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Man how things change in one week.
When I got here I was way too overwhelmed. The first night I almost couldnt even handle it · I couldnt understand anyone, still had the embarrassment/fear wall up, and was totally surrounded by a place completely unfamiliar.
I could go on and on about that feeling of hopelessness/embarrassment/fear/disconnectedness, but I will leave it at that I was all of those feelings and slightly depressed maybe, for a few days. Every day was up and down and up and down with my mental state. BUT..
Yesterday was the FIRST day that I felt comfortable! Talking, walking in my city (we walk everwhere), and I am evennn starting to be able to understand most of what my host mom and dad says (if you heard them speak, you should be clapping for me right now on account of them breaking the world record for most words spoken in a minute.) people here dont really get the concept of slowing down when they talk, save my older sister, who has become the ¨...what did she say?¨ person that I go to. Shes a boss.
Things that stressed me--
At first, I still needed to sit myself down almost every single day before I left my room to tell myself that I can do it.
Most of what scared the hell out of me is that I am going to be teaching my first class in three weeks at the school · in spanish. Whoa. And conducting community surveys in peoples houses · in spanish. Its a daily, hourly worry of mine, but everyone says youll pick it up. I can already see ive improved an insane amount, and I can certainly get myself around now.
My group of 4 was even able to navigate to two separate cities today via a taxi, on foot, then a bus, there and back. And these arent average taxis or buses. The same rules that exist in the US arent here.
Next Saturday I am leading a group of students in the school to begin planting our school garden. All is in spanish.
One thing thats awesome is that I have to take a bucket shower half of the days. Since the water is out in the town every day for several hours, various times, theres a barrel in the shower filled high and you have this oversized cup that you pour over your head.
Its actually kind of nice and I am beginning to love bucket showers. My community is really poor and is an awesome culture shock. I am beginning to really enjoy it.
Some things I need to get used to are the noise. Last night as I was laying in bed, and I had this odd feeling that something wasnt right, like something was off, and I couldnt put my finger on it.
Finally, I realized that it was absolutely the first time since I arrived, the VERY first moment, that there was no noise. No dogs barking, none of that damn rooster that camps outside my window (although it still kindly waked me up at 5 am every day), no tv blairing in the house (the walls that separate the rooms dont reach the ceiling, so you can hear everthing)...
... no kids yelling, no one in the streets, no music playing, no one walking in my house, no noise from that parrot that lives in my house that repeats what my host mom says, and even repeats her laugh. None of it! How blissful.
Oh, and the neighbors must be having a part every single day at 530 am, because I wake up to that blairing music too. But its all part of the charm. Some things you just need to accept, and I have gladly accepted a lot of things.
I am lucky that I havent felt any homesickness really.And I dont really miss having any ammenities, either. And I am trying my best not to say that this place is better/worse than at home. To do that is something that is very ingrained in American culture-to compare things. Its just different.
Hasta luegooooo
Man how things change in one week.
When I got here I was way too overwhelmed. The first night I almost couldnt even handle it · I couldnt understand anyone, still had the embarrassment/fear wall up, and was totally surrounded by a place completely unfamiliar.
I could go on and on about that feeling of hopelessness/embarrassment/fear/disconnectedness, but I will leave it at that I was all of those feelings and slightly depressed maybe, for a few days. Every day was up and down and up and down with my mental state. BUT..
Yesterday was the FIRST day that I felt comfortable! Talking, walking in my city (we walk everwhere), and I am evennn starting to be able to understand most of what my host mom and dad says (if you heard them speak, you should be clapping for me right now on account of them breaking the world record for most words spoken in a minute.) people here dont really get the concept of slowing down when they talk, save my older sister, who has become the ¨...what did she say?¨ person that I go to. Shes a boss.
Things that stressed me--
At first, I still needed to sit myself down almost every single day before I left my room to tell myself that I can do it.
Most of what scared the hell out of me is that I am going to be teaching my first class in three weeks at the school · in spanish. Whoa. And conducting community surveys in peoples houses · in spanish. Its a daily, hourly worry of mine, but everyone says youll pick it up. I can already see ive improved an insane amount, and I can certainly get myself around now.
My group of 4 was even able to navigate to two separate cities today via a taxi, on foot, then a bus, there and back. And these arent average taxis or buses. The same rules that exist in the US arent here.
Next Saturday I am leading a group of students in the school to begin planting our school garden. All is in spanish.
One thing thats awesome is that I have to take a bucket shower half of the days. Since the water is out in the town every day for several hours, various times, theres a barrel in the shower filled high and you have this oversized cup that you pour over your head.
Its actually kind of nice and I am beginning to love bucket showers. My community is really poor and is an awesome culture shock. I am beginning to really enjoy it.
Some things I need to get used to are the noise. Last night as I was laying in bed, and I had this odd feeling that something wasnt right, like something was off, and I couldnt put my finger on it.
Finally, I realized that it was absolutely the first time since I arrived, the VERY first moment, that there was no noise. No dogs barking, none of that damn rooster that camps outside my window (although it still kindly waked me up at 5 am every day), no tv blairing in the house (the walls that separate the rooms dont reach the ceiling, so you can hear everthing)...
... no kids yelling, no one in the streets, no music playing, no one walking in my house, no noise from that parrot that lives in my house that repeats what my host mom says, and even repeats her laugh. None of it! How blissful.
Oh, and the neighbors must be having a part every single day at 530 am, because I wake up to that blairing music too. But its all part of the charm. Some things you just need to accept, and I have gladly accepted a lot of things.
I am lucky that I havent felt any homesickness really.And I dont really miss having any ammenities, either. And I am trying my best not to say that this place is better/worse than at home. To do that is something that is very ingrained in American culture-to compare things. Its just different.
Hasta luegooooo
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