So Thursday was an insanely crazy day, first thing in the morning BJ came over to pick up his bed and stuff and we took it back to his town, carrying a mattress up the hills that he lives on was not fun, but at least now we know it won’t have to be done again. Then afterward we went to his principals house to present our solicitud for summer school, however the principal thought it would be a good idea to present it at the HUGE town meeting they were having that day at the school. So he agreed and I decided to hang around because later we were heading back to my town for the kindergarten graduation. Well before the meeting, we were wandering around and ran into his host dad leaned up against a building with a touniquet on his leg dripping blood, apparently he had sliced his leg open cutting rice in the field. And from the looks of it, it was really bad. Unfortunately the nurse in the health center was gone for the day and instead of anyone helping him people were standing around staring. I was really really worried about him, so I gave him my water and BJ asked someone for chair and we went wondering looking around for someone to take him to my town to get him help. It was very sad when we found that people just weren’t concerned and unwilling to help. Eventually we found a moto taxi to take him.
After that, we went to the meeting. It was at the school and all the parents were hanging out in this courtyard waiting for it to begin. It is really funny, but whenever there are meetings the men and the women divide and sit on opposite sides. Well when we walked into this courtyard everyone just stared at us. I am getting more adjusted to the fact that is happens everywhere I go, but I am still not comfortable with it. Initially I sat against a wall on the outskirts of the meeting, but then one of the leaders came and got us and put us in chairs at the head of the meeting. No matter what or where we always somehow get put into things as though we are the guest of honor.
After an hour or so into this meeting we realized it wasn’t what we thought, it was continous arguments over money and wanting to shorten the school week from 5 days to 3. I ended up having to leave early to get back to my town, but apparently 2 of the board leaders stepped down after I left and BJ said the meeting went no where.
When I got home, I was freaking out because I thought I was late for the Kindergarten graduation. However, I continuously forget that I am on Peruvian time, and even though my family said it started at 3 and I got home at 3:15, they hadn’t even started getting ready yet. So I got ready, and they encouraged me to wear this super cute new pair of heals that I had bought, even though it meant I was towering over them!!! Very literally, I felt like a giant!!!!
Now again, I need to preface things, my host family had asked me to take pictures, which I was very happy to do and had planned on doing it anyway. They also mentioned that I will need to charge people. I should have paid more attention to this.
So when we got to the graduation it was mini prom, the boys had on little suits and the girls had on this big flowy dresses, hair curled and makeup and heals. A little disturbing to watch 5 year olds so done up, but it’s a different culture!
We waiting until about 5 for anything to begin “Peruvian time”, and basically what happened was that the girls were paired with boys and they came into the classroom and were announced…this is when it got crazy for me. The parents kept pulling on me and asking me to take millions of photos of their kids and it was intense and only got worse. Afterwards, they made take multiple photos of each family with the teacher and their kids and front of these cakes, and after that millions of pictures of their kids dancing and then them dancing with their kids. It was insane because they kept pulling on me and pushing me around. And they had no patience when I was trying to get pictures of whoever had asked me first, they are very selfish in that sense and don’t respect me trying to help others. I was literally pulled in a thousand directions.
After all of that we had a dinner which was nice and I helped serve food. And then after that the drinking begin. Let me remind you, we are at the school at the kindergarten classroom. They brought in crates upon crates of beer. The entire time the kids just danced. BJ and I hung out through the whole thing, it’s always an experience. But then it took a creepy turn when people started getting really drunk. The way kids dance here is a little provactive, and at one point we were watching the little girls with their make up and heals dance in front of these drunk dads who were just staring and it had this horrible creepy vibe that made me sick to my stomach. Some traditions for me are just hard to take in because it borderline inappropriate in my book.
Fortunatley the festivities ended a little earlier then I expected and I was very glad for that. Sometimes I worry if there are limits put on anything.
The next morning I went with my host sister to collect water. We took the donkey and went a little ways to this little lagoon area and filled jugs with water to bring home. This place was beautiful and the water was very clean and clear. In fact, where they collect water, they had rocked off this little pool, and the water flowed into it and it was like it’s own little filtration system. No, I still don’t believe the water here is clean, but that little spot looked better then other places.
Later in the day, BJ and I went to Las Lomas to collect more stuff to get our houses in order, mostly food so we could start cooking, it was incredibly hot, so it makes it hard to go exploring when it’s that uncomfortable. But we did end up getting quite a bit of stuff, so that was good. Then, we grabbed lunch there…we think we have found our spot, the lunch was really good, but even better they had maricuya juice. Maricuya is this little hard shelled lime looking fruit (we having nothing in the US to compare it too), but it produces the absolute best juice I have ever had in my life. So the whole lunch didn’t even matter to me, it was the juice that made it fantastic.
Afterwards, we found a “taxi” to take us home. This “taxi” is a pick up truck. Like a little tiny pickup truck that has a little area behind the two front seat for people to sit. Well, to get home, they crammed 4 people in that back seat, and BJ and I were told to both sit in the front seat. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to share the front seat of a TINY little truck for 45 minutes????? Plus we drive on crazy rocky windy roads!!! It’s not fun!!!! My left arm had gone numb because it was clutching the door to hold myself up to give BJ more space who was sitting almost on top of the gear shifter. And my other arm was clutching the roof outside the window. It was terrible, but it’s the way it goes here, these taxi drivers don’t like to go anywhere until they fill their cars….way past capacity!!!!!!
Today I woke up to my family huddled in the kitchen. My host mom is having a really rough time because her brother is very sick in Lima. So tomorrow she and my little host sister are going to be going to Lima indefinitely, I am really sad about this but I completely understand. That is a difficult time for them. So they may not be here for Christmas either.
Later today I promised my little host sister we would paint, but first I think we are going to do some work in the fields, I asked to go so I can see what it is really like. My host Dad had to travel up the side of the mountain to a field that is located pretty much on top of the mountain and he has been sleeping there, they tell me it’s very far, but he’ll be back tonight. I give these people so much credit for how hard they work. Later, I think I am going to start working on formulating my diagnostic, I guess it’s time I get to doing some real work too.
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