Friday, December 9, 2011
A day in the life.
So, last week, I had to give a presentation about costs and prices to a group of farmers near my town. I walked to the main road and waved down a milk truck to hitch a free ride. There were about 10 Peruvians on the back of the truck but I managed to squeeze in. While I’m standing in the back it starts raining and I have to start ducking because of the tree branches. I also take advantage to cover my handouts I had prepared. An hour later, I arrived to my meeting right on time. They took me to a really old adobe house and walked me to where I’d be giving my presentation. There were exactly four really old beds in the room. What can you do? At least there was electricity! I connected my projector, told everyone to take a seat…on the beds…and that’s the day in the life!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Living through it.
I remember hearing from several people in my town that there was going to be a strike on Thursday, November 24, because of a gold mine project here in the area. I didn’t really give it much thought or think it would be a big deal. Boy, was I wrong. I was in for an interesting and unforgettable experience.
After months of anxiously waiting, on Thanksgiving Day, I was expecting a shipment of 2000 books from the States for a library I’m helping start. I was bummed to hear they wouldn’t be making it on time. I was told to wait until that Saturday. So, Thursday comes along and all roads going into the capital city of where I live were blocked. No one could go in or out. Thanksgiving was very uneventful. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and still no books. During this time, local business owners were starting to become affected. A person that relied on their daily income by selling their milk was out of luck, any person that relied on selling fresh fruit or fish from the coast was also out of luck, food prices went up 200%. There was a scarcity of food, every road was blocked and business owners were suffering badly. Nestle or Gloria milk trucks were not allowed to enter the area. There were protestors camping out on every single entrance to the city and if you tried to go through, it was a risk of getting hurt. Wednesday, November 30, they decided to have an even stronger protest. Here in my town, every single store was closed and school was cancelled. You couldn’t find anywhere to buy water, groceries, make copies, etc. It felt like a ghost town while everyone went to protest. The two main roads in my town were blocked with huge burning tree trunks and tires. There was no way to go in or out. The whole region was paralyzed and as the government called it, “being held hostage.” Locals have every right to protest but on the contrary the mine has given thousand of jobs to Peruvians and is a huge source of investment for Perú. By this time, as a volunteer I was not allowed to go anywhere for safety reasons. This went on until Sunday evening, when at midnight the President declared Cajamarca in State of Emergency. Thousands of troops and police have arrived since and protestors would be arrested if this continued. Helicopters have been roaming the area. The roads finally opened up, protestors are starting to die down and the gold mine project has been temporarily suspended.
It makes such a difference when you live through it rather than reading about it. My heart goes out for locals who are opposed to this gold mine project because lakes that will be exploded is the source of water everyone relies on here (even me). Then again, the mine explains how they will build new lakes, although it will not be the same. There are many arguments to both stories. What I did learn form all this is that one needs to be informed to dialogue and come to an agreement. I made sure to keep my opinions to myself considering I’m an American and the gold mine is from the United States.
Here are a few articles about the situation:
http://www.economist.com/node/21538788
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15884119
On a brighter note, we are going to pick up the 2,000 books tomorrow to the capital city! Also, I’ll be visiting the States this Christmas and New Years to spend it with my family in Arizona!!! There is so much to look forward to. I have 8 months left of my Peace Corps Service and many new and exciting projects I will soon share with you all!
Happy Holidays and thanks for reading!
After months of anxiously waiting, on Thanksgiving Day, I was expecting a shipment of 2000 books from the States for a library I’m helping start. I was bummed to hear they wouldn’t be making it on time. I was told to wait until that Saturday. So, Thursday comes along and all roads going into the capital city of where I live were blocked. No one could go in or out. Thanksgiving was very uneventful. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and still no books. During this time, local business owners were starting to become affected. A person that relied on their daily income by selling their milk was out of luck, any person that relied on selling fresh fruit or fish from the coast was also out of luck, food prices went up 200%. There was a scarcity of food, every road was blocked and business owners were suffering badly. Nestle or Gloria milk trucks were not allowed to enter the area. There were protestors camping out on every single entrance to the city and if you tried to go through, it was a risk of getting hurt. Wednesday, November 30, they decided to have an even stronger protest. Here in my town, every single store was closed and school was cancelled. You couldn’t find anywhere to buy water, groceries, make copies, etc. It felt like a ghost town while everyone went to protest. The two main roads in my town were blocked with huge burning tree trunks and tires. There was no way to go in or out. The whole region was paralyzed and as the government called it, “being held hostage.” Locals have every right to protest but on the contrary the mine has given thousand of jobs to Peruvians and is a huge source of investment for Perú. By this time, as a volunteer I was not allowed to go anywhere for safety reasons. This went on until Sunday evening, when at midnight the President declared Cajamarca in State of Emergency. Thousands of troops and police have arrived since and protestors would be arrested if this continued. Helicopters have been roaming the area. The roads finally opened up, protestors are starting to die down and the gold mine project has been temporarily suspended.
It makes such a difference when you live through it rather than reading about it. My heart goes out for locals who are opposed to this gold mine project because lakes that will be exploded is the source of water everyone relies on here (even me). Then again, the mine explains how they will build new lakes, although it will not be the same. There are many arguments to both stories. What I did learn form all this is that one needs to be informed to dialogue and come to an agreement. I made sure to keep my opinions to myself considering I’m an American and the gold mine is from the United States.
Here are a few articles about the situation:
http://www.economist.com/node/21538788
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15884119
On a brighter note, we are going to pick up the 2,000 books tomorrow to the capital city! Also, I’ll be visiting the States this Christmas and New Years to spend it with my family in Arizona!!! There is so much to look forward to. I have 8 months left of my Peace Corps Service and many new and exciting projects I will soon share with you all!
Happy Holidays and thanks for reading!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
In the past year.
Finally! I decided it’s time I update all of you on what has been going on in my life as a Peace Corps Volunteer. It is hard to decide where to begin but I’ll start off saying this: It has been a roller coaster of emotions and unforgettable experiences.
I will share with you three things: My work, my travels and my birthday this year. Also, I’ll include in the end some interesting Peruvian habits I have picked up.
Work:
If I want to have a meeting at 5 p.m., I need to let everyone know the meeting starts at 3 p.m. I am no exaggerating when I say everyone shows up to meetings hours late. That is how it works and I am finally getting the hang of it. If I want to go make copies before a class I have to teach, I know I need to leave 45 before, even though the copy store is 4 houses from mine. The paper always gets jammed if I want to make more than 3 copies at a time. In order for everyone to show up to my meeting, I need to go stalk their homes and confirm they are coming. This is after I call them consistently until they answer and I tell them it’s me again to remind them about the “meeting.” Finally, when I am at the meeting, I call them again to let them know I am there. THESE are the challenges to getting any work done in my town and yet I have accomplished a good amount in the past year! It has been hard, frustrating and there have been times where I just want to give up. Hanging in makes you that much stronger to facing any challenge, struggles, frustrations, etc.
WORK:
1. Savings and Credit Program (micro-lending): After hosting meetings, promoting it to dozens of community members, and being stood up for months, I finally started the first community bank in my town. The bank is called “Banco S.P.,” and has 12 shares, each valuing at S./5 (about $2.50 each). The idea is that each owner of a share has to invest S./5 weekly in the bank, and as the money builds up, they have easy access to credit with a small interest rate of 2%. They have to repay the money in a month to give the opportunity to others that want to borrow, weather it is to invest in their small business or for a family emergency. In the end, the shares are divided with the interest rate they earned for lending their money. It’s an amazing way to teach them how to save and borrow money wisely.
2. Promoting Literature: The first library building ever in my town is almost done being built! I managed to form a committee and we have accomplished so much these past months. We received a book grant of 2000 books from an NGO in the U.S., this was all thanks to two amazing sponsors. They are at sea right now on their way to Peru! It was not easy but will be totally worth it. Right now our issue is transporting the books from Lima to my town. The costs are an obstacle and we are fundraising to cover them.
3. Artisans: I have been working with a group of Artisans for the past year. I teach them basic concepts on business and how to become a more competitive association. We’ve managed to look for local markets and started weekly meetings where they all learn new ideas on weaving. I will post some pictures of their work on another blog. If you are interested in purchasing, let me know! You wont get the tourist price ☺Their work is beautiful!
4. Youth Entrepreneurship: This has been my most successful project, yet. I taught a business course at the local institute. It lasted three months and 40 students learned how to write their own business plans. In groups, they presented their ideas to a panel of judges. In the end, the winning group had the opportunity to travel to Lima to compete at the U.S. Embassy and my group won 3rd place!! They received more than half of the funding for them to start their business. The local municipality is helping with the rest of the money. Soon two students from the Institute will implement a new business in San Pablo! The business idea and plan they wrote was raising Cuys (guinea pigs) and selling them to local restaurants for profit. Fried “Cuy” is one of the most famous dishes in Peru.
TRAVELS:
I have had the opportunity to visit so many beautiful places in Peru but there is one place that I will never forget: Lake Titicaca. We all learn about it in middle school but what they didn’t teach us is that people live on the enormous lake. They build their own little islands out of hay and roots of a certain plant. They literally live on tiny floating islands. I posted pictures below so you can see.
BIRTHDAY:
It was amazing and unforgettable. My town threw me a surprise birthday celebration. My whole English Class was there, friends from the municipality, the artisans, my family, friends, etc. About 70 people were waiting for me at the restaurant. They had a beautiful band playing Mexican music, it was decorated so nice, the cake was delicious and to top it off they served Mexican Tacos for dinner!! The next morning for breakfast my family made me pancakes, eggs and oatmeal! It was the best birthday I could have ever asked for.
PERUVIAN HABITS I HAVE AQUIRED:
I say “YA” after every sentence (means OK in English)
I drink Inca Kola like water
I call someone on the phone consistently until they pick up
I whine when I ask for things
I take a nap after I eat lunch
I consider my birthday a holiday (which is why I have dedicated time to writing this)
If you are interested in helping or partnering with any of my projects, email me. Thanks for reading!
Lake Titicaca
Teaching business
Milking cows on a Sunday morning
I will share with you three things: My work, my travels and my birthday this year. Also, I’ll include in the end some interesting Peruvian habits I have picked up.
Work:
If I want to have a meeting at 5 p.m., I need to let everyone know the meeting starts at 3 p.m. I am no exaggerating when I say everyone shows up to meetings hours late. That is how it works and I am finally getting the hang of it. If I want to go make copies before a class I have to teach, I know I need to leave 45 before, even though the copy store is 4 houses from mine. The paper always gets jammed if I want to make more than 3 copies at a time. In order for everyone to show up to my meeting, I need to go stalk their homes and confirm they are coming. This is after I call them consistently until they answer and I tell them it’s me again to remind them about the “meeting.” Finally, when I am at the meeting, I call them again to let them know I am there. THESE are the challenges to getting any work done in my town and yet I have accomplished a good amount in the past year! It has been hard, frustrating and there have been times where I just want to give up. Hanging in makes you that much stronger to facing any challenge, struggles, frustrations, etc.
WORK:
1. Savings and Credit Program (micro-lending): After hosting meetings, promoting it to dozens of community members, and being stood up for months, I finally started the first community bank in my town. The bank is called “Banco S.P.,” and has 12 shares, each valuing at S./5 (about $2.50 each). The idea is that each owner of a share has to invest S./5 weekly in the bank, and as the money builds up, they have easy access to credit with a small interest rate of 2%. They have to repay the money in a month to give the opportunity to others that want to borrow, weather it is to invest in their small business or for a family emergency. In the end, the shares are divided with the interest rate they earned for lending their money. It’s an amazing way to teach them how to save and borrow money wisely.
2. Promoting Literature: The first library building ever in my town is almost done being built! I managed to form a committee and we have accomplished so much these past months. We received a book grant of 2000 books from an NGO in the U.S., this was all thanks to two amazing sponsors. They are at sea right now on their way to Peru! It was not easy but will be totally worth it. Right now our issue is transporting the books from Lima to my town. The costs are an obstacle and we are fundraising to cover them.
3. Artisans: I have been working with a group of Artisans for the past year. I teach them basic concepts on business and how to become a more competitive association. We’ve managed to look for local markets and started weekly meetings where they all learn new ideas on weaving. I will post some pictures of their work on another blog. If you are interested in purchasing, let me know! You wont get the tourist price ☺Their work is beautiful!
4. Youth Entrepreneurship: This has been my most successful project, yet. I taught a business course at the local institute. It lasted three months and 40 students learned how to write their own business plans. In groups, they presented their ideas to a panel of judges. In the end, the winning group had the opportunity to travel to Lima to compete at the U.S. Embassy and my group won 3rd place!! They received more than half of the funding for them to start their business. The local municipality is helping with the rest of the money. Soon two students from the Institute will implement a new business in San Pablo! The business idea and plan they wrote was raising Cuys (guinea pigs) and selling them to local restaurants for profit. Fried “Cuy” is one of the most famous dishes in Peru.
TRAVELS:
I have had the opportunity to visit so many beautiful places in Peru but there is one place that I will never forget: Lake Titicaca. We all learn about it in middle school but what they didn’t teach us is that people live on the enormous lake. They build their own little islands out of hay and roots of a certain plant. They literally live on tiny floating islands. I posted pictures below so you can see.
BIRTHDAY:
It was amazing and unforgettable. My town threw me a surprise birthday celebration. My whole English Class was there, friends from the municipality, the artisans, my family, friends, etc. About 70 people were waiting for me at the restaurant. They had a beautiful band playing Mexican music, it was decorated so nice, the cake was delicious and to top it off they served Mexican Tacos for dinner!! The next morning for breakfast my family made me pancakes, eggs and oatmeal! It was the best birthday I could have ever asked for.
PERUVIAN HABITS I HAVE AQUIRED:
I say “YA” after every sentence (means OK in English)
I drink Inca Kola like water
I call someone on the phone consistently until they pick up
I whine when I ask for things
I take a nap after I eat lunch
I consider my birthday a holiday (which is why I have dedicated time to writing this)
If you are interested in helping or partnering with any of my projects, email me. Thanks for reading!
Lake Titicaca
Teaching business
Milking cows on a Sunday morning
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Cumpleaños
I have hit my two-month mark at site. What a better way to celebrate than with my birthday? Actually, I was not thinking it would be a big deal. I had my day planned out with my work; little did I know. Word spreads quickly here in town. After a nice breakfast with my family, I had to run errands and make a quick trip to the municipality to finalize some meetings. They had a huge bottle of Inca Cola and crackers waiting for me. They gave a toast and I ended up staying there for an hour talking with everyone. Before I knew it, it was time for lunch. I came home to my favorite meal, Pollo a la Brasa, Everyone from the professors to the priest were here. The priest ended up bringing a bottle of wine from church and we had another toast. My host mom got so excited about the wine that when I finished my first glass she had already finished her second. They made me my favorite dessert ever—Arroz con Leche. I opened gifts and thanked everyone. I had to go give a presentation at the high school at 3 p.m. right after. So, I showed up and they decided we weren’t going to have it because it was my birthday. I come home and my sister had a picnic set up for me in the “garden” of the house. There was a blanket with flowers in the middle, peaches, mandarins, cheese & crackers, arroz con leche, and popcorn. We ate everything, laughed, and talked. She taught me how to sew, too. We got up when the ants started showing up. In the evening, my host mom made me my favorite dinner--Pollo a la Brasa. After that there was chocolate cake w/Arroz con Leche.
By this time, I don’t think I could breathe from what I had eaten. As soon as I was done with dinner, the artisan group I started working with surprised me at the door, sang me happy birthday and gave me a beautiful hand made purse. They then invited me to dinner to a restaurant where they sell my favorite food. I show up and there it was…Pollo a la Brasa. I was mentally and physically prepared to do this: one more meal to go. I forgot to mention, in the Peruvian culture, even if you politely say you are full or can’t make it somewhere for whatever reason, they take it to offense. So, I couldn’t say no to their sweet invitation. I successfully finished my plate and drank my glass of soda. Plus, it is not a meal I get everyday so I had to take advantage.
The top of the day, I was so blown away by all the amazing emails, facebook messages, calls, and letters I got from ALL OF YOU. It was unbelievable and I was so GRATEFUL for the love and support. It’s really encouraging.
On a different note, things are going really well here! I have seen about 10 parades since I arrived, experienced about 5 holidays and got to see how crazy elections were in my town. I am starting to teach English to a group of high school students, a group of 3rd grade girls and at the Kindergarten level. I was dreading this but it is a really great way to integrate into the community. I’m also working with a group of artisans and hosting meetings every Wednesday. I’m starting off by teaching them basic business classes in order to strengthen their association. Also, I’m preparing them for a great market opportunity the beginning of November--an artisan fair at the U.S. Embassy. The project I have spent most time on is focusing on strengthening the Chamber of Commerce that was formalized a few months ago. To summarize, I started off by doing a business survey to every single business in San Pablo; formal or informal. This was with the help of 8 volunteers from the Institute. We asked basic business question and what they would be interested in learning to strengthen their business. Putting together the results was long and tedious but well worth it. We are going to move forward with a strategic plan to see how the Chamber of Commerce can help develop, strengthen and expand businesses here. There is so much potential in this town. I have so many ideas but I need take things slow and continue to take my time in getting to know my community and integrating.
It completely makes sense to me why the Peace Corps is a 27-month commitment and not a 3-4 month one or even a year. Sustainability is key and in order to accomplish this, it takes time. It is definitely not something that is going to happen from one month to the next. I want to continue learning about the culture here and vise versa. They love learning about mine. I want to help with sustainable projects. Weather it is from teaching English at an early age to figuring out how to start a library, to helping small businesses grow, to teaching entrepreneurship classes to young adults. This is what I love about my job, the endless possibilities with the challenge of you being the only person that can take initiative.
I believe that is it for now. Until next time! :) xoxo
By this time, I don’t think I could breathe from what I had eaten. As soon as I was done with dinner, the artisan group I started working with surprised me at the door, sang me happy birthday and gave me a beautiful hand made purse. They then invited me to dinner to a restaurant where they sell my favorite food. I show up and there it was…Pollo a la Brasa. I was mentally and physically prepared to do this: one more meal to go. I forgot to mention, in the Peruvian culture, even if you politely say you are full or can’t make it somewhere for whatever reason, they take it to offense. So, I couldn’t say no to their sweet invitation. I successfully finished my plate and drank my glass of soda. Plus, it is not a meal I get everyday so I had to take advantage.
The top of the day, I was so blown away by all the amazing emails, facebook messages, calls, and letters I got from ALL OF YOU. It was unbelievable and I was so GRATEFUL for the love and support. It’s really encouraging.
On a different note, things are going really well here! I have seen about 10 parades since I arrived, experienced about 5 holidays and got to see how crazy elections were in my town. I am starting to teach English to a group of high school students, a group of 3rd grade girls and at the Kindergarten level. I was dreading this but it is a really great way to integrate into the community. I’m also working with a group of artisans and hosting meetings every Wednesday. I’m starting off by teaching them basic business classes in order to strengthen their association. Also, I’m preparing them for a great market opportunity the beginning of November--an artisan fair at the U.S. Embassy. The project I have spent most time on is focusing on strengthening the Chamber of Commerce that was formalized a few months ago. To summarize, I started off by doing a business survey to every single business in San Pablo; formal or informal. This was with the help of 8 volunteers from the Institute. We asked basic business question and what they would be interested in learning to strengthen their business. Putting together the results was long and tedious but well worth it. We are going to move forward with a strategic plan to see how the Chamber of Commerce can help develop, strengthen and expand businesses here. There is so much potential in this town. I have so many ideas but I need take things slow and continue to take my time in getting to know my community and integrating.
It completely makes sense to me why the Peace Corps is a 27-month commitment and not a 3-4 month one or even a year. Sustainability is key and in order to accomplish this, it takes time. It is definitely not something that is going to happen from one month to the next. I want to continue learning about the culture here and vise versa. They love learning about mine. I want to help with sustainable projects. Weather it is from teaching English at an early age to figuring out how to start a library, to helping small businesses grow, to teaching entrepreneurship classes to young adults. This is what I love about my job, the endless possibilities with the challenge of you being the only person that can take initiative.
I believe that is it for now. Until next time! :) xoxo
Monday, September 20, 2010
San Pablo
Quite a few things have happened since I last posted a blog. My change in site, saying good-bye to my host family in Lima, our bus ride to the Embassy before swearing in, and an unforgettable last night in Lima with all my friends.
Due to certain circumstances, my site was changed. Feel free to email or call me if you would like more details.
I am now in the department of Cajamarca, in a town called San Pablo. This town is in a valley in the northern sierra of the Andes Mountains and is about 10,000 in population. I am an hour and a half from the capital city of Cajamarca. It is so beautiful. The weather is perfect; there is a cold breeze in the mornings and evenings. During the day the sun is intense but it is not humid. My room is no longer dirt floor but wooden. I am on the second floor of my new (adobe) home and through my window you can oversee the town and big green mountains. You can also see white smoke up in the air from all the cooking. I painted my room with my host brother and sister, got a new mattress and finally feeling settled in. The market is one of my favorite things about this town. On Thursdays and Sundays people from the fields come in and bring their fresh fruit and vegetables. They offer everything you could possibly need; kind of like the swap meet back in the states. I could not have been more blessed with this host family. They are so wonderful. There’s my host mom, dad, sister and her three kids (who I also consider my siblings). They have been the key element to my integration. I adore them all, already.
My first job as a volunteer is to fully integrate into the community. Let everyone know who I am and what my purpose is. I also need to learn all about San Pablo; rainy seasons, holidays, flu season, SWAT analysis, education system, crop season, tourism, economy, etc. So, imagine this: starting from absolute scratch. I know absolutely no one here, the food is so different and heavy on my stomach, I have stomach problems, bed bugs are eating me alive, I miss my friends and family terribly and to top it off, I will be living here for the next two years. The honeymoon stage is over. Where do I begin? What do I do everyday? Will it be weird walking up to people and saying, “Umm, hello, I am the new volunteer.” So many things went through my mind the first few days. Thank goodness for training that prepared us for all of this. Peace Corps is absolutely correct when they say, “It is the toughest job you will ever love.” If I can do this, I can do anything.
So, fast-forward to today. I disinfected my room completely; no more bugs, my host mom is accommodating to my eating habits, my stomach is doing way better, friends and family have sent me letters and call me all the time, my host family now feels like a real one; I even argue with my siblings. I have two counter-parts that introduced me to community leaders, school principals, etc. I personally walked around town trying to meet people. It was a challenge, however, I would not trade this experience for anything in the world. I have confirmed that there is nothing a human being cannot adapt to. I have the necessities to survive, the rest I have no choice but to get used to. So, next time you complain about having to do laundry, be grateful you don’t have to do it by hand. Next time you are too lazy to shower, be grateful you have hot water. Next time you complain about the heat or cold weather, be grateful that a/c and heater are an option. Next time you complain…just think it can always be worse; it makes life that much simpler.
I started working on two primary projects and am going to be really busy these next few weeks. I am going to post on a separate blog what my work will be consisting of. Also, pictures will be posted soon! Thank you for reading this; it means everything to me.
Due to certain circumstances, my site was changed. Feel free to email or call me if you would like more details.
I am now in the department of Cajamarca, in a town called San Pablo. This town is in a valley in the northern sierra of the Andes Mountains and is about 10,000 in population. I am an hour and a half from the capital city of Cajamarca. It is so beautiful. The weather is perfect; there is a cold breeze in the mornings and evenings. During the day the sun is intense but it is not humid. My room is no longer dirt floor but wooden. I am on the second floor of my new (adobe) home and through my window you can oversee the town and big green mountains. You can also see white smoke up in the air from all the cooking. I painted my room with my host brother and sister, got a new mattress and finally feeling settled in. The market is one of my favorite things about this town. On Thursdays and Sundays people from the fields come in and bring their fresh fruit and vegetables. They offer everything you could possibly need; kind of like the swap meet back in the states. I could not have been more blessed with this host family. They are so wonderful. There’s my host mom, dad, sister and her three kids (who I also consider my siblings). They have been the key element to my integration. I adore them all, already.
My first job as a volunteer is to fully integrate into the community. Let everyone know who I am and what my purpose is. I also need to learn all about San Pablo; rainy seasons, holidays, flu season, SWAT analysis, education system, crop season, tourism, economy, etc. So, imagine this: starting from absolute scratch. I know absolutely no one here, the food is so different and heavy on my stomach, I have stomach problems, bed bugs are eating me alive, I miss my friends and family terribly and to top it off, I will be living here for the next two years. The honeymoon stage is over. Where do I begin? What do I do everyday? Will it be weird walking up to people and saying, “Umm, hello, I am the new volunteer.” So many things went through my mind the first few days. Thank goodness for training that prepared us for all of this. Peace Corps is absolutely correct when they say, “It is the toughest job you will ever love.” If I can do this, I can do anything.
So, fast-forward to today. I disinfected my room completely; no more bugs, my host mom is accommodating to my eating habits, my stomach is doing way better, friends and family have sent me letters and call me all the time, my host family now feels like a real one; I even argue with my siblings. I have two counter-parts that introduced me to community leaders, school principals, etc. I personally walked around town trying to meet people. It was a challenge, however, I would not trade this experience for anything in the world. I have confirmed that there is nothing a human being cannot adapt to. I have the necessities to survive, the rest I have no choice but to get used to. So, next time you complain about having to do laundry, be grateful you don’t have to do it by hand. Next time you are too lazy to shower, be grateful you have hot water. Next time you complain about the heat or cold weather, be grateful that a/c and heater are an option. Next time you complain…just think it can always be worse; it makes life that much simpler.
I started working on two primary projects and am going to be really busy these next few weeks. I am going to post on a separate blog what my work will be consisting of. Also, pictures will be posted soon! Thank you for reading this; it means everything to me.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Chongoyape
I finally found out where I will be living and working for the next two years. The name of my site is called Chongoyape and is in the department of Lambayeque in the Northern coast of Peru. My tiny site of 289 people (290 with me now) is an hour from the capital city, Chiclayo, and hour and a half from the beach. I was thrown off a little because I actually had stated a strong preference during my two interviews here to be put in the sierra with really cold weather and a large community. I’m also 45 minutes away from a national reserve called Chaparri. They have different types of endangered birds and spectacular bears living there.
My site visit was a rollercoaster of emotions. After getting dropped off on the side of the road, I had to walk into the tiny village, with my counterpart, for about 10 minutes to get to what would be my new home. I passed nothing but fields of corn, rice, tobacco, etc. Come to find out my family hast two: one of corn and the other of rice. As I walked up to the little adobe house, I saw my new mom and dad waiting outside. She’s about 4 feet tall and was super excited. Nancy, my mom, was telling me how excited they were about the new light bulb they had installed in my room so I could have better lighting. She walked me into their really really humble home and straight to my room to leave my bag; my jaw just about dropped. It was dirt floor, no door or closed windows, and a “paja” (hay) mattress that was as hard as rock. The bathroom was a latrine outside and the shower was, well let’s just say there was no shower. I did not want to offend her by any means so I stayed quiet. She looked worried and kept telling me in Spanish, “I really pray that you can get used to our poor lives and living situation because I have been waiting for you to come live with us for so long and we are so excited to have you…I want you to be happy here.” I had a knot in my throat. I was emotionally culture shocked. That evening we had lentils, rice and a fried banana. I was exhausted and decided to go to bed. I lifted the blanket that was on top of my pillow and it was covered with tiny ants! Yes, ants. I didn’t want to be dramatic so I just called my parents over and they just dusted the bed off saying they didn’t bite. They also put some type of powder to kill the ant hole that was coming from my dirt floor.
After the ants were gone, I put a tiny blanket and pillowcase I had brought with me over the bed, lied down and started to cry. I was emotionally drained and asked myself “Why am I doing this?” My dad called that second. He talked to me and was so supportive. Out of all the great advice he gave me there was one thing that will stick with me for the next two years. He reminded me that I was there for a purpose that will change my life in the two years, after that I would go back to the states. Those people will not…it is their life there. So my job now is to help improve their quality of life by being there. He also told me that the material things could also be improved and fixed. From that second on I knew things were going to be OK.
I found out the answer to my question as to why I was doing this the next day. I went around town with my site mate meeting the community. They are all so wonderful and amazing! Everyone is so friendly. The organization I will mainly be working with is called ACOTOURCH. It stands for: It has an awesome youth group, group of artisans, and is funded by NGO’s. There is an unbelievable potential in this town I cannot even explain. I have an amazing, caring family and community. That is rare to find and I don’t think I can give that up because of my living situation.
My room will be fixed (more like reconstructed) and I can help them build a bathroom. I will cover any holes or cracks in my room, put a cement floor, install a window, paint it purple, and make it cozy.
Reality finally kicked in. Luckily I have cell phone service and am an hour away from the capital city. There’s also another town about 15 minutes away that has a population of about 17,000 people. Oh, there is also an airport, Starbucks and Pizza Hut in Chiclayo! o-m-g…I know.
This is our last week of training. I have two presentations left to give, Thursday is our going away brunch with our host families and Friday we are swearing in at the U.S. Embassy. We spend the night in a hotel and everyone goes off to his or her sites Saturday afternoon. I’m excited, nervous and scared.
My real Peace Corps adventure is just beginning…
My site visit was a rollercoaster of emotions. After getting dropped off on the side of the road, I had to walk into the tiny village, with my counterpart, for about 10 minutes to get to what would be my new home. I passed nothing but fields of corn, rice, tobacco, etc. Come to find out my family hast two: one of corn and the other of rice. As I walked up to the little adobe house, I saw my new mom and dad waiting outside. She’s about 4 feet tall and was super excited. Nancy, my mom, was telling me how excited they were about the new light bulb they had installed in my room so I could have better lighting. She walked me into their really really humble home and straight to my room to leave my bag; my jaw just about dropped. It was dirt floor, no door or closed windows, and a “paja” (hay) mattress that was as hard as rock. The bathroom was a latrine outside and the shower was, well let’s just say there was no shower. I did not want to offend her by any means so I stayed quiet. She looked worried and kept telling me in Spanish, “I really pray that you can get used to our poor lives and living situation because I have been waiting for you to come live with us for so long and we are so excited to have you…I want you to be happy here.” I had a knot in my throat. I was emotionally culture shocked. That evening we had lentils, rice and a fried banana. I was exhausted and decided to go to bed. I lifted the blanket that was on top of my pillow and it was covered with tiny ants! Yes, ants. I didn’t want to be dramatic so I just called my parents over and they just dusted the bed off saying they didn’t bite. They also put some type of powder to kill the ant hole that was coming from my dirt floor.
After the ants were gone, I put a tiny blanket and pillowcase I had brought with me over the bed, lied down and started to cry. I was emotionally drained and asked myself “Why am I doing this?” My dad called that second. He talked to me and was so supportive. Out of all the great advice he gave me there was one thing that will stick with me for the next two years. He reminded me that I was there for a purpose that will change my life in the two years, after that I would go back to the states. Those people will not…it is their life there. So my job now is to help improve their quality of life by being there. He also told me that the material things could also be improved and fixed. From that second on I knew things were going to be OK.
I found out the answer to my question as to why I was doing this the next day. I went around town with my site mate meeting the community. They are all so wonderful and amazing! Everyone is so friendly. The organization I will mainly be working with is called ACOTOURCH. It stands for: It has an awesome youth group, group of artisans, and is funded by NGO’s. There is an unbelievable potential in this town I cannot even explain. I have an amazing, caring family and community. That is rare to find and I don’t think I can give that up because of my living situation.
My room will be fixed (more like reconstructed) and I can help them build a bathroom. I will cover any holes or cracks in my room, put a cement floor, install a window, paint it purple, and make it cozy.
Reality finally kicked in. Luckily I have cell phone service and am an hour away from the capital city. There’s also another town about 15 minutes away that has a population of about 17,000 people. Oh, there is also an airport, Starbucks and Pizza Hut in Chiclayo! o-m-g…I know.
This is our last week of training. I have two presentations left to give, Thursday is our going away brunch with our host families and Friday we are swearing in at the U.S. Embassy. We spend the night in a hotel and everyone goes off to his or her sites Saturday afternoon. I’m excited, nervous and scared.
My real Peace Corps adventure is just beginning…
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Cajamarca
There is a boxer next door that does not stop barking. He barks…and barks…and barks and I literally do not understand how his throat does not get scratchy or tired. He sounds like a broken record and he is on top of his roof to top it off. It is quite amusing after a while.
Field Base Training was amazing. We left Saturday, July 17 at 6:30 p.m. and arrived Sunday at 10 a.m. to Cajamarca City. It did not seem like so many hours because the buses were so comfortable. The large seats turned into beds, they served a delicious dinner, dessert, wine, breakfast, coffee, and showed movies. It was the best 17-hour trip ever. Once we arrived we had a full agenda the whole week. Some current volunteers who are at the end of their service met up with us. We went to a hotel to the top of the city and had a bonfire there. It was so beautiful. Just talked, drank and hung out all night.
The next day we traveled to Matacares where another awesome volunteer was waiting for us. He had visit to a school planned for us. I remember him mentioning that the girls wanted to play volleyball with us so to wear comfortable clothes (little did I know what was to come). As we walked up to the school, we saw two big flags crossing each other at the door. It was the U.S. and Peru Flag and below that it said, “Bienvenidos Cuerpo de Paz.” At the entrance was the administration waiting to shake our hands and after that was the school band playing the drums as if the president had arrived. The whole school was sitting in the cement bleachers and the girl’s volleyball team was wearing their uniforms, ready to play us. We were so grateful for the warm welcome but definitely not expecting it! The volleyball game ended up being hilarious. The whole school laughed every time we messed up. When we were up to serve they would ROLL THE DRUMS. I can’t explain how funny this experience was. Our technical coordinator said it was the start of many embarrassments we were about to experience these next two years. After they creamed us, the guys played their soccer match and did a lot better than us.
We then went to a professor’s house where he had a surprise for us. It was a zip line! You had to climb a tree that was about 40 feet tall and the line ended about 20 meters on the other side of the “campo.” I was really excited and thought I was going to be able to do it. I climbed the tree, grabbed onto the rope (no safety, you just had to grab on and hope for the best), but was so scared to push myself because if I let go, there was nothing holding me if I were to let go. When I finally got the courage to push myself off I was so terrified that as I was pushing off with my legs, I wrapped my legs around the tree branch and twisted myself back up. I couldn’t do it so I decided to just ride a donkey the rest of the time there.
After that, we headed to San Marcos, which is where our Field Base Training would be taking place. Another volunteer was waiting for us there and had a full week planned out for us during free time. On Monday night a family closed down their nightclub to host us there. It was really pretty, open doors. They cooked delicious dinner (roasted chicken, french fries and salad) and afterwards we had a bonfire there. The next morning we had to prepare our materials for our classes in the afternoon. We found out that the students we would be teaching were either studying accounting or agriculture in that institute. Teaching entrepreneurship, marketing, accounting, etc. was so much fun! They called me, “Profesora Ana.” One of the students decided to bring her eight-month-old baby to class and to top it off she breast fed him while we taught. We couldn’t help but secretly laugh because everyone saw it as normal; huge culture difference. I discretely took a picture so you guys can see. When things like this happen, we just say to each other, “Welcome to Peru!” Once our students chose a business they wanted to do, we struggled a lot with teaching them what the point of equilibrium was. They wanted to get ahead on their business plans and were very stubborn about their price setting and variable & fixed costs. They wrote their business plan, took out a loan, ran their businesses either Thursday night or Friday and by Friday at 5:30 p.m. they all paid back their loans with 2% interest. They loved it and learned so much. One group hosted a soccer tournament, another did a raffle and the prize was a lamb, a group tried doing a movie night but ended up falling through, and a lot of the businesses involved food.
On our free time we ended up hiking to towns outside of San Marcos. The scenery was unbelievable. I may have mentioned this but Peru is famous for eating guiney pigs. Here they are called cuy. Our group decided to go to a cuy farm, got to choose their own cuy, kill it, and cook it. I couldn’t do this for the life of me. While they were doing that, I was helping Doña Lola (sweet lady hosting us in her town) make the salad and sauce. They had a bag of clams to make ceviche, too. With my luck, a clam crawled out of the bag, made itself to a small hole of water where you turn on/off the water and as I did this to wash my hands, it bit me! I just remember taking my hand out and seeing it hang from my thumb. It wasn’t anything serious though; just some minor bleeding and stinging.
The ride back home was just as comfortable on the bus. I got home exhausted Sunday at 11 a.m. and my family was waiting for me so I can go to my nephews school event (Bingo/Fair). It was awesome but I was exhausted. Also, being with the whole family made me start missing my family so much. I get so emotional sometimes. My brother, mom, dad, close mentor and a best friend have written me letters. I get knots in my throat as I read them. They mean the world to me and it makes my day. I can honestly say that the hardest part about being here is not being able to see my friends and family. Aside from that, I feel lucky and am living with absolutely no luxuries.
P.S. the boxer is still barking…
Field Base Training was amazing. We left Saturday, July 17 at 6:30 p.m. and arrived Sunday at 10 a.m. to Cajamarca City. It did not seem like so many hours because the buses were so comfortable. The large seats turned into beds, they served a delicious dinner, dessert, wine, breakfast, coffee, and showed movies. It was the best 17-hour trip ever. Once we arrived we had a full agenda the whole week. Some current volunteers who are at the end of their service met up with us. We went to a hotel to the top of the city and had a bonfire there. It was so beautiful. Just talked, drank and hung out all night.
The next day we traveled to Matacares where another awesome volunteer was waiting for us. He had visit to a school planned for us. I remember him mentioning that the girls wanted to play volleyball with us so to wear comfortable clothes (little did I know what was to come). As we walked up to the school, we saw two big flags crossing each other at the door. It was the U.S. and Peru Flag and below that it said, “Bienvenidos Cuerpo de Paz.” At the entrance was the administration waiting to shake our hands and after that was the school band playing the drums as if the president had arrived. The whole school was sitting in the cement bleachers and the girl’s volleyball team was wearing their uniforms, ready to play us. We were so grateful for the warm welcome but definitely not expecting it! The volleyball game ended up being hilarious. The whole school laughed every time we messed up. When we were up to serve they would ROLL THE DRUMS. I can’t explain how funny this experience was. Our technical coordinator said it was the start of many embarrassments we were about to experience these next two years. After they creamed us, the guys played their soccer match and did a lot better than us.
We then went to a professor’s house where he had a surprise for us. It was a zip line! You had to climb a tree that was about 40 feet tall and the line ended about 20 meters on the other side of the “campo.” I was really excited and thought I was going to be able to do it. I climbed the tree, grabbed onto the rope (no safety, you just had to grab on and hope for the best), but was so scared to push myself because if I let go, there was nothing holding me if I were to let go. When I finally got the courage to push myself off I was so terrified that as I was pushing off with my legs, I wrapped my legs around the tree branch and twisted myself back up. I couldn’t do it so I decided to just ride a donkey the rest of the time there.
After that, we headed to San Marcos, which is where our Field Base Training would be taking place. Another volunteer was waiting for us there and had a full week planned out for us during free time. On Monday night a family closed down their nightclub to host us there. It was really pretty, open doors. They cooked delicious dinner (roasted chicken, french fries and salad) and afterwards we had a bonfire there. The next morning we had to prepare our materials for our classes in the afternoon. We found out that the students we would be teaching were either studying accounting or agriculture in that institute. Teaching entrepreneurship, marketing, accounting, etc. was so much fun! They called me, “Profesora Ana.” One of the students decided to bring her eight-month-old baby to class and to top it off she breast fed him while we taught. We couldn’t help but secretly laugh because everyone saw it as normal; huge culture difference. I discretely took a picture so you guys can see. When things like this happen, we just say to each other, “Welcome to Peru!” Once our students chose a business they wanted to do, we struggled a lot with teaching them what the point of equilibrium was. They wanted to get ahead on their business plans and were very stubborn about their price setting and variable & fixed costs. They wrote their business plan, took out a loan, ran their businesses either Thursday night or Friday and by Friday at 5:30 p.m. they all paid back their loans with 2% interest. They loved it and learned so much. One group hosted a soccer tournament, another did a raffle and the prize was a lamb, a group tried doing a movie night but ended up falling through, and a lot of the businesses involved food.
On our free time we ended up hiking to towns outside of San Marcos. The scenery was unbelievable. I may have mentioned this but Peru is famous for eating guiney pigs. Here they are called cuy. Our group decided to go to a cuy farm, got to choose their own cuy, kill it, and cook it. I couldn’t do this for the life of me. While they were doing that, I was helping Doña Lola (sweet lady hosting us in her town) make the salad and sauce. They had a bag of clams to make ceviche, too. With my luck, a clam crawled out of the bag, made itself to a small hole of water where you turn on/off the water and as I did this to wash my hands, it bit me! I just remember taking my hand out and seeing it hang from my thumb. It wasn’t anything serious though; just some minor bleeding and stinging.
The ride back home was just as comfortable on the bus. I got home exhausted Sunday at 11 a.m. and my family was waiting for me so I can go to my nephews school event (Bingo/Fair). It was awesome but I was exhausted. Also, being with the whole family made me start missing my family so much. I get so emotional sometimes. My brother, mom, dad, close mentor and a best friend have written me letters. I get knots in my throat as I read them. They mean the world to me and it makes my day. I can honestly say that the hardest part about being here is not being able to see my friends and family. Aside from that, I feel lucky and am living with absolutely no luxuries.
P.S. the boxer is still barking…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)