I've found, however, that I'm not the only one in training.
I recently hosted a group of Peace Corps soon-to-be Volunteers in my site. Just as I w
as in training one year ago, this latest batch of do-gooders is currently undergoing their fairly monotonous three months of training in Lima. However, for one week, they were allowed to break free from the arduous grips of the Training Center in order to have their Field Base Training. Half of this group recently spent a week in and around my site gaining insight into the life of an actual Peace Corps Volunteer.
In fact, it was a pleasure to host this gang. Not only was I able able to share the knowledge which I have accumulated throughout my service, I was also benignly reminded of just how far I have come myself. Indeed, I found their questions and concerns indistinguishable from the ones I held during my time in training. However, now I am the person providing the consoling remarks; reminding them, that Peace Corps is indeed far much more than the life they know in the Training Center.
Just as I have been rigorously training to climb mountains, these new recruits are trying their hardest to prepare themselves for a successful service. I hope that their training pays off as well.
I also hosted a group of high school students who were on a sort of social learning Sumer vacation type of trip. To be honost, I was not too impressed. Unfortunately, it seems as though this group was not truly resolved in cultural exchange nor social service. Truth be told, they were an embarassment to myself and a poor representation to the United States in general. Their lack of respect for the culture and an understanding for impoverished living inhibited them from obtaining a positive experience. Perhaps they need a little more training.
Beyond the time I have been passing in preparation for the climbs, I have also made some huge leaps in lifestyle changes. I am proud to announce that I have introduced an electronic shower head into my life. That gushing glacial water most definitely will wake me up, but it is far from comforting. From now on (as long as I have electricity at that particular time) I will be showering with a much more sultry experience.
I have also constructed a "water evaporation cooler". This fairly simple device involves the combination of two clay pots, sand, water, and a wet towel. Now, I can buy broccoli at the Sunday market and it easily lasts five days. Sure, it's no refrigerator. However, extending the life of produce has definitely been a welcomed addition to my life here.
As far as projects go, I have continued working on the vocational classes with local high school students. Thus far, I am quite satisfied with the results. Also, I have completed my first large-scale vegetable garden. This particular project was conducted at a local school for kindergarten students that is known for catering to some of the poorest children in town. Needless to say, many of these students are also fairly malnourished. However, with the help of a representative from the local Ministry of Education, a nutritionist, and the director of the school, we organized the parents to put in a few days of work at the school; transforming a once worried portion of the school's property into a first-rate vegetable garden. To top it all off, the nutritionist and myself conducted a couple of nutrition seminars with the parents to help educate them on the importance of incorporating vegetables into their diets, and how to properly prepare them.
I know it may seem petty, and prehaps a bit ridiculous to imagine that a person wouldn't understand the importance of vegetables. However, these are educational elements which we have been fortunate enough to have been surrounded with our whole lives. Perhaps, the next generation here in my site will also retain this information. In the meantime, such negligible items will have to be carefully elucidated.
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