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For more than a month now I have the opportunity, nay, the
privilege to be living on my own. And while at first the aspect of living alone
daunted me in every sense of the scenario, I have come to love it, and wonder
how I lived with a host family for as long as I did. Oh yeah… because I had too
(It’s a Peace Corps requirement that volunteers must live with a host family
for their first six months of service so as to be associated with a family in
the community) I guess that’s an unfair thing to say, as I did really enjoy my
time with my host family, and it was there how I learned to live like a
Nicaraguense. Had I moved into my own place, as I think I have mentioned
before, right off the bat, I would’ve been lost and starving... literally.
Moving into my own house (alone), I was partly worried about
the level of interaction I would have with my neighbors. To be more specific, I
was worried my interactions with them would be low to non-existent. So to
combat that problem, I relied on a technique that my freshman year orientation
advisors (the best OA’s Richmond
has ever seen) recommended to us: an Open Door Policy. Whenever I am able, I
bring my hair and small table outside and do my work on my front stoop or
porch, I keep the door wide open, and encourage neighbors to stop by and chat.
The result has been so far positive, having led to more conversation with
community members as well as a lot of free and gifted food. In fact, I have now
grown so close with one of my neighbors, they sometimes refer to me as their
son, and their children are constantly running in and around my house to
entertain me.
But living alone has ushered in a new set of challenges that
I had not previously experienced in my time in la villa. The root of the
problem is maintaining a house without the proper resources. Wait scratch that.
Rather, the root of the problem is maintaining a house without the resources I
would expect to have if still living in the States. As you may imagine, one of
the tradeoffs for living down here is a lack of resources or professional help.
And while challenging, it really makes you look at everything in a different
light, or as my Dad likes to say, you need to “Think outside the box”. A prime
example of this is repairing one’s roof. In the past two weeks, due to
unusually strong winds, the roof of my porch has collapsed twice, luckily not
on top of me. Although the 2nd time it was startlingly close. So not
having the knowledge of how to install zinc roofing, or a professional who
does, as well as not having the money to buy new slates of zinc, I was forced
to look at this problem more as a puzzle, and to think outside of the box. What
seemed like a hassle and big time problem at the time, turned into an afternoon
I will fondly remember. I had a blast scampering around the roof, meeting up
and chatting with locals who wanted to give me their opinions, balancing on
thin planks, and arranging the broken pieces of my previous roof to form a
water tight seal. The end result wasn’t the prettiest roof you’ll see, but it’s
now stronger than before, and once again practically water resistant. I now
relish the opportunity to fix any problems in my house, as, as many of you
know, I enjoy building and using my hands, and like the challenge of creative
problem solving. Next up on the list are some problems I have with some
electrical outlets and bad wiring.
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| Two ways to look at this: the damage, or my new sky light |
Another fun way to pass the time that involves overcoming
the problem of lack of resources has been my recent endeavor to create my own
“home fitness station”. To put it simply, there is no workout equipment that I
am aware of within 40km of my home. So my working out, as my good buddy
Raimondi likes to tell me, is more of a caveman workout. So far I’ve managed to
make some dumbbells using cut-down iron rod, quick dry cement, with some
plastic molds I made. The rest of, as of now, includes cinder blocks,
cobblestones, and buckets of waters. In the on-deck circle of projects are
kettle balls, pull up bars, and a punching bag. We’ll see what becomes a
reality as the great experiment continues.
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| My home workout equipment |
And when I’m not working on household projects, I’ve finally
allowed myself to start reading books in English again, the current book being
War and Peace. Do you know how long it is, because on a Kindle, you don’t
really know what you’re getting yourself into at the start of a new book. You
only know your percentage. It’s been a long journey to say the least, and
despite reading for almost three weeks now, I’m only 63% through. I still got a
lot of percentages to go, but it helps that it’s incredibly well written, and
really captures my attention. If anyone has any good suggestions for a good
book, let me know. Or if you’re really feeling generous, you can always buy a
book for a near broke Peace Corps volunteer on his Amazon wishlist (http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/1SF4V4PAAK63N/ref=cm_wl_prev_ret?_encoding=UTF8&reveal=)
…I’m just saying.
And Happy Saint Patties Day, for the first time in my life,
I completely missed it. Didn’t even wear green...shameless
“I didn’t have words for it then, but I do now: I am about
to show the world what, and myself, what I can do.” - Michael Lewis
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