I’m not sure if I’m punishing myself or not by listening to Christmas music. Every time Josh Groban’s “I’ll be home for Christmas” comes on, the water works start up. But at the same time, I can’t resist since the thought of NOT listening to Christmas music is almost worse than listening to it and missing home.
This is going to be my first Christmas away from home…My first Christmas away from my family…One day more than I’ve ever spent away from the U.S…My first Christmas without presents, Christmas lights, and Christmas trees…You get the picture.
It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that in less than 5 days, Christmas will have come and gone and will officially mark my one-month anniversary of being in site. But, with everything that I do here, I try to look at in a positive light and be grateful for the experiences that I get to have, and the people I get to share them with.
For starters, Christmas is done a bit differently in Peru, of which, I’m not surprised, as almost everything is different here than from the states, Christmas not being the exception. Here are a few ways that Peruvians celebrate Christmas:
Paneton and Hot Chocolate: I don’t want to make any generalizations, but I’m pretty sure that almost every Peruvian follows this custom. Paneton (Pronounced Pan-i-tone) is a type of Christmas bread that has fruit jellies inside and it is accompanied by hot chocolate before, during, or after Christmas. I’ve had Paneton a few times and it’s not bad, but I’m a little suspicious since Paneton first started appearing in stores when I first arrived to Peru in September. And any bread product that can last on the shelves for more than 3 months makes me stop and wonder what kind of chemicals are inside.
Nacimiento (Nativity): Starting around the first of the month, stores start brimming with Nativity figurines since here in Peru, people put up Nativity scenes in their houses to mark the Christmas season. There of course the angels, the wise men, and all the barnyard animals you want, but Baby Jesus is not put out until Christmas day. It reminds me a lot about my advent calendar back in the states when my sister and I used to fight over who would get to put up baby Jesus. Usually the Nativity scenes are accompanied by little Charlie Brown Christmas trees, but not always. In the case of my family, we have neither a Christmas tree nor a nativity scene, but we do have a string of Christmas lights so there is at least some acknowledgement of Christmas in the house.
Gift Exchange: Having grown up with THE Mrs. Santa, it’s going to be a bit weird not exchanging gifts. Don’t get me wrong, Christmas is not all about the presents, but being the gift-person that I am, it is a bit weird. To amend this problem, I purchased socks at the market and decorated them, so as my family can have Christmas stockings (Christmas Gym-Socks more likely…). I got a few sweets and trinkets to put inside Christmas day, but I thought it would be a fun thing for them.
Amigos Secretos (Secret Friends): This is just like Secret Santas, only it plays out a bit differently. We exchanged names in my Health Micro-Red, of which I found out about only 2-hours before. The way in which you find out is by having a scarf tied around your eyes and having to pat down the mystery person in front of you while everyone laughs. Ha. People seem to really get into the “patting-down” part, so things get a bit exciting. I come to find out later that Amigos Secretos wasn’t down this way with my friend’s health post, so I’m pretty sure my Micro-Red is just extra special (and a bit weird).
So those are some of the customs I have seen so far, but I’m sure there is more to come. I’m going to be celebrating with my new host family and some family friends my site, so I’m not sure what’s in store, but it should be fun.
As always, and maybe even more, I miss you all very dearly and will be thinking of you all come Christmas Day.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
A Walk in the Clouds
So it’s come under my understanding that a lot of people have no idea what I’ve been up to lately, so I’m going to try to answer that question as difficult as it is. It’s complicated since I myself am trying to figure that out as well…
So basically for the first three months in site, we are supposed to be doing a “Community Diagnostic,” which is basically a way for us to get to know our communities and for our communities to get to know us. At this point, I’m just the strange “gringa” in town and most people have no idea why I’m here. The diagnostic is also a chance for me to find out what the needs of my community are and what they want help with. So it’s really a win-win.
To help me integrate and get to know my community, I’ve been saying “yes” to any opportunity that presents itself. Not sure if this was a smart or stupid idea, but it has led to some interesting days for sure…
Just the other day, my day started out accompanying one of my aunts to the soup kitchen in town and ending up agreeing to accompany my other aunt to a “caserio” later in the day. I’ve been trying to make it to all the “caserios”, basically small towns nearby, since there are about 15, so I was excited to go.
After lunch I met up with her and she asked me if I was sure I wanted to walk with her since she said we were going to be walking up-hill, which I replied “I love to walk.” She just laughed at my response, which should have been an indicator to me of what lied ahead. But soon enough, I discovered that indeed we walked up-hill….walked up a mountain more like it.
My community is at the base of a huge mountain, and our destination was actually up and over the other side of the mountain. I don’t know if it was the fact that I am out of shape or we were at a high altitude, but I was huffing and puffing for sure. To make matters worse, my aunt was charging up the hill while knitting! Way to make me look bad….ha.
After about 2 hours, we reached the crest of the mountain and continued to the other side, when we eventually reached our destination….the field where my aunt had planted potatoes and her cows. My cousin Roxanna and I rested our legs while my aunt pulled up some potatoes, and then we headed back down the mountain.
Throughout this whole hike, we were in the clouds, which was probably a good thing since I’m a bit scared of heights. So on the way down, I didn’t have to think about what would happen if I took a wrong step…There were a couple close calls as I kept on slipping on the muddy stones while my aunt kept shouting at me “Bonito bajo! Bonito bajo.” I finally made it back to my house in one piece, but almost a week later my body still aches. And to think, my aunt hikes that path everyday to milk her cows. Geeeez!
So little by little, I’m figuring out what I’m going to be doing in my community, as my first couple months are a lot like walking in a cloud. I’m only focusing on what’s directly ahead of me, as I can’t see very much ahead. I have to keep reminding myself that things take a while in the sierra and that I’m here for 2 years, so to just take things slow. I’m hoping after a few months, I will start to see my role in my community take form, but until then, I will keep on taking one step at a time and hope I don’t fall...
So basically for the first three months in site, we are supposed to be doing a “Community Diagnostic,” which is basically a way for us to get to know our communities and for our communities to get to know us. At this point, I’m just the strange “gringa” in town and most people have no idea why I’m here. The diagnostic is also a chance for me to find out what the needs of my community are and what they want help with. So it’s really a win-win.
To help me integrate and get to know my community, I’ve been saying “yes” to any opportunity that presents itself. Not sure if this was a smart or stupid idea, but it has led to some interesting days for sure…
Just the other day, my day started out accompanying one of my aunts to the soup kitchen in town and ending up agreeing to accompany my other aunt to a “caserio” later in the day. I’ve been trying to make it to all the “caserios”, basically small towns nearby, since there are about 15, so I was excited to go.
After lunch I met up with her and she asked me if I was sure I wanted to walk with her since she said we were going to be walking up-hill, which I replied “I love to walk.” She just laughed at my response, which should have been an indicator to me of what lied ahead. But soon enough, I discovered that indeed we walked up-hill….walked up a mountain more like it.
My community is at the base of a huge mountain, and our destination was actually up and over the other side of the mountain. I don’t know if it was the fact that I am out of shape or we were at a high altitude, but I was huffing and puffing for sure. To make matters worse, my aunt was charging up the hill while knitting! Way to make me look bad….ha.
After about 2 hours, we reached the crest of the mountain and continued to the other side, when we eventually reached our destination….the field where my aunt had planted potatoes and her cows. My cousin Roxanna and I rested our legs while my aunt pulled up some potatoes, and then we headed back down the mountain.
Throughout this whole hike, we were in the clouds, which was probably a good thing since I’m a bit scared of heights. So on the way down, I didn’t have to think about what would happen if I took a wrong step…There were a couple close calls as I kept on slipping on the muddy stones while my aunt kept shouting at me “Bonito bajo! Bonito bajo.” I finally made it back to my house in one piece, but almost a week later my body still aches. And to think, my aunt hikes that path everyday to milk her cows. Geeeez!
So little by little, I’m figuring out what I’m going to be doing in my community, as my first couple months are a lot like walking in a cloud. I’m only focusing on what’s directly ahead of me, as I can’t see very much ahead. I have to keep reminding myself that things take a while in the sierra and that I’m here for 2 years, so to just take things slow. I’m hoping after a few months, I will start to see my role in my community take form, but until then, I will keep on taking one step at a time and hope I don’t fall...
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Old Miss Annie had a farm…
eeee…iii….eeee….iiii….oooohh…..
So having grown up in Roseburg, while it is known for its country-folk, I didn’t exactly grow up on a farm. In fact, I pretty much grew up in Suburbia, and going to the farm meant going to Kruse Farm to pick out our pumpkins. That’s about as close as I’ve ever gotten, yet here I am today, living the true farm life.
My family, including most of the families in San Juan de Lacamaca, own farm land either beside their houses or close by. The rainy season is about to start and this past week we have been blessed with minimal rain, so many of the men in town are working the land to get ready to plant. What I have noticed in my town is that most people’s jobs consist of working the land and raising animals. The few professionals in town, like the nurses and teachers, live in Bambamarca, the nearest big city, and commute to and from everyday. My family plants cabbage, carrots, corn, and beets and from what I’ve heard, most of the families sell their produce instead of keep it. So I’m hoping to persuade my family to keep some, as I’d hate to see fresh veggies leave.
In addition to farm land, we also have animals, and quite a few I might add. We have 2 cows (shared with my Aunt and Grandma), 3 pigs, 2 turkeys and 9 baby turkeys, 5 guinea pigs, 3 dogs, 1 cat, and 1 laying hen (and a partridge in a pear tree!) I usually wake up to the turkeys gobbling and the dogs barking (not far off from Lima), and we constantly are battling with our mischievous chicken, who likes to sneak into the kitchen. Just the other day, it snuck into the kitchen and found the bag of corn and dumped it all over the floor! That’s either one smart chicken or one very stupid chicken.
So far I have not killed any animals, but I’m pretty sure my pigs have it in for me. As I think I’ve mentioned before, my pigs are by the latrines out back and every day I have to find a way around them or else they like to attack me. My friend told me pigs like to bite and I don’t want to be on the receiving end of their dirty schnauzers. There was a close call the other day when one of the pigs came up behind me and head-butted me. I’m just glad that it wasn’t raining or I would have fallen flat on my butt.
Having just mentioned my latrine, I have also made the discovery of just how annoying it is to have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. My mom used to tell me stories of her and her sisters having to brave the snow to make it to the outhouse while at grandma’s farm. Well I think I now feel their pain, and for that reason I have bought myself my very own “bucket” or as my mom likes to call it “a chamber pot.” I have yet to use it, and am saving it for a rainy day (literally). Ha.
Overall though, life in the “campo” is good. It’s great to wake up to the fresh air, and glimpse at the mountains overshadowing me. It reminds me of where I am everyday and to appreciate it for what it is. Because when else am I going to have a chance to have fresh eggs and milk for breakfast or have to battle pigs just to go to the bathroom…
That´s right...probably never...
So having grown up in Roseburg, while it is known for its country-folk, I didn’t exactly grow up on a farm. In fact, I pretty much grew up in Suburbia, and going to the farm meant going to Kruse Farm to pick out our pumpkins. That’s about as close as I’ve ever gotten, yet here I am today, living the true farm life.
My family, including most of the families in San Juan de Lacamaca, own farm land either beside their houses or close by. The rainy season is about to start and this past week we have been blessed with minimal rain, so many of the men in town are working the land to get ready to plant. What I have noticed in my town is that most people’s jobs consist of working the land and raising animals. The few professionals in town, like the nurses and teachers, live in Bambamarca, the nearest big city, and commute to and from everyday. My family plants cabbage, carrots, corn, and beets and from what I’ve heard, most of the families sell their produce instead of keep it. So I’m hoping to persuade my family to keep some, as I’d hate to see fresh veggies leave.
In addition to farm land, we also have animals, and quite a few I might add. We have 2 cows (shared with my Aunt and Grandma), 3 pigs, 2 turkeys and 9 baby turkeys, 5 guinea pigs, 3 dogs, 1 cat, and 1 laying hen (and a partridge in a pear tree!) I usually wake up to the turkeys gobbling and the dogs barking (not far off from Lima), and we constantly are battling with our mischievous chicken, who likes to sneak into the kitchen. Just the other day, it snuck into the kitchen and found the bag of corn and dumped it all over the floor! That’s either one smart chicken or one very stupid chicken.
So far I have not killed any animals, but I’m pretty sure my pigs have it in for me. As I think I’ve mentioned before, my pigs are by the latrines out back and every day I have to find a way around them or else they like to attack me. My friend told me pigs like to bite and I don’t want to be on the receiving end of their dirty schnauzers. There was a close call the other day when one of the pigs came up behind me and head-butted me. I’m just glad that it wasn’t raining or I would have fallen flat on my butt.
Having just mentioned my latrine, I have also made the discovery of just how annoying it is to have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. My mom used to tell me stories of her and her sisters having to brave the snow to make it to the outhouse while at grandma’s farm. Well I think I now feel their pain, and for that reason I have bought myself my very own “bucket” or as my mom likes to call it “a chamber pot.” I have yet to use it, and am saving it for a rainy day (literally). Ha.
Overall though, life in the “campo” is good. It’s great to wake up to the fresh air, and glimpse at the mountains overshadowing me. It reminds me of where I am everyday and to appreciate it for what it is. Because when else am I going to have a chance to have fresh eggs and milk for breakfast or have to battle pigs just to go to the bathroom…
That´s right...probably never...
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Rain, rain, go away...
So it’s been about a week and a half since I’ve been in site and I am slowly “acostumbrar-ing” as they say in my site. About every conversation starts with “Have you become accostumed yet?” which is then followed up by “lots of rain today, no?.”
While living in hot, dry, dusty Lima, there wasn’t anything I wanted more than rain, and it looks like I got my wish and then some. Being from Oregon, I thought I knew a thing or two about rain, but I have been sorely mistaken. In my site, there are only two seasons, Rainy season and NOT-rainy season. Rainy season starts in December and doesn’t let up until about April, which means I’m going to have a lot of time on my hands since it’s pretty difficult to really do anything while it rains, atleast that's what people have told me, and I'm starting to believe it.
While my friends on the beach are soaking up the sun, I’m hunkering down in my jacket, trying not to fall in the mud that appears to be everywhere. I suppose one thing I took advantage of in Oregon was the paved roads and the central heating systems. In my site, I have neither. Ha. So rain becomes more of an obstacle here. One of my first purchases in my site were rain boats, which have become probably my most important clothing item as my latrine is through a field of mud and past two very big pigs. I’ve come close to falling and think it’s only a matter of time when I do.
So until April, it’s just me and the rain….so bring it.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Feliz Dia de Accion de Gracias!
Boy, that´s a mouthful.
Well Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I thought I´d write a "special" blog today in honor of the holiday, since Thanksgiving is not just about the food, but about being thankful.
So I´ve compiled a list of things that I´m thankful for, so I hope you enjoy.
I´m grateful for:
-my two caring host familes. My host family in Lima is so full of life and made me feel apart of the family. I really miss Judy, my host sister´s, laugh. And as for my new host family in the sierra, I couldn´t ask for a nicer family. My host mom made sure I didn´t get cold my first night and definitely didn´t let me starve. Their goal is to make me fat, which only shows how much they care for me. ha.
-My peace corps experience in Peru. I know it´s a bit early to be talking about my pc experience in general, but I really am thankful for being placed in Peru and for all the professors, trainers, and friends that I have met along the way. Before I left, PC people were saying how I hit the jackpot with Peru, and I really feel like I have. The food, the culture, the people....they are all wonderful!
-Cafe con leche. Now I know it´s not the same as REAL coffee from the states, but it´s darn good. It´s basically fresh milk (Cajamarca baby!) and nescafe mixed together...MMmmmm good.
-My new home in the mountains. I said I wanted to be placed in the mountains and here I am! I look out my front door and can see the misty mountains and the cows in the distance. It´s really picturesque and I can´t wait to explore it all.
-Hot showers. I really never appreciated a good hot shower in the states, but here in Peru, they are few and far between. My new home has a "shower," which is basically a nossle of water inside a latrine. They basically picked up a latrine and moved it closer to the house and made it into a shower. We´ll see how that goes...Fortunately I have an alternative nearby. Both the health post and school nearby have showers that I can use...but sadly, no hot water. So it´s not until I stay in a hostel, when I can really feel "so fresh and so clean-clean."
-My cellphone aka my connection to the outside world. I hate to be dependent on technology at times, but it´s really been a lifesaver. Whenever I´m having a hard day, I can call a fellow PCV (for free...none the less!) and they are immediately there for me. Not to mention, it´s possible for people to call me from the states which makes my heart pitter-patter. Here´s hoping I don´t lose the darn thing...
-My health. While I´ve had a few bouts of diarrhea, I´m thankful not to be apart of 70% club (yet...) I´ve also haven´t had the unpleasant experience of having food poisoning, but we´ll see. My host family is preparing ceviche for me next week, so we´ll see how well I do in my latrine.
-My supportive family and friends in the states. I really couldn´t have left the states for 2 years without all of your support and well wishes for me. While it´s definitely not the same without seeing you all face to face, those emails, phone calls, and letters make me feel that much closer to you all and really make my day. So thank you!
Well I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and had a chance to think about what your thankful for as well. While this thanksgiving was without turkey and stuffing, I celebrated with some new and old friends and that´s really what it´s about...right?
Here are some photos from swearing in:
My Oregon Boys
Peru 14 Salud!
Well Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I thought I´d write a "special" blog today in honor of the holiday, since Thanksgiving is not just about the food, but about being thankful.
So I´ve compiled a list of things that I´m thankful for, so I hope you enjoy.
I´m grateful for:
-my two caring host familes. My host family in Lima is so full of life and made me feel apart of the family. I really miss Judy, my host sister´s, laugh. And as for my new host family in the sierra, I couldn´t ask for a nicer family. My host mom made sure I didn´t get cold my first night and definitely didn´t let me starve. Their goal is to make me fat, which only shows how much they care for me. ha.
-My peace corps experience in Peru. I know it´s a bit early to be talking about my pc experience in general, but I really am thankful for being placed in Peru and for all the professors, trainers, and friends that I have met along the way. Before I left, PC people were saying how I hit the jackpot with Peru, and I really feel like I have. The food, the culture, the people....they are all wonderful!
-Cafe con leche. Now I know it´s not the same as REAL coffee from the states, but it´s darn good. It´s basically fresh milk (Cajamarca baby!) and nescafe mixed together...MMmmmm good.
-My new home in the mountains. I said I wanted to be placed in the mountains and here I am! I look out my front door and can see the misty mountains and the cows in the distance. It´s really picturesque and I can´t wait to explore it all.
-Hot showers. I really never appreciated a good hot shower in the states, but here in Peru, they are few and far between. My new home has a "shower," which is basically a nossle of water inside a latrine. They basically picked up a latrine and moved it closer to the house and made it into a shower. We´ll see how that goes...Fortunately I have an alternative nearby. Both the health post and school nearby have showers that I can use...but sadly, no hot water. So it´s not until I stay in a hostel, when I can really feel "so fresh and so clean-clean."
-My cellphone aka my connection to the outside world. I hate to be dependent on technology at times, but it´s really been a lifesaver. Whenever I´m having a hard day, I can call a fellow PCV (for free...none the less!) and they are immediately there for me. Not to mention, it´s possible for people to call me from the states which makes my heart pitter-patter. Here´s hoping I don´t lose the darn thing...
-My health. While I´ve had a few bouts of diarrhea, I´m thankful not to be apart of 70% club (yet...) I´ve also haven´t had the unpleasant experience of having food poisoning, but we´ll see. My host family is preparing ceviche for me next week, so we´ll see how well I do in my latrine.
-My supportive family and friends in the states. I really couldn´t have left the states for 2 years without all of your support and well wishes for me. While it´s definitely not the same without seeing you all face to face, those emails, phone calls, and letters make me feel that much closer to you all and really make my day. So thank you!
Well I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and had a chance to think about what your thankful for as well. While this thanksgiving was without turkey and stuffing, I celebrated with some new and old friends and that´s really what it´s about...right?
Here are some photos from swearing in:
My Oregon Boys
Peru 14 Salud!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Whiskey!
So in Peru, they say "Whiskey" instead of "Cheese" since "Cheese" in spanish is "Queso," which would lead to some awkward pictures. ha. Here are a few pictures from these past few weeks.
Pachamanca
Pachamanca means "food of the earth" in Quechua
Laying around in the sunSite Assignments in Surco
We are going to Cajamarca: Katie, Barbara, and me!
Peru 14FBT Ancash
My dream come true! My first time holding a baby lamb
Typical dress in Ancash: Cardigan, skirt with leggings/sweatpants
Me and the Cuyes
Almuerzo (Lunch) in AncashFBT in Cajamarca
The three Cajamarquenas in Chota: Katie (La Pancha), Barbara (Irraca Grande), Me (San Juan de Lacamaca)
Us building/mostly watching a "Cocina Mejorada" being built
Our finished mural (An Annie Embertson Original Design) that some local kids helped paint
My backyard in San Juan after a rainstorm
On a hike up to Cabracancha to paint our muralI hope you enjoyed the photos. More to come, so stayed tuned!
Soy una Cajamarqueña
Move over Ancash...Helloooooooo Cajamarca! San Juan de Lacamaca to be exact!
After 8 long-strenuous weeks of speculating about our future whereabouts, we finally found out our site assignments, and everything is now becoming a reality! I am happy to say that I am living in the land of cows, cheese, and green hills, which I couldn’t be happier about.
Finding out our sites involved lots of emotions: excitement to be finally doing what I came here to do, sadness to be leaving my new friends, and anxiety of not knowing where I will be put....so needless to say, those emotions all came out in the form of tears! ha. Not as bad as at Jen and Ben´s wedding (those that were witness...) but still quite the show. There is even a video of it somewhere...which I may or may not show people. ha. How we found out was by throwing a javelin at a bunch of balloons each containing a small slip of paper with our names and sites on it. It was very nerve-racking wondering when my name was going to be called, but luckily I didn’t have to wait long as I was the second one to find out. Having not prepared myself well enough in advance, my heart nearly stopped as they read my name. I had to ask my friend where I was going because I didn’t even catch my site, I was too nervous! But after my small bout of tears, it was fun to see everyone else’s excitement. There are two other lucky health volunteers coming with me to Cajamarca, Barbara and Katie…and I’m sure you will all get to know them very well through my blog. ha
In true peace corps style, we had another jammed pack day which included meeting our regional coordinators, taking our official D.N.I. pictures (Peru’s version of SSN card), and filling out paper work for the following week because the very next day we hopped on buses the for another FBT (Field Based Training) in our regional departments AND our first visits to our sites.
This FBT was very similar to the last in that we hung out with current volunteers and helped with projects; although this time we were more in charge. In my group, we helped paint murals with some local kids, helped/mainly watched another “cocina mejorada” being built, and then took a stab at giving our first “charla” (Discussion) about HIV/AIDS to some primary school teachers.
In between all that fun, I had some exciting “firsts” take place. For one, I got to milk my first cow. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as good as it my first go-round (I thought I was hurting the poor cow), but I hope to change that very soon. I also witnessed my first cuy killing. At another health volunteer’s house, her host mom came out with a bag of guinea pigs. She asked if we like cuy, which of course, I answered with a big YES. So I figured she was going to go out back to kill them, but I was sadly mistaken. Instead, she reached into her bag and began to kill the cuys right in front of our eyes. I will spare you the gory details, but if you are curious…I did happen to make a video of it. ha. My friends were too grossed out to eat them at lunch, but my true Viking heritage came out and I went to town on my cuy at lunch. And boy was it delicious….claw and everything! Ha.
The other great part about our FBT was that we got a chance to meet all the other volunteers around our area and scope out Chota, which is going to basically be home-base for me as far as my bank and mailing address goes. Cajamarca actually has the most PC volunteers than any other department in Peru (36!), so it’s kind of like marrying into a big family. There are a lot of great, supportive people near me, so I’m looking forward to making even more new friends.
After our FBT, we finally got to see our homes for the next 2 years. My town, San Juan de Lacamaca, is about 1.5 hours from Chota, and another 20 minutes in car from Bambamarca, my regional capital. It is up in the hills, about 2500 meters, and looks down at Bambamarca. The view is breathtaking as I am surrounded my green hills and mist all around. I am the second volunteer in my site, and I even got to meet the volunteer, David, that I am replacing….which was great because I got a chance to really pick his brain.
When first arriving to my site, I was greeted with a going away/welcoming ceremony at one of the primary schools in town. The director of the school along with other members of the communities stepped up to the mic and told how much David meant to them, while also adding on how happy they were to have me in their community. This happened at least a dozen more times through my visit that I couldn’t help but feel humble and honored to live in a place so caring and loving to a complete stranger! There is a stereotype about people of the sierra in that they are cold and closed off, but I found that to be the exact opposite. They couldn’t have been nicer or more welcoming to me, so I know I’m going to be well taken care of at my new home.
My new host family are also very nice and were so welcoming towards me. My host parents are in their thirties, so it’s sort of like they are my siblings almost, but they also have a 12-year old son, who I know I’m going to become good friends with. We spent about 3 hours one day playing chess and listening to Peruvian mariachi music. Ha. I’m proud to say that I even won a few games, having not played since elementary school. More of my relatives live next door, including my cousin, aunt, and my grandma. We also have quite the zoo at my house: cows, pigs, chickens, guinea pigs, chickens, dogs, and cats (Oh my!). I know I used to say I had a zoo back home in the states, but this is way different. Ha. I’m excited to learn how to milk cows and plant in their fields! My house is pretty rustic, as in dirt floors, cooking over wood, and latrines by the pigs, but it is something I’m looking forward to at the same time.
It’s weird having to pack up my things and say goodbye to people again. It’s almost like living the states again, since I’ve become so accustomed to life in Chaclacayo and everything with training. It will definitely be a big adjustment, but I’m ready for my REAL adventure to begin…
On a side note:
As of right now, I don’t think there are any land line phones in my site, therefore in order for me to make a call to the states, I have to go to the nearest town, Bambamarca. On the flip side, anyone is welcome to call me on my cell phone (hint, hint). It’s best to buy a phone card or call my cell using skype. Both are relatively inexpensive and are guarenteed to make my day!
Also, as I said earlier, my mail box is in Chota, and so I updated my address on my blog. Please feel free to keeping the letters coming. I am going to try to be better about mailing letters myself, but I sadly have to budget the pennies that I make a day. Ha.
As always, I miss everyone. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Be sure to eat an extra helping of turkey with CANNED cranberry sauce for me! Yum Yum!
After 8 long-strenuous weeks of speculating about our future whereabouts, we finally found out our site assignments, and everything is now becoming a reality! I am happy to say that I am living in the land of cows, cheese, and green hills, which I couldn’t be happier about.
Finding out our sites involved lots of emotions: excitement to be finally doing what I came here to do, sadness to be leaving my new friends, and anxiety of not knowing where I will be put....so needless to say, those emotions all came out in the form of tears! ha. Not as bad as at Jen and Ben´s wedding (those that were witness...) but still quite the show. There is even a video of it somewhere...which I may or may not show people. ha. How we found out was by throwing a javelin at a bunch of balloons each containing a small slip of paper with our names and sites on it. It was very nerve-racking wondering when my name was going to be called, but luckily I didn’t have to wait long as I was the second one to find out. Having not prepared myself well enough in advance, my heart nearly stopped as they read my name. I had to ask my friend where I was going because I didn’t even catch my site, I was too nervous! But after my small bout of tears, it was fun to see everyone else’s excitement. There are two other lucky health volunteers coming with me to Cajamarca, Barbara and Katie…and I’m sure you will all get to know them very well through my blog. ha
In true peace corps style, we had another jammed pack day which included meeting our regional coordinators, taking our official D.N.I. pictures (Peru’s version of SSN card), and filling out paper work for the following week because the very next day we hopped on buses the for another FBT (Field Based Training) in our regional departments AND our first visits to our sites.
This FBT was very similar to the last in that we hung out with current volunteers and helped with projects; although this time we were more in charge. In my group, we helped paint murals with some local kids, helped/mainly watched another “cocina mejorada” being built, and then took a stab at giving our first “charla” (Discussion) about HIV/AIDS to some primary school teachers.
In between all that fun, I had some exciting “firsts” take place. For one, I got to milk my first cow. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as good as it my first go-round (I thought I was hurting the poor cow), but I hope to change that very soon. I also witnessed my first cuy killing. At another health volunteer’s house, her host mom came out with a bag of guinea pigs. She asked if we like cuy, which of course, I answered with a big YES. So I figured she was going to go out back to kill them, but I was sadly mistaken. Instead, she reached into her bag and began to kill the cuys right in front of our eyes. I will spare you the gory details, but if you are curious…I did happen to make a video of it. ha. My friends were too grossed out to eat them at lunch, but my true Viking heritage came out and I went to town on my cuy at lunch. And boy was it delicious….claw and everything! Ha.
The other great part about our FBT was that we got a chance to meet all the other volunteers around our area and scope out Chota, which is going to basically be home-base for me as far as my bank and mailing address goes. Cajamarca actually has the most PC volunteers than any other department in Peru (36!), so it’s kind of like marrying into a big family. There are a lot of great, supportive people near me, so I’m looking forward to making even more new friends.
After our FBT, we finally got to see our homes for the next 2 years. My town, San Juan de Lacamaca, is about 1.5 hours from Chota, and another 20 minutes in car from Bambamarca, my regional capital. It is up in the hills, about 2500 meters, and looks down at Bambamarca. The view is breathtaking as I am surrounded my green hills and mist all around. I am the second volunteer in my site, and I even got to meet the volunteer, David, that I am replacing….which was great because I got a chance to really pick his brain.
When first arriving to my site, I was greeted with a going away/welcoming ceremony at one of the primary schools in town. The director of the school along with other members of the communities stepped up to the mic and told how much David meant to them, while also adding on how happy they were to have me in their community. This happened at least a dozen more times through my visit that I couldn’t help but feel humble and honored to live in a place so caring and loving to a complete stranger! There is a stereotype about people of the sierra in that they are cold and closed off, but I found that to be the exact opposite. They couldn’t have been nicer or more welcoming to me, so I know I’m going to be well taken care of at my new home.
My new host family are also very nice and were so welcoming towards me. My host parents are in their thirties, so it’s sort of like they are my siblings almost, but they also have a 12-year old son, who I know I’m going to become good friends with. We spent about 3 hours one day playing chess and listening to Peruvian mariachi music. Ha. I’m proud to say that I even won a few games, having not played since elementary school. More of my relatives live next door, including my cousin, aunt, and my grandma. We also have quite the zoo at my house: cows, pigs, chickens, guinea pigs, chickens, dogs, and cats (Oh my!). I know I used to say I had a zoo back home in the states, but this is way different. Ha. I’m excited to learn how to milk cows and plant in their fields! My house is pretty rustic, as in dirt floors, cooking over wood, and latrines by the pigs, but it is something I’m looking forward to at the same time.
It’s weird having to pack up my things and say goodbye to people again. It’s almost like living the states again, since I’ve become so accustomed to life in Chaclacayo and everything with training. It will definitely be a big adjustment, but I’m ready for my REAL adventure to begin…
On a side note:
As of right now, I don’t think there are any land line phones in my site, therefore in order for me to make a call to the states, I have to go to the nearest town, Bambamarca. On the flip side, anyone is welcome to call me on my cell phone (hint, hint). It’s best to buy a phone card or call my cell using skype. Both are relatively inexpensive and are guarenteed to make my day!
Also, as I said earlier, my mail box is in Chota, and so I updated my address on my blog. Please feel free to keeping the letters coming. I am going to try to be better about mailing letters myself, but I sadly have to budget the pennies that I make a day. Ha.
As always, I miss everyone. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Be sure to eat an extra helping of turkey with CANNED cranberry sauce for me! Yum Yum!
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Ancash really IS better
So I finally got a chance to see more that Peru offers other than the desert when we traveled for our Field Based Training (FBT). Our FBT is basically a chance for us to see volunteers in action and get a better idea of what we will be working on when we get to our sites. We had our FBT in Ancash, which is where the Cordillera Blanca lies. If you google it, you will know what I mean when I say "Ancash really IS better!" I didn´t really how much I was missing my green, lush hills and temperate weather, but after 6 weeks of living in a dust bowl it was great to get away.
Our first day we went to Mato to visit some health volunteers. One of their biggest projects was a "Cocina Mejorada" project, which basically is an improved cooking stove. A lot of people cook over wood, which causes the black lung basically...so the idea of improved cooking stoves is to get rid of the smoke. We did house visits and talked to families who had just recieved "cocina mejoradas." The family we talked to was so nice, that they brought us hot corn from their fields in the evening. Later in the day, we were able to get our hands dirty, and I mean dirty, by building a "cocina mejorada" ourselves by using mud and adobe bricks. My job was to spread the mud around with my hands...brought me back to my childhood when I used to make mud pies. Yum Yum.
The next day we did some more house visits, only this time we talked about child stimulation with mothers who had small children. The two families I visited couldn´t have been more different. The first one had two little children, but the mom had a hard time speaking spanish, even our technical trainer had a hard time understanding. What was so sad about the first family was that the 4 year old daughter was not going to be allowed to go to school becuase they thought the paint in the school would make her sick. They didn´t have water or sewage either, so it was pretty tough to saying goodbye. The other family we visited was the exact opposite. They had a cocina mejorada, water, sewage and the mom seemed to very open minded about talking to us. I showed them a mobile I had made from a plastic bottle, and her one year old loved it, so I let them keep it. We showed her some more examples of easy, inexpensive toys she could make for her child and she seemed really excited. I really appreciated doing these house visits becuase I could really see how much affect I could have on people. In the afternoon, we worked with a group of teenagers and did arts and crafts! And the day ended with pizza and a hot shower in Caraz...I couldn´t have been happier...
Our last day, we visited up to Musho and visited another health volunteer who has been working on building latrines in his community. Musho was situated right next to Huascaron, the tallest tropical mountain in the world! Just picture snow capped mountains, rolling greens hills, and me playing with the baby lambs (Really, I did!) It was unbelievable, the view we had. We helped dig ditches so that they could connect to the sewage network in town. First time I handled a pick, but I thought I did quite nicely. We also took a short hike to see other types of latrines in the town, and even got to hear some Quechua, the indigenous language in Peru. We even got to sample cuy from the sierra. Mine was complete with a little claw and I was really tempted to bring it with me, but I resisted...ha...We left Musho in the afternoon and headed back to Huaraz, the capital of Ancash, to hang out and wait for our night bus of which we returned early this morning.
So all and all, I had a wonderful FBT. I got to see more of the country and definitely got a better grasp on what my job will entail in a few weeks, which I feel better about now. Now I get to wait one more week until I find out where I´m going for the next 2 years. I´m excited and nervous all into one...since this la-la land of being with gringos and going to school is almost over. It´s almost time for the real adventure to begin...wish me luck.
Now for some photos from these past couple of weeks...
This is a picture from the parade I went to in Chosica. There was a lot of traditional dresses and dances of Peru. Plus, they threw candy at the crowd :)
Me saying hello to my little friend. This little guy was in the Ceviche that we had. Quite tasty!
We visited a "Wawa Wasi" outside of Lima, which is a Quechua word for daycare center....more or less.
One of the other volunteer´s mom making Picharones and hamburgers for us! Found out that Peruvians like to put french fries on top of their hamburgers....excellent!
The Health group getting excited to learn about Cuy at La Agraria. This is where we go every Saturday and learn different agriculture techniques.
This is the one year old´s birthday party that I attended. I realized that Peruvians really do take birthday´s seriously...
Our health group put on a Feria de Salud (Health fair) at a small health center. Our group did "Comida Complementaria" (Complementary food), so we demonstrated how to mash up baby food and talk about the importance.
Cuy, it´s what´s for dinner...
Me and my host family celebrating my host father´s birthday. I was so glad to be eating meat, that I had seconds AND thirds. My family was quite impressed.
Okay doke, that is all for now. I will be putting up my pictures of Ancash soon, so don´t worry. Also, I just recived my cell phone in Peru. I will put it up on my blog, but I´m pretty sure it´s really expensive to call me...but just in case you feel the urge, it is there. Love you all and miss you dearly! Hope you had a fun Halloween!
Our first day we went to Mato to visit some health volunteers. One of their biggest projects was a "Cocina Mejorada" project, which basically is an improved cooking stove. A lot of people cook over wood, which causes the black lung basically...so the idea of improved cooking stoves is to get rid of the smoke. We did house visits and talked to families who had just recieved "cocina mejoradas." The family we talked to was so nice, that they brought us hot corn from their fields in the evening. Later in the day, we were able to get our hands dirty, and I mean dirty, by building a "cocina mejorada" ourselves by using mud and adobe bricks. My job was to spread the mud around with my hands...brought me back to my childhood when I used to make mud pies. Yum Yum.
The next day we did some more house visits, only this time we talked about child stimulation with mothers who had small children. The two families I visited couldn´t have been more different. The first one had two little children, but the mom had a hard time speaking spanish, even our technical trainer had a hard time understanding. What was so sad about the first family was that the 4 year old daughter was not going to be allowed to go to school becuase they thought the paint in the school would make her sick. They didn´t have water or sewage either, so it was pretty tough to saying goodbye. The other family we visited was the exact opposite. They had a cocina mejorada, water, sewage and the mom seemed to very open minded about talking to us. I showed them a mobile I had made from a plastic bottle, and her one year old loved it, so I let them keep it. We showed her some more examples of easy, inexpensive toys she could make for her child and she seemed really excited. I really appreciated doing these house visits becuase I could really see how much affect I could have on people. In the afternoon, we worked with a group of teenagers and did arts and crafts! And the day ended with pizza and a hot shower in Caraz...I couldn´t have been happier...
Our last day, we visited up to Musho and visited another health volunteer who has been working on building latrines in his community. Musho was situated right next to Huascaron, the tallest tropical mountain in the world! Just picture snow capped mountains, rolling greens hills, and me playing with the baby lambs (Really, I did!) It was unbelievable, the view we had. We helped dig ditches so that they could connect to the sewage network in town. First time I handled a pick, but I thought I did quite nicely. We also took a short hike to see other types of latrines in the town, and even got to hear some Quechua, the indigenous language in Peru. We even got to sample cuy from the sierra. Mine was complete with a little claw and I was really tempted to bring it with me, but I resisted...ha...We left Musho in the afternoon and headed back to Huaraz, the capital of Ancash, to hang out and wait for our night bus of which we returned early this morning.
So all and all, I had a wonderful FBT. I got to see more of the country and definitely got a better grasp on what my job will entail in a few weeks, which I feel better about now. Now I get to wait one more week until I find out where I´m going for the next 2 years. I´m excited and nervous all into one...since this la-la land of being with gringos and going to school is almost over. It´s almost time for the real adventure to begin...wish me luck.
Now for some photos from these past couple of weeks...
This is a picture from the parade I went to in Chosica. There was a lot of traditional dresses and dances of Peru. Plus, they threw candy at the crowd :)
Me saying hello to my little friend. This little guy was in the Ceviche that we had. Quite tasty!
We visited a "Wawa Wasi" outside of Lima, which is a Quechua word for daycare center....more or less.
One of the other volunteer´s mom making Picharones and hamburgers for us! Found out that Peruvians like to put french fries on top of their hamburgers....excellent!
The Health group getting excited to learn about Cuy at La Agraria. This is where we go every Saturday and learn different agriculture techniques.
This is the one year old´s birthday party that I attended. I realized that Peruvians really do take birthday´s seriously...
Our health group put on a Feria de Salud (Health fair) at a small health center. Our group did "Comida Complementaria" (Complementary food), so we demonstrated how to mash up baby food and talk about the importance.
Cuy, it´s what´s for dinner...
Me and my host family celebrating my host father´s birthday. I was so glad to be eating meat, that I had seconds AND thirds. My family was quite impressed.
Okay doke, that is all for now. I will be putting up my pictures of Ancash soon, so don´t worry. Also, I just recived my cell phone in Peru. I will put it up on my blog, but I´m pretty sure it´s really expensive to call me...but just in case you feel the urge, it is there. Love you all and miss you dearly! Hope you had a fun Halloween!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Dinner is served...
Having been in Peru for almost 2 months, I’ve already gotten to try many of the traditional Peruvian dishes, and I have to say…so far so good. My motto is to always try something at least once. I haven’t said no to anything yet, and I haven’t regretted it either.
Peru’s culinary dishes are a bit of a mixture, as is the Peruvian culture in general. A lot of the dishes have changed throughout the decades, but many were formed from the slaves. The story goes that the slaves were given the “leftovers,” so to speak, from the animals while the Spaniards ate the good meat. “Leftovers” included all innards and the organs. So today, some of Peru’s famous dishes include cow heart (anticucho), intestines (relleno), and much, much more.
So here are my two cents, or in Peru, shall I say mi dos semillas:
Pollo a la Brasa
This is basically roasted chicken with a side of fries. There is a chain restaurant called “Norky’s,” which is quite popular. So much so that there are many knock-off restaurant, my favorite is “Dorky’s.” I’ve eaten here twice and I have to say that the meat is especially tender and delicious, although some vegetables on the side beside the French fries would give me a few days before my next heart attack.
Cuy
Yes, Cuy, or Guinea Pig in English, is a delicacy in Peru. When people ask me if we eat cuy in the United States, I delightfully inform them that no actually, Guinea Pigs are pets. I’m just glad I never had a guinea pig growing up or I think it would be much harder to choke it down. My family made “Cuy de Picante” one night and it was RI-CO. I’m pretty sure it was the sauce they put it in. It had a peanut base and of course Aji, so it had a little bite to it, but I just couldn’t get enough. My family has very impressed because this was the first time I had seconds. Cuy tastes a lot like chicken, as do many things, and my only pet peeve is that there are a lot of little bones, but it’s definitely worth the time. Cuy is more of a Sierra thing, where supposedly it is not uncommon to find hair in your soup or even brains. MMMmmm can’t wait.
Sangrecita
So this is a dish that I actually tried before knowing it and I’m glad of my ignorance. Our class took a trip to a “Wawa Wasi” or child daycare basically, and got to sample some of the food they give the kids. We were given this vegetable mixture with dark flakes over rice. After the first bite, it wasn’t half bad, so I asked what was in it….(Drum roll please)….Chicken Blood! Sangrecita is just a mixture of vegetables and blood of some sort. Not only did I sample Sangrecita, but I also had chocolate mousse with blood, and picharones with blood. Now I have to give props to the Peruvian government, they are getting pretty creative on ways to prevent anemia in children, so good call on their part.
Lucuma
So one glorious day at “La Agraria,” we spent tasting all the tropical fruit of the “Selva” (Jungle). Seriously, the best day ever. And on that day, we got to sample the illusive lucuma! Lucuma is everywhere….lucuma flavored yogurt, ice cream, cookies, etc. The only problem was that I never had actually seen a real lucuma. Turns out it’s hard to find when it’s not in season (April-June…duly noted), but thanks to the excellent helpers at “La Agraria,” we got to taste it. Lucuma is kind of like a sweet acorn squash, only really dry, but once you get a mouth full, it’s hard to choke it down. I don’t think anything will take the place of my favorite fruit, Chirimoya, but Lucuma comes in a close second.
Ceviche
So if you have ever talked to anyone from Peru, they will always recommend you try Ceviche. Ceviche is basically raw fish or seafood soaked in lemon juices to “cook” it. Our teachers were wary of us trying this in the first few weeks of training, but they finally broke down half way through and took us to La Punta, near Lima, which juts out into the sea and is surrounded by the Pacific on both sides. I wasn’t sure I was going to like it since eating raw fish on sushi kind of grosses me out, but I sucked it up for the sake of the experience and tried it. Again, I was pleasantly surprised. I actually….liked it! It’s hard to describe, but the fish was just so tender and the sauce it was in contained aji, of course, so there was a kick in it as well. Luckily, my stomach agreed with me as well, so I didn’t have any problems afterwards. So don’t worry, I’m still not about of the “70%” club…yet…
Picharones
Picharones are Peru’s answer to “Dunkin Donuts.” They are made of sweet potatoes, squash, and flour and then deep fat fried and served with honey. MMMMmmm Good! I’ve had these a few times. Once with another volunteer’s host mom who prepared them for us and another at the Wawa Wasi (with blood ofcourse), but both times were amazingly good. My plan is to learn the recipe and replicate them in the states…try to give “Dunkin Donuts” a run for their money.
Aji de Gallina
This was one of the first dishes I tried in Peru, and actually also the first meal in Peru that I cooked as well! My Spanish class helped with the preparation of “Aji de Gallina,” which is basically pulled chicken with an aji-creamed based. The part I was surprised the most was when the recipe asked for crumbled up saltine crackers mixed in with water and milk. I thought that was kind of odd, but it added some thickness to the sauce. The pulled chicken is added to the pulled chicken and then poured over cooked potatoes and topped off with a hardboiled egg and olive. Delectable.
Foods still to try:
Panchamanca (meats of all kind buried underneath the ground surrounded my hot rocks)
Anticuchos (Cow hearts)
Well I hope you have cleaned up your pool of drool right now. I hope you have enjoyed a little taste (pun intended…ha) of what Peru has to offer...and something to look forward to if any of you decide to visit. Provecha!
Also on another note,I have lots of photos to add, but not enough time to upload them right now. If you can´t hardly wait to see what I´ve been up to these past few weeks, click on my Flickr Photostream on the side of my blog. I´m working on captions, but be patient...that might take a while.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Sound of Non-Silence
For those of you who are who have had the unfortunate opportunity to see me in the morning (especially before I´ve had my coffee), you know that I am not a morning person. I hate being woken up for no good reason...hm...well take out the "no good reason" and let´s just say woken up in general and I very much enjoy sleeping in.
So these last 6 weeks here, I have come to find out that it is virtually impossible to sleep in here, let alone to have a full nights rest without getting woken up 2 or 3 times in the night. Some of the wonderful noises that keep me up at night (in no particular order):
-Rooster call (Yes, we have a rooster in Chacrasana which likes to make himself known 5:30 am every morning...)
-Dogs barking (Now that is just a given here, since perros run a ´muck, but it still doesn´t mean I have to enjoy it, just expect it I suppose...)
-Dogs running across roof (I live right below the roof, where my dogs like to bark at the other dogs in the street...it makes for a fun time)
-Judy making a ruckus in the kitchen at 5:00 am (My sister, or shall I say "mamacita," wakes up uber early every morning to cook lunch for me to take to school and cook breakfast. She´s a busy woman!)
-Cars honking (Now coming from Oregon, we pacifists only use our horns in extreme cases of danger or anger, but in Peru, people prefer to use their horns rather to say hi to their friend across the street, to scare the dogs, as if they could be scared, and generally make noise becuase they can...)
-Vendors with horns (Vendors are quite creative here in Peru. They prefer to honk a horn as they walk by people´s houses. What do they sell you ask? I´ve seen crackers, and garden hoses so far...apparently there is a good market for garden hoses)
-Indian Music Videos (My family really enjoys watching Hindu music videos, so usually around 6 or 7, I´m awoken to some great tunes...)
So this a small glimpse into my sleeping patterns here in Peru. I´d like to say, though, that I´m getting used to the noises and can pretty much sleep through most the noises. And while I have yet to have a real good cup of coffee here, I´m glad (or sad?) to say that Nescafe is growing on me as well...
And to that I will say...Good night and sweet dreams :)
So these last 6 weeks here, I have come to find out that it is virtually impossible to sleep in here, let alone to have a full nights rest without getting woken up 2 or 3 times in the night. Some of the wonderful noises that keep me up at night (in no particular order):
-Rooster call (Yes, we have a rooster in Chacrasana which likes to make himself known 5:30 am every morning...)
-Dogs barking (Now that is just a given here, since perros run a ´muck, but it still doesn´t mean I have to enjoy it, just expect it I suppose...)
-Dogs running across roof (I live right below the roof, where my dogs like to bark at the other dogs in the street...it makes for a fun time)
-Judy making a ruckus in the kitchen at 5:00 am (My sister, or shall I say "mamacita," wakes up uber early every morning to cook lunch for me to take to school and cook breakfast. She´s a busy woman!)
-Cars honking (Now coming from Oregon, we pacifists only use our horns in extreme cases of danger or anger, but in Peru, people prefer to use their horns rather to say hi to their friend across the street, to scare the dogs, as if they could be scared, and generally make noise becuase they can...)
-Vendors with horns (Vendors are quite creative here in Peru. They prefer to honk a horn as they walk by people´s houses. What do they sell you ask? I´ve seen crackers, and garden hoses so far...apparently there is a good market for garden hoses)
-Indian Music Videos (My family really enjoys watching Hindu music videos, so usually around 6 or 7, I´m awoken to some great tunes...)
So this a small glimpse into my sleeping patterns here in Peru. I´d like to say, though, that I´m getting used to the noises and can pretty much sleep through most the noises. And while I have yet to have a real good cup of coffee here, I´m glad (or sad?) to say that Nescafe is growing on me as well...
And to that I will say...Good night and sweet dreams :)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Mid-Training Reflections
So we´ve finally hit the midway point of our 10 week session (more or less). We had our second spanish interview last week, which I´m proud to say that I can now successfully string sentences and thoughts together to carry on a conversation. Peace Corps agrees as well, so I´ve now reached the level needed to actually become a volunteer (phew). Now on to bigger and better things.
These next coming weeks are going to go by in a whirl, since we are now starting practice days where we go out in the communities and make house visits. A few weeks later, we will be going on our "Field Based Training," which is going to be in Ancash (heck yes). It´s basically a chance to go visit some current volunteers and get some real context on what we will actually be doing and the challenges that we might face. And then, the following week we will actually get to see where we will be living for the next 2 years. So yah, like I said, it will fly by.
Now I´ve had lots of time to think (and then some...) and so I´ve put together a small list of things I miss about my home in the states and things I love about Peru. Enjoy!
Things I miss about the states:
-Skinny Iced Lattes
-Carpet
-Hot Showers (I´m still waiting for one...)
-Veggies! Veggies! Veggies!
-Being able to drive off into the sunset if I wanted....
-Green surroundings (I live in a dust bowl)
-Being anonymous (We are famous here, ´nuff said)
-CHEEEEEEEEEEESE
-Grey´s Anatomy (Not going to lie....)
-Toilet Seats (Thunder Thighs here I come!)
-24 hour access to Internet
-Autumn Weather (including sweaters, scarfs, and curling up by the fire)
-Family and Friends (almost goes without saying...)
Things I love about Peru:
-Dancing (Everyone LOVES to dance! It´s great)
-Aji (I´m starting to like spicy foods)
-Besos (It´s the custom to kiss everyone on the cheek to say hello and goodbye)
-Combis (I really DO like them!)
-Galletas de Fibre
-The people! (Peruvians are the nicest people you will ever meet!)
-Having less material possessions
-Chirimoyas (Only the BEST fruit ever! It´s a mix between pears and apples and it looks like crab meat!)
-My kickin´ Abuela and the rest of my host family
-Eternal Summer
Okay, now for some photos....
We sure now how to celebrate birthdays here...This is the mariachi band that suprised us all
These next coming weeks are going to go by in a whirl, since we are now starting practice days where we go out in the communities and make house visits. A few weeks later, we will be going on our "Field Based Training," which is going to be in Ancash (heck yes). It´s basically a chance to go visit some current volunteers and get some real context on what we will actually be doing and the challenges that we might face. And then, the following week we will actually get to see where we will be living for the next 2 years. So yah, like I said, it will fly by.
Now I´ve had lots of time to think (and then some...) and so I´ve put together a small list of things I miss about my home in the states and things I love about Peru. Enjoy!
Things I miss about the states:
-Skinny Iced Lattes
-Carpet
-Hot Showers (I´m still waiting for one...)
-Veggies! Veggies! Veggies!
-Being able to drive off into the sunset if I wanted....
-Green surroundings (I live in a dust bowl)
-Being anonymous (We are famous here, ´nuff said)
-CHEEEEEEEEEEESE
-Grey´s Anatomy (Not going to lie....)
-Toilet Seats (Thunder Thighs here I come!)
-24 hour access to Internet
-Autumn Weather (including sweaters, scarfs, and curling up by the fire)
-Family and Friends (almost goes without saying...)
Things I love about Peru:
-Dancing (Everyone LOVES to dance! It´s great)
-Aji (I´m starting to like spicy foods)
-Besos (It´s the custom to kiss everyone on the cheek to say hello and goodbye)
-Combis (I really DO like them!)
-Galletas de Fibre
-The people! (Peruvians are the nicest people you will ever meet!)
-Having less material possessions
-Chirimoyas (Only the BEST fruit ever! It´s a mix between pears and apples and it looks like crab meat!)
-My kickin´ Abuela and the rest of my host family
-Eternal Summer
Okay, now for some photos....
We sure now how to celebrate birthdays here...This is the mariachi band that suprised us all
Miss Chosica Beauty Competition (Note: Cristo Blanco as the backdrop)
The Pizza Disaster
Yanacota Fireworks (They KNOW how to do fireworks right...)
As always, I miss you all! I´ve enjoyed all your emails and letters that you´ve sent...keep em coming!
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Fiesta Firsts
After a long week of training, there is nothing more that I´d like to do than sleep...but alas, that was not an option this weekend, since there were not one, not two, but three fiestas going on in and around my community. So what do I do? Go to all of them of course...
I started out my weekend in Chosica, where I got to see my first (and hopefully last) beauty pageant. Girls ages 15-23 were battling it to be Miss Chosica. The girls dressed in traditional dresses of Peru, evening gowns, and sport wear, which didn´t make a whole lot of sense to me since I´m not sure what sport you would play in a mini skirt and see-through top. Keep in mind that this was all set to the backdrop of "Cristo Blanco," along with party lights and lighted palm trees. It really became tense once they got down to the finalists and started asking questions. One girl was asked the meaning of the "Chosica," and she totally bombed it and unlike in the states, the crowd was ruthless. Everyone starting booing and yelling that I couldn´t help but feel bad for the poor girl. In the end, the girl we were routing for got 2nd place, but there was some stiff competition.
Next up, was a fiesta in the community "Tres de Octubre" on Saturday night. Being as how it was indeed the third of October, there were having a big community celebration. After having arrived at 8:30, we soon discovered that parties don´t exact start until around midnight, so we were a tad bit early. Some volunteers were going to perform some songs for the crowd around that time, but didn´t actually end up going on stage until around 11:30 pm...which we should have known. ha. Schedules here are mere suggestions on when things are actually supposed to start. While we were waiting though, we were easily entertained by a few groups of dancing children...some dressed up like devils, other in sparkly cowboy outfits, and of course, Michael Jackson impersonators. Since arriving to Peru three weeks ago, I have seen about 10 different Michael Jackson performances, and heard "Thriller" in the discoteccas far too many times. It appears to be that Michael Jackson is never going to die, at least in Peru.
Finally, I ended my night in Yanocoto, for they too were having a fiesta in their town including a live cumbia band and fireworks. Fireworks in Peru, however, put us Americans to shame. I´d say what is typical in America is to light a firecracker and have everyone stand as far away as possible, so that they don´t get hurt. Not the same in Peru. Here they strap firecrackers onto a paper mache bull and someone wears the bull outfit while running around in circles underneath meanwhile firecrackers are shooting each and every direction at the crowd. The coolest and maybe most frightning thing I have seen so far.
I ended my weeked of fiestas back in Chosica, where I got to see the "desfile" or parade....twice! First time, I saw the parade at the beginning. The floats were pretty ingenious. There was an ice age "Era de Hielo" and another Star Wars float...although float is a rough term. It´s more like pickup trucks decorated in such a way to look like floats, but like I said, they get pretty creative with them. The funniest part was probably all the little kids on the float throwing candy to the crowd. I got nailed in the head by a piece of candy being thrown at full force by some kid. And ofcourse, I ate it...I saw the parada a second time as it looped around Chosica back to wear the "Alcade" was sitting, so there was more dancing to be done. I also saw a member of the "Lions Club" shake and open a few bottles of beer and spray the audience. There was this other man spraying baby powder at the audience as well. Not sure the purpose, but the guys were pretty proud of themselves.
Like I said, Peruvians know how to party. While I did regret not getting as much sleep as I would of liked, I don´t regret any of it at all. In fact, I can´t wait for more fiestas to be had.
I started out my weekend in Chosica, where I got to see my first (and hopefully last) beauty pageant. Girls ages 15-23 were battling it to be Miss Chosica. The girls dressed in traditional dresses of Peru, evening gowns, and sport wear, which didn´t make a whole lot of sense to me since I´m not sure what sport you would play in a mini skirt and see-through top. Keep in mind that this was all set to the backdrop of "Cristo Blanco," along with party lights and lighted palm trees. It really became tense once they got down to the finalists and started asking questions. One girl was asked the meaning of the "Chosica," and she totally bombed it and unlike in the states, the crowd was ruthless. Everyone starting booing and yelling that I couldn´t help but feel bad for the poor girl. In the end, the girl we were routing for got 2nd place, but there was some stiff competition.
Next up, was a fiesta in the community "Tres de Octubre" on Saturday night. Being as how it was indeed the third of October, there were having a big community celebration. After having arrived at 8:30, we soon discovered that parties don´t exact start until around midnight, so we were a tad bit early. Some volunteers were going to perform some songs for the crowd around that time, but didn´t actually end up going on stage until around 11:30 pm...which we should have known. ha. Schedules here are mere suggestions on when things are actually supposed to start. While we were waiting though, we were easily entertained by a few groups of dancing children...some dressed up like devils, other in sparkly cowboy outfits, and of course, Michael Jackson impersonators. Since arriving to Peru three weeks ago, I have seen about 10 different Michael Jackson performances, and heard "Thriller" in the discoteccas far too many times. It appears to be that Michael Jackson is never going to die, at least in Peru.
Finally, I ended my night in Yanocoto, for they too were having a fiesta in their town including a live cumbia band and fireworks. Fireworks in Peru, however, put us Americans to shame. I´d say what is typical in America is to light a firecracker and have everyone stand as far away as possible, so that they don´t get hurt. Not the same in Peru. Here they strap firecrackers onto a paper mache bull and someone wears the bull outfit while running around in circles underneath meanwhile firecrackers are shooting each and every direction at the crowd. The coolest and maybe most frightning thing I have seen so far.
I ended my weeked of fiestas back in Chosica, where I got to see the "desfile" or parade....twice! First time, I saw the parade at the beginning. The floats were pretty ingenious. There was an ice age "Era de Hielo" and another Star Wars float...although float is a rough term. It´s more like pickup trucks decorated in such a way to look like floats, but like I said, they get pretty creative with them. The funniest part was probably all the little kids on the float throwing candy to the crowd. I got nailed in the head by a piece of candy being thrown at full force by some kid. And ofcourse, I ate it...I saw the parada a second time as it looped around Chosica back to wear the "Alcade" was sitting, so there was more dancing to be done. I also saw a member of the "Lions Club" shake and open a few bottles of beer and spray the audience. There was this other man spraying baby powder at the audience as well. Not sure the purpose, but the guys were pretty proud of themselves.
Like I said, Peruvians know how to party. While I did regret not getting as much sleep as I would of liked, I don´t regret any of it at all. In fact, I can´t wait for more fiestas to be had.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
How to Make a Pizza in Peru
Here are some instructions on how to make pizza in Peru, as experienced by me and my friend Katie at her house:
1. Tell the host family you are going to make pizza for them. Tell them to make some rice, just in case.
2. Go to the overcrowded supermercado to find ingredients. Make a fuss at how much a little mozarella cheese costs, and decide on which veggetables are safe to eat (without risk to diarrhea)
3. Go home and make dough.
4. Find out the oven doesn´t work, and that you have to use the very sketchy "portable" oven.
5. Carefully place/drop pizza in to portable oven without burning fingers on the side.
6. Realize that the family is hungry, especially the younger host brother, who has been waiting the whole week to eat the pizza.
7. Find out 45 minutes later that portable oven no longer is working.
8. Watch Host family serve themselves rice and potatoes becuase they are hungry, and need to eat something.
9. Tell Host Mom the problem and watch her carefully try to light the oven without burning herself.
10. Carefully take the pizza out of the portable oven to the now lit oven.
11. Find out an hour later, that the oven is only about 100 degrees and that the pizza is still not cooking.
12. Watch younger host brother pop into the kitchen, asking about the pizza only to have to tell him that it´s not cooked yet.
13. Being resourceful, decide to try to cook the pizza on the stove top with another pan on top.
14. Watch smoke come up from the pan.
15. Freak out and start laughing at the same time.
16. Take the pizza off the stove top, and decide that it´s "cooked" enough.
17. Serve the half-cooked/half-burnt pizza to the host family. Find out the host dad went to bed already.
18. Watch the host family pick at their food while also saying "how good it is" at the same time.
19. Force yourself to eat your piece of pizza, half becuase your host family did and the other becuase you slaved away 4 hours in the kitchen and want to show something for it.
20. Be thankful that the family made some rice.
21. Laugh...
Now some photos....
This photo was during our tour of Chacrasana, and no, that is not my hat.
My Host Family during Eric and Raphael´s 15th Birthday
Pablo, the Pied Piper of the Gringos
My Spanish Group in Lima
Like always, I miss you all dearly!
1. Tell the host family you are going to make pizza for them. Tell them to make some rice, just in case.
2. Go to the overcrowded supermercado to find ingredients. Make a fuss at how much a little mozarella cheese costs, and decide on which veggetables are safe to eat (without risk to diarrhea)
3. Go home and make dough.
4. Find out the oven doesn´t work, and that you have to use the very sketchy "portable" oven.
5. Carefully place/drop pizza in to portable oven without burning fingers on the side.
6. Realize that the family is hungry, especially the younger host brother, who has been waiting the whole week to eat the pizza.
7. Find out 45 minutes later that portable oven no longer is working.
8. Watch Host family serve themselves rice and potatoes becuase they are hungry, and need to eat something.
9. Tell Host Mom the problem and watch her carefully try to light the oven without burning herself.
10. Carefully take the pizza out of the portable oven to the now lit oven.
11. Find out an hour later, that the oven is only about 100 degrees and that the pizza is still not cooking.
12. Watch younger host brother pop into the kitchen, asking about the pizza only to have to tell him that it´s not cooked yet.
13. Being resourceful, decide to try to cook the pizza on the stove top with another pan on top.
14. Watch smoke come up from the pan.
15. Freak out and start laughing at the same time.
16. Take the pizza off the stove top, and decide that it´s "cooked" enough.
17. Serve the half-cooked/half-burnt pizza to the host family. Find out the host dad went to bed already.
18. Watch the host family pick at their food while also saying "how good it is" at the same time.
19. Force yourself to eat your piece of pizza, half becuase your host family did and the other becuase you slaved away 4 hours in the kitchen and want to show something for it.
20. Be thankful that the family made some rice.
21. Laugh...
Now some photos....
This photo was during our tour of Chacrasana, and no, that is not my hat.
My Host Family during Eric and Raphael´s 15th Birthday
Pablo, the Pied Piper of the Gringos
My Spanish Group in Lima
Eating the delicious "Aji de Gallina" dish
Like always, I miss you all dearly!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Always an adventure
So transportation is a bit different in Peru, as I have experienced very well. There are the usual taxis, and buses, but to add to that, there are also "Combi" and "Mototaxis." Now Combis are basically small buses, but instead only holding enough people as there are seats, combis tend to want to cram as many people as possible inside them.
There are also no designated stops. If they see you walking on the street, they will honk their horn at you and want you to get on. The same goes for when riding one, you have to tell the driver when to stop, but it gets tricky when you don´t exactly know where your stop is. A few times the driver has overshot our stop and we ended up backtracking quite a bit. Combis are apparently privately owned, so the "Cobrador" wants to fit as many people as possible on the combi, so that he can make a few extra bucks. He even goes as far as flagging down people in the street to come and get on his combi. Just the other day, the "Cobrador" was bringing more and more people on the combi, when there was literally no more room to be had. He kept on saying "There´s more room, move back," when another woman and I just rolled our eyes at each other. I was practically on top of another passenger trying to hold on for dear life as the combi zoomed ahead to the next stop.
Most of the time, you end up standing up since there are no empty seats. Empty seats are hard to come by, and you are certainly lucky if you snag one...especially on a long ride. It´s also best to hold on tight in a combi if you don´t want to end up in someone´s lap. Since they are private, they also try to compete with each other about getting more passengers, often disregarding speed laws (if there are any) and lines in the road. They´ve also get within inches of each other on the road. Peruvian drivers are seriously not afraid to get close to each other. There have been a few times where I think we´re going to come in contact, but we always scape by untouched (barely...)
I take the combi everday to get to the training center, and every day is different. First, there appears to be two prices: one price for Peruvians and the other for gullible tourists aka gringos. Now, since I am niether a tourist or a Peruvian, it´s been difficult to talk down the price everday. Now we aren´t talking a big difference in price. It may be .50 soles for Peruvians and .70 soles for gringos, which is basically only 8 cent difference in American dollars, but it´s the principle of the whole thing! And since I´m being paid mere dollars a day, every little bit counts. I usually have to either set the price before I get on the bus, or risk being haggled by the "cobrador" once on the bus. I´ve learned a few tricks of the trade though, from my host sister. She said that as long as you have exact change, they won´t cheap you out of your mone, which they do a lot.
So this last week, we had our first trip to Lima, which was super excited since I have been living in a town of only 1,000 people. Lima is the capital of Peru and has about 12 million people living there, way more than New York City even. On Friday, we went with our language teachers to get a lay of the land and to practice our spanish (por supuesto...of course). We went directly to the Plaza de Armas, which is basically the downtown of Lima. The Palace where Alan Garcia is situated on side, the municipality building on the other, and churches surrounding the rest. We learned how to bargain down a taxi ride, and even saw the Pacific ocean.
The final test of the day was to get home by ourselves, which is what I think to be a big joke had by all the spanish professors. We were given 6 soles for the day (which is about 2 dollars) and had the choice of taking a combi, a taxi, or a collectivo. My group elected to take a collectivo, which was 8 soles for each of us, since they said it would be shorter than taking a combi. Little did we know, that we would be hitting Lima traffic on a Friday night. We realized this only after we crammed 4 people in the back of the car, and ended up going 5 mph for about an hour. Needless to say, we weren´t the happiest of campers, but after having talked to some people who took combis back...we got home a few hours before them.
The next day, Saturday, we went back to Lima, only this time to la Universidad de la Agraria, where we are going to learn about composting, home gardenting, and animal husbandry. Again, the teachers let us find our own way home. Having fully realized how little we do make, We decided to take the combi this day. The only problem was we had such a big group, that not all of us were going to fit on the same combi, so we then split up in half. We had to take one combi to the main highway and then find another one that goes towards Chosica. We had to split up yet again becuase not all of us were going to fit, so eventually we were down to 3 in a group. The combi we happened to choose was jam packed (lucky for us), so we had to stand for a bit. Lucky for me, I found a seat right away and got to rest my poor legs for the hour long ride home. We made is safely home in about an hour, when we all celebrated by eating ourselves sick.
So next time you drive in your car to get to work or use the public transportation in your town, just thank you lucky stars that you are able to get to your destination without a worry...as for me, riding the combis is always an adventure.
There are also no designated stops. If they see you walking on the street, they will honk their horn at you and want you to get on. The same goes for when riding one, you have to tell the driver when to stop, but it gets tricky when you don´t exactly know where your stop is. A few times the driver has overshot our stop and we ended up backtracking quite a bit. Combis are apparently privately owned, so the "Cobrador" wants to fit as many people as possible on the combi, so that he can make a few extra bucks. He even goes as far as flagging down people in the street to come and get on his combi. Just the other day, the "Cobrador" was bringing more and more people on the combi, when there was literally no more room to be had. He kept on saying "There´s more room, move back," when another woman and I just rolled our eyes at each other. I was practically on top of another passenger trying to hold on for dear life as the combi zoomed ahead to the next stop.
Most of the time, you end up standing up since there are no empty seats. Empty seats are hard to come by, and you are certainly lucky if you snag one...especially on a long ride. It´s also best to hold on tight in a combi if you don´t want to end up in someone´s lap. Since they are private, they also try to compete with each other about getting more passengers, often disregarding speed laws (if there are any) and lines in the road. They´ve also get within inches of each other on the road. Peruvian drivers are seriously not afraid to get close to each other. There have been a few times where I think we´re going to come in contact, but we always scape by untouched (barely...)
I take the combi everday to get to the training center, and every day is different. First, there appears to be two prices: one price for Peruvians and the other for gullible tourists aka gringos. Now, since I am niether a tourist or a Peruvian, it´s been difficult to talk down the price everday. Now we aren´t talking a big difference in price. It may be .50 soles for Peruvians and .70 soles for gringos, which is basically only 8 cent difference in American dollars, but it´s the principle of the whole thing! And since I´m being paid mere dollars a day, every little bit counts. I usually have to either set the price before I get on the bus, or risk being haggled by the "cobrador" once on the bus. I´ve learned a few tricks of the trade though, from my host sister. She said that as long as you have exact change, they won´t cheap you out of your mone, which they do a lot.
So this last week, we had our first trip to Lima, which was super excited since I have been living in a town of only 1,000 people. Lima is the capital of Peru and has about 12 million people living there, way more than New York City even. On Friday, we went with our language teachers to get a lay of the land and to practice our spanish (por supuesto...of course). We went directly to the Plaza de Armas, which is basically the downtown of Lima. The Palace where Alan Garcia is situated on side, the municipality building on the other, and churches surrounding the rest. We learned how to bargain down a taxi ride, and even saw the Pacific ocean.
The final test of the day was to get home by ourselves, which is what I think to be a big joke had by all the spanish professors. We were given 6 soles for the day (which is about 2 dollars) and had the choice of taking a combi, a taxi, or a collectivo. My group elected to take a collectivo, which was 8 soles for each of us, since they said it would be shorter than taking a combi. Little did we know, that we would be hitting Lima traffic on a Friday night. We realized this only after we crammed 4 people in the back of the car, and ended up going 5 mph for about an hour. Needless to say, we weren´t the happiest of campers, but after having talked to some people who took combis back...we got home a few hours before them.
The next day, Saturday, we went back to Lima, only this time to la Universidad de la Agraria, where we are going to learn about composting, home gardenting, and animal husbandry. Again, the teachers let us find our own way home. Having fully realized how little we do make, We decided to take the combi this day. The only problem was we had such a big group, that not all of us were going to fit on the same combi, so we then split up in half. We had to take one combi to the main highway and then find another one that goes towards Chosica. We had to split up yet again becuase not all of us were going to fit, so eventually we were down to 3 in a group. The combi we happened to choose was jam packed (lucky for us), so we had to stand for a bit. Lucky for me, I found a seat right away and got to rest my poor legs for the hour long ride home. We made is safely home in about an hour, when we all celebrated by eating ourselves sick.
So next time you drive in your car to get to work or use the public transportation in your town, just thank you lucky stars that you are able to get to your destination without a worry...as for me, riding the combis is always an adventure.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Mi Abuelita
So I believe by far that I have the cutest Peruvian Abuela (Grandma) around, and I may just have to put her in my pocket and take her home. First, she´s the first person I´ve seen that wears a traditional peruvian outfit from la sierra. Her outfit includes a big black skirt with a peruvian apron on top, a white blouse with 1 or 2 cardigans over that, and then usually a shall, and a wool hat with 2 long braids hanging down beneath to complete the look.
She´s a very stylish lady and is in super good shape. Chacrasana is basically all uphill, and I see her constantly walking up and down the hill everday multiple times. I, being a fairly in shape twenty year old, have a hard time hiking up the hill everday, so she definitely kicks my butt...and she´s in her seventies!
Our converstations usually consist of "Hola Abuela, Como estas" (Hi Grandma, How are you?), where upon she will reply "Buen mami, Buen," as she taps my butt. It´s really endearing. I don´t quite understand much of what else she says, but I try my hardest. For example, I´ve asked her where she lives, and she says "en la sierra" (or in the mountains), but yet I see her everyday either in my house or in the street. So I´m not quite sure where she lives.
We had another funny conversation last night after dinner. As is typical in the sierra, she eats a lot of coca. She showed me last night and asked if I knew what is was. I played dumb and said no, and she just laughed. She then went on to explain that it helps with her work in the fields. She raises "cuy" or guinea pigs and also potatoes, carrots, more potatoes up in the mountains and since she works hard, the coca helps calm her stomach. She then went on to tell me that even though she´s from the mountains and eats coca, that she has 7 children who are all educated and successful.
Like I said, she´s one cool lady...
Now for some photos...
Health Presentations
She´s a very stylish lady and is in super good shape. Chacrasana is basically all uphill, and I see her constantly walking up and down the hill everday multiple times. I, being a fairly in shape twenty year old, have a hard time hiking up the hill everday, so she definitely kicks my butt...and she´s in her seventies!
Our converstations usually consist of "Hola Abuela, Como estas" (Hi Grandma, How are you?), where upon she will reply "Buen mami, Buen," as she taps my butt. It´s really endearing. I don´t quite understand much of what else she says, but I try my hardest. For example, I´ve asked her where she lives, and she says "en la sierra" (or in the mountains), but yet I see her everyday either in my house or in the street. So I´m not quite sure where she lives.
We had another funny conversation last night after dinner. As is typical in the sierra, she eats a lot of coca. She showed me last night and asked if I knew what is was. I played dumb and said no, and she just laughed. She then went on to explain that it helps with her work in the fields. She raises "cuy" or guinea pigs and also potatoes, carrots, more potatoes up in the mountains and since she works hard, the coca helps calm her stomach. She then went on to tell me that even though she´s from the mountains and eats coca, that she has 7 children who are all educated and successful.
Like I said, she´s one cool lady...
Now for some photos...
Mis perritos..."Petizo" y "Gringo"
Health Presentations
Me and my new friend Lindsey. I got a bit pink and have since learned to put on sunscreen.
Walking down the hill to catch the bus for school
Me and the "Pishca" getting to know each other. She is the resident cat at the training center.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
White Men Can´t Dance
So today was our first dance lesson. We´ve been having exercise classes after training everyday, and someone had the great idea of having a dance class. One of our language professors, Pablo, has volunteered to teach us poor "gringos" how to move on the dance floor.
Dancing is a big deal in Peru, as I think it is in most Latin American countries. One of the first questions I get asked after meeting a Peruana, is "Do you like to dance," only after having been asked "What´s your name and why are you here." What´s great about dancing is that even if you can´t communicate, dancing is a universal langauge. Even the men dance in Peru, and boy can they move! I´m quite impressed with everyone´s dancing abilities and I really think the United States should take some lessons from Latin America.
Our gracious leader, Pablo, has decided to teach us all various dances in Peru including Cumbia, Salsa, and Afro-Peruana. Cumbia is more or less the "dance" of Peru, and so far, I haven´t quite figured out yet what´s the difference between that or other latin dances...To me they are all the same, but I know that I will have plenty of time to learn in the next two years.
Cumbia was more or less easiest to dance to I think, but once we got into the dances of the "Selva" (Jungle) and Afro-Peruano, things were getting a bit more difficult, but today was only Day 1. If someone was walking by our dance class, it would of been a funny site to see "gringos" trying to shake our hips, but Pablo was very patient with us. I can just imagine Pablo to be the "Pied Piper" with all of us "gringos and gringas" dancing behind him. ha. We are going to continue having classes every Tuesday until the end of training where we will have a big swearing-in ceremony. The plan is to choreograph a dance for our host parents and PC Staff. It should be quite the show!
Dancing is a big deal in Peru, as I think it is in most Latin American countries. One of the first questions I get asked after meeting a Peruana, is "Do you like to dance," only after having been asked "What´s your name and why are you here." What´s great about dancing is that even if you can´t communicate, dancing is a universal langauge. Even the men dance in Peru, and boy can they move! I´m quite impressed with everyone´s dancing abilities and I really think the United States should take some lessons from Latin America.
Our gracious leader, Pablo, has decided to teach us all various dances in Peru including Cumbia, Salsa, and Afro-Peruana. Cumbia is more or less the "dance" of Peru, and so far, I haven´t quite figured out yet what´s the difference between that or other latin dances...To me they are all the same, but I know that I will have plenty of time to learn in the next two years.
Cumbia was more or less easiest to dance to I think, but once we got into the dances of the "Selva" (Jungle) and Afro-Peruano, things were getting a bit more difficult, but today was only Day 1. If someone was walking by our dance class, it would of been a funny site to see "gringos" trying to shake our hips, but Pablo was very patient with us. I can just imagine Pablo to be the "Pied Piper" with all of us "gringos and gringas" dancing behind him. ha. We are going to continue having classes every Tuesday until the end of training where we will have a big swearing-in ceremony. The plan is to choreograph a dance for our host parents and PC Staff. It should be quite the show!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Life in a small town...
So life is a funny thing. When I envisioned going to Peru, I was thinking I would be in the mountains, rasing guinea pigs, and being one with nature. Instead I living in a small-mini America. For example, last night I was watching "American Pie 3" with my 73 year old abuela who is straight from the sierra in peru. Sometimes I just have to laugh at my situation, but sadly no one understands why I´m laughing. Everyone has cell phones here also and some houses even have have wi-fi. But who needs warm, clean running water when you have unlimited access to facebook? At times I feel like things are backward, I suppose that´s just the way things are.
My town, Chacrasana, and my family, however, couldn´t be sweeter. Just yesterday I was walking around and starting talking with my neighbors, where upon they invited me to go to the park with them later. I then walked up to another volunteers house, where her family gratitiously invited me over to sing kaoroke. And yet again, I was invited over to a birthday party last night of one of the volunteers brother.
Now in Peru, it´s common to be offered drinks or food when you come in. In this case, we were offered dinner complete with beer and wine. I wasn´t about to tell them that I had already eaten dinner, so when in rome....I ate. This was also the second time that day that I had eaten double meals. Just 5 hours earlier, I was offered two lunches. My abuela was cooking up a storm outside and making this traditional soup from the sierra complete with a wood fire in our backyard. I thought that was what I was going to eat for lunch, but instead I was served beets and fish. I didn´t think anything of it until everyone else was eating the soup. I then understood (more or less) that they were afraid I would get sick from the soup since I´ve only been here one week. Only after I finished cleaning my plate did they offer me some soup....so again, I ate.
Like I said before, I was invited to a birthday party last night. Me and some other volunteers went, and I the family couldn´t have been happier. What I have noticed with the peruvian families, just how close everyone is. After dinner and some conversation, we cleared a dance floor and all started dancing...kids, parents, and teens. From my observations in the states, I think teens want little to do with their parents for fear of looking bad in front of their friends (Sorry Mom and Dad). But in Peru, everyone is happy to be together. Being around such a warm family, only made me miss mine more.
Now for some photos...
This is me in Chacrasana...half way up the hill.
Our lives for two years packed into bags
Mi cuarto. I´ve put up my pictures, so that I can see everyone before I go to bed.
My town, Chacrasana, and my family, however, couldn´t be sweeter. Just yesterday I was walking around and starting talking with my neighbors, where upon they invited me to go to the park with them later. I then walked up to another volunteers house, where her family gratitiously invited me over to sing kaoroke. And yet again, I was invited over to a birthday party last night of one of the volunteers brother.
Now in Peru, it´s common to be offered drinks or food when you come in. In this case, we were offered dinner complete with beer and wine. I wasn´t about to tell them that I had already eaten dinner, so when in rome....I ate. This was also the second time that day that I had eaten double meals. Just 5 hours earlier, I was offered two lunches. My abuela was cooking up a storm outside and making this traditional soup from the sierra complete with a wood fire in our backyard. I thought that was what I was going to eat for lunch, but instead I was served beets and fish. I didn´t think anything of it until everyone else was eating the soup. I then understood (more or less) that they were afraid I would get sick from the soup since I´ve only been here one week. Only after I finished cleaning my plate did they offer me some soup....so again, I ate.
Like I said before, I was invited to a birthday party last night. Me and some other volunteers went, and I the family couldn´t have been happier. What I have noticed with the peruvian families, just how close everyone is. After dinner and some conversation, we cleared a dance floor and all started dancing...kids, parents, and teens. From my observations in the states, I think teens want little to do with their parents for fear of looking bad in front of their friends (Sorry Mom and Dad). But in Peru, everyone is happy to be together. Being around such a warm family, only made me miss mine more.
Now for some photos...
This is me in Chacrasana...half way up the hill.
Our lives for two years packed into bags
Mi cuarto. I´ve put up my pictures, so that I can see everyone before I go to bed.
We had access to internet for 20 minutes and we all went nuts!
Dr. Jorge discussing Diarrhea. Let the countdown begin...
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Back to School
For those of you that know me, you know that I´m am a type-A nerd...but in my defense, I have relaxed a bit in these past years. Leaving college was hard not only becuase I was leaving my home of 5 years and my friends, but becuase I was leaving my place of learning! I loved going to class, taking notes, and juggling all my responsibilities. I couldn´t wait to get back in the "saddle," so to speak, which was part of the reason why I was looking forward to Peace Corps training. But alas, I have spoken too soon. ha. Now that I have homework everyday and on the weekends, I´m missing my freedom!
Training consists of 10 weeks Monday through Friday and occasionally on Saturday. My day starts with waking up around 7:30 am, eating breakfast, and going to spanish class at 8:30 am. The location of our spanish classes rotates around, so this week it was at my house, which was good becuase I got to sleep in an extra few minutes. I have 3 other volunteers in my spanish group and one profesora. We talk about a whole bunch of topics and use a lot of non-formal education, which the PC is big on. This last week we talked about Peru´s healthcare system, the geography of peru, how not to get robbed, our daily activities, and the current news. We also touch on a lot of grammar and of course, vocabulary. I think I learn about 50 new vocabulary words a day. But poco a poco (bit by bit), my spanish is improving. It helps to live with a family that doesn´t speak any english, although they speak quite fast most of the time. ha. Sometimes in our spanish class we go and give interviews to the people on the street about various topics. They must think we are weird, but they are usually very nice to talk to us poor gringas.
After spanish class, I eat with my host family and am off to the training center by 1:00 pm. We normally split up into our program groups at that time. There is Public Health, Water and Sanitation, and Environmental Education. Our tech trainers, Jorge and Javier, teach us different things everyday. Last week was a lot about non-formal education, which is big in the PC, and the goals our the health program. We already have a few projects, for example, we were all given "Mission Impossible" assignments. My assignment was to find a "casa naturista" or a health food store in Chosica. We started at a hindu temple, found a vitamin store and a vegetarian restaraunt that was closed, until we finally stumbled upon a health food store. We even sampled the yummy yogurt and fruit.
After our program charlas (talks), we either have a security talk or health talk. Yesterday, we had a talk about two of the biggest problems for Peru PC volunteers: dental care and diarrhea. Having talked to various PC volunteers, they all say its the most common illness that you will get. And we also learned a very interesting statistic. Nearly 70% of PC volunteers in Peru have diarrhea in their pants. Enserio! I laughed out loud hearing this statistic and I think it highly amusing and also a bit frightening. ha. But, I suppose when you have to go, you have to go. Hopefully, you will not be hearing from me on this topic in the next two years.
By then, it´s about 5:00 pm and training is over for the day. Being the physically fit group that we are, we´ve started running and yoga clubs after class. Every Monday and Wednesday, we have yoga and Tuesday and Thursday, we have running. There are also dance classes starting up, and even some Jizitzu classes! We are a group of varying abilities and interests.
When I get home around 6:00 pm, I eat my dinner and watch some telanovellas with the fam. My favorite so far is "Al Fondo No Hay Sitio." It´s very dramatic and has a lot of physical comedy, which is easy to understand. Last night, for instance, a character found out that his fiance wasn´t pregnant and was just lying! Que horrible! ha. Then, I normally sit down at the table and do my homework with my sister helping me. Then by 9:00 pm, I´m ready to hit the sack and nada mas!
Training sure takes a lot out of me, but I know it will go by so quickly...so I´m trying to take one day at a time...
Training consists of 10 weeks Monday through Friday and occasionally on Saturday. My day starts with waking up around 7:30 am, eating breakfast, and going to spanish class at 8:30 am. The location of our spanish classes rotates around, so this week it was at my house, which was good becuase I got to sleep in an extra few minutes. I have 3 other volunteers in my spanish group and one profesora. We talk about a whole bunch of topics and use a lot of non-formal education, which the PC is big on. This last week we talked about Peru´s healthcare system, the geography of peru, how not to get robbed, our daily activities, and the current news. We also touch on a lot of grammar and of course, vocabulary. I think I learn about 50 new vocabulary words a day. But poco a poco (bit by bit), my spanish is improving. It helps to live with a family that doesn´t speak any english, although they speak quite fast most of the time. ha. Sometimes in our spanish class we go and give interviews to the people on the street about various topics. They must think we are weird, but they are usually very nice to talk to us poor gringas.
After spanish class, I eat with my host family and am off to the training center by 1:00 pm. We normally split up into our program groups at that time. There is Public Health, Water and Sanitation, and Environmental Education. Our tech trainers, Jorge and Javier, teach us different things everyday. Last week was a lot about non-formal education, which is big in the PC, and the goals our the health program. We already have a few projects, for example, we were all given "Mission Impossible" assignments. My assignment was to find a "casa naturista" or a health food store in Chosica. We started at a hindu temple, found a vitamin store and a vegetarian restaraunt that was closed, until we finally stumbled upon a health food store. We even sampled the yummy yogurt and fruit.
After our program charlas (talks), we either have a security talk or health talk. Yesterday, we had a talk about two of the biggest problems for Peru PC volunteers: dental care and diarrhea. Having talked to various PC volunteers, they all say its the most common illness that you will get. And we also learned a very interesting statistic. Nearly 70% of PC volunteers in Peru have diarrhea in their pants. Enserio! I laughed out loud hearing this statistic and I think it highly amusing and also a bit frightening. ha. But, I suppose when you have to go, you have to go. Hopefully, you will not be hearing from me on this topic in the next two years.
By then, it´s about 5:00 pm and training is over for the day. Being the physically fit group that we are, we´ve started running and yoga clubs after class. Every Monday and Wednesday, we have yoga and Tuesday and Thursday, we have running. There are also dance classes starting up, and even some Jizitzu classes! We are a group of varying abilities and interests.
When I get home around 6:00 pm, I eat my dinner and watch some telanovellas with the fam. My favorite so far is "Al Fondo No Hay Sitio." It´s very dramatic and has a lot of physical comedy, which is easy to understand. Last night, for instance, a character found out that his fiance wasn´t pregnant and was just lying! Que horrible! ha. Then, I normally sit down at the table and do my homework with my sister helping me. Then by 9:00 pm, I´m ready to hit the sack and nada mas!
Training sure takes a lot out of me, but I know it will go by so quickly...so I´m trying to take one day at a time...
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