My last trip to the semi-tropical areas of Celendin was quite a contrast to the ambience when I returned. It has been raining like there is no tomorrow and as a result; I am stuck inside quite a bit. I apparently have been very historical and politically oriented recently and have worked through both Bill Clinton´s autobiography and half my novel about Abraham Lincoln. A package I received from my dear mother today contained yet another war-related novel. I imagine that I’ll be running for congress when I return, with an agenda and knowledge of American history based solely off of biased Newsweeks that Peace Corps gives us, compounded with historical fiction and slanted biographies. I try to get into reading Spanish and improving my grammar, but at the end of the day, the last thing I want to hear or read is more Spanish.
With the advent of the rain, painting takes a backseat. Rain is seen as the devil’s work here and people do not go out in the rain. Rain is cold and cold gives people a host of ailments ranging from kidney failure to mango-induced fevers. The latter of these examples actually happened to me on Wednesday. I cut a slice of my mango off and gave it to my 3-year old host niece. Her mother gave me a stern look and reminded me of the fever Brit got from the last mango she ate. I forgot that mangoes are "cold" foods and cannot be eaten at night. As aiding this example, a conversation with another volunteer earlier today gave the instance where broccoli and cauliflower must be dipped in egg yolk and fried before being eaten because both bring the cold. Both also bring copious amounts of gas, but this is due to the cold, not the colon.
But it’s not like people dig the sun here, either. The help I receive when doing my painting often recedes into the shade when the sun is too bright. In the sierra, it is either raining or sunny. There is no medium. So basically, Sorochucinos enjoy their spectacular mountain views from the doorway because the actual environment creates too much of an environmental hazard.
But, we finished one mural. It is my "foods rich in vitamin iron" mural, complete with this fantastic painting of a cow and a fish. I’m quite a good cow-artist and will look into this for the future. We also included a scrumptious bowl of liver, spinach and lentils. While it looks rather juvenile, I have gotten tons of compliments and stares from people as they pass by the post. Grassroots public health is heavily based in low literacy or illiteracy, so pictures are a must. Progress is a bit slow due to the weather, but so it goes.
On a brighter note, and taking advantage of this awful pun, we finally got our light back on after 12 days of darkness. It was like a 5-star hotel. I didn’t actually mind the electricity being off because I got 10 hours of sleep every night. But when it did come on, the lone light bulb hanging from my ceiling looked like a spotlight. I lied on my floor, listened to some Jimi Hendrix that my friend Pat had sent me and just enjoyed not having to eat with a flashlight. Electricity outings are common and people were blown away by the fact that yes, in the states we sometimes don’t have electricity as well.
No water presents an interesting dynamic though. We didn’t have it for a few 3-day stretches at a time, and it’s smelly and disgusting. Major construction is still being done on the road and as such we need to shut the water systems off each day so they don’t break more of the pipes that they have already broken anyway. As a result, things get less-than-hygienic. I live in a restaurant with a public bathroom with a flush toilet and no water. Do the math. It is one of those times where I think about the tradeoff between running water and a latrine because latrines don’t need running water.
The municipality has been paying people from the local caserillos to come down and work, often walking upwards of 3 hours each way to make 15 soles a day chipping rocks like a chain gang. For comparison, 15 soles (at the current exchange rate) equates to probably about $4.50 for 8 hours of work, 6 days a week. Walking with these people is an act all to itself. I made the pilgrimage over the mountain to Salacat 2 days ago and made the mistake of shadowing this guy who had lived there all his life. Following a mountain man in sandals who has lived at 9,000 feet is not a good idea. He killed me in terms of speed and the sweaty gringo was puffing and panting when he reached the top, like he had run a marathon.
In other news, there have been a few mice in the vicinity of my room, which have gotten in because there are a few holes in the wall which lead to the outside. In true Peace Corps fashion, I simply stapled some plastic bags over the holes and then nailed some cardboard over the top instead of plugging them up with straw, bricks, wood, or any durable material. My makeshift walls really don’t do anything and at 5:18AM everyday when I hear the scratching, I simply roll over in bed, put in my earplugs and fall asleep. Mice are not worth my trouble at this point and they won’t kill me. Rabies is relegated to bats and rats.
Work wise, I started up my "Anything But Soccer" club. We play anything but soccer. There’s a mass exodus of kids from Sorochuco who follow me anytime I have a ball in my hand and I decided to harness this dedication and asked some of them if they want to ball a few times a week. Basketball is an event in itself; tripping, punching, scratching and swarming over the ball like a bunch of rats are par for the course and instead of refereeing and whistle-blowing when they simply run with the ball, I have relegated myself to breaking up fights. We’re going to try our hand at kickball, run the bases, 4-square, touch-football (I hope), volleyball and whatever hybrid games inspiration hits me with. But I have found that paying attention and organization often don’t work very well with kids who haven’t been trained in critical thinking. Soccer is easy to follow and on a small field, there isn’t as much organization or planning ahead. They do love it when they kick it between my feet though and it is clear I have absolutely no dexterity from the waist down. My dreams of becoming the next Ronaldinho will probably fall somewhat short.
Work wise 2, I got me a radio spot with Radio Sorochuco 2X a week and our first broadcast is in 2 weeks about pregnant women and family planning. This should be my big break into the world of mass media and I am excited to do this because it creates the opportunity to exercise some dwindling creativity on my part.
All in all.....rainy, political and lots of letter writing.
|
