Home Improvement

Things on the home front have been pretty good.  I have a hard time eating the food because it is covered in cilantro and I hate cilantro, there is also something unappealing about rice and potatoes for the millionth time.

My pee bucket is still one of my favorite things on the planet since it saves me a trip to the latrine.  The latrine is never just simply a latrine.  Aside from the general horrific stink, my lack of ability to aim into a keyhole shape, the fact that the door doesn't close all the way and faces the road, the necessity to remember that there is not toilet paper in the latrine so I have to bring some every time I go, the high population of flies, and the ridiculously tall grass that grows out of the latrine and makes me feel like bugs are crawling all over me every time I use the facilities, the latrine always seems to have its challenges.   It rains all the time here, so a trip to the latrine requires rainboots and a rain jacket most of the time.  The latrine is down a mini slope and I have fallen on my butt more than once on my way to the latrine.  At night, walking back from the latrine with my headlamp, sometimes the dogs can't tell who I am and they attack me - not to mention that they look SCARY in the dark with their gleaming eyes.  My family has taken to tying their giant sow a couple feet from the latrine, and she rushes me every time I walk down the hill, I have to walk through the tall grass around the other side to escape her, and I dread the day that she figures out how I get by her.  Needless to say - not a huge fan of the latrine but I use it when I need it and pray not to be sick because I don't want to have to use it more than necessary.  Also moderately sketched out by the fact that I have never seen anyone in my host family or otherwise use our latrine....

We lose water every day for long periods of time.  We have one water pipe that comes down the mountain from a reservoir that breaks everyday.  It doesn't make a lot of sense, but we never know when we're going to have water and when we won't.  It makes plans for bathing hard, because the only way to tolerate the brain-freezingly cold water is to work out before I shower, but I never know if I will actually have water and I don't like working out and then being sweaty and nasty after.  I have been known to bucket bathe in a sink, for sheer lack of other options and a desperation to no longer be greasy and dirty. I did step into the "shower" the other day and stepped right in a pile of shit.  I don't know what of our billion animals left that there, but there is something not so clean feeling about bathing within the stench of poop.  Beggars can't be choosers though, at least I got a shower, however cold.

We also lose power on a regular basis, with no promise of when that might return either.  I kind of like it, for one day, every once in a while, because we get to sit at dinner drinking warm "cafecito" by candlelight, which is enchanting in its own way, for short periods of time.  Three days in a row gets to be a little much, especially because my computer loses charge and I can't work on my interviews or design my survey.

My bed - still a straw mattress and still
too short for me - but with a wall of MAGICAL LOVE :) 

My new coat rack and food/stuff shelf

I've made some good improvements to my room - I bought a shelf type thing made out of gimp (that's a pretty standard shelving material here).  I have a coat rack, my host dad finally fixed my outlet, and my only light that wouldn't turn on all the time.  I have also started putting up all the letters I have received and they are now up on my wall, all the envelopes lining the top of my wall.  I have been printing some pictures also to put on my wall.  If anyone wants to write me or send me photos, they will be sure to go straight up on my wall!  On a trip to Cajamarca, which I will write about in the next post, I bought a down comforter, which has changed my life.  I don't need to sleep in a billion layers in my sleeping bag anymore, I can sleep in a tshirt under my down comforter.  I'm going to buy this awesome pastel coral fleece material from a store in Chota and have a seamstress make a comforter cover for my bed.  I bought pretty sheets also, I'm now - still - just waiting for my host dad to extend my bed so I can put the comforter on it that I bought (and had to put on top of a mototaxi to get to my house).  Still need them to make my window also, but it's little by little.  :)

My little cement hole

I'm perpetually dehydrated because when I boil my water and put it in my jar/jug thing, there is always a bunch of white solid stuff floating in it that tastes funny.  It grosses me out, and I also don't want to have to pee all the time, soooo I don't drink a whole lot of water.  Trying to work on that.