It's been a whirlwind. To get through 11 weeks of training and then to suddenly live on my own in my community. I took it slow this week, to say the least. My brain needed a lot of downtime to recover. I read the rest of the Harry Potter books and did a lot of observation at school. Some days it feels like a success simply to have one good conversation with another member of staff. Building relationships is so crucial to success. I go to the dining hall at lunch each day and help with the teachers on duties. This helps me because I can use the time to meet new teachers and talk to them and it's also great because I get to eat lunch for free! If I cut out 5 meals a week by eating at school, I can start to afford things that are normally way out of PCV budget, like good cheese or olives.
Food is very interesting for me here. I'm gluten free, which surprisingly isn't difficult. But does increase my expenses a bit. To go shopping for groceries I have to ride the bus nearly an hour to the capital, which means I have to take my big backpack to carry it all home in, and I have to hope that my food will make it without spoiling. I'm still amazed I've managed to get my eggs here without them all cracking!
There is also much less variety in food choices here, and most produce is simply whatever is in season. I'm very lucky that my shopping village is the capital because it means I have a much greater variety than most volunteers. And I can get special treats. Like this week when I went shopping I walked into the mall and right away bought a frozen yogurt. It was wonderful. There are also several stores in in the capital with gluten free options so I should always be able to find what I need. I'm enjoying cooking for myself again and trying new experiments. For instance, I'm currently waiting for my attempt at tomato sauce to finish simmering. I failed pretty miserably at making a sauce, but from what I can tell it's still going to taste good!
I've also discovered that I have wifi at my house. This is a huge deal. It means I'm not going to buy internet anymore since in theory I will have it both at school and at home! I seriously am the most spoiled volunteer. Besides the people with a shower. They are living the dream.
I've been enjoying the company of my landlords this week and starting to meet my neighbors. I also created an extensive to do list so that I can start to get organized for the next three months. All in all, it was a successful first week in my new place. I even received another package and letters from home! Thank you all for the continued support! It helps immensely.
Best,
Bethany
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