So, since I have time on my hands (besides having to fill out an extensive report for Peace Corps on my service thus far) I will give you a little idea of 6 things I've learned since I've been in Perú in honor of making it here for 6 months.
Here we go.
1. "I've been sittin' waitin' wishin'...." Jack Johnson you couldn't have put it better. I've learned that there is always going to be a LOT of sitting and waiting. I noticed that I spend my time sitting and waiting for meetings, tallers (workshops), collectivos out of Tamarindo, busses, collectivos back to Tamarindo, and getting new bank cards. I was a very impatient person when I first got here, and I still have a lot of room to grow when it comes to patience, but I've learned to appreciate the times that I spend sitting around and waiting. I often now take a book or something productive to do as I wait for something to start an hour and half late. I also have come to really enjoy the rides from my site to to Piura city. The ride is actually pretty beautiful and on a good day, when I'm not crammed next to a smelly old man, I can take it all in. When I first got to site even the security guards noticed I was aggravated when things wouldn't happen on time. They would give me the international hand sign of "patience Brielle, we do things differently here."At first this would make me even more mad, but now, I find myself doing that to other people.
2. Spanish. Spanish. Spanish. This is a part of Perú that I will never learn enough about before I leave. I have started to realize that I'm understanding more and more of what people are saying to me. There are moments where I'm still completely lost, but I've gotten a lot better. It hit me the other day when I was getting off a bus and an American came up to me and asked me a question. I answered her questions and watched her walk off into the swarm of men yelling "TAXI" "MOTO" at her, and could hear her struggling with her Spanish. The last thing I heard was her getting ripped off on the price of her ride, and realized that-that was me merely 6 months ago. Oh how much I've grown.
3. SOMEONE PUT SOME TUNES ON! The constant stream of music in this town used to really bother me, but now I find myself sitting in a collectivo or on a bus and I'm wondering why no one is pulling out their cellphones to bust out some tunes. Where the heck is my Daddy Yankee?! It is something I know I'm going to miss about Perú. My friend Kelsey and I were walking down the street the other day and some great reggaeton song just started blasting out of nowhere. We caught ourselves dancing our booties off like "weird gringas" in front of EVERYONE. I've learned that we're already abnormal to most of these people here and most of the time they are laughing when I'm busting out "normal" dance moves... why not have some fun with it and be weird?
4. A support system is the best thing you can have as Peace Corps volunteers. Before I had left for the States I had asked people how they felt about Peace Corps and some people responded by saying they felt really alone. I can understand how they felt that way. As I've said in posts before this, moving to site was QUITE the adjustment. During training you form many friendships and you are constantly around people speaking your language, and then you find yourself in site with little to no communication (THANK GOD FOR RPM CALLING FREE FROM VOLUNTEER TO VOLUNTEER) with other gringos. I got really lucky here in Piura, not only are my group of Peru 17ers that are here... amazing, but the people from other groups are amazing as well. My BIGGEST piece of advice for new volunteers is to find people you can count on in a moments notice because I've found myself in situations where I needed help or maybe just someone to talk to. Having someone, in country, doing exactly what you do, that understands... is a great thing to have.
5. Everything SMELLS. I mean everything. I'm still not completely used to the smells of burning trash that welcomes to me home to the campo of Tamarindo. Then there is the smell of stagnant water. The smell of the farm animals out back. But then there are the good smells... like a fresh mango just cut open or churros being sold on a street corner. Perú, you have so many different scents.
6. I will always miss home, but, I got some great advice from my mother that I would like to post here.
"When you get homesick you have a tendency to make home out to be way more than it is... think about that. We miss you and would like to see you, just don't make home out to be this great thing you are missing out on. Remember it ain't all that."
You couldn't be more RIGHT mom. I am here for 2 years and then I get to go back HOME. I forget that the months I spent waiting to leave for Perú.... I couldn't wait to leave home. I have the coolest job out of most people back home (sorry friends, but its true). Ok... so having a non-working bathroom for a week and not having constant water can be really aggravating... but I also get to see some of the coolest things and experience a culture that most people will NEVER get to experience... and get PAID for it.
Because I haven't had the greatest internet I wasn't able to post all the videos from my Chachapoyas trip. Well folks, here you go... some more little clips of my very awesome vacation.
"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these." - George Washington Carver
Until Next time,
Brielle
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