Another Day in Paradise

So much to tell, so little time. We have our first exam this week and I am a bit nervous but I am sure everything I have crammed in my mind will ooze out when I get to the test. I spent this last weekend visiting a current Peace Corps Volunteer living in the southwest of the country. The transportation was great except for the promised air conditioning broke after the first hour into the trip. The campo I visited was really…well normal. It had everything a normal town would have and plenty of schools and places to workout! That was a plus for me. On the other hand, there was not much to do there but I did get to see a couple of the programs that the PCV had begun and it gave me some insight into some things I could do in the future. I am anxious to get things started but I am also enjoying being around 50 other Americans for the next 7 weeks. We had two trainees quit after the weekend and it sent a weird vibe throughout the others. I can’t blame them, this is not always the dream we had imagined it to be. But it takes time and we will readjust and adapt to our new lives here together. It was cool to see the other Peace Corps Volunteers who had been here already for a year and have a great relationship and several funny stories to share with us. The campo life was fine but being a guest in someone’s house is never an enjoyable experience. At least for me, I never want to be a burden on them so I go out of my way to make sure I am as pleasant as a guest could be and it is usually tiresome. The last day however we met up with other volunteers at one of the most beautiful locations I had ever seen. There were few people there and the river that came down from the mountains rolled into some man-made pools and finally came into the ocean. Not all the beaches here are clear blue and sandy, many of them are really rocky but beautiful none-the-less. That same night we stayed in a villa on a cliff overlooking the ocean. In the US it would run about 250 a night, we had three bedrooms at seven US dollars a night! It was a great time and really let me relax. It was a wonderful to know that these places existed on the island and that anytime I wanted to get away for a couple days a vacation such as that could fit in my Peace Corps budget. We actually get two R&R day a month with per diem. Everyone needs their rest and relaxation. There is a really funny publication called the Gringa which is produced by Peace Corps volunteers. It was great to read because the make fun of the hardships and trails we face which is a necessary activity if we are going to make it out sane. I am looking forward to having my own home. A place to call my own. I find myself daydreaming about the potential a place could have. Hopefully I will find a home with some fruit trees to provide me with a little bit of free food! Our group leaves again but this time within our own sector. The location we will be at is Costanza for youth development. The rumor is that we actually will need some warm clothes which is good news. I still have a suitcase with clothes that has not even seen the light of day because I would sweat to death if I worn them. More to come sorry for the short blog.