What's brown and sticky...

Hint: This time, it's not a stick.

Hmmm...what could I be referring to? Well, I won't tell you. I will tell you that over the past week I've learned a lot about building latrines, though! Latrines, just in case you don't speak Peace Corps or Development language, are outhouses. But not just any latrines: VIP latrines...Ventilated Improved Pit latrines. Whoah boy!

Alone, you may be asking. Did I build seven latrines all by my lonesome? Heck no! A group of 7 guys and a priest from the University of Rochester came down, and in conjunction with the families, dug holes and mortared rocks to the sides of the holes (so that they don't collapse whilst someone is...you know...). It was a lot of fun. Mostly I just translated, though sometimes I could sneak in with a pick and shovel or throw some rocks on with some mortar. I'm an expert now at telling people what to do, by the way. And while they did not get finished, they should be finished next week, which is when I'll go around teaching families to make portable hand-washers (and tell them why they should use them).

So, what am I doing now? Wallowing in my half-success? Nopers. Currently, I'm in day one of 7 of a medical mission. Doctors from all over the US have come together in a town outside of Santiago, and I get to help translate! What does this mean? I don't have to cook or clean for 7 days, and I'll be learning lots of new words in spanish hopefully tonight. So that, you know, I don't look like a fool. Because then I would have to pity myself. (You know...I pity the fool...)

This does not mean that school hasn't started yet. Well, actually, it hasn't started, it starts on Monday. This week the teachers are in some sort of workshop. It's a bummer that I'm not there because I love sitting for days on end and listening to people tell me things, but, you know, we all have our struggles.

Should I back up a bit? Okay. Where was I before making latrines? And before running around getting things prepared for making latrines? Good question. I was in the good old US of A. It was wonderful...everything I hoped for and dreamed of. I think my family was in the honeymoon phase of Alicia... you know, when you haven't seen anyone for a while and so then want to do whatever that person wants to do because you've missed her that much. So that's pretty much what we did. Whatever I wanted to do. It was awesome, and the food was awesome, and I got to see a lot of my wonderful friends. Trips like that make me energized for life here!

Now I will include a highlight and a lowlight.

Lowlight (let's start with the bad first). I assaulted a woman. I know, I know, it's called the Peace Corps, not the assault corps. Let me defend myself before you judge me for the terrible person you may think I am. The group had brought some gifts to share with some of the children. Of course, once people saw this, mothers started pushing up to get one for themselves (or, ostensibly, for their children). Since we only had gifts for the children of the families with whom we were working, not everyone could receive something. Well, this woman kept pushing and pushing (we were backed up against a truck). So I yelled at her something like "YA!", pushed her back, and then screamed "YOU ARE ALL ACTING LIKE ANIMALS!"

oops. So much for self control, I guess. Everyone loses it every now and then. In my defense, I was dirty and exhausted and really, really angry. Good thing assault here is really if you do something like machete someone in the eye.

Highlight: I do believe that, after a conversation with one of the priest's friends, I will have help securing funding to build many more latrines. This is important because 1) It is no fun to have to do your bodily functions in the bushes with almost zero privacy, 2) It's a health hazard 3) There's a little thing called cholera which is spread by poor hygiene 4) A house is not a home without a bathroom, and
5) Have you ever pooped without a toilet or outhouse? I have, and it sucks.

Long story long, money to build more latrines means more healthy families (and perhaps some temporary happiness, too). And a healthier community.

If you are asking yourself "self, I wonder if Alicia's community needs a lot of latrines?" The answer is yes. How many, I'm not sure of yet (surveys to come) but the answer is surely in the 100s. Will I be able to help every house get a latrine? Haha probably not, but that sure would be nice. BTW, if you or your group would like to sponsor a latrine, I can write your name on it and take a picture of it with the family standing around it (or someone using it, if that's what you'd prefer...).

In the meantime, I'll be translating and then back to school getting the kiddies to read, and back to the youth helping them develop their self-esteem and learn how to think for themselves. And me and the art teacher are going to start a good parenting class! I'm no parent, so she's providing the "parenting" portion and I'm supplying the "class" bit. It's a fun job, so I'm glad I'm the one who gets to do it!

Also in other news, my cat is still really really adorable.

Also also, pictures to come!

Happy New Year!
-alicia