Move In

I just moved into my new house on Monday. It's still not done yet but they are just finishing and I figured I'd rather move and start organizing while they finish. (And be a constant reminder they need to finish the job already!)

The day I moved in Yesenia came over after working at the cooperative and started ordering me around to start cleaning. Minutes later my next door neighbor Altagracia came over and said she had a team of women ready to help us... in 5 minutes there are a half dozen women throwing buckets and buckets of water on my floor sweeping and mopping my new house. They just kept coming in, one by one, big smiles and a broom or mop in hand. I started thanking them and Margarita (a new neighbor) said "Of course! That's what neighbors are for."

This was a total Peace Corps moment. I started thinking about every apartment, dorm room, moving situation I've ever been in... Usually you get some of your friends to help you and everyone else in the building or area goes about their business. This was amazing. It gives me more than a definition of what solidarity is; it gave me a feeling, an experience, a genuine understanding. It was really amazing.

The house is made of cinder blocks with a zinc roof. It is a very nice house for the community with 2 spacious rooms and an indoor bathroom. (My personal request!) The walls only go part way up so it feels more like a big tent with block partitions. But it's fantastic! It's so nice to have my own place. I feel like I've regained a bit of the independence that one has when living in the States... I can cook veggies for dinner and not have anyone ask me why I'm not eating the boiled plantains that everyone else is eating with a fried egg for dinner...

In addition to independence I have acquired house guests....namely the local children. This is a picture of Piña and Nardelin (left to right). They come over in the mornings, around 8:30 or 9am and will spend the ENTIRE day at my house. At first I was worried they would be bored or want me to give them something to do. But they are quickly becoming great companions. Piña helps me sweep, wash dishes, and joins me in my walk to the local colmado for groceries... All the women joke that I have quickly added to my family... They also offer up their daughters to keep me company at night so I don't have to be alone- "But Kate, aren't you afraid sleeping alone in an empty house?" On the contrary, I couldn't be more ecstatic to have the privacy!

It's a new stage in my Peace Corps experience. I'm 8 months into my service and really starting to get moving with activities and feeling integrated. It also helps that a new group swore in a few weeks ago, their is nothing that makes you realize how far you've come like a brand new group of volunteers thirsty for any advice you can give them. (Advice? I thought I just got here too!)