June 18, 2004
I went this morning with my family to their other house inside the city of Trujillo. The father says that they have been planning on moving there for 2 years now. He says that I can live in either place. I told him I would live where I am for the time being. I ate lunch with my family. The meals are much more balanced here. I have at least 2 servings of vegetables and one meat, which is so much better than before. The dad has been so nice to me; he is very interested in my culture and continues to praise my Spanish. He is a professor at a high school and works a second job at a sugar factory. All the kids of the family attend the university and the mom stays at home. There is a 92 year old grandmother living here too; she is so cute, but can’t hear a thing.
It is really crazy how everyone just wants to go the USA. Everyone I talk with has a friend or family member that is living there. Even my dad here can’t imagine that jobs are hard to come by in my home too. I have to admit, things aren’t nearly as bad in the USA, as they are here. I am so lucky.
As for my work in El Milagro, I am learning more about how things run. My counterpart gave the same workshop that we gave at the town meeting to the mother’s group. The mother’s group calls themselves the ‘Dream Recyclers’, which is catchy since they also work as recyclers in the land fill. I mostly just hung out with the kids and talked with the mothers.
It is so great to be able to prepare my own food. I have gotten into a hot tea habit too.
June 17, 2004
My family took me to the big market in our community today. It is about 5 blocks away and has anything you can think of. I have been eating lunch with my family, but I haven’t even paid my rent yet. I told the dad a couple of days ago, that I need to pay, but he doesn’t seemed concerned. I guess I will just wait until he asks.
Today in El Milagro, we did home visits. What an experience. I can’t really even explain it. Imagine a land fill, then imagine families and animals (dogs, pigs, burros) living there in whatever they can find to make walls (mattresses, plastic, wire, bags). The odor is horrendous. The YMCA has implemented a latrine project, so there are outhouses sporadically amongst the houses. At 5:00pm every afternoon, the families take their pigs to the landfill to eat. These pigs are humongous. The families are raising these animals to sell, but they can’t sell them in Peru. Of course, the pigs carry disease because of what they eat, so these families go to the Ecuador border and sell them there. I was once again astounded at the extreme level of poverty that these people are living in.
Not feeling so well tonight, must be something I’ve eaten. I was asleep by 8:00pm.
June 16, 2004
I did some much needed grocery shopping today. I made some great finds like: Equal sweetener, Campbell’s soup, and even Romen noodles. I dropped some laundry off at the laundry mat – not cheap, but it is just so hard to hand wash jeans. So, the other half I will hand wash here.
I went to work in El Milagro at 3:00. I attended a community meeting with my counterpart. She held a workshop on advocacy. The YMCA in El Milagro, functions a lot like Family Connection does at home. They serve as a community resource where kids are mentored and tutored, families receive counseling, health fairs are organized, and community meetings are held. I was able to see the main plaza and the church and we also visited with some families of the community while we were there.
I introduced myself to the mini market owner and the guy who cuts hair here where I am living. They were nice and warned me to be careful getting off and on the bus from certain areas, there is a history of robbers.
June 15, 2004
I got up this morning and packed my things to move to my new house. I ventured to the market to find some breakfast – bread and mandarins. Around 11:00 am, my counterpart showed up and we moved all my stuff. My family took the news well; my counterpart told them I had to move because Peace Corps wanted us in separate communities.
My new family is nice. There are 3 kids (21, 24, 26 years old), their parents and they rent out the 2nd and 3rd floor rooms. I am in a room on the third floor. My neighbors are a young married couple and a single 21 year old. The oldest son of the family is 27 and he has been a real help to me. He helped me move in and put up my bed; he took me for a tour of the neighborhood, and even helped me get a bus into town. He has studied English and wants me to tutor him. I went into Trujillo to go to the supermarket, but it was closed. I am figuring out that most things close here around siesta time of 1-4pm. I will be eating lunch with the family but I want to cook my own breakfast and dinner. I pay $100 soles a month for rent. That is like $35 American dollars, you can’t beat it.
I made my first visit to El Milagro today. I prepped myself for the shock of it all and I have to admit that it wasn’t such a shock at all this time. All the kids were happy to see me. My counterpart gave me a set of keys to the building and went over the objectives of the YMCA in El Milagro. They are doing so much! They have a full-time social-worker, a full-time psychologist, a part-time teacher, and several volunteer college students who all do programs/activities in the center. There weekly schedule is packed full of workshops, therapy sessions, activities. It is all a little intimidating, but I can see where I can bring some of my skills to the table. I told them I was interested in doing sports activities with the kids (which they lack), team building activities, and a paper making project and they seemed excited that I had some new ideas. In fact, they wanted me to hop right in the schedule for this week. I had to try to explain that I am still in the adjustment phase and would need some time to observe and learn about the culture and way things work.
I told my counterpart that I didn’t even know how to take the bus or where to shop for things like laundry soap, so before I jump into work, I need to feel organized and settled in at home. She was great and immediately took me to town. We bought me an electric hot plate, a dish, a fork, a knife, a spoon, Tupperware, and a bucket to wash my clothes. She gave me a tour of Trujillo on the way. We also decided that I would only work the afternoons this week, so I could get more settled in.
I am feeling more and more confident with my Spanish. My new host family dad told me I speak better Spanish than he does, I know he was kidding, but it does feel good to be able to communicate and share ideas with others in another language.
I don’t think I picked up lice from my sister. Thank goodness!
June 14, 2004
I returned to the house I found by the internet cafe to see about moving in. The dad of the family says all is good for me to move in, so I believe I will just do it. God is telling me this is where I should live, so I am going to follow his advice.
At 4:00, we visited the new YMCA office; the building is brand new and very nice. It is in an area of town that is pretty shady. They don’t even have water, electricity, or telephones and they can’t move in until they do. So, it will probably be forever until that all is ready. We had a YMCA staff meeting at the temporary office. It was quite overwhelming; they want us to start doing activities immediately. Peace Corps tells us to take 3 months to get settled in before we start any projects. Also, they want me to be in the center in El Milagro, 6 days a week, 9:00-6:00 with a 2 hour lunch. That is like a full-time job!
I am worried about how my current family will take the news that I am moving out. Hopefully, everything will work out. I am learning so much, but the lessons are tough ones. To not be liked or to be liked or to stand out wherever you go, simple because of your skin color is harsh.
June 13, 2004
I had a bad night last night. I couldn’t sleep because I am so worried about my living situation. I keep praying, but I just can’t shake my anxiety. I bought some things today for my family, like milk, bread, fruit, and rice.
I met the missionary family for lunch at a golf club in Trujillo. I met their children, visited with them at their house, and afterwards, we again looked for housing. I think God put them in my life for a reason. What a coincidence to be able to know them here in Peru.
June 12, 2004
This area of Trujillo where I am living doesn’t have police, so it is pretty much self-patrolled. People are extremely worried about being robbed. I have been warned several times about it. This common opinion is that if you are stupid enough to allow your stuff to be stolen, then so be it.
This being a ‘rich’ foreigner thing is tough. I so obviously have so much more than they do, and it makes things so difficult.
I went to the YMCA center of Winchanzao to a leadership workshop, but nobody showed up. However, I did chat with another YMCA volunteer, she’s Peruvian and lives in Winchanzao. I have yet to visit El Milagro. I ate lunch at a little house and the family was super nice. This house is a couple of doors down from the house I want to move into to. They said they would give me 3 meals a day for $6, when I move.
I met the missionaries that I had been corresponding with via email. What a nice couple! They helped me for a room to rent in some nice areas of Trujillo.
June 11, 2004
I had a weird night last night for sure. I had absolutely no privacy. I am still sleeping in the same room as my sister. Even though I was writing in the living room, my mom just turned off all the lights said to get in the bed. So we went to our bedroom and she said I could use her bedroom if I wanted to change. There are no doors on either of the 2 bedrooms. Something has to give! Oh, yeah, my sister has lice. I helped my mom pick the nits out of her hair this morning. My mom says its something she has to do every morning. I realize we are supposed to compromise as volunteers, but this is too much. I have to look for somewhere else to live ASAP. My sanity depends on it. Who’s going to look out for me if I don’t?
I tutored the neighbor in English a bit this morning, before I headed to the internet café, a couple of blocks from Winchanzao. I asked the attendant in the internet cafe if she knew of any place for me to live. What do you know? She says she rents a room from a family close by and that they have a room with bathroom that is available. The room is clean and nice, totally cute and only $100 per month. I have to wait until Sunday to talk with the father about the logistics. But I think this is definitely an option for me.
On a good note, our counterpart really seems to understand our roles as volunteers and the importance of being happy where we live.
I am so scared! What am I scared of? Being lonely, I think. I know that this pace of life will take some time to get used to and some adjustments on my part. I really haven’t had to be truly on my own. I will have to fill my days with activities. I can get a membership at a gym. I will be able to cook my food in my new room. I can read and I could get a Spanish tutor. I could make jewelry, sew, paint, or draw. See, I have lots of activities to keep boredom stay away.
Secondary projects I would like to tackle are: teaching English, youth group for Niyelo activities, reading group.
I am thinking about the 2 years before me and it seems like an eternity. I just hope to make this place my home. I know that just means putting myself out there and getting involved. I just want everything to happen quickly and naturally. Patience, I keep telling myself.
When I returned from Trujillo, my family had rearranged the house. The sister’s bed is now in the parent’s room. We had supper or bread and coffee. That is all they seem to ever have for supper. I think financially this family is suffering. It puts me in such a tough situation. I know any number of churches would happily donate to this poor Peruvian family. It would be a temporary fix, one that is not sustainable in the long run. I could I help this family help themselves? That is the real goal of a volunteer.
June 10, 2004
Wow. Here I am in my new home. I am with the same family I stayed with during my site visit. Granted they are very nice, sweet in fact, but this home is pretty rough. As long as I have my own space, I will be fine. The arrangement for me staying here is that I will make repairs on the house in place of rent. In the first 10 minutes, my mom showed me the things that she wanted me to fix or install like: a window, door, and bathroom. The dad even sat me down and said he needed a pair of eye glasses that cost $200. Definitely, not the foot I wanted to start off with in my new home. Peace Corps warns us that people will think we are made of money because we are from the USA. At this point, I am sharing a room with my sister. Hopefully, they will clean out the room so I can have it to myself. They do have a refrigerator here, but like in Santa Eulalia, it is unplugged (I think that is to conserve electricity, but what good is it?) Good things about this home: a flush toilet with a seat, water, electricity, telephone – so all and all I will be ok. Bad things: extremely close to other volunteer (about 2 blocks), no privacy, money issues.
I am having the urge to cry, but hopefully I can hold out. As for my work in El Milagro, I have to get myself prepared for my work there. I know it will be a shocker if not, especially the first couple of days. It is a good thing to be close to Trujillo.
Our counterpart took us shopping. We bought a bed and shelf for our rooms. I am glad I spoke up for myself and told my counterpart that I wanted to live somewhere else, they were supportive. Yeah! Now I have to find somewhere else to live.
June 8, 2004
We have spent two more days in Trujillo enjoying the cafes, shopping, and cable TV. We were supposed to move into our host families today, but something came up with our counterpart, so we are going to move into tomorrow or at least that is the new plan. We also mentioned to our counterpart our concerns about living so close together and they completely understood. They said that we were living in different sections of Winchanzao, so hopefully, it will all work out.
June 6, 2004
We got into Trujillo at 7:30 this morning. Our hotel is ok; not the greatest, but it does have hot water. I slept all night on the bus. We explored the city first thing this morning. I have to admit I am very excited about Trujillo. It is a great city. There are supermarkets that have great stuff like American sliced cheese, sandwich meat, milk, and peanut butter. I was so excited! We found the post office and the bank. Also, there are some great restaurants. For lunch, we ate in a cute little café where I had a great grilled chicken salad with oil/vinegar dressing. We found lots of appliance stores and even a department store with almost anything I would need. We sat in the Plaza for a while and it didn’t take long before people just came up to us and asked us what we were doing in town. It was so funny how incredible friendly and curious people are here. After we chatted for a while, we headed to the movies. I can’t believe there is actually a cinema here. We watched the Day after Tomorrow; it was fair, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Tomorrow is another day to laze around here in Trujillo, and then on Tuesday we head to our sites and to our host families. I am very nervous. I am praying things will be ok.
