the day to day

Back to meetings and planning , interviews, hanging out in the garden and exploration of nearby places. I live in the capital of my district which means it is large but nearby are all these little communities called caserios. This week was dedicated to the exploration of these caserios. The first visit failed but was still an enjoyable bike ride with a friend. We stopped on the way home to climb a tree because his legs were tired. I fell out of it the first try but suceeded the second. The next day I walked for 30 minutes to the next nearby caserio and hung out with a group of moms. The update for the garden is plants are growing not all of them some better than others but all around it is a better organized project now thank goodness. Wednesday was another friends birthday. House party we danced and drank until we were merry. Let´s just say that twenty first birthdays are definately different in the states but all end the same with the birthday boy wasted and acting ridiculous. On Saturday I taught a lesson about handwashing in a caserio that was super successful and solified my plans for returning in the future. However, in the afternoon I had my first breakdown about whether the people here value my work let alone me as a person. Consequently, I rode off into the countryside and cried in a corn field underneath two rainbows. It was terribly beautiful and I regreted not having my camera with me. All around it was actually a great relief and got me journaling again. I missed writing, hell I missed sounding educated when I spoke. I tried to translate four sentences into spanish even using a dictionary and could not. I can only hope someday to be profound in spanish. Had a meeting with the boss in the city on Monday. Clarified my role in the community and that I am actually a valuable asset. Glad that is all cleared up. Got to do some shopping in the open air market on of my favorite pass times. Venders of all shapes and sizes with strange products all jumbled together in chaotic order. The taxis drive straight through the crowds of people. My favorite are the fruit stands with pretty colors, free samples, and undeniable freshness. This morning I went to another caserio where I will also be teaching during summer school. My classes start next week I think it will be a great way to get to know more people and solidify myself as some sort of a professional in this place. Then I walked around with some health workers vaccinating dogs for rabies. Random. Still working on my community diagnostic and stalking NGOs looking for potential funders in the future.