la vida peruana

biblioteca

2010-10-16T13:37:00.010-04:00

After months of fundraising planning, building, and preparing, our community library is finally done! With cemented floors and walls and a nice paint job, the community members are very impressed with how it looks and anxiously waiting till it opens. It has been a great experience to see nothing there five months ago to now having literally the nicest building in our village. We have requested books from a program called PromoLibro, which is part of Peru’s Ministry of Education. Part of the budget that I had from kind donations also allowed me to purchase additional books for the library. A few weeks ago we had a community meeting and invited the local mayor. The library committee and I informed the community members and leaders about the advances with the project. Then, the mayor agreed to support our project by paying a small tip to the person who will be working in the library. Our next steps are stocking the library and cataloging all of the books, training the community member how to work in the library, and getting word out about the library.

falta un mesito

2010-10-16T13:37:00.007-04:00

It is really had to believe that I only have about a month left in Peru. After spending 27 months here, I have mixed feelings about going home. I am really excited about coming back to my friends and family, but it is going to be hard to say goodbye to my friends and family here. This experience has definitely come with its ups and downs. But overall, it has been and very rewarding two years. I know that my life will never be like it is now. I will never be living among rice fields and thousands of mango trees and passion fruit vines. I will never again be bathing in the river, carrying 20 liters of water on my head every morning, and using the bathroom in a hole in the ground or a bucket in my room. I will never again be so integrated into another culture and family so different from my own. I will always have the memory of my 27 months in the Peru, but it won’t be the same. I am doing everything I can to appreciate every single day that I have left.

peregrinos a ayabaca

2010-10-16T13:36:00.003-04:00

For the second year, I got the unique opportunity to experience a pilgrimage of devout followers of the Saint Señor Cautivo de los Milagros de Ayabaca. Señor Cautivo is own of Peru’s important Saints. Every October, pilgrims walk to the town, Ayabaca, where Señor Cautivo is the patron saint to touch the feet of a large statue of the saint. I watched thousands of people pass through my town on their way to the mountain town Ayabaca, about a two-day walk from Pampa Elera. People come from all over Peru. Some people come all the way from the southern departments such as Ica and Lima (I even heard there was a pilgrim from Chile this year). Some had been walking for over a month when they arrived to my town. It was a remarkable and even spirtual experience, to just observe so many people devoted to a saint that they would walk for days, weeks, or months to go to this town in the mountains of Northern Peru. The trek is not an easy one, as the pilgrims carry their belongings, navigate unmarked trails, climb over mountains, and some even carry large crosses or statues of the saint. This year I saw children as young as one years old to 60 or 70 year olds making the religious journey.

día de la educación física

2010-10-16T13:35:00.002-04:00

Last week was World Physical Education Day. Every year the primary school celebrates this day by holding a “field-day” event. Because the teachers and students are so used to seeing me running in the morning areound the community, they asked me to help out with the event for the second year. I was in charge of the “Maratón,” where the kids ran about three kilometers. I walked down the road with about 30 elementary school students and got them ready for the race. Then we started our “marathon.” It was fun to run through the town with all of the kids and have community members cheer us on. After the race, kids also participated in a ball-throw contest, long-jump, and sprints.

progreso con la biblioteca

2010-09-07T18:50:00.001-04:00

We have finally finished construction of our community library. We are getting final details together to move forward. Peru’s Ministry of Education has a program called PromoLibro that donates books to developing communities who have a library. So, in addition to buying books, my committee and I are working on an application to solicit a donation from the Ministry of Education. This process has been long and I have faced many unexpected challenges. But I have been enjoying the managing this project and it is exciting to see it finally coming together. The community members are starting to get more and more interested in the library and the opportunities it will bring.

cos

2010-09-07T18:29:00.002-04:00

This week I am in Lima for my Close of Service Conference. My group and I have been in Peru for almost two years and we have only 3 months left. We all came to Lima for a conference to prepare for our last three months in site as well as readjustment back to the US. It was nice to see all of the volunteers again and hear about everyone’s experience. We all have lived in rural communities for almost two years and in some ways have had similar experiences and in other ways very distinct experiences. Our group started off with 48 people and 38 of us are finishing are finishing our two years of service. It was a bittersweet ceremony with mixed feelings about being excited to go home and distressed to leave our communities. At the end of the week, I’ll be heading back to my town and I’m anxious and excited to finish my projects and my Peace Corps experience.

chile

2010-08-14T22:46:00.001-04:00

I have just arrived back to Piura after a trip with Dave to Chile. This is Dave’s fifth and final visit down to South America to see me. We had a wonderful time together, as usual. We got to see some cool parts of Chile, including the city of Santiago, the coast, and the mountains. We started out in Santiago, which is a very cool city, unlike any other Latin American city I’ve visited. We then traveled to Valparaiso, a city on the coast. We really liked Valparaiso, it had a young artsy feel to it. After Valparaiso, we traveled down to Cajón de Maipo, where we stayed in a little cabin. In the canyon, we went on several beautiful hikes and explored the area. It was a great trip, unfortunately the last trip I’ll be taking in South America before I come home. I feel so lucky that I’ve had the opportunity to visit so many amazing places on this continent while living in Peru.

mi aijiada

2010-08-14T22:44:00.000-04:00

In rural Peru every family has a ceremony for newborn babies called “echar agua.” The baby has a madrina and padrino for the cermeony I was asked to be the madrina of my host cousin, Erica’s, new baby, Ariana Thais. I participated in the ceremony with the whole family. As the madrina, I was expected to dance and eat the most. The dancing was not a problem for me, the eating, on the other hand… They killed two chickens for the evening, which is a pretty big deal here. Because I was being honored as the madrina, I was served the BIGGEST plate of fresh chicken and rice and noodles and potatoes (balanced, right?). I broke my vegetarianism for a day to show respect for my new aijiada and family.

fiestas patrias

2010-08-14T22:12:00.001-04:00

July 25 is Independence Day for Peru, or “Fiestas Patrias”. After spending my second Fiestas Patrias in Peru, I would say that it is a bigger deal than our July 4. Everyone wears Peru’s patriotic colors of red and white, there are parades all over the country, and school shuts down for over two weeks. My town, although small, shows abundant pride during this holiday. On July 25, all of the school children, town leaders, members of sports teams and clubs marched for Fiestas Patrias. Marches and parades here are nothing like parades in the US. It is a very serious affair, no smiling or waving; actually quite the contrary. Starting with 5 year old preschoolers to the oldest members of the community, everyone marches in a militaristic manner with straight arms and legs. They practice for weeks to perfect this art of marching. They take the parades very seriously and all of the parents came to me to take pictures of their kids. Here are some of the many pictures I took for Fiestas Patrias.

paseo en piura con mayra y gloria

2010-07-11T09:05:00.001-04:00

Once or twice a month, I travel 4 hours to Piura, my capital city, to take a break from my site, take a shower, use the internet, grocery shop, and eat at my favorite vegetarian restaurant. Few people from my town have been to the city. It is relatively expensive to get there ($5) and city life does not seem to appeal to most of the older people. They say that there are too many cars, crime, and people in the city. They prefer the “tranquilo” lifestyle of the campo. I agree with them for the most part, I prefer being in my beautiful site where I know everyone. But, for me, it is nice to have running water and other amenities that I’m accustomed to every once in a while. Also, coming to the city means communicate with and accessing the outside world via internet. Not to mention, how would I update you all on la vida peruana blog if it weren’t for my visits to the city?

The two little seven year old girls in my host family, Mayra Tatiana and Gloria Marina always seem very curious when I leave home for the city. For months, I have been promising that we’ll take a trip together to the city. So, right now, as I type, little Mayra and Gloria are here amazed by the internet. We are staying at the hostal where I always stay, and I’m sure if any of you saw this place you would be less than amazed. But, Gloria and Mayra feel like they are in a luxurious palace. They are calling it “el castillo” (the castle). In the first place, this is literally the first time that they have ever walked up a flight of stairs. I had to hold their hands as we walked up to the fourth floor of the hostal. Taking a shower (and seeing running water!) was quite an experience as well. When we brushed our teeth the first night they asked me where to spit their toothpaste because they are used to spitting on the ground. They were surprised that they were allowed to spit in the sink! I took them to a pool, the movie theater, the mall, and different parks. We all have had a great time together and I am hoping that this will remind them that there is a world outside of our little village and maybe one day they will want to come here to study.

bibiloteca

2010-07-11T08:54:00.001-04:00

One of the big projects I have been working on down here is constructing a community library and implementing a literacy program for the children and youth of the community. I had no idea what I was getting into when I decided to start this project. I am essentially the general contractor of construction of a building. This would be hard for me as it is; and I’m doing this in another culture and language. We have finally started construction of the building after many months of planning and fundraising. I will continue to post updates about the progress of this project.

I would like to especially thank Elaine, Katherine, Caroline Knight and their family and friends who made a large donation to the library in honor of their husband and father Dr. Jim Knight. Jim was a wonderful man committed to humanitarian work in the developing world. I feel honored to be doing the work in the library in Jim’s name.

ancash

2010-07-11T08:36:00.001-04:00

Huaraz is definitely on of the most beautiful places in Peru. In the middle of the snow-capped Andes mountains, the town and surrounding areas is an interesting combination of pre-Spanish conquest and western culture. There are a lot of tourists there for the treking and outdoor activies in the Cordillera Blanca and Huascaran National Park. The indigenous people there walk around in their traditional garb and speak Quechua, the pre-Spanish indigenous language.
Mollie and I had a great time touring around the city and going on hikes in the National Park. The area is covered in amazing glacial lakes and snow capped mountains. We hiked to altitudes above 15,000 feet (and definitely felt the effects!) and were astonished by the spectacular views.
I’m so happy that Mollie had the opportunity to come down and see me down here. It is always so nice to have someone from home see my life in my new (temporary) home. We had a great time together and I’m glad I’ll get to see her again in Charlottesville in a little over 4 months!

visita de mollie

2010-07-11T08:34:00.000-04:00

At the end of June, my good friend Mollie from Charlottesville visited me in Peru. She came into Piura, the capital city and we toured around the city for the day. Then, we went off to my site for a few days. It was so nice to have her experience the ups and downs of living in Pampa Elera. She understood that even though it all is certainly not glamorous (the pigs, the dirt floor, the “latrine”, etc), I am having an experience of a lifetime down here. After meeting my friends and family down here, we travel about 24 hours to Huaraz, Ancash.

fin de construcción de las cocinas

2010-07-11T08:18:00.000-04:00

After a lot of unexpected obstacles and stress, the community and I have FINALLY finished constructing 51 stoves in the community! It is so rewarding to see 51 little chimneys popped out of houses around the community. When I walk down the street people call out to me asking me when more stoves will arive to the community (hopefully my replacement volunteer can also do a project). But the mothers who do have the stoves are very appreciative and excited about all of the benefits of their new stoves. It is nice to have this load lifted off my back to have this project semi-completed. Now, I am just working on monitoring and evaluation of the project. I am continuing to visit the 51 families with my health promoters to ensure that they are still practicing healthy habits and using their stoves correctly.

valor

2010-07-11T08:17:00.000-04:00

The Peace Corps volunteers of Piura organize leadership camps for youth two times a year. In February, we organized a camp for adolescent women and in June we organized a camp for adoloscent men. The three day camp aims to strengthen leadership abilities, community awareness in the youth to prevent machismo, alcoholism, domestic abuse, etc, as well as explore options for the future after high school. Each volunteer brings young leaders from his or her community so that they can meet other kids from around the area. The camps are definitely one of my favorite projects that I work on here because I get to see real changes in the kids that I work with. I took Deyvi and Andy, two kids that I have worked with in past projects. Neither of them had thought much about career options or university options after high school. On the way home from the camp, all they were talking about was how much fun they had at the camp and how they actually do want to succeed after high school, rather than stay in their community for the rest of their lives, get married at 18, and work on the farm.

cumpleaños de jesica

2010-07-11T08:16:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe that my little host cousin Jesica just had her 1st birthday in the end of June. Jesica is the daughter of Raul, the youngest son in the Garcia family of 9 children, and his wife, Roxana. Jessica was born when my parents and sister visited last year. She was named after my sister, Jessica, who everyone STILL talks about all of the time. Little Jesica is cute as can be and just started walking! The first birthday is a big deal in this culture and if the family has enough resources, they will throw a party. The parties are really cute because they have the exact same traditions for every party. My favorite is when the dancing starts. The little kids dancing cumbia and salsa is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.

galapagos

2010-06-04T18:25:00.001-04:00

After Quito, we flew to the Galapagos Islands! Our trip to the Galapagos was by far one of the best vacations I’ve ever gone on in my life. We visited 3 islands, staying on the largest island, Isla Isabela. We saw just about everything: volcanoes, endemic plant species, blue footed boobies, land tortoises, sea turtles, sting rays, mantarays, penguins, pelicans, flamingos, sea lions, frigates, land iguanas, marine iguanas, tons of other birds and fish. It was amazing how close we could get to the animals. They didn’t mind human presence at all. One of my favorite parts of our trip was swimming with and playing with the sea lions. We also swam with sharks and penguins. I’ll let the pictures show you all how amazing these animals were!

ecuador

2010-06-04T18:24:00.001-04:00

After our visit in my site, my parents and I traveled up to Ecuador. The Ecuadorian border is about one hour and a half away from my town. From the border, we traveled to Loja, a quaint town in the mountains. After spending a day in Loja, we flew to Quito and spent a few days exploring the city. Quito is a nice colonial city in the middle of the Andes Mountains. It was nice to explore another big Latin American city. One day we traveled about 40 minutes outside of the city the Ecuator. We participated in the typical tourist activity of taking pictures over the Northern and Southern hemisphere.

visita de mamita y papito

2010-06-04T18:23:00.001-04:00

At the end of the May my parents came down to South America to visit me at my site and travel around Ecuador. It was so nice to have my parents spend some time with my Peruvian family and friends. Everyone here was also so excited to meet the gringa’s parents. My parents got a chance to see some of my projects and help out. We went to the two preschools and talked to the little kids about dental health and then handed out toothbrushes and toothpaste to all of them. They also came to a few of our sessions in the high school for the adolescent health program. Other than work, we walked around my valley, played with all of my host family kids, cooked with the family, and “enjoyed the company” of all of the farm animals. One day, they helped us with the construction of two improved stoves. I’m so glad that they got to get involved in the project. It was very special for me to have my parents live with me for a week and experience my very different life here.

charlas para adolescente

2010-06-04T18:19:00.002-04:00

This year I am continuing my work in the high school with a group of adolscents in a peer health promotion program. The teen health promoters and I are doing a campaign on adolscent health. Each week, we visit all of the classrooms to give a talk about an aspect of teen health including self-esteem, communication, teen pregnancy, sexuality, sexual health, STIS, HIV, etc. Being the second year of my peer health promotion program, the school has been very receptive and hopefully the kids and I are making a difference!

danza de la selva

2010-06-04T18:12:00.003-04:00

Since I’ve arrived, I have been meeting with a group of teenagers from the high school to do a dance class. It has been really fun to share dances with them, as well as learn some traditional Peruvian dances. For Mother’s Day, the school held a show for all of the mothers. We performed a traditional dance from the jungle of Peru. Here is a video of our performance (The tall white girl in the back will be hard to miss)

¡primera cocina!

2010-05-04T10:37:00.000-04:00

We are finally progressing to the next step of the project, the actual construction of stoves! I contracted a consultant who is an expert in “cocinas mejoradas” (improved stoves) from the city to come to our community to support with the construction process. She trained the master builder and a group of fathers in the construction process. We made a stove model and the following week all of the mothers came to see it and get trained in use and maintenance of the stove.

The women were all very enthusiastic and excited to have a stove in their homes. It will definitely be quite an improvement for these families. The majority of families in the community cook over open fire. The design of the improved stove removes 100 % of smoke from the kitchen (preventing respiratory infections, lung cancer, eye infections), diminishes the use of firewood by 40% (minimizing deforestation), produces 45-65% less greenhouse gases than open pit fires, and encourages mothers to maintain a cleaner, more hygienic kitchens.

I have witnessed countless families suffering from cooking, three times a day, over a traditional open fire inside the house. Often, mothers with children on their backs, and other children running around the house, cook over these inside fires. The risks are many: pneumonia, bronchitis, emphysema, cataracts, cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure, low birth rate and many accidents, especially with children. In Peru, the leading cause of infant deaths is due to upper respiratory infections, often a result of exposure to smoke from open fire cooking. In addition, because this model dramatically decreases the use of firewood, deforestation will be minimized.

The community members are very enthusiastic about this new model. Although I still have a lot of work ahead (1 stove down, 50 to go!), it is exciting to see in their eyes their eagerness to have improved kitchens that will be with their families for years to come.

visitas domiciliarias y capacitaciones sobre viviendas saludables

2010-05-04T10:36:00.001-04:00

The Improved Kitchen Project is progressing along. We have now finished all of our health workshops for the mothers. Every weekend, mothers learned about ways to improve the health of their families and homes, including nutrition, consumption of unconatminated water, handwashing, breastfeeding, diarrhea, respiratory infections, spread of sickness, hygiene, and how to use, clean, and maintain the new stove model. Attendance to the workshops was required in order to receive materials for a stove. During the health workshops, I gave mothers various materials, such as a healthy cookbook, a pitcher to store boiled water, and a bucket, towel, and tub for handwashing to improve the health of their families. The next step of our project included visiting the homes of the 51 mothers in the project. I visited each home with one of my health promoters to evaluate the health habits of the families. We were checking to see that the families have changed their habits and could tell us about and demonstrate what they had learned in the health workshops. For those families who didn’t “pass” the home visit, I will be doing follow-up visits to check that their families are practicing healthy habits before they can receive materials for building the stove.

charlas sobre salud bucal

2010-05-04T10:02:00.000-04:00

Being a community health volunteer, one health issue that I had not yet attacked was dental health. The closest dentist in my community works about 2 hours away. Almost none of the children in Pampa Elera have ever been to the dentist. Some have toothbrushes, if their parents have decided it is a worthwhile investment. Last week I visited all of the students in the primary school and taught them about dental health. We talked about cavities, good and bad foods for teeth, brushing teeth, dental floss, etc. Last year I wrote a letter to my dentist back home to see if he could donate toothbrushes to the cause. He donated toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss. Thanks to Dr. Starnes’ donations, more donations from my parents, the transport of everything from Charlottesville to Peru by Dave, all of the children in my community now have materials to maintain goood dental health. Thank you!

avances en el proyecto de cocinas mejoradas

2010-03-22T15:30:00.001-04:00

The Improved Stove and Healthy Homes Project is underway. We have started with the health workshops and the mothers are attending and participating with enthusiasm. The toughest step of the actual construction of the stoves is still to come, but so far we are making progress and the families are very grateful. Many of the mothers wanted me to pass along a big “Gracias” to all of you who donated!
I also have exciting news to report about the project. Originally, our budget (through the Peace Corps Partnership) was for 37 stoves. PRISMA, a Peruvian non-profit organization that works in our valley, has become quite interested in the project. Because it was so well organized and there are active mothers already involved, PRISMA wants to support our community project. With PRISMA’s support, I have been able to add 14 new families to the project. 14 more stoves! This means a lot more work for me, but ultimately more of an impact in the community. Now, even after increasing the project participants up to 51families, I still have a waitlist. The project is turning out to be quite successful, and I am crossing my fingers that I will continue to have good luck until the end.

clasura y fiesta de vacaciones útiles

2010-03-16T18:41:00.000-04:00

My Vacaciones Útiles (summer school) courses went really well. I was impressed with the kids’ participation and enthusiasm in the courses. Hopefully their enthusiasm for learning will continue into the school year. Last week, I had a closing ceremony and party for the kids. I gave each of them certificates and rewarded those who participated in the most classes. After the short ceremony, we had a fiesta to celebrate our successes. We danced, played, took pictures, and enjoyed ourselves to appreciate the summer and prepare for the beginning of school.

visita de david

2010-03-16T18:36:00.001-04:00

Dave (called Daveed in my site) got a chance to come and visit Pampa Elera last week. It was great to have him here to see what I get to do here and meet the people with whom I work and live. It was also nice that he was able to experience the obstacles and stressors I face day to day. He spent 6 days in my site and then we went to the beach for days for some clean showers and air conditioning! During his visit, Dave and I worked on my family’s new vegetable garden, worked on the women’s rights promotion campaign, attended a birthday party of an 87 year old in Chipillico and experienced the fun and strange cultural differences of a Peruvian party, went horseback riding around the valley, played volleyball and soccer with the local kids, went to my English class and summer school closing ceremony and party, washed clothes by hand in the stream, went swimming in the swimming hole with a group of the kids, celebrated Mayra’s (my little 8 year old host sister’s) birthday, and just hung out with community and host family members. I am sure that my community will be talking about Dave for a long time.

día y el mes internacional de la mujer

2010-03-16T18:33:00.000-04:00

I mentioned in a previous blog entry that I will be working with adolescent girls in my town on a campaign to promote women and women’s rights. The campaign is called “Mujer: Infórmate, Conócete, Defiéndete, Valórate: Es tu derecho.” (Woman: inform yourself, know yourself, defend yourself, and value yourself: It is your right). For the month of March, Women’s history month, we are focusing the campaign by promoting women’s rights, empowerment, and leadership in the community. I am working with Lindsey, the volunteer in the neighboring town, and the four girls who went to our women’s leadership retreat in February. On March 8, World Women’s Day, we did a radio show as well as a commercial on the local radio station to spread the word about the campaign and thank the women in the community. We also are interviewing local women in the community who are mothers and leaders and are positive role models to others.

cajamarca

2010-03-05T08:02:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Cajamarca, a department in the highlands of Peru to visit with other Peace Corps Volunteers. Lindsey (my site mate) and I first traveled to Celendin to visit our good friend Mark. His site is absolutely beautiful! We did several hikes in the mountains to waterfalls, ate some delicious cheese (for which Cajamarca is famous…lots of cows!!), and walked around Celendin. We then took a very long and windy road back down to the capital city of Cajamarca. Cajamarca is Peru capital for celebrating Carnavales. There were about 30 other volunteers in Cajamarca to celebrate with us. The weekend was filled with a lot of water balloons, paint (being thrown, in water balloons, and in water guns), huayno dancing, drum beating, singing, and, oh yeah, a lot of rain. It was a lot of fun (despite the fact that this year I was not the Carnaval queen) to experience all of the traditions of Peruvian Carnavales with my fellow Peace Corps volunteers.

alma

2010-03-05T07:59:00.003-05:00

In the beginning of Februrary, the Peace Corps volunteers in Piura held a four day camp for teenage girls. It was called ALMA: Actividades de Liderazago para Mujeres Adolescentes (Leadership activities for adolescent girls). Since last November, a group about 20 of us had been meeting to plan the retreat. The camp was completely PC volunteer run: we arranged for speakers, a vocational panel, team-building activities, leadership games and activities, and all of the logistics of the camp. Each volunteer brought 2 or three teenage girls from their own communities who excel as leaders in their community and show potential to excel. I brought two 15 year old girls from the high school, Perlita and Roxana. I have worked with both girls a lot over the past school year and have seen that they both possess a lot of potential to succeed and go to university to become professionals. Currently, it is very uncommon for high school graduates (especially girls) to leave Pampa Elera and go to college. The goal of this retreat was to reward the girls for their hard work thus far, and show them some of the options they have outside of their little communities.

The retreat was, by far, one of the most rewarding projects I have worked on so far in Peru. It was so wonderful to Perlita and Roxana meet other girls from all over Piura who are just like them, and have what it takes to succeed. In addition to meeting other girls their age, they got to hear from and get to know successful Peruvian women. Over the four days, a doctor, a businesswoman, a policewoman, a teacher, an engineer, a sociologist, a lawyer, a psychologist, and an artisan came to meet with the girls to share their stories, give advice, and inspire them. Most of these professional women came from low socioeconomic backgrounds, just like the girls at the camp, but overcame their challenges to become successful Peruvians. The girls also learned about volunteerism, entrepreneurism, sexual health, feminism, self-discovery, and domestic violence.

At the end of the retreat, Perlita, Roxana, and I discussed what we had learned and started to plan how we were going to take our knowledge back to our community. The girls are planning on doing activities in the high school with the other teenage girls to inspire them to be successful women. We will celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8 by doing a show on the local radio station to talk about women’s rights and the importance of having successful women in our community. For the following weeks on March, we will be doing interviews that will be aired on the radio featuring a strong woman in our own community (teacher, president of women’s club, pharmacist, shop owner) to remind the men and women of our community how valuable women are to the harmony and success to the community.

¡meta logrado!

2010-03-05T07:58:00.002-05:00

I would like to thank all of you who have contributed to our Improved Kitchen and Healthy Homes project. I was quite surprised to find out how quickly funds were raised. Thank you to all for your generousity to the community. Now that funding has been reached, I am starting to realize how much work I have ahead of me! Although I will continue to have other secondary projects, this stove project will be one of the main things that I will be focusing on this year. I am happy to report that the project has officially begun. All of the “socias” of the project have met and I have told them the good news. They are anxiously waiting for the rain to stop so that we can start with construction. Until then, we will be starting our health workshops so that they can start improving the conditions of their homes and health of their families. I have also met with the district mayor and he has agreed to support the project with transport of materials and a few additional materials that were not included in the original budget. I will be sure to keep all of you updated on our progress. Thanks again for your support!

proyecto de cocinas mejoradas

2010-01-24T20:05:00.001-05:00

This year I will be working on a project with my community that will integrate improving health, hygiene, and living conditions of mothers and their families in my community. I have organized community leaders to prepare this project to construct improved stoves for families with young children. Most of the materials and labor will be provided by the family, however the chimney and stove top are very expensive (often the biggest barrier to having an improved stove). So, through a program called Peace Corps Partnership Program, we are looking for donations to cover the costs of the stove parts that the community cannot make or afford. Each stove is about $50 and there are other transportation costs for a total budget of about $2,500.

Installation of improved stoves and educating mothers about rural environmental health will be a sustainable means of improving the overall health of the community. The project will integrate improvement of household infrastructure and maternal education in order to develop healthier families in the community. 37 mothers have signed up to participate in the project. Every mother lives with a family with young children in conditions of poverty. If the project of Healthy Homes and Improved Kitchens is not implemented, families in the community will continue practice poor health habits in their homes. With the current method of cooking over an open fire, there is a high risk of acute respiratory infections. Having an improved stove and healthier and cleaner kitchen will contribute to a decrease in respiratory infections and other sicknesses related to poor hygiene. Additionally, having an improved stove will save 40% of firewood, which is currently used excessively, taking money out of the pockets of families, as well as negatively affecting the environment. Donations are fully tax deductible and it is an easy and secure process. You can simply go to this link: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=527-014 to go directly to my project. Or, you can go to peacecorps.gov, click on “donate now” and search for my project. Here is some information you may need:
Project Name: Healthy Homes and Kitchens
Project Number: 527-014
Name: Sayre R.
Country of Service: Peru
Peru Project Type: Health and HIV/AIDS Volunteer
Home State: Virginia

Thank you so much in advance if you can help in any way; through donations, spreading the word, or just learning about this important international development and environmental issue concerning the cooking and health habits of half of the world’s population and the effects on global health and global warming.

If you have access to The New Yorker, there was an interesting article in the December 21, 2009 issue. Here is a link to the abstract, but if you can find the whole article, it is a great article and touches a lot on improved stoves in world development: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/12/21/091221fa_fact_bilger Here are some pictures of cocinas mejoradas and some of the families who will be beneficiaries of the program.

And finally, I’m sharing some pictures that show effects from cooking over an open fire, what “cocinas mejoradas” actually look like, and some of the beneficiaries of the project. Thank you!

paseo con las cabras

2010-01-24T20:04:00.004-05:00

This past week, as I was walking to the neighboring town of Chipillico, I ran into a señora and her 12 goats. She was taking her goats on a walk from her house to her chakra (farm) so that they could graze. Usually I find that I walk a lot faster than most of the local people (which might be due to having 10 extra inches of legs and not being accustomed to the slow-moving culture that doesn’t believe in time constraints). But on that particular day, I decided to walk leisurely to share a conversation with the woman; and she walked pretty fast in order to keep up with me and her dozen goats. She told me about how excited and proud she was that her cow just gave birth to two calves earlier that day. We talked about our families, the rain, the new harvesting season. She asked me questions about my parents (my “papicitos,” as she called them) and what my land is like. Even though it was only a conversation that lasted a half hour, conversations like these are ones I will always remember.
People ask me if I get lonely here. It would be a lie to say I never get lonely. But getting to know my community members and immersing into their culture and way of life keeps me happy and reminds me why I am here and why I truly do love it. The people of my community have taught me so much and changed my perspective about happiness. Despite facing conditions of poverty, in their day-to-day lives they are content and appreciative with what they have. When I decided to do Peace Corps and come to Peru, I thought I was coming to teach and help a community in need. What I didn't realize was how much I would be learning from my community.

Here are some pictures from our “paseo.” Right after we snapped the picture where she is posing, we had to run after and herd the goats back together (a 15 minute process) because they saw the photo op as a great opportunity for them to run off and graze in some rice paddies. After this walk, I have newfound respect for herding. It was remarkable how this little old woman could keep these goats all together on her 3 mile walk.

biohuerto

2010-01-24T20:04:00.001-05:00

One of the community health program initiatives is planting organic gardens. Because the diets here are so carbohydrate centered with little or no vitamins, putting free vegetables into the mother’s kitchens is an easy and effective way to improve nutrition in our communities.

Back in June, I did my first garden with the community of Pampa Elera Baja. A few months later, a lot of mothers had heard about the project and were interested in doing a garden in Pampa Elera Alta. 15 women signed up to be “socias” of the garden project. We all prepared, planted, water, weed, and tend to the garden. In return, each woman can take vegetables out of the garden. Additionally, the socias are participating in demonstrative nutritional sessions with me where we prepare foods with what comes out of the communal garden. The mothers are not accustomed to cooking meals with say, spinach, or broccoli. I have been working with them to show them some good ways to incorporate yummy vegetables in kid-friendly meals.

vacaciones útiles

2010-01-24T18:54:00.002-05:00

School is out for summer/rainy season in Peru. Normally during vacation, the kids in these small rural communities have little to nothing to do. For this summer vacation, I am doing a “vacaciones útiles” program (Useful Vacations/ Summer school) with all of the grade school kids. I have over 50 kids participating in the program and the first two weeks have been a big hit. All of the parents have been showing gratitude for me (free mangoes!)
I am teaching an English class, where the kids are learning basic English and the older kids are preparing for high school English. I also have an Arts, Crafts, and Dance class, where we are doing different creative projects and learning typical Peruvian dances, with some American dance moves thrown in too. And lastly, I am teaching a Sports, Physical Education, and Health class. Stay tuned for more pictures and stories about summer school/camp!

¡visita a los estados unidos!

2010-01-06T00:17:00.003-05:00

Over the holidays, I traveled back to Virginia to see friends and family. It was an amazing visit. My only complaint is that it went by way to fast. Just as I started to get settled back into Charlottesville, I had to hop on the plane to come back to Peru. Even though it was hard to say goodbye to loved ones, it was great to see them and feel their support; and now I am ready to start my final year in Peru.

While I was home, I got to catch up with a lot of friends from high school and college. It was great seeing all of you! It was also wonderful spending time at home with my mom, dad, sister, and dog. I am glad that we could all be together again.

Another cool thing I got to do while I was home is visit the fourth grade class at my former elementary school, Virginia L. Murray. I finally got to meet the teacher and students I am working with for our correspondence program. Each of the pen pals in Peru sent New Years cards to their friends in Virginia. I shared stories and pictures with the fourth graders, who were very interested and curious about Peru and our community of Pampa Elera. I also got to take some pictures to share with the kids in Peru.

I am happy to be back in Peru to continue all of my projects and spend time with my host family and friends. But I definitely will miss everyone and everything from the States!

promociones

2010-01-06T00:15:00.001-05:00

In Peru, school ends in December and preschool, primary school, and secondary school celebrate their graduation. Here, they call it “promotion.” Being my second December in Peru and my second round of promotions, I really have noticed the significance of these ceremonies for the kids and their families. The whole family attends the ceremony, the kids get all dressed up and each brings a date (it is kind of like a combination of US prom and graduation, plus a lot more food and alcohol). Here are some pictures from the promotions in my town from high school, elementary school, and preschool.

fiesta de san andrés

2009-12-05T18:29:00.001-05:00

My grandfather Andrés is the father of 9 children, grandfather of 29(30, including his new host granddaughter from the US!), and great-grandfather of 3. No one exactly knows how old he is, but he is approaching his eighties. This week our family celebrated his saint’s day, day of Saint Andres. We all had a big dinner and then danced and drank until literally 5 in the morning. Peruvians continue to impress and surprise me with their abilities to party until wee-hours in the morning (even the great-grandfathers!).

día internacional de VIH/SIDA

2009-12-05T18:28:00.000-05:00

December 1 was World Aids Day. For months, the youth health promoters and I have been preparing a Healthy Lifestyles Fair to celebrate this day. Each grade was asked to prepare some sort of presentation for the fair to demonstrate what they had learned over the past few months from the peer health promoter’s campaign about sexually transmitted diseases, prevention of teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and leading healthy lifestyles as adolescents. The students and teachers really impressed me with their creativity, participation and knowledge. The winning class, who all won t-shirts that have a message about the fight against HIV/Aids, did an entertaining skit about HIV. Another class did a creative radio commercial which we will air on the local radio station. After months of hard work and several bumps along the road, I am so happy that this healthy sexual lifestyles campaign ended so well.

intercambio entre el perú y los estados unidos

2009-12-05T18:17:00.002-05:00

One of the projects I have been having the most fun with here has been a correspondence program between a fourth grade class in Virginia and the fourth grade class in Pampa Elera. I have been in touch with a teacher from my very own elementary school. Each student in her class has a pen pal with a student in the fourth grade class here. It has been a lot of fun to see what the Peruvian kids and American kids have in common and what they are curious about each other’s differences. The kids here have really gotten excited about having friends from the US and this correspondence has made them ask questions that they never even knew they had. Although I haven’t yet met the fourth graders back home, I can tell from their letters that they are also very enthusiastic about sharing with and learning from kids their age in Peru. I have found that this has been a great way to share with Americans what life is like in Peru, and vice versa, especially with kids, who have no preconceived notions about socio-economic, political, or cultural divisions.

Here are some pictures of my class here who have pen pals in the US.

noviembre en el perú

2009-12-05T16:21:00.001-05:00

November was a very busy month for me. I was working hard preparing for World Aids Day with my youth health promoters, doing activities in the elementary school on health promotion, visiting community members, and being visited by a group of Peace Corps trainees who came to my site to see and experience the life and work of a volunteer. The month really flew by.

In addition to a lot of work, November was also a fun month for me. I started it off by celebrating my birthday/Halloween with the other volunteers in Piura. I spent a week in Lima for mid-service medical checks and program meetings. During my time in Lima, I visited with my old host family and spent time with the other Health volunteers. At the end of November, Dave came down and we celebrated Thanksgiving back in Piura on the beach.

limpieza en la comunidad

2009-12-05T16:10:00.000-05:00

Trash contamination is one of the major environmental and health problems in my community. Littering is disgustingly normal here. It is so much more common to see a child or adult throw a piece of trash on the ground rather than in a trash can. And the trash that is actually collected is burned. This problem is not necessarily the fault of the community members. They are simply accustomed to these methods, and have never been taught different ways or reasons why these behaviors are harmful to their health and their environment. What’s more, there is no system for trash management or collection, so there are little or no options available other than throwing or burning trash on the ground.

For several months, I have been working with a committee to tackle this problem. It is a pretty big issue that cannot be solved overnight. We have met with the district municipality to discuss our options and have plans to continue to work on this issue by setting up a trash management program. We held several community-wide meetings to raise awareness about the problem and its effects on our families and environment. During these meetings, we also planned a community-wide “limpieza,” clean-up day. We made the project into a competition to motivate all of the families to participate. The community was divided into sectors and each sector competed to be the cleanest. It turned out to be a huge success and there was overwhelming community participation. Our limpieza and community meetings were first steps in working on maintaining a clean and healthy community. The committee is going to continue to work with the community and municipality to work on this problem.

peregrinos

2009-10-13T16:36:00.000-04:00

It has been interesting for me to live in a Catholic country and observe customs and beliefs of the people here. I’ve attended masses, baptisms, had interesting conversations about religion with my neighbors, and the priest of a nearby town has even tried to convince me that I should let him baptize me. Last week, I got to witness yet another interesting aspect of the Peruvian Catholic culture as hundreds of pilgrims passed through our valley.
As in any Catholic country, saints are a big deal here. In October, Peru celebrates the Saint Señor Cautivo de Ayabaca. This particular saint is the patron saint of the town of Ayabaca, which is in the highlands of Piura (about 2 days by foot from my town). Devout Catholics from all over Peru make a pilgrimage each year to Ayabaca. Pilgrims come all the way from Lima, and even more south. They walk north for weeks as more and more people join them en route to Ayabaca. It was fascinating to see them cross through the valley, only 2 days away from their final destination; some of them in large groups marching to a beating drum, some dragging a huge cross, some carrying a Saint Señor de Ayabaca statue or a portrait of a sick loved one, and others literally crawling to demonstrate the penance of their sins. It was very dramatic; I was tempted to start walking with them. Maybe next year…

sesiones en el cadi

2009-10-13T16:10:00.002-04:00

The sessions we are having in the center for infant development are going well. Each week more mothers and their babies are attending. It is really exciting to see the progress of this project since its start in May and know that it can only grow from here. Here are some pictures of the babies and infants with their moms playing in the center with the toys that the promoters and I put together.

¡un año en el perú!

2009-09-27T10:11:00.006-04:00

This month I am celebrating living one year in Peru. It is pretty hard to believe that over a year ago, I left Charlottesville to venture off on a 2 year journey without really knowing what I was getting myself into. There have been ups and downs, to say the least. I have learned so many things about myself and the world that are not only surprising, but also disappointing, exciting, silly, thought-provoking, sad, and blissful. It is hard to put into words the range of emotions, discoveries, and thoughts that I have had in the past year. I have faced challenges that I had no idea I would have to face. I have met wonderful people who have broadened my perspective. I have seen situations of poverty that have changed my outlook on the world forever. I have participated in community and family events that I will never forget. I have started projects that hopefully are starting to improve the health and well-being of members of my community.

It’s weird to think that my time in Peru is not even half way over (27 months in total). But I am really looking forward to the rest of my Peace Corps service. When I got off of the plane a year ago, I was excited, but also really scared about what was to come. Now, I can confidently say that I am excited (but not scared) to continue to learn about myself and the world; and most importantly, make a positive impact in my community.

sesiones en el centro de aprendizaje y desarrollo infantil

2009-09-27T10:11:00.005-04:00

After a lot of planning, we have finally started our sessions in the infant development center. I have worked closely with 7 women who are the “Promoters” of the center. They are community members who have volunteered to be in charge of running and organizing the sessions. I have given them several training sessions about the importance of early intervention and stimulation and infant development. Our center is focusing on children under the age of three, which is a crucial stage in development. We are starting with the basics by emphasizing the importance of play. Most of these infants are under-stimulated and don’t ever have proper “playtime.” After doing some background research about infant development stages and appropriate games and toys, I collaborated with the promoters to make some basic toys that will stimulate development. While I would have loved to recommend to the mothers the latest Fisher Price toy that stimulates the senses and develops of hand-eye coordination and motor skills, I had to keep in mind what resources we actually had to work with. We had several workshops to make toys such as mobiles, rattles, stacking blocks, textured books, shape puzzles, etc that are made from basic materials that are easily and cheaply available in our town that target development for babies and infants 0 to 3 years old. For example, we made rattles out of plastic bottles and rice rinds (being surrounded by rice fields, this is one material definitely in abundance). After prepping with promoters with some background knowledge and working with them to make toys, we invited the mothers with babies in our town to the center for our first session. While the first session definitely left some room for improvement, both the promoters and the mothers and babies showed enthusiasm and interest.

It is hard to explain the significance and important potential that I see in this center. In the States, the infants are effortlessly stimulated and played with. Surrounded by toys, healthy food, good medical care, and a high standard for learning at a young age, the average infant in the developed world is lucky with what she has, without her or her parents even realizing it. But in developing countries, there has been little or no focus on early infant stimulation. Imagine a home where the two year old literally plays with trash and stares at the ground for hours. She gets fed a plate of rice three times a day and has never visited the doctor. I have seen so many of these homes here, and I think (and hope!) that our new center is going to make a difference for the youngest members of Pampa Elera.

sesiones educativas de promotores escolares

2009-09-27T10:08:00.001-04:00

For the past two weeks, I have been working hard with the youth health promoters giving talks in the high school. The peer health promoters have been visiting every classroom in our high school and teaching, discussing, and promoting healthy lifestyles through the prevention of HIV/Aids, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and unwanted pregnancies. It has been interesting, because I know how “sex-ed” talks to teenagers can be awkward. But I think that the students and teachers have been absorbing what we’ve been discussing and hopefully we’re making a difference. I’ve been having the promoters use non-formal educational techniques so that these talks can be (relatively) fun and interesting and (relatively) un-awkward.

In their regular coursework, there is no mention of sex, sexuality, adolescence, or prevention of pregnancy or STIs. And because the majority of the families are conservative and religious, from what I can tell, parents aren’t really giving “the talk” to their kids. In addition to a relatively high prevalence of STIs reported by the health post, there are also a high number of teen pregnancies in my town. During this school year, three of the girls in the senior class (of 25 students) dropped out because they were pregnant.

In our educational sessions in the classrooms, the adolescents are getting a good opportunity to learn from their own peers about these important themes. We have the permission of the teachers and parents, so we are not imposing any taboo topics. We are able to bring up topics that the kids are obviously curious about (and experimenting with) so that they can be safe and healthy.

agua y sodis

2009-09-06T16:12:00.002-04:00

I often write about work I’m doing or fun events in Pampa Elera, but I have neglected sharing about my everyday routine and basic lifestyle here. I’ll dedicate this entry to the basic life essential: water. After reading this, I hope you all appreciate the next time you turn on your sink and drink a nice glass of clean running water.

None of the homes in my community have running water. We get all of our water from the river. To wash my clothes, we go to the river. To bathe, everyone goes to the river (sometimes I go along; and sometimes, stuck in my American ways, fill up my shower bag and attempt to “shower” in my house with water dripping out of a bag). To cook, clean, and drink, we all haul buckets of water from the river to our houses (which is REALLY HARD!)

Once the water is in their homes, most of the families boil their water to purify it. I use a purification system called SODIS, which is solar water disinfection. It uses solar UV-A radiation to kill pathogens that may cause diarrhea. I put the “contaminated” water into a transparent plastic bottle and then put the bottle on top of my tin roof for the day. In 6 hours of direct sunlight, the UV-A rays kill the microbes and improve the quality of the drinking water. Although time-consuming, it’s a pretty cool method and the water tastes fresh and delicious.

promotores escolares

2009-09-06T16:02:00.003-04:00

Since June, I have been working with a group of 7 high school students on an HIV/Aids prevention project. The teenagers participated in 15 hours of training that I put together and they are now certified as Peer Health Promoters. (Getting certificates is a big deal here, check out the pictures of our certification ceremony with their parents). During their training, the promoters learned about themes such as adolescence, gender and sexuality, reproduction, prevention of STIs and pregnancy, and all about HIV and Aids.

After their certification, we wrote a grant proposal for funding for a promotion campaign. We are soliciting funds from PEPFAR, which is the President’s Emergency Plan For Aids Relief. The US government has money set aside for small projects in developing countries with HIV prevalence. We have turned in our grant and are waiting to hear if we are approved! If we get the funding, we plan on doing a radio show that promotes healthy lifestyles, three educational sessions in all of the high school classes, making t-shirts and other promotional materials, and putting on a health fair on December 1, which is International HIV/Aids Awareness Day. The Peer Health promoter project is probably the biggest project I am working on right now, and will be spending a lot of time from now till December working with the teenage promoters and the rest of the school. Stay tuned for more updates!

charlas en la primaria

2009-09-06T16:00:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I spent a lot of time in the primary school working on health promotion. I developed a work plan for the rest of the school year with the director of the school. I am starting with the basics, but also the most important, especially for kids. Hand washing and basic hygiene. 2,000,000 kids a year under the age of 5 die from diarrhea. In Peru, kids have 5-10 episodes of diarrhea per year. Even if kids are surviving these episodes, have up to 10 several-day episodes of diarrhea a year is equivalent to not eating for 2 months a year. Washing hands and basic hygiene has been proven to be the best way to prevent diarrhea. It was reported in 2005 that only 6% of families in Peru washed hand with soap, even though 97% of families had some type of soap.

So, my goal in the school was to raise awareness about the importance of hand-washing, drinking secure water, and washing fruits and vegetables. I visited every classroom from preschool to 6th grade to talk about microbes and how they get into our bodies. I did a puppet show about “Miguel the Microbio” and a story about “Maraquita Cochinita” (Dirty Margaret), a hand-washing demonstration, among other fun games. The kids seemed to show interest and hopefully will change their behavior. I don’t think I will have eradicated diarrhea in my community, but hopefully the classroom visits made some difference. Last week, three parents approached me and told me that their kids were insisting that they wash their hands before their meals.

luna

2009-09-06T15:49:00.000-04:00

Living on my own has been a great experience thus far, but it does get a little lonely. When Gloria’s (my host “mom”) cat had kittens, I immediately fell in love with the litter of kittens and decided it was time to get myself a roommate. As soon as she turned two months old and was ready to separate from her mom and brothers and sisters, my kitten came to live with me in my house (not after several intensive flea baths though!). Her full name is Luna Choclita García Sayre. Luna means “moon” in Spanish and Choclo means “corn.” All Latin Americans have two last names, so it is fitting that Luna does too.

I feel a bit guilty for treating Luna like an American cat rather than an emaciated Peruvian one, giving her real cat food and treats (as opposed to the occasional table scraps that most cats have to fight for among the pigs, dogs, and chickens). She is learning how to use a litter box, which everyone here thinks is simply ridiculous. I plan on taking her to the vet in the city to get her vaccines, which also seems like a ridiculous extravagance to my host family. And worst of all, something that is considered animal abuse here, I plan on getting her spayed (I can handle one Luna, but not six more!). I figure that my treatment of my cat can just be another cultural learning experience for my community. Even though people here think I’m a little bit weird for the way I treat and love an animal, I think that they are a bit amused by it.

ist

2009-08-15T11:05:00.002-04:00

I spent this past week in the city if Piura with a member of my community, Rosa, along with all of the other health volunteers in Peru and their community counterparts for In-Service Training. We participated in a 4 day long workshop where we learned about options for community projects which include organic gardens, agriculture, latrine construction, construction of improved kitchens, and early childhood and prenatal stimulation. The workshop was very helpful and I am especially excited that Rosa, who is the president of the Women and Mother’s club in my community, got the opportunity to come to the training sessions to not only learn more about Peace Corps but also take back some valuable and useful skills and information about projects we can do in our community.

sesiones demostrativas

2009-08-15T10:52:00.001-04:00

One of the initiatives of the Health program in Peace Corps Peru is prevention of chronic malnutrition. In Peru, 40% of children under the age of 5 years old living in rural areas are chronically malnourished. Along with the NGO PRISMA, I have facilitated several sessions for mothers with young children about the importance of nutrition and how to prepare nutritious meals for their families. The women are so accustomed to serving rice and maybe a little bit of meat to their growing children every day. After talking about the significance of a balanced meal where children can get protein, and the important vitamins to be healthy growing children, we prepared foods from the region to show how easy it is to stay on a budget and prepare food that their kids will enjoy, but also that will provide adequate nourishment.
For this project, I worked with the Health Promoters in my community, who are volunteers who help with health promotion for families in Pampa Elera. It was great that I could get them involved and also that we could show the community that the community is working for itself to improve the health of its own children (not just have a random extranjera come in and teach how they should change their health practices). The sessions seemed to be successful and we plan to do follow up house visits with the families to ensure that they are practicing healthy and nutritional habits in their homes.

visita a la selva

2009-08-04T12:30:00.002-04:00

Last week, Dave came down to visit and we took a trip to the jungle of Peru. Being in the jungle was such a cool experience. The culture, climate, and surroundings made me feel like I was in a whole new country. We started in Tarapoto, which is a city in the cloud forest. We visited an amazing waterfall there. The next day, we took a 12 hour boat ride down the Rio Huallaga (tributary to the Amazon) to the little town of Lagunas. The only boat we could get to take us to Lagunas was a local boat where everyone takes their own hammock on the boat. We were surrounded by mothers and children swinging in the hammocks. Once in Lagunas, we met up with our guides, José and Johvita. For the next three days, we explored Reserve Pacaya Samiria, which is Peru’s largest national reserve. José and Johvita took us in a conoe up and down the small rivers and lakes that make up the Western part of the reserve. There, we saw macaws, crocodiles, anacondas, crocodiles, capuchin monkeys, wooly monkeys, butterflies, spiders, lizards, turtles, and many river fish including pirahnas. After the reserve, we took a 2 day boat cruise down the Rio Huallaga to the city of Iquitos. On the boat, we got to see river dolphins, flocks of tropical birds, and views of jungle villages on the river. We spent two days in Iquitos. Our favorite part was our visit to a butterfly farm and animal preserve, where we met several monkey amigos, jaguar, giant ant eater, tapir, three-toed sloth babies, and butterflies of every color. We ended our trip by spending a few days in Lima. We had a great time.

taller de danza

2009-07-23T23:16:00.001-04:00

When I arrived in my community, many of the kids in the high school expressed interest in having dance workshops and learning different dances. Because this has been one of my ideas since I decided to join the Peace Corps, and I have some background in dance, I was thrilled! It brought me back to the days of WAHS Dance Team. We decided to start with a dance to prepare for the school's anniversary in mid-July. I let the kids pick out a song they wanted to dance to and then I choreographed a routine. It was definitely a lot harder than I thought it would be, considering the fact that none of the kids had any experience in learning choreography, the difficulty of yelling out moves and steps in Spanish, and the pure cultural contrast in discipline. When I said we would have dance classes two days a week at 3 o'clock, everyone needed to come prepared, and if you want to participate in the anniversary show, attendance was mandatory, I was going by my North American customs and expectations. But I soon had to learn that I would be forced to adapt to the customs and expectations of these teenagers. So the 3 o'clock classes started no earlier than 3:45pm (sometimes 4:30pm), kids would often skip or show up for just half of the class, and I often left the classes with a little bit of a headache.

Before the big show, I was a bit frustrated because not everything had gone according to my plan. But I took a step back, and saw how much fun these kids were having. They rarely have opportunities to learn and dedicate themselves to something outside of the classroom. I thought back to how much I enjoyed all of my extracurricular activities in high school, and probably took them for granted. These kids had a fun after school activity and had worked hard to learn something very new and different. I could see in their faces how excited they were to show off what they had learned to their peers and community. It was very rewarding to see the kids perform. It also felt great to share my passion of dance with these kids; because I could tell that they were having as much fun and were as anxious/excited before the show as I was when I was in my high school dance shows. Hopefully we will continue with our dance workshops and continue to improve and have fun dancing!
Here's a clip of the anniversary show:

bebe jesica

2009-07-06T19:46:00.005-04:00

A few days before my family's visit, a baby was born in my host family. Roxana and Raul (Gloria's brother) gave birth to a baby girl. After meeting my beautiful sister Jessica (who during her visit was called “Princess,” “Barbie” “Really White,”-which is a good thing, etc), my host family fell in love with her. They are still talking about her and how beautiful she is. In fact, her legacy will live on for quite a while because the new baby was named Jesica! This is the second Peruvian baby named after a family member. In Julcan, if the baby was a girl, it was going to be called Rebecca Marcia (Marcia, my mom, and I got left out because it was a boy.) The new baby was named Steven, in honor of my dad, who the family never had even met.

I'm not quite sure why they like us, or at least our names, so much. It's flattering, I guess. Peruvians are very enamored with all aspects of North America and its culture. They are always asking about it and curious about life there. For example, I have heard WAY too much about Michael Jackson's death in the past week. I'm not sure how big it is in the news in the US, but Peruvians want to talk all about MJ with me.

Anyway, back to baby Jesica. As I've talked about in previous entries, a huge part of Peruvian culture is having madrinas and padrinos (godparents) for EVERYTHING. I've been a madrina for an elementary school graduation, a high school graduation, an inaguration, and, now something new. I was asked to be Jesica's madrina for her earpiercing and first nail cutting. That sounds as weird and confusing to you as it did to me when I was asked to be the madrina. It is an honor to be someone's madrina, but I didn't really understand. Well, I had to do exactly what it sounds like. I pierced the baby's ears! And then cut her nails. It is tradition that a chosen godparent cuts the fingernails for the first time for all babies. And for girls, a godparent pierces the baby's ears. I freaked out a little bit, when I saw the earrings the mom's hand and she asked me to just stick them in. I declined at first, because I would NEVER do that sort of thing in the States. But they begged and pleaded and I decided to embrace yet another bizarre part of the culture. So I pierced Jesica's ears, and then cut her little nails; she barely even cried. And now I am the godmother of her ears and fingernails.

¡visita de mi familia!

2009-07-06T19:43:00.003-04:00

In mid-June my wonderful family came down to visit Peru and my site. It was so great to visit with them and to share with them the wonders (ups and downs) of Peru.

I met my parents first in Trujillo (my old capital city). We toured the ruins of Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimu culture from around 800 AD. It is a city completely built of adobe and the largest Pre-Colombian South American city. We then visited Huaca de Luna, ruins from the Moche culture that ruled during 100 AD to 800 AD. In Trujillo, my parents also got a chance to meet some of my fellow Peace Corps friends, Josh and Javi.

We then took a night bus (which was quite an experience for them) up to Piura (my new capital city). We got to spend Father's Day walking around the city and also do some shopping. My sister, Jessica, arrived in Piura and then we headed to my site, about 3.5 hours away from the city.

We spent the week exploring my village and meeting my host family and new friends. They got to do everything including share some North American books and toys with the children in my host family, attend some of my community meetings, see a traditional rural Peruvian parade, to eat homemade ceviche, experience the life on a farm with donkeys, guinea pigs, roosters, pigs, goats, etc., adapt to surviving without running water, and learn how to climb over the pigs in the latrine when you need to do your business.

After having some amenity-free days at my site in the “campo,” we treated ourselves to a few days at the beach of Mancora, which is a couple of hours from Ecuador. Besides enjoying hot showers and other wonderful amenities from the developed world, we soaked in the rays, ate some good seafood, and enjoyed each other's company.

I am so happy that my parents and sister were able to come down to visit and see what my Peruvian life is all about. My Peruvian host family took quite a liking to my North American family, and vice versa. It was hard to say goodbye to my family, but it was great that both of my families got to connect, for at least a week. Although I'm going to miss my sister and mom and dad, its great that they know that I have a loving family down here in Peru.

inaguración del CADI

2009-06-20T21:24:00.003-04:00

One of the projects that I am most excited about here is the CADI, Centro de Aprendizaje de Desarollo Infantil, or the Center for Learning and Early Development. Sponsored by the two NGOs PLAN and PRISMA, the Center will focus on pregnant women and children under the age of 3. Our projects will include:
1. Prenatal Care (nutrition for pregnant women, preparing for childbirth, preparing for a baby, taking care of your body during pregnancy, etc);
2. Early childhood intervention (psychological development of infants, developing motor skills, social skills, nutrition, etc); and
3. Parenting school (how to discipline your children, understand the importance of regular medical care and vaccinations, how to have a safe home, parenting roles in the family, etc)

Families here unfortunately lack the knowledge and healthy practices relating to these three themes and hopefully this new center will help prepare the new generation of kids of Pampa Elera to succeed. Brains are developing rapidly starting from the fetus until age 3. It is a critical period for brain development, and if the brain is not stimulated or nourished properly before a child’s third birthday, it loses the opportunity to reach its full capacity.

I am very excited to be a part of this project because it really has the potential to make a difference in this new generation. 40% of children under the age of three in Pampa Elera are chronically malnourished. 80% are anemic. Additionally, these children aren’t developing social or motor skills as much as they should be. I think back to my preschool experience where we sang songs, learned how to play with others, ate healthy snacks, had a clean and safe place to run around. Then I look at my neighbor, Nelson, for example, who is 2 and a half and plays by himself in the dirt, eats rice for meals, and already has rotting teeth. I know that that may sound terrible to many of you, but I am not exaggerating. It is unfortunate, but hopefully these parenting practices and behaviors can change!

Mothers of under-stimulated, malnourished children aren’t to blame when they don’t have the proper knowledge or resources. But with this new center, we can hopefully teach mothers how important early childhood development is, starting from when they are pregnant.

We had the inauguration of the new center in our community this past week. I was asked to be the Madrina (“godmother”) of the ceremony, and was accompanied by the mayor of the district of Las Lomas, who served as Padrino (“godfather”). We had been working hard in the community the weeks leading up to the inauguration to fix and clean up an old building, as well as publicize about the new center. The inauguration was a great success, and I’m looking forward to continuing to work on this project.

Here is a video of my speech at the inauguration as the madrina for those of you who speak Spanish.

nueva cultura

2009-06-19T22:59:00.001-04:00

For those of you who are devout readers of my blog, you might remember the video of my host grandmother in Julcán dancing. (if you want to see it again, you can look under the December archive of the blog). My grandmother dancing huayno in her poncho was a pretty accurate representation of the culture of the highland life in the Andes. Now I’m living in the tropical lowlands. And the culture is quite different. I almost feel like I am in a different country. The dance and music here, just like in Julcán, represent part of this new culture of tropical Northern Perú. I am posting this video of some of the little girls in my host family dancing in my room as a comparison to abuelita dancing Huanyo. They are dancing cumbia, which is kind of like Salsa, but with less technique. It’s the dance and the music of coastal Perú. I’ll let Mayra, Gloria, and Patricia show you all for themselves:

familia nueva

2009-06-19T19:33:00.003-04:00

The García family is huge! I literally have drawn up several family trees to figure out all of the relatives in my new host family. Gloría, my “host mom” (who is 6 years older than me) is the youngest of 9 children. She is married to Daniel and they have a 6 year old daughter Gloria Marina and 1 year old son, Anderson. Gloria’s father Señor Andrés is one of my neighbors, along with two of Gloria’s brothers and their families and Gloria’s sister and her family. So, there are five houses, including mine clustered together in front of the family’s rice chakra (farm). In addition to a beautiful rice field, we are surrounded by mango trees, grapefruit trees, orange trees, lemon trees… just to name a few. Its great! Five of Gloria’s other brothers and sisters live in Pampa Elera, within 10 minutes. This means that there are ALWAYS cousins, aunts, uncles, second cousins, great grand children, etc coming to visit (I’m constantly referring to my family tree to get everyone straight). Even though I’m living in my house alone, I never feel lonely because there are always visitors. I’ve even had a few sleepovers with some of the little girls. The teenage cousins like to come over to hang out and listen to music, look at pictures, etc. The little cousins like to come over to play, draw, dance, sing, etc. And the aunts and uncles come over to see pictures, learn about life in the US, share about their life. I’ve only spent about 3 weeks in my new home with my new family, but I already feel like I am part of this family. Here are some pictures of us!

mi casita

2009-06-19T19:28:00.000-04:00

When I arrived in Pampa Elera, I had to develop my site on my own. I didn’t have anywhere to live nor did I know anyone with whom I could work. Rather than being frustrated by this, I allowed my experience at my previous site in Julcán help me decide exactly what I wanted and needed for my living arrangement, as well as work. Lindsey, who lives 5K away from me in the town of Chipillico, helped me look for a place to live. Lindsey has been very helpful and supportive through my transition process and adjusting to my new life in the valley of Chipillico. We essentially went around door to door asking people if they knew of a family that had a room available where I could live for the next year and a half. Even though I visited a half a dozen homes, the first home we visited ended up being my new home. Gloria García, a 29 year old store owner and mother offered me her house. She lives in her store with her family and had her old empty house to offer me. If any of you living in the States saw this house, you probably would have been surprised that I decided to live there. By any average developed world standards, this house would be considered uninhabitable. No running water, no bathroom, no lights, dirt floor, limited windows. But I saw potential. And with a few investments, I made this house my own. With the help of Lindsey, Gloria, and one of the local construction workers, I put in cement, a window, painted the walls, installed lights. I still lack a real bathroom and water, but so do all of the other families around. I figured if they survive without it, so can I. I wish I had some before and after shots, but here are some pictures of the “after.” It was quite a long week of fixing up the house. But I’m quite pleased with it, and am looking forward to calling it home for the next year and a half.

aprender sin miedo

2009-05-25T09:16:00.001-04:00

Plan International is one of the development NGO’s with which I will be working closely in the valley. Last week, they had a campaign with the regional government of Las Lomas (my district capital) to eliminate abuse in the school systems. I attended the kick-off event and here are some pics:

Here is Plan’s webpage if you want to check it out: http://plan-international.org/ I’m sure I’ll be continuing to write about my involvement with the work Plan is doing in my community.

adios julcan

2009-05-25T09:01:00.002-04:00

I had to make a trip back to Julcan last week to pack up all of my stuff and say goodbye to my wonderful family. It was pretty hard, but unfortunately it had to be done. Hopefully I will still be able to meet up with my host family occasionally in Trujillo. Josh, Melissa, and Chris, 3 of the La Libertad volunteers helped me with the move.

empezando de nuevo

2009-05-15T23:11:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone! I’m sorry for not updating my blog for such a long time. I’ve received a lot of requests to keep you all posted about what is going on. I’ve been going through a lot in the past few months. But I’m ready to start fresh, not just in my Peace Corps experience, but also keeping up with the blog!

For various work-related and security reasons, the Peace Corps has changed my site from Julcán, La Libertad to Pampa Elera, Piura. After spending months in the cold and rainy mountains, I’ll be moving north up to a more tropical region of Peru, fairly close to Ecuador. Here is a map of where I’ll be living.

View Larger Map

Pampa Elera is in the Valley Chipillico. It’s hot and beautiful! The people in the area have been very welcoming and I can’t wait to get to work there.

And here's a photo that just captures some of the beauty of the valley (I promise to put more up soon!):

otro video

2009-03-12T14:32:00.002-04:00

Here's another silly/awkward music video tyler made (at the end there's a glimpse of carnivales and my queen experience):

yeah we're weird...

día internacional de la mujer

2009-03-11T21:41:00.001-04:00

This Sunday, we celebrated Internacional Women’s Day. I saw this as a great chance to educate the people about domestic violence and women’s rights. Domestic violence is a huge problem in Julcán. Of the 100 women I surveyed, I learned that 83 of them know someone who faces domestic violence.

One of the nurses and I got together to help some health promoters put on a skit about domestic violence. It went really well (a lot better than I had thought, actually. The health promoters could act pretty well!) and I think the audience at the health center got the message. This sort of thing obviously can’t change overnight, but we’re taking steps to get the message out there. Over my two years, working against domestic violence is definitely going to be one of my priorities.

visitas a los caserios

2009-03-11T21:40:00.001-04:00

While I have been busy upholding the role of queen as my town (ha), I actually also have been working pretty hard over the past few weeks. Last week, Chris and I visited several caseríos (smaller towns surrounding Julcán) to give educational sessions about microbes and sicknesses.

People here don’t really understand the concept of bacteria and other microbes. If you have been following my blog, you know about my chucaque experience when I learned that it is a common belief here that being sick is attributed to evil spirits rather than having a bacteria or virus in your system.

As a health volunteer, I would like to educate the people that, while spirits may exist, little tiny animals called microbes also sometimes may be the cause of our diarrhea or cold. For example, no one here washes their hands because they think that cold water makes them sick. People at the health center tell them that they need to wash their hands, bodies, and food, but no one explains to them why. So, Chris and I developed a session that teaches about microbes and sicknesses.

It was very interesting to go out into these little communities and talk to the people. Many of them have less than a 5th grade education. But they were really receptive to what we taught them. It was a great learning experience for not only them, but also for me. I realize that if no one ever teaches them, they were will never know. The doctors here can continue to tell them things without explaining. One of my goals here is to be on the level of the people and make sure they understand why they should practice health lifestyles. If they don’t understand why, they are never going to change their behavior.

feliz cumpleños mama

2009-03-11T21:37:00.000-04:00

This past week my mom, Marcia, in Virginia celebrated a birthday. I’m disappointed that I had to miss out on yet another family celebration that I used to look forward to. But I found my own way to celebrate my mom’s birthday. Check it out:

Happy birthday Mom!

video chistoso de trujillo

2009-03-11T21:31:00.002-04:00

Two of my fellow Peace Corps friends, Tyler and James, came to visit La Libertad a couple of weekends ago. After Tyler and James (who live in different parts of Perú) visited my site, I showed them around Trujillo. We had fun hanging out on the beach, exploring the city, and going out at night. Tyler, who is way more creative than me, made a music video about our weekend. It was nice to take a break from being a peace corps volunteer in the mountains to become our silly selves in a big city. Enjoy!

If you want to see more of Tyler’s wonderful videos of Perú, here is his website:

http://tylerspeaceofperu.wordpress.com/

carnivales y “miss julcán”

2009-03-11T21:28:00.001-04:00

Celebration of Carnivales is pretty big in Perú. Although it originated in Brazil, Perú has adapted the celebration with its own traditions and festivities. In Julcán, especially, Carnivales is a time to forget about the rain and cold and celebrate for the entire month of February. Water balloons are thrown, parties are had, and on the 26 and 27 of February, the main festivities take place. On the 26 of February, Julcán held its huge parade to celebrate Carnival Julcanero. The parade is a competition among the 10 main neighborhoods. Each neighborhood brings to the parade a band, dancers, a huge float, and… a queen. You all will never guess who the queen was for Barrio San Isidro. Yours truly.

That’s right, I was a beauty queen for a day. I was Miss San Isidro and stood on top of my neighborhoods float waving, dancing, and throwing out candy to thousands of people. But what’s even more exciting (or weirder…), I won! So until next year, I am officially Miss Julcán. It was quite an experience. The pictures didn’t completely capture how big this event is, but at least you all can have a glimpse of my being a queen!

diagnostico comunitario

2009-03-11T21:24:00.002-04:00

For the past three months, I have been working on a community diagnostic to assess the problems, needs, assets, and resources of my community. Every Peace Corps volunteer is expected to complete a community diagnostic and present their gathered information to their community leaders as well as the Peace Corps. Over the past few months, I have visited 100 homes to survey mothers about their practices and beliefs about their health, family, and community. I’ve also completed a pre-test for health promoters, done a focus group with high schoolers, interviewed various community leaders, attended community, municipality, and health center meetings, as well as made overall observations within the community. I’m turning in a __ page document this week to the Peace Corps. Here is some information that I’ve gathered about my community:

22% of the population is unable to read and write
40% of the population completed primary school (elementary school)
15% of the population competed secondary school (high school)
56% of the families do not have their own hygienic service (toilet, latrine, etc)
66% of the families live in houses with dirt floors
75% of the families receive money from the government (about 30 dollars/month)
85% of the children are malnourished

Of the interviewed families the community’s main issues include:
• alcoholism,
• lack of secure water (only available 2-3 days a week for 15 minutes),
• lack of employment,
• poor trash and sanitation management (trash is just thrown on the streets),
• malnutrition,
• Necessity of family gardens, improved kitchens, and latrines,
• Domestic violence

chucaque

2009-02-08T19:31:00.002-05:00

Like many North Americans traveling or living in South America, I’ve had some stomach issues while I’ve been down here. However, unlike most North Americans who pop some Immodium or Cipro, I have gotten to experience Andean “medicine.”

The other day my family was eating guinea pig for dinner and I was happy to have the excuse that my stomach was bothering me, so I would have to pass on the delicious meal. My family seemed worried. They asked me if my head also hurt. In fact, it did (I happen to know the common Western medical knowledge that headaches are often accompanied with diarrhea due to dehydration, but I didn’t say anything.). Then, they got very worried. They told me that I most likely had chucaque. Chu ca what? My host mother, Palmira, explained to me that Chucaque was bad spirits caused by shame. They asked me what could have caused these bad spirits to enter my body (bacteria, caused by street food, I thought, but didn’t say anything). I told them I didn’t know. They wondered what had shamed me that day. They were all very worried about these bad spirits which had entered my body. They told me that the bad spirits kill people and we would have to get these spirits out immediately. I restrained myself from rolling my eyes at them.

This is when it got even more interesting. I had heard about Peruvian witchcraft, but didn’t realize that my own family practiced it. Apparently it is more common than I had thought. Palmira stood up and told me she would take the chucaque out of me herself. She told me this is what her mom did for her and this is what she does for all of her children when they are sick. She explained as a matter-of-factly that it was important to get the chucaque out of my body right then and there. Then, she took a huge chunk of my hair and starting pulling… pulling HARD. I screamed “¿Que está haciendo?” What was she doing? She told me not to worry, it would hurt for a minute, but it was necessary. So I let her continue. She pulled chunks of my hair until we heard a crack, which apparently was a spirit leaving my head (honestly, I’m not sure what the crack was?).

I was relieved when this over, but then was told that that was only the first step to what my family called medicine for spirits caused by shame (and in hindsight what I’d like to call an exorcism of diarrhea). Next, my four foot tall host mother tried to pick up five foot seven me and crack my back in order to scare out more spirits inside of me. It was awkward, but I thought, finally this is over. No, no, the best was yet to come. I sat back down, confused, not knowing whether to cry or laugh at what was going on. All of a sudden, I feel a huge spray of water all over my face. My mom had just spit cold water all over me. I think I may have yelled out some English profanities. It may have been one of the weirdest things I had experienced. She actually spit on me.

Then she sat back down, and our family meal continued as normal. My family told me that I should sleep well that night and would feel better in the morning, as all of the spirits will have left. The weirdest thing about it all, I did feel better the next day.

pachamanca

2009-02-08T18:37:00.003-05:00

This weekend when we were all together, we camped out outside of Trujillo and cooked the traditional Peruvian dish, pachamanca. Pachamanca is cooked in the ground. We heat up stones and then put the stones and food in the ground and bury it all for about 2 hours. It is a kinda weird concept to eat food from the dirt, but it turns out really delicious. Here’s more info about pachamanca, and some pictures…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachamanca

la libertad

2009-02-08T18:16:00.002-05:00

About 150 Peace Corps volunteers in Peru are currently serving in 9 departments (states) in the country. In my department of La Libertad, there are 8 of us. We all see each other at least once a month for regional meetings in the capital city Trujillo. Most of them live on the coast (where its hot, sunny, and the people are extroverted and more liberal), three of us, Melissa, Chris, and I, live in the sierra (where it is currently cold and rainy and the people are timid and conservative). It is interesting to all get together and share about our different peace corps experiences. Its also cool to get to know people from all over the States who I never would have met had it not been for Peace Corps.

Javier is a Small Business Development volunteer from California. His primary project is working with an artisan group in his site. He’s been here for about a year and half and will be leaving in July. When he goes back to the States, he wants to go to grad school in public administration.

Josh is a Youth Development volunteer from Texas. His primary project is working for an NGO in Trujillo which works with kids in the city. He is a third year volunteer and will be wrapping up his peace corps service in June. When he goes home, he also wants to go back to school, but eventually come back to live in South America.

Melissa is another Health volunteer (in my program) from Oregon. She also lives in the mountains, about 2 hours away from my site. She has been at her site for about a year, and has another year left. She studied Biology in college and wants get her MPH when she returns to the US. She has been great helping me get adjusted to my site, as she has had similar experiences working as a Community Health volunteer in the sierra.

Edson is a Small Business Development volunteer from Ohio. He lives on the coast, about an hour away from Trujillo. He is helping an artisan group develop their business in his site. He arrived in Peru just 3 months before I did; he has about a year and a half left in site.

Chris is a Water and Sanitation volunteer from Florida. He previously served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, until the Bolivian PC program got shut down for political reasons. He transferred his service to Peru. Chris, who also lives in Julcán, is an engineer and is working primarily in the municipality to improve the water system of the region.

My closest friend from La Libertad, Jason, who had lived a 2 hour walk away from me, unfortunately had to go back to the United States due to a family emergency. We are going to miss him a lot.

cursos de inglés

2009-02-08T17:43:00.005-05:00

Ever since I arrived in Julcán, I have been asked to help people learn English. I started teaching English a few weeks ago and so far it has been pretty successful. I am teaching in the school during their summer (rainy season, rather) vacations. In my town, there isn’t anything for schoolchildren to do during vacations, so at least now they have an opportunity to do something productive educational for a few hours a day.

I was a little nervous to start, I had no idea how many kids would show up or if I could handle teaching. I made an announcement on the local radio station, which is the only means of media up here in the mountains. The first day 12 kids showed up, and I was pretty happy. By the next week, my class had more than doubled, as my students spread the word to their neighbors and friends. Now I am teaching about 25 kids ages 6-14. I am surprised about how enthusiastic and eager to learn they are. The kids in high school already have to take English in school, so these courses help them prepare for the upcoming school year. And the little ones just like learning and this can hopefully help them get ahead.

It’s encouraging to see that my first “peace corps project” has been successful so far. Not only is it helping the kids, many parents have thanked me for supporting their kids during summer vacations. Additionally, it has helped me get to know some of the local kids. It’s great that now when pass one of my students in the street, I’m greeted “¡Hola profesora!” (Although in the classroom, they say “Good morning teacher!”)

boda

2009-02-08T17:32:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I went to a wedding with a fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Javier. One of his neighbors in his site was getting married and invited Javi to the wedding. It was really fun; Peruvians definitely like to party.

It was especially interesting to experience this wedding because I felt like I was in a completely different country than where I live in the mountains. Javi’s site, Moche, is on the coast where the people are lively and open. Also this wedding, in particular, was with fairly wealthy Peruvians. I don’t ever get to experience this sort of lifestyle in the mountains, so it fun to have a cultural change.

¿estás acostumbrada?

2009-01-01T22:37:00.004-05:00

This morning I found myself sweeping my dirt floor. That’s right, sweeping dirt. As I was sweeping, I had to avoid the pile of potatoes that sits in the corner of my room. The pile has been there since I moved in. I’m not sure what all those potatoes are doing there, but I plan on leaving them alone until my family tells me what to do. I then walked out of my room and banged my head on the 5 foot door. All of the Peruvians easily fit under the doors here. I, on the other hand, have several bruises on my head.

At least once a day, someone in Julcán asks me “¿Estás acostumbrada a Julcán?” Are you accustomed to Julcán yet? I tell them “si, más o menos.” I am trying my hardest to get used to all of the differences in lifestyle here. Here are just some of the things I am adjusting to:

PAPAS- potatoes potatoes potatoes. For those of you who don’t know, Peru is the international capital of potatoes in the world. Julcán, my district, is the 2nd biggest potato producer in the country. Everyone in my town is a potato farmer. With not much money, they even get paid in potatoes. In the center of the main plaza, there is a statue of tools used for potato farming. No meal is complete without potatoes. Now, potatoes actually used to be one of my favorite foods, but now that I have had them in access, they are far from my favorite. The other day Jason Chris and I were riding a bus joking about how many potatoes there are here. As we were talking, a woman walked on the bus and handed out boiled potatoes to everyone.

My family sent me some Kraft macaroni and cheese from back home, after hearing me talk of meals consisting of only potatoes. I made it for my family. Guess what? They served it with potatoes.

AGUA- I don’t have running water. Water comes to the houses only twice a week, and only for 15 minutes early in the morning. (Only this week, it didn’t come at all…). It is a pretty big hassle; not only for me personally, but I find it to be a huge obstacle when I tell people here the importance of hygiene and washing hands when we don’t have water to do so.

CABRERO- There are often decapitated goats hanging in my house. They LOVE to eat goat head here. For every special occasion, goat head is served. Its considered a delicacy (kind of like a big juicy steak in the states). My host mom has a business on Sundays where she serves all things goat head. I watch her on Saturday afternoons as she brings home 8 freshly killed goat heads and cuts them apart and cleans them (that is, if there is water). It’s about a 6 hour process. The following day at 6 in the morning, at least 50 people come over to eat goat head soup, or goat head with (surprise surprise) potatoes.

CUY- In addition to the delicious goat head, guinea pig is considered even more of a delicacy. Apparently it tastes like chicken? The other day I went to Jason’s house for lunch. As I pushed around the food on my plate, trying to gulp down some bites, I felt something crawling at my feet. I looked down and saw five or six guinea pigs running around on the kitchen floor. People raise the guinea pigs in their homes so that they can be fresh when it comes time to eat them. (Luckily, what I was eating for lunch was just potatoes; guinea pig was for dinner, which I unfortunately missed).

GRINGA- I am trying my best to fit in here. I bought myself a poncho, I’m working on my Julcanera accent and slang, and learning the customs of Julcán. But no matter what I do, I’ll be the tall white girl who talks funny. As mentioned above, the short doors have taken some getting used to. But other than the doors, being a tall white girl is not necessarily a negative thing. In fact, I sort of feel like a celebrity here because everyone knows me. People who I can’t remember meeting yell out my name as I walk by. I definitely feel respected and welcomed as the new gringa in town. But it is certainly a weird feeling to be a minority.

navidad

2009-01-01T22:35:00.004-05:00

On Christmas Eve, we ate our Christmas dinner at midnight, as is Peruvian tradition. It included panettone (fruit cake-like... pretty gross in my opinion, but the Peruvians LOVE it) and hot chocolate. After dinner, we danced until about 4 in the morning. We woke up for breakfast, which also consisted of panettone and chocolate. After lunch with the entire extended family (including panettone and chocolate), we continued to dance for hours.

huayno

2009-01-01T22:34:00.006-05:00

Huayno is the traditional dance of the sierra of Peru. I don’t really know how to describe it, there’s a lot of, waving a handkerchief, and hollering involved. I’m trying my best to learn how to dance huayno. We had a little dance party at our house with my grandmother, sister, and some neighborhood girls. While the pictures are nice, I hope that this demonstrative video, thanks to my grandmother Abuelita Felicita, will show you all what Huayno is all about.

shoot de fashion

2009-01-01T22:34:00.005-05:00

My entire family is obsessed with my digital camera. They think it is the greatest thing ever. The other day, my three sisters and I went out for a walk. They told me to bring the camera. I didn’t realize their intentions at first, but we ended up having a full out photo shoot. I realize that probably most of you reading this blog have your own digital cameras. To me, and probably you all, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. But to Yisenia, Aurora, and Lily, seeing pictures of themselves is something they are not used to at all. It was great to be able to share it with them.

Here are some of the results of the photo shoot.

famila

2009-01-01T22:32:00.001-05:00

Here are some pictures of my family. Two of my sisters, Aurora Marisol (28) and Yisenia (19) study in Trujillo (4 hours away), but are home for the holidays. Clever (27), my brother works as a potato farmer. Lily (24) is a nurse technician who works at the health post where I work. My host father José, is occasionally at home, but usually working as a beer distributor in Trujillo. My host mother, Palomira stays at home as a housewife. Her mother, Felicita lives next door. She also has eight brothers and sisters, six of which are our neighbors. I haven’t quite yet figured out all of the aunts, uncles, and cousins, but soon enough I’ll have all of the relatives straightened out.

3 semanas

2008-12-21T11:48:00.001-05:00

I’ve been in my site now for over 3 weeks. I am still getting adjusted; there is a lot to get used to! But my family and all of the Julacaneros are all very nice, and I am beginning to accept that this is my home for the next two years.

It is definitely pretty hard to come into a new community as an outsider and establish yourself. Right now everyone here thinks of me as the new “psicologa” in town (just because I have a BA in psychology, to them means I’m a true professional who can cure everything). I’m trying to establish myself as the new peace corps volunteer here who will be doing other things besides giving therapy to their teenage boys who like to drink. I will be planning educational sessions and other activities on health issues such as nutrition, development, maternal healthcare, self-esteem, communication, hygiene, domestic abuse, etc. I will start working in the schools (although for the next two months, the kids are out on summer vacation), work more in the health center, visit families, as well as get to know the other organizations in the community.

I’ve heard that the first 3 months of Peace Corps service are the hardest, and I definitely believe that. Right now, I am just the tall white girl who walks around Julcán. People are nice to me, but they are still not quite sure what I’m doing here. To tell you the truth, I’m still not quite sure what I’m doing here either. But hopefully after a couple of months, we’ll all have that figured out.

promoción

2008-12-21T11:46:00.001-05:00

This past week, I attended 3 promociones in and around Julcán. Promociones are essentially a combination of prom and graduation. After completing elementary school and high school, the students get really dressed up (in their rented prom-sytle attire) and participate in a huge party with their families and teachers. These parties include a large meal (goat head included), lots of speeches, gifts, cake, and dancing, a lot of dancing. The most interesting aspect for me is the aspect of parejas and padrinos. For elementary school, each student has a padrino (godparent) who accompanies them and escorts them to the promocion. The high schoolers have parejas (kind of like a prom date?) to escort them to the promocion. I was asked by parents of both a high schooler and elementary schooler to be a pareja and madrina. Not really knowing what I was getting myself into, I accepted. I had to get dressed up (but not as dressed up as the Peruvian girls, who even got their hair styled for these events!), get a gift for my “godson” and “prom date” for the two events. Both of them were quite interesting, and didn’t end till about 4 in the morning. Needless to say, I was exhausted this week from my promocion parties. Here are some pictures from the promocion for high school, with my pareja, John.

chugurpampa

2008-12-21T11:44:00.001-05:00

Chugurpampa is a small town about a 2 hour walk away from Julcán (there are no cars here, so walking or riding a donkey is how we get there). Jason, one of the other volunteers is living and working in Chugurpampa. This town is even more rural and isolated than mine. We accompanied Jason to visit his new community of Chugurpampa for the first time and we experienced one of the most incredible welcomes I think anyone could ever imagine. Let me preface this by explaining that Chugurpampa is a tiny little community with about 100 families, no electricity, and even less contact with the outside world than Julcán. Not much goes on there, people work on the farm, eat, sleep, and spend time with their families. With that said, three gringos showing up in their community is a pretty big deal.

As we approached, fireworks literally started shooting off. A marching band approached us, as well as a group of 10 men, who we found out were the town leaders. The all shook our hands and led us to the front of the band. We were then instructed to start dancing the traditional dance of the area, Huayno (although the three of us were clueless about how to do this). Then, we were led to the school, where a stage was set up with loud speakers. We sat on stage while the band continued to play. A man in a suit started praising us and explaining how wonderful it was to have us in their town. We were then instructed to start dancing on stage. Two women came up to dance with Chris and Jason and a man came to dance with me. While we awkwardly attempted to dance Huayno on stage, the entire town watched us in awe (or confusion). The band played on while the man with a microphone praised the dancing of the three awkward tall white people (“¡Eso Rebequita!” he would say). When the music finally stopped, the entire audience was given a little glass of Inca Cola and everyone made a toast to the arrival of the newcomers. Then, we were handed the microphone and each of us had to introduce ourselves (and show off our broken Spanish with our strong accents) and explain our goals. It was wonderfully uncomfortable, but at the same time, we all felt very welcome. And of course, after the toast, we were instructed to dance in front of everyone on stage again.

The celebration at the school was followed by a town soccer game, a huge meal, and, of course, more dancing. These welcome festivities literally lasted 12 hours until Jason, Chris, and I practically had to beg them to stop the music, as we were exhausted from hours of dancing. I will remember the day probably for the rest of my life, partly for the awkwardness, but mostly for how open and kind these Peruvians were towards us. I have never felt so welcome.

We’ve visited Chugurpampa several times since our initial visit, and are always greeted with a warm welcome. Jason will hopefully be very happy there.

mi nueva hogar

2008-12-06T17:29:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures of my new home in Julcán. I live in a little house behind my family’s main house. The living conditions are definitely something I will have to get used to. But my new family is very kind and welcoming; and hopefully before long, I will be comfortable in my new home.

gringuita

2008-12-06T17:26:00.002-05:00

As I walk the streets of Julcán, I hear “¡hola gringita!” coming from little kids or grandmothers sitting on their doorsteps. Gringuita (or “little gringa,” or “little white girl”) is apparently my new nickname here. News spread fast that a new gringa is in town. As much of an adjustment it is for me to be in this new Andean community, I realize that having a new white girl in town is also a change for the people of Julcán.

julcán: mi comunidad nueva

2008-12-06T17:13:00.002-05:00

I am finally an official Peace Corps Volunteer! I arrived in my new community, Julcán, La Libertad. At an altitude of 3500 meters (over 10,000 ft), Julcán is a beautiful site in the Andes Mountains. It is very rural: donkeys, pigs, chickens, and little children running around everywhere. (There is also no internet access, which means I have even more limited time to update this blog! So, I apologize for the short entries). Practically everyone in my community is a potato farmer. The people have been very welcoming, but also a little shy towards me. The population of Julcán itself is about 4,000 people. I will also be working in caserios (smaller communities) surrounding the town of Julcán.
There are two other Peace Corps Volunteers in Julcan with me. Jason and Chris will be working in the Water and Sanitation program, while I’m working in the Health Program. During my first three months here, I will be working on a community diagnostic to get to know the community and assess its needs.

enjuramiento

2008-12-06T17:11:00.000-05:00

On Friday, we had our official Peace Corps swearing-in ceremony. All 48 of us made it through training and were sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers. The ceremony was very nice. Guests included members of the US Embassy, Michael Hirsh, the Peace Corps Country Director, Peace Corps Peru Staff, and our host families.
The day itself was agri-dulce (bitter-sweet) because while it was exciting to become an official volunteer, we also had to say goodbye to our host families. After the celebration, we were all bussed away to Lima.

despedidas

2008-12-06T17:03:00.002-05:00

Last week, as training came to a close, I had to say goodbye to my host family and community. To show our gratitude for our families in Huascaran, all of the Huascaran volunteers planned a fiesta de helado (ice-cream social). Our families loved it!
In return, the host mothers of Huascaran planned a fiesta for the trainees. We had dinner, vino, cake, and dancing. It was a great way to celebrate all together as a community before the volunteers left for their sites.

¡yay obama!

2008-11-07T17:32:00.002-05:00

fiesta de cumpleaños y halloween

2008-11-04T17:36:00.005-05:00

On Sunday, after returning from Piura, my family hosted a birthday/Halloween party at hour house. Everyone dressed up for Halloween (we had a costume contest with a bottle of pisco as a prize). Some of the top costumes included Miss America, Barney, Bop-it/Twist-it man, Peruvian football players. My favorite costume was my sister Ana’s. She dressed up as me (check out the pics!). My madre made pisco sours for everyone and also got a birthday cake. We even had Halloween decorations with spider webs and Halloween balloons. It was great to celebrate with my family and friends here. Although it wasn’t the same as celebrating Halloween and my birthday at home, it was definitely very special.

mi cumpleaños en piura

2008-11-04T17:35:00.002-05:00

This past Saturday was my 23rd birthday. I was a little ambivalent about spending my first birthday away from friends and family. And what was more; I would be spending it in a very isolated site in the farms of Piura.
On the 31st, my FBT group , Lizzy, and my trainer Jorge planned a surprise for my birthday. Jorge told us that we had to immediately leave Lizzy’s site because we had to have an emergency meeting with the Peace Corps Peru Director and our Associate Program Director back in Piura City. I got really nervous and confused (and more confused about why no one else was nervous about this emergency meeting). I wondered what could have happened that we had to immediately leave the Lizzy’s isolated site to go to the city. After 6 hours of exhausting and stressful travel back to the city, we went to a fancy restaurant to “meet the director.” When we sat down at our table and everyone raised their glasses and made a toast. They explained to me that there was no meeting with the director; we were simply in the city to celebrate and go out for my birthday! It was a wonderful surprise. After a very nice dinner (I finally got to have a real salad and not worry about getting sick), we went out to a discoteca and danced till 5 in the morning.

potrerillo

2008-11-04T17:34:00.004-05:00

After Jilili, we traveled on very bumpy roads to visit another volunteer, Lizzy. Lizzy’s site. Potrerillo, was also amazing. She’s finishing up her service at the end of November, and one of us will actually be replacing her. It was very inspiring to see how much work Lizzy has accomplished in two years. During our visit, we did an HIV/Aids talk in her local high school, did an educational session about clean water and trash management for the members of a nearby community, watched the construction of a “cocina mejorada” (improved kitchen), and observed and learned all about the latrine project that Lizzy facilitated during her service.

Overall, I learned a lot during field based training and it made me even more excited about getting out into the field and starting my own projects. Hearing about and actually seeing the projects of other Peace Corps volunteers was definitely encouraging.

jilili

2008-11-04T17:32:00.004-05:00

Last week, we had field based training. It was great finally got to get out of Lima and experience Peace Corps sites. I went to the department Piura (northern Peru, next to Ecuador) with four other volunteers and our trainer, Jorge. First, we visited a PC volunteer, Brian, working in the small town of Jilili. Jilili is a beautiful site in the mountains of Piura, about six hours (a VERY bumpy ride) away from Piura City. At Brian’s site, we visited the local health post, did some educational sessions in the local high school, hiked to other communities to work on a latrine project, visited some community gardens, as well as learned a lot about what its really like to be a volunteer, especially in such an isolated site. It made all of us very excited to get out into the field.

ferria de culturas

2008-10-23T19:09:00.002-04:00

This week at the training center, we put on a culture fair. All of the language classes were assigned a department (region) in Peru to research. My group researched La Libertad, (a department famous for La Marinera Norteña (a dance), and winning Peru’s liberty). The fair was an opportunity for all of the trainees to learn about the country, as well as practice planning ways to teach about a theme with non-formal education.

A group of us were also asked to participate in a dance. Those of you who know me know I was all about that! After many hours of practice last week, we performed an Afro-Peruvian dance from the department of Ica. We had a drummer and a guitarist accompany us. It was a lot of fun! Definitely one of my favorite parts of training so far.

picnic

2008-10-23T19:08:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday, all of the host families and trainees in our community got together for a picnic. It was organized by our madres. There was parilla (bbq), swimming, games, etc. It was really nice to have the families all come together. Our families, especially our mothers, don’t often get a chance to get out of the house and have some fun. So, it was a big to-do. All of the host mothers had a 3 hour meeting last week to plan the menu, the games (like tug-of-war Gringos vs. Peruvians), it was really cute! All of the gringos and families have really bonded with each other. It´s definitely going to be hard to leave these families when we go off to our sites.

aniversario en vitarte

2008-10-16T19:57:00.011-04:00

I am beginning to realize that Peruvians love to celebrate. The first fiesta I went to was a big deal for me, but now I understand that I am going to get the opportunity to go to a lot of these parties (After only a month, I’ve been to five anniversary parties with music and traditional dance)! After a long night celebrating and watching musical performances in Chosica, my family and I went to Vitarte (another neighboring town where my family has more family) to celebrate another anniversary. Diosabel’s brother’s family lives in Vitarte and his son’s school was putting on an anniversary show. There were dozens of little kids dressed up in traditional clothes doing folkloric dances from all over Peru. It was amazing. I’ll let the pictures and video express it for themselves....

¡un mes!

2008-10-16T19:57:00.010-04:00

I can’t believe that I’ve been in Perú for a whole month! Part of me feels like the time has flown by and I just got here… while another part of me feels like I’ve been here forever. I certainly miss friends and family from home. But I’m enjoying myself and looking forward to getting to know the country and its people and culture even more.

I’m getting more and more comfortable living in my community of Huascaran. Our training group is also getting pretty close. We are all getting used to being called Gringos everywhere we go, as well as standing out as the whitest and tallest people in our communities. Even though we will all disperse to our various sites in Perú, I think we will all stay in touch and serve as a support system for each other. Once we get to our individual sites in the provinces, we could be 1 hour to 5 hours away from the closest volunteer. Here are some random pictures of my community and the other volunteers.

aniversario de chosica

2008-10-13T20:07:00.005-04:00

Chosica is one of the larger towns outside of Lima. It is about 20 minutes from my town of Huascaran. This past weekend Chosica celebrated its anniversary. Thousands of people, including my family and I, went to Chosica to join in the festivities. There were many famous musical groups performing. My favorite was actually a Cuban salsa group (check out the video below).

The festivities lasted well into the morning. I have friends who didn’t get home till 8 in the morning! I was with my familia, and my 11 year old sister was falling asleep, so we got back “early” at 1 am. Here are some pics of Chosica and the concert.

¡fiesta de graffiti!

2008-10-09T18:56:00.006-04:00

One of our fellow PC trainees had a birthday on Tuesday. He had all of us over to his family’s house for a birthday party. We were instructed to wear blank white t-shirts and bring markers. At this graffiti birthday party, we all drew on each other while enjoying cumbia and salsa music, a piñata, and cerveza. It was a good time!