well, here it is, the rainy season. and this year it's más fuerte than the last. my normally empty town is now even emptier. so empty, in fact, that it would be pointless to try to put on a summer camp for the kids, because the kids are pretty much nonexistent. i am currently working on starting some business planning workshops with the municipalidad and my new socio - but, my start date has been pushed back until next week because of mini town fiestas, rallies, protests, etc.
so, what have i been doing...? well on the weekends, i go running with my neighbor (before the rains start in the afternoons and go onto the evenings). and i'll spend time with my host niece and nephew who are visiting from Trujillo. and, i can tell you one thing - i'm more than prepared for the business workshops i plan to have. and i've been having meetings with my socio 1-2 times a week. other than that, i've gotten myself into a nice routine (so that i don't drive myself crazy with boredom). i wake up early every morning to eat breakfast and watch the local news with my family. then i usually study for the TEFL exam (Teaching English as a Foreign Language certification - we take the test in march), or i'll clean and organize my room (needless to say, it's spotless). around 1pm comes lunch and hangout time with the family, and maybe afterwards i'll study a bit more or check my email. from 5pm - 7pm every weekday, i go to dance practice with my community dance group. our big performance is february 24th, for carnaval.
we're going to perform three danzas...
danza 1: Carnaval de Sillawaita - from Huancavelica
danza 2: Qocharunas (this is a quechua word) - from Ayacucho
danza 3: not sure of the name of it yet, but it's a traditional dance from Cusco
so, yeah - the rainy season, dude. i'm actually remaining surprisingly positive through it all. but man, it's tough. it's been raining so much that the rivers are full and overflowing. the spot in the river that we have to pass to go to Chiclayo is now un-passable. the bus companies have worked it out to have a bus to take the people to the river, where the passengers must hike through the woods for a good 5-10 minutes, and then there's another bus to pick them up on the other side. so, goods cannot be brought into Catache unless it can fit into one bag. i haven't had canned milk or crackers in weeks. my cell phone service is worse than usual because of all of the rain clouds. then yesterday, the electricity went out (normally it's out for days at a time, but this time it was only out for about 12 hours - thank goodness).
so, that's about it - i'll keep you all updated as things get more exciting and the rain lets up!
chao!
ps - i saw a GIANT dead tarantula on my run today! gross!
