A month and a half in
Another two weeks have passed by, this time a bit slower than the past couple. I had been quite spoiled with a steady flow of activities for the first month on site. Now that we’ve reached the normal pace of life here in Tunal, I’ve had an absurd amount of free time on my hands. This has its advantages as well as its drawbacks. For one, I’ve had more time than I’ve had for the past however many years to really reflect on life and have some quality alone time (more alone time than I’d prefer!). Because of my continuing inability to fluently communicate on site, I turn my ideas into internal dialogue. I suppose this is a healthy thing. I’ve also had ample time to listen to music, play guitar and even….read… yeah, you know I’ve got too much time when I finish a 371 page novel in 4 days!!(I’ve been reading Kite Runner which has turned out to be a quality book).
The downside of having hours to oneself is that it really drags on. Days feel like months. It’s during those times where my mind also wonders to what life in the states must be like right now. It makes me long to have just one day to be able to walk down the street and harmlessly eavesdrop on conversations-- not because I want to hear what they’re saying, but simply because I know the language so well that I can’t help but understand what’s going on!!
Life here at this point, as you can tell, is really an emotional rollercoaster. Some days I wake up and just couldn’t be happier with where I am or what I am doing. Other days I have to do everything I can to convince myself that I can survive two year here. Fortunately the good days outweigh the bad, and I’m slowly learning to smooth out the highs and lows.
I can’t say that anything extremely notable has happen in the past 14 days. I’ve really been focusing on the whole Spanish learning thing, and am constantly daring myself to step out of my comfort zone to converse with new faces. I have yet to find a permanent residence. For one reason or another it appears that I will not be living with the family with whom I originally had planned. I continue to live out of a suitcase in one of the guest rooms of the Municipality. It’s not so bad, however I look forward to actually unpacking my bags and having my own place….patience…that’s the key word in my life right now!
I have started to teach English in the primary school one day a week. This past Monday I took my guitar to the school and taught them the alphabet song. It’s not as if I, for even one second, think that they’re actually going to learn English, but rather it’s a way for me to get to know them a bit better. I mean, heck, I’ve been living in this country for four months now, and I’m still a good ways away from where I desire to be with language proficiency…so one day a week for a half an hour per class is not quite going to do the job.
One bright spot for the past couple weeks is that I have been able to get to know a number people better, and I feel quite comfortable walking out into the unpaved streets to greet my neighbors. One night I was up until 5:30am at a despedida, or going away party, for one of the dentists. We danced for hours. As you know, I’m not a huge dancer, but I really don’t have a choice here as it’s a pretty big part of their culture.
Food-wise, I am slowly beginning to appreciate the mound of plain rice that accompanies just about every dish. I like pretty much every plate except for one breakfast dish with consist of a saucy mixture of potatoes, carrots and what appears to be pieces of slightly undercooked chicken skin….with rice, of course. But really, the food is quite good. I’ve also had some of the freshest fruit juice that I’ve had in my life—straight from the tree. I’ve also grown accustom to drinking powdered milk which I bought in the city. It’s nothing like the frech, cold, skim milk from home, but I’ll have to do for another few months. Here they only drink milk warm, like tea, with sugar. Cereal with milk remains an undiscovered gem. They do have oatmeal which they call quaker(which sounds a bit different in Spanish). It took me a while to actually make the connection that it was oatmeal. What they call oatmeal, I would barely classify as such. It’s really more like making oatmeal and then straining the oats out, leaving only an opaque water with a few solid chunks. The last time I was in Piura I purchased a few bags of oatmeal so that I can some day make the real thing. I’ve also been rationing a bag of Reeses Pieces and two dark chocolate candy bars that my and Dad sent me. I’m nearing the end of the bag of Reeses, so each day I limit myself to about 5-10 pieces.
Anyway, I couldn’t really asked for a quieter, more relaxed life. It’s not without its drawbacks, but all things considered, I’m definitely fortunate to have this opportunity, and I’m content with where I am. Sometime it really seams unreal.
The downside of having hours to oneself is that it really drags on. Days feel like months. It’s during those times where my mind also wonders to what life in the states must be like right now. It makes me long to have just one day to be able to walk down the street and harmlessly eavesdrop on conversations-- not because I want to hear what they’re saying, but simply because I know the language so well that I can’t help but understand what’s going on!!
Life here at this point, as you can tell, is really an emotional rollercoaster. Some days I wake up and just couldn’t be happier with where I am or what I am doing. Other days I have to do everything I can to convince myself that I can survive two year here. Fortunately the good days outweigh the bad, and I’m slowly learning to smooth out the highs and lows.
I can’t say that anything extremely notable has happen in the past 14 days. I’ve really been focusing on the whole Spanish learning thing, and am constantly daring myself to step out of my comfort zone to converse with new faces. I have yet to find a permanent residence. For one reason or another it appears that I will not be living with the family with whom I originally had planned. I continue to live out of a suitcase in one of the guest rooms of the Municipality. It’s not so bad, however I look forward to actually unpacking my bags and having my own place….patience…that’s the key word in my life right now!
I have started to teach English in the primary school one day a week. This past Monday I took my guitar to the school and taught them the alphabet song. It’s not as if I, for even one second, think that they’re actually going to learn English, but rather it’s a way for me to get to know them a bit better. I mean, heck, I’ve been living in this country for four months now, and I’m still a good ways away from where I desire to be with language proficiency…so one day a week for a half an hour per class is not quite going to do the job.
One bright spot for the past couple weeks is that I have been able to get to know a number people better, and I feel quite comfortable walking out into the unpaved streets to greet my neighbors. One night I was up until 5:30am at a despedida, or going away party, for one of the dentists. We danced for hours. As you know, I’m not a huge dancer, but I really don’t have a choice here as it’s a pretty big part of their culture.
Food-wise, I am slowly beginning to appreciate the mound of plain rice that accompanies just about every dish. I like pretty much every plate except for one breakfast dish with consist of a saucy mixture of potatoes, carrots and what appears to be pieces of slightly undercooked chicken skin….with rice, of course. But really, the food is quite good. I’ve also had some of the freshest fruit juice that I’ve had in my life—straight from the tree. I’ve also grown accustom to drinking powdered milk which I bought in the city. It’s nothing like the frech, cold, skim milk from home, but I’ll have to do for another few months. Here they only drink milk warm, like tea, with sugar. Cereal with milk remains an undiscovered gem. They do have oatmeal which they call quaker(which sounds a bit different in Spanish). It took me a while to actually make the connection that it was oatmeal. What they call oatmeal, I would barely classify as such. It’s really more like making oatmeal and then straining the oats out, leaving only an opaque water with a few solid chunks. The last time I was in Piura I purchased a few bags of oatmeal so that I can some day make the real thing. I’ve also been rationing a bag of Reeses Pieces and two dark chocolate candy bars that my and Dad sent me. I’m nearing the end of the bag of Reeses, so each day I limit myself to about 5-10 pieces.
Anyway, I couldn’t really asked for a quieter, more relaxed life. It’s not without its drawbacks, but all things considered, I’m definitely fortunate to have this opportunity, and I’m content with where I am. Sometime it really seams unreal.
posted by Ryan Nelson | 4:38 PM
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