Time in Lima (Chaclacayo) is winding down and soon I’ll be off to San Miguel. Last Saturday we had a final day at La Agraria where we were honored with certificates, some seeds to plant at our sites and a yummy organic salad for lunch. Afterwards we headed to the Peace Corps office for our final language interviews. I thought mine went well, not great, but definitely waaaaaaay better than the one I had my first day in Peru. After the interviews, I walked over to Ace Hardware (believe it or not they have it in Lima) to buy rubber gloves and some flea spray. Gloves to wear while washing my clothes in the freezing cold water of San Miguel, and Flea Spray for my bed – apparently I’m going to need it. Oh I can’t wait to get to site!
This afternoon we received our language results and I ended up at Intermediate High. Only one level higher than where I started but I can’t say that I deserve to be Advanced. I know I improved more than just a little bit, which confirms the fact I was placed too high to start with. Not like it really matters anyway, as long as you are Inter. Med. you are allowed to go to site so I’m all set anyway. Unfortunately two people had bad interviews and have to stay behind for an additional week of language classes.
Today was the last day of actual training and they made us go through a final test. A combination of scenarios we might find ourselves in at one point or another during our two years. We had to rotate through 7 stations as we proved ourselves ready to serve. My favorite was Ivan (facilitator for small business) coming up to me pretending to be a professional photographer and asking me to model for a calendar, en mi traje de bano (bathing suit)! I had say no and with out laughing my ass off, politely ask him to leave me alone. A similar situation occurred outside where Coco (my language instructor) creepily followed me down the street making inappropriate comments and cat calls. Apparently I did the right thing by just ignoring him. Others couldn’t help but laugh at the things that were coming out the language teachers mouths and they busted up so bad that they failed and had to go back to that station 2-3 times. The only one I failed at was trying to hail a taxi because the one I got into, they had placed a person hiding in the back seat, “ready to attack me”. Apparently you’re supposed to check through the window before getting in. Oops! Other people had ask how much it was to take a combi and while asking, they got kidnapped and they combi drove away with them in it. That would have been so much more fun, and probably would have scared the shit out of me too.
This afternoon we had a party for the host families. It was our chance to say thank you for all the stuff they have done for us. Not to sound pompous but we’ve made a huge impact on them over the last 11 weeks. Imagine, a small family from the middle of nowhere Peru has a “real live person” from Los Estados Unidos living with them as part of their family for 3 months… It must have been an experience to say the least. When they arrived to the party their eyes lit up with sparks and they sprinted over to us hugging and clinching on as if never to let go. I’ve never seen a group of people so excited and sad at the same time. They were so proud to be with us, and to call us part of their family and yet they knew within a matter of hours we would be leaving them and heading off to “bigger and better things”. As my host mom said to me the other day (but in spanish of course), “its always easier to say goodbye for the person that is leaving because they have so much on their mind about where they are going and what they will be doing. Those that are staying, its harder for because all they can do is watch the other person leave.” For the first time I think I totally agree with her and as I went to nod, yes, I realized that part of what she was saying is that my family is really say to see my go, and it doesn’t appear that I even care. Wow, that isn’t really true is it? I’d have to agree it’s a combination of both. I am excited to move on, and to get to my site, but at the same time I can’t say its really that I’m reluctant to leave. I felt really bad when for the second time this week my mom’s eyes swelled up with tears. What was I supposed to say?? Oh, how I will forever miss the sound of 14 roosters waking me up at all hours of the night, and the taste of her fish saturated in cups of oil and accompanied with tasteless cucumbers and a mound of rice, day after day after day. I figured that wasn’t the best choice of words, especially for all she’s done for me to offer some comforting words. The best part about being mediocre at a language is you have an excuse to not be able to express you feelings very well. Besides, it was good I tried to show some compassion because my family was really kind and went way out of their was to bring me home pizza for dinner tonight. Awwwwww.
I just finished packing all my stuff and I’m not quite sure how but I have a lot of shit, a lot more than I came with. The other day I even gave away my tent, my prized possession that I loved so much…. I donated to Cesar and his family in Chincha, Drew’s uncle that lost his house in the earthquake. When I heard they were sleeping outside under nothing but blankets, on the same grass I had lavishly camped only a month ago, I couldn’t help but offer my tent. They need it more than I do. So with that gone, you’d think I’d have more space in my luggage but no. You can’t forget add to the mess the things I’ve acquired since I’ve arrived like my pillow, towel, yoga mat, two pairs of jeans and a nice pair of pants (did I tell you I ripped my nice pants right down the ass while jumping on my director’s trampoline the night of the quake? …..yeah. or about the other pants that I somehow managed to get brown paint smack in the center of the butt? ….. yeah). That’s not even counting the 25+ pounds of books Peace Corps has given me, where the heck do they expect me to put that?? Somehow I think I fit everything into my big back pack, my small back pack, my duffel bag, and a crappy plastic bag I bought at the market. Hmmm, I hope they don’t charge me for being over the allotted amount for luggage…
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