The New Life, The Good Life

My new room with a REAL lemon tree (right).

I really like Jangas.

I've only started my second week, but I'm already doing so much work. I'm meeting with so many people and we're starting new projects. In a few weeks, I will have easily surpassed the amount of work I did my entire time in Catilluc. I went to a meeting of the Asociacion Cultural de Jovenes - Jangas (my primary project), and instead of people just sitting around looking at me for answers or ideas, they actually had ideas. So I'll be starting an English class this Thursday.

Now teaching English is a big debate in not only Peace Corps, but in the Development Work Community. There are many pros and cons for teaching English. I usually err on the side of not teaching it, because it makes me feel like I'm forcing my culture on them. Although I guess if they ask and I don't teach it, I'm also asserting some kind of power of control. In the long run, I feel better about teaching it in Ancash than Catilluc because I feel like it is more useful here. There is much more tourism in Ancash, and Jangas is so close to Huaraz and Huascaran that them learning English might help them find jobs. And if English can give them a better life, I guess I need to suck it up and learn how to teach English.

My new bed in my new bedroom in Jangas.

Last night my counterpart called and said that one of the Regiadors (advisers, city council member type-people) would like me to teach a class on Parenting. It's pretty cool when they are asking you to teach classes that you hadn't really thought about yet. So I'll meet with him tonight to see if I can be of some kind of service in this area. More and more projects, more and more opportunities.

Of course, I still need to work on my Community Diagnostic Study, which will help me understand and learn more about the community where I know live and work. I guess that will happen when it happens.

More pictures and stories to come.