April 27, 2004
We took a feildtrip to Lima today to see the National Museum then had lunch at a ceviche place. All and all it was a good time -- great to get out of the training center for a little while.
April 25, 2004
Celebrated first thing this morning -- cold shower, finally! I went to Lima today with a friend. What a great day… Jockey Plaza (mall in Lima) should be sitting in downtown Atlanta. It’s a beautiful mall, with department stores, Payless Shoes, complete with a Starbucks. Yep, I couldn’t believe it either. I was in reverse culture shock when I walked in the place; I just couldn’t believe I was still in Peru. I had a French Vanilla Cappuccino, shopped, bought, ate a turkey sandwich, and had a great time feeling like an American (at least for a few hours!)
April 24, 2004
I haven’t slept this much in months. I have been able to sleep 12 hours a night here in CBT, must be my great sleeping bag. We helped make signs for the festival this morning. As we were walking down the street to the festival, a camera crew from the National TV station stopped us for an interview. I know…crazy! So, here I was talking in Spanish to a reporter with a TV camera in my face! Supposedly, it will be on TV in the morning. Just goes to show, Gringos are news here. The festival was hopping, tons of people from all over Peru head to the mountains for the annual festival. I had some great river fish for lunch and some chocolate cake for dessert. On the bus ride home, I got into a fascinating conversation with one of the school teachers from CBT. We talked about gender roles, psychology, marriage, and the differences in US and Peru. During our next visit to CBT, we are going to have a meeting with the teachers. I got home to find no water here… 4 days now without a bath.
April 23, 2004
I’m back at CBT. I’m staying with another trainee´s family (they couldn’t find another home stay) and I have to say it’s pretty bad. I can’t find an ounce of privacy anywhere. There are 10 kids in this family with a mom, plus me and the other trainee. The entire home has dirt floor and most of it is outside. There is a bathroom with a flush toilet, no shower, a sink in the “family” area, a wood burning stove for cooking. All I’ve managed to do is wash my face in the sink and brush my teeth a couple of times. There are two rooms in which everyone sleeps. We each have our own bed, and I only counted 4 others, so I’m not sure what the rest of the family is going to do. We’ve done 4 presentations at the schools and I believe they went well. We did self esteem activities and played a few games. All the kids know us now, so it’s cool when we venture outside. We immediately have kids holding our hands and generally crawling all over us! I am having some major stomach pain, probably shouldn’t have eaten that lettuce at lunch. It has been pretty cold here. We’ve taken several walks with the kids—to the cemetery, to the river, and just around town. I’ve even chatted with the kids about littering and self esteem. I am so ready to head to home for a bath! I haven’t been eating very well, just a lot of bread. The trip to the cemetery was interesting. Some of the graves were open. One of the kids, said that there are grave robbers looking for gold teeth and such. She also said it’s bad luck to look in the open graves. I saw my first pen of guinea pigs waiting to be cooked for supper. They were very fat and furry. Everyone was preparing the guinea pigs for this weekend’s Festival of the Chirimoya (native fruit of Peru).
April 20, 2004
What a day! I’ve already cried 2 times today. Homesickness, stress, and general bad-dayness will do that to you I guess. After my cry, I felt extremely better and I’ve made a resolution to run. Regular exercise is great for stress and it makes me feel good and I’ve been out of the habit sense heading to Peru. My friends here have really been there for me. I have to say they are some pretty great people. We vent with each other and we all have our days where we get upset. PC tells us it’s normal and to expect it, but the lows are not very fun! The highs definitely make up for them though and that is what gets me through. I led a team building activity today with my training group and it went well. As usual, I continue to learn things about myself and about others.
Crazy sights in Peru—women breastfeeding in public (leaves nothing to the imagination), everyone urinates in public (no need to find a tree/bush/hiding space), and they believe a cold/flu is caused from eating too many cold foods like ice cream.
April 19, 2004
I had another interview with the APCD today for my site placement. I believe it went well, I just told him the truth -- I would prefer a warm climate, an urban area, with modern amenities like water, lights, and internet. He said he had 2 places in mind for me, one in Trujillo working with the YMCA and one in Piura working with kids who are likely to be into drugs/gangs. I told him the site in Trujillo sounded more like me, so we’ll see. Heading to CBT again soon and I have to live with another family. I hope it’s ok! I played Frisbee with kids in the community today; most of the kids knew me from my session in their school. I am getting very anxious to get to my site, get to know my community, make friends, and settle in. Got a little homesick tonight -- I would like to just come home for about 6 hours, take a hot shower, see my loved ones, eat some great veggies, and head back out again.
April 18, 2004
I went to Lima today! It was a great time. We went to the beach just south of Lima. We walked and swam. I was definitely hesitant to get in the ocean (polution), but everyone was in the water and I didn’t want to seen weird…so I swam too. We ate lunch in a restaurant, which I could tell was a big thing for the family. It was absolutely scrumptious -- Roasted chicken, with fried potatoes, and salad. With a dressing, that was almost ranch. I couldn’t believe my luck. I have not been eating lettuce, since PCMO says it hard to clean properly and you are likely to get sick…but I did eat some of this salad and boy was it yummy! After lunch, we toured downtown. The downtown district is very Spanish colonial, mustard yellow paint, statues, museums, and park benches. I even saw a Pizza Hut, a Burger King, and a KFC. There for a second I thought I was back in the states! I had a very culturally faux pas moment. We visited a church which was very ornate with a golden altar. I didn’t hear the man say it, but my family said that he said we ought to be ashamed for coming to church in our street clothes. Then I crossed my legs while we were sitting and he was so embarrassed he left the service. Little did I know, you’re not to cross your legs in church! So, my whole family has laughed and laughed at me. I also experienced my first earthquake. It lasted for about 30 seconds and the people in the streets went crazy, screaming and running around. Nothing was damaged, but it was an experience.
April 17, 2004
Today’s Saturday but I had to go to school. What a bummer. We had language classes and a session on exactly what we will be doing as Youth Development Volunteers. I have another presentation next Tuesday and I’m also leading a team building session. (Thanks Niyelo!) So I´ll be doing homework this weekend. My mom taught me how to cook a Peruvian dish today. I had told her I am interested in learning, so she let me help out. It’s called Ahi de la Gallina...Chicken Spice...a chicken dish with red pepper and a bread like pudding. Interesting, different, and tasty!
April 16, 2004
We went to a shanty town area outside of Lima to work with an afternoon program for kids who work or don’t go to school. This is what they consider an urban youth project. Child labor is common, as is drug use, gangs, and violence. The kids were 6-12 years old. I had a blast! The program is from 3:00-5:00 in the afternoons and focuses on motivation and self esteem. We played games with the kids, sang songs, and mostly just acted like idiots! It was so fun. The kids were a little timid at first with all the Gringos but warmed up quickly and before I left I had to get a ton of kisses. If I were to be so lucky to be placed in a site like that program! I finally pin-pointed why I think this culture is so loving and great. They share absolutely everything. It is so beautiful really. That’s the meaning behind sharing the food I think. If anyone has anything, it is shared...completely. No matter how poor, everything is shared. It is so neat.
April 15, 2004
Getting to class this morning was an adventure in itself. The combi’s (public transportation) have decided to strike and protest. That means I had to cram into a taxi with 6 other Peruvians for a 10 minute ride to class. Most people couldn’t get to work or school because of the strike.
I went to a local school to do an activity on self esteem with a 5th grade class. Boy, was I stressed. There were 34 kids in one classroom. The activity was fun with lots of drawing and chatting. I don’t know what I would have done without the teacher. He was great and helped keep the kids in line and on task. At the end of the activity, it was neat to hear the kids tell me that they had never thought about stuff like “why I am important” or “who inspires me” before. So, even though it was stressful, I felt like I accomplished something.
I did a “Niyelo” activity with my language class, they thought it was cool. So, I’ve been asked to lead a session on Trust next week. Yeah! I’m excited.
April 14, 2004
Time is flying by! I’m in my forth week and I can’t believe it. Class has definitely been busy. I gave a presentation about Trujillo (a city in Peru) to the whole staff today. In Spanish! I feel good about it. I feel like the trainers throw so much info. at us and we never have time to work 100% on anything. I realize they only have 3 months to get us prepared for 2 years, but hey, it´s tough. I worked in our garden with the others this afternoon. We have learned how to make a bed, transplant, and water. I have enough more bug bites now. I look like a “Survivor” off the TV show. I have red spots all over me.
April 12, 2004
I’m not ready for another week of class! Alas, it’s here. This is my 4th week of PC training. Time is creeping by, I feel like I have been here for months. I bought a great pair of sandals. This guy in Chosica makes them by hand. He told me he studied shoe making in London for 2 years, so he speaks some English.
People eat/drink after each a lot here. In the market, if you want to try a salsa, just stick your finger in it. At meal times, anyone’s food is fair game. If you didn’t finish something, it’s almost rude to not offer it to someone else. And they don’t mind to pick up your fork to eat with either. They never eat at all with their fingers, always with silverware. That’s a problem for me, since I am used to eating chicken with my fingers! Drinks are passed around with pleasure. Somebody holds the bottle, and pours a small amount, drinks it. Then passes the glass, bottle, and somebody else does the same thing with just a small amount. It makes me want to pass around cups for everyone to use. But, no, they just need one. Nobody seems at all concerned about germs.
Gender roles are much defined here. Boys hang out with the boys and girls with the girls. Friends of the opposite seem to not exist. The kids in the town seem to be able to run around where they please, all hours of the day. They play at night in the park and are very trusting. Yet, it is seen as “bad” for a women, teen to walk by herself after dark. The ironies continue…
April 10, 2004
I got up early this morning to kick start the festival here. We hung the signs the kids had made about protecting the environment and not littering. We also marched in the parade along side the mayor. It was quite an honor. They announced our project over the loud speaker. So, all and all our project was a big success. I found a new friend. I never did quite get her name (some names here are impossible!), but she hung out with me all day. She was 11 years old and lived close to the town park. That’s common here with the kids, they are so curious about me. The Festival was fun—lots of booths of fruits, sweets, jewelry, clothing, and Panchamanca. Panchamanca is a Peruvian specialty. They dig a hole in the ground, put in chicken, corn, potatoes, and onions. Then they cover the whole thing with hot coals and dirt. Cooks for about an hour and ta-da an excellent dish! My family had a restaurant in our house for the weekend’s festivities. Many people come in from Lima to celebrate the Holy Week and to get away from the city.
I am working on a good farmer’s tan. The sun here is so bright, strong.
April 09, 2004
Mom’s Birthday. I’m thinking about you! Happy Birthday & I love you. I volunteered at another orphanage today; all girls, 31 in total, mostly older girls in adolescence. It was a little uncomfortable at first. They were watching TV and stopped to greet us all with a kiss. They were very sweet, just a little shy at first. We toured their home, which was very big and very clean. They had 3 big dogs that were ferocious. A 6-year-old was terribly scared of them. She was my fast friend. In fact, she cried when I told her I had to leave. I could tell she was absolutely starving for attention. They all need so much love.
After I got back home, nothing much was going on. My “mom” said that the priest had visited the house and brought holy water. I think it is a tradition in the town, for the Father to visit and bless each house during Holy Week
