My first week in Chirikayén not only worked
wonders for my Spanish skills, but also afforded me opportunities to teach in
the local primary school.
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| My new home, Chirikayén,
3 July 2012 |
On Monday, 2 July, still recovering from my stomach
illness, I headed to the local primary school to assist my host dad, Federico,
with his class of 3rd and 4th graders (using the
opposites game and the ABC/123 puzzle I gave to Silvio and Alexandra…). The next day (Tuesday, 3 July), I returned to
the school to teach addition to Federico’s students, and division to a class of
5th and 6th graders.
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| View from my
bedroom window, Chirikayén, 3 July 2012 |
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| View from my
other bedroom window, Chirikayén, 3 July 2012 |
That
evening, the sunset – a streak of fire along the horizon, beneath blue-gray storm
clouds – and the (full, gold-tinted) moonrise were incredible.
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| Sunset, Chirikayén,
3 July 2012 |
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| Moonrise, Chirikayén,
3 July 2012 |
This
year, my 4th of July (Wednesday) wasn’t exactly the most celebratory. I spent much of the day studying Spanish, and
again returned to the school to teach the younger kids how to use PowerPoint
(actually, OpenOffice Impress…), and the older kids multiplication and
division.
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| El Cerro (“The hill”…but in reality, the
mountain), Chirikayén, 4 July 2012 |
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| Chirikayén
Tepui, Chirikayén, 4 July 2012 |
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| Trinitarias, Chirikayén, 4 July 2012 |
That
afternoon, I washed my clothes in the Remak River
(where we also wash dishes…and bathe) for the first time, which was hard
work! And, somewhat sadly, I went to bed
without watching a single speck of fireworks :/ .
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| Chirikayénites
washing clothes and dishes in the Remak
River, Chirikayén, 4 July
2012 |
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| Our
neighbor/Federico’s sister, Raquel, (with two of her daughters) peeling caña (sugar cane), Chirikayén, 4 July
2012 |
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| A butterfly who
kept me company while I washed my clothes in the Remak River,
Chirikayén, 4 July 2012 |
As
it turns out, the 5th of July
(Thursday) is Venezuelan Independence Day.
Unlike us Americans, however, Chirikayénites don’t play with fire to
celebrate their country’s independence (from Spain). There were some military drills/demonstrations
in the cancha (playing field)
starting at 6 that morning, but no real festivities.
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| The dawn, Chirikayén,
5 July 2012 |
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| Military
demonstration for Venezuelan Independence Day in the cancha (playing field), Chirikayén, 5 July 2012 |
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| Chirikayén, 5
July 2012 |
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| Orquídea (orchid) – Venezuela’s
national flower – hanging on a neighbor’s porch, Chirikayén, 5 July 2012 |
On
Friday (6 July), I took the 6 am microbus
to Santa Elena to use the internet there.
In the meantime, Sandra went to her uncle’s conuco – indigenous farming plot – and brought about 15 pineapples
home for us to enjoy.
That
night, I was finally able to convince Sandra to let me help her make dinner – arepas with cheese. After kneading the dough (a mixture of harina de maiz, azúcar, sal, y agua
(cornmeal, sugar, salt, and water)), we
formed 5-inch-wide rounds to toast on the stove – a very simple, tasty meal!
Saturday
morning (7 July), at about 9:30, I walked to the local (Seventh-Day Adventist)
church with Victorino. The service
lasted til 12:10, and wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but during the parts spoken
in Taurepán (the indigenous language of Chirikayén, of which I only know a
couple of words), I enjoyed reading some of the rather puzzling Book of Job.
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| Seventh-Day
Service in la iglesia (the church), Chirikayén, 7 July 2012 |
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| A furry friend I found on my walk toward the Awaraparú River,
Chirikayén, 7 July 2012 |
On
Sunday (8 July), I’d planned on going to the conuco with Federico, but it was so rainy he decided not to go. Afterward, I took a walk toward the Awaraparú
River/el cerro (the mountains) and played
with my host brother, Silvio.
That
night, I tried bollo – soft, boiled
lumps of dough – served with huevos
revueltos con vegetales (eggs scrambled with vegetables), for the first time. By now, I’ve gotten used to eating this at
least once or twice a week with my host family.
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| Dinner: Bollo con huevos revueltos con vegetales (plus
patilla y ensalada) [Bollo
with eggs scrambled with vegetables (plus watermelon and salad)],
Chirikayén, 8 July 2012 |
My New Home
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| Our living
room, Chirikayén, 8 July 2012 |
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| Our kitchen, Chirikayén,
8 July 2012 |
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| Sandra/Federico/Silvio/Alexandra’s room, Chirikayén, 8 July 2012 |
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| My cozy,
oversized bedroom, Chirikayén, 8 July 2012 |
By now, I’ve actually been living in Chirikayén for three
weeks, and I must say, ever since I arrived, everyone I’ve met has been
extremely welcoming and hospitable. The
community is very safe – no need to close/lock doors/windows until the
electricity cuts out at 10 pm, and children often roam around on their own. Plus, the views are spectacular and the air
fresh and pure!
So,
I’m very glad I made the decision to spend a good chunk of my summer here! In my next post, I’ll tell you all about the conuco, which I visited during my second
week in Chirikayén.
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