Resource List

2 Screwdrivers
5 Volunteer trainees
350 Elementary school students
2 National anthems
1 Play about self-esteem
1 New set of sheets
5 Besos de moza


I'd like to share my resource list for last week and I have to tell you that I am totally exhausted. I had a blast with the new volunteers who came to visit as part of their training. When they arrived to Piura we took them directly to Cappucino's, our favorite restaurant which serves screwdrivers with fresh squeezed orange juice. In the morning, I asked them to put on a play about self-esteem for all 350 of my students. They went to both of the schools where I work and did it up. All the kids were into meeting the gringos and asked them all kinds of questions about themselves and life in the US. They even asked us to sing the national anthem. We did a fairly painful but, very well received rendition. Then, all of the students sang the Peruvian national anthem to us. The language facilitator responded with a traditional ballad from Lima and finally my dear friend, the first grade teacher sang a traditional song from Northern Peru about Algarroba, a tree related to Mesquite that is native to this area. It was the most beautiful impromptu karaoke cultural exchange I've ever witnessed.

This week, in processing and reviewing the play in health class the kids were able to tell me the message loud and clear. Apparently, it worked great and Peace Corps certainly has some interesting lessons up its sleeve. Kids still are not my thing despite all the time I spend with them here. I like what I'm doing for now, but I'll be glad to not be a health teacher anymore when I go back to the US. I'm trying to figure out how to make a second master's degree in something that will let me be a therapist/counselor worthwhile financially. I'm glad that I went to grad school, but it was not that great for my pocketbook. Of course, neither is Peace Corps...

With the Language Facilitator here I was reminded of how bad by grammar still is and I'm inspired to try to make it better. It's really a question of me being lazy. I need to pay attention to the way I speak. I became fluent in an Ecuadorian trial by fire when I was 15. I landed in rural Ecuador all alone and needed to get by so I just started talking and trying to understand and be understood. When I went back to school I failed the only class that I have ever failed, high school Spanish. Thinking about all of that made me nervous and I was forced to indulge in my new favorite food Besos de Moza… one a day to be precise. In English this means a kiss from a pretty girl. Cute, no? It’s a cookie with a large dollop of marshmallow cream on top that is completely covered in chocolate. Like a cool s´more without a campfire. Totally amazing.

And, I almost forgot to mention that in all of this busyness my new kitten got really mad at me for not being at home and my helpful neighbor closing my back door so he couldn't get it his litter box. His revenge was to pee on my bed. In all honesty I haven't had a pet since I was 18 so I had forgotten the love that is cleaning up after animals. Here's what I learned: follow with hand washing and one more Beso de Moza.