Poco a poco

The most frustrating part of my Spanish right now is that while I can hold a conversation and understand what is going on, I can’t fully express myself like an adult.  I tried to explain to Rita and Pilar that it’s like having the mind of an adult, but only being able to express yourself with the eloquence of a very small child.  They smiled and nodded, but also gave me the universal I’m-not-sure-what-you’re-saying face.

Every time I have a frustration about not knowing how to say what I want, Rita smiles at me and says, poco a poco.   Little by little.  Sometimes when I’m really frustrated, she extends the syllables so that it’s more like po-o-o-o-oco a poco, as though the longer you say the word, the more reassuring it will be. 

The new question around the house this week seems to be ¿Estás acostumbrada…? Are you accustomed…? Whether it’s the food, my bed, or the house in general, everyone wants to make sure that I’m getting used to living here.

It’s been less than two weeks, but the things I’ve already learned to do are :

•  Ride a combi (small mini-buses, packed with people, that move with such urgency that you barely step on and it is already driving away)
• Wash my clothes a mano
• Buy food at the market
• Cook arroz con leche (among many other soups and sauces that Rita is teaching me)
• Say “I’m full” in Quechua (sac-sarunya: probably one of the most useful phrases ever)
• Correctly pick through lentils, quinioa, and barley for small rocks
• Play 2 songs on the guitar (Jorge is teaching me, and although I play slowly and quite poorly, he smiles at me as though I’m a guitar genius)

Some interesting things that have happened along the way:

1.       We got a puppy!  He still doesn’t have a name, but he is incredibly playful, and spent much of Saturday afternoon attacking my feet as I walked around washing clothes and hanging it on the clothesline.
2.       On Saturday, a large group of trainees went to Laureles for the Festival de la Virgen.  Some of us arrived just in time to not only witness the procession of the Virgin (an alter with a figure of the Virgin, adorned with flowers), but when a group of young, eager gringos was spotted, we were recruited to help carry the Virgin up the hill.  We spent the rest of the night dancing to folk music.

The procession up the hill

La Virgen

Poco a poco, I am becoming acostumbrada.  Some things are harder than others, but my optimism has not yet dwindled.  And at the very least, there is now a very small puppy on the roof, who does not care if I can’t remember how to conjugate a verb.

Home, Sweet Home

I made it!

After a day in DC, all 57 of us Peru 20 Trainees flooded into the airport and found our way onto a plane to Peru.  We arrived late, gathered our things, and walked out into the Peruvian night with eyes wide.  We had made it.  We were piled onto buses and carted to a retreat center outside of Lima where we spent 2 nights.  During these days I have met and gotten to talk to so many like-minded people and it is wonderful being in such a welcoming and interesting group of individuals.  I was, however, anxious to meet my host family and settle in. 

Waking up to beautiful mountains at the retreat center

Exploring!

Finally, my prayers were answered, and I met Rita.  My new family consists of Rita, her husband Jorge, her 29 year old son Richard and his wife Pilar, and Rita’s daughter Lily who is my age. We came back to Yanacoto, one of the many small communities outside of Lima, and she showed me my new home.  My room is large, with its own door and there is a small sink and toilet right outside in the hall (privacy added with a curtain).  On this floor there is also a large sitting room and Pilar and Richard’s room.  Lily has a room upstairs.  Also upstairs is the kitchen which is attached to the small store that Rita and her husband, Jorge, run.  Through the store is Rita and Jorge’s room, along with a bathroom that has the shower.  Up another level is a patio with long clothes lines, a bird cage with three small yellow birds, and a small enclosure with a very young chicken.

Rita and I ate lunch, and then I unpacked.  Then, enormously relieved, I went upstairs where Rita was beginning to prepare dinner.  It took a bit of convincing, but eventually she let me help cook and we made soup with squash and potatoes and chicken.  While the soup was simmering, Rita showed me her garden.  She has papaya, banana, fig, and lime trees, and countless other plants.  She brought me through all of them, letting me smell leaves, and explaining the medicinal or culinary value of everything.  While some smells I recognized (chive, parsley, oregano), others were foreign and the translations were completely lost on me.  Rita’s garden is complete with 6 guinea pigs (which she is very excited to eat) and 2 chickens.  Apparently there used to be more chickens, but she also used to have a dog who killed them all.  Despite the loss of her chickens, she seemed very sad that her dog had recently died.  Rita then grabbed some long leaves from a plant and we went inside where she used them made tea that tasted slightly of lemongrass. 

My room!

Rita's garden

Our excursion for the night was to a large grocery store where we bought my Tupper so that Rita could pack me lunch.  We chose two: one for lunch and another for fruit.  After a delicious dinner with Jorge, we relaxed for a bit, and then went to bed. 

It has been a hectic few days, but it is very relieving to have a home.  Rita is very motherly, holding my hand when we cross streets and patiently helping me with my Spanish.  She has promised to teach me to sew, cook Peruvian food, and speak Quechua.  The rest of the family is equally welcoming I am feeling very good about living here for the next 10 weeks.  

Adventure is out there!

Before I strap metaphorical helium balloons to my life and float away to Peru, I feel like I should write about my summer.

I spent most of the summer studying for the MCAT, which wasn't all that much fun.  But while I locked myself away in a small, dark room during the day, I did get to do an extraordinary amount of hiking.  My daily schedule was involved a very wet dog tongue waking me up at 6 am, hiking for a few hours, studying all day while Logan went between sleeping in the sun and sleeping in the shade, then bed early to start the whole thing over again.  

Basically my life revolved around studying and the dog.  In retrospect, it really wasn't a bad life.

A trail off of Berthod Pass

Garden of the Gods

Snow in July?  ...a very happy dog.

The first part of Jim Creek Trail

Colorado did have a few major setbacks this summer, including the Waldo Canyon Fire.  It was much too close for comfort.  This is the view of the fire from our house in Colorado Springs, just before it jumped over the ridge and started burning houses.

 In August, MCAT over, I got to head back to Hamilton and lead a trip for Adirondack Adventure.  The best way to unwind post-MCAT was hanging out and eating copious amounts of Nutella with one of my favorite groups of people in the world.

Team Kale, about to start moving kids into their rooms

Welcoming the Freshman to the Hill

My on-trail birthday cake

The Ausable Avengers!

And of course, scattered throughout the summer were family gatherings and various parties!

A family picture at my dad's 60th birthday party

My graduation/birthday/going away party

Finally, packed and ready, I am about to head to DC for staging, and then its off to Peru!