Turn down for what

This weekend I headed out into the hills for a community tourism hike. The theme was “know the magic of nature in your community” and when we found out at 7:00 AM that the bus that was supposed to take us to the trailhead was broken, the people improvised and we headed out in several cars instead.

Morning view on the trail. 

View of Navidad from the trail.

Countryside views.

Just because I don't want to ride a horse doesn't mean I don't like them.

We hiked about 4 miles, with a stop for cookies and tea, followed by a tasty meal of chilaquiles with eggs and frijoles.  The trail was caked with thick red mud from the recent rains, but it was cool with shade from large and lovely trees, and we saw both waterfalls and pueblos in the valley below. I saw my first snake and scorpion in Mexico – both very small and very poisonous – and have decided so long as I only ever see them from afar, out in the wild (vs. in my house), I’m good. 

Scorpion!

Everyone taking pictures of the itsy, bitsy snake.

On the trail with some of our English class students.

Two waterfalls.

At times we were also joined by cows on the trail.

Lovely view of the lush greenery near Navidad.

Sunday I went to lunch with Cindy, Joe – an archaeologist from the US who now lives here, and Joe's wife. They took us to a nice restaurant overlooking the lush green landscape and we ate two plates of guacamole (aka, mi amor).  Before I left the US, I was scouring blogs and articles for advice on what I needed to bring and what types of things I could expect to encounter as a Peace Corps volunteer.  I thought I would be bathing in guacamole but it turns out avocados are really expensive these days. Thus, I thought I would share a few thoughts on both what I wish I had brought/been prepared for and what life has been like living in a different language these first 5 months.     

View at lunch on Sunday.

Hello, I'm a cute cow.

Food & Water: Bring your reusable water bottle with you and find ways to assuage your guilt at having to consume bottled water because you will drink it. Every morning I fill up my reusable bottle from a giant 5-gallon bottle of water in the house because no one drinks from the tap.  Eat all the food – it’s delicious! And bring all that medicine to deal with diarrhea, vomiting and constipation because you are going to have problems. You’re going to have problems you’ve never had before in your life, but they’ll make for good stories in the future when others can laugh at your expense. When my group arrived in Mexico we read aloud pieces of advice from past volunteers and a disturbing number of them related to diarrhea, including the official winner for the funniest piece of advice ever: “never trust a fart.”  That one’s only funny until it’s not.

Milking the cow for fresh pajaretes.

Seriously fresh milk.

Early morning view from the farm.

Clothes: It’s tough to pack the right mix of clothes for two years for both the Peace Corps office and your real life. You have to dress business casual during the first 3 months of training but those clothes are really too fancy for life at my permanent site.  That said, my yoga pants are really too casual, even on the weekend. “Casual” attire here is way more formal than in the US, and from what I’ve seen, there’s a lot of ironing going on. Here’s what I wish I would have brought: a dress, those tall boots I thought for sure I would never need in Mexico, more pants (in lightweight fabrics and light colors), and a really light rain jacket that could keep me from sweating to death while also keeping me dry during a serious downpour. Does that exist?

View of a quinceañera from the church tower - lots of fancy clothes here!

Line drying clothes - no dryers needed.

All those things I forgot (or didn’t know I’d need): It is difficult to identify and pack everything you think you might need for 2 years in a new climate and culture – doing undefined work in an undefined setting – into only 2 bags that weight less than 60 pounds each. If I knew then what I know now, I would have left my carry-on rolling suitcase at home and invested in a larger bag I could carry with the following:

• Sandals that can get wet (like “walking across 6-inch deep flooded streets” wet)
• Speakers for my computer
• A rechargeable phone case for those long bus trips
• A smart power strip/surge protector
• A money belt and luggage locks (don’t ask me why I don’t have these super basic things)
• Supplies of my favorite brand of deodorant, shampoo/conditioner and face soap
• More quick dry underwear
• Reusable snack bags and produce bags
• My beloved red travel coffee mug
• An extra pair of sunglasses
• More reusable shopping bags
• A bike helmet
• Pens and greeting cards (the great mystery of why there are no greeting cards in Mexico continues)

Communications: I’ve been lucky to have internet available at both of my host family homes and can make Google and Skype calls to my family and friends back in the US for free. Most people here use “What’s App” for both calls and texts, so that’s another free option should you wish to chat! Mail takes an amazingly long time to arrive considering how close we are to the US.  I’m only 1 for 3 receiving post cards from friends and family back home, but regular cards have not had problems.  On average, mail coming to me from the US, and going to the US from Mexico, takes 7-9 weeks. 

Scenes from the countryside.

Trail marker.

Scenes from the field.

Personal Space & Independence: As a woman in her 30s who has lived alone for a really long time, it was an adjustment to essentially live with parents again.  Both of my host families were very kind and loving people and I would say it was 95% awesome and 5% challenging, which is a pretty good ratio after 5 months of shared quarters.  The challenges were primarily related to food and my struggle to say “I know what’s best for me” while also acknowledging that maybe my host families did know better on some things.  I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten enough to make others happy here, and everyone I work with knows that, because my host family told them I wasn’t eating enough my first week at site.  When my family left on vacation for 4 days, they were honestly concerned that I wasn’t going to eat the entire time they were gone (and my coworkers knew that too). Their daughter came to watch me eat the first night so she could truthfully verify that I did in fact eat during their absence. As for personal space, when I was really sick and had to go to the doctor, my host dad insisted on coming into the exam room with me. Awwwwkward…. I can’t say everything I want to say in Spanish, but you can bet I made it clear that for part 2 of the visit it would be just me and el doctor.

I hereby decree.....something. I'll tell you when my Spanish is better. 

And last but not least, there's this thing we'll call "how to be you in a different language": Spanish speakers who aren’t fluent in English don’t really know me yet.  They only know this small piece of my personality that can be expressed through limited language, facial expressions and body language.  And they’re getting to know me at a somewhat stressful time, so I’m not exactly my normal self.  For example, I can't explain my love of the song "Turn down for what" and why I would like to have more opportunities to participate in choreographed hip hop dances.  

It is a strange (and frustrating) feeling not always being able to fully express myself or understand everything that’s going on around me.  I spend more time listening to others and thinking about what I want to say, which means I often look much more serious than I am.  Think about that the next time you are talking to someone with English as a second language.  Go easy on them as they try to say what they mean and understand what you’re saying.  And if it looks like they’re struggling or getting frustrated, do whatever you can to make them laugh (they need it)!  Or just start singing "Turn down for what" - but you've gotta mimic the awesome music for the full effect.