So I´ve arrived!

From Santana: Month 1

I´ve arrived at my site.... to stay this time. Last week I spent a couple days in Santa Clara beach. Un fortunately it was rainy and overcast all the days, but it was nice to hang out with the group for the last time.

Thursday last week i got some bad news. Yanira, my counterpart in Santana who was taking care of my baby... chandoso, called me. She told me that he didn´t make it...and had died that morning... :(... even though i hadn´t gotten to even touch him, i was still sad. I had been looking forward to seeing him as soon as I got to my site.

When I arrived in Santana Friday afternoon, there were a couple people waiting for me at Yanira´ s house. It was really nice. To my surprise, the girls had moved out of their room and they had placed a table for me in the room for my books and stuff, and they had installed a DOOR. I was not expecting that at all. It was really nice of them. Before I was done unpacking, I went outside insearch of material to build my self a shoe rack...and this is what I found:

From Santana: Month 1

Saturday on the Fourth of July I went to a Matanza in a nearby town. In the middle of the party, they congratulated me on my independence day... it was really nice. The women were all dressed straight out of Dolphin mall sale... specifically PAPAYA store... ( Manuela, you know what I mean.)

Sunday I met Bonnie Birker, a former Peace Corps Panama Volunteer in El Puerto, 3km from Guarare. She served here 40 years ago as a volunteer here and came back now to open a Bed & Breakfast... Her place was awesome and she was too.

From Santana: Month 1

From Santana: Month 1

German Guy, Alexis ( american highschooler doing community service in Guarare), Me, and Shiv ( My closets PCV in Guarare). All of us where at the 4th of July party that Bonnie had at her house.

Yesterday, the real work began. I helped 2 of the community members clear out fields with my machete. That work is NO JOKE. It was hot out there. The more i cleared, the more trees and weeds I found. You have to get low to the ground to cut better...which is awesome for back pains. A fter a while I couldn´t feel my pinky and ring finger on my right hand because of gripping the machete! By mid afternoon, we finished, and I already had blister...EVEN THROUGH THE GLOVES i was wearing... un believable. I guess i´ll toughen up here..haha.

In the evening we walked through mud ( mid-calve) to a community members house, TIN. Af ter a 20 minute walk through mudd, and trees, and going through a couple barred wire fences, we arrived at his house. It looked as if it was straight out of a witch story...lol. But the great thing is that he had 2 puppies at his house...I fell in love with one! Even though she had flies and skin problems, I asked if i could buy her. The couple gave her to me for free....and I brought her home. I put some pulga OFF powder on her and made her a little bed... she wimpered for a little but soon after dinner, she fell asleep. This morning I she was as happy as could be. I came into town, las tablas, to get her some meds and vitamins. I also have to run some other errands before i go back to Santana.

Clearing fishtanks awaits me in the afternoon! And tonight im making tacos for my host family with guacamole! I gotta run now to get ingredients!

Love you all and MISS YOU!!

La nueva Princesa de Santana:

From Santana: Month 1