Day four begins...

Backtracking to 8.27.10

I’m at the beginning of my fourth full day here in Bolivar and so far things here are wonderful. I am really really loving it. Now I know this feeling may pass seeing as four days is but a tiny fraction of the next two years but, for now, I am just totally thrilled to get things off to such a great start.

So what’s so great about it?, you may be asking. What’s helping me feel good here? What’s keeping me from sitting in my bed and watching “It’s Complicated” over and over again while I finish off the Tootsie Pops Auntie Lorraine sent me? Well, let’s see.

I have to admit that my bedroom is the first thing to come to mind. My bed is clean and cozy, my things are all neat and orderly and the few pictures and postcards I brought from home are wonderful reminders of family and friends but leave much room for new memories, family (adopted family, that is) and friends. I love it. I feel good in here- it’s private, comfortable, and is getting cleaner every day I’m here thanks to a little scrubbing and lots of sweeping. (…this place is WAY dustier than my room at home. Mom, I’ll never complain about dust again!)

Only drawback- the bathroom is outside and around the corner and, even more problematic, lacks soap, toilet paper, and, oh yes, a light. Interesting. That will take some getting used to but I’m hoping that can be a mini-project of mine- soap, toilet paper, and hand towel for drying. It is clearly worth the investment.

What else is good? My host mom. My entire host family actually- the brother and sister I’ve met so far are great. Not as young or pesado (annoying!) as my old host siblings but still young enough to be super intrigued by an American.

My host dad? Well, Chito is certainly no Joe Vassallo but Dave, my sitemate, seems to like him so I’m confident we’ll get along. He actually may turn out to be the male Peruvian version of Mary Ellen MacGeyver, constantly creating a new project for himself. While I’ve been here alone he has cemented part of the downstairs hallway, painted and repainted the living room, and completely rearranged the furniture in the entire house. That’s not even mentioning the pair of sandals he made last week (he used to be a shoemaker) or the constant and inexplicable sandpapering and hammering he does in the evenings while the family watches Jackie Chan movies.

My host mom, Rosa, is amazing. Michael had said that my family is great but will likely not help me with my Peace Corps projects. On the contrary, I think Rosa could be my most dedicated counterpart. I think she’s smart and talented without even realizing it. It would be so exciting to see her become a confident leader in Bolivar.

Women in general seem to have such a funny role here. They are responsible for a million things! Rosa milks the cow, feeds the pigs, cooks every single meal, cleans every piece of laundry, repairs her children’s clothes with her old-fashioned sewing machine, and still somehow finds time to make a little extra money crocheting blankets and ponchos. These women do so much and still, at the same time, take a clear backseat to the men of the household. When she hears her husband climbing up the ladder to our house, Rosa hurries to have a heaping serving of dinner on the table. She jumps to refill his plate of rice or cup of tea. And she drops what she’s doing to help him finish up a household project.

I’m not necessarily saying this is entirely different from gender roles in the United States. Many evenings my sisters and I have scrambled to clean up the living room when we hear the garage door opening for Dad. (“Shit, he’s home!”) It’s just something to think about especially when I start working with the younger girls in Bolivar. How do they see themselves and their futures? My dad has always made me feel like I could do or be anything I wanted. How do parents in Bolivar make their daughters feel? I will certainly have time to find out.

Spent much of the evening last night with Rosa and Lucy, the nurse that lives next door. Rosa taught me how to knit which, it seems, is my golden ticket into the inner circle of female life in Bolivar. We spent at least an hour crocheting, watching volleyball, and laughing- tons of laughing! They said I was happy and had lots of energy. I honestly think Rosa is ready to call me her own, which is great. I tried my best to explain in Spanish our “ladies who lunch” email chain (one of many that are keeping me sane in Peru) and they loved the idea. I said they were emails dedicated to chisme, or gossip, a staple of Peruvian society. For that reason, they told me, I will fit in well with them.

There is much more to say about why I’m happy here. The seeming abundance of potential projects, counterparts, and eager students I could find here, for example. But for now I should run. I’m heading to the nearby town of Nanchuk with my host dad and the mayor and don’t want to miss our ride. They told me we’d leave at 9am and since it’s 10:10 now I’d expect we’ll be leaving any minute now. Ah, la hora peruana. What they say is true: Life in Peru runs on its own unique and slow moving clock. Nothing for me to do but wait it out. Day 4 begins.