Things are Picking Up

If things had continued on the way the were going when I first got back, I don’t know if I could have stuck it out. I told Giff I would feel like such a loser for quitting Peace Corps since I’ve wanted to do this for so long, but I wasn’t sure I could hack it. It’s HARD. Luckily, things are starting to pick up so I think I’ll make it.

The first big news I have to report is that I’m training to run a marathon! I know, I’m crazy, but that’s what happens when you’re depressed. I have to pull myself out of it somehow. Haha. That’s only slightly true. The real reason is that some of my friends in Peace Corps (who have been here a year longer than me) ran a marathon in Lima last September and when I came to Peru, one of my goals was to become more of a runner. I knew I wanted to stay in shape while I was here and thought that running might be the only way so I told myself I was going to become one of those people who actually liked running. I tried it when I first got to site and hated it. It’s so much harder here from the altitude (around 7,000 feet) besides the fact that I get lots of comments and whistles and most of the running is uphill because Bambamarca is in a valley.

Giff and I talked about it over dinner one night while I was home and he encouraged me to do it, by starting slowly and building up from there. So when I got back I did a lot of research and found a great training program for beginners. I will spend the first 19 weeks running to build a solid base and the next 16 weeks training for the marathon. I’m still not positive there is a marathon because I can’t find any schedules for 2007, but I’m pretty sure it’s annual. I hope so! I emailed someone about it and am still waiting to hear back, but am continuing with the training in the meantime. The first time I ran it was a disaster and really frustrating. Most of it was uphill and I could only run for 2 minutes before I’d have to walk again. I did run 2, walk 2 for 24 minutes and then decided to turn around. On the way back, I was able to run 17 minutes straight (since it was flat or downhill) so that was a little more encouraging. The next time I ran for 20 minutes straight and now I’m up to 45 minutes! I found a road I like better that is flatter and downhill at the beginning and uphill at times on the return, but I like it and I’m really happy. Of course I think this is going to be really hard, but it will be something that I work for everyday until September and then after I run, I’ll have less than a year left here! I think I need a big goal like this to help me get through the rough times and I know it’ll be really rewarding in the end. As my mom says, if Oprah can do it, so can I!

I discovered this new road because last Tuesday Jessica and I went on a paseo (outing) with the girls we made friends with in our exercise class. The girls told us there are thermal baths around here so we decided to go. The place is about an hour away (probably 20 minutes in the States on a good road) and we rode the entire way in the back of a truck! I know it’s weird, scary, and completely dangerous, but that’s what everyone does here. It started raining on the way, but luckily a lady riding with us shared her huge pieces of plastic with us and we were able to somewhat cover ourselves. It was so funny, I felt like we were camping. Despite the crappy weather, it was absolutely beautiful in Naranjo (where the baths are). I felt like we were in Wonderland or something with the ominous clouds looming above and the drizzle giving everything a certain freshness to it. The baths are a little off the beaten path and it felt like we were trekking through the jungle to get there (with banana trees and thick vegetation surrounding us). When we arrived, 3 of the 5 girls, including Jessica, decided they didn’t want to go into the baths. I still wanted to go since that was the whole reason we were there so Rosita and I went in together (in our bathing suits of course). The water wasn’t burning hot as most hot springs are, but it was a perfect temperature. It was so comfortable that we ended up staying in there for 2 hours talking! It was really fun to be able to talk with someone my age and just get caught up in the moment – to forget about everything that had been bothering me and to forget, momentarily, about how much I missed Giff. The only reason we got out was because the other girls came in to get us because they were starving. I guess they had valid reason since it was 2:30 pm! Jessica and I had so much fun talking with the girls, gossiping, sharing stories and histories of our cultures, dancing, and laughing. It was definitely one of those “Peace Corps moments” where I really felt like I was in Peru. It was exactly what I needed after the rough week I had just had.

The girls invited me to go to the discoteca in Bambamarca with them on Friday night. Of course I was skeptical of what it would be like, but decided to go since it was better than sitting at home. Plus I was happy to be making friends and wanted to spend more time with them. I was about to put my pj’s on when it was almost 10 and they still hadn’t come (we were supposed to meet at 9), but then I heard Yanet calling my name from downstairs. They had invited a few of their guy friends so we all went together. The disco was actually nicer than I expected. I mean it wasn’t classy in any sense of the word, but it wasn’t as scummy as I imagined. The “club” scene here is different than in the States in the sense that you wait for someone to ask you to dance. At home, we all just dance together, but here the girls wait for a guy to ask them (since I’m the gringa, everyone wanted to dance with me – lucky me…..). At the beginning it wasn’t that crowded so everyone was dancing in a line. I thought that was really weird, but as the night went on, it became more “normal”. I also thought it was weird that I was definitely on the tall end of the crowd. Dancing with those guys, I felt like I was dancing with high school boys. It was so weird and all I could think about was Giff, wishing he was there with me so I wouldn’t have to dance with all of those weirdos. At the beginning of the night it was better because no one was drunk yet, but as the night went on, I got more and more annoyed as the guys would all try to touch me and ask me dumb questions about the States or try to speak English to me. First of all, it’s so loud in there that I can barely understand them in Spanish, and second of all, they can barely speak English anyway. In the middle of one song, one guy asked for my email address. Are you kidding me? I know you might think this sounds culturally insensitive, but sometimes I don’t want to be the center of attention, I don’t want to listen to people practice their English, I don’t want to hear how beautiful they think I am, and I certainly don’t want them touching me. I just want to enjoy myself without having to do the whole cultural exchange thing. Although it was fun in the beginning, after a while I had had enough and by 12:30 I was on my way home. Some guys offered to walk me home, but let me think about that for a second……..NO. I only live about a block from the disco so it wasn’t a problem. Plus Yanet left with me so she walked me the short distance home.

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned before that I met this guy named Jorge who is from Bambamarca, but has lived in Boston for the past 12 years. How ironic! Jessica and I met him right before I went home for Christmas. He comes to visit me a lot and always says he wants to help me with whatever he can because when he went to my country, a lot of people helped him. I always thought he was a nice guy until I found out the other day that he is cheating on his wife here. We were talking with Yanet and Rosita the other day and they told us they met our friend Jorge who lives in the U.S. Without knowing anything, we mentioned that we met him one day and he showed us pictures of his wife and two daughters who live in the States. The girls gasped because their friend is dating him and none of them knew he was married! GROSS! Unfortunately that is really common here, but it really bothers me and I know I’ll never get used to it. I don’t know how you could be in a relationship here and trust your partner because everyone cheats here and it’s common knowledge. There are even rumors about the doctor, but I choose not to think about that.

I was talking to Karina the other day about how Carlos (the professor that lives here) must be lonely without his wife and daughter here and she said, I wouldn’t worry about him, he’s definitely not lonely. Since then, I’ve seen a woman come to his room numerous times! Why? I don’t understand how you can cheat on someone. If you don’t want to be with them, then don’t be with them, but don’t cheat. It’s so disrespectful and disgusting. I know it happens in the U.S. too, but not nearly to the extent that it does here. In Peru, you are definitely in a small minority if you’re in a faithful relationship. No wonder everyone here always tries to tell me Giff must be cheating on me because if it was a Peruvian relationship, he probably would be. I hate to say that because I know there are exceptions, but it’s so unfortunate how commonly it occurs here. The reason I brought up Jorge is because I saw him at the disco the other night and he told me he knows the girls I came with. I asked how and he said, they are friends with my girl…..I mean, my friend. He was about to say girlfriend! He said, Kristen, you know I have my wife and kids at home, but you know how it is here, it’s different than in the U.S. and while I’m here, I have my “friend”. That is just disgusting. If it’s different and you know it, then why don’t you set an example and show people that men don’t have to be sleeze balls! Sorry for rambling on about that, but it really bothers me and it’s something I really dislike about this culture. Peruvians have many great qualities, but this is not one of them. In my youth groups, I’m definitely going to talk about this in hopes that I can help change this mentality.

One of the best things that is happening here and helping to brighten my spirits is that I’m becoming a lot closer to Karina. As much as I miss Chabu and the kids, it’s sort of good for me because it’s allowed me to spend more time with other people. I’ve been visiting Rita a lot more than I was before I left and I really enjoy my time with her. We always have really nice talks and she really seems to understand my feelings and what I’m going through. She is very supportive both personally and professionally in helping me get my youth group started (we have our first meeting on Monday!). Anyway, I’ve also been spending more time talking with Karina and I love it. She is such a sweetheart and has been confiding in me a lot. I know that she is lonely here, and so am I, so it’s nice to have each other. The other day I was talking to my mom on Skype and Karina got to “meet” her since we both have webcams. I translated while they talked and she told my mom that I’m her best friend here! I couldn’t believe she said that – it meant so much to me.

Last night I went to this dog show with Rosa, Galvez, and Emily (my host parents and the baby). It was one of those shows where they do lots of tricks with dogs. They had one dog jump over fire hurdles and its fur caught on fire! I couldn’t believe it! Only in Peru. Of course they also had a soccer game between the dogs since they are so fanatic about dogs here and they ended a show with this little wedding between two poodles. Despite the fire, it was really fun and we laughed a lot. My favorite part was probably when the dogs would stop to pee right in the middle of an act. Haha. Even though it was just a show where we sat and watched, I felt like I really bonded with my family. We all had so much fun together and I felt really happy. Karina had really wanted to go, but couldn’t because Rosa wouldn’t let her. Karina has been working at the internet all day everyday for the past week without a break since we’ve been here alone and now that Rosa is here, and Karina could have a break, she won’t give her one. Karina came to my room last night and talked to me about how upset she was with Rosa because of the way she treats her. She said Rosa is the owner of the business and even though it is Karina’s responsibility to run it, she doesn’t think Rosa treats her well (sometimes she comes in and yells at her in front of all of the customers). She told me she cried after we left to go to the show because she felt so frustrated. I told her I really understand because that’s how I felt when I first got here. I didn’t understand Rosa’s personality and felt that we clashed a lot. We had a really nice talk and I was glad she came to talk because I want her to feel that she can confide in me when she needs someone. It’s something we both really need. She was very appreciative and told me that I treat her more like a sister than her own sister does. I was really flattered, but I also hope things will get better between the two of them because I don’t like to see Karina so upset.