Saturday, March 16, 2013

A Quick Update

We finished up our rough draft of our community diagnostic, Kitty is still adorable, I just got back from Early In Service Training in Lima for the health program, and Menda leaves tonight for the environmental equivalent.

The rough draft of our diagnostic is very rough. The Spanish in it must be just awful. We still have a few last data to retrieve, and we should be presenting it to our municipality within the month.

We have more pictures of Kitty, but we´ll have to upload them some other time.

EIST was actually pretty useful. If I´m entirely honest, after completing the diagnostic and summer school, I was feeling pretty unsure what to do next in site. I know my program goals, I know what I should accomplish by the end of my service, but somehow that knowledge didn´t translate into,  "What am I going to do tomorrow?"  I´m still not certain, but I feel a lot more confident in my uncertainty now.

About two weeks into site, I twisted my ankle, not badly, and ever since then have been retwisting to a lesser degree never quite allowing my ankle to heal. Then about 3 weeks ago I really twisted the crap out of it. I was stepping off the stoop of our mayor´s house, couldn´t see the curb that was underneath - and that really needn´t be there at all as it doesn´t do a thing, and right he stepped out of his house I was sitting on a bench howling. Menda delivered our solicitude and then helped me hobble back home - thankfully only about 20 or 30 meters away. I elevated it, stuck it in a tina of ice cold water, and two days later it still hurt, but I could walk without limping or anything. Problem solved... except the swelling that never receded and the constant retwisting that occurred in its weakened state. So I went to see a doctor while I was in Lima, got some x-rays, and now I can´t run or play sports on it for a month and a half, because I guess I broke some tiny bone in there somewhere. I have some cream and pills that are supposed to bring the swelling down, but it´s still not clear if everything is healing right. Regardless, it´s too late now. (Disclaimer: the Peace Corps doctors were consulted the night I twisted it, and they wanted me to go to Huaraz for an x-ray, but I refused. Whoops.) The big bummer, however, is that this weekend is the first annual (that´s for you, John) volunteer 5k, 10k, and half marathon. And ironically enough, I bought soccer shoes while in Lima so I can play pick up ultimate in Huaraz on Fridays and so I can play on my mayor´s soccer team on Sundays. Oh well. I guess I still have a few years.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Map and a Kitty

Not too much different here. We´ve been working hard to finish up both summer school and our community diagnostic, yet, somehow in the middle of all that, we´ve still found the time to paint a 4 meter wide world map with some of our students and adopt a kitten. I think were calling him, "Kitty." Our host brother found him hiding in the corn in the chakra that is our backyard.

[PICTURES]