El Batallón

So in my first soccer story i wrote about creating a counterpart connection with the Batallon or battalion in Pinalejo, a town about 20 minutes (and two bus rides) from San Marcos, last week I finally started my work there. Like most things here, and when I say most things I really mean everything, it doesn’t go according to plan. I was hoping that because I was working with a military organization that they would be more organized, punctual, and well behaved…not quite, maybe a half step above normal, but it’s been like pulling teeth getting work done here. The only reason I’m sticking with it and trying so hard to make it work is because I think that it is very important and when it does work it is really fun. Last week the plan was to give classes on hygiene, HIV/AIDS, STIs, and drugs and alcohol, the plan was Tuesday and Wednesday 3 ½ hours before lunch and 2 ½ after lunch and then just a half day on Thursday to finish everything up. Getting 15 hours of stuff together, planned and organized is not easy, especially in Spanish and not using the normal materials that the Peace Corps usually goes with, I had to get creative to have a captive audience of military students listening and participating for 3 ½ hours on hygiene, but I put in a lot of work and got it all set. Then I got the call, 10 PM Monday night… “fijase que” (read the previous entry if you don’t get this). It was the Coronel calling saying that everything was set up for tomorrow to give class to the new group for 3 hours before lunch….the whole afternoon session was scrapped. As frustrated as I was about this I decieded that I’d make it work, if I cut some stuff, really was efficient with my time I could try and squeeze it all in 9 hours instead of 15. Tuesday morning came and ‘fijase que’ they had a meeting till 9:30… so I changed my plans again, Tuesday I just did hygiene, Wednesday worked fine, I rushed though the HIV/AIDS in a little over 3 hours just fine, Thursday started good, the plan was do to STIs and Drugs and Alcohol all in 3 hours, rough but doable. Until my class got interrupted for over an hour’s so that a American pastor could give a church service…AHHH! In the end I learned a lot from this experience and hopefully things will go smoother in the future, I did have a lot of fun with the guys, get free lunches, get to see lots of military drills and I know where they keep their guns… we’ll see how next week goes…