These are a few of my favorite things...

This is dedicated this to all Peace Corps volunteers in Peru. I wish you all a very Feliz Navidad!

Cuyes con papas and coffee in mugs;
Riding in combis and kids giving hugs;
Hiking up mountains like the Lord of the Rings;
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pig bites
When the shower stings
When I'm feeling fat
I simply remember my favorite things
*So then I don't hit people with a bat…

Dancing the huayno and working in gardens;
Sipping hot milk and art from old cartons;
Playing volley no matter if it's spring,
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pig bites
When the shower stings
When I'm feeling fat
I simply remember my favorite things
*So then I don't hit people with a bat…

Bright neon sweaters; canchita of corn;
Humitas con queso and babies being born;
Watching **Gossip Girl for all the joy that it brings;
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pig bites
When the shower stings
When I'm feeling fat
I simply remember my favorite things
*So then I don't hit people with a bat…

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*Katie Lee has some rage issues and helped me with this last line.

**True Blood also works here, as does many other TV shows (i.e. The Wire, Glee, The Office…)

Weapons of Mass Absorption

A fellow volunteer had a funny incident happen to her recently at the Serpost (post office), that I wanted to share. But instead of re-hashing it, I am pasting the version that Julie Fast wrote. I just can't do it justice. Thanks jfart!

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The only thing standing between me and my homemade American cookies was an evil impenetrable force called Peruvian Customs.

For a solid 23 months the Peruvian government kindly allowed my mother’s innocent care-packages to proceed unhindered to my anxious arms. For my last month of Peace Corps Service, however, customs decided to cease and desist all generosity. Arrrggghhhhhhhhh.

Three power of attorney letters later, they still wouldn’t release the package.

Then unfolded this scene, that solidified my negative impression of the evil maniacs who are most likely at this very moment licking oatmeal raisin cookie crumbs off of their chubby over paid under compassionate fingers!!

A fellow volunteer, Katie, was enmeshed in the same bothersome postal hang-up. Together we sat patiently by as the elderly worker in our local post office contacted a presumably equally aged worker in the coastal package-napping branch.

Katie’s package had already been violated and been found to contain…

“Fifty colorful glass vials that look slightly dangerous. We’re not able to release the package until the purpose of these vials is discerned.”

I arched an eyebrow in the direction of Katie. “Is your mother a chemist?”

A shake of the head…and then a wave of realization and a deep scarlet flush. “I think I know what those are…” she looked quizzically at the post office worker. “Does it say Tampax on the outside of the box?”

I doubled over laughing, forgetting momentarily my poor lonesome cookies molding from neglect.

We explained the purpose of the ‘colorful vials’ to the Chota worker on the phone with the coastal worker, between laughs and snorts. I encouraged the post office worker on the coast to try one out if he didn’t believe us, but the Chota worker refused to translate that.

The best part? They still don’t believe the story. So Katie has to travel 12 bumpy hours to the coast this weekend to personally demonstrate the innocence of tampons. I asked for a video recording.


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Read more of Julie Fast's blog at http://coldwetcement.wordpress.com/

The Diamond in the Rough

There came a time when Lima was nothing but a smog-infested rat trap, but I have finally seen the light. That or I've finally come to the realization that I really DO want Starbucks on a daily basis. And let me tell you....I do, I really, really do.

This week I am in Lima for med checks and health programming. This is the last time all of us volunteers will officially see each other until we COS (Close of Service) next September, so it's another one of those milestones that I have reached. It also means that I'm no longer a newbie.

Most recently, Peru 16 has arrived to Peru and I know have 4 new neighboroonies nearby: a married couple in the community next to mine, and two other volunteers out near Paccha. You know you've watched too much "vampire" TV when you start to refer to the newbs as "new blood."

But I digress...back to Lima. From the outside, Lima doesn't seem like it has a lot to offer, but that is just becuase you have to look deeper. For instance, most recently I have discovered the following a lap swimming pool, Subway Sandwich shop (there is supposedly an elusive Taco Bell somewhere...), movie theatre, and most importantly, Polvos Azules.

Polvos Azules is this market full of everything imaginable and most importantly for us volunteers, pirated movies and tv shows. While in the states, it's very hard to come upon pirated movies, let alone have them be in good condition. But in Peru, the movies cost the equivalent of $1.00 and if you know your vendor well enough, is as good as the "original." You can even get movies that are still in the theatres, although they are a hit or miss.

What is difficult, however, is trying to figure out the titles in Spanish. You'd think some names would be the same, but somehow in Spanish they are completely different. For instance, I tried finding "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo," which translated into Spanish would be "La chica con el tatuaje de un dragon." Simple enough right?! Wrong. The lady had no idea what I was talking about and it was later, when I found the translated title online: Men who don't like women. Huh. Go figure.

Here's a funny article I found talking about the same thing: http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2010/08/translating_film_titles

In short, if you come to Lima, I'll show you the places that really count.

And if I ever find that Taco Bell....

Thanksgiving in the Montañas

I know this post is a tad bit late, as we have now past Thanksgiving and have entered into the “official” Christmas season, but I just wanted to tell a little bit about my Thanksgiving this year.

So we get a few “free” days off each year in which we, volunteers, can go wherever we like. Last year I chose the German jungle, and for this trip, I chose Ancash, where snow and good food meet.

So…2 Cajamarquinas, 2 Tumbesinas, and one lonely Piuriano took off to the Cordillera Blanca, the Peruvian Andes. Here are some highlights…

Highlight #1: Café Andino. One of the first things you need to know about Huaraz, the capital of Ancash, is that it is very touristy…aka great food! This is one of the many things us volunteers treasure. Huaraz offers tastes of Thailand, Italy, and best of all…Mexico! Café Andino is known for their great Mexican food and French pressed coffee. A key to my own heart! Needless to say, we hit it up more than once.

Highlight #2: Camping. It’s been more than a year and a half since I’ve last camped, so we all thought it would be fun to pitch a tent for a few nights. We had heard that it would cost a lot to camp in the National Park (which later we found out that it’s free for Peace Corps volunteers), so a friend lead us to this lodge a little outside the park owned by a British fellow named Charlie. Charlie was very accommodating and even let us take shelter our last night there as we were cold and wet and our camping stove broke. But all and all, we had a fun time. Thankfully, I had a nice, warm sleeping bag unlike some people (Should of brought a warmer one Katie!) so I slept straight through the nights. Cooking camp-style was also a bit interesting. We definitely overestimated how much food we were going to need (and drink!), so going hungry wasn’t a problem. However, we had quite the trouble getting our camping stove to light and stay lit. Thanksgiving dinner consisted of over cooked noodles with too little sauce. And it took us so long to get the stove lit and cook the darn noodles, by the time everything was ready, none of us were hungry. In addition, as I mentioned before, the last night the stove finally gave out, so Charlie let us cook our chili on his stove.

Highlight #3: Hiking amongst mountains. Nothing makes me miss Oregon more than seeing snow capped mountains and breathing in that fresh, wilderness air. Since we were a little outside the park, we had to hike in to begin with. Our plan was to hike to Lake 69 (no joke), which was going to be about a 3-4 hour hike. The tricky thing about this national park is that transportation is hard to come by. You either hire a taxi or try to hitchhike in. We had left late in the morning, so finding a ride in was going to be tough, but the mountain angels were smiling upon us that day and we found a ride in. The road into the park takes you by razor sharp cliffs, two turquoise-blue glacier lakes with ominous mountains behind them. Huascaran is the highest mountain in Peru and it towers over the park. We hiked along beautiful mountain streams with cows grazing nearby. But because of the late start and the unlikelihood of catching a ride back out of the park, the mother and eagle-scout brother in me convinced us to turn around before we even made it to our destination. And it was good we did because on the hike back, it started pouring down rain and luckily, a service car came to our rescue. Nothing like some coca tea and fried cuy to warm us up afterwards.

And that was how I spent my thanksgiving this year. And if you get a chance, send me some leftovers, especially those canned cranberries I like so much :-)

Small Wins

This week has been one of the most fulfilling weeks as a Peace Corps volunteer, so I’d like to share it with you all, and to me as well…before I forget.

First off, I celebrated World’s Aids Day (December 1) in my town by putting together a radio program with my obstetrician and a small radio spot with my youth group, and also by giving talks in the high school. Now, HIV/AIDS is not something that is a big problem in Cajamarca like it is on the coast. My volunteer friends on the coast work on HIV/AIDS work all year round, but here, I’m lucky if people have even heard of it. There’s also this stereotype that people in the sierra don’t want to talk about sexual education, so the thought of doing the oh-so-famous condom races of the coast would not fly here in my town. But I am glad to say, that I was proven wrong. During our HIV/AIDS talk in the high school, my obstetrician whipped out condoms to show the kids, and honest to god, it was probably the first time they have even seen them. And not only did she teach them about them, she even handed them out. Can’t wait to tackle sex ed in the schools next year!

The very next day my youth group (C.A.I.D.), which I helped form with my health post and primary school, had our first official “paseo,” as the Peruvians call it, as a group to Bambamarca. We, along with the four other CAIDS in the area, were invited to participate in a theatre competition with the theme of adolescent pregnancies. To be honest, when first given this task, I wasn’t sure if we were going to be able organize ourselves, but the kids pulled it off. And while we did not win anything, the kids got up there in front of a big audience and most importantly, learned a very important lesson to take home with them: Use a condom. So overall, it was a big success. To top it all off, we all “pasear-ed” to “Los Tres Churros”, which is this big capturing system of water where they raise trout. Peruvians are so funny about paseos, but that is another story all together…Overall, it was a fun day and I have lots of pictures to prove it.

Another great thing happened, for the first time in over a year being here, I actually had an intellectual conversation with a Peruvian, which trust me, doesn’t come around very often. It was so refreshing to talk about something other than the rain or corn. Our converstaion ranged from beliefs, religion, marriage, politics, and our goals in life. It left me so optimistic and ready for more, but also wondering where to find more intellectuals in Peru!

And to top off everything else that happened, I’m glad to say that I’m a grand-bunny-mother five times over! That is to say that my bunnies finally made more bunnies (five) and actually my Mrs. Bunny is preggers again! So the saying “mating like rabbits” actually does make sense.

So there you have it folks, that was my wonderful week. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but you have to go on “small wins” in the Peace Corps, since at times, that’s all you get.

Feliz Dia de Accion de Gracias

Translation: Happy Thanksgiving!

I am celebrating this year in the Cordillera Blanca where the air is cold, the mountains have snow, and the restaurants are amazing! While I' m sad to go another year without turkey and stuffing, at least I get to have some good brews with some good friends.

I wish you all a very happy turkey day and hope you eat extra canned cranberries for me :-)

Countdown to the Land of Amazing (aka U.S.A.): 29 Days!

A Week in Paradise

There's nothing like a week in Hawaii with your family to rejuvinate yourself, and that's exactly what I did.

I took the big, giant leap across the pond to the U.S. of A. and joined my family on the North Shore of Oahu. I probably would never have taken this opportunity and instead given the normal excuses: no time, no money, no way. But somehow, being in the Peace Corps has taught me to enjoy life day to day, and I wanted to to do that on the beach in a swim suit with a margarita in hand.

First suprises being back in America: water fountains, everyone has an iphone (including my mother), paved roads and roomy cars, and Sarah Palin has a reality TV show.

First foods: Cheddar Cheese, Cheetos, and Starbucks

Favorite Activities with the fam: Snorkeling with nine turtles, watching the sunset while swimming in the ocean, luau at the cultural center, and paddle boarding for the first time.

So I'd like to give a big MAHALO to my family for giving me this opportunity to spend time with them. It's been a long year and a well deserved vacation, so thanks!

Before I even came to Hawaii, I was a bit worried that I wouldn't want to go back to Peru and instead go back to my old life in Oregon. But I actually do feel a tinge of anxiousness to get back to work, as there is plenty more work to be done.

Besides, those rice and potatoes aren't going to eat themselves...
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Here are a few photos from our trip to paradise:

Mari and I enjoying the lil fishies while snorkeling

Shrimp Shack Attack!

Sunset on the North Shore

Us enjoying the firey-Luau. Mahalo Mom and Dad!

Election Time

After the 2008 presidential election, I thought I would be free of political hoopla for at least four years…but unfortunately, not. Right now in Peru, we have entered into the regional and city-wide elections, which are a pretty big deal around here.

Politics are politics wherever you go, and Peru is no different. The elections are in October and May this coming year, so candidates are running full-force ahead with their speeches and campaigns full of promises for more jobs, less corruption, and more infrastructures (ie. Fountains).

One thing that is different about politics here is the way in which they vote. In states, you either go into a polling center or get mailed a ballot (like in Oregon ;-D) where you have a list of candidates that you get to choose from. Hopefully, you have done your homework on their views and beliefs and are not voting based on how good they look or what they promised to do in your town.

Here, however, everyone is required to vote. While I would wish that more people voted in the states, as it is our right, I’m glad that people who want to vote are at least educated on the issues or so you hope. Since everyone is required to vote, you run into a couple of problems. Mainly, literacy. Literacy or rather Illiteracy is a major problem, especially with older women. To deal with that problem, instead of a list of names, all people have to do is mark a picture. Therefore, each candidate has a picture attached to their name, such as, a tractor, a water droplet, a hat, etc. Normally their picture explains what their candidacy is about, such as agriculture, clean water, sun-protection? Right now, my host dad is painting houses all over the community in support of a candidate. The murals consist of the candidates name and their picture. This makes for a lot of colorful and interesting houses, as well as a good historical reference to past candidates.

Another problem related to this voting requirement and illiteracy is education. How well are the people informed? Many people are won over by promises of more work or more buildings. I heard one candidate was going to build a sports complex nearby complete with swimming pools. Another promises to give all the high schools laptops. Pardon my laughter, but what about improving health reducing child malnutrition, for one thing. Having new gyms and laptops are all fine and dandy, but dealing with basic needs is a higher priority, I believe. But then again, having less sick children isn’t as spectacular as a nice, new fountain in the plaza.

As Peace Corps volunteers, we are strongly prohibited from participating in political rallies and strongly suggested to stay away from any political party affiliations, as it’s not uncommon for a new political party to get rid of or not support people from other political parties. I’m not at all upset about this rule, as I don’t even want to go near politics here. But at the same time, it’s hard to just stand by and not state your opinion, something of which I never thought I would miss.

Voting took place last Sunday (so naturally I didn't go near Bambamarca). And as of right now, the winner has not been named because there is apparently a 10-vote difference. I won't even go into that right now...

Watching politics here in Peru, almost makes me miss the FOX/MSNBC debates…Almost….

Operation Gatito

Operation Gatito

There are three things people know about me here in Peru:
1. I’m white
2. I like to play Volleyball
3. I love cats. Cats love me. I am the cat whisperer.

Now you’d think with a country, like Peru, where Bob Barker’s advice to “spade and neuter” ones animals has not yet reached the masses, there would be a plethora of animals running wild…especially kittens.

But no.

Annie has yet to find a kitten of her own. But it’s not without trying.

I’m sure those of you who have been in contact with me know that there have been a few close calls, but no whiskers…

Attempt #1: My Aunt down in Bambamarca has this beautiful, orange, fluffy cat, which of course, had a few kittens. I used to go down and visit them when I first got to my site, so I thought now was my chance to finally get a kitten of my own. Being a bit timid, I politely asked “So, what are you going to do with the kittens?” and they said “Give them away”. Perfect, I thought. “Well then, would you mind giving me one?” “Sure!”

So from that conversation, I thought I would be getting a kitten very soon enough…but turns out the kittens got into some rat poison and died. No kittens for Annie.

Attempt #2: The old volunteer’s family had me over for rabbit (one that I helped kill) and I saw that they had a pregnant cat. This time I thought I would be a bit more bold with my questioning. “I see your cat is pregnant.” “Yes.” “I want one of your kittens.” “Okay.”

Now I thought that meant we were in agreement. I wanted a cat and they were going to give me one.  Everyone is in agreement. Right!? Wrong.

After a few weeks of being away, I go back to the house, and what did I find?! NOTHING! They had given all the kittens away already, even after I had reminded all the children at school about my future kitten. “How’s my kitten?” “What should I name it?” etc, etc, etc.

Attempt #3: Back to my Aunt’s house I go. I heard through the family grapevine that my Aunt had more kittens. Enough with the politeness crap, give me a damn kitten already!

So I go down to Bambamarca and run into my Aunt. After saying a brief hello, I jumped into questioning about the kittens. “So I hear you have kittens.” “Yes, we do.” “You are going to give me one.” “Okay, come to the house.” Finally, I thought, about damn time.

It just so happens that I couldn’t go to her house right away because I was on my way to a wedding. But the next day, after a good long rest, I stopped by her house. We need the nice formalities and as usual she gave me a seat to rest. I made small talk for a bit and then she stepped out the door.

I was getting a bit curious because I hadn’t heard or seen the kittens, so I go snooping around. She happened to have other guests at the time, so we struck up a conversation as I snatched the momma cat and started petting it. “You sure do like cats don’t you,” said the guests. “Yes, actually I want a kitten of my own.” “Oh, there were two kittens here just the other day, but they gave them away last night”. Last night?!?! LAST NIGHT!!! GAH!

I put down my plate of food, said my curt goodbyes, and got out of there. I just couldn’t believe it. What do people not understand when I say I want a kitten?! For goodness sakes.

So as you can see, it’s been a bit difficult for me to find a kitten, and now I’ve enlisted the help of my friends. My friend in Chota is doing house visits and she is now adding “Do you have a female cat? And if so, can I have a kitten? Preferably orange?” Enserio.

She wants me to bet who will find me a kitten quicker, her or me. My bet is on her.

Happy 1 year Anniverary!

Today marks my year year away from home living in another country. Looking forward to more adventures to come!

One down, One to go

First Day of Peace Corps: September 9th, 2009
First Day in Peru: September 11th, 2010
First Day as a volunteer: November 22nd, 2010
First Day in site: November 25th, 2010
Number of books read: 17 (Still working on 2…)
TV Show seasons watched: 20 (Wow…not sure if that is impressive or sad)
Record for number of people stuffed in the back of a truck (with me included): 16
Number of weddings attended: 2
Number of births witnessed: 1
Number of funeral processions: 2
Number of birthdays in Peru: 1 (Tumbes on the beach baby!)
Lost/Stolen possessions: 1 phone (fault of Peace Corps); Wallet including all of my credit cards (Totally my fault)
Places I've visited in Peru: Lima (3), Trujillo (With the rents), Piura (2), Junin/Pasco Jungle (Semana Santa), Pacasmayo, Chota (too many to count…)
Places I still want to visit in Peru: Macchu Picchu, Iquitos/Tarapoto, Ancash, Mancora, Ica
The strangest thing a Peruvian has said to me: Peruvians are better lovers (A guys reason for why Peruvians get pregnant so early…My reply? No, you just don’t know how to use protection) AND I want to cut your eyes out
The most common question I get: Te acostumbras? (Literally: Are you accustomed?)
Craziest health problem: My occasional morning sickness and athletes food that has migrated to my hands (yuk!)
Favorite Peruvian Food: Canchita (Toasted Corn/Popcorn), Cuy (Guinea Pig), Humitas and Tamales (Ground and cooked corn in a corn husk), Tortillas (egg mixed with flour and fried)
Least Favorite Peruvian Food: Mote (bland, cooked corn), Pig skin
New skills I have acquired: Not showering, Growing vegetables
Coolest thing I've learned: How to poop in a latrine
Most useful thing I brought from the states: Travel Pillow, long johns
Least useful thing I brought from the states: Ipod sterio/alarm clock (My phone works just fine)
Favorite thing bought in Peru: My real mattress (not foam, not straw, 100% delicious comfort), and my campo cardigan :-)
Favorite pastimes in site: Watering my garden and reading, playing volleyball
Person I talk to the most from the states: The 'rents
Person I talk to the most in Peru: Barbara (She's my "site" mate)
Person I talk to the most in site: My host mom, Adela
Favorite thing about site: Watching the stars at night and living off the land
Least favorite thing about site: Lack of internet, good phone service, reliable transportation
First thing you do in your capital: Cremeria…Ice Cream and yogurt! MMmmm
Projects started: 7
Projects still going on: 5
Number of Sessiones Demonstrativas given in the community: 7
Most beloved show on DVD: True Blood (Hands down.), Gossip Girl (a close second)
Favorite book read: Three Cups of Tea
Guilty Pleasure: A spoonful of Peanut Butter mixed with Nutella, Starbucks french-pressed coffee
Thing I miss most about the states: Good internet, Starbucks, grocery food shopping, convenience, open mindedness, hot water, indoor heating, cooking for myself, deep conversations, microbrews, dance parties…the list goes on…
Biggest language blunder: "Vamos a pelear el conejo" (We are going to fight the rabbit) What I meant to say was "pelar" (skin) the rabbit...
Strangest thing in the eyes of Peruvians: How I'm am 25 and am neither married nor a mother
Your Oh-My-God-I'm-About-To-Die moment: On our way to the german jungle, driving on the muddy roads and thinking we are going to fall off the cliff into the raging river awaiting below us...Even so much as having to get out of the car because they didn't want to throw the weight off (my butt was clenced the whole trip...)
Your Oh-My-God-I-Want-To-Die moment: That time I ate Ceviche from the Sierra. Big mistake. Big, big mistake.
The most important thing I've learned: I love America more than ever now and think it's the best country on earth! How no matter the living conditions, I can adjust to anything. Also, I've learned how to be a meaner, pushier person, which for me, is a good thing.
Bad habits accrued: Not showering, picking nose, throwing food on the ground, arriving late to meetings…uh, what else….
Most interesting thing I've done: Killed and eaten a rabbit….and liked it!
Greatest accomplishment: I've had the biggest impact to those closest around me: 1. My family now has a vegetable at every meal and a smoke free kitchen thank to their new cocina mejorada 2. My counterpart has started carrying a water bottle around, just like me :-)
Most regrettable moment: Not standing up enough for myself in the health post
Thing you like most about Peru: The generosity of the people even though they don't have much and the laughter and happiness of the people
Thing you like the least about Peru: They don't know much about the rest of the world
Favorite Song: "Brand New Day" Joshua Radin and "Tik Tok" Ke$ha
Favorite Movie(s): Twilight Series
New Obsession: Anything and everything related to vampires
Favorite celebration: Carnaval! Bring on the water balloons and paint...
What keeps you sane in site: My phone (even if it is useless most of the time), my limitless stack of TV seasons, my awesome bed

Scrapbooking with a Twist

It was back in 1997 on one fine christmas eve when my obsession started. Mr. and Mrs. Santa had given me my first camera and my first scrapbook to display all my photos in. Little did they know, this would spark a new obsessive, not to mention costly hobby.

There's something about taking the photos and getting them developed, then...going to find fun paper, stickers...then arranging them all on paper. Some may think it's a bit boring and meticulous, but it's this very craft that has allowed both my Type-A and creative side to match up to create one giant masterpiece that is called a scrapbook.

Now, we can all deduce there aren't many scrapbooking stores or Michael's Arts and Crafts lying around where I live, so scrapbooking would simply have to wait...or so I thought....

With the new digital age in the Peace Corps, volunteers no longer sit in their rooms by candle light and write letters home. Instead they are playing on their macs and making movies! While I don't have a mac (or at least yet), I decided one rainy afternoon that I should finally do something with all the videos I've taken while being in Peru. And the rest is history...

What I soon discovered was that movie making took the same amount of detail and creativity that scrapbooking required only less messy! What I love about videos is that they can tell so much more about a story than a photo can. And when I think about how I'm going to describe my time in Peru, I don't even know where to start...so at least the videos can help a little...

So far I've only made two, but I have many more ideas to go...If you would care to view my videos online, I've made a YouTube account (Search for AnnieBopannie85).

You know you are a campesina when...

1. You start choosing your pee pot over your latrine even when it's pure day light…

2. You think that taking a shower is over-rated…

3. You fight with your family over who gets the cuy head…

4. You haven't looked at yourself in a mirror bigger than your hand in over two month…

5. You spot a pile of wood in town and the first thing you think about is how to get it up to your mountain…

6. You have no qualms about throwing food from your plate to the ground during meal time…

7. A strange lady grabs your inner thigh in the back of the camioneta so as you don't fall off, and instead of   thinking it awkward, you smile and thank her…

8. Every other sentence ends in either "di" or "pues”…

9. Aji is your only saving grace for your plate of rice, noodles, and potatoes…

10. You sweep your dirt floor…

11. You are able to cut a steak with a spoon…

12. When you meet your friend's rabbit and you have stopped seeing it as a pet and stared seeing it as dinner...

13. When you order ribs at a restaurant, you have to consciously restrain yourself from picking up the ribs and gnawing at the leftovers…

14. You've ridden on every possible surface of a camioneta minus the hood of the car (at least not while moving)…

15. Your friend doesn't finish his dinner and as he turns his back, you hurry back and put his food in a bag to go…

16. You've actually drunk milk straight from the teet and liked it…

17. You think something is not right, when you don’t have to walk at least an hour a day

19. A mouse crawls across your floor and you just hope it doesn’t keep you awake during the night…

20. You've become the master of hayno by literally knocking your competition down to the floor (enserio)...

21. You find that your index finger unconsciously finds its own way to your nose no matter the time or place...

"Living Poor" in Peru

Having finally finished the television series The Wire (McNulty, you will be missed), I have turned to books once more. I was recently handed a book called “Living Poor” by Maritz Thomsen, about Maritz’s time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador back in the 60’s, right when Peace Corps was getting started.

Peace Corps was very different back then, or so I am told. For starters, they had language and program training in the U.S. They also were basically dropped off in their country and never heard from Peace Corps until their service was up. They also got to choose their sites back then, drive cars, and even buy property! Obviously, a lot of things have changed since then.

As with any institution, and especially a government institution, there is a lot of bureaucracy these days. We have had 10 weeks of training in country along with 3 separate workshops after training, not including monthly regional meetings and reports to fill out periodically. We also have cell phones, computers, and that lovely thing called the world-wide-web.

So yes, a lot of things have changed. But the surprising thing is that even if Peace corps itself has changed and obviously we are 50 years after Mr. Thomen’s service…a lot of things he wrote are still applicable even today.

When talking about my Peace Corps experience in general, there are a lot of things that I just can’t put into words, which is pretty much everything, but thankfully Maritz has hit a lot of those issues right on the button.

Here are some examples:

“After listening for hours to a language which is badly understood, the brain goes into a paralysis; it closes the doors and shuts up shop”

This was truer in the beginning of my service, but it still is valid today. It takes so much strength to continuously follow a 4 hour meeting that afterwards all you can do is drool and stare out the window. Your brain is fried.

“I began to walk around town trying to get acquainted. But what an effort of the will it was in those first days to open the door of that sweet familiar room and go down into the street. A month later, to leave my tight little world of books, letters, pots, and pans, and walk into the country still required the one conscious decision to do it, like deciding to jump from a twelve-foot board into icy water”

This pertains to the beginning, once you first arrive at your site. I remember those days when it took every ounce of strength and courage to leave my nice, warm, cozy bed and to go out into the world and make myself known. This was especially made harder by my lack of Spanish skills and a lack of direction of what I was supposed to be doing. I used to make goals like “Meet a new person each day” or “go to the plaza and read.” Simple tasks and goals were what kept me going in the early days.

“Peace Corps Volunteers enter their new country so well briefed by their doctors on the hazards of the local foods that their first meals are terror-stricken experiences, gastronomic tightrope performances balanced between starvation and revulsion”

While I haven’t had it as bad as some volunteers, this is still partially true. I remember distinctly the day in training when Dr. Jorge talked solely on diarrhea: the different types, how often you will have it, and even the chance that you might go in your pants. I try to pay attention to cooking hygiene and seeing if the food has been washed before hand, etc. But it’s kind of hard when the custom here is to NOT refuse food, even if you think it’s been prepared poorly. I’ve also learned the hard way to avoid street food, but then again, time and again, I have a craving for it anyway.

“I think anyone who has not lived the wholly public life of a foreigner in a small town, where every scratch and belch is noted with fascinated curiosity, cannot realize how essential it is to have a place of refuge where you can hide from time to time and reform yourself”

I used to feel guilty (and sometimes still do), when I spend a lot of time in my room. But the truth of the matter is I’m on display 24/7. My house is surrounded by the road and the walkway path behind it. So if I want to just go outside and read, I’m either going to be honked at or hear someone calling out “gringa” riding past or be interrupted every 5 minutes to saludar the passerby-ers. While I admit, some of the shiny-new-car-smell has faded away, but then again, I usually meet at least one person a day that asks me “where are you from”, “what are you doing here”, and yes,” are you going to marry a Peruvian.”

“Along with everyone else I had been under the spell of Washington Peace Corps propaganda, which reports on the experiences of Volunteers in their different jobs. They are all reports of success-how Volunteer W comes to the high, arid town of A and leaves it two years later with running water, a chlorination system, and communal showers; …As a volunteer, you are orientated toward this kind of success; you want it desperately, unashamedly. When you make a mess of a project, it shakes you to the roots. It makes you feel, in fact, like the highly unpublicized cased of Volunteer Z working in the mountain village of C. All his projects had gone to hell, and his girl had written him that she was getting married that week to friend Q. Volunteer Z lay on his bed without moving for three days and, when the old Indian selling ice cream stuck his head through the window and yelled “helados,” suddenly jumped out of bed, ran outside, and bit the overeager salesman. Of course, the truth is that some days running outside and biting someone is probably the only rational move left to the volunteer.”

Just so you all know I haven’t bitten anyone yet. Ha. This quote to me is very funny as it describes a little of the insanity that we go through on a day-to-day basis. When I first got here, I wanted to effect a real change in the community. I wanted to be like Volunteer W. But my service is practically half way over and I haven’t really gotten much to show for it yet. So like always, my goals have changed a bit. Now, all I want is to have a successful project, something to be proud of, and something to be remembered by. There are times when I think it is possible, but once again, it depends on the people in the community…if they are motivated, if they are cooperative, if they are responsible. In the end, it’s up to them to see that a project continues for years…and overall, I think that is the biggest dream of a volunteer.

“They work only to eat today. There is no refrigeration, no way to store or save again that tomorrow that never comes”

I think this is true, especially when it comes to saving money. Many people live off the land, and if they need money, they’ll sell a pig or sell some produce. If they do come upon some money, they usually spend it on frivolous things. I’m not saying I’m above this by any means, but when, for instance, your cement floors aren’t finished or you don’t have vegetables on the table, I think they shouldn’t be going out and buying an s/80 encyclopedia or s/90 face cream.

“I began getting furious letters from my friends and family asking what was wrong, why didn’t I keep in touch?...It wasn’t only that I couldn’t think of anything to say; writing a letter also involved finding the envelope, steaming it open, addressing it, stamping it, getting it into the mailbox. The whole thing was impossibly complicated.”

I liked this quote, not so much as I have received furious letters from family members, but that this is a good example of how such a simple task in the states is so complicated and tiresome here. Just take today, for example: watering the garden. I recently planted a garden that is probably about 20 meters from the nearest faucet. At first, I was going to bring buckets of water down the hill, but realized that this wasn’t going to work as the garden was much too big. So then, we borrowed a hose from a neighbor. Perfect, I thought. But, there was a catch. There was no way to connect the hose to the faucet, so somehow, you had to basically attach a string from the hose to the faucet and then tie a plastic bag over that, hoping that you’ve got a good seal. Then your next problem was seeing if there was even water that day. What I’m basically saying is that nothing is easy. And that I will never again take things for granted it the states.

“There is no single way to smash out and be freed [of poverty]. A man has to break out in a dozen places at once. Most important, perhaps, he should start breaking out before he is six years old, for by then a typical child of poverty in a tropical nation is probably crippled by protein starvation, his brain dulled and his insides eaten up by worms and amoebas. No, more brutally true; if he is a typical child, an average child, by six he is dead.”

This pretty much sums up my philosophy about nutrition and also the reason for why I’m here. I was always left disappointed in college when the biggest nutritional problem we face as a nation is obesity, meanwhile other people are simply struggling to survive on the food that they have. I’ve had a good long time to think about the problem of malnutrition, as it is very prevalent in my community. And what it comes down to…what everything in fact comes down to, is good nutrition. Those first 3 years are the most important of a person’s life as that is when the body and mind are developing. If a person does not receive good nutrition, they are left stunted, under-developed, and not reaching their full potential. Someone once joked that reason why Peruvians aren’t tall is because they were all malnourished as children. While I don’t believe that at all to be true, it does have a grain of truth in it.

“When you start bringing about change you often wonder what you’ve set in motion. I had been so anxious to get new money into the town, to get families earning more that I had scarcely thought about the new problems that new money might bring.”

I’ve thought about this a lot and have seen it first hand in my community and the surrounding communities. We often think that having more money is automatically going to bring about happiness and better health to the family, but as I stated before, when there is no such thing as money-management, things sometimes can get worse for the family. I’ve also been torn between the benefits and consequences of globalization. As more and more people gain more money, and hence, a larger view of the world, what normally is sacrificed is culture. How do you come to terms with that?

“As a peace corps volunteer we come to give of ourselves, but we are almost all a part of the Puritan ethic, and we make rules and set limits as to what we will give and on what terms, and what it is legitimate to ask of us. We want to be loved because we’re lovable, not because we’re rich gringos. But the people in the town don’t know the rules. “

While I’m not sure about what he means by the Puritan ethic, it is true about setting limits and what you are willing to give the people. When first coming to my community, I didn’t want the people to see me as Miss Moneybags, so I made it clear that I didn’t have any funds to give, but rather knowledge and information, while that is clearly not the case, as I make more money than most professionals and am able to receive grant funding. Now that I am entering into my second year, I’m more okay to giving of my own funds to certain projects because now the people see me for what I really have to offer and not just money.

“After years in Rio Verde it was like a fresh wind blowing through the mind to hear the names of books again”

While I’ve only been here a year, I still crave intellectual conversations with people as they are hard to come by. There isn’t a cultural norm of reading for fun or staying informed, as we would call it in the states, so it’s quite the find when you see a Peruvian reading a book…any book for that matter. However, I have been presently surprised by one of my neighbors that stays quite informed. He actually asked me my opinion about the oil spills in the gulf! Something I had just heard about a few days before him…increible!

My "Work" Week

A typical day of a Peace Corps volunteer is as hard to describe as it is to pin down a cloud (Freulein Maria anyone??) Therefore, this coming week I’m documenting my comings-and-goings to you all, so you might get an idea of what a typical work week looks like for me. Gone are the days of 9-to-5 and instead, anything goes…Usually I wake up and there is nothing to do (or so it seems)…and before I know it I’m being invited to a ladies house, going to a meeting that I just found out about, or playing basketball with some kids…Like I said, anything goes…

Monday: Having nothing set in stone to do, I took my sweet time getting out of bed this morning having finally emerged from my dungeon around 8:30 ready for some soup and cow milk for breakfast! Yum! Another reason to take my time is the fact that I have been “distancing” myself from my health post lately, do to personality clashes. But since my social told me I needed to find a list of mom’s, there was no choice. But first, I dabbled a bit on my computer and read a manual before finally heading to the health post. My socia Doli and I are starting house visits in a community, so we need a complete list of mom’s with kids under 3 years old and I needed to make a house visit survey.

So I took my 10 steps from my house to the health post, started my work day. Much to my surprise and delight, I was greeted by some of the nurses who both had stuff to discuss with me. I had a brief meeting with Sonia, the head nurse of health promotion, about possible projects in the future: Sessiones Demonstrativas (Nutrition Sessions) in San Juan, Early Stimulation classes, and possible garden project at the health post. Next up, was another meeting with Jessica, the nurse in charge of adolescent and women’s health. I’ve been trying to get this youth center up and going for a while, but nothing has been happening in the community, so I’ve let it be. But much to my amaze, Jessica said she wanted to meet with the committee formed and start a work plan! Hallelujah! Afterwards, I did some office work and typed up my list of mom’s and the survey.

Lunch came and went, and back to the health post I went to finish the survey. My nurse told me about a meeting at 3:00, so I tagged along to help coordinate the nutrition session we’re having. Having daylight to burn still, I started to get to work on making a fence for my garden. With the help of my host dad and mom, we dug the holes and put in tree branches. While digging, my mom screamed and backed away. I looked down and what did I find? A dog’s skull. Apparently, I’m making my garden on top of an old pet cemetery of my aunt. Still wanting to play in the dirt, I dug up dying onion plants in my almacigo in order to indirectly plant some other vegetable tomorrow. The onion had been there since March and still hadn’t been transplanted, so best to make room for another delicious vegetable…I’m thinking cabbage.

Tuesday: My morning got off with a jolt as I received a call from Doli during breakfast at 7:30 saying she was waiting for me in the plaza. This morning we were planning on doing house visits in one of our caserios, Tucopampa. But as it turns out, there happened to be a Juntos meeting at 8:00 in which all of our moms would be at…so I was basically going up to this community to sit around and not do house visits. Oh well. I got some good reading in and relaxed with the nurses. The one productive thing we got out of the meeting was that we grouped the mothers according to where they lived, so that we won’t have to go up and down searching for everyone. We re-scheduled house visits for next week, in which Doli wants to go visit all the houses…We’ll see how that one goes. Having been in Peru almost a year now, I now know that things take longer than they seem.

Having walked a lot in the morning and not able to drink my daily coffee, I decided to take a little nap. I cranked out two collages for upcoming friends’ birthday while watching movie and later helped my family put up the fence for my garden. My host dad says the plastic will only last three days, so this is definitely an experiment. I’m planning on using my youth group to help me plant tomorrow…nothing like child labor to help things along…

Lights went out at night. This happens from time to time, but no matter, it’s still a big inconvenience always. My host mom didn’t have a flash light while cooking, so I lent her one of mine. What is a person to do past sun down when there is no light? My town has had light for 7 years, but before that…I can only imagine. Thank goodness though; I had enough battery in my lap top to watch one more episode of The Wire…

Wednesday: When I woke up this morning, I had every intention of going to my primary school this morning to talk about my Kids-to-Kids grant project and others (tree nursery, English classes, youth center…), but like life, things happen. Today happened to be a national earthquake drill, which I didn’t think was a big idea, but my nurse said it pretty much takes all day, so there was no point of going to the school. Huh. How do you figure that one out? Anyway, so I went back to my room and since it was so early, thought why not just polish off one more episode of The Wire. After that, I sat down on my bed and wrote out my Kids-to-Kids grant proposal in Spanish, so that I can present it to the school and school district, as well as a timeline of activities. The plan is to start in September, but I’m still waiting on the money.

Today is Wednesday, and every Wednesday I have my youth group from 3-5. My youth group has 8 members, but the main members are: My brother, Kalin, and Elly, my next door neighbor. The rest of the kids, we usually have to go door-to-door to round them up. Today though, no one was able to come, so it was just us three. I decided to have them help me with my garden. We made rows, watered the soil (which is a chore in itself…), and planted the following: zucchini, beets, radishes, swiss chard, spinach, rosemary, carrots, cilantro, and broccoli. Phew. And more is on its way in the almacigo: lettuce, cabbage or cauliflower (couldn’t tell the difference between the seeds), and basil. This whole garden is an experiment since I’ve never really grown anything in my life, but I figure I might as well try since I am the one promoting gardens around here.

Again, the lights went out. This time at 6:30. One night was fine, but two?! I had to dig around the dark looking for my head lamp, and read for a while before being called to another dinner in darkness. The lights came on again and then off again for a while. But for right now, they are back on. And with that, the blaring sounds of the hayno on the radio in the other room.

Thursday: I got to sleep in a little bit this morning (8:30ish), since I had nothing pressing. But soon enough my day was about to change, as right after breakfast started to feel nauseous and actually ended up throwing up my recently devoured breakfast of oatmeal, bread, and egg. This isn’t a typical thing for me, so called the Peace Corps doctor. The doctors, while great as they are, really can’t do much to help us except prescribe medicine. Since I have been having on and off again issues with diarrhea as well (nothing out of the ordinary though) they suggested I take Cipro, the miracle tonic for any-and-all intestinal problems in the Peace Corps. I’ve only had to take once before, but it couldn’t hurt. Since I wasn’t feeling good in the morning and the health post was closed, I decided to relax and read in the morning. Hopefully in three days, I’ll be as good as new or at least in mint-condition.

The afternoon was a little bit more eventful. My mom left early to go cook lunch at a neighbor’s house, so my host brother and I went to find her. What I thought was just going to be lunch turned out to be a full-blown campo wedding. This was my first legit campo wedding, so was interesting to watch, and yet, the one-track traditional wedding song that was repeated over-and-over again was starting to get on my nerves. We all sat outside, since there wasn’t enough room in the house and merely watched the procession, as we couldn’t hear anything. What is different about a Peruvian wedding, at least where I am, is that the whole town is invited, so the couple’s family has to feed everyone; the reason of why my mom went down earlier. They ended up cooking an entire bull, 3 huge sacks of rice, and 20 buckets of potatoes. My host mom said they cooked for almost 400 people! I’m just thankful we have guest lists in the states. After about three hours of sitting in the blazing sun, we were served our food, and soon after everyone left. The party is continuing tonight with a “banda tipica” (local band) to the wee-morning (or so they say), but I’m going to have to sit this one out.

Oh, and the lights went out…again. That’s starting to really get on my nerves now…

Friday: GDHDEV! (¡Gracias a Dios hoy día es Viernes!) Today’s agenda consists of going to my school finally and coordinating a whole laundry-list of activities. First off, my Kids-to-Kids grant. I wrote up the proposal in Spanish and also made a schedule of activities in order to give to the school. After talking, we discussed meeting the following Monday with all the professors. Next up, tree nursery. For the past several months, we’ve been trying to finish a tree nursery project from the last volunteer by planting the trees. Last I left, we had asked a local NGO to give us wire to protect the plants. Honestly, I didn’t have much hope as this NGO doesn’t work in our town. But much to my surprise and amazement, we actually got what we asked for! This, ladies and gentlemen, is a first! We are going to coordinate the planting with the high school on Monday. After that was CAID, the youth center we are trying to get started. Jessica, the nurse in charge, told me to set up a meeting. So once again, Monday we are going to find the committee together and spread the word about an upcoming planning session. And last, but not least, the community library, I’m trying to get started. We have a location in the plaza, but lack much needed organization and interest from the community. I’m hoping by the end of my service, we will finally have one. All and all, my meeting with the director was very productive, and now I have a whole lot to do on Monday.

I went from one school to the next, as I continued on the road down to another primary school in Capuli, about 30 minutes away. I’ve been working there for a few months giving health charlas to the kids. I needed to coordinate my next charla and also my world map project I’m about to start. I got there in what I thought was enough time to spare before school let out, but the director left early. No matter, I talked to the still remaining teachers and scheduled the talks for the beginning of September.

After that brief stop-over, I continued on my walk down to Bambamarca, where the glorious world-wide-web awaited me. When I first got to site, I checked my email probably three times a week, but now it’s down to one time…if I’m lucky. I look forward to checking my email because I’m almost guaranteed a full inbox and it’s a small glimpse back into the land of amazing. I got to Bamba right during lunch time, so I thought I would have my pick of computers. Instead, my favorite cabina was closed, which was weird as they are never closed. So chose another one nearby, and came to find out that the internet was down today. Of course it is…To cure my bad luck, I decided to do some retail therapy and finally buy a cardigan I’ve been eyeing for some time.

My day winded down as I finished another book and started a new one. I also decided to make a carrot cake. Two in fact. One for the fam and another for my friend’s birthday coming up. This was officially my third attempt at making a cake, but this time I had the advantage of having an actual oven. Before we tried using our cocina mejorada, which needless to say, didn’t turn out too well as we ended up eating the cake mix uncooked both times. But this time, the cake turned out beautifully and delicious, I might add.

Oh, and I found out that the reason why the lights have been going on and off lately is because of a fire started in Bambamarca. Now I can rest easy...

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And that lady's and gent's is a typical and yet non-typical week. As from the look of things, nothing is ever typical in the Peace Corps.

The Art of Small Talk

Repetition is a part of my life here. I eat the same food day in and day out. I walk the same path to the school every day. Better yet, even my conversations are even set on repeat. Most the time I don’t mind these mundane conversations as I have them pretty well rehearsed and therefore, seem better acostumbrar-ed by the locals. Now, I’m sure you are thinking “I can chit chat with a Peruvian, no problem!” But before you start flapping your lips, there are a few things to know first. Read these 7 easy rules and you’ll be on your way to mastering the art of small talk in Peru in no time.

Rule #1: Greet every person you come across, even if you don’t know them

While this can be quite the task someday, for the most part, I enjoy it as it brightens my mood every time. Now if you are lazy, like I get some times, you can shorten the normal “Buenos Dias” to just “Buenos”. This works for both “Buenas Tardes” and “Buenas Noches.” With that said, a normal 15 minute walk might take up to 30 minutes. So if you are in a rush to get to a meeting on time, don’t be, as we all know this is Peru and meetings never start on time anyway.

Rule #2: We are family!

When approached by an elderly person, it’s best to refer to them as “Tia” and “Tio,” which is aunt and uncle, respectively. When I first arrived here, I was astonished at how big my family was as every person right and left was my aunt and uncle. Then my oh-so-smart -12-year-old brother enlightened me. In Peru, referring to someone as aunt or uncle is a term of endearment usually reserved for the elderly.

Rule #3: Do the campo-pat

The normal greeting in Peru and other Latin American countries is the kiss-on-the-cheek greeting. In the sierra though, this is not always the case. Many a times, I have gone in for the cheek kiss when the person obviously is pulling back, so then you are left with just an awkward pat on the shoulder way…way…too close (Quite the rookie mistake). It’s best to gauge the situation by first going in for the campo pat, which is just a slap on the back or on the shoulder, sometimes even a squeeze of an arm. Once you are in, you can view the reaction of the recipient to see whether a kiss is warranted or not. But if ever in doubt, just do the campo-pat.

Rule #4: State the obvious

When I say state the obvious, I mean state the obvious. Example: You meet a man walking up the hill as you are going down and you say “walking up?” to which she replies “Yes, you walking down?” “Yes.” Done and done. This can be applied to any and all action verbs with some of the more common ones being: walking up, walking down, resting, working, knitting, drinking, celebrating, eating, milking cows, and passing by.

Rule #5: Use jerga

In order to sound like a true local, you’ve got to throw in some jargon (jerga) every now and then. The favorite around my neck of the woods is “pues,” which is directly translates to “well,” but is basically a filler word used after every other sentence. Example: Someone asks you for aji with your rice and potatoes, you reply “Si pues!”

Rule #6: Weather

While bringing up the weather in the states may seem like the bottom of the barrel when it comes to conversation topics, but here in Peru, its number one on people’s list. Whether you are trying to stay dry in the sierra or seeking refuge in the heat of the coast, weather is always a great topic of conversation. Sometimes this goes hand in hand with rule #4, as it is sometimes the most obvious statement. Example: Talking with an old man in the plaza “It’s been raining a lot” “Yes, a lot of rain” “Yes, and a lot of mud” “Yes, lots of mud.”

Rule #7: Don’t forget to say goodbye

Even if you will never see this person again, it’s best to close the conversation with a “see you soon” (“nos vemos”) or “see you tomorrow” (“hasta mañana”). Chances are yes, you won’t ever see this person, but why smash the hopes of your new friend? If warranted, you may also close the conversation with another campo pat, just for good measure.

Now let’s put it all together… Here’s an example conversation with a local Peruvian (directly translated):

Old Lady: Good Morning
Me: Good Aunt. How are you?
Old Lady: Just here.
Me: You going up?
Old Lady: Yes. You going down?
Me: Yes.
Old Lady: That’s good. That’s good.
Me: Yes, it’s good.
Old Lady: Lots of rain, no?
Me: Yes, lots of rain. Very cold.
Old Lady: Yes, very cold.

(Silence)

Old Lady: See you soon.
Me: Yes, see you soon.


So there you have it folks! You’re very own guide to chit chatting it up with the locals in Peru. If you are hesitant at all or forget one of the rules, don’t sweat it. Never underestimate the power of a smile. Use this guide the next time you are passing through the market or waiting for your bus. With this guide, the locals will think you’ve acostumbrar-ed in no time!

Te invito...

You’ve all heard of this line in a popular children’s story “You give a mouse a cookie, he’ll want a glass of milk.” Well I’m here to tell you the Peruvian version…”You give a mouse a cookie, he’ll give half of it back to you only after he has asked you to sit down and rest for a while.”

The culture in Peru, something I learned very early on, is one of generosity. This particular custom of sharing whatever you have is called “invitar-ing” in Spanish, which sounds a lot like inviting someone to something, which actually isn’t too far off its true translation. If you want to share your food with someone, you simply say “te/le invito.” I have never felt so put at ease with these people, especially since they don’t have much to offer. But the little they do, they make sure to give to you. I’ve been given the following: bread, oranges, bananas, eggs, fruit juice, and even babies (Tempting, but no…). Not to mention the umpteenth times that I have been offered a free lunch, even if I’ve already eaten. What’s great about Peru is I don’t have to worry about going hungry, even if I’m some place where I don’t know anyone, I’m still guaranteed a good, hot meal.

This little custom though, while good on the receiving end, can be a bitch on the opposite end. For instance, I might have 1 orange for a snack, but if I’m surrounded by 4 other people, it’s assumed that I have to share the orange with everyone…meaning there’s not much left for me. I don’t consider myself a very stingy person per se, but the Peruvians sure make me feel like one when I don’t want to share my 1 orange with the 4 people sitting with me.

To avoid these orange-less-type situations, I do a number of things. One, make sure to buy more of something than I think I want in the instance that I find other people eyeing my food. And two, simply don’t show anyone my food and eat it in solitude later. While I’d like to say that I do more of the former, many times I choose the latter as I simply want my orange all to myself. Call me selfish, but that’s my life.

So the next time you all see me, either here in Peru or back in the states, and you see that I have some food, don’t be afraid to “invitar” yourself, unless of course I’m behind some wall ravishing my one piece of fruit…don’t even bother.

The World is Flat, no?!

Peace Corps gives you lots of time to think. While I prefer to be busy, there are those days when I’m waiting for a meeting to start or waiting for the combi to leave…so basically, I do a lot of waiting. And while I’m waiting I think about what’s for lunch (rice and papas again!?), what’s on my ever-growing to-do list, and most recently how globalization is infiltrating Peru.

I recently started reading a book called “The World is Flat” by Thomas Friedman, a Christmas gift given by my dad back in 2007. Obviously, it’s 2010 now, so it’s taken me a while to get to it, but I’m glad I waited because now I get to see these changes that Friedman talks about firsthand.

For instance, I live in a village of about 4,000 people and while I live in a house made of mud and straw and USED to have a dirt floor, I still have electricity, occasionally water (cold, not hot), access to the internet (slow, but still functioning) and cell phone service most of the time (a love-hate relationship really). When talking to the older folks in town, they tell me that things were different back then. Not in the sense that they had to walk barefoot 20 miles in the snow uphill (they still do that, just no snow), but that until 7 years ago they didn’t have light, and up to 3 years ago they didn’t have cell phone service or internet. And back before there were cars, people had to walk to Bambamarca and even to the coast (a good week journey) to bring back supplies.

Now, I don’t have to walk to Bamba if I don’t want to, but instead catch one of the various camionetas that go up and down my mountain all day long. While I could be waiting up to 2 hours for one to appear, I still have the option of saving my legs and waiting for one rather than walk down. I constantly see older women dressed in their traditional skirts, cardigans, and straw hats carrying their babies on their back while talking on their cell phone or kids at school asking me if I could sing “My Heart Will Go On” for them or ask me if I know Michael Jackson. And none of this would be possible without globalization having open doors and technology, so that my little village high up in the mountains could watch the World Cup on their TVs.

It’s a weird mix though, this “old world meets new world” business. While I think globalization has its perks, as it brings the internet, something that every child should have access to. It also has its downsides. What happens to this new generation that is growing up with internet and viewing the western world through their TVs? What happens to their culture? When kids have more access to the world around them, does that mean that they lose their culture? And is it possible to keep both; receive more education through the internet while keeping traditional values? At this point, I’m really not sure, but it’s something to ponder in my downtime.

Why going all philosophical you ask? Well most recently, a number of incidents have occurred so that currently I have no phone. And no phone means no access to the outside world. No access to the outside world means Annie has more alone time to think.

This no phone situation has also made me ponder what it would be like to be in the Peace Corps back in the early 60’s and 70’s. Back when you were really were cut off with the outside world and living among the natives. I’ve heard stories of people back then in Peru when they were literally dropped off in their village and left to do whatever they wanted for the next two years. Things have changed a lot since then, as we are now required to turn in reports, receive visits from Peace Corps personnel, attend week-long meetings every couple months, and are not allowed to drive along with a whole list of things we aren’t allowed to do.

So the question is then, would I survive back then in the Peace Corps? I think I could, but it would definitely be a different experience than I’m having now. I enjoy my creature comforts. I enjoy talking to my “site mate” at least 5 times a day, and I enjoy catching up on things happening in the U.S. online (Orlando Bloom is getting hitched!), and I enjoy that I can call my family and friends through Skype, even though their voices may sound like robots.

So I guess the moral of this blog is this: Peace Corps, if you are reading this, please give me my new phone ASAP!!!!

Camp A.L.M.A.

To those of you who know how I love to play games, wear pigtails, and watch Disney movies, it’s no surprise then that I’m a Youth Development volunteer trapped in a Community Health volunteer’s body. One of my life goals is to be a camp counselor (seriously…) and my dream came to fruition a couple of weekends ago at camp A.L.M.A. A.L.M.A. stands for Actividades de Liderazgo para Mujeres Adolescentes, which is Leadership Activities for Adolescent Women. ALMA also stands for soul, and there was a lot of it that weekend.

Camp A.L.M.A., which for girls, is put on by volunteers in each department every year, while later on in the year we have a camp for boys, Camp VALOR. It’s a three-day event in which each volunteer brings two girls from their community to Cajamarca City. It’s a great opportunity for volunteers from around the department to work together, while also giving something back to our communities.

I had picked out two girls early on. One of which was in my summer school English class, and another, who is my next door neighbor, and probably my best friend in my town (granted, she’s 13, but hey, the pickings are slim). I had everything planned out a couple weeks in advance, as in I had made official documents for the schools and the parents, and good thing too, because I ran into a few roadblocks. For one, one of my girls parents wasn’t too keen on letting her girl go because she thought it was religious affiliated (We were staying at a convent). I insisted that it wasn’t, but in the end, the girl wasn’t able to go anyway due to her grandma being sick, so I choice another girl instead. The other problem involved my other girl’s school headmistress, a nun. Now I’m not familiar with Catholic schools, as I went to a public school all my life, but I have seen Blues Brothers…and I’m not kidding, I was a bit afraid of this nun.

So this is how it goes. I go to her office to give her the official document excusing my girl from one day of class. The other director had no problem with it. In fact, it was almost like he didn’t care. While this school director, carefully read the document, and after pondering a few moments, invited me into her office for a sit-down meeting. I timidly go into her office, not expecting any problems, and wishing I was wearing something more professional than my week old jeans and my baseball hat, my go-to solution when I haven’t taken a shower in a few days. The nun immediately started grilling me on why I’m here, and why I want to take this girl form class. I explained calmly my role as a Peace Corps volunteer, that I know this family personally, in fact I have spent both Christmas and New Years with them, and that this camp is a great opportunity for her, while meanwhile in the back of my mind, I’m expecting her to pull out her ruler and smack me.

Luckily there was no ruler, but the director was not pleased with my answers and wanted me to bring back one of her parents the next day. So back we go the next day, this time with the foresight to wear something more professional (and freshly bathed) while being accompanied by my girl’s mother. The nun asks the same questions to her mother as she did to me, and the mom responds with the same answers. Having heard it from a Peruvian’s mouth, and not a strange white girl’s mouth, the nun finally agreed. So off I go to make a copy of this official invitation, meanwhile nun is telling the girl’s mom what she originally thought I was there for…to steal her child! I heard all of this afterwards, but I couldn’t believe it! This nun actually thought I was going to kidnap this child, so that was the real reason she wanted me to bring her parent. Haha. I’m glad she was more concerned with the other director. The other director could hardly care at all that I was taken one of his students away. But still…

So after all that drama, my two girls and I finally made it to Cajamarca, specifically we were staying in Los Baños del Inca. These baths were apparently used by the ancient Incans and it’s the only hot water in the city. I originally had thought that this was just a tourist attraction, but turns out it’s a whole other city. And not only are their hot showers and baths, but swimming pools complete with the first water slide I have seen in Peru! You have no idea how happy this made me feel. While I’ve heard people who’ve swam in the pools have gotten skin and eye infections, I feel it’s worth the risk as it’s been a full 9 months since I’ve been in a lap swimming pool. Another fun thing we discovered about this hidden gem of a city is this store that sells a lot of American food. And I’m talking about tortillas, salsa, Cranberry juice, Diet coke, Nutella, snickers! It was unbelievable, and makes a S/5 cab ride completely worth it just for this store alone.

The weekend was packed full of activities. First, the girls were divided into five different teams, each with their own team leader. Girls are awarded points throughout the weekend based on if they are on-time to activities, if their beds are made, and if they had their eggs with them. Each girl was given an egg to decorate, name, and take care of for the entire weekend. It was something to teach them responsibility and also, why it’s good NOT to have a baby when you are too young. Throughout the weekend the girls learned about nutrition, sexual health, creativity, and public speaking. They also learned team work in the form of low ropes course activities aka my old job at the Challenge Course. We had a few stations of different activities, mine being pipeline. The kids had a lot of fun, and it was great being a facilitator again. In the evenings we had craft and movie time, along with a bonfire in which we roasted S’mores or as we say in Spanish S’mas. (Get it?!) We finished the weekend with a talent show and awards, and the girls went back to their communities.

All and all it was a great experience and it made me appreciate my childhood even more, as I have realized that I have been given many opportunities growing up to go on trips, overnight camps, and seminars. Meanwhile kids here don’t get many opportunities like that, so it is great to share that with them. I’m looking forward to the next camp, as it is my time to slip back into my pose as a youth volunteer.

But shhhhh don’t tell anyone…

Chevere Error

I´ve heard from a couple people that my link to the newsletter doesn´t work (go figure...). So, to remedy this fact, if you would like to read it, just send me an email and I will get it to you as soon as I can.

Other than that, things are going good in site. Starting my english classes while some interesting developments have happened in the form of a possible youth center in my community as well as starting a nutrition program in my primary school. Meanwhile, my community is getting ready for our town festival at the end of June. There´s apparently going to be 4 bandas tipicas (aka Hayno), food 24 hours in the plaza (which means a cuy massacre coming...), a parade (my youth group gets to march!), and a running of the bulls (eventhough we don´t have a stadium...this should be interesting).

Emails and letters are always welcome! :-) Hope everyone is doing well!