My new Home

My ears are ringing. A lot. Yet I can still here the discotec blaring raggeaton about a half mile down the street. I was told that the party will be going til 4am and I can't wait to see the debris laying in the street on my way to Spanish class 3 hours later.

As I walk one of the other volunteers back from our brief visit to the eardrum shattering fiesta, the rain starts its nightly trickle and the lightening in the distance lets me know that a storm is coming soon. Although new and exciting to me, the locals are not as enthusiastic about it. They have always had the rain here and even in the hottest months don't mind if it never comes back. This seems weird to me. The rain could be charged with being the sole reason this place is inhabitable. The lush green forests harboring pinas, plantains, coconuts, and a weird small fruit they call mangorin that taste like an unripened pear with a bitter aftertaste amongst others. I can get used to the rain. Even if it washes all the trash, excrement, and mud down the hill into the small channel of water next to my new house making navigating the small trail home almost impossible without slipping.

My new home is small. There are 4 of us in 3 three rooms and I can't help but think that Abel, the 9 year old would have his own room if not for me. There is no father in the house and I'm afraid to ask why. There are no doors. Only sheets where doors looked like they should have gone. This goes for the bathroom and shower as well and I'm almost positive my body has been withholding using the bathroom for any period of time as the only thing between me and complete embarrassment is a sheet flapping in the breeze. There is a small kitchen directly adjacent to my room and just outside that is where Dona Martha does the houses laundry. Besides the sewing machine, these two places is where you will find her most times. She is old, but charismatic and charming. This is her 11th “esperante” which roughly translates to aspiring Peace Corps Volunteer. This isn't her first rodeo.

The family is welcoming and polite. Giving me all the space I need to learn. And boy do I need to learn. My Spanish flat out sucks. Even though the family and others tell me its great. I feel lost most of the time just nodding my head yes. Abel is great because he has been studying english in school for the last couple years and can translate every once in awhile. He also loves to show me things around the area and will gladly accept a coke at the local convenient store if offered. I had been waiting a long time to enjoy a real soft drink and today was perfect for it. It was hot as all hell and after walking on a still bruised and possibly broken big toe, an ice cold, cane sugared, thick bottled, 257ml of Coca Cola Classic felt like heaven in a bottle. I never drink soda in the states but for some reason it just feels right here.

We have two dogs of which two have tried to bite me. Dona Martha tried to warn me but I thought I could charm those perros with my American smoothness. Apparently I have watched to much of the dog whisperer because those little bastards tried to kill me. That aside the family and house is great. Having no running water is probably a good thing considering I will most likely not have a bathroom when I go to my site in 3 months. This will take a little getting used to as I absolutely love my hot showers. I hope my host mother didn't hear my yelping as I poured cold buckets of water on myself when I got back. I wouldn't want my host family to think I'm one of those weak Americans.

There are so many new and great smells to this country and the experiences are piling up already. Tomorrow is our fist day of language class and eager to learn more. I realize now that great Spanish knowledge will be the key to creating change in my community. They must be able to understand me to respect my opinions and decisions if I want to enact any type of change in the community. Its been awhile since I used any Spanish and my brain hurts from trying to think of which words mean what. It's more exhausting than you think. I'm now off to watch Ice Age 2 in Spanish with Abel. Chow for now...