Tuesday, July 20, 2004

July 17, 2004
I woke up at 11:45 am.  The last 3 days have been a real blur.  I have been sick, unusually sick.  I have had a fever around 101°-102°F, have been SO tired with extreme body aches, and with (the lovely) diarrhea.  I called the PCMO yesterday and she said that I probably picked up a virus and the only thing to do is drink lots of water, take fever reducer, and rest.  Well, that is what I have been doing; hopefully by tomorrow I will feel more like myself.  I have slept more in 3 days than I usually sleep in 2 weeks.
 
July 16, 2004
I woke up with a fever but felt like I could probably make it to El Milagro for my English classes.  I didn’t shower or anything just threw on some clothes and grabbed the combi.  Sure enough, I had a couple of kids waiting to begin my class.  I had 5 kids in total and we studied numbers and colors, sang 2 songs, and played Uno.  I also had some time to work on my next lesson plan:  we are going to learn family titles and make family trees from old magazines.  I think they will enjoy it.  I talked with my counterpart and we decided that I could wait until Tuesday for my other class, since the afternoon class is one lesson ahead anyway.  That way, on Tuesday I will be giving the same lesson twice.
 
I was home by 2:00 pm for lunch.  My family insisted that I not be out in the cold (make my sickness worse), and that I drink lots of hot drinks like tea.  Fine by me, I like tea, but I am not so sure it has as much medicinal strength as they seem to think that it does. 
 
Returned to my room around 2:30 pm and slept until 9:00 pm.  I drank more tea with my family, and then was back in bed by 11:00 pm.  I hope I feel better soon.  I am sleeping my life away!
 
July 15, 2004
I hung out in El Milagro all day today.  I worked on lesson plans in the morning and in the afternoon I went with one of my counterparts to the local public primary school where many of our kids attend.  The building itself was relatively nice and looked new, all made of cement and with paint.  There was a play area with soccer goals and volleyball net.  A bathroom and a 2 story school building with 12 classrooms.  We arrived there around 3:30, in time for their recess.  What was a bit surprising was the director was just arriving also.  My counterpart told me this was a common complaint of the parents:  the tardiness of all the teachers.  The purpose of the visit was to check on the progress of the kids in our program and offer a workshop to the teachers on a specific topic like boundaries, self esteem, rights/legislation, etc.  This school, very recently, had a sexual abuse scandal between a female student and male teacher.  The YMCA is helping the family of the girl pursue the case in court.  We interviewed each of the four teachers that work in the afternoons.  There are 2 sessions of classes; one session in the afternoon for the youngest classes and a session in the afternoon for the oldest classes.  I couldn’t believe the number of students in each class:  45-60 in each classroom.  That is crazy!  How could just one teacher do it?  Many of the classrooms in the building are standing empty, because the government won’t pay for more teachers. 
 
We walked back to the center with a family of our program.  Just goes to show, I can always find a little friend to ‘escort’ me around El Milagro… hand in hand the whole way.  They ask us at Peace Corps, “If you had to leave today, what would you miss most about your site?”  I would definitely miss the most my little kiddies and their unconditional love and affection.
 
I got back to my house to find my site mate waiting on my doorstep.  It’s Harry Potter 3 day!  Today it comes out in the cinema here and I promised her I would go with her to see it.  We invited my brother, since he has to go into town anyway to buy his bus ticket.  So, we went into Trujillo, bought our movie tickets for the 9:00 show, and then ate pizza.  The whole time I was so extremely hot.  I was convinced I had a fever, so we stopped by the pharmacy.  I asked for something for fever and a head ache and she just says “60 cents, please.”  I have learned by now, not to trust these establishments, so I asked what type of medicine.  She hands me something that I’d never seen, with what looked to me to have the ingredients of an anti-inflammatory.  So, I asked for another medicine.  She game me something which had Tylenol as an ingredient but combined with other things, so I asked for the Tylenol by itself in 500 mgs.  Twenty-three cents lighter, we left the pharmacy with me thinking, these people don’t have a clue. 
 
In the movie, I couldn’t keep my eyes open.  I slept through most of it… I am definitely sick.
July 13, 2004
I got into Trujillo around 8:00, came home and slept to around 11:00 am.  I am having a tough time getting back into the groove of things here in Trujillo.  Amazing how my mentality can be affected by just a weekend in Lima.  Imagine what it will do to me, when I visit the states.  I have all the feelings of being a bad volunteer because I am not doing enough or being competent enough.  I think it is the guilt of wanting to live with modern conveniences, yet knowing to be a good volunteer I have to give up some of those. 
 
My missionary friends have given me a week guest pass to the country club, so I enjoyed the workout machines, the pool, and hot shower before I went into El Milagro for the afternoon session with my kiddies.    

July 12, 2004
I got up at 10:00 to my cell phone alarm, went into the kitchen to put my clothes in the dryer, to find the maid already doing my laundry.  What a way to live.  She ironed my clothes, cleaned the house, and then made us fresh squeezed orange juice.  My taxi to the bus terminal was coming at 11:00, but I decided to change my ticket to Trujillo to the 11:00 PM trip.  What are another 12 hours living “normal” with modern appliances, carpeting, hot water, and cable TV?  So far, I have been able to watch American news channels, What Not To Wear (my favorite!), and MTV; eat grilled chicken salads and order Pizza Hut; wash and dry all my clothes; take a bath in a bathtub (and shave!).  I would rather be able to sleep on the eight hours home anyway.  I called my counterpart to let her know I would be at El Milagro tomorrow for my English class and then called a few people in the states, just to say hello.  Emily leaves at 6:00 pm this afternoon and I leave at 10:00 for the bus terminal. 
 
My bus didn’t leave until 11:30.  I didn’t have any problems falling asleep.  I think I am getting used to this form of travel.
 
July 11, 2004
I made it back to Emily’s home stay by 11:00 am and we decided to just bum around the apartment all afternoon.  We cooked sausage, ate cereal, and made ‘real’ coffee.  Since, Lina had already left to head back to her site, I spoke with Veronica and I am going to stay with Emily at her place.  We ventured to Jockey Plaza around 5:00 am where we shopped, had Starbucks (where I bought a coffee press), and then watched Spiderman 2 in the cinema.  We got back home around midnight and stayed up till 2:00 am watching TV and reading.  It has been such a relaxing weekend here in Lima.  There is definitely culture shock in enjoying this side of life in Lima, especially in a country where the huge majority lives in poverty. 
 
I am heading back to Trujillo tomorrow at 12:00 pm.  Back to PC life…
 
July 10, 2004
I got into Lima around 7:00 am this morning.  Veronica, a secretary at Peace Corps, picked me up at the terminal, and then we went to her house.  I am staying with her this weekend.  They have a really nice place, in a ritzy area of Lima.  Wanting to see my buddies, Veronica took me to where they were staying.  What a great reunion!  It is great to see my training buddies.  They are staying with an American lady who works for the Embassy.  She has a nice 3 bedroom apartment where she gave us the run of the place.  We cooked, showered, watched TV as if we were in our own home.  I am a bit sad that I have to stay in the other house, but we will hang out while we can.  At 2:00 we went to the Peace Corps office for the VAC meeting.  Definitely, the longest American meeting I have sat through since coming to Peru.  We were there for almost 5 hours.  Gratefully, the meeting was interesting in that we discussed many topics that involved the struggles and challenges of PCVs, PC regulations, future meetings, and budgetary concerns.  After the meeting, we headed back to the apartment to eat dinner and change for a night out in Lima.  We met up with some of the guys for a trip to Barronco.      

July 7, 2004
I head to Lima on Friday to represent Trujillo Volunteers at the Volunteer Advisory Committee meeting.  Some of my favorite pals from Piura, Cajamarca, and Ancash are coming too, so I am excited to get a couple of days to hang out with them.  I had to go into Trujillo this morning to buy my bus ticket.  I am taking the most expensive bus that they say is a bus with beds.  We will see.  I am not getting my hopes up; I know how Peru can over exaggerate.  Hopefully, I will be pleasantly surprised.  I also bought a nightstand for my room at the Mayorista Market.  The prices are so cheap there and you can see the carpenter’s making the furniture.  I had lunch at home: fish, rice, beans, and salad. 
 
After lunch, I went to El Milagro for the afternoon session with the kids.  I made another sign to announce my upcoming English classes.  I am sure I will have a crowd on Friday because at the same time there is a Mother’s Club meeting and the mother’s will inevitably bring their kids.  After work, my counterpart and I went to the medical clinic in El Milagro to attend a meeting.  We waited around for about 30 minutes, but no one showed up.  Who knows?  So, we left and visited with a family that the YMCA is helping -- a very touchy situation with this family.  To the best of my understanding, the YMCA is assisting this family with a charge against a school teacher for sexual abuse. 
 
A situation with YMCA that I have observed that I am still trying to understand is their relationship with a group called INABIF.  INABIF is practically Peru’s Department of Family and Children’s Services.  INABIF shares the center space with us, they work with the same kids, and generally do the same stuff that YMCA does with kids of El Milagro.  However, INABIF and YMCA do not coordinate their activities together.  For example, INABIF also celebrates birthdays of the kids (separate from YMCA).  It is not unusual to show up at the center and realize that you can’t do an activity that YMCA has planned because INABIF has already started a workshop with the kids or vice versa.  To me, this is an easily solved problem – why not have a weekly coordination meeting with INABIF and YMCA?  Work together besides working separately.  This is one of my ulterior goals as a volunteer in El Milagro.  I would love to help make this relationship between agencies more efficient.   
 
I made my way home around 8:00, cooked myself some pasta with tomato sauce, and then went to the internet cafĂ©.  I discovered how to use web cam on the instant messenger.  Too cool!  People can see me at home and if they have web cam I can see them.  Technology in this day and age is really just growing leaps and bounds.
 
July 6, 2004
I pulled the morning and afternoon shifts at the center again today.  This morning was a bit frustrating.  None of the kids showed up for my English class.  No one thought to tell me that all the kids had to march in a parade celebrating El Milagro’s anniversary.  So, instead I went to the Plaza of El Milagro and watched the kids march and enjoyed the festivities of the celebration.  I had fun chatting with the moms of the project I saw and with some of the kids too. 
 
After lunch, I returned to the center for my afternoon English class.  I was fortunate to have 12 kids attend my second English class ever.  Today’s lesson was about colors and numbers which lead us into 3 intense games of UNO.  The kids really had fun, I think, but who doesn’t like playing UNO, right?
 
Returned home, did internet for a while, cleaned up my room, then off to bed.
 
July 4, 2004
Today is my nation’s Independence Day.  My family remembered and gave me a hug in remembrance and I listened to Martina McBride’s tribute to our freedom and that is about it.  We had a cookout here on the roof of the house.  My dad set up a grill and we had steaks, pork, and chicken.  Boy, it was great.  The steaks were excellent.  I didn’t even know that you could buy meat like that here in Peru.  Afterwards, my dad, mom, brother and I went downtown to walk around.  Nestle promoters were giving out free Sublimes (chocolate candy bars) in the Plaza – first I’d seen of that.  Something free!  Then we had Chinese, stopped by the grocery store for a few things, and then headed home.  We sat around the living room chatting for awhile and I came upstairs to finish my book.  Happy 4th!  I missed seeing fireworks. 
 
July 3, 2004
All the folks in El Milagro went on a fieldtrip today and I believe it was the best day I have had yet!  We loaded 2 huge buses with over 80 people – moms, dads, grandparents, and kids and headed an hour away to the foothills of the mountains to an area that boasts of two pools, a playground, soccer field, and volleyball court.  The kids didn’t waste anytime in jumping in the pool.  The owner of the establishment announced that all swimmers must have a bathing suit to get in the pool and they must shower first.  Many of the kids didn’t have bathing suits, most made due with their underwear with little regard for modesty.  The shear happiness on their faces was something I wouldn’t have missed for the world.  To escape from the landfill for a day to relax at picnic tables on grass, snooze on the lounge chairs, or play with the attractions was a real treat for everyone. 
 
Several situations arose that I felt I have grown as an individual by being able to witness them – 
One was this boy, about 12 years old.  He has a severe speech impediment and he came all alone on the field trip.  Most kids came with at least one relative.  He was very dirty in ill-fitting clothes, he couldn’t button or zip his pants they were so small, his toes were poking out the tips of his shoes, and his shirt was in tatters.  He didn’t get into the pool at first; he just stood with us adults not saying anything.  He slowly made his way until he was standing directly inside our little circle.  Cautiously, he finally asked my coworker, after several attempts for she couldn’t understand him well, if it would be ok for him to swim in his underwear.  She said yes that would be fine, but he would have to shower first.  An outdoor shower was right beside the pool for this purpose.  He obviously had never showered before, nor had he ever been in a pool.  After he become accustomed to the feel of the water, you could tell he loved it!  The sheer exhilaration on his face has made this entire experience for me.  He played and jumped around in the pool for hours.  He touched my heart yet again at lunch time.  YMCA personnel were fed by the club’s restaurant and the family’s brought their lunch.  I thought randomly, as I bit into my second helping of duck, rice, and beans, if everyone remembered to bring their lunch.  Just as we were finishing and starting to stand from the table, the same boy approached our table.  He just stood there and one of my coworkers asked if he had had lunch.  He shook his head no and she promptly combined our leftovers on one plate and he sat and dug in.  I felt so incredibly guilty at that moment in time.  To have been enjoying good food and conversation with my coworkers, while this little boy, all alone and hungry waited for us to finish, so he could beg for our leftovers. 

I also came to realize that the YMCA personnel keep themselves at a safe distance from becoming emotionally involved with the people of the project.  They did very little to integrate into the activities of the families on the fieldtrip.  I was a bit lost in where I was to fit into the picture.  I found I was most happy dancing with the moms, or playing volleyball with the teenage girls, or sitting on the ground with the little girls all in my lap or hanging on my shoulders, or singing silly songs with the boys.  It was somewhat uncomfortable to be associated as an employee of the YMCA because of the distance they put between themselves and the families of El Milagro.
 
Another experience I will never forget is the delight the kids and parents get by having their picture taken.  I didn’t quite understand the hysteria at first, for when I take out my camera I am hounded to death!  But I realize now, that they will never have the pleasure of owning a camera or taking photos of their life’s experiences.  The mom’s shyly asked me to take photos of their babies and hesitantly told me they would pay me for the photos.  The things that we take for granted, how many they are!  The simple joy of being able to document our lives -- the people of El Milagro don’t have this same luxury. 
 
After lunch, we also held a birthday party for the kids who had birthdays in June.  We brought out 2 huge cakes and every kid got a bag of fruit and a hard boiled egg.  I was in charge of handing out the fruit and eggs.  They all lined up and not so patiently awaited their turn to receive their gifts.  I felt like Santa!  The kids were so happy to get their food.  Many lingered at the end to see if there were any leftovers and their little voices begging (for an apple, an orange, or a hard boiled egg) will probably haunt me forever.
 
I expect the unexpected and I am still surprised.  A little boy was crying and moaning with a stomach ache after we finished with the birthday festivities.  His mother promptly began pulling his hair out!  With both hands, she was pulling fists-full of hair out of his head.  It was later explained to me that this is ‘supposed’ to help with a stomach ache.  My way of thinking is that yes, it helps.  It helps you forget your stomach ache and you then cry because your head hurts.
 
You know, there was a time back when I was so scared of ever returning to El Milagro, that the thought brought me to tears.  In fact, at the end of my first day there, I swore I would never return.  I mistakenly thought the fright and nervousness would never go away and that I would never get used to the trash.  I may never get used to the odor or ever feel completely safe walking alone, but to think I would have missed the utter joy of a sweetly smiling face with dirty little arms squeezing my neck in a huge hug me making me feel like the richest woman on earth. 

So, today on this fieldtrip to the countryside with these families that lack so much, who enjoy life and friendship, who offer so much love to me -- I feel truly blessed. 

Wednesday, July 07, 2004

July 2, 2004
This morning I walked with a couple of the kids to get a pump for the soccer balls. On the way, we practiced a little bit of English. The kids are always asking me what everything means in English. I was a bit nervous about starting my English classes today, but for no reason because the kids were so enthusiastic! They really made it easy. I can tell that many may have some learning disabilities. We started with “My name is, Hello, and Bye”. I also taught them, “Howdy”. I gotta keep that Southern pride alive! We also played a name game, which took some coaxing to get all the shy girls to participate. I realized a little later is was because they needed a bit more personalized attention. After I practiced the pronunciation with them, they had more confidence about playing. In pairs, the kids had to see who could say “Your name is…” the fastest. They seemed to enjoy it. For my first class, I felt like it went great.

At lunch, I made a country music CD for my brother in exchange for copies of his CDs of salsa and Latina music. He had told me that he liked Kenny Rogers. What a hoot, right? So, I brought my laptop downstairs and let him pick out songs to burn for a CD. I have been hesitant to let anyone know that I have a laptop, one because I don’t want to cause too much unwanted attention, don’t want to seem like a rich American, and lastly, I don’t want it stolen. However, my family has a computer too and even a DVD player, so it wasn’t that much of a shock. We have been trading DVDs too.

I went back to El Milagro in the afternoon, continued my English class, and took photos. Boy, was that exciting for the kids. They are hams for the camera. They wanted a photo of everything, including the guinea pigs. The guinea pig project is sponsored by YMCA and is to encourage the mothers of the community to start small animal-raising businesses in their homes to sale in town. Those cute little guinea pigs are going to be somebody’s lunch sometime soon.

At dark, I returned home, had tea and bread with my family for supper, then headed to the internet cafe for some messaging.

July 1, 2004
Not much going on at work today. I helped some of the kids with their homework and just hung out mostly. I came home for lunch around 2:00. After we ate, I showed my family all my pictures from home and even some of the photos I had taken here. They enjoyed getting to know my family a little more by the pictures. My brother and I headed to Trujillo for a little while, I needed to go by the post office and the bank, and he needed to buy his ticket to Lima. Then we had a sandwich for supper at the “BEST” sandwich joint in Trujillo. Supposedly, all the college students hang and eat there; I have to say it was good. I bought the DVD, Spiderman 2, and then we came home. I watched my new DVD, then went off to sleep.

June 30, 2004
Back to work! I was actually excited to get to El Milagro today. I began my preparations for my English class on Friday. I have a couple of other people’s resources and I am trying to get a lesson plan going for the classes. I really have no clue about teaching! I was a psychology major. The beauty of the Peace Corps, you can try on all kinds of hats to see if they are for you. I guess I will know soon enough if teaching is for me.

Lunch was good, beef tips, broccoli and rice. We always have fresh juice and today it was papaya. My brother asked me if I was feeling better. He had seen me come in the house yesterday, my fresh butchered hair cut and my blood shot eyes. He told me that when I get homesick again, to let him know and we will go for a walk, chat, or take a trip to the beach. He was really sweet.

Returned to El Milagro in the afternoon for a meeting with the community council, where they discussed the importance of having organizations in a community. It was pretty boring; I just sat there and listened. However, it is interesting to watch the body language of the community leaders. Everyone stands when speaking, even in a small group/informal setting. And they always begin by acknowledging all the important people in the room (mayors, presidents, etc.) and saying very formally, “Good day to everyone here”.

I was home by 8:00. I made myself pasta and fresh tomato sauce.

My physical exercise is non existent again. There are several gyms in Trujillo. I just need to make room in my schedule to take a couple of hours to get back into shape. I know that would help me with dealing with stress/homesickness too.

June 29, 2004
Today started out ok and ended ok, but boy the middle of it was a tough one. It is a holiday today and the center in El Milagro was closed, so no work for me. I decided I would do some shopping, which I love. I thought at first I would find a gym and try to work out, but I quickly lost the urge. So, after my shopping, on my walk to where I normally catch the bus to my home, I decided I would get my hair cut. Mistake # 593,487 – never get your hair cut when you can’t explain exactly what you want done; never get your hair cut at a place that charges 3 soles a cut; absolutely never ask for layers. Oh yeah, and just take off a little, means take off a lot. I made it out of there without bursting into tears, but the people on the combi weren’t as lucky. I cried the whole way to my room, just wishing I was at HOME. I think I may be experiencing the end of the honeymoon period that they tell you about as a trainee. For a short time period, things are great when you get to your site, then you realize that what was new, quaint, and interesting is now backward, boring, infuriating, and frustrating. So, I wallowed in self pity for a couple of hours in my room, examining my hair, and wondering if I should even venture to style it myself. After a shower and a blow dry, I felt better. I visited my site mate and we decided to go see a movie. Just what I needed!

June 27, 2004
I got up early this morning to go shopping for a bookcase with my brother. We found a big one for $50 soles, pretty good. For lunch, the whole family went to eat at a seafood restaurant. It was fantastic. I had a seafood platter that had all kinds of meat: octopus, crab, oyster, fish, shrimp, scallops, and other indefinables all mixed in an Alf redo sauce. It was so great. I also tried Ceviche, the dish of Peru. Ceviche is raw fish (like sushi) ‘cooked’ with lime juice and ahi. It was superb. I really regret not trying it before now. After we got back from lunch, I visited Winchanzao for a little while. Tonight I went with my neighbors and my brother to downtown Trujillo, just to walk around. We had stuffed potatoes on the street, watched the street artists work their magic with only spray paint and a white piece of paper, stopped by a mass service in the Cathedral, and then we sat on benches in the plaza to chat. It was a good evening. We got home around 9:00 and everyone hung out in my room for tea and a look at pictures of home. There are always so surprised to see where I live, that it’s in the mountains, not the city, that all the houses are made of wood, and that everyone has cars. At times, I miss not having more volunteers in my area like the volunteers in Piura, Cajamarca, and Huaraz who have group 1 and 2 to hang out with. It would be nice to just chill with some other Americans for a little while. However, I realize that I am making Peruvian friends and improving my Spanish more everyday I DON’T hang with Americans.