tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44399394997373286302024-03-14T00:23:51.920-07:00Alana in PeruRead on as I record my adventures in the southern, coastal, desert of PeruAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-18834360925438179272011-01-14T08:26:00.000-08:002011-02-21T17:36:08.793-08:00...And a Happy New Year!Here's a blog I started in December, and forgot to finish. So I'm posting it now (February):<br /><br />The past few months have been a whirlwind with projects finishing and new ones starting... friends visiting, and new travel adventures.<br /><br />The last blog I wrote I had recently moved in with my new host family. Since then the school year ended, so a few of my projects also came to an end. The small business in the high school (Melchoritanos Emprendedores) will be on hold until the new school year when we start up with a new group of students. In the end the group sold enough to give S/75.00 to the school and keep the rest for themselves. The decision was that they would give 40% of all sales to the school and the rest of the profits would go to the student/artisan. So it's not an amazing number, but for the first year, its a good start. I'm just glad we didn't end in the red. <br /><br />Another project I have been working on is my youth group called Jovenes Lideres Voluntarios (Youth Volunteer Leaders). Our last official activity was a trip up to Lunahuana for river rafting. The students who attended an HIV awareness workshop were able to go, and the funds from our community raffle paid their way. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TTB_10rHWYI/AAAAAAAAAM0/NZWnP44Glfc/s1600/lunahuana%2Bjlv.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TTB_10rHWYI/AAAAAAAAAM0/NZWnP44Glfc/s320/lunahuana%2Bjlv.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562086102451837314" /></a><br /><br />My good friend Penny who is also a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua came for a two week visit. Along with our other childhood friend Emily and a co-worker of mine, Ena, the four of us took to the mountains and hiked up to Machu Picchu. It was an awesome trip. First we spent some time eating good food at Jack's Cafe and shopping for mountain garb in Cuzco. Then one train ride later, and a little less weight to our wallets, we found ourselves hiking up the mountains at 4am to reach the breathtaking view of what is known as "The Naval of the World". When we reached the viewpoint, however, we were met with rain and cloud cover. Though it wasn't ideal, hiking around Machu Picchu in a raincloud was somehow enchanting. It felt like we were spending a day in the life of the Inca's. Due to the heavy fog, Penny and I were separated from our other friends, not to be reunited for hours. When we finally found them, the clouds started to clear and we were able to get a clear view of the beauty that had been in front of us the whole time. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--b8bpksFqmI/TWMFa23hMnI/AAAAAAAAANE/DmUkN8K0Wyo/s1600/DSC00815.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--b8bpksFqmI/TWMFa23hMnI/AAAAAAAAANE/DmUkN8K0Wyo/s320/DSC00815.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576306722577920626" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9VOhlx9umbk/TWMH95mN-mI/AAAAAAAAANM/0lUi0Z4IrDo/s1600/DSC00881.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9VOhlx9umbk/TWMH95mN-mI/AAAAAAAAANM/0lUi0Z4IrDo/s320/DSC00881.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576309523629341282" /></a><br /><br />After our adventure in the mountain region of Peru it was time to come back to my reality in the hot desert that is my site. Penny stayed at my host families house for a week. We did some local touristy things and she also helped out at the Comedor I work at. The best part (for me) was that she was here for Christmas. She ate dinner at my house with my host parents, which was really nice. But mostly it was good to have someone from home here on the holidays. It was definitely a step up from my first Christmas in site. <br /><br />After Penny's visit I started a 2 week youth business simulation course. It was a part of the Comedor's summer activities program for youth. I spent 4 hours each morning teaching 12 youth how to start and run a business. They were broken up into 3 groups and each group came up with a business plan which they then implemented at the end of the second week. With a loan from the "Peace Corps Bank", each group spent one or two days to realize their business and pay back the loan. One group chose to host a bingo which earned a lot of money because they got many of the prizes donated, and each managed to sell over 50 bingo cards at S/2.50 each (the buying power of S/1.00 is roughly equal to $1.00 in my site). Then the other two groups chose to do a delivery breakfast business and a Cevicheria. Neither earned a lot, but mostly due to the capital needed for start-up.<br />Here the kids are working on their business plans: <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NDi3tGNdpAI/TWMJ_iV9RUI/AAAAAAAAANU/HVdC37V01VM/s1600/DSC01101.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NDi3tGNdpAI/TWMJ_iV9RUI/AAAAAAAAANU/HVdC37V01VM/s320/DSC01101.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576311750770115906" /></a><br /><br />By the end of the two week business course it was time for more visitors. This time, my parents and baby sister came to visit for two weeks. We spent the first week in my site where we did a lot of meet/greet. My parents even danced at my host dad's birthday party! Something I never thought would happen... After a week in my site we went to Lake Titicaca in the department of Puno. This is the highest navigable lake in the world, where people live on floating islands. There is also a very rich traditional culture of the people on and around the lake. We had a great time there, granted the altitude kicked our butts :(<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vnjBMiP54mA/TWMLsBU6sqI/AAAAAAAAANc/2Q8JdPR38xE/s1600/DSC01190.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vnjBMiP54mA/TWMLsBU6sqI/AAAAAAAAANc/2Q8JdPR38xE/s320/DSC01190.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576313614513124002" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--wvc2QDRT3Q/TWMNVPfjZ7I/AAAAAAAAANk/tJVEh6R9v1A/s1600/DSC01198.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--wvc2QDRT3Q/TWMNVPfjZ7I/AAAAAAAAANk/tJVEh6R9v1A/s320/DSC01198.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576315422202095538" /></a><br /><br />After my parent's visit, I had another two week break where I helped lead a volleyball/sports camp, and man it was HOTT! We would go outside each morning for about 4 hours and by the end of the week I was so beat, I felt like a dried raisin. I taught baseball as well, which was hilarious and a lot of fun. The kids here know nothing about the sport, but they all loved it. It was most difficult explaining to them why you want to run around the bases, and why the kids in the field want to get the ball to the base before the runner gets there. It sounds simple enough, but it was such a foreign idea to them that it took a few attempts until they were somewhat playing a sport that resembled American Baseball. The most common blooper was when the batter would hit the ball and then get so excited they would go running after the ball (instead of running to the base) and end up wrestling one of the outfielders to the ground for possession of the ball...haha (it still makes me chuckle just thinking about it).<br /><br />Next my aunt and uncle came to visit but only for a few days. They came to my site where they met a lot of the people I work and live with. They ate lunch where I eat with my host family every day and they got to see the Comedor in action. It was a short but very sweet visit. <br />I am so happy to have been able to share my life here with friends and family from back home, and I am very grateful to have friends and family that care about my life and care enough to come visit me all the way down here. <br /><br />This is where I'll sign off for now. Thanks again to all those who are still reading my sporadic blog.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-63597479960249878202010-11-01T16:41:00.000-07:002010-11-18T09:05:19.723-08:00New House, New HomeI have packed up my bags, and with Lady in tow, moved to a new house. Somehow, along the way I managed to accumulate double the belongings I had when I came to Peru a year ago... Needless to say, I haven't completely unpacked, but I feel at home already! The new family is way different than the one I was with before. They are honest and seem to live up to a higher standard of morals than most Peruvians. I hate to put it that way, but it's the truth. The family consists of the mom and dad and their son (19 yrs) and daughter (14 yrs). The son is studying Law at a local university and their daughter who is still in high school attends classes 8 hours a day 7 days a week, which is more than double the amount of time an average student is in school during the week in Peru. They are much more relaxed and seem, in a general way to put it, a lot more in control of their lives and what happens to them. My old host family was great, I don't want to construe that point, but they had so many issues that were fairly easy to fix, however, they just chose to be reactive rather than proactive in every situation. This all related to their level of honesty as well... Anyways, I got to know my first family really well since I spent a year with them, so I'm not being naive, I am aware that I hardly know this new family and who knows what I'll learn within this year, but lets just say, I have a good feeling about it. <br />The daughter Cristel is a great kid. She has already latched onto me and always wants to chat about what went on during the day, life issues...etc. It's a nice change from my old host brother who always wanted random advice about his girlfriend (I'll add that he never once took my advice...). She also has come to the gym with me twice. She really looks up to me, which makes me a little nervous. I remember that age, I had so many questions... For example yesterday she asked me about my nose piercing. What could I say? I'm sure her parents don't want her getting one so I didn't want to encourage it in any way. I just told her it was something I did but that it's not for everyone. Another example that's a little more embarrassing is she picked up my birth control and asked me if I was sick. I guess I take after my mother, because it's hard for me to lie (even in situations where maybe it's best not to say the truth), so I told her it was for in the event that I got raped, I wouldn't get pregnant. I think I scared her S****less with that answer. Good job Alana. But it's the truth, Peace Corps suggests females take birth control during their two years for that very reason... Anyways, lets just say I'm sure I'll be claiming her as my 4th "sister" in no time.<br />As for my new host brother, his name is Jean Carlos and he is also really well behaved. He always calls me senorita which cracks me up, and just says really quirky things. He studies a lot and surprisingly knows quite a bit about America. Which I'm finding he probably learned from YouTube because he's always on it.<br />The family seems to have become fairly comfortable with me in a really short time, but that's probably because I was a lot more comfortable when I first moved in and knew exactly what to expect (in comparison with the first family I lived with). I can tell when they need reassurance or when I need to explain certain things about myself to them so that they understand me better. Also a lot of people in town already know me, so they don't feel like I'm a complete stranger coming into their house. All of which, has sped up the "getting to know you" process. <br />As for my first host family, things are great. I have been back to visit a couple times and there isn't any tension with them at all. I'm really thankful that this whole transfer went smoothly. <br />I have been working on some new projects. First I formed a youth group called Jovenes Lideres Voluntarios/JLV (Youth Volunteer Leaders). I've organized it after a group I was a part of called Peer Helpers. We would meet every week and do fun activities as a group, as well as invite community members to teach us various topics that we could then use to help the community in some way. It was fun and gave me something to do during the rough stages of middle school. We have had 3 official meetings so far and the turn out isn't bad. I have at least 5 or 6 youth at every meeting and sometimes more. For Halloween we watched a scary movie called House of Wax on the projector. We laid out on some blow up mattresses, popped popcorn and drank soda. It was a lot of fun, and they really seemed to enjoy it. Next we are going to do a raffle to raise some funds for more activities. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TM9fpkkI2QI/AAAAAAAAALU/iCBGUv7v_v4/s1600/jlv.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TM9fpkkI2QI/AAAAAAAAALU/iCBGUv7v_v4/s320/jlv.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534747634856155394" /></a><br />Second, I have been working with two artisans to get ready for the annual Embassy Artisan fair that Peace Corps Peru hosts every year. I am taking a who makes candied goods and pisco, and another association that make woven baskets among other woven items. I am on the planning committee for the artisan fair so I have also been taking part in organizing the workshop the day before the artisan fair. Photos to come...<br />The other project I recently completed was a photo exhibit in the main square of Chincha (the main town of my province) for tourist week. Myself and some local professionals got together and formed a group called Colectivo Enciende, with the objective of realizing activities in the Province of Chincha that promote the art and culture of this area. This was our first activity. By soliciting the financial support from local municipalities and other entities we were able to print out 10 large banners of photos with support frames to present as a photo exhibit in the main square of town. It was a huge success, people were really happy to see the photos (both historical and current). There were many comments on how that was the type of event that should be happening in Chincha, and that it was about time people take a larger interest in the local culture. I was really happy at the response we got from the community and although logistically it was a stressful event, I am glad to have been a part of it. Coming from a small native town and growing up in the Tlingit culture, I feel I have a large understanding of the importance of traditions and culture, and because of my experience, I can offer ideas in ways to help it flourish. Oh, I cannot forget that I also had my official 15 minutes of fame. I believe I gave 5 T.V. interviews and 2 for local papers. I purposely didn't watch the local news all week in order to avoid the embarrassment. However, a few people have told me (with a giggle and grin) that they managed to catch the few minutes I aired. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TM9l4yQYQdI/AAAAAAAAALc/9lruhywHB_A/s1600/jose+fotografia.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TM9l4yQYQdI/AAAAAAAAALc/9lruhywHB_A/s320/jose+fotografia.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534754493299179986" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-76965026136677438202010-10-04T09:37:00.000-07:002010-10-04T10:02:36.223-07:00PoliticsIt is official, I will be forced to deal with Alfredo, this 24 year old mayor of my town, for another year. Don´t get me wrong, I see nothing wrong with youth being involved in politics, even at a high level such as mayor. But this guy has barely got a high school degree, and zero work experience exept for the last botched year that he spent as mayor of my town. <br />The campaigning that has kept me up late at night for the past 2 months and has forced me to put a hold on some projects finally came to an end last night. As they carried Alfredo through the town square on their shoulders, the whole town was there to watch the results of the days elections. Half the crowd cheered and jump up and down as they chanted the campaign slogan, "¡Alfredo es la voz!". The other half started in awe, anger, disgust (ok maybe I was the only one with disgust on my face), and shock as Alfredo reached his campaign headquarters. There he gave a speach, which might I add, was the first one he gave throughout his entire campaign. He is not, how do you say... gifted in the realm of public speaking. Or in my opinion, speaking in general. <br />Why am I so opposed to Alfredo? Well, he was the reason I came to Grocio Prado. He was excited to have me here, and asked Peace Corps to "please send a business volunteer to their town". However, since the day I arrived he has avoided me at all costs, and done little to help me with my projects in the town. I don´t want to get into all the things he has done to me personally... but lets just say, I was really looking forward to working with a new mayor.<br />Elections here are much different than in the states. Here, everyone must vote, and if they don´t they have to pay a fine of about S/75.00, which is a lot of money to poeple here, it´s what most people make in 1 or 2 weeks. Anyways, since everyone votes, the campaigns are run differently. Each candidate tries to get their name out as much as possible, so they paint the town red! well, ok they paint the walls in all the town with campaign parafanalia. And they give out t-shirts and flags to as many people as possible. Then they hold "meetings" every other night. In these meetings each candidate chooses a street in town to block with their stage, they set up speakers and basically hold a campaign party in the middle of the street. They las til 12:00 or 1:00am. My host family loves them, they were at a Meeting every other night... It was their best option for socializing in the past few months I guess.<br />Also each candidate has a headquarters in the middle town square where they blast music all day long. I´m not exagerating either, they play the music so loud, it would be illegal in the U.S. To top it off though, they pay people for votes, and I guess it´s not illegal?<br />Well anyways, thats all I´ve got for now. This country continues to amaze me :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-19660376856663108192010-08-27T15:19:00.000-07:002010-09-02T18:03:59.769-07:00The Times They Are A-Changin'I just finished up with my one year Medical Checks. I had a yearly physical, dental check-up and presented all the work I have done in the past year in Peru, plus a project plan for year 2. Wow, I cannot believe one year has come and gone. For some volunteers it went slowly, but I can't get over how fast it has gone for me. I guess time flies when you are having fun. <br /><br />A lot has changed since my last blog. I am working in some new and exciting projects. First I am working twice a week with a group of students in the high school who have started a small business venture making arts and crafts out of local shells. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIA0t_3x3KI/AAAAAAAAAKE/1EQbPVwNzms/s1600/DSC00296.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIA0t_3x3KI/AAAAAAAAAKE/1EQbPVwNzms/s320/DSC00296.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512463908745632930" /></a>We do a business workshop on Tuesdays where they learn all about running the business, then on Thursdays we have a lot of fun hanging out and being creative with the shells.<br /> <br />Another project that is keeping me busy is a 2-day drug awareness workshop I am facilitating in the high school with all students from Cuarto and Quinto (equivalent to 9th and 10th graders in the U.S.) I can't really explain how I got involved in this project, but it has become very rewarding and looks like it will develop into some larger projects in the coming year. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIA79vT3MNI/AAAAAAAAAKM/IFiTCMc05hk/s1600/DSC00246.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIA79vT3MNI/AAAAAAAAAKM/IFiTCMc05hk/s320/DSC00246.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512471875759321298" /></a><br /><br />Of course I am still working in the Comedor on various projects. I am helping with some grant writing, hosting an all girls leadership camp and lets not forget organizing my monthly health campaigns. They continue to haunt me at the end of every month ;)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIA9a3PjxMI/AAAAAAAAAKU/8lCkKEKVbR8/s1600/DSC00166.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIA9a3PjxMI/AAAAAAAAAKU/8lCkKEKVbR8/s320/DSC00166.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512473475616588994" /></a><br /><br />A failing project that keeps me awake at night is the Community Bank. This is a new project for business volunteers in Peace Corps Peru. It helps show people the importance of savings and credit. I really want to start a functioning bank before my two year stunt is up, but it looks like the community is doing all they can to keep that from happening. Not to worry, I will trick them into starting a community bank if I have to. This is one project that I will not let fail... <br /><br />If you are wondering what has happened to any past projects I have been working on, the likely answer is that it's either on hold or the community partners working on the project have disappeared... <br /><br />In other news, I am moving out of my current host families house and must find a new family to live with. I originally felt like it might be time to find a new house when my host family got it in their minds that I was their personal ATM machine, but then other issues developed (nothing extremely serious), and I thought, "better to mitigate this situation and move out while we are all still friends than let things go bad over the next year." It has all worked out for the best though, I think my host family will miss the monthly rent I was paying, but at least we will still be family, and I will continue to spend time with them over the next year. <br />Current Status: currently on a house/family hunt and looking forward to a fresh start!<br /><br />I also participated in a Marathon in the Norther Coast of Peru, I only ran a 10K and (although their records show differently) I am positive I finished in UNDER my goal of 1 hour :) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIBEM8UYZyI/AAAAAAAAALE/bGiGUl3wpW4/s1600/DSC00033.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIBEM8UYZyI/AAAAAAAAALE/bGiGUl3wpW4/s320/DSC00033.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512480933042218786" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIBEMmGdYCI/AAAAAAAAAK8/RT4wR1LoTJg/s1600/DSC00019.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIBEMmGdYCI/AAAAAAAAAK8/RT4wR1LoTJg/s320/DSC00019.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512480927078244386" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIBEL8bVP_I/AAAAAAAAAK0/qhKFI_uuYN4/s1600/DSC00031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIBEL8bVP_I/AAAAAAAAAK0/qhKFI_uuYN4/s320/DSC00031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512480915891503090" /></a> As you can see, everyone took the marathon very seriously. These two guys ran the 5k with a Caja (box) of beer. They would run for a little while, then stop and drink for a little while and continued this pattern until they finally finished 4 hours later. At one point I passed them and they handed me a cup of beer as if it were water. In case you are wondering... of course, I drank it ;)<br /><br />Needless to say, I continue participating in community events like baby showers, baptisms, birthdays, holidays, etc... <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIBHd4XVmvI/AAAAAAAAALM/qGQ-O-C4C_0/s1600/DSC00183.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIBHd4XVmvI/AAAAAAAAALM/qGQ-O-C4C_0/s320/DSC00183.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512484522573535986" /></a>We always invite Winnie the Pooh aka Winni Da Puh for all you hispanohablantes out there.<br /><br />I can't forget to talk about my visit to America, it was amazing, overwhelming, short, long, comforting, happy, sad...etc. I cannot begin to explain all the emotions I felt during my trip "home". But I will say that it was good to be back. I started off in LA with my little brother, then we road tripped up to Durango CO, where my sister was getting MARRIED. Yes, MARRIED! I think it was all too much to wrap my head around, especially coming from a year of being in Peru. I have to say, it was the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen, and I was so proud to have been a part of it.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIA-xT4OtNI/AAAAAAAAAKc/P9pgyJMPgq4/s1600/wedding.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/TIA-xT4OtNI/AAAAAAAAAKc/P9pgyJMPgq4/s320/wedding.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512474960772117714" /></a> <br /><br />I have a few visits coming up from friends and family so I am excited about that. It should be interesting to see how they handle the lifestyle here, haha! I also am starting to think about my plans for the end of this year. I can't decide on staying for a third year, or trying to start grad school... oh the places you'll go.. <br /><br />Thats all for now. As they say in Peru, "Nos Vemos"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-46961215623309351142010-05-10T15:28:00.000-07:002010-05-11T14:35:07.930-07:00Arekeepin it RealThe days of constant heat and no air conditioning are officially over. When I woke up the other day with a sore throat and feeling all-around yucky, I knew winter was officially here. It all changed overnight. I can’t believe that one day I was looking at all my unworn jeans and sweaters cursing the space they took up in my luggage, and the next day feeling as if I needed to buy a few more. The upside is that I am not constantly sweating and the mosquitoes have appeared to die down. <br />Along with the weather changing, a lot of events have come and gone without my recording one of them on my blog. So here I go, I will try to recollect the most important of them all…<br /><br />I went to Arequipa for Semana Santa or Holy Week for all you English speakers out there. As most people know Latin American countries are majority Catholic, meaning everyone is Catholic even if they don’t really go to church (thank you Spanish conquest). So for Easter holiday they celebrate for an entire week, rather than one day like most Americans. Luckily Peace Corps Peru gives us volunteers 4 days of free vacation, meaning we don’t have to use our allotted 2-day-per-month vacation days. So I, along with some other volunteers decided to meet up in Arequipa city, the second largest city in Peru. This has been by far my best trip taken in Peru. Arequipa is a large city known as the “white city” because all of the buildings were constructed of a white volcanic stone. Ok… actually I found out that it got its name “the white city” because during the Spanish conquisition wealthy Spanish families settled in Arequipa and since their skin was a lot whiter than the local Peruvian’s skin color the city became known for its “white” inhabitants. I guess now a day’s they say that it’s the “white city” because of the buildings… who knows. <br /><br />Anyways, I spent the first two days in Arequipa city where I ate some REALLY good food (I was overdue for some non-Peruvian dishes) and toured the Santa Catalina Monastery. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Construction on the Monastery was started in the 1500’s by the Spaniards, and continued into (I think) the 1700 or 1800’s. Behind these large white, stone walls exists winding roads and the darkly lit rooms where nuns have been living for over 400 years. When the Spaniards finished the initial construction of the monastery the wealthy families would send their second born daughter to live there from the age of 12 for the rest of her life. The nuns were never allowed to leave the monastery and had little contact from the outside world. If they ever chose to renounce their title as a nun it reflected poorly on her family name and usually would be disowned by her parents and siblings. I found this place to be in amazing condition and it was beautiful inside. The colors were so inspiring, I definitely want my future house to have colors like this on the inside…<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iNocp1CrI/AAAAAAAAAIs/td795JVDKzs/s1600/DSC02816.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iNocp1CrI/AAAAAAAAAIs/td795JVDKzs/s320/DSC02816.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469777473467386546" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iN6SYMi_I/AAAAAAAAAI0/-QC1hPgLRvU/s1600/DSC02804.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iN6SYMi_I/AAAAAAAAAI0/-QC1hPgLRvU/s320/DSC02804.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469777779946720242" /></a><br /><br />After Arequipa city, I went into the Colca Canyon. I rode a bus from Arequipa city to Chivay, a beautiful town located in the hills of Arequipa. I stayed one night in Chivay and it was Cold! I wore the warmest clothes to bed and slept under 3 heavy wool blankets. It still wasn’t enough. The weather in Chivay was so different from my site. The air was dry and cold. I could tell because my skin got so dry during the trip and that next morning I woke up my nose felt like it was going to crack and bleed… It was all worth it though because that morning I went to the natural hot-springs located in Chivay. I spent a good two hours soaking in that water and sipping on a Pisco Sour. It was heaven. After the hot springs I headed further into the Canyon to John´s site Yanque. John is a good friend and fellow volunteer. His site is very rural and quaint. The people of this town literally lived off the land (talk about subsistance living...). I was able to converse with John´s host family and learn a little more about the town. We also went on a mini hike to some local Incan ruins.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-nKVAMfSwI/AAAAAAAAAJk/C5SRSh-fcSA/s1600/DSC02866.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-nKVAMfSwI/AAAAAAAAAJk/C5SRSh-fcSA/s320/DSC02866.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470125684596624130" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iOWwRhAgI/AAAAAAAAAI8/vOXF8Sl1RvQ/s1600/DSC02864.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iOWwRhAgI/AAAAAAAAAI8/vOXF8Sl1RvQ/s320/DSC02864.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469778269008101890" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iPXpiVi_I/AAAAAAAAAJE/W19RbosnMtk/s1600/DSC02862.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iPXpiVi_I/AAAAAAAAAJE/W19RbosnMtk/s320/DSC02862.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469779383891102706" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iQ4NoID_I/AAAAAAAAAJc/PvLVXS9JSE0/s1600/DSC02859.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iQ4NoID_I/AAAAAAAAAJc/PvLVXS9JSE0/s320/DSC02859.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469781042846502898" /></a><br /> By the time that finished it was after 6pm and dark out. The town was officially shut down. I returned to the home stay, where I would spend the night. It would be another cold night. However, I was tired and ready for sleep. I woke up at 4am the next morning to head even deeper into the canyon. Why 4am? Well, there is this lookout where you can see deep into the canyon and if you go early enough you can see the Condors flying through it. The catch is that you can only leave from Yanque to see it if you jump on the bus that passes through at 4am. And you literally have to waive it down and jump on. All the other people on this bus at this hour are local farmers headed to work. They are very traditional people that carry their baby’s tied on their backs, and speak a dialect of the native language Quechua. When I finally made it to the lookout point at 6am it was just in time to watch the sun rise. Imagine it, the deepest canyon in the world and a clear cold morning as the sun rises over the Andean mountain peaks… Needless to say, it was an unforgettable moment in my life, and the best Easter morning ever. Although it was freezing out, and I was tired as heck, it was well worth it. I stayed for about an hour and a half, and left on the next bus that passed through. I have to admit, I didn’t see the condors, but I felt like I got what I had come for… <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-nLmUpNNNI/AAAAAAAAAJs/5-pfUFHQs3I/s1600/DSC02868.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-nLmUpNNNI/AAAAAAAAAJs/5-pfUFHQs3I/s320/DSC02868.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470127081655186642" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-nNSxL9OsI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/JROT6vcqTok/s1600/DSC02870.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-nNSxL9OsI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/JROT6vcqTok/s320/DSC02870.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470128944743004866" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iPvRdHLJI/AAAAAAAAAJM/NZpl5Vn5TfY/s1600/DSC02883.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iPvRdHLJI/AAAAAAAAAJM/NZpl5Vn5TfY/s320/DSC02883.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469779789743598738" /></a><br />I headed back out of the canyon to Arequipa city to catch my 12 hour bus back to site. All the while not knowing what surprise awaited me. I arrived to the bus terminal in Arequipa around 4pm, and went to the counter to check in for my departing bus at 6pm. The man behind the counter looked at me and said, “senorita, there are no buses leaving for Lima today” “how can that be?” I asked, “I have a ticket to Lima”. “Well there just aren’t any busses leaving to Lima” he told me again in a matter-of-fact kind of manner. I sat there for a second and thought to myself ok, he obviously isn’t going to give up information easily, so I persisted… 10 minutes later he finally divulges to me that there is a strike going on further up the Pan-American Highway, so no busses are leaving for Lima because they can’t get through (gee was that soo hard to say?). He gives me a phone number and tells me to call tomorrow to see if the road has opened up. Fast forward 4 days later, after numerous calls to said telephone number and Peace Corps Peru headquarters, I was 500 soles poorer but I finally got on an outgoing bus to Lima. Although the bus ride was 18 hours instead of 12, and I missed a week of scheduled meetings and classes, I was happy to be home. <br /><br />Since then I have been trying to get back into some old projects and start some new ones. I am facilitating the initiation of a small sewing project. The<br />mothers of some school children have taken interest in staring a Co-op where they make and sell school uniforms at bargain price. They only work a few hourse a week and make their childrens uniforms instead of buying them. <br />I also have been helping out a small artisan group made up of high school kids. The income goes to the students and their school. We are starting from zero though because last year they only sold 4 items...<br /><br />Alright I must cut this short because I´m about to be late to my English class... Until next time...!<br /><br />Here´s our Mother´s Day Lunch celebration. Nothing like eating outside with the chickens and flies on a cold day :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iQN8HChzI/AAAAAAAAAJU/6EvMoI6ORBc/s1600/DSC02892.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S-iQN8HChzI/AAAAAAAAAJU/6EvMoI6ORBc/s320/DSC02892.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469780316589819698" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-90219524875371873902010-03-08T12:45:00.000-08:002010-03-09T13:58:11.273-08:00The Party SceneI have mentioned before that parties and celebrations are a huge part of the culture here in Peru. People throw parties here for everything from baptisms to birthdays. And its not just a little get together with close family and friends, no these people will put their entire savings into one party. For example, my host family just threw a huge wedding for my sister, and are basically broke from it. Not to worry... They are already planning on the next party, my host brothers 18th birthday in December.<br /><br />Now, I will say that not every family is as social as mine, but I do know that people are throwing enough parties that I have been to more of them here in Peru in these last 7 months than I have been to in my entire life. The part that always makes me chuckle is that each party, no matter what the occasion, follows the same general format. First is the ceremony (it could be a baptism, wedding, etc...), which nobody attends. Then there is the after party, usually at someones house (if big enough) or at a local of some sort. The partying cannot begin until a series of awkward speeches, dances, and photos are taken. Usually the god parents of the guest of honor will make a toast, and proceed to dance with each other. The entire time all of this is narrated by a peruvian man, we can call him the "M.C." however I'm sure his version of m.c.-ing wouldn't be allowed anywhere in the U.S. He will talk at every moment of the series of speeches and dances. He will be the only person at all animated about the events, and he will play puppet-master with the guests until this charade finally ends. At which point people let down their guard, do away with any good manners they were previously fronting and begin drinking the memories of those awkward moments away.<br /><br />I generally get through all of this by laughing my ass off at the ridiculousness of it all. Most Peruvians are generally shy and poor public-speakers, so why they put themselves through all of this is a mystery to me. Nonetheless when an invitation is handed my way to attend such an event, I always go. After all, I told myself I would be a "yes" person for my two years in Peru. <br /><br />This is the point in the night when I really start to have fun because, well as I have said before, everyone in Peru dances. Everyone. So needless to say, I find myself on the dance floor for almost every song that plays. I mean, men here know how to dance! Well, in general... It's just nice to be in a culture where if you DON'T dance you're weird... <br /><br />OK what's next? People buy large boxes of beer, we call it the "caja" (pronounced Kaha). This caja is filled with 12 40oz. bottles of gross Peruvian beer. A group of selected individuals will stand around this caja in a circle dancing and drinking. Some will even sit around their caja, whatever the case may be everyone is drinking and those who don't want to drink must pretend that they are drinking anyways. You pass around a bottle with a cup and everyone drinks from the same glass. When the bottle gets to you you must pour anywhere from a little drop to half-way into the glass and drink it as fast as you can. CHUG. But wait, before you drink you must pass the bottle onto the next person, BEFORE you drink. This is essential, because by passing the bottle on to the next person before you drink you are saluding them, or toasting to them. If you don't toast to anyone before you drink, you must drink again or the bottle won't move on. This process goes to show how important customs and rituals are in this society. Everyone does everything a certain way, and they never break away from the norm. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S5VcCZKflOI/AAAAAAAAAH0/YUdsEzYds2Q/s512/DSC02475.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 512px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S5VcCZKflOI/AAAAAAAAAH0/YUdsEzYds2Q/s512/DSC02475.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a> Here I am with the wedding cow, head and tail!<br /><br />I was recently asked to be the bridesmaid at my host cousins wedding. ¨Yes¨ I said when my cousin asked me 1 week before the wedding. What would this entail? Well no matter how many times I asked what I would need to do they would always tell me, "nothing, just learn a dance is all... oh and rent an ugly dress... and shoes... also chip in 15 soles for ´la hora loca´... Then come and take pictures at our civil ceremony... and then be at the brides side the entire night... oh and then you can´t leave the party until the party is over... but nothing really." OK, so they didn´t tell me all of this at once, it all came over the course of the week. I should have known better though, Peruvians never give the whole truth. However, after all is said and done, I am happy that I can say I was part of a Peruvian wedding.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs469.ash1/25748_638958744650_25902915_37449235_4827360_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 405px; height: 720px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs469.ash1/25748_638958744650_25902915_37449235_4827360_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> Here I am in my frilly Barney colored dress... <br /><br /><br />Then just last weekend I was asked to be a stand in Madrina (God-mother) at a Quinciñera. This is the biggest birthday in a girls life, it marks her 15th birthday and is when she officially becomes a woman. So how else to celebrate a girls transfer to womanhood? Thats right, you guessed it! Awkward series of dances and speeches, for all of which I played a starring role :) yay. So I know nothing about this girl and now I have to stand up and congradulate her and thank her parents, and act like I am so excited for this party she has thrown. One perk however, is that I was the recipient of a fat pigs thigh! We fed on that pigs thigh in my house for days... The whole time I was at this Quinceñera the M.C. was yelling out my name and getting them to shine the light on me, mostly because I was the gringa playing the madrina and actually, I think I ended up stealing the show. woops... Anywho, I kept thinking to myself the whole time how silly it was that all the close family and friends of this girl were here to watch the series of awkward events and I was the one taking part in them. And I probably knew here the least. To me it seemed much more logical and less awkward to just opt out of the Madrina for this celebration. Well by the end it was clear to me why I needed to play stand in Madrina. You see, I was standing in for my host sister who is the real madrina. If my family didn´t have me stand in, they wouldn´t have been able to receive all the goodies that came along with playing Madrina at a celebration such as this. By 1:30am when the party was just getting going my host mom made a quick exit towards the door and on the way told me to come outside. I followed along, not sure what was happening... We were dipping out! I know it doesn´t seem like that big of a deal but all of a sudden it all made sense to me. You don´t leave a party that early here in Peru, and you certainly don´t leave that early when you are the Madrina. Well, my folks were plenty tired and had gotten what they came for; Their fat pigs thigh, a whole cake, and a large baking pan full of Carapulcra (what we ate for dinner). We were off, in the car before anyone noticed. <br />Was I used? Yes. <br />Did I feel used? Yes. <br />Did I care? Honestly, no. <br />I was plenty ready to leave and felt I deserved the cake, pigs thigh, and pan of carapulcra for all the awkward moments and stares I endured that night. <br /><br />Well these are just a couple of my party stories, I am sure more will come. For now you can see just what my social life in Peru has become. Or should I say, lack-there-of...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S5VebRueDgI/AAAAAAAAAIA/p5yDVRQb6ZA/s640/DSC02504.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 360px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/S5VebRueDgI/AAAAAAAAAIA/p5yDVRQb6ZA/s640/DSC02504.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a> Posing for a picture at my cousins wedding, here I am standing with the groom and the other groomsmen and bridesmaid.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-50459143329593722152010-02-04T13:20:00.000-08:002010-02-04T14:12:20.857-08:00Alright, it has been forever since I last posted a blog. I remember before coming here that I was determined to post a blog at least once every two weeks, now it is barely once every few months. I guess it just goes to show how different my life has become. I no longer walk in the door, go for my laptop and flip it open to check my email everytime I step foot in my room. Instead I come home and usually sit down to have a conversation with one of my family members and eventually find my way to a cozy spot in the house to read a book. <br />My life has also become a lot more comfortable. I can't remember the last time I cared about "doing" my hair or puting on makeup. Not that it should have ever been a concern, but here (unlike America)no one really goes to extreme lengths to look better than they already do when they roll out of bed in the morning. I guess they do like to polish their shoes every morning, and for some reason believe it is essential to wet their hair everytime they get the chance. However, rather than adapt to their standard of grooming, I have decided to give the majority of it up. <br />I have continued to go to the gym on a regular basis, and feel great about that. I wish I could get my diet more in check, but it is hard when food is such a central part of the culture here and rejecting any meal is like a slap in the face to the chef. So I basically eat anything they put in front of me. I have, in the meantime, perfected my yelling skills,"poco, no mas!" ("Just a little!")is what I yell everytime my host mom goes to dish me up. She gets the point now... She loves to tell people that I will eat anything, but that I just cannot eat a lot because I don't know how. LOL!<br />Oh trust me lady, I know how...<br />In other news, someohow my camera broke. It just stopped working one day. So there will be a hiatus on photo taking for a while. <br />I also bought a puppy! After my family decided to banish Little Louie to the Chacra (farmland) for eating all the chicken eggs, I took it upon myself to find another dog. Her name is Lady-Chica, she is mostly blind, but i'm pretty sure she can see anything right in front of her face. She is so cute, and loves to sleep. She eats, plays, sleeps... all day long. I have started to let her spend all her time outside in the back of the house and she loves it. She isn't scared of the crazy cat or the crazy chickens that my mom has back there, and I'm almost positive she has no interest in eating the chicken eggs either. <br />As for work in site, I took a break for the holidays, and am feeling a bit guilty that I havn't gotten back into the swing of things yet. One thing after another just seems to pop up and every week it's a different reason for why I cannot get much work done. I do see in the next couple weeks that I will be able to get some work done towards a few projects I am launching. <br />I plan to start a youth entrepreneurship club at the comedor, as well as host a preventative medical campaign at some different locals in my site. I also am in the process of applying for a PEPFAR project that will educate my community members on the dangers associated with HIV/Aids. Aside from all of this I am still trying to find my way into the artisan community. I have yet to have any success working with the artisans, so I think it is time to change up my approach... As before I am still working with the organic avacado association which mostly involves getting the various forms filled out so they can move forward with the project. <br />As for my social life, well lets just say I am integrating well. My family is almost too comfortable with me. My host brother loves to come to me daily to get advice about his 'difficult' life... He has no job, hardly does any school work, and is always in a fight with his 15 year old girlfriend. My advice is almost always the same regardless of the issue, "be honest, grow up, and stop making excuses..." I can only hope that some part of my advice will rub off after two years. <br />My host mom is definately opening up as well. She was very quiet and reserved for the first few months, but now she is more willing to speak up and talk to me. She is still reserved and doesn't have much to say, but I'm 99% sure that it is just the way she is, and she just doesn't really care about talking to me anyways. My host dad is still excited to have me around, he checks in on me daily and I really think he is someone that is looking out for my best interest (but you never know...). One day he came home really drunk, like i'm talking stumbling around and yelling to the top of his lungs that he "loves me like a real daughter." When he apologized the next day for the way he acted, I told him in wasn't a problem, and acted like it was no big deal (even though I will never look at him the same again). He was obviously relieved to know that I wasn't upset, and I think it helped build some trust with him. It's funny how these things work. <br />Well I am sure there is much more to talk about, but this will have to do for now. I promise I will post more blogs in the NEAR future. For those of you that might still be reading any of this, I appreciate you for following my blog, it makes me feel closer to those of you that are so far away ;)<br />I also want to give a shout-out to my Grandma in the Oh-hi-OOOOH! I hope you are doing well, miss and think about you a lot!!!!<br />And to all those who have sent me care packages and letters, they are amazing, and whenever I receive one it literally makes my day! Thanks Mom, Hedy, Aunt Nancy, Grandma, Kelsey, Penny, Steve and Amelia Gage, The Esquiros, Abby, and Melissa.<br />I hope everyone is doing well back home ;)<br />-AlanaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-23464664633593164382009-11-07T15:11:00.000-08:002009-11-07T16:46:24.596-08:00Coming to you live from CuscoHello friends, family, and loyal blog followers!<br />I am currently writing this blog from Cusco. I know I have been slacking in the blogging process lately, so rather than hash out the last two months of service, I have decided to dedicate this blog to showing you some photos of what I have been up to since my last blog. In order of least recent to most recent, here are some photos for your viewing pleasure...<br /><br />Every month the volunteers in my department meet to discuss various topics. One of them (a less serious topic) was the newly implemented idea of arm wrestling to finalize decisions. Whenever we are in disagreement about anything or have a problem deciding on an issue, we will designate one person from each side of the debate to arm wrestle over which side will win. As you can see, we only do this to keep sane... <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYTDT9x-hI/AAAAAAAAAGA/nk0lhrMhaQg/s1600-h/october+and+cuzco+004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYTDT9x-hI/AAAAAAAAAGA/nk0lhrMhaQg/s320/october+and+cuzco+004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401525750697425426" /></a><br />This is a photo taken at sunset in my site. I was sitting on a bench while waiting for a friend. This street is what draws the tourists to my town. Located on it are small artisan shops filled with baskets, and other woven goods, as well as food vendors, and the Melchorita. The people of my site believe that the Melchorita was a woman saint, located on the street is the remains of her house. People come from all over to spend time there, pray, and tour her living quarters.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYRfJpoS-I/AAAAAAAAAF4/qO7XW43j38Q/s1600-h/october+and+cuzco+012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYRfJpoS-I/AAAAAAAAAF4/qO7XW43j38Q/s320/october+and+cuzco+012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401524029941631970" /></a><br />Here I was celebrating another volunteers birthday, Peruvian style. Most celebrations consist of a circle of people passing a bottle and small cup around, each taking a sip and passing it along. After hours of this we continued the tradition by eating a ton of food and dancing until the wee hours of the morning in a small living room. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYPiFxkK9I/AAAAAAAAAFw/lo6tCj1CH0A/s1600-h/october+and+cuzco+018.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYPiFxkK9I/AAAAAAAAAFw/lo6tCj1CH0A/s320/october+and+cuzco+018.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401521881417526226" /></a><br />I stay busy by teaching three English classes a week, one for adults, youth and children. Here I am teaching the children how to count in English. It was semi-successful. I didn't really want to teach English classes, but it is nice being able to help those who are serious about learning. And I have to say, I have never enjoyed singing the ABC's quite like I do now...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYOZbPsl9I/AAAAAAAAAFo/0EVTshMrmes/s1600-h/october+and+cuzco+035.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYOZbPsl9I/AAAAAAAAAFo/0EVTshMrmes/s320/october+and+cuzco+035.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401520633050601426" /></a><br />As the weather is warming up, Summer is definitely here. I have even managed to take some time out of my busy busy schedule to lay on the beach (note the sarcasm). The beach is only ten minutes from my house. Can't complain. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYMFwEA-nI/AAAAAAAAAFg/s8-oY6-KRbM/s1600-h/october+and+cuzco+052.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYMFwEA-nI/AAAAAAAAAFg/s8-oY6-KRbM/s320/october+and+cuzco+052.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401518096018111090" /></a><br />Here is a shot of Chincha, a medium size city located 10 min. from my site. The last week in October was "Tourism Week" in Chincha. Basically a made up holiday by the local municipality to try and create more tourism in the area. A good idea if you ask me. However tourism is still lacking in my area as compared to some others, but we are getting there. Anyways, the week of festivities include a huge concert in the center plaza on Thursday night, and a parade to mark the end of the week on Sunday. This photo is of the center plaza of Chincha where people were lined up as the sun was setting to watch the parade come down the street. Every group in the parade was a dance group and each took turns performing in front of the large crowd. I was certainly mistaken as a tourist throughout the week, but it was slightly entertaining because people were thanking me for being there :) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYJRXtiMHI/AAAAAAAAAFY/LVHQXXGUyWo/s1600-h/october+and+cuzco+064.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYJRXtiMHI/AAAAAAAAAFY/LVHQXXGUyWo/s320/october+and+cuzco+064.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401514997104914546" /></a><br />The photo below is of two members of the agriculture association signing the official rules of the association. I recently conducted my first taller (workshop) for an association I am working with. The association is called something like Small Agricultures of Organic Avacado from Topara- High Part (but in Spanish of course). The name is really long and I never seem to remember it correctly. Anyways, this group of 32 people live up in the Sierra of Grocio Prado (my site). They live a campo style of life, meaning they have no electricity or running water, and everyone owns their own farmland. This association has won a $20,000 prize to help fund their project of growing organic avacado. They are all fairly uneducated (outside of the vast knowledge they have when it comes to farming), and they don't really have any idea of how to run a business. So here I am, a resource for them to use along the way. The project timeline is two years, which works out really well, because that's exactly how long I will be here. I hope to help them learn how to work together as an association to make this project work, and more specifically help in teaching business themes such as marketing, accounting, organization, finance...etc. This first taller was about business organization. I talked a bit, then we would do some sort of dynamic, and repeated this a few times. By the end we had come up with the roles and responsibilities of each member of the association, as well as an official document that lists the rules of the association (of its members). They (and I) were very happy at the end, and felt like the association was a bit more organized, and now everyone was on the same page as far as what their role was in this project.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYFvSblQrI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/GhX2CdxjcHI/s1600-h/october+and+cuzco+075.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYFvSblQrI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/GhX2CdxjcHI/s320/october+and+cuzco+075.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401511113037005490" /></a><br />This photo below is a typical Cusco street. Cusco is located in the mid-southern sierra of Peru. As most of you know, Cusco is the starting point for anyone looking to visit Machu Pichu. So to start, let me tell you that my trip to Cusco does not (regretably) include a venture up to the "7th wonder of the world" (or is it the 8th wonder???). That being said, I have to say that even without a trip to Machu Pichu, Cusco is an amazing place. This is a business trip. I was invited to come up by Julie, the director of a dining room for poor children (aka: comedor). She also happens to be my Alaskan friend who happens to live in my site, weird, I know. We planned the trip to Cusco so that we could look at a couple of comedores in Cusco that are running successful programs that we are looking to emulate at the comedor in Grocio Prado. Aside from the business part of the trip, we have spent our time walking up and down the beautiful Mediterranean style streets of Cusco. Being here makes me feel like I am not in Peru anymore. Unlike where I live (Grocio Prado), Cusco has a little bit of everything. It is a very old town known as the "living house of the gods". It is antique at first sight, walking the streets are local Peruvians in the traditional Inca garb. Mixed in with this Peruvian culture is a modern, laid back, hippie generation of locals and foreigners. I have seen everything from yoga studios, to Indian food restaurants. This beautiful mountainside city is one of the neatest places I have ever been, and I cannot wait to come back. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYAw1oyg0I/AAAAAAAAAFI/EA9xrgrPqyE/s1600-h/october+and+cuzco+085.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SvYAw1oyg0I/AAAAAAAAAFI/EA9xrgrPqyE/s320/october+and+cuzco+085.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401505642109371202" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-64995861560730395702009-09-10T12:19:00.000-07:002009-09-10T12:50:42.139-07:00Boredom, loneliness, and just plain fun.I am going to be honest, the first two weeks so far have been a confusing mixture of pleasure and pain. I can say that no one day is alike. So if you want an account of my daily life that would be somewhat difficult, but I will give it a go and tell you about an average day here in site.<br /> First I wake up in the morning to the sound of Peruvian Wyno (sp?) music. It is the national folk music that my host mother cannot seem to get enough of. The name explains it perfectly, it sounds like a woman whining/crying in an annoying tone. But who am I to judge? My mother gets up around 5am every morning, regardless of what time she went to bed, and gets to work on God only knows what around the house. I can feel her vibes through the cement walls urging me to get up. I don’t quite know why, but sleeping-in here is very uncommon. And I know that she doesn’t like me laying in bed all morning, because she will say passive little things like, “wow you slept a lot” or “you were really tired” (mind you, I am up and moving by no later than 9am every day, usually 8am). So the pressure to get up forces me out of bed and I stagger out of my room hoping that there will be a ready-set schedule of work I must do today. No such luck. So I wander to the bathroom praying that water comes out of the faucet. The water supply here is shady, mostly because it is controlled by the city, and there is not enough to go around, so water comes when it is available. By now I have learned that chances are there will be no running water so I might as well not even go through the hassle of lugging my toothbrush and toothpaste with me. And yes, as I had thought, there is no water. So I walk back to my bedroom to look for a half-full bottle of water, if I am lucky there is one to save me. If not, then this means today I will be going to the gym in the morning rather than the afternoon. This brings me to the best thing to happen to me since coming to site, well one of the best. I found an awesome gym wedged in the back of a mini-mall. It reminds me of a gym in the U.S. which is an amazing feat. Most gyms here (unless you are in Lima) are made up of a tiny little room with outdated machines, and even more outdated staff. Not this gym. No sir, this gym has brand new machines, is good in size, has a spinning room and a dance room for classes like pilates, afro-peruvian dance, step-aerobics, ab-lab, etc… It also has a trained staff that are always helpful, sometimes a little too helpful, but hey, I kind of like the attention. The best part of all is it has running water with showers. This is why it makes it to the top of my “best things since coming to site” list. <br /> Let me get back to my daily schedule. So by now my mom has noticed me wandering around the house and is in the kitchen prepping some version of bread, cheese, hot tea, and if I am lucky some surprise object like kalamata olives or avocado, for breakfast. I eat in a large room with no furniture except the large dining table that I am seated at alone. I wouldn’t mind being alone in the room except for the fact that people usually walk through, or by it while I am eating, making it very evident to me that I am eating alone, in this awkwardly large room (and now I think people are watching me). So here I think about all the things I can do with this day, and this is where my daily events start to change. Every day I try to do something different to feel like I have made progress here. Some days that something is very little. If I am really lucky, it is Sunday which means I can devote the entire day to doing laundry and not feel any pressure to do anything else, because that is a widely accepted pastime in this country. I have set up various meetings, and have been stood up on all occasions, but somehow that has not gotten me down at all. I have talked to some local artisans, and can tell that the “artisan association” is more of an idea than an acting organization in this town. So I have my work cut out for me. The one thing that people are certainly expecting of me is to teach English classes. I really wasn’t thinking I would do that, but as the days pass, and I run out of things to be doing, I am coming to the reality that I will certainly be starting some English classes here soon. <br /> So for now I try to fill my day with whatever little tasks I think of. Some days I meet up with other volunteers nearby for lunch, which is a nice change of pace. I also went to Huacachina recently with a friend. This is an oasis located in what are the largest sand-dunes in all of South America. This place is amazing. Anyone that comes to visit me has to go, because it is only 2 hours from my site. Here I went on a 2 hour tour on a 9-person dune buggy. The driver was a neat local man, who drove really fast making tight turns up and down and on the sides of the dunes. It was like a roller coaster ride. Then he would stop randomly on the tops of dunes so that we could get out and ride down them on snowboards. It was so much fun. Not to mention beautiful and cheap, two great things to have together.<br /> Meals are another nice thing because they take up large chunks of time. People here devote a full two hours to lunch. A custom I say we adopt in the U.S. I don’t think in my whole life I have ever spent so much time just eating. I usually skip dinner though, because lunch is so huge. It consists of a three course meal, soup, starter, and entrée. My mom likes to make certain dishes for certain days of the week. And she is a great cook. Every time I try something new, I say to myself she should open up her own restaurant in the U.S. I mean people down here just do totally different things with food. It is amazing. I am sure that Americans would love it (most of it). Although I do have to note that the dishes are not very healthy most of the time. Every meal is high in starches, carbs, and fat. Maybe that is why it tastes so darn good…<br /> In the evenings I like to go to the gym so that I can work out, but more importantly, shower. It works to my favor, because I have only missed two days at the gym so far and I really am getting in shape. I have also been going to the Afro-Peruvian dance classes that they have 3 times a week. These are a lot of fun. This form of dance originated in the southern, coastal Ica region of Peru. They say that Ica has the best food, dancing, and wine in all of Peru. I believe it. The dance is like hip-hop dance meets belly dance, but focuses on big movements with the chest and hips. It is great for abs, and let’s be real, everyone knows I like to shake it. It also has a Latin salsa vibe, so basically, I LOVE IT. <br />Now I have only left out the one thing I do most, and that is nothing. I am mostly consumed by boredom for at least half of a day. I try to do constructive things like read my training material, or make lists of things I need to be doing. But the more I try to force it, the more obvious it is that I have not a lot of work to do right now. But that is ok. I really am trying to just spend time in my community getting to know people and understand how this place works. I have attended a few community events like the mayors wedding, and hanging out at the plaza. I spend a lot of time with my host brother, who has really taken a serious interest in learning English. He tries to learn a new sentence every day. Oh and I almost forgot, we have a puppy and my brother asked me what my dogs name was (he saw her in photos) I said Lou, so he named our puppy Lou. I changed it to Louie though, because it was easier for him to say. LOL. So although things are moving slowly, I really have to say I am happy and enjoying myself here. I definitely am getting in all the “me time” that a person could need in life. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SqlX3NGF4xI/AAAAAAAAAEY/E1Gx7p1kS-Q/s1600-h/Last+weeks+of+training+101.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SqlX3NGF4xI/AAAAAAAAAEY/E1Gx7p1kS-Q/s320/Last+weeks+of+training+101.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379927835790402322" /></a><br />This is a picture of me and my host family on our last day together<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SqlX23MK3NI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/xcCBZLjvJxM/s1600-h/louie+014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SqlX23MK3NI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/xcCBZLjvJxM/s320/louie+014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379927829910314194" /></a><br />This is a photo of little Louie<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SqlX2Tj7q1I/AAAAAAAAAEI/dzQv62qO6Pw/s1600-h/Huacachina+041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SqlX2Tj7q1I/AAAAAAAAAEI/dzQv62qO6Pw/s320/Huacachina+041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379927820346305362" /></a><br />Here is a photo of me at Huacachina<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SqlX2C18FtI/AAAAAAAAAEA/l_hgAH6G87w/s1600-h/Huacachina+026.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SqlX2C18FtI/AAAAAAAAAEA/l_hgAH6G87w/s320/Huacachina+026.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379927815858427602" /></a><br />Another one at Huacachina, sand boarding<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SqlX1tDSGCI/AAAAAAAAAD4/OrdsrQSW-iI/s1600-h/Huacachina+001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SqlX1tDSGCI/AAAAAAAAAD4/OrdsrQSW-iI/s320/Huacachina+001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379927810008815650" /></a><br />The beautiful oasis of Huacachina!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-46723658151548598732009-08-23T08:34:00.000-07:002009-08-23T10:59:27.667-07:00...And then there were three<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SpGCLBpymKI/AAAAAAAAADI/Q308tpkIm0Q/s1600-h/Last+weeks+of+training+074.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SpGCLBpymKI/AAAAAAAAADI/Q308tpkIm0Q/s320/Last+weeks+of+training+074.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373218956363602082" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />The last two weeks of training have finally come to an end, and I can now say that I am a volunteer for the U.S. Peace Corps. I definitely feel a sense of relief that training is over. Although it was a lot of fun and I learned a whole lot, it is not what I came here to do. Now I feel like my time here is really beginning. It has hit me that this will be my life for the next two years. And as long as it may seem right now, I know it will fly by and before I know it I will be writing my last blog entry. But for now, I will focus on the work I came here to do. I am feeling very motivated, and can't wait to get to started. However, let me get back to the end of training and what has been going on up until now. <br />I took my final language evaluation, finished my technical classes, and had some fun in between. Here are some photos of us in training, my group won second prize in the map drawing contest of Peru, also we threw a party for all of the host families and I taught the rest of the group the Thriller dance which we all performed one more time in front of all the families. They loved it. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SpF4Dg7jYpI/AAAAAAAAACw/NANgIHMIowU/s1600-h/Last+weeks+of+training+022.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SpF4Dg7jYpI/AAAAAAAAACw/NANgIHMIowU/s320/Last+weeks+of+training+022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373207832204370578" /></a><br /><br />I never thought that I would have made such close friends and come to love so many people in such a short time. I just said goodbye to all the people I have spent the last 11 weeks with and am about to start this journey all over again. The goodbyes began at swearing in where all of us volunteers said the swearing in oath and became official volunteers for the Peace Corps. It was a bitter sweet ceremony. I was so happy to finally be finished with training, but looking out into the crowd I saw all my host family looking up with smiles on their faces, proud that I was their "daughter", and I knew I was really really going to miss living with them. What has become my "normal" life here is now going to end, and I must start this cycle all over again. As the bus rode away my family waved, they were all crying. I was even crying. <br />The bus took us to Lima city where all of us volunteers would stay a night to celebrate before we left for our separate destinations around the country. We all went out that night and had a lot of fun. Our group became really close in these 11 weeks of training and I remember at the beginning thinking I couldn't see how we could really get to know each other in such a short amount of time, but it happened. Each person has their roll in the group, and I know that I will rely on their support over the next two years.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SpF49XyVVcI/AAAAAAAAAC4/Uyfsx7Td7p4/s1600-h/Last+weeks+of+training+030.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SpF49XyVVcI/AAAAAAAAAC4/Uyfsx7Td7p4/s320/Last+weeks+of+training+030.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373208826182194626" /></a> The next day, region by region, they each filed into a taxi and by 10:00pm I was giving my last hugs, completely drained from all the farewells. <br />I walked back into the hostel where I would be staying for the next two nights. Because I live so close to the city of Lima, my travel to my site will be the shortest of everyone's, thus I don't have to leave until Monday morning. So here I am with Frank and Janelle, the last three left from the group. We will travel together on Monday to our sites in Ica. There I will begin my two years of service.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-25025426060742852002009-08-09T18:29:00.000-07:002009-08-09T18:49:48.749-07:00Site VisitSo I just got back from a 4 day visit to my new site Grocio Prado, Ica. Here I will spend the two years of my service working on various projects around the community. I met some of my community partners, the people I will be working most closely with. I still don’t know much more about any of the work I will be doing, but this is something that will develop over time. The first project I have is to conduct a community diagnostic (CD) to find out more about my community’s needs and where my work can be most beneficial. I have three months to complete my CD, so it is most likely that I won’t dive into any projects right away. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sn95sOHh_iI/AAAAAAAAACQ/NCx-zmtoZ0M/s1600-h/site+visit+032.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sn95sOHh_iI/AAAAAAAAACQ/NCx-zmtoZ0M/s320/site+visit+032.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368143081459809826" /></a><br /> As for Grocio Prado itself, like I said in my last blog, it is not a very pretty town due to the destruction caused by the Earthquake in 2007. The town looks somewhat like a war-zone. The saddest part is that many people are living in huts constructed of woven mats. They do not have the money to rebuild their house, and the government hasn’t done a great job of helping the people of Grocio Prado to rebuild. However there has been (and continues to be) a lot of help by NGO’s and other organizations to rebuild houses and other buildings. The family I am living with was blessed enough to have absolutely zero damage occur to their house. Because of this they were not (monetarily) affected by the earthquake and have been able to continue in life without starting over. So needless to say, I am staying in one of the nicer houses in Grocio Prado. The house has 4 large living rooms that are each connected in a line, and off to the side of two of the living rooms are the bedrooms. I am staying in a fairly large room with two twin beds and a dresser. When I signed up for Peace Corps I was not picturing living in a house quite this nice. However, it should make life a little easier right? <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sn97DwixTAI/AAAAAAAAACY/dJD-pgRf46w/s1600-h/site+visit+056.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sn97DwixTAI/AAAAAAAAACY/dJD-pgRf46w/s320/site+visit+056.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368144585349483522" /></a>Here is a picture of my room.<br /> The family I am living with consists of the father Elvio, the mother Maria, and their 18 year old son Elvis. They are very sweet people and were great hosts the entire visit. My father is a vigilante, or watchman for some place, I’m not quite sure… I believe my mom is a stay at home mom for the most part. Elvis is in a business tech program at the moment and seems to be a typical 18 year old. I actually feel the age difference between him and I which is scary because until now I thought 18 wasn’t a whole lot younger than me, but I guess time has passed without me noticing. He invited me out the first night I arrived but I declined because I was so tired. He never asked me to go out again after that, so I didn’t do anything each night I was there because I didn’t feel it was safe to go out alone. My father said to me right before I left that Elvis would be sure to “integrate” me into his group of friends as soon as I return. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad thing. I know his girlfriend is 15 so I can only imagine the ages within his group of friends. Hmmmm, we will see how this develops… <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sn972DYDVRI/AAAAAAAAACg/xSZosGzm5_I/s1600-h/site+visit+066.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sn972DYDVRI/AAAAAAAAACg/xSZosGzm5_I/s320/site+visit+066.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368145449398261010" /></a> Here is the outside of my house. <br /> I also met the mayor of my town who is a WHOPPING 24 years old. He seemed nervous to meet me, and I could tell he didn’t quite know what to say. I also got the vibe that he was confused about what exactly it was I would be doing for two years. So I am in the process of perfecting my “what is Peace Corps and what am I here to do” speech (in Spanish). I could tell that my first challenge in site is going to be explaining what I am there to do. Since the people are so used to having NGO’s come into their city they don’t quite get the difference between my position and the position of an NGO. After my brief (and awkward) meeting with the mayor, I was hurried out of his office and into a taxi. Though this was no normal taxi… This was the chauffer of the mayor. He was told to take me on a tour of the town. And so he did. We drove around for 2 hours, and by the end I realized just how large my site was. The chauffer’s name is Alfredo and he is by far the best connection I made during site visit. He told me a lot about Grocio Prado, and showed me all the different parts, he even took me to a few artisans to talk and see their work. The tour took place on the 2nd day that I was there, and for the next two days every time I saw him he would ask if I needed a ride anywhere, or if I had any “dudas” (doubts) about anything. It was nice to have one person in town recognize me when I was walking down the street. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sn98k5LGZyI/AAAAAAAAACo/ZziCGe96gW4/s1600-h/site+visit+043.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sn98k5LGZyI/AAAAAAAAACo/ZziCGe96gW4/s320/site+visit+043.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368146254113433378" /></a> Here is the municipality building in Grocio Prado.<br /> The majority of my site visit was spent hanging out at my house, so yes, as I had predicted, there was not a lot of preparation for my visit and no one really took me under their wing to show me around and introduce me to people. However, I am glad I had the experience because when I go back in two weeks I will know exactly what to expect, and be much more prepared for it. <br /> Some other highlights are that I live 15 min. from the beach, 30 min. from Paracas (a BEAUTIFUL tourist spot), and less than an hour from two of my friends. I also think I will get a bike to use because there are no hills and a lot of people in the town use bikes. How eco-friendly! My house is also 10 minutes from the city of Chincha which is big and has everything I could need.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-56199905088465236372009-07-30T18:56:00.000-07:002009-07-30T19:25:37.815-07:00Site AssignmentDrum roll please..... She is going to Ica!!!!<br />Yup, you heard it here, I will be living in a small town in the province of Chincha, in the district of Ica Peru for the next two years. What a relief it was to finally see where I will be focusing all my hard work for the foreseeable future. I found out that my town was devastated by the earthquake that struck Peru in 2007, and the community is still recovering. So the town is "not that pretty" as I was told by the volunteer who visited my site the day before. But I don't mind that one bit!<br /> I will be the first volunteer in the province of Chincha since before 2002 (maybe the first ever?). And for this I am EXCITED. I also found out that the house I will be living in is (unusually) large and nice for the area. The same volunteer also told me that I would "love my house". For this I am RELIEVED. However, I am trying to bajar (lower) my expectations until site visit. <br />I will be going to Chincha for 5 days on Monday! I cannot wait. Although I am a little afraid because I don't know how prepared they are for me. Will I be sitting around twiddling my fingers for 5 days, or will someone take me under their wing and show me whats happening in Chincha? As we like to say in Peace Corps "vamos a ver..." (we'll see...)<br />The only other info I have for now is that I might be working with a group of artisans, a secondary school, and some sort of small agribusiness project. Rather than pretend like I know what any of that entails I will save the details for another blog, when I actually know what to say. <br />As for other news, I have been battling a series of cough, runny nose, and a massive cold sore on my mouth for the past week and a half. Lets just say I have seen better days... Thankfully the other trainees were able to look past my rough appearance and still treat me like I was not a freak. Only a few jokes were told (to my face at least). The faces you get from people when they feel sorry for you are pretty hilarious. What is even more entertaining are the looks I get from the locals because every time I cough they get a look of utter fear on their faces. What is going through their mind? Oh let me tell you, "That gringa is about to give me the gripe!!!" Or in plain english, "that American girl is about to give me H1N1!!!". For some reason Peruvians are convinced that all of us gringos are contaminated with H1N1 and we are bringing it into their country. Crazy thoughts. <br />I am still recovering, but feeling (and looking) much better. They say that the sicker you are during training the better. This is because your body acclimates itself to the new germs and by the time I go to site I will be like a rock! Or so I hope. Hey that reminds me, if anyone wants to send a care package, multivitamins are on the top of the list for me, because apparently Peace Corps Peru doesn't supply them to the volunteers. Ahhemmm.....<br />Anyways, everything else is going well. I have a few more blogs I am working on right now, hopefully will post them in the coming week. Sorry no pics this time. If there are any topics you would like to know more about please let me know. Sometimes I think I overlook things that people back home would be interested in knowing about. Hope all is well back in the states. Tell America I said Hola!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-12171261790272358672009-07-21T19:27:00.000-07:002009-07-21T19:53:32.778-07:00FBT<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SmZ7pPgJ7gI/AAAAAAAAABw/W3twzMe_pys/s1600-h/pc+weeks+3-6+098.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SmZ7pPgJ7gI/AAAAAAAAABw/W3twzMe_pys/s320/pc+weeks+3-6+098.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361108354897407490" /></a><br />I just got back from a week of Field Based Training (FBT). The point of FBT is to put trainees in the site of a current volunteer to see what life is like out in the field. During FBT I had the opportunity to teach a class of 33 tech school students about the basics on running a small business. At the end of the three days of class, the students had the opportunity to run their own business simulation by taking out a loan from the “Peace Corps Bank” and running their business for one day in an effort to pay back the loan the next day and also come out with some earnings of their own. Thankfully each of my groups came out ahead and hopefully they learned a thing or two as well. It was challenging trying to teach a business class in Spanish but at the same time, I felt very at home because I had a lot of experience tutoring these same topics during college. <br />I also learned a lot about what life is really like for a volunteer. The town I spent the majority of my time in was a small village up in the highlands of Cajamarca. The land there was beautiful. You couldn’t look in any direction without seeing a gorgeous view of the surrounding mountains. The people in this town were much more traditional as well. I could tell that the culture has not yet evolved the way it has where I am living in Lima. It was a nice change of pace. The people were very calm and it seemed like a much safer place where everyone knows everyone (reminded me of home). <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SmZ8qtqx8KI/AAAAAAAAAB4/1PPuwpsBHD0/s1600-h/pc+weeks+3-6+102.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SmZ8qtqx8KI/AAAAAAAAAB4/1PPuwpsBHD0/s320/pc+weeks+3-6+102.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361109479686533282" /></a><br />During my time there I also managed to play in a game of football (soccer). It was team “gringo” against a team of local students. They seemed to be very entertained that the gringos had two girls playing on their team. In countries like Peru it is not very common to have women playing soccer, especially with men. We played hard, and I found it difficult to breathe because the air at that altitude was much thinner. My soccer playing skills are limited to say the least. I wish we had been playing volleyball, but apparently only women play that here… We even had a bench full of gringos cheering us on which was hilarious. The prize for the winning team was a little male goat, and we were determined to win it. We really wanted to be able to bring a goat back to the training center to show our accomplishment… <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SmZ9tffJr2I/AAAAAAAAACA/fdxmbwp1S98/s1600-h/pc+weeks+3-6+113.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SmZ9tffJr2I/AAAAAAAAACA/fdxmbwp1S98/s320/pc+weeks+3-6+113.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361110626930896738" /></a><br />Needless to say we lost, but only by one point. The goat went to another team. However, we made up for it by performing a dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to an audience of all the students from the Tech Institute we were teaching in. We wanted to perform it as a way for all of us trainees to show our appreciation to the students. I choreographed the dance one morning, and then taught the dance to the other trainees in my group and we performed it at the closing ceremony. It was even more hilarious than the gringo soccer team. Hah! It also felt really nice to choreograph and perform a dance again. It has been about two years since I last took a dance class. For this, I think I will definitely be including dance classes in the work I do in site. I really miss it, and I think it would be a great way to keep busy, and get to know the community. Also I think young girls here might be interested to learn American styles of dance (fingers crossed). <br />Now I am anxiously awaiting my site assignment. I will know on Friday of this week where I will be spending the next two years and what kind of work I will be doing. Wish me luck!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SmZ-pElphoI/AAAAAAAAACI/2RSTbtq0wlo/s1600-h/pc+weeks+3-6+119.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SmZ-pElphoI/AAAAAAAAACI/2RSTbtq0wlo/s320/pc+weeks+3-6+119.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361111650502542978" /></a> (This picture is with another volunteer, myself, and two of the students we trained during FBT)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-48510885886338101142009-07-01T18:31:00.000-07:002009-07-01T18:58:42.084-07:00Living in a cloud of dustThis week has gotten off to an interesting start. But maybe I should begin with last week. I had a fever last Monday and wasn’t feeling too great for a couple days, but that was over by Wed. I have been keeping busy with classes. We went on a field trip to Lima two weekends ago, and this past weekend we began working at a local agricultural university. We are going to go there every other weekend to learn about planting in Peru. This should help us when we get to site to begin a garden if we so choose. I am very excited about this. I don’t have any gardening skills but hopefully this will be the start of a new hobby for me. I also broke out from an allergic reaction. This was strange because I have never been allergic to anything in my life (I think it was a spider bite). After 3 Benadryl I was good to go. <br /> This week began with a holiday called Feriado, it was in celebration of a saint. I had the day off from classes. So my day consisted of me “cooking” lunch for the family. I really didn’t cook though. I don’t think they were ready to let me loose in their kitchen just yet. I’m pretty sure they believe I don’t know how to do anything on my own. And for those who know me, know just how much I like to do everything on my own. This has been a hard adjustment to make to say the least. I just try to do as much as I can to keep myself sane, like go out with other volunteers, work out, and do my language homework (even though there isn’t really any reason to do it except out of boredom). <br />Anyways, I “cooked” spaghetti, but again, since I wasn’t really allowed to cook they pretty much did all the work while I stood around suggesting what we could do next. The best part was at the end when they thanked me for cooking lunch. I laughed and shook my head, because I didn’t know how to say anything that I really wanted to say. I wish they would have let me cook, because I really can cook. If they knew I could do some real work then they might not perceive me to be such a helpless American.<br />Today we were supposed to have classes, but there is a strike going on with all of the public transportation drivers. They are in opposition to some law so they are marching through the streets as I type this. There are about 14 of us who live in my town and we were all supposed to walk to class today since it isn’t safe to take a taxi and all the busses are not going. So at 8:00am about half of us met up to begin our walk. We live at least 5 miles from the training center so this was not going to be a short distance. We got all the way down our hill when one of the other volunteers brother came rolling in on his bike to tell us we didn’t have class after all. This was good to know, now that we were all the way down the hill… We turned around and walked right back up. It was a good morning workout. <br /> That’s the other thing I have had to get used to. Communication in Peru is very limited. Rather than planning a head for things people here seem to take a “wait until we cross that bridge” approach to life. For this I have found myself waiting numerous times for someone to show up, or I have been left without notice about many things. This is just the way it is. I know that I need to be flexible in order to survive the next two years, so this is just good practice for me I guess.<br /><br /> Here are some photos of the “hill” that I live on and walk up and down every day. This picture does not do it justice, but my walk up to my house takes about 10 or 15 minutes. It is all dirt, as you can see... I live in a cloud of dust, but I love it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SkwPeBXu_KI/AAAAAAAAABg/dGXBJ6uN3gU/s1600-h/P.C.+week+one+031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SkwPeBXu_KI/AAAAAAAAABg/dGXBJ6uN3gU/s320/P.C.+week+one+031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353671065475153058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SkwQUAWCSfI/AAAAAAAAABo/a4SPS3kI1dM/s1600-h/P.C.+week+one+033.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/SkwQUAWCSfI/AAAAAAAAABo/a4SPS3kI1dM/s320/P.C.+week+one+033.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353671992912529906" /></a><br /><br />I have been trying to get some videos up on here but the internet takes hours to upload a video, so I have yet to figure that out. I will try to get some more photos up here soon. <br />Love and miss you all!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-80657168990388075392009-06-14T16:45:00.000-07:002009-06-14T16:46:14.226-07:00One week down, Ten weeks and Two years to go<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Calana%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Calana%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5Calana%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> 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1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">This is the end of week one, and so much has happened. It certainly feels like it has been more than one week. When I first arrived in Peru with the 36 other trainees (we will become volunteers after 11 weeks of training) we stayed for two days in Huampani, a retreat center about 30 min. outside of Lima. We were prepped for safety, language, traveling, and anything else we needed to know before we were handed over to our host families to take care of us.<span style=""> </span>On Sunday we were taken to the training center, a large gated in house in a (seemingly) wealthy neighborhood. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Our families came to pick us up at the training center. The time leading up to this was spent touring the training center, getting in some last minute lectures, and eating lunch. I was nervous to meet my family for the first time. Was I going to be able to communicate with them? Would they be nice? Would the even like me? Well before I could finish thinking up all the worst-case scenarios, they were standing in front of me. Alan and Kenya, my host brother and sister came to pick me up. They were in high spirits and excited to meet me. This was a good sign… </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>We drove up to their house about 15 minutes away from the training center, they seemed to be astonished at the amount of luggage I had, and I was immediately feeling like I had brought way too much stuff. I was embarrassed, but now, only a week later, I definitely don’t care if they think I brought too much, because I know I didn’t bring enough…hah. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Anyways, I was led into the house where I met my host mother Elena, and Kenya’s two little boys Efrain, and Arturo. I also met Grecia, who, as a typical 14 year old, was not so excited to meet me.<span style=""> </span>That didn’t last long though, I have spent a lot of time with Grecia in the past week, and I definitely feel closest to her so far. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Other than getting used to living with a new family, I have stayed busy through training. In a typical day, I get up around 6am (unless I haven’t already been woken up by the crowing chickens, and howling dogs all over town). I debate whether or not I am going to take a freezing cold shower, or just go without. I think I opted for the shower all but one day because it acts as a replacement for my morning cup of coffee. That’s another thing; it’s hard to get a good cup of coffee. They only have instant. After getting ready, I go out to the dining room, where my host father Nestor has prepared some type of Peruvian breakfast, usually a white roll filled with anything from jelly to avocado, to hot dogs. My favorite so far has been a fried egg and cup of warm soy milk. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Next I grab the lunch that he has also made for me, and when Peruvians make lunch they don’t just make a sandwich, they prepare a hot meal. Every day it has been different, but one thing that never changes is that there is always rice in the meal. After grabbing my lunch I run down the street to meet up with some other volunteers who live on my street, and we all walk down the hill together to jump on a Combi. It costs .50 Soles, that’s probably less than a quarter in American money. A Combi is like a bus, but smaller, and looks like it will break down any minute. They pack as many bodies into the Combi as they can, and since each Combi is run privately, they all race down the roads trying to beat each other to the next stop. It is quite the adventure… After about 10 minutes we are spit out of the Combi, and then walk another 5 or 7 minutes up to the training center. We spend the whole day going to all different classes such as language and culture, safety, small business development, health, etc... </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Around 5pm we get done for the day and then I head back home. I get back around 5:30pm, usually do some homework, try to go on a run, and jump on the computer at the internet café across from my house. I eat dinner whenever I am ready, and my host mom has usually prepared some variation of soup, rice, chicken/beef, and potatoes. It is always good. I hang out with the family for a little while, watch a tele-novela or two, and by then it is 9pm, and I am ready to crash. I am asleep by 9:30 every night. This schedule is completely different from what I was doing only a couple of weeks ago. Each day I have realized more and more the reality of my situation here. It is not bad, but sometimes it is hard to realize that I will be living like this for the next two years. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Here is a list of the things that make life difficult:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">No light in the bathroom, so after dark I must always use my headlamp</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">It is winter time here, which means I don’t know when I will be hot or cold an any given moment</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">My language skills are getting me by, but dang I miss being able to express myself like an intelligent adult</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">My diet is completely different, and consists of mostly starches and carbs, which I believe is the reason my body is rejecting me right about now</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The bugs are big, they bite, and they are always around</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I live in a cloud of dust</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">My 7 year old host brother thinks he is way smarter than me</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I feel like I am at the same education level as my three year old host brother</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">People here don’t drink cold beverages, and rarely drink anything with their meals, so I am always the weird Gringa that drinks water all the time. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I must always carry toilet paper with me, because it is not likely that any bathroom will have any (except the bathrooms at the training center…ahhh… it’s like heaven there)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I never feel completely clean</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I miss the U.S. for its hot showers, good television, and respect for each other’s “bubble”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I miss my family and friends</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Here is a list of the things that make life awesome:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I am learning so much every day, more than ever before in my life</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">My host family is amazing, they keep me sane, and make me realize that people around the world are all the same</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The other trainees I have been with since the beginning are my lifeline, they know what I am going through, and I don’t think I could do this alone</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The food, for the most part, is delicious</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Things are so inexpensive here</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Peruvians definitely take advantage of public transportation, something I think we Americans could learn from</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Life is simpler, and therefore the smallest things make me happy</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">I find that nothing can upset me too much if I don’t let it</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Each day is an adventure, which is all I wanted when I signed up for this…</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">After talking with locals about the work the Peace Corps does here, I am sure that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing in life</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">So as you can see, with everything comes the good and the bad, but for the record I have to say that overall I feel great about this first week. Let’s hope it stays this way <span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-4829627470364834552009-05-28T13:10:00.000-07:002009-05-28T14:16:37.876-07:00Leading up to Peace CorpsI just began counting down the DAYS until I depart, up until now I was counting the months and weeks. Time has really flown by, let me begin with my graduation...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sh725fUv0CI/AAAAAAAAAA4/XuzwowsXfXk/s1600-h/spring+09+022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sh725fUv0CI/AAAAAAAAAA4/XuzwowsXfXk/s320/spring+09+022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340977675629482018" border="0" /></a><br />I graduated on May 9th, my entire family (minus Willoughby) came to Charleston to witness the event. Although it was a long and boring ceremony, it was nice to know I was done with school. Afterwards Kelsey's and my family went to our apartment, and hung out at the pool to cook up some burgers/hot-dogs, and just enjoy the day. It was a relaxing celebration, just how I had hoped it would be. I was so tired though, that at one point I fell asleep in my bed, leaving my whole family to entertain themselves, and then when I woke up (at 11pm!), there was silence in my apartment. Needless to say my family gave up on waiting for me to wake up so they went back to the hotel to get some rest of their own. I felt so bad, but I know they understood. I had driven back from Savannah the night before to pick up Hedy from the airport, and I didn't get home until 2am, then I woke up for the ceremony at 7am. Anyways, it was a good day, and we ended it by taking a birthday cake I had baked to the hotel to celebrate my dad's birthday at 11pm.<br />After my family's visit, I had to pack up my entire apartment, and study for the GMAT. I had about 2 weeks to do it all, and with some help from Kelsey's mom, Joe, Goodwill and Craigslist, I was able to make it out of there with only 1 car full of my belongings.<br />Next I headed up to Boone NC with Joe and his family to spend Memorial Day weekend in a cabin on a mo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sh752nSba5I/AAAAAAAAABA/8poo5ZLM1cI/s1600-h/Memorial+day+weekend+09+025.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sh752nSba5I/AAAAAAAAABA/8poo5ZLM1cI/s320/Memorial+day+weekend+09+025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340980924762516370" border="0" /></a>untain. It was so nice up there. We went fishing, biking, sat around the campfire, and relaxed in the Hottub. I couldn't have asked for anything better.<br />Joe and I drove back to his house on Monday to spend our last day together before I left. It was a good day, not very sad (as I had expected), but we just enjoyed eachothers company and then I was on my way. I only cried once :)<br />I then headed up to Charlotte where I visited my friend Lauren for one night, we spent the whole time catching up, and the next day I was off to drive up to Ohio.<br />The drive took me 10 hours. It was easy, aside from the rain. I made it to my grandma's house in Tiffin Ohio around 10pm. That was last night.<br />So here I am hanging out with the Grams, just getting the last things together before I leave for Peru. This is probably the 7th time I have tried to re-pack the two bags I am taking with me. It is an impossible mission to fit what I believe are the "necessities". Why is it that bags can only be 50lbs? It should be 55lbs, the extra five is a whole pair of shoes, or two more pairs of pants at least!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sh7-JWOCTxI/AAAAAAAAABQ/3KVS49fEoOY/s1600-h/Memorial+day+weekend+09+009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hUjW1tNqbRg/Sh7-JWOCTxI/AAAAAAAAABQ/3KVS49fEoOY/s320/Memorial+day+weekend+09+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340985644644716306" border="0" /></a><br />I am in good spirits, and excited about what is to come. I just hope I will be able to carry all of my luggage...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-74964929435144148722009-04-22T20:40:00.000-07:002009-04-22T20:55:00.998-07:00Info on the Peace Corps (PC)<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 255);">Some of you may not know a whole lot about the Peace Corps, so I thought I would post the welcome letter I received when I found out I was invited to serve. It gives a short explanation, so here ya go..</span><br /><br />Congratulations on being invited to serve as a Peace Corps<br />Volunteer in Peru! We look forward to your arrival and to<br />working closely with you over the next two years.<br /><br />Peace Corps is an exciting and rewarding adventure in any<br />country, and I believe that we have a particularly strong program<br />awaiting you in Peru. Peace Corps returned to Peru in 2002,<br />after an absence of 27 years, and since then has grown to 140<br />Volunteers, established good working relationships with a variety<br />of counterpart agencies, and built an excellent reputation.<br />We can promise you a beautiful country, hospitable and<br />receptive people, a well-thought-out assignment, and many<br />development challenges. What we can’t promise you is that it is<br />going to be easy. There are numerous cultural and institutional<br />obstacles to training and motivating people in a country like<br />Peru. Some people in your community will be resistant to<br />change, others suspicious of your motives. But with hard work<br />and commitment on your part, you will be amazed at what you<br />can accomplish. Numerous lives will be changed for the better<br />because of your service as a Peace Corps Volunteer.<br /><br />In addition, you will have a once-in-a-lifetime cross-cultural<br />experience. Living with a Peruvian family, you will become<br />part of your community (which may be anything from an<br />urban barrio to a rural hamlet), participating in community<br />activities and sharing special moments with newfound friends.<br />Both you and the Peruvians you come in contact with will be<br />enriched from the experience.<br /><br />You will have 11 weeks of training before you are sworn in<br />as a Volunteer. The training will strengthen your language<br />proficiency, technical skills, safety and security awareness, and<br />community integration. Take full advantage of this opportunity.<br />Both during training and throughout your service, there is a<br />highly committed staff to support you. All of us share your<br />excitement about coming to Peru and making a contribution<br />to the development of this country. We look forward to<br />meeting you soon.<br /><br />Best regards,<br />Michael Hirsh,<br />Country Director<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4439939499737328630.post-71045816962436855952009-04-14T16:43:00.000-07:002009-04-18T22:15:09.660-07:00It finally cameI recently received the long-overdue package stating that I was invited to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru. After a year long, arduous application process, it seemed too good to be true. Was I dreaming? I never thought this day would come...<br />I started to seriously consider joining the Peace Corps when I was in my sophomore year at Western Washington University. I had heard about the Peace Corps and thought it sounded interesting, then one day I was sitting on a bench somewhere on campus (waiting for a bus I think), and just having one of "those days". I was sick of school, sick of my roommate, sick of rainy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bellingham</span>, and couldn't wait to be done with school. Just as it had been when I was in High School, graduation seemed like a myth at that point in my college career. It was at that moment that I overheard a girl on her phone talking about how she was graduating at the end of the semester and she was planning on joining the Peace Corps. I will admit I listened to her conversation intently. She was so excited and did a great job of selling the idea to me, so I decided right then and there that I wanted to join the Peace Corps as well.<br />I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">transferred</span> to Charleston Southern University in Charleston SC during my Junior year, where I spent the next three years. This brings me to today, where instead of trying to speed up time, I am slamming my foot on the break in hopes that time will stop flying by so quickly. I have definitely grown a lot during college and many aspects of my life have changed, but the one thing that never changed was my desire to join the Peace Corps.<br />After attending some information sessions and doing some of my own research about the Peace Corps, I decided to start my application in October of 2008, and submitted it sometime in September. I then waited until I got my interview, which was over the phone. It went very smoothly other than the fact that I felt extremely egotistical, talking about myself and how great I was for 1.5 hours. I finally received my nomination on December 18<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span>, and this is when the real process began. I had to complete an intense medical and dental review, which I think I completed sometime in February. I then waited, very impatiently, which is probably not a good sign because they tell you that you must be very patient to be able to handle the challenges faced in the Peace Corps (something I hope to work on in the next two years). As I waited I realized that I had no back-up plan, so if I didn't get an invitation to join the Peace Corps within the next month, I was looking at a situation in the near future of no job, no home, no money and no idea of what I would do next. I had considered applying for graduate school just in-case, but I thought it would jinx my chances of getting in, so of course I took the easy road and made no 'Plan B'.<br />So now one can imagine just how relieving and yet surreal it was to see those words, "Congratulations, you are invited to join the Peace Corps...". Hallelujah!<br />To make the moment even that much more special, I happened to be on the phone with Penny when the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Fed</span>-Ex man knocked on my door with that big, beautiful, blue Peace Corps invitation packet. Penny is one of my dearest friends, who had just left to begin Peace Corps service in Nicaragua on January 20<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span>. Right before he knocked we were talking about my application status, Penny was doing her best to reassure me that I would get the invitation, and I was doing my best to be pessimistic. I heard the knock and said to her, "maybe this is it... Does it come Fed-Ex?" She immediately replied, "yes, yes it does come Fed-Ex, that is it!". As I opened the package and read the letter informing me that, yes indeed I was invited, it was as if Penny wasn't so far away <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">after all</span>. I could feel the sigh of relief on both ends of the phone (probably for different reasons though...). I now knew the answer to what I had been waiting for since October! Penny was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">ecstatic</span>, and wanted to know why I didn't share her excitement. I couldn't really explain it, but the excitement was there, it was just covered by disbelief, and anxiety. It took me about two days until it finally settled in and the excitement really started to build. I received the invitation only two months before the departure date. So needless to say, I have a lot to do before I am ready. Not to mention staying focused on my schoolwork and graduating, but I am really struggling with deciding what I will bring and what I will leave behind. I can't imagine having only half of my wardrobe with me. I guess this is the beginning of my new simple life. Although it sounds scary, I am honestly excited to 'shed' myself of this American lifestyle that I am so accustomed to.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04654929871169003241noreply@blogger.com0