I have just come back from my volunteer visit. It was nice to see how an actual volunteer lives, and she has a very nice (and super bright green!) house in the campo. It started out with my first motorcycle ride into town. Actually I got to ride on three different motos, and one was a free ride. YAY. My friend and I went together, apart from the larger group since we figured it would be easier and we thought we knew how to get there. It wasn´t too bad, just a lot of asking around for directions. Since it was my first ride on the moto, I got to be in the middle. The driver, me, then my friend. Just getting on was weird (get on the left side, otherwise you get burned on the right) and trying to find my footrests. It is a matter of balancing, squished in between people. At first it was weird with me holding onto the chunky driver´s very round waist, and my friend holding on to me, both of us wearing our big shiny red helmets. Plus I was carrying my overnight bag underneath one arm, so I was really only holding on with one arm. I am that much of a professional moto rider. Riding a moto is pretty fun, once I stopped fretting about. Riding about the campo, enjoying the green fields, and watching the animals roam about. Most people here do not wear their helmets so we definitely stuck out of all the moto riders. It can be a bumpy road, especially when its not paved. But even when it is paved, there are a lot of potholes to ride around. That is the fun part, and when I would hold on tighter. Plus our helmets would knock heads. I wish I could have taken a picture of us. The second moto rider tried to take advantage of us, stopping halfway through our trip and telling us we needed to pay more. We argued our price, and finally understood that we weren´t that dumb. Thankfully he did drive us the rest of the way, and for the price we had originally agreed on. Always negotiate the price before getting on! It was his fault that he thought he could hit us up for more money. Once we got to her campo we asked around for the American, and we got a free moto ride to her house. Not too bad for our first time. Her house is in the middle of platano fields, with a lemon, mango, avocado tree that she can pick fruit from. We made guacamole and ate chips. Yes - I did eat it. And laid around in her hammock and played with her dog. It was nice to not have to do anything. So relaxing. At night we had American style pasta (yum!) and some wine (even more yummy!) and sat around talking by candlelight. I have missed those days (Lety!!). I got to see my first tarantula, even bigger than my hand. So big and hairy. Her kitchen is separated from the house, as is the latrine and the shower. The latrine was not so bad, and the shower is this little hut of wooden planks. If you wanted to, you could probably see through it, but it was nice to take a shower (cold) even if it was through a faucet. I even made some oatmeal for breakfast. I hope that if I am in campo, that I am as accesible as she is. I have heard of other volunteers being hours away from a big city, and living with stream water for showers. No thank you. I kinda want a campo lifestyle, but not campo-campo. That is hardcore. This morning we hitched a ride into town to meet up with some other volunteers for lunch. It was tasty, although I can´t wait for the day when I can cook for myself!
I have added some new pictures, although the uploading is slow and there aren´t that many. Plus I had to add it to a different website. Here are a few more: www.travelingchristy.shutterfly.com
There you can see my host mom and host dad, with a few of the neighbor kids. Plus a fogon, which is a wood burning stove, and my host brother cutting up some coconuts. Looks like I will have to do it in batches. What a pain.
