haha. My class meets everyday Mon-Friday for 1.5 hrs. Very cool.
This weekend was fun. Went to a friend's house frinday night and last night I went to the theater. THe other volunteer who came here thru the UWC comitee works in the theater NGO and through him/the NGo, I've met a few actors...one of which presented his 'obra' (work) sat night. It was interesting. After, we went to the RPP (the main news radio station in Peru, I believe) station for an interview. Hehe. Very cool. Got to put some faces with some voices.
So, I've been thinking a lot about whether I want to come back in December, ornot. I know I went to a lot of work to get a 1 semester deferral, but it seems like a better idea to take another semester, stay here more times, get closer to the boys, learn spanish better, see more of peru, understand the peruvian more naturally, etc. I'm thining I'd stay until March or April, then return to somewhere where I could make some money, and then go to a French speaking area for a couple of months to get a head start on french, which will help tremendously in Montreal. The French spekaing area could be France or Africa, or both. Haha. Really, I've been thinking about this alot.
Besos
one more thing
One more thing: I realize that I am very very lucky to be form teh USA (i just wrote UWC...haha, that too) because my culture is everwhere. It's exausting being totally encompassed by another culture: more than anything the language difference is tiring. But I hear my language almost everyday: on TV or radio, or someone will say some random word. I have lots of breaks back into my own comfort zone, which helps. Plus, I have a few friends with whom I speak English. Aw, it feels so good to speak English sometimes. I finally understand why people naturally migrate to their compatriots when in foreign lands.
1 month
As always at the 1 month milestone, I feel like I've been here for much more than a month but also don't know exactly where the time has gone. This morning I woke up (unfortunately somewhat late) to find a little painted Peruvain box, full of chocolates with a note that read: for Mariel, for ur time here in Peru. It was a gift from my family for the 1 month marker. So sweet. Good chocolate too. :) For lunch they cooked up a storm. I hadn't tried cebiche (a type of Peruvian sushi: fish cooked only by super acidic lime...the acidity of thier limes is something Peruvians are quite proud of) Loved it. Well, loved it was too strong. Enjoyed it. It's not fishy like I thought it would be. Just good. ALso, today I realized that I have begun to partially dream in Spansih. YAY! :) very good sign. Yes, my rooma has told me that now I speak in bothENglish and SPanish in my sleep. hehe.
THis week flew by! I discovered the cultural activities calender in the newspaper last weekend,which means that I'm going to be spending fewer weekend nights in the apartment wondering what to do with myself. It's also great because it gives me more that i can do with my boys. They don't get to go out much, especially insmall groups and I'm planning on taking a couple out to free activities I find in the paper once a weekish. THe only problem is money. Right now, I'm paying.
Tuesday I went with a couple of boys to the opening of a recently renivated photography room in the Museumof Art in the center of Lima. NOrmally entrance is 10 soles (3ish bucks) but it was free! yay! Dunno if they liked it or not, but at least they entered that museum and got to look around, be around artsy type people, and be exposed to something a little different. There were some photos from the photographer Chamby. WOw. Loved it. He shot int he 20s but his work was veyr much ahead of its time: not only for clarity but because he creatred art, didn't just snap a photo to remember an event. Wow. After we walked around in the park that surrounds the museum. THe boys liked that a lot more. Me too. THat part of LIma is so very very very different. It's oldand the arquitecture is European. Less noise, more glamour. Totally different. Rosa, the mom of the family, accompanied us. it was very nice. I know the boys enjoyed it. TRHe only problem is that we have to take public transport there and back and it's very tiring. I think I spent 3ish hrs. in transport that day. It was worth it, though. ON the way back, in the taxi, Rosa pointed out a group of people with buckets sitting on the side of the road. THey're there to steal food from the trucks which travel this road,she said. Scary.
Friday I went to a theater production which the other volunteer who came to peru thru the uwc comitee directed. The actors were kids and it was fun enough. Veyr impressive that he managed to direct because he hasn't been here long and only had 2 weeks of spanish before leaving. wow. AFter we went to his NGO (he lives there) which is a theater NGO for a 'Night of Stories? very fun. I slept there because it's about 2 hrs away from my house. WOw. I went form one end of the world to the other. THey performed the play in a college in VIlla Maria, one of the most southern points of the city, in the hills. I remember one night in Miraflores, staring down the coast of Peru when my friend pointed to a glowing light waaaay far away and said, that's the end of the LIma. Well, that light was a cross which I passed on my way to the college. I don't know how I wouldhave done the trip alone...luckily i didn't havto. I called one of Florian's (the volunteer) friends and we went together. SHe's Peruvian...thank god. WE had to take a million different buses to get there...and it's not exactly the safest area of Lima. SHanty towns, dirt road, poverty poverty poverty. We made it though. yay. THe NGO is in an equally poor neighborhood, if not more. When I woke up in the morning I took some time to just look around. WHere I live, it's obvoiusly the 3rd world,but it's more like the developing world. THere, it's simply the 'undeveloped world'...they don't have hot water int he ngo. it was good form me to see. ANother thing is that there arent tons of apartment buildings. Lima just sprawls on forever (which is very impressive at night:all the hills are full with dots of light from the individual houses) because people have individual houses...at least in the poorer areas. Houses perhaps isn't always the right word: they're definitely homes...maybe not houses.
AFter the Night of Stories/party, I had to wake up at 630 becaus I had to be back in Callao (2 hr. journey at minimum...but, miraculously there's a bus that passes exactly from the residential district werhe the ngo is to my house. 1.40 soles...that's like 40cents...2 hrs. wow) at 9 because one of the brothers in teh family's soccer team asked me earlier this week if I'd be the 'godmother' for their team. THere's a tournament within their school...big deal, annual thing. THe 'godmother' generally buys uniforms or a new ball, but i had no idea about any of this and i think they just wanted a blonde to walk with them during hte inaugueration ceremony. It was fun. Very immpressive. THey gave me flowers and, I don'0treally know. Hilarious experience. I was happy they asked me.
After the inaugueration (how in the world is that spelled??) ceremony I went back to Posada de Belen to pick up a couple of other boys to take them to a different art show. WE went to a expo. about Aids. Yea....in the beginning we were shown a documentary about a photo shoot for the cover of a magazine in the states about HIV/AIDS. The idea for the shoot was to fill a room with naked HIV+ people. We saw everything. They're so religious in the home, I wondered if they'd be bothered by that. THey said no, that they weren't shocked. THe exibit was very nice, I liked it. THe boys...didn't want to admit it if they did. I asked each what his favorite photo was. THey both said neither. But, when one of the boys left the room, I took the other overto a photo and asked him what he thought. At first he said nothing, but after a while he loosened up and as we were leaving he told me that yes, that foto was his favorite. :) exposure.
after that, i went by myself to another art exibit about nature. it was interesting. afterthat, to a bad concert which was fun enough...and then i came home to sleep. i htink i spent about4.5 hrs in transit yesterday.
I guess another marker of my 1 month here is that I got around to all these new places (wiht prior instructions from my family) all alone, without problems. I can be autonomously mobile in the huge huge huge labrinth of roads and buses.
yes, and so i begin another week and another month. i'm excited.
