Ninja Giga

I got to Arica yesterday and my first impression of the volunteer exchange I'm doing is that it's not exactly what I thought it would be.  They are listed under the category of "backpacker hostel" online, but there is absolutely no hostel here whatsoever - a little misleading to say the least.  What they do have is a small internet/printing business called Ninja Giga, so my main job here is to walk around door to door with the owner to offer our services and give out little flyers - basically door to door marketing.  While we do this I am to be wearing a large, white lab coat with their logo on it, in addition to carrying a large box with information about their sales taped to it.  I don't particularly mind doing this per se, but I think that my presence is pretty pointless, because I don't even say anything.  I just hold the box and turn it as Magdalena, the owner, talks.  (The online description mentions the job duties as working in the business, helping take care of the kids, welcoming guests, maybe some cleaning, and possibly learning some common computer repair tasks.)

Unfortunately the entire living situation also doesn't really match up with the online description.  Online it mentions a shared bedroom with bunk beds, but in reality we don't even have a bed room.  There are three volunteers here now, but one is leaving tomorrow.  One bed is a rather narrow wooden bench with a lumpy mattress on it in a small room that connects the kitchen, business, and bathroom - not even a little bit private.  The other bed is a couch behind a cardboard "wall' in the business, so yeah, no too private either.  When the other girl leaves tomorrow the very unprivate bed will be mine. 

The eating situation: we each contribute (a mandatory contribution that wasn't mentioned online) for meals and Magdalena cooks.  Sounds good, but last night dinner was instant mashed potatoes, a few green peas, and meat that may have come from a can.  Today it was a bit better, but a lot of rice and very little salad to accompany it.  The portions are a little small too, so when I asked for seconds at lunch I just got some plain white rice all by itself.  The stove doesn't work well, and only one burner really works at all, so we aren't supposed to use it.  Today I bought some eggs for myself to accompany the tea and toast we get for breakfast, and I wasn't to boil them myself.  Magdalena's husband boiled them for me and thinks they were done because one had a crack, but I have no idea how long they were actually boiled.  I guess I'll find out at breakfast tomorrow when I crack some open. 

All that being said, they are really nice, and I like the other volunteers that are here.  But I wish they had been a bit more honest about everything online.  I initially told them I would stay for two weeks, but we'll see how the next few days go...

I'll try to take some pictures of my ridiculous work outfit and bed to post tomorrow...if nothing else, hopefully I can at least get a good story out of this.