Weekend Off

So, I have my first weekend off from swearing in and it is great! I have been able to meet up with the girls from my training group and it is so nice to catch up with them. WE are all having completely different experiences and it is fun to catch notes. I think of all of the girls I have the most rustic living situation though. You don´t really realize what you miss until you have it again and that is why these trips to the city are bittersweet. I come in and have electicity and access to meat and all the food I could ever want and hot showers and it is all soooooo wonderful. Then, it makes it a little hard to go back. But, once I am back and settled in I don´t really miss the modern conveniences that much. But, I think it will be good to be able to get into the city for a breather every now and then. We went out and did some dancing last night and it is always so fun to have this free time.

They aren´t kidding when they say Peace Corps is a 24 hour job in your site. You can never forget that you are always being watched and judged and you can never do anything without everyone knowing. This is why it is important to always be responsible and respectful at site and work hard. However, this makes for VERY tiring days. My days start at 6 a.m., work for a few hours, most recently painting and doing some work in the hotel and trying to get organized. Breakfast is at 8 and then we work straight through to 230. It is kind of hard because all of the guys I work with have their moms or wives who are cooking during this time and their food is ready, meanwhile, I have to cook in between and after work and clean and wash clothes by hand and it makes for very busy days.

I started teaching English last week and I really think I am going to enjoy this. In regards to our hotel, I am going to make a calendar so that they know who is coming and when and also start working on some long term planning in regards to a business plan. It is kind of hard because I am given no direction in my work and pretty much have to try to figure out what is going on and what needs to be done and create my own jobs and work. It can be a little tough trying to pull all of this constant ambiguity into a concrete work plan and then carry it out. Oh well, little by little, I think I will be able to get some good projects started.

So, I have been eating my way through this weekend off, started the day with a big breakfast burrito, those who know me know my obsession with these, lol, followed it up with a choco banano and then lunch at an Indian restaurant. Plus, I just found a bead store and bought some stuff to make earrings out of the macadamia and coffee seeds. There are other cool needs on the jungle floor too and now I have some stuff to start making some cool jewelry in my spare time, haha spare time...

I am feeling good in my site though, making friends and playing a lot of soccer with the girls. Also, have started running some laps up on the field and doing some skills training with the ball. It is a fun diversion. Sometimes it starts pouring rain while we are up on the field since we are approaching the rainy season, but it feels good since it can get hot at my site.

Oh yeah, wild creature update, saw a moth as big as a dinner plate the other day! I swear the insect and creature sittings get bigger every day. Also, another tip is never wear your headlamp on your head since this big insect population will fly right into your face. Carry the headlamp low and put it far away from where you are, for example, if I am brushing my teeth, I put the headlamp down and stand like 10 ft. away to avoid the huge bugs that come zooming in. YUCK!

That is all for now! THanks for all the natural insect repellent advice. I will try it this week!

Cheers!