feeling used

Why do I feel used?

1. My host family thinks I´m big money. I told them I asked a friend to help me put my bike together and they suggested that I ask our neighbor to do it. Then I started to get a funny notion and asked them, "Is he going to charge me?" And they basically said, "of course!" like that was a silly question.

Prima thinks that´s "way out of line," which shows a huge difference between her rural and poor, yet extremely generous community and mine. But then again, her family doesn´t charge her a cent. She buys them marmalade and some other things every once in a while. Yet they are a family who recently got their clothes stolen as they were drying outside and now don´t have an extra change of clothes. My family recently built a second floor to the house, tiled the entire place up with gorgeous tile, painted the inside and outside and charge me 340 soles a month to live here. I am a renter, not part of the family.

2. My counterpart. Again. Yes, complaining about him again. Now I am supposed to write "informes," which are like this official document requesting a meeting between a biologist, an NGO, me and the municipality. Why am I the one who is supposed to write that??? And I am also supposed to write an informe to get a clean-up crew out to the beach and garbage cans installed. I tried explaining to him that I was hoping to get the kids I´ll be working with to ask the mayor (while I forewarned the mayor and ensured his consent) to make them feel more empowered to help the environment. No, it´s urgent, he says. Write an informe.

I am a personal assistant, a secretary, a right-hand man and a sugar daddy.

Don´t worry, I have a crafty scheme up my sleeve. I´ll keepy you updated if it works.