Community Integration + Bacardi?

You never know what to expect in Maraita.

Leaving work at the Municipal office, I hear music playing at the school and decide to be nosy and see what's going on. I walk in on the end of the school year celebration for the teachers. Well, I should say the AFTER PARTY celebration since all the parents, and most of the children and teachers had left. Now there is just 6 teachers sitting around a table and 3 empty bottles of bacardi gold and another bottle about to get there.

I'm greeted with cheers and am immediately served a drink which I believe was half a cup bacardi and only had a splash of coke since the whole town knows I am the only person there that doesn't like soda. Keep in mind its about 3 in the afternoon. I tried to "fijase que" give excuses to why I can't drink right now.... like you know... its day time or we are in a school with children but none of these worked.

You all know me- get one drink in me, and I was cheering the rest of the afternoon to first "Maraita" then to "Los Catrachos" or Hondurans then to the "Gringos" then to "The hardest workers in Maraita-the teachers" then to "The invention of Zambos (plantain chips) or the greatest thing to put in your mouth after a shot" ya there was no stopping me. We were all laughing and having a great time.

Then one of the teachers slips me a piece of paper, and when I ask "what it is" all I get is a little wink and a "Thats my number" Next thing I know, I am peer pressured by the group to dance with him. NOT JUST ANY DANCE but the music was a live band of "Conjunta" which is basically glueing your whole body onto someone and doing a step-backward and forward/left and right with tons of spins or in other words dancing well suited for drunk horny folk.

During this dance, I get the honor of being bombarded by this teacher begging for my number so that he "can show me his school" but I keep waiting for the rest of that sentence something like "where I can be the teacher and you can play the student rawr"

As soon as humanly possible, I run away back to the table only to find my cup has mysteriously been filled to the brim with that devils acid again. And that just plays out in a circle, I go dance and then I come back with my friends filling my cup and telling me to "Tomalo de un solo, apurate!!!!" or "Chug it, hurry up!!!" So I would just sneakily pour my drink in other people's cups where they were more than happy to help me with my predicament. Thereby getting my companeros wasted, and not myself.

Dang, it was one of the best parties ever! No one can day drink like the teachers of Maraita can :D


Is this what Peace Corps meant when they talk about community integration and cultural exchange in their application materials?