Shit Happens

I’m going to level with you all; these past few months have been very difficult. I had a vision that my second year of service would just sort of fall into place. That all the time I put in last year being frustrated by differences in cultures (often incompatibilities with the job at hand) would mean something and that this year would just be easier. Hah. Yeah, right. So as you might imagine, realizing that I will have to be irritated every day for the rest of my time here (9 months, not that I’m counting) didn’t settle too well. People say that eventually the frustrations of Peace Corps no longer bother you; that you simply get over it and learn to be at peace with your situation. Well, anyone who knows me well knows that I am far too uptight for that nonsense. I intend to be pissed off every day until this is done. But something strange happened. Just yesterday there was a huge rainstorm in the morning, and I trudged through ankle-deep mud with a flimsy umbrella in order to make it to school on time. Not many other people did. When we rang the bell for school to start, only 3 of 12 teachers were present (ironically the man who lives the furthest from school, the only other teacher that walks, and me) and only about one-third of the student population. I’d like to tell you this doesn’t happen very often, but then I’d be lying. Ordinarily I’d be infuriated. But I peeked into my eighth grade classroom and quickly realized that my rotten apples that spoil the whole bunch were all absent. God smiled upon me that day. He saw what he made and that it was good. I had an exceptionally good day. It poured for most of the day (deafening on the tin roof of the school) and half my class was missing, but I just smiled. I didn’t have to put up with any shenanigans. It was blissful. I went home with a spring in my step (well, to be fair, I had to traverse the lethal mud again, but it’s an expression) and a new view of my life. Instead of getting upset by upsetting things, try to find the positive. My new motto. And just to prove He was listening, God put on a little dramatization for me later in the evening in order to hit the point home. And boy was it hit home. My favorite human being on this island is a two year old boy named Ray. He is my life and my love. He is also learning to potty-train. I have mastered assisting him in going number one, but he had not yet required my services with going number two. In a world without toilet paper, number two requires a bit of intimacy between the caretaker and child to achieve cleanliness. As such, Ray usually only goes to do his business with a select few older women. But that night, he came straight up to me and announced he needed to go poop. So, what’s a gal to do? Maybe because I’m a born mother, or maybe because I spent a summer changing diapers at a daycare, but I really didn’t find the set up too upsetting. I was happy to rinse his little bottom off after the deed was done, and even happier that he trusted me enough to have me do so. Here’s where things got a little complicated. Let’s just say that Ray misled me when he told me he was finished on the toilet, because whilst I had my hand in the danger zone it turned out he was not finished, and I got a handful. But, the most disturbing part was that I was completely unfazed. I simply rinsed off and continued my work until we were both clean and dry. It wasn’t until later, when I was recounting the story to my family (met with uproarious laughter, of course) that I realized how gross it was. The point I’m making is not that I’ve become a desensitized disgusting animal (though that might be true), but rather that I was so caught up in the hugeness of the moment that I didn’t let the mess get in my way. How many people can say they had such a close and intimate relationship with a small child from another country, who doesn’t speak your language, yet trusts you completely? Not many, I bet. So as we cuddled together later that night, Ray and I played and giggled, his misdeed fully forgiven. And as I reflected over my day and what I had learned, I just laughed out loud. Inspirational Mottos: Instead of getting upset by upsetting things, try to find the positive. I guess it’s like when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or more accurately, when a small child poops in your hand find a way to smile about it. I guess that’s a little less catchy. Hey, shit happens. --Christy

“Tricker Treat!”



Some finsihed products from our Halloween mask-making extravaganza!



Ray making his Halloween face.



My jack-o-lantern made from a file folder. It was a BIG hit.




My new Halloween skirt!



Last year, I didn’t do much to acknowledge American holidays, but this year I decided to change that, starting with Halloween. A big help was my dear friend Rachel who mailed me holiday-themed fabric so I could have my host-sister make festive skirts. Another noteworthy contributor was my wonderful mother, who sent an obscene amount of candy to share. So, on Halloween evening, while wearing my fabulous new skirt, I gathered up the smallest kids (grades 1-3) and had a little mask-making party. But first, to set the mood, I made a make-shift jack-o-lantern out of manila folders and a candle and set it up in the room before the kids came in, and shut off all the lights. The children freaked out. They LOVED it. I used manila file folders (cut in half), colored pencils, scissors, and yarn to help my family create their masterpieces. But as it turned out, the kids had absolutely no clue how to make a mask. And thus the party turned into a class. I sat with my usual partner in crime; the 2 year old named Ray, and made his mask as an example. Then the kids went to town. Word eventually spread and even the older boys decided to come give it a try. One of my cousins Villazone even managed to scare the crap out of me, much to his delight. But otherwise, they didn’t really want my help (typical teenage boys), but observing their enthusiasm from afar was enough. Then came the candy. In hindsight, I should have distributed the candy much earlier in the evening, because as I finally was falling asleep around 10pm, the kids were still running wild, screaming in the darkness outside. But I smiled, in spite of the fact that I had to wake up early the next morning, because my stomach was full of candy and the kids outside were having a blast. Earlier that evening I gave up on trying to explain that the phrase is “Trick or Treat” and that it’s actually a question. The kids were not to be bothered with such details on such an exciting night. Instead, I fell asleep listening to their voices echoing through the trees, “Tricker treat!” and “Happy Halloween Day!” Hope your Halloween Day was fun, too. Enjoy the photos! --Christy