1st Site Visit

May 24 – May 30

     Happy Pentecost! Sunday of this week was a special religious day for those who speak multiple languages, since that’s the day Catholics celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, which allowed them to speak the Word of God in many different languages. The celebration here, like most places, was a quiet one, but knowing I’m now one of those people who can communicate in more than one linguistic culture was exciting and made me feel blessed.

     Thursday was my first site visit, which means that someone from the Peace Corps office came to see how my projects are going and how life is in my site. We started at school and met with my principal, as well as several teachers, so he could re-explain what my job is and what I can do as a Peace Corps volunteer. I definitely appreciated his ability to explain my purpose without committing me to a million more things, while still saying that I could do more than what I’m currently doing for them. We went to Vital, a vegetarian restaurant in town, for lunch, and then stopped by Wiwa Tour to have roughly the same conversation, but more informally. Now, I’m excited for everything and I hope I’ll get more projects going soon.

- Hummus: In a food processor (or bowl, if you’re going to mash it), combine cooked chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper, all to taste. Blend, adding water until your hummus reaches a consistency you like. You can also add roasted red pepper or paprika or anything else you like.

- Costeños Saludables is a Facebook page and a blog run by a Peace Corps volunteer who lives on the Coast of Colombia. She has lots of amazing recipes that use locally available ingredients. Some of those recipes include limonada de coco ice cream, chocolate pancakes, and chewy chocolate coco cookies. The link to her blog is this: https://costenossaludables.wordpress.com .

- Remember how I mentioned personal goals earlier? Well, this week, for the first time ever, I jogged a mile without stopping to walk or take a break. That’s such a little accomplishment compared to my friends who run six miles every day, but it’s a big deal for me. Like with everything in Peace Corps, little successes make the biggest difference.

- While we’re talking about little happy moments, this week was full of them. We have a new teacher in second grade and she seems nice and very capable. A stranger on the street said, “Dios te bendiga”, to me as we passed. One of my teaching counterparts introduced me to a potential counterpart for environmental projects. And the person who came from the office for my site visit said the restaurant we went to for lunch had some of the best vegetarian food he’d eaten.

- Green bean fries: Wash and trim as many green beans as you’re going to use. Set up your breading stations in three bowls. Put ½ cup flour, salt, and pepper in the first bowl. Put 2 eggs in the second bowl. Put 1½ cups bread crumbs, onion or garlic powder, and cayenne or red pepper flakes in the third bowl. Roll each green bean through bowls 1 through 3 and place on a buttered sheet. Bake at 220 degrees C or 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.

- Garlic dipping sauce for green bean fries: Combine ¼ cup light mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, or Greek yogurt with chopped, roasted garlic, olive oil, mustard, salt, and pepper.