Home Away from Home

I’ve realized that after almost 2 years in Peru, I haven’t mentioned my family once. So I figured it’s better now than never.

Peace Corps volunteers in Peru are required to live with host families for the full two years, something my mother was very happy to learn about. Don’t get me wrong, it has been great living with a family, but it definitely has had its ups and downs. Ups: I get served my meals, I’m never alone, and they help me acustumbrar faster to the culture here.  Downs: Pretty much all the same things except the last one.

But when it comes down to it, I’m very grateful for my host family, and a family, they have really become. We joke and laugh with each other, they’ve seen me cry, and have stood up for me in the community. Not many volunteers are as lucky as I am to have such a great host family. 

So let me introduce them to you:

Host Mom Adela: She’s in her 30’s, so I’ve always considered her more of my friend than host mom. She’s a stout woman who always has a smile on her face. At first I thought her to be serious and shy, but that was just because we didn’t know each other. Whenever I go on trips, she always tells me how lucky I am to travel and to be single. Over these years, I’ve gotten to know a little bit about her history. She’s from Bambamarca, the bigger city below and got married and pregnant really early in life, at around 21 years old. Her spouse is from San Juan de Lacamaca, which is where I live, so she upped and moved her life to the campo. She has a hard life, as most women do in the campo, as I see her constantly working through the day while my host dad is off drinking. She washes the clothes (even mine!), cooks and cleans, takes care of the animals, and does all the shopping. Because of that, she can never be gone for too long. So if she has to go to another community for whatever reason, she wakes up before sunrise to cook breakfast and lunch and go on her way in time to get back to make dinner. She’s quite the jokester, and we both have bonded over making fun of my host dad. She only has a primary school education, but she’s a quick learner. I teach her how to make different cakes and dishes from time to time. What’s frustrating to me is that even though she works so much, she has a low self-esteem, something very common among women. So I do all that I can to boost her self-esteem and show her how much she is valued. 

Host Dad Belermino: Ooohh my host dad. Again, he’s around the same age as Adela, so I call him by his first name or by his nickname Belacho. By trade he is a painter, artist, and teacher, but by day he works in the municipality (the only worker) and is the president of the Ronda Campesinas, both of which he started just recently. Before he had odd painting jobs and taught literacy to a group of moms. Like I said above, he likes to drink, which is what most men do here. I’ve never been around alcoholics, but I would say that he is one, as when he drinks, he doesn’t come back until the wee mornings and can barely walk. But with that said, he’s harmless, which is why Adela and I make fun of him. I think he is also ashamed of his drinking because often times after he goes out drinking, I don’t see him for days on end, as he doesn’t want me to see him, which I think is kind of funny. But all and all, he’s a good guy and has got my back. He heard some bad gossip about me from this person around town and he told them off, which I was glad to hear. 

Host Brother Gian Carlos: It took me a good couple weeks to finally figure out what my host brother’s name was as my family calls him Kalin (Ka-leen) and his school calls him Gian (Gsh-ean). He just turned 13 the day after Christmas, but he is still a little kid at heart. I’ve never had a little sibling, as I am the youngest in my family, so it has been interesting dealing with that. He used to always come into my room and ask me what I was doing, so I had to learn boundaries pretty quick. He’s my biggest helper in town. If I need some eggs from the neighbor or need to put up a sign at school, I will just give the job to him, and he’s only too happy to do it for me. I’ve tried to give him as many opportunities to grow as I can while I am here by inviting him to our Camp VALOR and to participate in my youth health promoters club. He’s okay at school, but really wants to become a priest when he grows up, something that I have never heard a kid say before.

The days are counting down and I’ve already been thinking about how I’m going to say goodbye. My host mom used to cry when I gave her rent or if I went on vacation, so I can only imagine. They all don’t want me to leave, and in a perfect world, I wouldn’t, but that is just how things go. I came crying to Peace Corps and I will leave crying. 

Host Grandma: Oh mi abuelita, also known as Doña Leja (Le-ha). I call her abuela and every time I am greeted with a smile and a laughter, so I think she likes it :-) She is the mother of my host father, and lives next door to us. She is a widow and has 8 kids that live in Lima, Chiclayo, and Cajamarca. She's in her 70's but is truckin' it with the best of them. She owns three cows, so is constantly taking care of them, which means milking them twice a day and finding them grass, which is sometimes in the jalca or high up in the mountains. It's a good hour walk up the mountain to where she keeps her cows, which means twice a day, she goes up and down to milk them. I don't know how she does it, as I can't even do that once without stopping at least a couple time to catch my breath. And she does it while crocheting to boot!