Update, Two of Two

October 11, 2007

Saludos.

So I am happy to report that this week was much better than last week. I feel like bonding is starting to happen in my subgroup here during CBT. By subgroup what I mean is: all of my Community Economic Development sector (17 people) is here in Juan Lopez, but we are broken up into “residential language classes,” and our living assignments are so that we live with the people we have Spanish with. So by subgroup, I mean my Spanish classmates/neighbors, Jessica, Alissa, Charley and Tara. POR FIN! (Finally!).

Tomorrow morning (Friday Oct. 12) all the CED volunteers head back into the capital until Sunday for the PCDR Business Plan Competition, which is one of the capstone projects for our sector. It’s a youth group to promote business skills education and youth entrepreneurship, and the finalists get to travel to the capital for a weekend retreat. We’ll be staying at the same retreat center as when we first arrived in the country, and one of our first technical assessments is tomorrow: We have to lead 90 minutes worth of ice breakers with the kids who are attending the competition.

PS. I am not sure why, but it smells like PEE in my house today. Also, a funny side note. I’m not sure about other Spanish-speaking countries, but here is some slangy terminology for bathroom duties here: If you say “Yo voy a Miami” it means “I have to pee” (based, apparently, on the verb “mear” (mee-are) which means “to wet oneself” (I think). And “Yo voy a Chicago” means #2… also based on a verb that means “to shit,” I think, but I forget what the verb is and my dictionary is on the outside of my mosquito net…

I finally convinced the Dona to procure some fruit for me to eat, so the last couple days have been a bit more balanced, although I have been eating Mangu (see previous entry on plantains) just about every damn day. Oh, and yesterday for dinner I had chicken that had been walking around on the patio making chicken noises earlier yesterday afternoon. I looked out one minute and Chicken One and Chicken Two were running around happy as clams, and I looked out a few minutes later and their feet were tied and they were ominously still. I had wondered if this experience would gross me out (eating something that I had shooed away just hours earlier), but it didn’t; however, I’m pretty sure they just hacked the poor birds to bits instead of butchering them into normal “chicken pieces” and there were bits of bone scattered throughout, so I got some extra protein from eating the bone chips I couldn’t find in my mouth until I felt them on the way down. EWWW!!! I know it’s not Grub Worms yet, but I figure eating the chicken bones is good warm up. Also, I’m fairly certain that at some point I’ll be eating fried pork skin here… I forget what they call it though.

Okay, I better get going because I have a few emails to write and I need to go take my Aralen and Vitamin B (damn mosquitoes), but in case anyone is working on care packages, here are a couple of ideas J WinkWink.

- linen pants (about size 4)

- sleeveless cotton woven work shirts (about size 2)

- artisan fair-style wrap pants (Suzanne, remember the ones we saw at Country Fair?, how would you describe those?)

- peasant-style blouses with long sleeves, loose, cotton

- Clif brand Mojo Bars

- (mom, can you send my umbrella?)

- Citronella candles

- Fruity, chewy candy

Okay, I miss you guys! Anyone have any questions???

I’ve been getting a few good emails of news from home here and there, but there’s no such thing as too many. Keep ‘em coming, I miss hearing from everyone, even though I realize life is just as busy as ever.

Adios! Stay tuned for my first all-Spanish entry, I think I’m coming along well enough to be able to do it around when I finish training!!! How exciting!!!

Love,

Kira