So, with the arrival of 3 new trainees (2 from Colombia and 1 from Venezuela), the Educa360 2012 trainees comes to a total of 11. 6 on English Impact and 6 on Change Agent Project. 6 + 6 = 12, not 11. But, one trainee works with both projects. Though only half of us are gringos now, we still get ridiculous looks walking around Chosica and riding on combis.
Now, though it may seem like working abroad for a summer is 150% awesome, and though most of the time that is true, it's still a lie. It's extremely frustrating. Not being able to understanding anybody all the time is the most aggravating thing I've ever experienced. And here, that's about 50% of the time I am conscious. I never know if the combi drivers are actually going to stop where I tell them to, I never know exactly what's in my food (which is extremely scary for me), and I never know if someone is talking to me on the street or not. Back home, I love making small talk with random people. You can find out the most interesting things. But here, I can't do that. Even teaching the children, though I'm teaching them my language, it's hard teaching somebody you can't very well verbally communicate with -- it's hard to make personal relationships with them. Every time I think I'm getting better at Spanish, something comes and knocks me back down.
That all sounds depressing, but one more thing: I'm still here, and I'm not dead. I'm still in this game, and there's no giving up now. 7 more weeks of frustration, confusion, vagueness, a whole lot of crazy, and the time of my life. For anyone that knows me, I'm never satisfied with my actions and I'm always thinking about or looking for something. Well, I'm only 18 years old. I gave up my summer by choice to come to Perú and impact children's lives. Though I'm way in over my head, I'm still doing it. I came across a quote once, and it said,
"There's nothing like biting off more than you can chew, and then chewing it anyway." -Mark Burnett
I think it's a perfect description of my life right now as well as my life at the dinner table. It feels like I've been gone a year, so that just means it's like 2 more years until I leave.
Yay for more awesome quotes! And don't worry about the language barrier. It's a common problem that everyone has to work through when they first begin working abroad. But I can almost guarantee you, by the time you are about to leave Peru, though you still might not be at a 100%, things will come so much easier than before.
ReplyDeleteWishing you good luck even now!