And the Days get hotter!!!

In some quick updates here that will not be so quick. Apparently there was a earthquake from the volcano a couple nights ago I didnt feel.. hmm not sure how I feel about that. It is beautiful to look at the volcanos every morning when I wake up.. but the fact that they are active, slightly unnerving at times! If my family didn´t think I was already crazy for running in the mornings they do now that I started excercising with a stretch band in my room. Oh the cultural differences, it makes life interesting.

Life moves quite slow during the day here, but the days seem to go by fast in general. I have already been here for over a month. Sometimes I feel like I am making bounds and leaps, but other times I feel like I have so much more to learn and that I am not really accomplishing anything. I must keep reminding myself that Peace Corps is not only about visible results but also about cultural exchange between the people and myself. I started running in the mornings here and have gotten several of the kids around my age and a bit younger to run with me. It´s not far, only three miles, but not only is it good for my own exercise but it gives them something to do as well.  I try to talk about health whenever I get a chance here. That is something that is definitely, knowledge about germs and cleanliness. Washing of the hands happens, but most frequently with out soap. People get sick a lot and don´t seem to realize that just because you can´t see the germs doesn´t mean that they aren´t there.

            So I have been hearing alot lately over the differences between men and women in relationships in this country versus the states. Machismo is a huge deal over here. A lot of the time it seems like men have the freedom to do nearly anything they want, whereas some of the woman rarely ever leave or are even allowed to leave their homes. I am starting to get frustrated with the number of times I have met different men that tell me they are single only to find out they have a wife and a child in the next town as well as a girlfriend. This is such a foreign concept to me. This has sparked many interesting discussions amongst myself and my friends here.

            Well Christmas came and went here.. I must say it didn´t feel much like Christmas without the cool weather and the Christmas songs in English. Some families in my site put up Christmas trees but that was nearly my only clue as to the time of year. The weather was, and still is, in the 80s and 90s! All of the town different families set up temporary bars for the holidays and also for the Patron Saint Celebrations that occurred 26^th to 28^th of December. It was crazy. People everywhere til all hours of the night with the typical loud music, but lively to be sure! For the celebrations the families all bought ducks to use in this contest where you hang the ducks upside down by their feet and then try to rip the poor ducks heads off as you gallop by on your horse… Maybe I will try to implement this event back in the states, haha. Well my family decided to tie up the duck to the post outside of my door on Christmas Eve. The dog kept messing with it, but my family didn´t pay much attention to this. Therefore.. I woke up Christmas morning to my grandmother shrieking that the dogs had killed the duck! Poor thing, didn´t even have a chance! They didn´t just kill it either they ripped its poor neck to shreds. So my mom took it, cooked it, and fed it to the guys working on the bull ring. I was just glad I didn´t have to eat it!

            The Bull Ring … So the built a huge bull ring next to our house for the celebrations of the Saints. It was awesome. They brought in all these bulls from neighbouring farms and had bull riding. It was definitely different from in the states. I would have to say it is quite a bit more dangerous as well! The bulls were crazy. One smashed right through the metal gate… still with the man riding on top. I also watched a cock fight for the first time, that was interesting and a bit bloody as well.

            All to say the holidays where quite the cultural experience, along with the piñatas, crazy fireworks and exploding bulls, and the screaming children. I have not experienced anything quite like it before, but I am very glad I did!

            I am not in the process of moving into my own house. There are a lot of repairs that must be done however before I can move in. Termites in the roof, holes in the brick wall, no locks on the doors, yeah it is going to be a good deal of work but I am looking forward to getting it going! My new neighbours are really cool as well which makes things even better. One major thing that must be fixed before I can move in however is the shower… it barely comes up past my stomach… I need to be shorter in this country!

            Building trust amongst the people here can be so difficult at times, yet at other times seems to come naturally. There are so many opportunities I see here to work and I am hoping that people are willing to try new things. I just had a man come talk to me the other day about doing some experimental fields of his with only organic methods this coming harvest instead of with chemicals. I am really excited to see how that works out and only hope that his interest stays! I am starting to build more trust with people here. I love when people come ask me when I will come to their house to talk with them next. This coming week I am going to have a meeting with three of the community leaders about starting a community bank. I am excited about it. I have talked with several others about the idea and they really are interested. I will keep you updated about that!

            Well since I have written a short novel I will wrap this up with a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!!!!