Reflection on Peru

SO as I come to the end of my stay in Peru I´ve been thinking about everything that has happened in the last three months. I have a lot of mixed feelings, happy mixed feelings if that´s possible. There are manythins I´ll miss about this place and a lot I wont miss about this place. So, I made a list about both and here is the start to it:
Things I Wont Miss About Peru:
1.) The bug bites-no more fleas! no more scorpians!
2.) sleeping on a matress that dips in the middle
3.) the birds literally right outside the window waking me up
4.) the cold showers, or only slightly warm.
5) having to drink boiled water
6.) stupid taxis drivers and other peruvians who take advantage of tourists, jerks
7.) not having all the resources for school that you want as readily as you need it

Things I Will Miss About Peru:
1.) my host family, they were so kind, i felt like another part of their family
2.) working with my students, even if they didn´t behave well all the time.
3.) hanging out with the other volunteers
4.) the bakery on the corner...dang cook pastries!
5.) the pretty views of Peru
6.) how easy and cheap transport is here
7.) how easy it is to get anything here and how cheap it tends to be
8.) how laid back it is here
9.) the amount of walking I do, except to the office, not so much fun!
10.) the supoort and friendliness you get from people and staff

There is more to this, so I´ll had when I think about it, but maybe this gives people as general idea of how it is here.

Living in another culture

Living in a nother culture is really hard sometimes. It´s not like the people are horrible, but sometimes the language barrier is so exhuasting. There have been numerous times where I was at lunch with my cooperating teacher and other professors at the school and I didn´t understand a word of the conversation. My teacher didn´t help translate and I was completely lost. I wanted so bad to be part of the conversation, but didn´t have the language to converse. They probably think I´m anti social. The worse part though is when your students try talking to you and you don´t know what they are saying! I want to help them out so much, but it´s so hard. Then, my spoken Spanish is also not the best. I try so hard, and at least I try. I know I mess up all the time, and of course I get the looks of ¨what did you just say? I don´t understand.¨ Then of course I get laughs too. That is the most humiliating part. I don´t know if they are laughing at me or what I said incorrectly, or someting else. I get so self concious.

Today I had to teach solo, which I didn´t think would be a problem because they were supposed to be my easy classes, but I had such a hard time getting them to listen. I gave my fourth grade class a test and they wouldn´t be quiet. I´m pretty sure they cheated. I´ve wanted to cry so many times b ecasue of the language barrier and just the different ways they do things. Peruvians tend to be loud...like talke loud in the morning when you are sleeping or playing music late at night pretty loud. I don´t know, it´s hard to throw yourself into a new culture. Now I COMPLETELY understand how immigrant children in the U.S. must feel. I guess knowing this feeling I can help them better when I become a teacher.

sick

It is very easy to get sick here, Peruvians have tougher stomachs then us gringos (gringos is a term they use for foregin, white people. It isn´t a bad world like it is in the US). I thought I was being safe with washing my hands a lot and not touching or buying stuff off the streets. But I got sick Thursday. I was throwing up and some other not so fun stuff. I went to the doctor and was told I had an infection and a parasite! What fun huh? but all is ok. I felt like crap Thursday, but things are feeling better now. I can now eat food!They gave me a lot of medication and this really disgusting electrolite drink. I think that was by far the worse drink I´ve ever had! My host mom was really worried and make sure I took my medication. My muscles were so achy and she rubbed them for me and put a hot cloth on it. It felt so good and I was so thankful. I unfortunatly didn´t know how to thank her enough for everything she did. But I know she wanted to help. I´ll make sure to give the family a big going away present! ha ha

but no need to worry, all is ok, or wil be very soon. I miss everyone and some of the holidays the U.S. has coming up, but I am looking forward to Dia de los Muertos and other holidays Peru has coming up. chao for now!

all is good

I tried to pet the llama, it´s ears went back and i ran away. i didn´t want it spitting on me!

in a door and the ruins in ollantaytambo.

things here are getting better. I don´t have many problems any more with my teacher (knock on wood). I´ve been teachign more and things have been getting better. I try and take time to talk with students and I´ve noticed how more and more are coming up to me to talk. I found out today that one of my really bright studens knows four languages...quechua, spanish, english and dutch. He works at the ruins as like a guide so no wonder he´s bright. I told him I felt dumb compared to him since I only know one language really well. lol he just laughed and said no, but I looked good. HA HA! Teaching is still hard, I have a hard time explaining determiners and quantity words (some, any, much, many, a lot of). My teacher translates a lot, which is helpful when I can´t get the point accross, but other times I fear it´s too much of a crutch for the students. I would do some things differently for sure, but I have little control over that. There is stuff that my teacher does that is good...so I will be taking strategies from her home with me.

I´ve been traveling a lot on the weekends. A few of us volunteers bought the tourist boletto which gets you into a lot of the ruins and museums for free...it cost 130 soles or about 40 dollars. I didn´t see the museums, and got into Pisaq for free, but it was relaly cool to see eerything. It is a little hard to travel and make plans with a lot of the volunteers because I´m one of the oldest...they are mostly 17-20. It´s not the biggestt age difference, but it´s almost enough. They got really drunk Friday and lazed around most of the day Saturday where as I and another volunteer who´s 33 went to all the ruins we could see. Then Saturday we left Cusco early where as the others got home really late. It´s not a bad thing, but there is a difference between priorities, planning,a nd to some extent maturity. That had kinda of been getting to me lately. Don´t get me wrong, I really like the other volunteers and love hanging out with them, but at times I´m tired and I know I´m here to do more than just drink and party. I´m past that stage. Plus, partying with them Friday made me realize I really miss my friends back home. Partying with them is fun, but not the same. A few of the other volunteers are taking advantage of the laxed rules of drinking in Peru. I would too, so that doesn´t bother me...everyone needs drinking stories. I´m just ready to use my time here constructively. I really do love my other volunteers, they are smart, confident, and fun to hang out with. It´s another thing I need to be flexible about and take it as it comes.

I do have the traveling bug though, I want to go to Europe now! Anyone interested in backpackign Europe with me???

Update

Things seem to go by slow here, but fast at the same time. I caught a cold that has been staying with me for more than two weeks now. I went to the doctor today and got some medication...antibiotics. It cost about less than 50 American..so not bad, but still grumpy that I had to spend money to get well...just wish I had never gotten sick!

The teaching has gotten a little better. Last week was really weird in that I had to call in sick monday, left early Tuesday, the studens had ¨student day¨ on wednesday, no school Thursday, and taught Friday. But I met my teacher´s husband and after she proceded to tell me that they fight a lot. He works in a another mountain valley and so they only see each other once a month or somethig like that. She thought that he had anther woman on the side, maybe why they fought. She wanted to separate from her husband. At first I was very shocked to hear all of this, but it all kind of came together. She never seemed happy, always stressed. So I now know why and it breaks my heart. I feel really bad for her. I told her that she should talk to her husband about why they fight and that she needs to do what is happy. Unfortunatly, there is a little girl in the mix. Yesterday morning she told me that she did talk to her husband and things are a little better..but not perfect. I guess her dad even wants her to leave her husband. I just hope it works out ok, she´s a good perso, even if I don´t always agree with her teaching style, etc.

I actually played volleyball with my students today! volley ball is huge here, and every student plays. They are really good too! I sucked becaue I don´t play, but they were chearing me on...even if they were laughing a bit. But I do have a couple of male students that are really good at English and so they spent time with me today and we had a good conversation about music. I told them they should put together a cd of peruvian music for me to take home. lol!

I have a lot of bug bites all over me. my host brother was chiding me about how it was pulgas...aka fleas! i was upset..so i made sure to ask the doctor today and he though it was mosquito bites. whew! I found another scorpian trying to make his way into my room. The new joke in the house is that bugs are attracted to me....great. lol I´m meeting lots of new people here..a few are Americans so that is good! One from Canada whom I´m hoping to do some traveling with. The other volunteer living with me, Sharmila, is traveling for two weeks in October, so I´ll be alone! lol it´ll be ok. All in all things are great!

pics 2-macchu picchu

went to macchu picchu this weekend. fabulous! we hiked the inca trail from aguascalientes at 3 am. it was hard (plus i´m sick), but it was so worth it! then we hiked wanupicchu (sp?) which was also just as hard, but also so worth it! that place is just so awesome, so beautiful! never seen anything like it, especially the views of the mountians. very green.

pics

I´ve tried to up load befoer and it takes forever, so i´m trying againg right now.

teaching culture shock

Living here is just fine, I realy like. It almost feels normal, like at homw. But the teachign part is really hard. If Í´m going through culture shock, it would be in this area. The teacher does not know enough English and there have been many times in just a week that we have mis understood each other. She´s very load, I guess is the easiest way to explain it. Basically, learning English here is like taking Spanish or French in high school back in the States. The students really don´t care. My first day in the classroom, many students were talking when the teacher was and they got away with a lot. I wouldn´t put up with that at all! Then, she has me plan some activities, and we don´t even get to them. She has tried to tell me that my English grammar wasn´t right.....excuse me? oh, yesterday, we had like a two hour break and she left and I was stuck in Ollanytatambo with nothing to do! Going to an internet cafe was out of the question because it was 3 soles and hour where in urubamba it´s only 1. She likes to surprise me with stuff and change plans a lot. I know I should try to relax and take it easy, and try not to look at it from a Western, developed nation´s persepective, but it´s so hard! it´s not the way i would teach at all! I like to be prepared etc, I don´t feel like she is or is very organized.

Oh and another thing, each student is given a number, and that is how roll call is taken. Number one, are you present? si or no. It´s very weird. But, there´s like 40 students in each class and two sections per grade, so I see over 100, maybe close to 200, students a week. SO I can understand that. It´s just weird. It´s very different. It´s only been a weeka nd i feel like i want to scream and yell at her! It´s only a week, so I¨m hoping it gets better. The good thing is is that a few students have taken the time to talk to me, which makes me feel good. Plus I taught a lesson today and it went pretty well. For the most part, the students are great, but it´s a completely different atmostphere.
I am solo on Friday since my teacher is gone for the day. I get a class of senior aged boys all alone. How wonderful. I´m hoping it goes ok. I get a break tomorrow, I´ll take the time to plan and rest since I caught a little cold.

From Peru!

I fianlly made it here! Wow is it different, but as different as it is, I feel very comfortable here. Everything is very strange, including this keyboard Í´m typing on, so there´s a reason there might be a lot of errors. it is very third world here. there are so many dogs and cats running in the streets..no colloars, no identification. they leave you alone, and you just have to watch your step so you don´t step in any poo. the people are very nice and yes, i´ve gotten a few whistles, put no real stares or anything. my family is really nice and my spanish has picked up a lot, though i still only understand about 25 percent of what is being told to me. i have trouble saying what i want, but it´s only the second day.

this morning i was supposed to go to my school in ollantaytampo, but there was no one at the school! they apparently just cancel school on random days for any kind of celebration. but i will go again friday, thursday´s i have off. the bus ride was extremely different. they pack as many people in there as possible. today happened to be market day, so a lot of people were coming to urubamba to sell their goods. ollantaytampo is pretty, from what i saw. they have cobbled streets, much like in boston. they call it the inca city becaue there are ruins there and lot of the city was built by the incas. i think i´ll go there this weekend to walk around.

i met some of the other volunteers last night. most are from england, one from germany, and one other american! unfortunatly, most live in pisco, about an hour away. but they are fun. there is another volunteer living with me and my family. she´s nice and has only been here for a week, but has gotten around pretty well. she´s been helping me.

there´´s so much to tell that i don´t know where to start! once i figure out the picture part, i will post some pictures. it´s funny because i got picked up at the airport yesterday and they drove me quickly around cusco, at at all what i thought it´d be, and then drove to urubamba. they were driving "safe" but it was fast! so i did not get a lot of good pictures and i´ve felt too much like a tourist to take any more. but i will be taking some more once i feel more comfrortable and less liek a tourist.

mas a venir! chao!

Gifts

So these last few days before I go have been really stressful. I feel like there's so much to do! I feel like I'm going in so many different directions. But, I don't think there's a way I can be fully prepared, fully protected from anything with this trip. Today I spent most of it shopping for last minute items I need or would be nice to have. I guess now is as good as any to buy nice hiking pants and shirts that are breathable and dry fast. Blah blah.

I also spent a good amount of time worrying about what to get the family. It's customary/respectful to bring a gift for the family. It's also a good idea to give them something before you leave as well. The program director suggested something that represents your hometown. So I went looking for a gift store with Colorado stuff in it. And of course I couldn't find one. I ended up shopping at the Hallmark store and Boarders, which turned out not so bad. I got them a bag of Reese's Pieces, a mug that says Colorado on it which also has a nighttime picture of the mountains, Colorado made cherry jelly and tea, and then a thank you card along with this little metal trinket that is of a bucking horse and a cowboy on it. It's pretty cool actually. I almost bought a really nice magnet, but I don't know if they have a fridge, they probably do, but take the risk? I felt successful today with all my shopping, but now it's the packing. Anyone want to do it for me? Ha ha!

Why I"m going..

Almost everyone I've talked to has asked me why I'm going. Well, there's a lot of reasons. The most basic reasons are that 1) my job will be ending soon, or I wont be making as much so it'll be pointless for me to stay during the winter months 2)it's going to look great on a resume for any teaching jobs, and I'd rather have a teaching job than one working at a golf course (I love my job at the golf course, but the reason I went to school was to teach). Then there are more complicated reasons for why I'm going: I feel like I need to experience the world more. I've never been out of the country and feel like I'm missing out on an adventure. Everyone that has gone somewhere has said it's amazing..so why has it taken me till I'm 23 to go anywhere?! I want worldly experience and knowledge. I want to do something great and why not do it now when I'm young? Plus, I just need to get out for a little while, a new change of pace.

I'm going for three months to teach English in one of the small villages in the Sacred Valley, which is where Cusco and Macchu Pichu are. I'll be in a little town called Urubamba and Ollantaytampo (sp?). I've gotten the question of why I'm going there to teach English and not teacher English here...well good question. It's just the program I picked. I could have gone to study Spanish, but I felt I'd get more teaching experience/practice teaching English down there in hopes that it'll transfer to any experience here. Plus, I haven't gotten any call backs from any of the places I applied to for a teaching job (besides the ones in Lamar and New Mexico). Anyone who understands the education world right now knows that it's hard to land a job fresh out of college...there are those lucky ones. So this experience will provide me with skills to get that teaching job. Maybe I'll like teaching English instead of social studies.

This is only a test!

Ok, so my first post is to see if I did this right! lol This is my first blog so I'm not sure how this thing works. I should have had my sister show me how :) So, let me know if you could get on this thing ok, if the pictures showed up and if you were able to comment. Let me know anything that is weird or wrong. Thanks! I'll be updating everyone about Peru asap..I'll put pictures up and everything when I learn how to! :)